Shining Light

When Hikari was five, she learned to read with Crow's Duel Monster cards.

When Hikari turned seven, she asked for a duel disk, which Yusei dutifully made.

When Hikari was eleven and they had all properly moved to the City, she begged and begged until Crow went with her to register for Duel Academia.

So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise when at fifteen, Hikari qualified for the Pro Leagues.

oOoOo

"Crow-niisan, please!"

Crow sighed, eyes going from an excited Hikari to the letter she was holding — on actual, real paper. Who still did that?

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "It's a tough world out there."

Hikari nodded, face radiating the same confidence he'd felt when he was fifteen himself. When Security was something to be avoided at best, messed with at worst. When he hadn't been caught up yet in all the world-saving bullshit that came with being a Signer.

"I placed among the top five. I can't not go!" Hikari said, waving the letter in front of him. "Martha-san said she'd help me with my riding suit and I have my deck and my duel disk already. I just need—"

"A D-wheel, sponsors, a manager, a team." Crow counted on his fingers. Hikari wilted slightly. "I've been there, remember? It's not because you scored well that they'll just accept you. Most people don't even survive the first year."

Hikari huffed, blowing a strand of her newly-short hair out of her face. She'd had it cut just days ago, right before the final tests. "I thought you'd be happy for me. Everyone else is."

"I am!" He was proud of her, at the very least. And there was no denying that Hikari was a good duelist. She could defeat Crow on most days and even Jack when he was having an off-day. But what if it wasn't enough? "I just need to think about it."

Hikari made a disgusted noise, the letter crinkling in her grasp. "What's your deal with the Pro Leagues?"

oOoOo

Crow's deal with the Pro Leagues was this:

Yusei had ditched the Pro Leagues right after the Ark Cradle failed to fall, too busy with Momentum and preventing the collapse of the future. Once he'd received his acceptance letter from Neo Domino University, he'd never looked back.

Aki had gone to Germany eight years ago and never quite returned. Sometimes she and Crow had mock duels over the internet.

Jack had stayed active in the Pro Leagues far longer than the rest of them, but was currently taking a break to look after Victoria, the baby barely four months old.

And Crow… He'd tried. He'd honestly tried to make it in the Pro Leagues, but without Jack or Yusei on his team, it had been nearly impossible. Getting out had been a relief.

oOoOo

"It's not that I don't want her to be a duelist," Crow said over Victoria's crying. He leaned back on the sofa and watched as Jack bounced her up and down in vain. "It's just, she's fifteen and the Pro Leagues are so cut-throat. I don't want her to get hurt."

"She's a great duelist." Jack said, still shushing Victoria. "We weren't much older when we came to the City and she's lived in Satellite. She can handle it."

"I know, I know, but the Pro Leagues aren't like Satellite and that alone— Oh, give her here." He held out an arm when Victoria's wailing only got louder. Jack immediately handed the baby over. Crow cradled her and carefully tilted her forward. Victoria stopped crying.

"We still can't figure out how you do that," Jack muttered. "Carly's wanted to know for months."

Crow shrugged. He'd raised Kokoro practically from birth and he'd taken care of his fair share of babies. Victoria wasn't even the worst baby he'd ever faced. Just stubborn, like her parents. She was going to be hellfire when she grew up.

"You know they're gonna try to destroy her because she's from Satellite," he said. Jack sobered. Victoria, sensing the rapidly deteriorating mood, started sniffling again. Crow rocked her gently. "The WRGP helped a bit, but you know why I didn't stay in the Pros."

He didn't have Jack's fame or Yusei's name. He only had his Satellite background and with all the criminal markers he had, the Leagues had tried to eat him alive and spit him out again. It was why he'd quit in the end. But Hikari didn't need to know that. His kids didn't need to be faced with the reality that they might never be accepted in Neo Domino.

Jack nodded solemnly and ruffled the few black strands on Victoria's head. "I'll definitely watch out for her."

Crow grimaced. It was a start, but Jack wouldn't be around all the time, especially now that Victoria was born. "I wish there was some kind of team I could trust to not screw her over, y'know?"

They both remained silent for some time, deep in thought. Then Jack said, at long last: "The Leagues still suck, not gonna lie. I've got good sponsors and all, but most newcomers don't last."

Yeah, Crow had already known that. He sighed deeply. Victoria made an unhappy noise. "I don't want to take this from her. She's worked so hard for it."

"Then we're just gonna have to make sure nothing happens to her."

oOoOo

A few days later he ended up in the garage, telling the whole story while Yusei made absent-minded noises. The place was littered with books and loose papers, all with the kind of mathematical equations Yusei adored and Crow had never had a head for.

"I'll build her a D-Wheel," Yusei said at long last, when Crow had fallen silent. He closed the laptop in front of him and finally looked at Crow.

"That's literally the least of my problems right now."

"But she is going to need one." Yusei sighed and leaned forward. "I don't think you can stop her. She's wanted this for years."

