*Repeatedly bangs head against the wall* Dang it, Professor Layton fandom. I recently read two fanfics, one titled "Ruin" by The Mocking J, and one titled "Grim Endings" by Vixin2. They ended up killing the main characters (and the Azran prism thing didn't bring them back)…
So, what do these two fanfics have anything to do with this one? They inspired it. Shade just had to relate it to Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds… and so this exists.
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds (which is definitely a good thing), but I do own my OCs.
Note: This does not totally follow the events of Blue Sky. Z-ONE is canon-Z-ONE, Yusei still Dueled Z-ONE, and Sky saved him when he fell (also revealing her she-has-wings secret to the world). Everything else follows the events of Blue Sky. Also, the names for each of these will be a play on the name or nicknames of characters.
Sacrifice~Tears From the Sky
…And with those last words, Z-ONE's body ceases function, and his eye drifts shut.
He did it. Yusei won. The crisis of Arc Cradle should be averted. But no. The future Satellite still descends on Neo Domino City, and the only way to stop it…
Something carrying positive rotating Ener-D must be slammed into the Reactor that this temple carries. It doesn't matter how much of it there is; even the smallest amount will do. So, if we were to turn a Duel Disk on and throw it in there, it would work.
The only problem is that the Crimson Dragon is the only thing powering positive Ener-D (aside from the Rune Eyes of those three guys on Team Ragnarok, according to Yusei, but they should still be recovering from getting Yusei and the others onto Arc Cradle). That means that a Signer has to go with the Duel Disk. Has to plunge into the Reactor with the Duel Disk… and there is no chance of survival for the one who does it.
The others don't know about this. Only Yusei and I do. I know my brother; he's going to do it if I don't. And he won't let me do it without a fight.
Yusei stands up and walks over to where he had left his Duel Runner. Instantly, I jump to my feet and dart over, grabbing him before he can get into the seat. "I won't let you do this, Yusei!" I say forcefully. "I can't lose you…"
"And I can't lose you again," Yusei retorts. "Would you prefer it if one of the others does it?"
I shake my head fervently. "No way. We're too close for us to lose anyone… you, most of all, Yusei. You're the glue that holds us together. If you do this, if you die…" Not only would I never be able to forgive myself, I'm sure the other Signers would shut down.
Akiza would definitely take it the worst. I know about her crush on my brother. If he dies, it would break her heart, and, and… A part deep inside of me thinks that she could possibly go back to being the Black Rose Witch…
And the others, equally hard. Jack and Crow have been best friends with Yusei since we were kids. Leo and Luna look up to Yusei like he's their older brother. Losing him…
"But you're the glue that holds me together. I have to do it, Sky," Yusei says with confidence. "The more time we waste arguing, the closer to complete doom the citizens of Neo Domino and Satellite get."
"But you don't understand, Yusei! Leo and Luna look up to you! You, Jack, and Crow are practically family! And Akiza…" I stop speaking, because I'd promised Akiza I would never explicitly tell Yusei she had feelings for him until she was ready.
A glazed look appears in his eyes. "I do understand, Sky. You might not like my decision… but it's mine to make."
He moves towards his Duel Disk, and before I can react, he has his hand on one of the cards on it—Stardust Dragon. Something strong and scaley grabs me from behind, and I know what he's done. After all, I did it almost a year ago to Sydney, when she didn't want me to be the only one arrested by Sector Security… except this is under a much, much worse circumstance…
"No, Yusei! Don't do it! Be selfish for once in your life!"
"I'm sorry," he says, getting on the Runner. He looks at me, fresh tears in his eyes, and then looks up at his dragon. "Take her back to the others," Yusei orders.
The dragon obliges, and Yusei disappears from sight as I'm whisked away. Away from Arc Cradle. Away from my brother. "YUSEI!"
By the time Stardust Dragon gets me to the others—on a hill that overlooks a section of the City—I'm almost a complete mess, my throat raw from all the screaming I did, my cheeks stained with tears. I'm at least somewhat functional, because I can hold my own weight once someone pulls me to my feet.
"What's going on?" Jack's yelling at me, but it feels so far away. "Where the hell is Yusei?"
