Fishy, fishy, fishy, come swim in my sea.

Chapter 17: Whose side are you on?

A/N: I am interested at this point if you guys could actually answer the question in the chapter's title. At this point in the fan fiction, whose side are you on? Astral's, Shark and the Barian's or just undecided. Just curious. It might kill my cat pillow though.

This one is short and sweet enjoy :)

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Yuma found himself in his room after dark. His sister, and Grandma could tell something was wrong with him and had asked. He wouldn't tell them the details, only that he'd had a fight with Astral. But they could tell it was really bugging him. They didn't argue either when he went up stairs to his room.

Once in his room Yuma had removed the Astral key and dumped it on his desk. He didn't want to talk to Astral right now.  He had then dropped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling fighting the urge to scream. To try and help prevent his building scream, Yuma picked up an old plush his dad had brought him and started fidgeting with it.

Why couldn't Astral see that the Barian's weren't evil? It was getting really hard to not fight with Astral on the matter actually. In fact, if anything, the Barians were victims of Don thousand, Yuma thought. Ok, so what that chaos was the base of all of their powers, didn't make it evil, just like the darkness.

Yuma wasn't saying Astral world hadn't been attacked, in fact he believed it had, he just knew that none of the Barians could have done, not even Vector who'd had a full day of class with Yuma today, and it seemed the attack had happened from earth today. 

"Trust Astral world to jump to conclusions." Yuma said to himself.

Then he remembered Astral's question. 'Whose side are you on?'. Yuma wanted to say he didn't know, but the thought that deep down he knew what the answer was. So he started to seriously consider the question. 

As an individual he knew he wasn't on Astral's side, even though he still sort of thought of Astral as a friend. But was that just a childish part of him that didn't want to let go of the past? Could you be friends with someone and not be on their side? Yuma didn't have an answer.

Yuma also knew he wasn't on Astral world's side either. He had fought against the leader. He had actively tried to argue against Astral world's desire to destroy Barian world. He had never believed any world had the right to destroy another. But he was fine with Astral world if it kept to itself.

The easy question to answer was that he was on Shark's side. He had always been on Shark's side, since the day they had met, despite him being a bit of a bully and taking Bronk's deck. He had just felt a spark with him, felt a need to help, even if he didn't want it. Besides, Yuma loved Shark and just knew he would always be on Shark's side. Same went for Rio.

Then, when he really thought about it, he had done the same for all the Barian Emperors, even Vector, who had done a lot of damage. Yuma had even advocated for the continued existence, having won a duel against Astral to ensure Barian world's safety. He truly thought of all the Barians as friends, loved ones and family. He was on some level on their side. And he considered Tori, Bronk, Kite and all his human friends the same way. He just was keeping a secret from them out of fear of rejection and to protect them, he realised, from Astral world should it turn nasty. They couldn't be guilty of helping him as a Barian if they didn't know, right?

Before Yuma could put anymore thought into that, his duel gazer buzzed in his pocket. He dug it out. It flashed with a message from Shark.

Shark: Is Astral floating near you?

Yuma: No, he's in the key, sulking because Tori snapped at him. He won't appear either, 'cause I'm not wearing the key.

Shark: Good.

Yuma: Why?

Shark: Astral world has blamed Barian world for the earth based attack.

Yuma: That was obvious from Astral's attitude.

Shark: Gets worse.

Yuma: How?

Shark: Astral world retaliated. Our people got the message to Alito who whispered it to me at the gate.

Yuma: I figured as much. Want to share the damage?

Shark: Mostly structural, but 200 lower Barians died.

"Fuck." Yuma hissed when he read this. Why did this upset him so much? Yuma wondered. Then the thought popped into his head. They had been humans once, most of who had been in Shark's kingdom, people he Yuma had defended and likely served with in the ancient past when he'd been Shark's most trusted, even beloved, military commander. They were innocent. This made Yuma's blood boil. He couldn't stand by and let innocent people be hurt when they'd done nothing.

Besides, he knew trouble was coming. The only thing that was hold him back, Yuma realised, wasn't Astral at all. No, it was Tori, Kite, Trey, Bronk, Kari, and all his human friends and family. He didn't want to betray them. He didn't want to hurt them. But he'd rather see them hurt or betrayed than dead. With this he knew whose side he was on. He texted Shark again.

Yuma: I'm coming over. 

Shark: Why?

Yuma: I've decided.

Shark: Yuma, I know you're mad at Astral, but you shouldn't make this decision angry.

Yuma: True. But I haven't made this decision because I'm angry. See you in 30.

Yuma tore from his room, barely pausing to tell Kari and his Grandma where he was going, saying he might stay over, because he wanted to talk to Shark about the falling out he'd had with Astral. They were fine with it.

30 minutes later, Yuma was ringing the bell to Shark's door. Shark answered straight away, it was obvious he'd been waiting by the door.

"Yuma, I know what you are thinking," Shark said, clearly concerned for Yuma, "but ..."

"This isn't rash." Yuma assured Shark, predicting what he was trying to say, "I know you're worried that I've decided out of anger. But neither will I say that I'm not angry at Astral or Astral world. I'm pissed at them, like I'm sure you are."

"Yes but that's not the point," Shark said taking Yuma's hands worry in the ocean of his eyes, "I don't want you to make the same mistake that I did. I'm luck it didn't cost me you."

"I've made this decision because I want to protect those I care about," Yuma explained softly to Shark a determined look in his scarlet eyes, "I want to protect the innocent of all worlds. I know it can't be undone once its finished, but that is a price I'm willing to pay. Screw what the others think. I'd rather see them hurt than dead."

Shark could tell Yuma had thought this through. More than he had. He knew what he was getting himself into. Shark could see Yuma wasn't going to back down. And deep down Shark was happy, because Yuma had chosen to be a the Barian he was deep inside.

"So," Shark needed to hear Yuma say it, "Whose side are you on, Yuma?"

"I am siding with my lover and his people," Yuma answered smiling at Shark a weight lifting from his shoulders, "I am with the Barians. Besides, you said Barians have very long lifespans, that means more time with you, that is a reward in my eyes."

"Wrong." Shark said once Yuma had finished his response as he guide Yuma to the kitchen where to other Barians stood bickering, Vector being held in a headlock by clearly angry Rio, "The Barians are your people too."

"Hey Yuma." Vector half choked, his greeting causing Rio to let him go, "What brings you here?"

"Yuma's decided to join us." Shark declared proudly to the room. The other Barians all rushed to hug Yuma to show him they welcomed his decision and him as a Barian.