-Shattered Dreams-

A Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's fanfic

Summary: "What . . . what is this nightmare? I have been brought up in the most despicable of places, but my dreams have guided me through those tough times, when hope was still in reach. My body may get better, but my soul will never be healed." Crow, after fracturing his arm in a highway accident, has been told that he would not be able to ride his Blackbird for a while, leaving him unable to ride in the WRGP, a tournament he and his friends had dreamed of. Fate, how could you have been so cruel? Crow's POV. Spoilers for Episode 97
A/N: Oh lookie. It's Ang' and one of her moody fanfics. Well, when bad things happen to unsuspecting people, oneshots are generally born from that. Don't expect this fic to be too long. The only purpose for this one-shot is to vent my feelings about 97 through writing.

"C-Crow, is it?"

I gaze upon Pearson, who was lying under a burning piece of wood. I had a really strong desire to save him and I almost tried to, but Pearson refused my help.

"Pearson!"

"Crow, I just want you to take care of the kids and Blackbird for me." He implores me, handing me his deck. "Their dreams . . . Please . . . fulfill them."

At that moment, the building begins to collapse in all sorts of places, leaving no time for me to ask him any questions. The culprit, that damned bastard, had allowed the place to burn down, killing anyone that was in it. I had wanted so badly to stay and tried to save Pearson from his fate, but my efforts were all in vain. I couldn't stay in that building any longer, for I would have died of burns if I had. I call out Pearson's name before the fiery wood collapsed on top of him, killing him instantly. I leave the burning house and started running as fast as I could towards the orphanage, to tell the kiddies what had happened to Big Brother Pearson without saying he had been murdered. It would be the most difficult thing I had to do in my life. However, I bite hard on my lower lip to prevent the tears from falling out of my eyes.

Pearson, I will fulfill the kiddies' dreams for you. No matter what happens.

Shattered Dreams

The sky is in its usual state with its light blue shade with very few clouds. The sounds of screaming people, flashing cameras, and D-Wheels' engines fill my ears from all around the Duel Stadium, so the day was anything but quiet. I am sitting with Bruno, the newest addition to our group, and the twins, Rua and Ruka. The kiddies, Martha, and Dr. Schmitt were unable to make it this tournament because Martha and Dr. Schmitt were concerned about the conditions they were going to be in if they went. I don't blame them. In Riding Duel tournaments, the spectators could become quite too rowdy for those innocent children.

Yusei, Jack, and Aki are preparing for the preliminary matches against Team Unicorn since they and Team Unicorn are up first. Aki should not really be participating in this Riding Duel tournament, but, since I have a fractured arm, she had volunteered to take my place. I would have been fine with this idea if it were not for the circumstances. She had claimed that she would represent our feelings, those who would not participate, in the tournament. However, she couldn't have been more further from the truth with that statement. She can't even BEGIN to understand my feelings as a D-Wheeler, a former Satellite resident, a former Satellite 'scum'. She has no idea how much this tournament meant to me, especially how much it meant to me before the accident, the accident that will affect my body only for a certain period time, but will scar my spirit forever.

The day before three days ago, before the accident, Jack and I had visited Martha's house to deliver some of the food we had bought. After all, Martha, Saiga, and the kiddies need our help sometimes in the food department. We also visited her because of her invitation.

"Martha!" I called. "We came to visit you."

"Oh, welcome, Crow, Jack!" Martha exclaimed excitedly.

We unpacked the food which included bread and corned beef and we sat down at the table and began to eat. When Martha asked where Yusei was, I had told her that he wasn't coming.

"I see. So Yusei didn't come." Saiga sighed in disappointment.

"Yeah." I replied. "He's busy with his job, I guess. Today, he's busy testing his new engine."

Jack was clearly upset at this turn of events when he huffed, "Really, always with his job! To think that he would reject Martha's invitation before the tournament!"

Martha, however, moved the matter towards a different subject, making a displeased face, when she replied, "Why don't you be more like him?" Then she proceeded to make an even more displeased face. "I heard from Zora that you won't do your job!"

Jack was surprised that Zora even said anything about him as much as I was and he showed it for a few seconds, but then he composed his face and replied, "I have no comment regarding that."

