I want apologize greatly to everyone. You all have been waiting so patiently for the last chapter and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I've been so busy writing the first few chapters of a couple other stories as well as editing my current ones that I pushed this further and further back. But at last I got off my procrastinating butt and wrote the conclusion to this series of one-shots. Thank you everyone who stuck with me until the end. It means a lot. :)

From inside the Ou's Key, Astral was growing a bit concerned. The key hadn't picked up any emotions from Yuma since that morning while the boy was rushing to school. At first the spirit assumed Yuma was merely uninterested in whatever he was learning, but the disinterest shouldn't have lasted this long. Curious as to what could be going on, Astral materialized outside the key.

The first thing he noticed was that he was not in Yuma's school. He was inside Heartland Park, the people there enjoying their beautiful morning by jogging or riding bicycles. Here and there Astral spotted a few dogs running around. Astral looked down, ready to question Yuma skipping class but ended up blinking in surprise. Rather than his key hanging around the neck of his friend, it was instead in the grasp of a familiar young boy walking rather calmly along the trail.

"Haruto."

The boy with amber eyes looked up at the spirit impassively.

"Haruto, what are you doing here?"

"I want to know."

Astral was caught off-guard. "Know? Know what?" As an answer, Haruto pointed ahead, toward the entrance of what appeared to be an amusement park.

"I want to know what it's like. There. I see children go there all the time smiling. I want to know why."

"You've never been to an amusement park before, have you?" Astral didn't say it like he was surprised. He had learned a while ago that Haruto was constantly kept locked away, only able to look outside at the city from wherever his confinement was.

Haruto nodded once.

"But Haruto, how did you end up with the Ou's Key?"

"I found it lying on the ground. Did Yuma forget it?" The boy held out his hand for the spirit to see the necklace. The string was torn, and Astral concluded Yuma hadn't realized it in his rush.

"Can I ask that you hold on to it until we find Yuma? He's in school, so we can't give it to him now." Again, Haruto nodded once before continuing toward the fair grounds. Inside, excited children ran about in a hurry to get on the various rides while older siblings and parents struggled to keep up with the energetic young ones. No one paid any mind to the escaped child and invisible spirit.

"Say kid, need some tickets?"

Haruto turned to see a slightly burly man standing behind a stand. The man gestured for the boy to come closer. "I've never seen you here before, and that's saying something from someone who's seen more kids than he can count. If you want to ride, you're going to need some tickets or a band."

"Yuma had to buy a band to get on the rides," Astral informed Haruto, "I'm still not sure why but he said it was worth more than the slips of paper."

"But I have no money," Haruto said nonchalantly to the spirit.

"No money?" the ticket giver looked sincerely surprised before he lowered his voice and whispered, "Listen, I think every kid should have a right to have fun at an amusement park at least once in their life. Here, if you keep quiet about this, I can scrap you a few tickets."

He handed Haruto four slips. The boy voiceless accepted them and bowed his head politely. Past the park's entrance, numerous attractions caught the boys' eyes. Mystified by the workings of the rides, Haruto wandered over to a miniature building. The sign hanging over the door read "House of Mirrors".

"What's this?"

"I'm assuming it's exactly what the signs says," replied Astral, though also unsure of what lay within. Another park worker stood by the door, ready to accept one of Haruto's tickets before letting him inside. A dozen fearless eyes stared back at Haruto and Astral as they entered the mansion. One hand held a little ahead of his body, the young child slowly felt his way through the labyrinth of mirrors.

At first feeling his way blindly seemed to work for him, but soon Haruto began to stumble and hesitate, his countless reflections drawing his eyes away from true passageways. Though he knew he'd never show it, Astral was aware of the growing sense of apprehension coming from his current charge. He floated around, unaffected by the mirrors' trick due to a lack of reflection. "Haruto, this way."

The boy hesitated for only a split second, but he turned and maneuvered his way to where Astral floated. The process was soon repeated- Astral floating some ways ahead and Haruto following behind without colliding into any mirrors. It wasn't long before the two eventually made it out.

They had to shield their eyes from the sun as they stepped outside. "That was…interesting," Astral spoke up, a small smile on his face. Haruto looked as impassive as ever.

"Nothing more than a maze and mere tricks is all it takes to be entertained? No. Something is missing. There's more that's needed." Astral was tempted to answer Haruto, to confirm that, yes, there was more needed in this attraction or any of them for that matter. But he realized now was not the right time to tell him what it was.

"Why don't we try the sky lift? Yuma said it was akin to flying for humans."

"Flying?" Haruto almost laughed, but he didn't look as if he opposed the idea. They slinked through the crowd going mostly ignored by all the eager children and their parents. The line was very short and two minutes later Haruto was seated in the car and slowly moving over the park. He and Astral watched the people on the ground scatter about finding rides and friends, kids comparing prizes and face paintings with each other. Then something caught Astral's sharp gaze.

"Haruto…" The boy turned his head, looking toward where the spirit was indicating.

Far below them, no bigger than a bug to them, a blond-hair boy walked calmly through the crowd, almost parting it as he stepped. His dark cloak made him stand out greatly in the bright carnival grounds. His attention was straight ahead as if he was on a mission and nothing would divert him from it. Beside him was a strange robot who, unlike him, was looking around in every direction.

"Onii-sama?"