"You think I don't know that?" Crow was almost offended. As if he didn't know the dreams of his own kids. "Look, you weren't in the Pros after the WRGP. It hasn't gotten better."

Yusei knew all that, of course. Crow had spent many nights complaining to him about the Pro Leagues and Yusei had been the one to suggest he get out in the first place. But he had never seen the worst of it. He was the savior of Neo Domino and most people didn't even consider him a true Satelliter anymore. Merely an unfortunate victim of Zero Reverse, they had decided. One who overcame the odds and lived up to his family name. It frustrated Yusei to no end, but no amount of angry rebuttals had been able to change public opinion.

Crow would forever be marked as Satellite. And Hikari, who didn't even have a proper family name, would have it even worse.

"What about Jack's sponsors? Do you think they'd take her on?" Yusei asked.

"Jack asked. They only work with established duelists."

Yusei frowned. "I'll ask around at work. Ohira-san knows some duelists, I believe." He pulled out a piece of paper and grabbed a pen. "In the meantime, what kind of D-Wheel do you think she wants? Like Blackbird?"

"She always liked Aki's, so maybe something more like that?"

Yusei nodded and scribbled down some notes. "She still plays Ice Barrier, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've got some ideas. Ask her to come over some time, so she can tell me what she wants."

"I will." Crow put a hand on Yusei's shoulder. "Thanks for doing this."

"If I can give you guys one less thing to worry about, it's the least I can do."

OOoOo

Finding a sponsor for Hikari turned out to be far easier than Crow had expected; just mentioning the situation to Bolger had their old sponsor jumping at the chance. It gave Hikari a boost in confidence that carried her through the first fruitless meetings with potential managers. But Crow's old manager didn't want to take her on. Nor did the next five people they contacted.

The reasons were always the same: too young, no proven record, too much of a risk, but Crow could see the way their eyes lingered on his criminal markers. How Hikari's riding suit fit her perfectly but was clearly handmade, not one of the factory-made and shiny suits that every duelist was supposed to own.

He saw how Hikari's shoulders slumped every time they left another room, how the hopeful look on her face faded the longer they searched. After the sixth appointment, she sighed heavily and looked up at him.

"They're never going to take me, are they?"

She took out her deck and shuffled through it, staring despondently at Dewloren. She'd been so happy when she'd found that card, almost two years ago now. Hikari was lethal with her Ice Barrier deck. But what did it matter if no one gave her a chance to prove it?

"Hey, don't give up. We'll find someone, I swear." Crow wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We've been through worse, haven't we?"

"You don't even want me to be a Pro," Hikari said, but she smiled tremulously. Crow shook his head.

"I want people to give you a chance. We all know you're great, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"How did you do it during the WRGP,?" Hikari asked.

The WRGP… Crow chuckled. "We didn't even have a manager during the WRGP. We did most of the paperwork together." Or rather, Crow and Jack had done most of the paperwork, because Yusei and Bruno had been too busy with their D-Wheels and Aki and the twins had had school to think of. For once, Jack and his previous experience in the Leagues had been surprisingly helpful. "The WRGP was a one-time thing, so as long as we filled out all the forms, we didn't need a manager. You're gonna need one if you want to have a proper career."

"Oh." Hikari sighed. "I wish you could just do it, Nii-san. That'd be a lot easier."

Crow gave her a wry smile. Manage a team? "Yeah. If only."

oOoOo

"Well, why not?"

Crow squinted at the screen. Aki stared back at him, one eyebrow arched.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all." Aki leaned forward. "Why can't you do it? You already know how the Pro Leagues work."

"Aki, I'm me. What makes you think I can manage a team?"

"What makes you think you can't?" Aki's voice softened. "Crow, look, you've been taking care of so many kids for years. You did all the paperwork during the WRGP—"

"Jack helped."

"So get him to help now too. You know what the Pro Leagues are like and you know what Hikari can do. If no one's going to give her a chance, why don't you show them how good she is?"

She couldn't be serious. They'd run him out of the Pro Leagues once. Why would things be any different now? "You know what things are like for us, Aki. They'll ruin Hikari if she shows up with me in tow."

"And if she finds a 'proper' manager," Aki actually made air quotes, "then what? They'll underpay her or she'll forever be a backbencher because she's from Satellite. How is that any better?"

Crow paused. Aki wasn't wrong. "Hikari needs… she needs someone who knows what she can do and who doesn't care where she comes from."

"Doesn't that make you the best option?" Aki sighed, the sound tinny over the computer microphone. "You're so good with kids. Whenever I'm trying to teach Esin something new about how to use her powers and she doesn't want to listen, I keep thinking, 'What would Crow do?', and it really helps. You know how to coach Hikari and you won't mistreat her based on where she's from. Satellite's needed some good Pro Duelists for years. I really think you can do it."