I couldn't help but snicker at that statement. I had always liked it whenever Jack got in trouble, even when we grew up together as kids, and today was no different. However, I had noticed the room was a bit quiet. A bit too quiet. I knew there was only one main reason for this silence. The kiddies were somewhere else. But, where?

"Hey, where are the kids?" I inquired. "Are they gone?"

However, Martha only smiled and nodded towards the door. "Hey, all of you!"

I looked and the kiddies were hiding behind the door. I knew they were hiding somewhere. Kio, the one with the spiky purple hair and light red jacket, opened the door and all of them proceeded to enter the room.

"You kids, aren't you going to say 'Hi' to your Big Brother Crow?" I inquired them. They must have been up to something. I just know it. Instead of replying, they proceeded to give Kio and Amaya something like a table cloth. However, when I saw what was on it, I was shocked. On the front was a drawing of me on Blackbird. They had done all of that . . . for me?

"You . . . You did this?" I asked in shock.

Martha sighed, saying, "They're really troublesome kids. They tried so hard to make that." I could only stare in disbelief. The kiddies that Pearson had told me to take care of . . . I wasn't originally their Big Brother to begin with, yet that went through so much to make something for me?

Kokoro, the redheaded girl wearing a pink dress, told me, "We'll all carry this and cheer you on!"

Eric, the one with the purple cap and brown hair and bluish gray eyes, added, "Good luck, Big Brother Crow!"

Kio also added half-jokingly, half-seriously, "You better win!"

He presented the cloth to me and I took it and examined it. I started to feel tears forming in my eyes, but I didn't want to let anyone know I was crying, even if I did emit a sniffle or two.

"I'm not crying." I protested. "I'm just . . . more . . ."

I didn't want to let the kiddies see me crying, but at the same time, I couldn't hold the tears in. The kiddies didn't realize it, but what they took their time drawing meant a lot to me. No one had ever given me something so heartfelt before in my life. Never.

I knelt down and hugged all of them at the same time. I couldn't express in words how grateful I was to be alive at that moment. I had wanted to be in a Riding Duel tournament since I first even heard the term 'D-Wheel'. I've always wanted to show Neo-Domino what I was capable of doing. Pearson had given me Blackbird and his deck in hopes that I would carry on his will and ever since then, I wanted to prove Neo-Domino that Satellite people were worthy of living on the same soil as them. I was just one day away from my dream . . . but I never expected anything like this from the kids. For all I know, they could have thought I wasn't worthy of being their big brother. However, they haven't thought anything of the sort. Not with this treasure I was holding.

"Thank you. Thank you." I whispered in their little ears.

All of a sudden, I heard a loud grunt – obviously from Jack.

"Jack! I'll make one for you as well." Martha told him.

"I – I don't want anything like that!" Jack protested, trying to hide his feelings. We all started to laugh and I asked, "What's wrong, Jack? Jealous?"

After these events, Jack and I said our goodbyes to Martha, Saiga, and the kids and returned to where we were staying. Early the next morning, I had woken up early to practice on my D-Wheel for the tournament on without telling anyone. I have seen many sunrises, but life in Satellite was too difficult many years ago to actually enjoy them. But, this time, the sunrise was unusually magnificent. It was a mix of oranges, reds, and blues with the sun trying to break its way through the clouds.

"Amazing . . ." I couldn't help but whisper out loud. I continued to cruise through the highways of Neo-Domino with no noise of the other D-Wheels and cars to bother me. The day was perfect for a practice run.

"More . . . I can go on more!" I exhaled. However, I had seen a black figure in front of me who was going very slowly on the highway. I was going at a speed where I couldn't stop in time.

"Hey! Watch out!" I yelled, but it proved to be fruitless and the figure didn't move. We both collided and I went flying off my D-Wheel into the air. I landed painfully on the pavement and I felt breathless and like I couldn't move for a long while. When I could sit up, my ribs were in tremendous pain from the time before last I had dueled a Dark Signer – Bommer – as revenge for the kiddies' souls. However, my ribs were the last things I worried about when I placed my arm on the ground to get up. I yelled in extreme pain, not knowing the arm was fractured at the time. I looked at my left shoulder and noticed the padding was broken. I was in too much pain to even get up. In time, I was discovered by a driver on the road and he, along with his buddies, had offered to contact my friends, take me to a doctor, and return my D-Wheel where it needed to be. At first, I didn't trust these people, but what else could I do? I couldn't even stand on my own two feet. So, I allowed these people to do as they wished.

