Ever since the introduction of Real Solid Vision, the City's holiday decorations had grown in splendor and extravagance. It had become a simple manner to transform the City completely overnight, so artists could devote their attention ever more grandiose displays of their creative visions, unfettered by the logistics of constructing, putting up, or removing everything – it could all be called up or dismissed in an instant. The City truly was a marvel to look at in the winter.
Well, part of it, anyway. The slums of the Commons and other places not spoken of were untouched by the transformation. Some – especially children – would make makeshift decorations out of whatever they could find. It was charming in its own way, but nothing like the decorations in the shared and Tops-only areas.
Lights! In every color imaginable – but mostly blues and reds and greens. Blinking lights, dancing lights, lights entwined over every other decoration. Great glittering trees, larger than life and covered in tinsel and ornaments. Garland draped and curled and hung impossibly in the air. Lifelike figures that appeared and danced in time with music, vanishing as the sounds faded.
But the most stunning of all of these was a marvelous bell tower. It stood tall over everything, the most distinctive sight in the winter sky. The epitome of luxury, the tower appeared to be made out of precious materials like gold, silver, platinum, copper, bronze…jewels were set in the walls, painting a mural that would shift and change as time marched on. And the bell! It glittered and shone like nothing else, the sheen sometimes silver, sometimes gold, sometimes a million colors at once. It was only rung on Christmas Eve and New Years' Eve – at all other times, it remained still – beautiful and motionless for all to admire. It truly was the pride of the City, situated in the heart of the Tops area – Commons couldn't even get near it.
Not that that was going to stop Rin and Yuugo.
"Rin. Rin! Hurry!" Yuugo hissed. They had a straight shot right now, but that wouldn't last long. They'd already had several close calls getting this far. Every second they spent in a Tops only area was a risk – an exhilarating one, especially when they were so close to the bottom of the tower – but still a risk.
"I'm working on it. It's not easy to hide a D-wheel, you know!" Rin hissed back, piling up more snow to hide their D-wheel from any eyes outside of the alleyway they were lurking in.
Yuugo fidgeted as he impatiently kept watch. The streets still appeared deserted – it had been worth getting up before dawn – but there were always Security patrols about.
"Done." Rin appeared at Yuugo's side, startling him. He half-turned and prepared to defend himself, before realizing it was just Rin.
"Hey! Don't sneak up on me, I thought you were Security!" Yuugo said. Rin laughed.
"You should pay more attention, then!"
"I was!"
"Shh! Never mind that…is the coast clear?" Rin asked seriously.
"Yeah." He checked again. "Yeah, we can go."
Together, they eased out of the alleyway, checked each direction, then made a beeline for the tower.
The interior of the tower was just as beautiful. Rin and Yuugo stopped and stared at the incredible sight around them. Though dimly lit, as the only sources of light were the light spilling in from the décor on the streets behind them and flickering candles mounted on the walls, it was impossible to miss its splendor. The lack of light perhaps even added to it.
"Wow," breathed Rin. She reached out her hand and ran her fingers over the jewels embedded in the wall. Yuugo followed her fingertips with his eyes, then turned his attention to the stairs. They stretched high, spiraling up into darkness with only the small candlelight illuminating it.
"Come on, we've got to go up and see the bell!" Yuugo said excitedly. Rin turned away from examining the wall and looked up.
"It's a long way up," she said.
"Well it's not going to get any closer to the ground if we just stand here!"
"True," Rin said, smiling slightly. "I suppose we'd better start climbing, then.
Yuugo wanted to bound up those steps, but he allowed Rin to take the lead as they cautiously climbed the polished stone. Snow and dirt blemished the surface as it fell from their boots.
Up, up, up. The stairs seemed endless. Up, up, up. Yuugo could feel his breathing become heavy. His steps felt too slow. Up…up…up…Rin, too, was straining. Even in the darkness, Yuugo could see her sweating. She still looked good despite it.
A cold breeze greeted the two of them as they emerged onto the belfry. It was not enough to stir the bell, however, which remained still and silent and glinted with the first hints of dawn. Yuugo thought it was far more beautiful to see up close in person, compared with watching it from afar.
Rin reached, more hesitantly this time, to touch the bell. Yuugo followed suit, their images reflected as they ran their hands along the smooth surface until their fingers touched. They each pulled away.
They turned, staring out over the edges of the belfry to watch the sunrise. Yuugo leaned on the railing, his arms folded on top of it. Rin placed her hands next to his to lightly support herself as she looked out on the City alongside Yuugo. It sparkled with the day's first light.
"Ah…" Yuugo said, awed by the sight, and grateful to share it with Rin. "Someday we're going to be up top like this…we'll get to see this every morning…"
"Yeah…you and me, we'll be on the top of the world together," Rin said, still gazing breathlessly out at the City.
