It was a peaceful winter's day in Neo Domino City. While Jack was off to who knew where, Yusei didn't have any jobs to be working on and Crow had the day off from making deliveries, so the two old friends had opted to spend the day inside. It was too cold out for a Riding Duel, and neither of them had had anywhere they needed or wanted to go, so passing the time as they had done in the old days had seemed like an enjoyable enough idea. Zora was off somewhere with Leo for the day, so with Poppo Time closed and nothing else open, they essentially had the entire area to themselves.
Inevitably, though, this had led to the two just loafing around the garage. Yusei was tinkering with a side-project he'd been putting off for a rainy day and having a relatively enjoyable time, while Crow had just finished looking up what he planned on getting all the kids he used to look after for Christmas and making sure he could budget it all, and was now looking out the window absentmindedly. Conversation would pop up occasionally and soon enough it would then fade back away, but despite Crow's normally boisterous attitude, even he enjoyed rare moments of peace between friends such as this. Were Jack around, he might have made a comment about birds and nests, but thankfully (for the peace), such was not the case.
All in all, Yusei couldn't complain.
The same could not be said for Crow.
"Damn. It's starting to snow. Looks like it'll be pretty hard too... Damn. There goes the weekend."
Crow's words surprised Yusei. They had been spoken without warning, but Yusei was the calm sort of person. People suddenly speaking during a moment of silence wasn't enough to surprise him particularly much, especially when he lived with surprising people like Crow and Jack to begin with — no, what surprised Yusei were the specific words themselves. He would have never suspected he would hear anything like that from his friend, and that was because...
"I thought you liked snow."
The orange haired young man that had been looking out the window swiveled around and gave Yusei a strange look, as if he was baffled at the idea. It was a comical reaction, and it might have elicited a small smile out of Yusei in another situation. This situation, however... This reaction, in turn, simply confused Yusei further. He had distinct memories of endless snowball fights outside of Martha's with Jack and Crow, and their caretaker affectionately chiding them for having spent so long in the cold because they had been enjoying themselves so much.
"Why the hell would I like that stupid..." As he spoke, Crow realized his friend's look of blunt confusion wasn't going anywhere. For a moment, the two simply stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to answer the question, until something occurred to Crow, at which point he leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his wild hair. "Oh... Yeah. Now I remember, That's right. It was after we all split up... You were crashing with Rally and the others after Jack had left and I was looking after my kids..."
Yusei nodded, remembering the period of their lives that Crow was referring to. For a few years, the three of them — he, Jack, and Crow — hadn't been in contact much after Team Satisfaction had split up, and he had later learned that Crow had been in and out of the Facility and having multiple run-ins with Security while he and Jack were trying to make their D-Wheel to get into the city...
"So? What happened?" Yusei set his project down and turned his chair to the side so he could face his friend clearly, rather than be looking over his shoulder and facing the table as he was then. It wasn't exactly the most drastic thing, admittedly, but Yusei was curious... and more importantly, Crow was his friend. For such a change to have taken place, he wanted to know why. "Was it serious?"
Realizing he couldn't get out of this, not that he was particularly sure if he even wanted to, Crow sighed and scratched his cheek awkwardly. At least Jack wasn't around right now to say something stupid or start a fight. But who knew? Maybe he was being useful for once and blowing their money and something that would be worthwhile in weather like this, like a bunch of ramen they could heat up and eat.
"It wasn't... serious. It was just... Ya know, it's not like anyone died or anything, so don't get all worried about that kind of crap, just, uh..." His scowl fading somewhat, Crow realized he'd never had a chance to talk about that strange event with anyone. It wasn't like he'd ever wanted to. It was simply that the only people he could talk to at the time were too young to get it. Sighing in defeat, Crow shrugged his shoulders and said it simply. "I grew up."
