The Whirlwind Brigade

A Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V oneshot

Summary: A man has been on the run from Security for stealing food for his kids. However, when a complete stranger saves him and offers to help him as well as give him a purpose, he initially refuses but eventually relents for the sake of the kids. But, will the man ever learn to expand his world beyond him?

Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this work belong to me, but to TV Tokyo, NAS, and all other parties affiliated with the production of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V.

The water felt heavy under his boots. His breathing was as ragged as his criminal markers and his heart pounded with every step away from Security, like fireworks going off within his chest. He had to ignore the sharp pain in his leg. He couldn't get caught. The food that he had taken – stolen – would be their only meal that day. As for him, he had chosen to starve that night.

He gripped the damp brown paper bag of canned tuna closer and made his way towards an alley he could barely fit through that led directly to where he and the kids lived rather than take the spacious but more obvious route. Those damn Sector Security. Why were they chasing after him? Stealing food isn't the worst thing in the world, yet it had the same weight as murdering someone.

He scoffed at himself. He knew very well why. The reason still disgusted him.

He just happened to not be from the Tops.

"Crow Hogan, Commons - Section A45. Come out and surrender peacefully," one of the officers barked over a megaphone as sirens echoed, competing with the sound of the downpour. The young man grimaced in his temporary shelter that he had found, an alley way barely spacious enough to fit his frame.

Of all the times for it to rain. The damn tuna's gonna get wet, he thought. He labored so that his breathing would return to its normal state, fearful it would give his location away, but it was useless. He had resigned to waiting out the situation – Security couldn't stick around forever. But, the kids needed to eat. It was past meal time and probably even closer to their bedtime. Knowing them, Crow just knew they were wondering why he hadn't come home yet.

"Crow! Crow, where are you?"

"Crow! Are you alright?"

"Crow!"

The beating in Crow's heart accelerated upon hearing the small but strained voices calling for him. Frank, Amanda, and Tanner – they were looking for him. Crap.

He almost called out to them out of reflex but, realizing he would give away his location, he clamped his mouth shut. But, he couldn't let them roam around either, not with Security so rampant in the area.

"Crow!"

"Crow Hogan, we have you surrounded. Return the food you stole and give up peacefully or we will have to resort to force," the same voice from earlier boomed.

The young man clutched his bag and ran toward the kids. The plan was to grab the kids and make a run for it to shelter. Security knew he lived where he did and they're, no doubt, waiting for him there to arrest him. But, maybe, just maybe, they'd let the kids off the hook.

"Guys!" he called out. The three young kids turned, wide grins making their way on each of their faces. "Hold hands. We're getting out of here."

As soon as all three nodded, he grabbed a hold of Frank's hand and ran. He hurried as fast as he could, as fast as his breathing would allow, praying to whatever useful all-powerful force was out there that the kids would keep up. When he arrived at the house, oddly empty of Security, he dropped the damp bag of tuna on the table. Placing both his hands on it, he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Crow . . ." Amanda whispered, her voice cracking and almost in tears. Crow immediately picked up that something was wrong. He immediately turned to look at her and asked, "What's the matter?"

Amanda, sniffling, didn't say anything as she turned to Frank. Crow glanced at him and Frank shuffled his feet, looking downwards. The two of them weren't telling him for whatever reason. Maybe they didn't want to tell him, but Crow had to know the truth.

"Well? What is it?" Crow insisted. "I know it's late and you can chew me out later, but you guys need to eat and – "

"T-Tanner's still out there," Frank finally blurted out

Crow felt like he was going to hurl.

"What. What did you say?"

Silence choked the room, save for Amanda's soft sobbing.

It wasn't their fault. He knew that. Tanner was the youngest as well as the shortest out of the three of them. He could've easily fallen behind. But, he still had asked because, after all, he was responsible for all three of them.

"There was a huge crack in the middle of the road and Tanner tripped and fell," the eldest child of the three finally spoke up. "He was trying to get up, but we were moving too fast and –"

Crow lifted a hand and Frank immediately stopped. Crow walked towards the two of them, knelt down, and pulled Amanda and Frank close to him.