Crow rubbed at his cheeks, hoping the blush didn't show through the camera of his computer. Aki had told him of the lessons she had planned for her psychic student, and he'd even given his input every once in a while, but she really thought that highly of him? Could he really do it?

"I know it'd be hard to go back to the Pro Leagues, but think about it, okay?" Aki said. "No one's going to look out for her better than you do."

oOoOo

Crow did think about it. He thought about it very hard, days on end. No matter how he looked at it, the only person who'd really be able to give Hikari the chance she deserved was someone who knew what Satellite was like. Ideally someone who had lived in Satellite themselves. But did that mean it had to be him? What would he even need to become a manager in the Pro Leagues?

Some kind of business class, probably. Something that taught him how to deal with all the work and negotiations. He wouldn't be the first duelist to move on to managing his own team, but he would be the first person from Satellite. He mentioned the issue to Yusei when they went to check on Hikari's D-Wheel.

"Aki's right," Yusei said. He smiled faintly at Hikari, who was busy cooing over the icy blue D-Wheel he'd built her. "You're probably the best person for the job."

"You're way smarter than I am."

Yusei shrugged and gestured vaguely at several books scattered across the garage. "Science, sure. But you know I'm no good at talking to people. You and Jack are far better at it than I am."

Crow couldn't argue with that. Yusei avoided the limelight whenever he could.

"Yusei!" Hikari came bounding up to them. "Thank you, thank you! It's so pretty!"

Yusei's smile grew wider. "Glad you like it. Anything that needs changing?"

"Can I go out for a ride first?" Hikari glanced at Crow. Crow gestured widely.

"Sure, it's your D-Wheel! Just be careful, okay?"

"Always." Hikari swung her leg across the D-Wheel, twisted the handles and took off in one smooth movement. Yusei nodded approvingly.

"She's learned well."

"Yeah. I just wish someone would give her a chance."

Yusei glanced at him. "You said before you were afraid they were going to mistreat her because she's from Satellite, right? So become her manager. And maybe it'll encourage other people from Satellite to join up." Something twisted in Yusei's face. "We tried with the WRGP and it wasn't enough. I've been trying at NDU and there are more people from Satellite attending now, but not everyone wants a university degree. Just… I really think this would be a great opportunity."

Crow grimaced. They had hoped that the WRGP and everything that happened after it would have united Neo Domino properly, but after the initial confusion and panic, things had very quickly gone back to normal, with Satellite on one side of the Daedalus Bridge and the City on the other. The bridge had never become the symbol they'd hoped for.

"You really think this would help?"

Yusei nodded. Crow let out a deep sigh. What was scarier, going back to the Pros or lying awake every night wondering how they were treating Hikari?

Well, Crow reflected as Hikari rounded the corner again, her exhilarated smile visible even under her helmet, when he put it like that, it really wasn't much of a choice at all.

oOoOo

The e-mail came the next day. Crow printed it out and headed outside, looking for Hikari. He caught Kokoro's eye and she pointed to the back, where they'd managed to construct a small garden. He found Hikari there, shuffling her deck and forlornly staring out at the saplings they'd planted last year. Her excitement from the day before had disappeared in the face of yet another rejection.

"Hey, Hikari?"

Hikari didn't stop shuffling the cards, but she shifted to make room for him on the bench.

"Did they reject me again?" she asked, eyes falling on the letter he was holding. Crow grimaced. There had been a second rejection message in his mailbox, but that wasn't what he was here for.

"I've got a question for you. Serious question."

"If you're asking me to give up again…"

"No, no!" Crow shook his head. "No, but, do you think you could wait until next season to join?"

Hikari stopped shuffling her deck. "I thought you were okay with me joining at this age."

"I am. But you know the deadline is coming up, and I can't guarantee that we'll find you a manager before then."

Hikari slumped. "What, and you can guarantee one next season?"

"I might." Crow took a deep breath and passed her the piece of paper he'd brought along. Hikari read the title, eyes widening.

"Business classes? What is this?"

"I looked into it," Crow said. "Turns out that's all you really need to become someone's manager if you already have experience in the Pros, so…" He cast a sidelong glance at Hikari. "D'you think you'd want to join my team next year?"

"I—" Hikari stared at him. "You'd really do that? For me?"

" 'Course I would, you're one of my kids, aren't you? So how about it?"

"Yes!" Hikari launched herself at him, and he barely caught her in a one-armed hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Thank Aki and Yusei. They talked me into it."

"You're the best, Nii-san!" Hikari let go and beamed up at him. "We're gonna be the best team, for sure!"

"You're gonna help me look for teammates, right? We need three to qualify."

"Yes! Katsumi-san wants to go Pro next year, and she's from Satellite too! I'm sure she'll join, and Yatsu-san too!" Hikari handed him his registration form. "You'd better not fail, Nii-san!"

Crow had never been so determined to study in his life.

Notes:

Who is Esin, you ask? She is a character from a future story that will hopefully be uploaded soon.

Comments and concrit are highly appreciated!