There was no way for Kaito to hear him for Haruto barely whispered his name. Regardless, the moment the name swept past his lips, the older brother's eyes instantly shifted skyward and connected with Haruto's. A silent message was communicated between them, Astral could tell. Kaito immediately turned to the exit of the sky lift ride, ready to greet his brother. Orbital 7 immediately followed suit.

Five minutes later, Haruto was back on the ground where Kaito was waiting. "Haruto, what are you doing here?" were probably going to be his first words, but Orbital 7 was faster and rushed over to the boy.

"Haruto-sama! We've been looking everywhere for you! Why'd you leave the tower? Why are you here? How did-?"

"Quiet," the older brother ordered, and the robot instantly fell silent.

"I saw the children were happy here. I wanted to know why." The simple answer caused the older sibling to pause.

"Then it's good I found you here before…" But he didn't finish. "Anyway, we should go. Your escapades will cause them to be more careful with you, which is the last thing we need now." A glitter caught his attention. "Haruto, what's that?" Astral looked down nervously as the younger boy pulled out the Ou's Key from his pocket.

"This is Astral's key. Yuma forgot it. I promised Astral I'd hold on to it until we find him."

Orbital 7 gasped. "That's excellent! We can lure out that fool Tsukumo and obtain the Numbers cards in his possession. Better still, we can unlock the secrets of the Key and the Astral World!" An audible growl could be heard from Kaito, yet he made no move to take the key, to Astral's astonishment.

"…He should be fortunate it was you who found the key." He led his brother off the platform.

Astral couldn't help noticing how much more relax Haruto's aura became after the brothers reunited. Haruto was a little more eager to recommend rides, Kaito silently trailing behind. From time to time the spirit was even able to catch a glimpse of Haruto's and even Kaito's rare smiles. There were times when Haruto would inadvertently remind Kaito of Astral's presence, causing Astral to glance nervously at his enemy. But aside from a sudden icy glare Kaito seemed very tolerant of his invisible rival hanging around them.

The two brothers plus Astral went on ride after ride, played game after game, until the sun began to slip sleepily behind the tents and stands. The visitors slowly made their way to the gates, children sneaking in a last game or two before leaving for the day. Haruto, Kaito, and Orbital 7 made sure to be in the midst of the crowd should unwanted eyes be trying to find them.

As the sky darkened and the moon rose, the brothers made a quick stop. It wasn't a fancy place, but the carnival didn't have any stalls that sold caramel. Kaito bought a small pouch just for Haruto. "Something small," he said as he placed the bag in his brother's hand. The younger boy held onto the bag tightly as if it was the most treasured thing in the world to him.

They continued their walk home, a peaceful silence having fallen upon the four of them- that is until the sound of someone's shouting broke it. "Gaah! Where is it?"

The two brothers stopped in their tracks, looking toward the source. Yuma was crawling around on the ground, his attention completely not on them. To them, he seemed to be looking for something.

Kaito looked a mix between yelling at the boy to stop being so idiotic and…something else. What was it? Astral couldn't tell.

"Yuma." The spiky-hair boy turned when Haruto's soft voice called him.

"Oh, hey Haruto…" It didn't take long to figure why Haruto was out and about. Yuma and Kaito locked eyes but otherwise made no effort in commencing a duel.

It also didn't take long to notice to blue spirit floating behind them. Yuma got up and jogged over to them. "Astral! Where have you- you've been with them this whole time?"

"Of course." Astral looked down at his friend. "You dropped the Key and Haruto was willing enough to keep a hold on it until we reunited." Haruto took the Key out of his pocket and handed it to Yuma.

"Man, you're a lifesaver, Haruto!" Orbital 7 began to sputter when Kaito once again failed to take any action in keeping the key. Yuma then lightly elbowed the boy and grinned. "I bet Astral annoyed you the whole time, huh?"

Kaito surprised his foe by answering. "You'd be wrong. As much as I feel otherwise, I owe your friend a small debt." Astral, Yuma, and Orbital 7 were all confused by his statement.

"What are you talking about?" both Yuma and Orbital 7 asked Kaito simultaneously. The lattermost ignored them. Haruto looked up at the spirit.

"Thank you, Astral," he said quietly so that Kaito couldn't hear, "And good-bye."

"You're welcome, Haruto," Astral replied caringly, "But do you remember what you said back in the park? Did you figure it out yet?" Without saying anything, Haruto cast a quick glance at his brother, Orbital, and even at Yuma before returning his attention to his friend. Astral smiled, glad the boy figured it out.

Kaito snapped his fingers and Orbital 7 transformed into a jetpack, latching onto Kaito. Kaito picked up his young brother.

The two friends watched as the brothers flew off into the night. Astral recalled everything that happened that day, remembering how Haruto changed from a curious but standoff boy to a relatively happy and occasionally smiling child; how Kaito, a cold-hearted and ruthless enemy, seemed nothing more than a caring older brother. How strange was it that the very people you're with, the very places you are at, the moments you experience together, change a person. Nothing was as straightforward and simple as it appeared.

"Yuma, there is still so much I have left to learn about this world." The two stared after the shrinking forms of Kaito and Haruto.

"Believe me, Astral, you're not the only one."

And there you have it! The end of "Can I Eat In Peace?". I again want to thank all of my readers and reviewers; I could not have made it this far without all of your support! Thank you very much!