"You two stay here. I'm going to look for Tanner," he said firmly, tightening his grip on their shoulders. Amanda and Frank instantly protested with "But, Crow –"

Crow smiled.

"Yeah, it's raining so I'll catch a cold. And Security's after me. I know. But, I can't just leave your brother out there to fend for himself. It's dangerous at night."

Frank slowly nodded as Amanda furiously wiped her tears with her sleeves and pouted. "You better come back safe and with Tanner!" She stomped her foot on the ground.

Crow pulled her in for a hug and she rammed into his chest, her sobs uncontrollable. He understood why Amanda was so broken up. There was a downpour that night too when he had been taken away by Security for the third time to the detention center. The crime? Breaking Commons curfew by getting breakfast for the kids for the next day. Fortunately, Security hadn't taken the kids away that time, but he could never be too careful.

"I'll be back with Tanner. You can count on that," Crow said, gently patting the top of Amanda's head. He released her and made his way to the door.

"Oh yeah, and help yourselves to the tuna. It might be a bit soggy though."

He decided to look for Tanner on foot. If he used Blackbird to travel around and find him, he'd be noticed in no time by Sector Security. He wasn't about to risk it. Retracing his steps, Crow found himself at the spot where he had his run-in earlier. No Security. No Tanner either.

Dammit, where was the squirt?

His stomach grew knots and the knots became tighter and tighter with each step. Crow swallowed hard and kept going. Frank had said there was a huge crack in the road and that's where he tripped. He should've probably been looking for that. Tanner wouldn't have strayed too far. He doesn't know how to get home by himself, anyhow.

Question was, how was he going to find a huge crack in all this rain?

At that point, Crow could barely see. He only had the occasional flickering street lamp to guide him, but it wasn't much help.

There was only one thing to do, even if he didn't like it.

"Tanner! Tanner, can you hear me?" Crow shouted, competing with the sound of the rain pattering against steel metal. "Tanner!"

Lightning.

A huge cracking sound in the sky.

Rolling thunder.

"Tanner!"

Tanner hated lightning.

Crow had to find him and fast. He hurried, his legs aching and his clothes and his hair becoming completely drenched. When he was close to the downtown square, he thought he saw a small hat in the corner of his eye. He stopped in his tracks and looked toward one of the shops. He saw the silhouette of a young boy with a hat that had the white fluff ball on top and the two strings on the side, and roughly about Tanner's height and build. He stepped closer and closer and recognized that it was, in fact, Tanner.

Crow swallowed a cry.

He sprinted towards the boy and, confirming it was Tanner, yelled out his name. The boy looked up, his tears mixing with the rain, and a tremendous weight had flown from Crow's shoulders. Crow put both hands on the boy's shoulders.

"You okay, Tanner?" he asked. Tanner only continued to sniffle but nodded his head yes.

"Come on, let's go home."

Tanner reached out to grab Crow's hand when a voice that sounded as if it was being amplified by a megaphone rang out: "Crow Hogan, Commons - Section A45. We have you surrounded. There's nowhere to run."

Crow grimaced. He knew it was too quiet. He should've known.

"Crow . . ." Tanner whimpered.

"I'll get us home, I promise," he reassured the boy.

As soon as the words escaped his lips, several Sector Security officers emerged with what Crow recognized as their web capturing guns and slowly closed in on Crow and Tanner. Tanner's whimpers escalated to full on screams as Crow pulled him close. He was not making the mistake of leaving him behind again.

"This is your last warning, Crow Hogan. Come with us or we'll shoot."

He couldn't get separated from him.

He promised.

Lightning.

Damn it, what am I supposed to do?!

A loud cracking sound in the sky.

Crow was going to be sick.

Rolling thunder.

He decided to risk it.

Grabbing Tanner by the hand and holding it firmly, he forced his way out of the Sector Security mob and ran as fast he could before, he hoped, they had enough sense to fire their guns. If they fired them, it was over.

"Crow!"

"Not now, Tanner!"

"Crow, there's a green net coming towards us!"

Are you kidding me? Crow thought, grinding his teeth. Out of instinct, he pushed Tanner out of the way, letting the net take a hold of him.

"Crow! Crow!"