Yusei considered this answer. He would have thought, after everything they had been through — after Team Satisfaction alone — that Crow could have considered himself plenty grown up. Or was it that those experiences changed his outlook on snow? It would explain the contrast between the Crow in Yusei's memories, laughing and balling up some of the stuff, ready to throw it at whoever he could next, and the Crow before him now, really just looking sour about the whole situation.
... Even then...
The mechanic stood up.
"Huh- Yusei?"
"I'll make us something to drink." Suspecting there might be more to this story, the quiet young man moved from the table and headed for the coffee maker, inwardly thanking himself for remembering to fix it the night before after Crow and Jack had accidentally broken it the previous morning arguing over the last cup of coffee. He could go for something warm right now, and he had a fairly good feeling that Crow would appreciate it too. "Why don't you sit down? I don't think anything outside will be changing any time soon."
Crow opened his mouth to retort. He had been standing nearby the window, sure he had, but it wasn't like he had been hoping it would stop! ... Or at least, that had been what he had intended to say, but Yusei would have seen through that and he knew it.
Knowing he had lost that battle before it had even begun, the former thief instead smiled wryly at the situation and stuffed his hands into his pockets. It wasn't bad, living with his best friends like this... even if it was snowing outside. As Yusei returned to the table, placing a mug of coffee in front of his own place and Crow's usual spot, Crow finally moved to join him, settling down and placing his hand just over the mug, enjoying the feeling of the steam dancing against his palm for a moment.
He supposed a little story time wouldn't kill him.
"Yeah... Okay, so it wasn't really horrible, alright?" Removing his hand from the mug, Crow crossed his arms behind his head and pressed his legs against the ground, leaning his chair back and propping himself up into a reclining position. He closed his eyes, memories flitting through his mind as he sorted through them. "It was the first winter that me and the kids had been together. We'd made it through December okay, but it hadn't snowed too much yet either. I'd nabbed some great stuff for them so they were in pretty high spirits, and like a dumbass, I was feeling pretty cocky about having done it and wanted to try to top it for New Year's."
Though he didn't comment, Yusei's lips formed a line at this information. He hadn't known what could have led to Crow's change in heart before, but if Crow was referring to that New Year's...
"Jack...! Come quickly...! I need your help."
The blond looked up from his book, perplexed at the sudden intrusion. He had finally gotten a fire going and settled down for the evening, prepared to give the new year a humble... no, noble welcome, when Yusei had just barged in, looking almost like he'd gone swimming. He was soaked, with chunks of snow and ice hanging off of his clothes and even sticking in parts of his hair. The poor young man was no doubt going to be waking up sick if he wasn't already there already, even Jack Atlas could see such a thing at a glance right now.
He sighed. He and Yusei had been starting to have their issues as of late, but... at the moment, they were still friends. It would be beneath him to abandon him to the frigid cold, looking like he would drop dead if he were left out there a moment longer.
"Whatever it is can wait. Sit down and dry off and be quiet. If you do that much, I'll give you some ramen, and perhaps we can have a duel once you're no longer dripping everywhe-"
As it happened, Yusei wasn't in the mood for such trivialities. In fact, he wasn't even interested in them, let alone in the mood for them. Instead, he shook his head, taking a step forward and reaching out for his old friend, almost pleading.
"Jack, listen to me. I can't find Rally. He left our hideout to find a good place to try to see the city's fireworks hours ago, and..."
Purple eyes widened. A book clattered to the floor, forgotten, as Jack Atlas stood up. His priorities had shifted completely — this rare moment of peace and tranquility meant absolutely nothing if Rally was somewhere out there freezing to death.
"You fool! Why didn't you get me right away!?"
For a brief moment, a relieved smile flashed across Yusei's face, but it was gone as soon as it came.
"That's not important right now, is it? What's important is finding Rally."
A dark smirk formed on Jack's lips. He didn't answer Yusei with words at first, instead doing so by heading out the door that Yusei had entered through only moments ago, not an ounce of hesitation in his steps.
