Shooting Star's Finish Line
Jack stood in front of the large crowd, his palms sweaty and his throat already dry. He gazed across the sea of morning faces, seeing old friends and new allies alike. The skies had just begun to darken, as clouds rolled in from the horizon. The cold breeze whipped against his skin as he tried to find his composure.
"Yusei...was one of my closest friends. Hell, he was more like a brother to me. Growing up in Satellite, we had each other's backs. We looked out for each other. Even though there was a time when I turned my back on him and didn't consider us friends anymore, Yusei knew that there was always going to be a bond between us. After everything I helped put him through, he still was willing to call me his friend."
Jack could feel his eyes begin to water and his jaw stuttered with every painful word.
"No one in the world could ever match Yusei. He was undeniably smart, especially when it came to mechanics. Who else could build a runner out of trash like he did? He was friendly. I used to see that as a weakness in him, but all he wanted to do was help everyone he possibly could. He never could stand to see people suffer. I can't even count how many people Yusei helped, even if they pushed him away at first."
A number of faces in the crowd tilted down, concealing their tears and remembering the image of the duelist they lost far too soon.
"But in the end, it wasn't about his unbeatable dueling style. It wasn't about his parents or his smarts. It wasn't about where he grew up or the actions he was forced to take. Hell, it wasn't even the mark of the Crimson Dragon that made him so special."
Jack put his pride behind him and let a few tears roll down his face.
"It was his rare smile that could put anybody at ease and those unbreakable bonds he tried to form with everyone he met. That's the reason why Yusei was so remarkable. That's the reason people gave him the nickname 'Shooting Star'. He inspired everybody with hope when there was none. If Yusei ever felt depressed or sad or lost, he certainly didn't show it. That's what I really envied him for."
Jack closed his eyes, wishing that when he opened them, everything that happened would just turn into an awful nightmare and Yusei would be standing right in front of him.
"I'm never going to forget Yusei Fudo. And I hope the world...this city doesn't forget him either. It's not everyday we're blessed with a soul like his. Our Shooting Star finally gets to be where he belongs, with the great ones and with his parents."
Jack looked over the crowd with stern eyes.
"Yusei's death is not the end...not even close. He would never want that to be the case. Team 5ds is going to duel and win the World Racing Grand Prix for him. We're going to ride over that finish line with Stardust Dragon soaring through the sky!"
Jack turned away from the crowd. He slowly approached the memorial set besides him, overlooking the Daedalus Bridge. He reached out and picked up the Stardust Dragon card from the pile of flowers and candles.
And we're going to find the bastard who ran Yusei off the bridge and make him pay. Suddenly, Jack's own dragon mark began to burn. He could feel Yusei with him, and he know the other Signers could feel him too.
"Our bond will never be broken, Yusei."
After the service had ended, Jack, Crow and Bruno walked back to the garage, not speaking a word to each other. The dismal clouds had completely taken over the sky and the musky smell of impending rain only saddened the atmosphere further. As the trio finally made their way to the garage door, they stopped.
"I'm not going in there." Crow said in a deep voice. "Trudge said they left Yusei's runner in there."
Jack looked over to his friends, seeing Bruno wipe his face with his jacket sleeve and Crow about to burst into tears all over again. "Kalin and Grieger said we could stay with them at the hotel if we needed to." Jack informed the other two.
Crow nodded, wanting to get as far away from the garage as possible. Bruno was also quick to agree. Just as they turned away from their home, rain started to pour down on them, but none of them had the energy to move any faster. The three friends walked through the city, until they reached the hotel and saw Kalin standing outside, waiting for them. "Hey guys. How are you feeling?"
Kalin was greeted with silence and then proceeded to show his friends up to the hotel room.
On another side of the city, Akiza was being driven home by her parents, after dropping Luna and Leo off at their Tops apartment. The young woman was watching beads of rain roll down the window besides her, Jack's words still echoing in her ear.
Our bond will never be broken, Yusei.
Akiza's mother looked back to her only daughter, worried about how she was taking the loss of another important person in her life. "Akiza, do you want me to make you anything when we get home? Some soup or tea, maybe?"
Akiza shook her. "No, mom. I know it's earlier, but I think I'll just go to bed when we get home."
"Alright, dear."
Akiza bit her lower lip, thinking back to all the times Yusei comforted her when she needed a friend. Jack was right, no one could ever match Yusei. He was the one person she needed right now, but she could not have him. Yusei was gone. Even though that sensation in her arm during the ceremony felt like Yusei's presence, Akiza was never going to see him smile again.
"Mom. Dad. Jack and Crow asked me if I wanted to be the third wheel for Team 5ds in the WRGP." Akiza told her parents in a monotoned voice.
"What did you say?" Her father asked, regretting his word choice.
"I told them I had to think about it. I don't know if I can handle dueling while feeling like this, especially in a turbo duel." She explained. The last thing she wanted to do was loss control of herself during the WRGP and hurt somebody with her powers.
"You do whatever feels right, Akiza." Her father said, still not knowing how to comfort his daughter when she needed someone to lean on. "I hope you know Yusei cared very much about you."
"I know, dad."
Late that night, with the rain turning into a torrential down pour, Jack left the hotel with only one destination in mind. He went back to the garage, needing to see what Crow and Bruno were unwilling to look at. Jack walked up to the garage door, grabbed the handles and slid it open.
Immediately, Jack's eyes were met by the red shine of Yusei's duel runner. It had suffered quite a bit of damage after the accident, with its body smashed, wheels broken and mainframe cracked. Jack walked up to the damaged machine and stared at it. If Yusei were here, he would have started the repair work on his bike right away, but he was not here. His hands would never fix the runner again. His cards would never be played by him again. He will never walk the city he was so proud of.
Jack collapsed on the ground, his sobs echoing through the empty space. What would he give to see his brother alive and well again one last time? "Yusei! Damn you! Why the hell did you just have to die like that? You had your whole life ahead of you! You survived crashes before, so why couldn't you have survived this one?"
"Jack."
Jack turned around at the sound of the voice.
"Martha...I..."
The older lady knelt down besides her son and rubbed his shoulders. "It's going to be alright, Jack. You said it yourself. Yusei would never want his death to be the end of all he tired to accomplish. Stand up. Stand up and finish what you boys started."
Jack shook his head. "I'm not Yusei. How could I be? How are we supposed to be Team 5ds without him?"
You don't have to be Team 5ds without me.
Jack's eyes bursted open wide.
I will always be with you guys, waiting to see Stardust shoot over the finish line at the WRGP. You said it yourself, Jack. Our bond will never be broken.