Crow turned back to look at him, his eyes sharp. "Tanner, get back to the house! Hurry!"

"B-But – "

"Go!"

Tanner, tears mixing with the rain and hastily looked back and forth between Crow and Security, hesitated. Crow indicated with his head the direction of the house and Tanner immediately dashed from the scene. He had hoped Security had the decency to leave him, a small child, alone.

Tanner didn't get very far before Crow saw a green net fly in his direction, entrapping him. The small boy fell to the ground, uselessly struggling to break free.

He was just a kid. How dare they. How could they? Those. Those . . . those monsters.

"We got 'em," one of the officers barked. "Take 'em in."

Lightning.

Crow felt his heart sink to his stomach.

A loud cracking sound in the sky.

In place of his heart was rage. Rage at the officers for manhandling a small kid. Rage at the rain for making it difficult to see, to find a way out. Rage at himself for letting it get to this point in the first place.

How did he convince himself he could take care of those kids anyway? How embarrassing. Frustrating. All because he wasn't watching, because he wasn't careful.

That force he prayed to wasn't going to help him tonight.

Rolling thunder.

He was going to have to do things himself.

The green net that had captured him had disintegrated. His chance had arrived.

As the officers were placing handcuffs on Crow, he grabbed a hold of an officer's forearm and yanked him hard enough that he fell to the ground. Picking up Tanner, who was unconscious probably out of shock from the fear, he made sure the boy's head was resting securely on his chest before running as fast as his legs could carry him and Tanner past the officers.

"Don't let him get away!"

Gripping Tanner closer to him, Crow grimaced. That injury in his leg from his last encounter with Security was cropping up again. One of the officers had given it a good whack once Crow had arrived at the detention center. It hurt like hell then and it hurt like hell at that moment. He never had a chance to let the leg heal and he was paying for it.

In no time, Security as well as their backup caught up with him again.

The night couldn't get any worse for him.

"We're not gonna let you escape this time, Commons!"

Crow stopped in his tracks. They had him surrounded.

"We gave you the chance to come quietly," a more authoritative than the rest of the voices boomed, "but now you give us no choice. We'll get you and that kid and we're making sure neither of you don't leave the Detention Center."

"Over my dead body, you traitor," Crow hissed. He had recognized the chief officer as a Commons turncoat from his dialect. Probably became a high-ranking officer for the money. All the Commons traitors did. He tried to make a run for it, but his leg betrayed him and he fell on one knee, firmly holding Tanner closer so as for him to not fall in the puddle-filled ground.

Was this it? Was there nowhere left to go? Was he really going back to the detention center?

Amanda . . . Frank . . . I'm sorr-

"That's as far as you go!"

Crow's head jerked up at a gruff voice and a D-Wheel – no three D-Wheels whirring. More backup?

No, this was . . .

Before Crow, Security officers were being taken down one by one by arrows, probably with the help of a Duel Monster which wasn't in any of Security's decks.

The whirring of one of the D-Wheels was louder and louder until finally, Crow saw it and the driver in view. As well as he could see in the downpour, that is. The D-Wheel was yellow and blue and, with the Duel Disk, it resembled an insect. The rider, from what Crow could see, was a head or so taller than he was and wore what looked to be a yellow D-Wheel helmet.

The rider dismounted from his D-Wheel and ran towards Crow, still pretending his leg injury didn't bother him. The rider removed his visor and Crow had a better look at his eyes. He didn't detect any deceit or ill-intention from this guy, but he had better be on his guard.

"Security after you?"

"Y-yeah," Crow muttered, readjusting his hold on Tanner. Damn, the kid was a deep sleeper.

"We can't stick around. My buddies will take care of Security while you, the kid, and I will escape to where you live. Got a D-Wheel with you?"

"No . . . I left it."

The rider smiled – smirked? Crow couldn't tell. – and asked, "Well, can you at least walk?"

Crow decided it was no use hiding the fact that he couldn't and shook his head no. The rider laughed, causing Crow's left eye to twitch.

"Didn't bring a D-Wheel, can't walk. Amazing Security didn't catch you already!" he laughed

"You gonna help me or not?" Crow retorted. "I got to get this little one home and two kids are waiting for me."