I blink several times. "He…"
My right hand my back, and my head burst into pain so intense the massive migraines I got for almost two months after my fall of the cliff at Crash Town seems mild in comparison. And by mild, I mean like they feel like someone merely poked me.
My hand because of the newfound Mark of the Envoy and my back, the Seal of the Dragon. They hurt for the loss of a fellow Signer. My head because of a much more personal reason. The bond shared by Fudo siblings forcibly severed by death. And that makes the surviving sibling take in horrible pain.
But as I let the agonizing sensations pull me into unconsciousness, I don't care about that.
All that matters is that Arc Cradle has vanished… and my brother isn't coming back.
XXX
When I wake up in my own bed, in my own room, breathing oh-so-heavily, I think I just had the most horrible dream. What was it about, though? Why am I filled with so much dread and sorrow?
…Ah, that was it. I dreamed Yusei died to stop Ark Cradle. But that isn't what happened. He beat Z-ONE, and it disappeared. We stopped their plan.
I slide my blanket off of me, kicking my feet off of the side of my bed. I frown when I realize I'm still wearing my clothes from what must have been yesterday—I don't like sleeping in jeans. But I shrug it off, change into fresh clothes, and walk downstairs.
I'm met by silence.
Usually, Bruno is making breakfast with whatever he happens to have on hand, Yusei tinkers with one of the Duel Runners in the garage, and Jack and Crow are arguing about some random subject.
Everything hits me at once. Bruno was lost in Ark Cradle…
…And so was Yusei.
Not a dream. It wasn't a dream. Yusei really is gone…
My spine contracts, and I put one hand over my chest, gripping the staircase railing with the other. He can't… he can't be dead… but he is…
"Sky," a voice says behind me.
Spinning around, I see it belongs to Crow. My friend's face is clearly stricken with grief, but his eye aren't puffy or red from tears. That might be because people have a limit to how long they can cry in one sitting, and I was asleep for at least the entire night. Possibly longer. I'm sure Crow stopped crying awhile ago, but that doesn't mean he isn't still hurting.
"Crow…" my voice is little more than a whisper.
A moment later, I find my head buried in his shoulder, crying my eyes out once again, one of Crow's hands patting the back of my head reassuredly. We stay like this for I don't know how long, until the doorbell rings, and Crow lets go of me. "I'll get it," he says.
So he does, and I can see that the person on the other side of the door has blue eyes and brown hair, styled with a bun in the back. She has an old-looking pink headband with cat-ears on it. My final note is her age. She looks like she's about fourteen.
"Uh, hi," the girl says. "Is this where Sky Fudo lives?"
"And you are…?" Crow asks.
"I'm Mia," she replies. "Is Sky here?"
"Yes," I say, nudging Crow to the side. "I am she."
"Oh, good!" She starts rummaging through her bag for something, muttering to herself about 'where did they go…?' Finally, she pulls out a stack of envelopes, and hands them to me. I look at the first, and my insides freeze.
It says my name… but it's in Yusei's handwriting. "What is…? Why do you have these?"
"Well, uhm…" Mia trails off, staring at the ground. "I'm a, uh, spirit medium… in training. I can't control when I contact the, er, dead yet. Sometimes I can't even control who I contact. Anyways, I thought I fell asleep last night, but when I woke up, I was sitting at my desk with a bunch of these letters in envelopes surrounding me."
"Wait… spirit medium? Why would you…?" I gasp. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
She hands me a simple slip of paper, and I read it.
Dear Mia Wright,
I thank you for channelling me to tie up several of the loose ends I left behind. I'm sure you've seen all the envelopes by now. Please do not open them; they are meant for whoever is named on each envelope. Instead, take them to my sister. Our address is listed.
If she doesn't believe me, show her this.
Sky once faked her death by falling off a cliff. She "died" in my arms, giving me a necklace. Her necklace. If that fails to prove that this is real, then I can say that her last words were "Be brave, Yusei".
I thank you again for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Yusei Fudo
I read the note again. And again. And again. It's his handwriting, mentioning an event that only the two of us knew… My last words when I faked my death…
I want to believe this note, and whatever I might find in the envelope marked with my name. But I also don't want to believe, because for all I know this Mia is lying…
In all seriousness, what are the odds that this is fake? No one else knew about how I told Yusei to be brave. No one. And I've talked to both of my parents along with a handful of others who are dead. What's to say this is any different?