This time, as he followed Jack out the door, the duelist's ideas of a peaceful night all but forgotten, Yusei did manage a lasting expression of relief. With their stubbornness and determination combined, it would be impossible for them not to find Rally out there, no matter how much snow and no matter how cold it was. It just wasn't possible.
"Thanks, Jack."
To Yusei's surprise, the young man had heard him.
"Don't thank me until he's found. I won't deserve any such thing until that moment and that moment alone."
Though taken aback, it only lasted for a moment. After that, no more words were shared between them — and the two took off into the frozen night.
... then Yusei already had a pretty good idea of what had changed Crow's perspective. He hadn't been thinking about Crow, or anyone else besides for Rally at the time, and he and Jack had nearly come down with pneumonia themselves soon after, but thinking back on it, it would have been strange for Crow to have not experienced something during that snowstorm too.
Still... Just because something like that had happened, it didn't mean...
Yusei pursed his lips. He would wait for Crow to tell his own story before he made any comments about it.
"So there I am, right in the middle of it. Snow's everywhere, but I'm just thinking to myself that it'll make for a great fort when I get back, y'know?" Crow shook his head, a bitter sort of smile on his face as he recalled his thoughts from the time. It was an almost nostalgic look, Yusei thought, as if Crow almost longed for the days when he could feel so simply about things, but perhaps he was reading too much into it. "Security sure as hell wasn't coming after me then. They could spare losing some cards and a pair of duel discs, but they weren't gonna throw their officers' lives away over some moron playing hero..."
He couldn't hear his steps through the snow anymore. The snow had actually gotten so deep that when he lifted his foot off the group, it was still submerged in the snow. At some point, he realized that he probably should have found somewhere and just taken a break, but how could he do that? He had to be back by midnight. He couldn't let them down. He just...
"S-Shit... Wish I'd b-brought another coat..."
He just wished it wasn't so damn cold.
Part of Crow seriously regretted not bringing Blackbird for this one. At the same time, he was glad he hadn't. He didn't know how well it could handle this kind of situation, and while he had picked up plenty over the years and was perfectly capable of giving it maintenance now, he was no Yusei... He didn't want to risk messing up Pearson's last gift to him because he'd gotten something he naively hadn't covered wet or something idiotic like that. So what had that meant? That had meant that this thief had gone on foot to get the kids their second round of holiday cheer.
A smile formed on his face at the thought of how they would react to what he'd gotten them this time. He'd managed cards before, plenty of cards, but he'd never managed to take duel discs from Security before...! The kids were going to be so stoked to see this stuff! They could have some real duels now! With the snow like this, they could build some crazy fields to play on, and duel like they were pros in Neo Domino's finest stadiums! And that wasn't even touching on the other stuff they'd be able to do... He'd been imagining teaching them how to make snowballs all the way to the Security base he'd planned on heisting, but now? They could have snowball fights with their monsters! What kid wouldn't love that?
He could just imagine their faces. He could just imagine their happy laughter and voices upon his return.
It was that sight in his mind that kept his feet from stopping in their tracks. It was that sight in his mind that kept his knees from crumbling in on themselves. It was that sight in his mind that kept him moving.
It was a moment that he was sure all of them would remember for the rest of their lives.
He had been so sure that the kids would be the happiest that he had ever seen them.
He had been so sure that even he might be the happiest that he had ever been, or at least since he'd started looking after them.
He had been so sure it would be amazing.
He had been so naive.
He had been so god damned naive.
For when Crow finally arrived at his hideout, expecting to find kids playing in the snow against his wishes or, at the very least, hiding inside and staying warm like he'd told them to, his mind went white. Images of the happy smiles of children were wiped clean from his mind. Visions of snowball fights and sounds of laughter and duels were erased. His hopeful smile fell from his face and sunk deep, deep into the snow that he had been tirelessly trudging through.
The snow had been too much for the shoddy roof he'd put together. With all of that weight, weight that was still being compounded by the continually falling snow... It had caved in on itself.
