Title: Get No Satisfaction
Characters: Yusei and Kiryu
Rating: T
Warnings: Character death, mature situations, blood, strong language sprinkled around and spoilers up until the end of the Dark Signer arc
Notes: Done in a five things that never happened styled way, this fic explores five situations of what ifs to Yusei's and Kiryu's relationship. This is to showcase how vital their relationship is in the series. They are all different AU situations, with the possible exception of the last one since it is based upon speculation and interpretation. This is a birthday fanfic dedicated to Northwind_gale aka Artemis Ignitan.
We used to have this figured out;
We used to breathe without a doubt.
When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see.
We used to have this under control.
We never thought.
We used to know.
At least there's you, and at least there's me.
Can we get this back?
Can we get this back to how it used to be?
~ From "Used To" lyrics
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"Hold on Yusei!"
His brother gripped the rope tightly on his hands, pushing against the metal railing. The railing creaked and bent against their weight. Kiryu was determined to hold to Yusei, who was dangling against the side of the building. Yusei wasn't relieved, and frightened that his friend couldn't hold on.
"Let go Kiryu!" Yusei relented.
"No way, I'm not going to leave you behind." Kiryu treated the members of Team Satisfaction like his own family; they meant so much to the leader. He just had to hold with an iron grip and hoped for a burst of strength to pull them out. Then they could carry out the final phase of their mission.
Tragically, that flash of brute force never came to pass. More then half of Kiryu's body now leaned over the railing, only held up by mere friction. Once again, in fear that his savior might be in danger, Yusei only continued to plead with him.
"Come on, just let me fall!" In desperation, but he knew the older man was too determined to be swayed now.
"Shut up!" Kiryu harshly snapped back to silence him. The cries were only making him lose concentration. In the distance and having been missed from Jack and Crow's onslaught of handcuff dueling, a gang member saw a prime opportunity to erase the strongest gang in the dog eat dog hierarchy. Sneaking behind Kiryu, he gave a push to the somewhat lithe leader.
Before Kiryu could register that, the weight of gravity sunk in as he and Yusei dropped down to the unforgiving road, yelling all the way.
The orange burning fireball touched the sea, which created a watery road bathed in sun drops, and at the end of this path was land. The land in which two stakes were buried into the ground, side by side and connected with a pair of handcuffs and a sheet that had the entire Satellite area scribbled in black.
Crow sat near the graves, having never stopped bawling since this afternoon, still digesting the crappy hand that life had dealt him once again. Jack was nowhere to be seen as he was still venting out the rage consuming him by causing property damage.
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"Stay back, Kiryu."
Yusei ordered that from inside the half destroyed building in Satellite. Police officers were swarming the area, on the hunt for a suspected killer. They had only one clue, the culprit of the crime lead the dominant gang, Team Satisfaction. But Yusei wasn't about to allow them to take a friend, even one with bloodstained hands as the uttermost proof.
Keeping Kiryu held back was another story. That man tended to be unpredictable and had a slight sadistic streak running through his veins. If it weren't for Crow and Jack begrudgingly helping out, Security might as well kiss another officer goodbye.
Yusei approached the doorway before giving both his teammates and brothers one last passing glance before stepping out into the unforgiving rain and into the eyes of the police force.
The yellow flashlights blinded him almost but the presence of cops was stronger then ever. He was surrounded, no turning back now.
Holding up his arms and showing off his lack of weapons and duel disk, he gave in.
"I'm the leader of Team Satisfaction!" That was the only evidence needed, the cops decided by their flawed logic. They tossed him into the truck, bringing him to a prison that contained the toughest, most brutal environments imaginable.
Upon arrival, he was strapped down into a chair and forced to listen to a harsh verbal berating. Half the time the officers mocked him mercilessly with labels like trash and piece of crap. Such treatment was standard due to the unfair discrimination of the population of his homeland.
The next he knew a sharp almost unbearable pain shot through his face, a branding of him using a laser to sketch a mark had been done to many before himself. Now Yusei Fudo, was one of them.
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"This is the end, Yusei!"
Kiryu shouted with glee coming from inside his tainted heart. This Duel of Darkness was one the Dark Signer had been awaiting for years to finally come! He wanted revenge, like all of them and the desire to inflict the same pain he experienced. It was his entire damn fault, stupid Yusei! His entire fault that Kiryu suffered as much as he did. That bloodstained traitor would never see the light of another day now.