The rider stopped laughing and stared at him.

"Only after you tell me your name," he replied.

Silence fell between the two of them. The only sounds were the pouring rain and one of Security screaming most likely from the impact of a Duel Monster.

This guy and his friends were here to help Tanner and him. No use being stubborn.

"Crow Hogan."

"Shinji Weber. Let's get goin' before Security gets us."

Crow looked at Shinji, then at Tanner, then at Shinji's D-Wheel, then back to Shinji.

"But, there's room for only one person. How's this gonna work?" Crow interrogated.

Shinji smirked. "You're Commons, aren't you? You figure it out."

In the end, Crow decided to ride on the very back bumper of Shinji's D-Wheel, Tanner in tow. It certainly tested his balancing abilities, but, for one, Shinji didn't go very fast, considering, and, for two, Crow was stronger and more agile than he looked.

But Crow certainly was never doing that again.

The rain had picked up even more when Crow arrived at the house again, this time with Tanner in tow and Shinji. It had been only been a few hours since he was last here. To Crow, however, it felt like years had passed. The night already felt so long, but, with his condition, it was about to get longer.

"Sorry, Shinji, but can you carry Tanner in? My leg's not gonna let me walk and carry a child," he requested without even thinking, shame dripping in his voice.

"Sure thing. Where does he go?"

Crow emitted a small laugh. "The couch, for now. Might get a craving for tuna and wake up and go to his room. That's what I'm hoping, anyway."

Shinji raised his right eyebrow as Crow placed Tanner in his arms. "Tuna?"

"Yeah. It's the only thing I can afford to get these kids to eat. And bread too on occasion, if I'm lucky."

Shinji remained silent as he disappeared with Tanner into the house. Crow readjusted himself on Shinji's D-Wheel and waited for him to return, letting the rain soak his clothes, well-knowing that he was going to pay for this later. The state of his clothes and of his shoes were the last things on his mind, though. He wondered how he was going to travel anywhere with his injury as he waited. He couldn't make the kids gather their own food. That was too dangerous, even in the daytime. But, it's difficult for him to walk much less ride a D-Wheel.

What am I going to do, he thought.

As if it was some sort of answer, Shinji reappeared, empty-handed. Crow assumed he had laid Tanner on the couch, but what had taken him so long? It's not as if the couch was far away from the front door. It was right as he walked in.

Crow automatically assumed then that Shinji must have stolen something. Not that there was anything of value to steal except his Blackbird and quite possibly the tuna, – dammit, why did he tell him there was tuna?! - but it's the only reason. It's a good plan, really. Help a cripple out, take 'im home, and, when he least expects it, take his stuff.

He might be crippled, but this stranger chose the wrong Commons to take advantage of and Crow's gonna make sure he regretted it.

"Okay, Tanner's on the cou—"

"Whatever you stole, you better put it back," Crow hissed.

Shinji blinked a couple of times and put a hand to his head, indicating confusion. "Huh?!"

"The couch is right as you walk in. There's no way you couldn't have seen it. So, what took you so long? You stole something, didn't you? Don't play dumb with me," Crow responded, trying to control his voice so as to not wake the kids, who were most likely in bed by now. He could be considerably loud when he was upset. How did Amanda put it that one time? Oh yeah, he could get as loud as four Tanners on a bad thunderstormy day.

Shinji only stared at Crow, as if trying to process the accusation, letting the sound of the rain fill in the noise void. Then, he emitted a hearty laugh, making Crow almost feel embarrassed by his outburst. But, he was sure of it. He was sure Shinji stole something. But, rather than Shinji admitting that Crow wasn't just running low on sleep, he placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I don't take advantage of folks and then steal. That's not my thing. Look," Shinji took a step back, raised his arms, and turned, as if to show Crow something, "even if it was, I don't have anything on me to store stuff. Not even the D-Wheel you're sitting on has any room. You gotta trust me on this."

Crow jumped at the mention of the D-Wheel. That's right. He was still sitting on Shinji's D-Wheel. Quite comfortably. Okay, more like lounging.

"Sounds sorta convincing, but that still doesn't explain why it took you so long," Crow said after a pause. "I could have you punished for trespassing."