In this moment, Yuugo felt much like they already were – that their dream was in reach, and there was nothing in the world that could get in their way. He and Rin would take on the world together and make it to the top, side-by-side. Nothing could come between them and that goal. Yuugo found his attention drawn to Rin more than the City – she was radiant in the light of the dawn.
At his gaze, Rin turned to him and smiled. Yuugo felt the heat rise in his cheeks, the comfortable silence between them suddenly becoming unbearable. He had to say something…anything…this feeling around Rin had been happening more and more often, lately…
"Hey!" Yuugo said, suddenly struck by an idea. "Let's ring it! The bell, I mean. I mean, it's just sitting there, it's really…" he rambled nervously.
"What?! No way, everyone will hear…"
"Yeah!" Yuugo said, confidence growing in his reckless distraction. "We've already made it all this way. What's the point of a bell that doesn't ring?" He watched her intently, the indecision warring in her face as she glanced over at the bell sparkling in the sunlight.
"It'll attract attention…but…"
"Let's do it!" he grabbed the rope and beckoned to Rin. She approached but stopped short, still unsure and hesitant.
Impatient, Yuugo yanked the rope. Rin started instinctually as if to stop him, but then clapped her hands over her ears as the crashing sound of the bell reverberated. Yuugo grinned and offered the rope to Rin. She took it, smiled mischievously, and yanked it even harder than he had. It rang out louder, but Rin's smile faded with the sound.
"Security!" she shouted. Yuugo looked, and saw that she was right – Security was swarming towards the tower from every direction.
"One last one, together!" Yuugo said. Rin nodded, and together they pulled, a deafening clang shattering the air as the two released the rope with exhilarated, nervous laughter, and scrambled away and up onto the railing. Rin extended her duel disk and summoned a monster, which Yuugo quickly grabbed hold of before it swooped them up into the air. They flew away from the tower, diving and swerving to avoid the eyes of Security, before sliding into the alleyway where their D-wheel was hidden.
Rin and Yuugo released their grip and dropped to the ground, the monster vanishing a moment later. Rin landed gracefully, but Yuugo tumbled. He suppressed a gasp at the pain.
"Yuugo!" Rin said, alarmed.
"I'm fine! Keep your voice down!" he hissed. Cradling the arm he had landed on, he struggled to his feet, stumbling quickly over to Rin. They shoved their way through the snow Rin had piled up earlier, carelessly scattering it. Yuugo let go of his arm to pull himself onto the D-wheel.
"Can you…?" Rin started to ask as she pulled on her helmet.
"I'll be fine. I can drive long enough to get away," Yuugo said, putting on his own. He revved the engine, trying to get traction from the uncooperative ground. He revved it again. "Come on, come on…!"
They shot forward, out of the alley. Security forces had surrounded the tower, but fortunately, they had gotten off of their D-wheels and were storming into and up the bell tower. Yuugo shot past. He heard shouts behind, and he could hear Rin preparing her duel disk in response, but he had no intention of letting them get close enough to force a duel. He kicked up the gear and sped up, taking whatever route he could to throw off potential pursuers.
His arm ached with pain, but he pressed on. It seemed he had lost them, but he wasn't going to take the chance and relax just yet. He could see the main roads had been locked down, trying to trap them in at the mercy of Security. Yuugo scoffed. That wasn't going to stop him.
He did not even have to tell Rin to hold on tight – she must have guessed his intentions, and had tightened her grip. Yuugo tightened his own, as well, ignoring the increase in pain. He sped towards a particularly packed snow bank, piled up near the edge, and shot into the air, before falling to the ground below.
The impact bounced them up harshly, jarring Yuugo's already injured arm, causing him to lose control for a moment. He struggled with the slipping bike, eventually pulling it back into his control before bringing it to a stop.
"Rin…you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. We did it!" she said, then laughed – that light, delighted laugh that only came after the adrenaline rush. He loved to hear it.
Yuugo turned his attention back to the streets. Security would still be able to spot them here – they had to keep going. He started back up again, more slowly this time, making their way back to shelter.
They made it back with no incident, and Yuugo was relieved to finally rest his arm. Rin insisted on seeing it before Yuugo had even had the chance to remove his helmet.
"Well, it doesn't seem broken. Or swelling too badly, but that might be because it's cold out…Let's go inside."
Yuugo followed her in, stamping the snow from his boots.
"You should be more careful," Rin admonished. "You're most likely only bruised, but it could have been a lot worse."
"Yeah, yeah…" Yuugo said sheepishly.
"But…" Rin said, a smile coming to her face again. "I did enjoy that, going to see the bell with you. And ringing it…well, that was probably a bad idea. But a fun one!" She laughed again.
Yuugo blinked for a moment, expecting Rin to continue nagging him. Then he returned her smile.
"Anywhere is fun with you, Rin."