There was no way Yusei could win anyhow, with Ccapac Apu on the field and having no way to counter or even defend himself now. A gigantic hand reached out toward Yusei to squash him, its hand bigger then the D-Wheel itself. He was silent as it came down upon him; the only sound audible was the howling of Kiryu's voice.
When it did there was a small explosion of dust and wind as the noise of metal being crushed were heard. All of the shooting star's friends in a state of disbelief, shouted at once.
"Yusei!!" The smallest observer, Rally was on the verge of tears.
When the dust cleared away and the god bound to earth disappeared, a broken beyond repair D-Wheel remained… and Yusei with bruises and broken bones littering his entire body. His jacket was now in a tattered state and blood ran out of his lip.
Kiryu drove up with an insane smile to the fallen star. At last, his death wish had been granted. Yusei could only look at him with peril and sadness conveyed in the eyes of him. When he locked eyes with his former friend, the leader turned into a servant of darkness had only a few words to spare.
"Die and go to hell, little brother."
And Yusei did just that.
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"Stay in there Kiryu, with the power of our bonds, I can save you!"
Bonds, the most important moral Yusei believed in. With their bonds, they could do anything. Using the bonds formed by all the Signers, they brought a birth to a new Stardust that's power could bring forth miracles. Its name was known as Savior Star Dragon and it alone blew out the fire of life contained in another god. This god however, was connected to Kiryu's life force and keeping him alive all this time since his execution.
Yusei didn't want to think about that, even though he already witnessed another Dark Signer fall because of an Earthbound God death. He wanted Kiryu to live, his savior from the distant past, now in need of his own redemption. But the leader is close to dying yet again, following in the footsteps of the Peruvian god.
On his D-Wheel, he held the older man close to his own body, gently shaking to see if he would awaken. When Kiryu did, his irises remained inversed, an omen for the bitterness to come.
"Damn you."
Confusion stricken Yusei… why did he act like this? Didn't he know by now that the rage that poisoned his spirit was the cause that stemmed from misunderstanding? Apparently not, as Kiryu scowled at him and drove fingernails on Yusei's back.
"You killed me again Yusei, you're not even a brother anymore."
Those words stung him hard, hatred or disowned by the one he looked up since his early teenage years, he didn't know which was worse. He tried to persuade Kiryu one last time.
"Please Kiryu, you have to know the truth. I tried to protect you from Security all along."
Kiryu's response remained unchanged.
"I know the truth! You conspired with the police and now with that damn dragon- "
His time had run out and his speech cut prematurely. In Yusei's arms, he perished into dust, never to reappear again.
Yusei's cheek had a trickle of tears as he let out an emotional plea, uncapping his grief all at once.
"KIRYU!"
But the only miracle he saw when he regained his coherency was Savior Star disappearing in the sky.
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The calm of the storm had been reached. The final score finally settled and from a great war emerged a winner. The war between light and darkness that is. The Signers have just become victorious, and the entire group now stood on the deceased Director's penthouse. What they didn't know was that their "bonus" award would arrive sooner then expected. A bright yellow sphere appeared out of thin air and on the other side of the garden. Its presence immediately taken notice as the group charged forward with Yusei leading it.
But by the time they reached it, the light had flickered out faster then a flame hit by water. What the light dropped off was much more of interest to them materialized.
The Dark Signers, the former Dark Signers that is excluding a pair of elder brothers, were now truly alive once more. Clearly the God of the sky was being merciful to them to allow a second chance. But all of that aside, Yusei's mind flew to the one he cared the most about, Kiryu, His once leader resembled himself again, wearing the same clothes that Yusei remembered him dawning last, at least before the first death. In addition to his old outfit, the smile on Kiryu was genuine and not fueled from his off color tendencies.
Next thing Yusei knew, Kiryu nearly tackled him, throwing his guard off with an "oof!" noise. The older male couldn't care less as he did a full bear style hug on him. As a comfort, as a reassurance. And it was so tight; he nearly knocked the wind right out of Yusei! He didn't let go after a few seconds, just making a request.
"Don't leave me again."
Yusei would make sure that promise would not be broken again.