Crow didn't really mean that last part, but he wasn't comfortable with this stranger being around the kids.

"Well . . ." Shinji shrugged. "You had mentioned you had two kids waiting for you. I looked for them and made sure they were okay since you can't do it yourself. With your leg injury and all. Plus, the kid you were carrying had to be dried off so he wouldn't catch a cold, so I was looking for a towel. You really need to invest in more towels."

Crow huffed, crossing his arms. "You didn't have to do that. They're my responsibility. And, besides, I can walk totally fine now –" Crow jumped off Shinji's D-Wheel in defiance, but, upon contact with the ground, his ankle betrayed him and he immediately went down, wincing in pain. "Ow."

Shinji laughed. "You want me to take you in, too?"

Crow surveyed Shinji as he massaged his ankle with his right hand. There was something about how relaxed he was, despite being out in this horrendous weather, that made Crow feel at ease about him. Maybe he was wrong and he could trust him. After all, Shinji did check on the kids to make sure they were okay. And they weren't even his.

Anyone who treats kids that well couldn't possibly be a bad guy, Crow thought to himself.

"Yeah, I guess."

The sunlight peering through the cracked window woke Crow. He jolted upwards and, by effect, throwing off the scratchy woolen blanket covering him, momentarily forgetting the events of the previous night, confused as to where he was. When he placed his foot on the wooden floor, a searing pain shot up through his body, causing him to recall very quickly.

Being chased by Security . . . almost losing Tanner . . . almost getting sent to the Detention Center . . . Shinji Weber.

Shinji!

Crow attempted to stand up on his own feet and walk, but, when his injured foot made contact, he fell backwards on the torn and chewed-by-insects mattress he was on. Almost immediately after his attempt, he heard running feet approaching the area. He could only watch as the door to the room slowly opened, revealing a disheveled Amanda. Her red curly and kinky hair was unkempt, with several strands hovering over her eyes, her eyes which were incredibly puffy.

Crow didn't know what to say to her. He knew just by her appearance she had been worried sick about him and Tanner. All he could manage to say was "I'm back."

Without a word, Amanda ran across the room and rammed into him, the force pushing Crow backwards a little bit, throwing her arms around his waist. He smiled, his eyes softening as he smoothed her hair out of her eyes.

Living as a Commons was hell, but it had been so much worse before he found Amanda, Frank, and Tanner on that cold night two years ago, when he had just been walking by to alleviate his restlessness. The three of them gave him a purpose and had made him smile for the first time in a long time, probably since he was their age. He wasn't about to let how that made him feel or them go. He would do anything for them.

Amanda separated from him, once again wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"Frank and T-Tanner told me to tell you they'll be right back," Amanda said in-between hiccups.

Crow sighed, a smile on his face. He went through all that trouble for Tanner and he's right back out again. "Well, at least Frank's with Tanner, but they better not do anything stupid."

Amanda appeared to have an "aha!" moment and rushed out the door. Before Crow could ponder what that was about, she reappeared again with a half a loaf of bread and water. Crow gingerly touched the loaf before gulping down the water. They only had tuna. Where did this bread come from?

As if to conveniently answer his question once again, Crow heard a familiar gruff voice ring out, "We're back!"

What the heck's going on? Why's he here? Crow was puzzled as Amanda ran to greet the arrivals.

"Welcome back, Frank, Tanner, Shinji!" Amanda cheerily said, perplexing Crow even more.

"We're back, Amanda," Crow heard Shinji declare from the other side of the door. "How's the patient?"

Patient?! Did they mean him?!

"He's awake and he's had the water but not the loaf," she replied. Crow heard the shuffling of bags and feet and the door was once again opened, revealing Shinji this time. He looked at Crow's puzzled face and then at the uneaten loaf of bread next to him.

"Come on, that's some really good bread! I got a good bargain for it," Shinji remarked, giving an exasperated look.

"Shinji." Crow said curtly. "What's the meaning of this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The food, the kids knowing who you are, this patient business. What gives?"

Shinji sighed and put his hands on his waist.

"Think about this. Your ankle's no good, the kids can only do so much for you, and there's barely food here. If you think I'm just going to ignore all of that, well, sorry to break it to you. That's not gonna happen."