"I… thank you, Mia," I say.
"You're welcome, I guess," she replies.
The voice of a young man comes from the street. It shouts, "Come on, sis! We have places to be!"
"Coming Phoenix!" Mia shouts back, turning on her heels. She looks at me one last time. "Oh… and I'm sorry for your loss." With that, she runs back to the car parked on the street.
My eyes fall back to the envelopes in my hand. There's one for me, Crow, Leo, Luna, Jack, and Akiza. I look at Crow, whose face is a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. I hand him the envelope with his name on it.
"You… believe that she's really a spirit medium?" Crow asks.
"Yeah, I do," I reply.
He half-closes his eyes, looking at his envelope.
"I'm going to get these to the others," I say, holding up the rest of the envelopes. "You have any idea where they are?"
"I think Luna's in the Spirit World," Crow replies. "No one has seen her for two days."
'Two days? That means I was out for that long… dang,' I think.
"I'm pretty sure Leo and Akiza are at their respective homes," Crow continues. "Although, I have no idea where Jack is aside from the general direction of Satellite. Rally might know something."
"Rally?" I ask. I remember him, he was one of Yusei's friends in Satellite, and one of the four that helped bring back his Duel Runner after the first Shadow Turbo Duel with Kalin. But how does he know Jack? "Why would he know where Jack is?"
"It's complicated," Crow replies. "But I'm sure that he'll be able to tell you where Jack is if you find him."
"Alright…"
XXX
I find Luna in the Spirit World, surrounded by her Duel Spirits… and Yusei's, as well. I can't bear to look at Stardust Dragon, so I keep my gaze on Luna and hand her one of the envelopes.
I find Leo at his and Luna's apartment, desperately trying to talk to a Duel Spirit to see where his sister is. Of course he doesn't have the ability to see or hear them, so it's more or less pointless… I tell him that Luna is fine, and give him his envelope.
I find Akiza in her room, entirely unresponsive. She just sits in a chair beside her window, staring outside of it. Apparently her parents can't even get through to her. I try to tell her things to see if I can get a response, but I don't. Eventually, I give up trying to make her respond, and leave the envelope on the windowsill in front of her.
Last but not least, I find Jack in a dilapidated theatre in Satellite. Rally told me he liked to go there to think or something, and what better time to go off and think than now? I note several fist-shaped holes near the entrance, and also the fact that Jack seems to have injured one of his hands… I give him his letter, tell him it's the real deal, and leave.
It's time for me to read my letter.
XXX
Dear Sky,
I'm sorry. I can say it a thousand, no, a trillion times and it still won't show how much I regret causing you and the others so much pain. I was being selfish, you know, when I did it. Those were your last words to me, weren't they? "Be selfish for once"?
When you faked your death all those years ago, I took it hard. I couldn't sleep, I barely ate, I just couldn't function. Kalin's death made it worse. If Martha, Jack, and Crow hadn't knocked sense back into me, I probably would have died.
I was scared that I would go through that again.
As I'm writing this, I don't know how you're reacting to my death. Are you internalizing it, like you did with our parents' deaths? Or have you shut the world out, like I did when I thought you had died? I hope you've done the former, because I don't want you suffering like that.
Don't wallow in the loss. I want you to move on. Find someone to love. Get married. Have kids. Just because I'm gone doesn't mean that your life has to end now. I don't know how long you'll live on Earth, but trust me, I can wait until we are reunited. Mother and Father can as well.
Until we meet again.
Your brother,
Yusei
~Tears From the Sky~
This is only the beginning… for there is more to come. It won't be in my comfort zone—I'm having there be a chapter per Signer, to see how they feel about this… And then I might add one at the end where the reactions to their individual letters come into play. Just because.
Goodness, it'll be hard keeping them in character.
Uhm… please review? Even if it's you saying you absolutely hate me for killing Yusei? I just want to know how people feel about this.
Also, I may or may not have included a head canon of mine. And an OTP from a series completely unrelated to Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. I really don't care if you spotted that, but hey! Mia's back!