I had been examined by the doctor and he was looking at the results when Yusei, Jack, Bruno, and Aki had entered. So, those strangers had kept their word.

"Crow! We heard you were here!" Yusei exclaimed. He gasped when he saw the condition I was in.

"You bastard. What have you gotten yourself into THIS time?" Jack snarled. I didn't even get a chance to respond before the doctor came in.

"Well, Crow, it seems like you did more than just sprain your shoulder bone." The doctor announced. "It seems your shoulder bone has been fractured."

"What? There's a fracture in my shoulder bone?" I gasped in shock. This had to be a nightmare. There is just no way . . .

"Yes. It will take about one month to fully recover." The doctor replied in a matter-of-factly tone.

"One month, you say?" Jack interrogated in shock.

"But the preliminaries are in three days! He won't make it!" Aki gasped. She just had to point out that fact in a time like this. I couldn't just sit by and watch my dream shatter away like this. Not when the kids are right behind me in this tournament. There was no way I'll sit a MONTH while the tournament is going on!

"Please do something!" I implored the doctor. "I have to participate in the tournament no matter what!"

"But, you . . ." The doctor began to protest. But I was having none of this. He was a doctor, wasn't he? Don't doctors heal people? Isn't that their job? I sank from my chair to my knees in despair and pleaded the doctor, "I'm begging you. I don't care if I can never duel again! It's even okay if I lose! But I have to participate in this tournament, so please do something!"

"Don't say such foolish things!" The doctor scoffed harshly. "It's impossible for you to participate in the tournament with that body!" Was he not listening to me? I had to be in the tournament. The kiddies are counting on me to be in it!

"You quack doctor! I won't ask you for any more favors! I don't need this cast!" I yelled at him. But when I touched my shoulder, I yelped in excruciating pain.

"Crow!"

"Damn it . . . why?" I hissed under my breath. My eyes began to water as they had when the kiddies showed me that motivating picture. I couldn't go down now. The kids were counting on me to be there, at the tournament! "Why at a time like this?" I cried, letting the tears fall from my eyes. The picture flashed in my mind, adding only more guilt on my burdened shoulders. I had let them down. I let myself do something really foolish and this had to happen because of it. Not only did I let the kids down . . . I smashed Pearson's dream. Into a million pieces.

"What am I supposed to say to them?" I yelled at practically myself. How was I going to tell them that I betrayed their hopes? That I let them down? Crow, how could you have been so damn stupid? When we left the doctor's office, Yusei asked, "Crow, I assume you want to go to Martha's house now, don't you?"

I felt too weak emotionally to say anything, so I only nodded. Yusei, Jack, Bruno, and Aki seemed to have understood and we stopped by Martha's house on the way back.

"Oh my. Even Yusei's here this time!" Martha exclaimed. However, when she saw my cast, her mouth opened wide in surprise and she placed her hand over it.

"Crow! What happened to you?" She gasped in surprise.

"An accident." I replied bluntly. "A stupid accident."

"How long will you have it on?"

"A month. I won't fully recover until then, according to the doctor." I replied. "So I can't be in the WRGP tournament."

"What did you say?" Martha whispered in shock.

"Martha, I just want to tell the kids about the situation I'm in. I don't want to make this any harder than it needs to be." I protested.

"Fine, fine." Martha sighed, allowing the five of us to enter her house. I looked around and saw the kiddies playing Duel Monsters on the circular rug on the floor. They looked like they were having fun. I wonder if they'll ever forgive me for bringing such bad news onto their tiny shoulders.

Kokoro saw me in the midst of her brothers and sisters playing Duel Monsters and smiled. "Hey, everyone, Big Brother Crow is here!"

Sure enough, everyone turned to face me.

"Big Brother Crow, what's on your arm?" Eric inquired.

"It's a cast. It's for an injury I got in a highway accident. The doctor told me I'm supposed to have it on for a month before I can completely recover." I replied. "So that means . . . That means I can't be in the WRGP tournament any more. I'm sorry. I know you worked really hard on that drawing, but I guess it's all in vain now."

The kids stared at me for the longest, and then they looked at each other. "Silly Big Brother Crow." They all responded at the same time, and then they returned to their Duel Monsters game. I couldn't tell at that moment whether they have forgiven me or whether they were upset with me for destroying their dream. I sighed and went back to the dining room. Before anyone could ask any questions, I whispered, "We're leaving now, Martha. Thanks for allowing us in your home." Then I proceeded to walk out the door with the others behind me.

