A/N: Well, I started writing a multichap for Starshipping, so let's see how this goes. There is no Jaden in this chapter, but he does indeed appear later. ;D Enjoy~ Um yeah, and my chapters tend to be relatively short ;-; Sorries.

Also, my Misnomershipping fic was put on hold for several months, but I did write a bunch of it the other day, so I may have the fifth chapter up tonight. We'll see! It's not dead yet, I swear!

An otherworldly orange glow characterized the city. A soft breeze moseyed across the busy streets, touching the faces of all who were out for an evening stroll or otherwise. The lone Yusei Fudo, however, could only see it playing on the leaves of the shrubberies nearby. He liked watching the city. For all its business and floods of people every day, once the lull of the amber evening washed the buildings in its color, the city liquefied into a viscous fluid; business slowed, commuter traffic lessened, and people grew more quiet and exhausted. This was the magical time at which Yusei loved to sit by his window after a long day's mechanical work. He had time and silence to sit and wonder and admire, a solitude he savored every day.

A deep crack was drilled into his time alone when Jack Atlas himself burst through the door, blazing with excitement about something or other. Maybe it was ramen again. Jack had a tendency to make a big deal out of nearly everything. With a heavy sigh, Yusei turned to see what news his friend could possibly have on a weary Tuesday.

The blond took a deep breath and attempted to regain a king's composure. At that very instant, the peace was shattered again as Crow, in the most uncouth way possible, stormed past the threshold. The black feather duelist grinned, but this was immediately dissolved as Jack expressed his discomfort. He groaned in frustration.

Crow frowned. "Hey, you were bursting in here just a minute ago! What's it to you if I do the same thing?"

"At least I didn't scare anybody! You were breaking my concentration! I was just about to tell Yusei about that," Jack retorted, balling his hand into a fist.

"Not while I'm gone, you're not!"

They were almost at blows, stealing away Yusei's peaceful time alone. At least he had fit in some time for himself. As much as he loved his friends, Jack and Crow were a little too energetic even after a long day.

"Hey… guys," Yusei ventured, causing the two to cease their bickering, albeit still with their hands at each other's necks. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" He was worried it was bad news. The other two duelists released each other and snapped their focus back to Yusei.

Crow volunteered his knowledge first. "There's going to be a duel tournament in a few weeks in Neo Domino City! I heard duelists from all over the country are gonna come. It'll be awesome."

Jack crossed his arms. "We just thought you would like to know," he said coolly.

"Oh… a tournament?" For a brief moment, Yusei's eyes sparkled, though he made no other change in expression. He had never successfully entered a tournament for pure enjoyment before. His featured darkened as he remembered the other ones he had entered. He was always focused on a select group of people for every competition he participated in. For his initial venture into Neo Domino City, he had chased tirelessly after Jack. At the WRGP, he and his friends joined to enjoy the exciting riding duels, but ended up embroiled in a gigantic and complicated plot to destroy the entire city. This newly mentioned tournament seemed almost as mundane and worthless as the first without any sort of ulterior motive in mind. Besides, Yusei had no need for more titles.

Seeing the lack of excitement in Yusei's expression, Crow tried again. "Come on, Yusei, it'll be so cool. We might meet some really talented duelists in this tournament. It'll be huge. Sounds like a good deal, eh?" He casually put an arm around the dark-haired duelist. "So are you gonna join?"

"It's not like I'm joining or anything," Jack said, looking away.

Yusei thought for a minute, looking from the tall, imposing figure in white to the grinning, marked face next to him. Surprisingly enough, these two had agreed on something. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to enter another tournament. "Okay," he said quietly, hoping he wouldn't regret this later.

That very night, Yusei found himself sitting at the edge of a tall building, gazing at the lights rooftops of Neo Domino City pensively. He had his Stardust Dragon card in his hand. Somehow looking at it cleared all the apprehension tugging at his mind.

A crackling noise made his heart do somersaults within his chest. He turned quickly to see a flash of silver hair before he teetered on the edge of the building. The figure before him grabbed his shoulder to steady him, then sat down purposely next to him, lanky legs dangling over the vast concrete expanse below. A throaty chuckle melted into the cool air. "You have too much time on your hands, Yusei."

"Hello, Kiryu," Yusei said, obviously displeasing the taller man with his two-word answer.

"What are you doing all alone up here, anyway?" Kiryu asked. He was rubbing his harmonica gently between his slender fingers.

Yusei placed his precious Stardust back into his deck. "Just… thinking."

"You think too much. Sometimes you gotta take action, you know?"

Yusei said nothing. It was just like Kiryu to say something like that, though he was glad the former leader of Team Satisfaction had recovered his senses from the last few times they had met. Kiryu lifted his harmonica to his lips and began to play that same mournful piece that had reached Yusei's ears as soon as he encountered his best friend at Crashtown. The minor notes had a new life to them as they spiraled into the brisk night air.

"Say…" Kiryu said, his voice making the same quiet music as his harmonica did a few moments ago. "Good luck at the tournament."

Yusei was taken aback for a second, but figured Jack or Crow had leaked that information to Kiryu. After all, he deserved to know. "Thanks." He smiled reassuringly at his best friend and returned his gaze to the cityscape before them. In just a few weeks, he would be out there in that huge stadium once more, dueling against a plethora of interesting duelists. With a nod and a smile to Kiryu, he stood up and placed a hand on his deck, imbuing them with his will. The rusty feeling of excitement stretched its legs and awoke within Yusei, reflected on the brighter lights of the city, the crisper wind which carried scents of new beginnings, and the fateful red glow of the sun peeking up over the horizon.