The orange-haired young man was reduced to silence. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.

"As far as the kids knowing who I am, I told them the whole story about last night. They weren't gonna trust me otherwise."

Crow slowly nodded, beginning to understand. But, one thing still bothered him.

"Why? Why go out of your way doing all of this for a guy you just met last night? If it's out of pity, then I don't need it, so you can go ahead and leave – "

Shinji waved an arm, dismissing Crow's theory. "It's not out of pity, believe me. It's the opposite."

Crow raised an eyebrow. "The opposite?"

"I guess . . . I guess when I saw you and Tanner that night, I was jealous. You don't see very many family units in Commons and I didn't have any family growing up." Shinji paused to laugh. "I want what you have, Crow. And that's why my pals and I helped you and Tanner then and why I'm helping you now."

"Shinji . . ."

"But, I get it. You don't want a stranger intruding and you're concerned about the kids' safety," Shinji sighed. "I still want to help you out, though. At least until you can walk properly again. After that, I'll leave you alone."

Crow bit his bottom lip. He was used to helping people him out, but only because they felt sorry for him. Before he decided to take care of Frank, Amanda, and Tanner, people left him alone. Most of the Commons men had criminal markers, but very few had more than one and even fewer had the markers he had. He had gotten both as a result of his part of an uprising five years ago. Sector Security, as expected, was not in the mood to let any Commons participating in the uprising off the hook if they got caught.

So, instead of one criminal marker, he got two. As did anyone else who got caught. But, even among the Commons, Crow had been an outcast. Who wanted to associate with someone who was part of that rebellion that failed?

After he took in the kids, though, people noticed and started leaving food and gifts. But, but they weren't for him. They weren't for the kids either. They just did it to feel better about themselves. How did he know? Because he would never see them again. They'd introduce themselves, let the kids get attached to them for a couple of days, and then leave. And then Crow would have the painful task of explaining to them that they were never coming back if they asked why they weren't coming.

And that's why he didn't trust anyone but himself and the kids.

But, for some reason, when Shinji said he'd leave him alone after he got better, Crow felt a pang in his chest. He hadn't even known him for twenty-four hours and yet, he already felt like a part of the close-knit group Crow and the kids had become, as much as Crow had tried to shove him away. Even Frank, Amanda, and Tanner seemed to have accepted him.

And, Crow realized, he didn't mind that.

Was this what it was to actually trust someone?

Shinji turned to the door and reached for the opening that had once been a doorknob when Crow got out, "W-Wait!"

Shinji froze.

Crow nervously cleared his throat and said, "It's really nothing, but. Thanks for everything, Shinji. And just know you're welcome back here any time. The kids and I wouldn't mind."

Shinji stared at Crow for what seemed like an eternity to him, then asked, "You're not cracking one of your bad jokes, are you?"

"Who said I was cracking jokes? Get out of here before I change my mind!" Crow waved his arm as if the force he created would push Shinji out the door.

He snickered as he opened the door.

"I guess I'll have to stop by more often then."

Shinji continued to visit Crow, Amanda, Frank, and Tanner at least once a week well after Crow could walk around properly again. The kids absolutely enjoyed his visits because it usually meant he brought them sweets like doughnuts, chocolate, and lollipops, foods Crow wouldn't in a million years get for them.

"You're spoiling them!" Crow scolded him one day. "You can't give them sweets all the time!"

Shinji shrugged, saying, "Okay. I'll find a wilted fruit and bring it next time."

" . . . Fine, you can bring them sweets. Just tone it down a little."

Days, weeks, and months passed. It's not like being a Commons got any easier once Shinji came into their lives. Not by a long shot. But, Crow decided, he made it bearable. Things even got a bit more thrilling. To say the least.

One day, Shinji made him an offer. Crow called it absolutely ridiculous.

"You're crazy, Shinji. You want me to join a group that actively goes up against Security to prevent unfair arrests? I don't think I'm cut out for that," Crow protested, drinking a glass of water. The kids were outside playing a friendly game of three-way Duel Monsters. "Besides, there's already four of you. Isn't that enough?"