Later, we all met in the garage area of the house we were staying at, discussing how Team 5D's will survive now that I have an injury.

"What should we do?" Jack inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Should we participate with just the two of us?"

"But," Bruno interfered, "for the rules of the tournament, you have 12,000 Life Points to fight between the three of you, but if you fight with two, it'll be reduced to 8,000."

Jack emitted a sound of disappointment while Yusei responded, "That handicap will be too great."

"Are you telling us to give up?" Jack interrogated harshly.

"No. We've already come this far." Yusei replied. "I want to go as far as possible."

Jack slammed a fist down on the table, declaring, "Then we'll win! This is what Jack Atlus declares! A duel played with the intention of losing cannot exist!"

There was a short silence after Jack had said that. It was true. There was no such duel played where the intention is to lose. That is a paradox in itself.

"Yusei, Jack . . ." Aki interrupted, "I'm one of Team 5D's also. Leave it to me."

What? What is that woman talking about? Who does she think she is, taking MY place . . . ?

"Aki . . ." Yusei moaned.

"Are you being serious?" Jack questioned, slightly surprised that she had even bothered to speak up. Aki nodded and the nod was replied to by Jack shaking his head in disbelief. I could share that disbelief also. Aki was a beginning D-Wheeler. I can't trust her in this tournament to take MY place and to pull it off too.

"Good idea!" Bruno declared, with a hint of excitement straining his voice. "Fighting with the three of you is the best advantage!"

"It's true that my current self isn't great as a D-Wheeler," Aki began, "but I want you two, my friends, to watch me. So please . . ."

She must be joking. I couldn't stand around and listen to this bullcrap. So I started to leave. "Wait, Crow!" Aki called after me. But she only made me even more infuriated with her.

"Shut up!" I yelled in anger. "You think you understand my feelings?" Before an answer could be given, I ran away. I couldn't think properly any more and I doubt my lack of thinking would improve the situation, so I ran to in front of one of the abandoned buildings. It was raining outside, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore anyway. I sat on the steps, contemplating the events that had occurred. I didn't understand. Why was Fate toying with me like this? No . . . No. Why had Fate decide to pick me as its never-ending victim? My life is full of hell as it is. This only added to the misery.

I looked up and saw a poster of WRGP, the tournament that was only three days away. The dueling tournament I had spent most of my life preparing for and now, I can't even participate in it. I had wanted to be like the Legendary D-Wheeler and leave my mark in the tournament, just like everyone else. I can't even do that. All because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. The rain was my best friend at that moment. It shared my pain, my sorrow, my suffering. Only the rain understood how I felt at that moment.

But, what good is my life now if I just sit around? I might as well help Aki prepare for the tournament. After all, she is taking my place. I decided that I would do that in the morning and I fell asleep against the door.

The next day, I woke up and began to walk towards the highway when I heard the roar of a D-Wheel. The sky was clear blue, so everyone could be up at this time. But who could possibly be riding a D-Wheel so early in the morning?

Then I looked up and saw a figure riding past with a red D-Wheel. It could've only been Aki then. I remembered the vow I made to myself the night before and pulled out the stopwatch in my pocket. By that time, Aki saw me and she looked a bit shocked.

"Crow!" Aki gasped in surprise.

"You're too slow." I told her. "With that kind of speed, you won't be a good replacement for me." I held the timer in my hand and she knew that she needed to work on her speed.

During the first run, she was still going a bit too slow. I became irritated and exclaimed, "Don't be scared! You can't replace me with that kind of skill!" Aki seemed to understand and she proceeded to move faster. I have to hand it to her. She's willing to improve her D-Wheel riding. At least she's accepting help.

"Aki! Mine and the children's feelings," I declared, feeling a bit less moody and more encouraging, "I pass them on to you!"

So, here I sit in the Duel Stadium with the twins and Bruno, still waiting for the first match of the Preliminaries, and still waiting for a month to go by so this cast can be ripped off. However, although I will heal physically in time, my spirit is forever wounded. My pride has been damaged and my whole outlook on life has been drastically changed. Pearson, I'm sorry, for these shattered dreams.