The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles. And that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me. - The Doctor, The Pandorica Opens.
...
At first, there was mainly confusion.
After all, none of them had expected to live past the end of their duels, and they had each clearly remembered dying for the second time, turning to dust in the wind.
Rex and Rudger, most of all. They'd been there since the beginning, they'd caused so much pain, they'd been so alone, and they had both thought, in the in-between, that perhaps now would be a good time to move on. Perhaps meet up with the people they'd left behind all those years ago. The boys were doing fine, weren't they? They didn't need two old men who couldn't even live their own lives without failing so spectacularly.
Besides. They didn't even know. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, especially if they never found out.
But apparently the universe had other ideas - or rather, one particular 'Crimson Dragon', which Rudger had spent so long fighting against that it was odd to remember after all this time that it was a good thing, that it wasn't going hurt him, or the others, and that yes, that 'feeling' he'd felt right before waking up had, in fact, felt like laughter.
Albeit the kind of laughter that shook the Earth and caused thunder in the skies, but laughter all the same.
He'd opened his eyes not to the brightness of heaven, but shining daylight, a blue sky, and the hard surface of a road. Looking down at himself, he noticed that his skin had returned to normal from the tan that he'd taken on while he'd been a Dark Signer.
He looked up and around in wonder at the world, his mind free and fully able, for once, to revel in the air he was breathing and the colours, the sights, the sounds - and the people.
Rex was looking around with an expression more similar to a dazed owl, blinking at everything... more specifically, in the direction of the Signers.
Rudger found his legs, stood, still feeling odd and somewhat lightheaded, and tentatively made his way over to his brother, to see what he saw.
Well, there was Yuusei, standing in the middle of the group, a red-headed girl berating him for something or other, two children standing nearby and talking excitedly, that Security officer that even now he remembered taking control of not once, but twice. And there, right among them...
He'd seen that red head before, he realised. During his duel against Yuusei, the boy had come from one of the other levels to cheer his friend on. Heady with power and god-given rage, he hadn't noticed his brother in the boy, especially at that sort of distance, with something like a duel to distract him.
He hadn't caught his name, but he was laughing, showing off his arm, and Rudger thought that perhaps he could feel some sort of... pride. Yes, that was it. And if he was, then Rex must be feeling something like it, too.
With a lazy smile, he let his eyes wander over the other one that seemed familiar, even though they'd only met once or twice in person, and even then without much time to talk.
A glance their way, the tilt of his chin, the bright gold of the blond that hadn't dulled with age yet... and he closed his eyes with a smile. He'd known that the boy must have survived somehow, deep in the back of his mind, but to think-! And for the past two years, he'd been living in Neo Domino. Away from Satellite. Away, and safe, from his father.
"Rex." His brother turned to him, still showing much of that same confusion in his wide eyes. "Thank you. For looking after him, when you could."
Rex shook himself, and then his head. "I didn't do nearly enough, even when I was sure. And to let things get like this..."
This time, it was Rudger's turn to shake his head in mild rebuke. "You did what you could, little brother. If I were in your place, I doubt that I could have done better."
Of the Dark Signers, the young Kiryu Kyousuke had awoken the closest after he had, looking out through a dimmed filter onto the world, likely remembering all that he had done. Rudger sighed at the sight; in many ways, this was entirely his fault, being that he'd been the one to release the gods in the first place. If he hadn't, then perhaps they would have been released some other way, but then these people wouldn't be affected, and it wouldn't be his fault. The boy might not have had any reason to become a Dark Signer in the first place, even if there had been another to take his place.
Carly, oddly enough, had run straight over to Jack, flailing and generally being confused.
Misty, Bommer and Demak were taking a little longer to come around, but there wasn't anything wrong, he was sure. He couldn't blame them for not wanting to face up to the reality of the consequences of their actions jut yet.
"He's grown so much, since I was last able to see him," Rudger said, taking a tentative, oh-so-hesitant half step forward before stopping altogether. The last time they'd met, he'd threatened him, and everyone he'd held dear, most likely... "He was so small," he continued, lost in memory as he watched the boy - no, the young man - interact with his friends. "Not even two years old."
Neither noticed a face watching them, legs still leaden and not wanting to move but eyes wide in disbelief at what their owner was hearing.
"Crow wasn't even that old," Rex reminded him, and he fought to keep the pang of guilt from overtaking him. He'd stolen those years from his brother as well as himself, he had to remember.
The figure on the ground opened their mouth almost experimentally, as though they weren't sure if it would still work. Opening and closing, they appeared somewhat like they were attempting to mimic a fish out of water.
"No... no, he would have been born a month or two later, wouldn't he..."
Rex nodded.
"I wasn't there." Rudger flinched, and didn't notice the odd sounds that the onlooker was now making. "He turned out well enough though, don't you think?"
"About as well as my Jack," he countered. "You know, it's amazing I didn't see it before, with how much he looks like me, but he has his mother's eyes..."
"And her name?" Rex added almost cheekily.
"Wh.. wh... wha..." The person who had been unintentionally listening in on all of this was stuttering out, at first quietly and then gaining in volume, although not yet enough to make anyone think he was doing anything other than talk to himself.
"Wh.. What the... WHAT THE HELL?!"
Everyone turned to look at Kiryu, who was staring at both of the Godwins with an expression of complete disbelief.
"Kiryu, what-?"
And there was Yuusei, ready to offer help if it was going to be accepted.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
It seemed as though they'd been overheard. Rudger paled, and Rex sighed, closing his eyes as though in acceptance of his fate. Chatter intensified, and then petered out into silence. More or less.
"What? You didn't think it was worth mentioning for three YEARS that I'd had your-" Kiryu seemed to struggle with the words, or to be more accurate, the concept of what he was trying to say. "KIDS! Your KIDS on my TEAM?!"
Yuusei's eyes widened in shock, knowing that he couldn't be the one that his friend meant, this revelation that had shocked the boy even past the depression and apathy, if only for the moment.
Jack and Crow, however, stared first at Kiryu, and then, at the ones Kiryu was staring at.
Rex and Rudger Godwin.
It didn't take a genius, with the changes Rudger had gone through in his revival, to see the connection between himself and the man before him. Crow, at least, had been stunned enough earlier on with the revelation that Rex was the Legendary D-Wheeler, the man who had built the Daedalus bridge, and what was being said now caused him to reach a numb point, unable to feel the pain of it any more. Perhaps it was thanks to this that he had the wherewithall to realise that it would be a good idea if Jack was held back.
Because if he wasn't - and there was Yuusei, helping him on Jack's other side - then Rudger, until recently a powerful Dark Signer, would get knocked out by one of his son's fists.
...
AN: Okay so I couldn't help myself and I just HAD to write this based on my own prompt (that I'd posted to Tumblr), but this is only the beginning. In fact, I really wanted something that would be different from my Daedalus Rising fic's version of events just during and after Rex's duel and the Dark Signers waking up.
And I also needed a reason why they'd 'tell' the boys so soon, so that there'd be more time for other things once everyone had come to terms with it.
Oh look, we have a connection. Because Kiryu's been around all of the ones involved for long enough, and he was sitting right there. Really, Godwins, be more careful with those 'secrets' you want to keep...