Shinji sighed. "You went looking for a kid on foot in the rain with a leg injury while being chased when we first met. Imagine what you could do on Blackbird and being able to use both your legs."

A pause rested between them.

"Yeah, but that was different. I was already taking care of Tanner," Crow said. "Plus, I'd be unnecessarily worrying the kids. It's not worth it."

"Saving human lives is less worth it than getting caught stealing food, you mean?"

Crow looked at him and took another sip of water.

"Besides," Shinji continued, "sometimes, you just have to do things for yourself. The kids are important, but so are you."

"I – I don't know, Shinji," Crow muttered.

Shinji rose from his chair. "If you ever change your mind, the Whirlwind Brigade welcomes you. Like I said, we hang around close to the town center. In any case, I'll be around next week."

Crow watched as Shinji told Frank, Amanda, and Tanner goodbye and left through the back way, his words pounding in his brain.

"The kids are important, but so are you."

The kids weren't shackles. That wasn't it. And Crow was sure that's not what Shinji meant. But, when does "It's for the kids!" mean it's for the kids and when does it mean not wanting to associate with anyone else because of the possibility they're threats to him?

Crow rinsed the empty glass and observed through the window the kids playing with the orange spherical structure. He noticed how happy they were, messing around, not letting their designation as Commons and the cruel treatment associated with it steal their happiness. They welcomed Shinji long before Crow even decided to consciously trust him. He wasn't a threat to them. Or to him. So why should the rest of Commons be any different?

Crow stepped outside and the kids stopped what they were doing, staring at him expectantly.

"Guys, watch the house, okay? I'll be right back."

"Where are you going, Crow?" Tanner asked, munching on a chocolate candy bar Shinji had gotten him.

"Yeah, where ya goin'?" Frank chimed in.

Crow grabbed his helmet. "I need to tell Shinji something."

"Guys, there are at least a dozen police near the 6A-D block," Shinji informed the rest of the brigade as they made their rounds one afternoon. "Crow, you wanna go ahead of us and see what that's about?"

Crow gave a thumbs-up. "Leave it to me!"

He sped up ahead, driving parallel to the supposed scene of action. The only time there were that many Sector Security around was if there was a dangerous criminal that broke out of the Detention Centre and it's a recapture operation. If it was, it's the second time this month that's happened. Detention Centre's gotten lax since he last involuntarily paid a visit.

However, as Crow scoped out the situation between the buildings, what he saw was not a burly, dangerous criminal. The criminal – criminals, rather, were a group of kids, one who didn't look that much older than Amanda. It seemed like the three other older kids were protecting the smaller one from Sector Security. They didn't seem to from around the area and their clothes didn't denote Commons status, but there's no way Security would be continually closing in on them if they were Tops either.

It was just like that time with Tanner when Shinji showed up. At least the weather was better this time so Crow wouldn't be sick for weeks.

Crow glanced behind him at Shinji, Daimon, Mihael, and Frederik. They – Daimon, Mihael, and Frederik – were friends Shinji had met in his orphanage days and reunited recently once Mihael and Frederik had been released from the Detention Centre. They had been the ones who suggested the creation of this brigade while Shinji took care of the logistics.

Crow didn't know at first how to react to them. Mihael and Frederik had criminal markers, but none of the type that Crow had. Daimon, on the other hand, didn't have any. But, it didn't take very long for the ice among them to melt, thanks to Shinji. According to Miihael, Shinji had described in "an absurd amount of detail" what he had seen as well as Crow's living conditions and the kids he looked after. Frederik, the youngest of the group after Crow, especially was impressed with how Crow stood up to Security for the sake of one kid. In a way, he reminded Crow of Frank.

"Well, Crow?" Mihael's tremulous voice sounded. "What's the plan?"

"We goin' in, right? What other plan is there?" Frederik laughed. "This is Crow we're talkin' about!"

Crow looked at Shinji who gave a thumbs-up. Crow looked forward and smiled.

"That's right, Frederik. We got some kids to help."

Whoever these kids were, wherever they were from, they were protecting the small child. And Crow had a soft spot for people like that.

Crow pulled Assault Black Feather – Raikiri the Sudden Shower from his deck. It was time to commence the operation.