Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
PART 1 - Perpetual Motion
The Paranoia
Yusei woke up to a start, lifting his head from the table he had fallen asleep on. He grunted in irritation as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, his papers had already been drenched in his perspiration.
He got up, shuffling around the room for a while before finding the light switch and flipping it, brightening the dark room. The place was predictably messy, littered with a number of papers and files, one had to wonder how the scientist ever found anything there.
The room had a sole window located on the left wall from the door. Next to a window was a work desk, upon which a lamp stood, along with a couple of now damp papers. Yusei fell onto the sofa placed in the middle of the room, clearly fatigued.
He had gotten used to the stress his work caused, so normally a short nap was all that he needed to get his strength back. Things hadn't been normal in recent days though.
Jack, Crow, Rua, and possibly Ruka would be coming to Neo Domino for a Duel tournament, and Yusei couldn't get over the unsettling feeling he had. Anxiety had become common for him during events like this, but the Dr. Armin fiasco had made him paranoid. Ushio might have believed it to be the desperate ramblings of a deranged man, but the words he had spoken to Yusei still echoed in his mind.
'We are not alone here, and there's a way to get there...'
It was a highly publicized incident, what else would catch the media's attention than a brilliant scientist's sudden descent into madness? Dr. Armin, the man in question, was now in a mental hospital in Neo Domino's neighbouring city: Amber valley.
Being known for his eccentricity, nobody worried much when Armin began talking to himself, but people began to do more than raise eyebrows when he started writing on the walls and furniture. Contrary to their assumptions, it wasn't equations or theses being written, rather they seemed to be nothing more than a collection of random letters.
The institution had ordered him to take a leave but he refused, insisting he was 'getting closer to the answer'. After about a week filled with random scribbling he became violent all of a sudden, thrashing about while attempting to destroy the lab's equipment. Yusei had been part of those who tried to reason with him, but their efforts proved futile, eventually security had to step in and take him away, but not before he stared at Yusei with his cold green eyes and said the only coherent words that Yusei had heard escape his lips since the odd behavior began.
Cryptic and poetic those words were, and Yusei hated it, why did people have to be so vague about things. Mikage and Carly had noticed how shaken up Yusei was, the latter suggested he see a therapist, but being the stubborn person he was, he didn't follow her advice.
Yusei couldn't help but think of his own life after that. Dr. Armin who was just in his early to mid-thirties had been sent to a mental hospital thanks to what was probably unwavering devotion to his research, was that what awaited him too? As far as he knew Armin hadn't been visited since his hospitalization, he had no children, no spouse, not even a relative had so much as called to ask of him.
With team 5D's split up, Yusei felt he was in the same situation. Jack and Crow were big names in the dueling world, Rua was making waves in the youth league, Ruka would soon be attending college and Aki was done with medical school already. But nothing had changed for him, he was still the same old Yusei, living in the same old city, still doing the same thing…
The spiky haired male exhaled sharply, bringing himself to a sitting position. 'I guess that's enough work for today.' He made for the door, making sure to avoid trampling on his work as he walked.
He flipped the switch and the lights went off, dimming the room once again as he shut the door.
It was a refreshing feeling, having the wind hit his face while speeding, going fast did make him feel alive. Yusei couldn't help but crack a smile, it had been a while since he rode his D-Wheel, he actually didn't expected it to start, but it did, surprisingly.
He drove through the streets of Neo Domino city, moving like a crimson blur smoothly skidding across ice.
He found his way to the edge of the city, stopping just before the Daedalus bridge. After unmounting his D-Wheel, he made his way to the very edge of the city, a not-so-high railing being the only obstruction between him and the large water body below.
His blue eyes stared into the water below, too far to see his own reflection so he settled for that of the cresent moon.
He found himself drifting back to the thoughts before. Each time he tried to tell himself that Armin's words meant nothing, his mind kept reminding him how all his worries had always been proven right. He sighed deeply, groaning in frustration and brushing his hands through his head.
Yusei took a look at the Daedalus bridge, there it was, the symbol of Team 5D's acheivements, a constant reminder of what had been, maybe what could've been...
The black haired man noticed that someone else had joined him. The person sat atop the railing rather carelessly.
"Are you sure you should be sitting there?" Yusei asked, concerned for the person's safety. Not receiving a response, Yusei shrugged, resuming his staring.
"Sorry, did you say something?" The person looked back, removing his earpiece.
"Just making sure you don't fall off." Yusei responded.
"Don't worry, I'm… okay."
Yusei recognized the look on the boy's face, he had seen the same fanboy-ish stare before.
"Shit- sorry!" The boy said. "You're really Yusei Fudo, right?"
"Yes I am." Yusei couldn't help but be amused by the boy's behavior.
"Wow." He continued. "I didn't think I'd ever meet you in person!" He climbed down from the railing. "I'm a really big fan."
Yusei smiled, offering a hand. "Well, since you know my name, I'd like to know yours."
"It's Yasushi." The boy replied.
"Nice to meet you." Yusei said. As far as he could tell, Yasushi was around Rua and Ruka's age, he had short black hair that was either uncombed or stylized into some form of dreads. "Any reason you're here?"
"Not really." The boy replied. "Somehow, being here helps me forget everything for a while."
"Same here." Yusei said.
"Is it because of the Dr. Armin incident?"
Yusei nodded, sighing again, it had only been a week since he was put in the hospital.
"It's a pity, what happened to him." Yasushi said. "Done in by his own work. If I was one of the people working with him I would certainly be scared."
'Yeah, madness isn't something that spontaneously happens.' Yusei thought, agreeing with the teen but saying nothing.
"I've wanted to find out how it happened, since I'm actually talking to you, would it be too much to ask?"
Yusei scrutinized the boy now, he could be just another reporter now that he thought about it. They had been rather persistent about getting answers from him…
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay." Yasushi said. "I imagine it would be uncomfortable to speak about it, he was a close colleague after all."
Yasushi's words made Yusei feel uncomfortable, Armin and Yusei hadn't been so close, but it had to count for something that the man had basically left his country for Neo Domino to work with Yusei. He hadn't known much about momentum, but his passion for it had intrigued Yusei. They had spent a considerable amount of time working together, but just like the very relatives Yusei wondered about he hadn't visited either.
"Thank you for talking to me." Yasushi said, beaming. "Seriously, I never thought I'd actually get to meet you in person."
"The pleasure's mine." Yusei said.
"Thanks again." Yasushi said, replacing his earpiece, pulling up his hood and walking away.
Something struck Yusei as odd about the retreating boy, unlike other typical fans, he didn't ask for an authograph or a picture. This was probably for the best anyway, he didn't feel like doing any of those at the moment.
This short trip was a disaster, he had to admit. It had only succeeded in making him more anxious, but at least he now knew what he had to do.
Author's Notes
Now you're probably wondering what's the difference is between this one and the former version, well, for one, Armin's words changed, it might be important, it might not be, its not for me to say.
The chapters might seem the same at first, but be patient, where I'm from, as a child it was pretty common to hear an elderly one say 'the patient dog gets the fattest bone' -I've come to believe that's pretty bad advice in the real world, but it probably will pay off here, so just read on.
I hope this story will be worth the time taken to read it, if it is or isn't I'd like to hear why, feedback is welcome, so enjoy.