Over half of the hideout was buried by it. What was an open area before was now a mass of white with various items sticking out.
The part of the hideout where the beds were was completely buried. It was simply a pile of snow.
The thief dropped his loot behind him. Summoning energy he hadn't known he still had, he did his best to run through the deep and deepening still snow. A hoarse cry escaped from his throat. He called their names. He told them he had presents. He told them they'd be in trouble if they didn't hurry up and come out.
There was no response. Not even a muffled cry for help.
There wasn't a single sign of life, no matter how much he looked.
Collapsing to his knees, he thrust his hands into the snow and dug. He dug and dug and dug and dug, but found nothing but more snow. It was all he could seem to find. Why? Why was this here where there should be happy children? Where had this snow taken them?
In the end, the night had gone nothing like how Crow had expected.
There were no smiles.
There was no laughter.
He had been right about one thing, though.
Crow would definitely remember the moment he came upon his destroyed home for the rest of his life.
"Martha had figured I would pull a stunt like that. Figured I'd play Santa Claus instead of just the dutiful protector I should've been." Crow explained for Yusei, who nodded in response. He was still looking towards the ceiling, still considering the things he had been telling Yusei, so he only saw the motion out of the corner of his eye. "She'd gotten those squirts out of there long before I'd gotten back. Even had one of her pals keeping watching for when I got my sorry butt back so I didn't freeze to death looking for kids that weren't even there. Probably would have if she hadn't done that, too..."
Yusei was silent as Crow finished his story. It was as he had expected it to be once Crow had told him when it had happened, more or less. While he and Jack had been faced with the reality of what their responsibilities were to them, on the same night, and perhaps even at the same time at that, Crow had been facing the same.
... Still... That didn't mean...
"You'd think she'd make sure I had nothing to do with those kids ever again, so that they could never be in danger like that again, but..." Crow trailed off, closing his eyes and pushing his chair up just a little more. Some might say it was a precarious position, others might say it was a fitting for a "bird" like Crow, but Yusei could understand where his friend was coming from. It had been rough for all of them in Satellite. It had been for everyone, really. It was good that things were finally starting to change now.
"She took one look at you and knew you would never make a mistake like that again, right?" Even so, Yusei managed a small half-smile at the thought. He could see it now. Crow, guilty, and probably sicker than he and Jack had ended up too, at Martha's, acting like he had caused another Zero Reverse rather than what he had actually done. Conversely, Martha would be there, chastising him and able to see the event had strengthened his already fair abilities as a caretaker all the more. "I would agree with her. You've been good to them, Crow. They wouldn't care that much about you if you hadn't been."
Crow smiled wryly at the comment. Maybe that was true. He hadn't looked at it that way then, and for a lot of reasons, part of him wanted to deny it even now. With Yusei being the one to say it... It was hard to keep that up. He appreciated it. It was rather hard not to appreciate Yusei in times like this.
Yusei, on the other hand, was thinking on another track. He wouldn't question Crow's capabilities for a moment — mistakes happen. He knew it just as well as anyone. He was thinking about something much smaller, ironically enough. Perhaps Crow's change of heart did have a logical explanation, but what he had taken from that event wasn't something the Signer agreed with. While his and Jack's experience with Rally hadn't been as drastic, he felt it was similar enough that he could say he could relate to it, and that he wanted to help.
But how to go about it...?
For a few moments, both leaving the other to their thoughts, the pair returned to the silence they had been enjoying before Crow's comment about the snow had forced them to drift away.
"Oh, and wouldn't you know it, the duel discs were ruined by the time I'd gotten them back anyway." The duelist laughed bitterly at the comment, shaking his head and dropping his chair onto the ground, returning from the reclining position he'd been telling his story in to a more upright one. "After all of that, it turns out I'd managed to grab a pair that were getting repaired or something. They'd been open in the worst possible places and some parts were missing to begin with. When I went to try 'em out later, they were totally shot. Practically couldn't even salvage the screws from the stupid things."
"I see..." Despite these words, given his expression, Crow had the feeling Yusei didn't see much of anything at that moment. He looked like he was distracted about something, though the other Signer couldn't be sure of what. He supposed Yusei too could have gone through something during that storm. It wouldn't be that strange, all things considered... Maybe his story had brought up some memories? Well, if Yusei wanted to talk, then Crow was here to listen, just as Yusei had for him. "I'll be right back."
Crow blinked. He blinked again. Yusei had abruptly stood from his seat at the table and made for the door of the garage — the door that lead straight to the chilly outside world. As if a man possessed, the duelist silently walked towards the door, only stopping to put on his coat.
Left behind at the table, with two mugs that still had a little coffee in them left behind, was a very confused Crow Hogan.
What had triggered this sudden move of Yusei's?
Crow was stumped.
"Huh? Hey, Yusei, where're you going...? Hey!" Rising out of his own seat, Crow trailed after his friend, unsure of what was going on, but, friend that he was, trailing after him all the same. Had something come up? Had he felt something? Crow was newer to the Signer thing than Yusei was, maybe something was going on that Crow couldn't sense yet? He just wished Yusei would do him a solid and tell him what was on his mind! "You've got a mouth ya know, feel free to use it any time...!"
Yusei was silent. He didn't look back at Crow and he didn't answer Crow either. He simply slipped out the garage door and left Crow inside the garage, all by himself.
"... Yusei, what're you thinking..." Muttering under his breath, Crow looked around the room. Plenty to amuse himself with if he stayed inside and left his friend to his own devices, which he was perfectly capable of doing. He knew he didn't have to follow. Yusei hadn't asked him to follow him and it didn't seem like he expected it either, but Crow was pretty curious at this point. What in the world could have set off his friend to get him to do something so strange like run outside while it was starting to snow? He didn't get it. "Argh, forget it! Wait for me!"
Following his friend outside of the garage, only remembering to grab his coat as an afterthought, Crow surveyed the area to see where Yusei had gotten to, only to see a field of white in place of the courtyard he had come to call home over the past few months. A mixture of emotions swept over Crow in that instant. Flashes of Martha's house, covered in a gentle blanket, and his collapsed hideout, smothered by the sheer force of the stuff... He'd really like to just let this stuff blow over. Maybe he was a bird deep down.
Forgetting that he had followed someone outside to see all of this in the first place, a scowl formed on Crow's face, and the duelist shook his head — snow was getting in his hair too! — and made to turn and go back to the garage. Before Crow could make it there, however...
A smack echoed throughout the otherwise silent area.
White slowly, almost comically dripped off of Crow's face. He raised his hands to wipe away the freezing stuff, and when he moved them away, he met the gaze of none other than one Yusei Fudo.
One smiling Yusei Fudo.
One smiling Yusei Fudo with a second snowball in his hands.
Crow's eyes widened. His mouth opened to let something out — a curse? a complaint? a vocalized letter of challenge? — but instincts honed in his childhood that he had forgotten long ago kicked in before he could do it. Yusei was moving his arm and Crow's body knew what was coming long before his mind did. He moved. He ducked. he rolled. A ball was formed in his hand just as Yusei's second one went sailing over his head. His own snowball was ready. He just needed to take aim, and then...
He let the snowball fly — and with it, something he'd been holding onto for years went flying too. In its place, Crow had found something else.
As he turned to stand behind a lamppost, Yusei knew his mission was accomplished.
Their responsibilities were important, certainly, and prioritizing them alongside, or even above, what brought them pleasure was a valuable skill to have. It was the skill of adults. They were skills that that fateful snowstorm had taught the both of them...
"Are you ready, Crow? I'm not going to go easy on you now that you're awake again."
"Hah! I'll make you eat those words, Yusei!"
... but at the same time, stopping to take some time to live life to the fullest could be just as important a skill to have as well.
And that day, it was a skill these two friends proceeded to use until the sun went down.