Author's Note: So this is part two. I hope I got the characters somewhat right; while it was fun to write Jack and Crow, it's also kind of difficult since the only cannon interaction we had till now are a few nods and them thinking/saying each others name.
Big thanks for reviews to AZ89 and MistressMinako. I considered you comments and reedited Part 01 as well as looked through grammar and sentence structure more closely. Please forgive me if it is a little off; I'm not native English but trying my very best.
By the way Ages and Timeline:
Kiryu: 18-19
Jack: 16
Yusei, Crow: 15
PtD Separation takes place about three years before start of the series.
Anyway please enjoy.
Warnings:
1. Spoiler for the whole series.
2. I will be using the Japanese names for people and cards alike (The new ones at least; I just can't get used to saying/writing Sonic Chick instead of Road Runner).
3. Pairings: I don't have any pairings planned up, only some friendship-scenes between Yusei, Crow and Jack.
Summary: Multi-chap; pre-series: They had noticed the signs but it wasn't enough. Now the nightmare that had been foreshadowed, is about to swallow them as they realize that they are about to lose the one they would have done everything for to insanity. A single decision can change everything. This is destinies test for it's chosen's will as they try to safe their most important person from himself…
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
--- Prelude to Destiny: Separation ---
Part 02: Choice
Clouds were gathering above Satellite. Not that it was unusual for them to do so – on contrary: it was rather rare not to see their polluted and brown-grey form hanging above the Satellite. But now they featured an angry dark grey and from afar Jack already heard the thunder rolling.
He straightened and shifted the pack with supplies in his arms. He was anxious to return quickly to their hideout on the cliffs near the border of B.A.D. area, where Yusei and Kiryu were waiting. His thoughts kept drifting to the conversation that the two of them were possibly having that very second…
A sharp tap against his left shoulder blade snapped him out of is thoughts. He spun around only to see Crow crouched on a boulder to his right. His temper sparked when he watched as Crow snickered while swirling a stick in his right hand, his left holding onto a second bag of essentials. Seeing his friends grey eyes sparkle in amusement at his costs fuelled his temper even further.
"Stop being a pain, carrot top!" he snarled as he struck out after the orange haired source of annoyance. "And stop laughing at me!"
Crow evaded him easily (not that Jack had seriously expected to hit him; he would have felt seriously disappointed into his almost-brothers skill had that been the case), snickering evolving into a short full-blown laugh.
"Ah… you sure are tense, Jack." he chuckled, jumping down from the boulder. "Keep this up and you gonna snap into half soon." He added, as he cracked the stick into two as if to reinforce his point.
Jack felt the next insult coming up, but instead of taking Crows invitation to enter the familiar spar of wits between them, he just sighed again starting his way towards their home. "Honestly, Crow…"
He knew that Crow meant it well. He wanted to give Jack a chance to let off steam, but Jack didn't really want to lose this state of tension; at least not until they were sure wherever had misread the signs concerning Kiryu or not… But he should have known that Crow was not one to give up that quick.
"Not my fault that, unlike other people as I might add, my middle name AIN'T brooding." A fleeting smile ghosted over Jacks lips and he couldn't help but give into the urge to continue their bickering, snorting: "Middle name? You don't even have a last name, Crow."
Crow, disguising happiness at the results of his attempts to lighten the situation with a snort of his own, replied: "Geez, that's just a figure of speech. You really need to loosen up a bit Jackie."
Jack huffed, not bothering to reply. Between his own rather arrogant demeanour and Crows merry outlook on life, they came to clash very often. But in the end, Jack knew it all was just masking what they really felt. His arrogance, Crow's cheerfulness, Kiryu's confidence, Yusei's silence, they all kept those attributes in front of their selves to protect themselves; from the world and even from each other.
In the core they were all very similar: stubborn to the boot and loners of the highest degree. Perhaps that was what really connected them and made even him, the biggest loner of all, call them his nakama.
But considering the changes in Kiryu, it was probably not good to keep those masks (because within Jacks mind terrible possibility spun around: perhaps Kiryu had always been like that and they just hadn't noticed… Perhaps, perhaps…) No, now was not the time to keep up pretending. That was just as bad as ignoring the issue… And so Jack did what he could the best and that was attack.
"We can't keep going like everything is alright. It isn't, you and I know that." he said, not accusing but neutral. Crow stopped with the back to him. "You are worried, don't deny it."
A chuckle escaped Crow, not cheerful, but sad. "To think that you can figure me out that easily…"
Jack snort. "Give me some credit. We have known each other for long enough now."
They had spent almost the last eight years of their lives with each other. Yusei and Crow had known each other even longer. Beside it wasn't like there wasn't enough proof for Crow's worry anyway.
Just a few days ago Crow had relocated his brats to somewhere near Daedalus Bridge, saying that now that they had conquered Satellite and all other duelgangs were out for their blood, it could be dangerous for the brats to be associated too closely with them. But Jack knew that it wasn't their rival gangs that Crow was anxious about the most…
"That we have…", Crow confirmed, then turned around facing him, his grey eyes for once serious. "But keeping thinking all the negative stuff that might be, really gives me a headache. It's easier to hope that Kiryu is gonna laugh at us big time for being overly paranoid and jumping into conclusion once we come home. That tomorrow everything will be back to before and next week we'll kick ass of some upstart duelgang, who thinks that they are tough enough to challenge us, or something."
Jack kept silent, considering Crow's quiet admission. Between the three of them Crow was probably the most optimistic and Jack himself being the most pessimistic one. Unlike Crow he never trusted into anything just blindly always expecting the worst situation to take place.
Yusei on the other hand seemed to have a sixth sense that told him wherever he could trust into a person or not. Jack had observed it himself and before and even now after they had met Kiryu and risen into a position of power within Satellite, he always kept an eye on Yuseis reaction on a person/place/situation before allowing himself to relax.
But now that he thought about it, he had never really seen Crow off edge with something from the first second. Perhaps Crow was just picking up the signs of Yuseis sixth sense quicker than him.
Years ago Jack had asked Yusei how he could read the persons around them even if he only just met them. But Yusei had just shrugged, indicating that he had never really thought about it.
After hearing Jack's question Crow had added that they might as well NOT go into the issue since it might take away the 'magic' of Yusei ability. Jack had never asked again. Those abilities were as useful as they were strange and they were the reason why Yusei had stayed behind to confront Kiryu and not any of them.
Still, there was only so much that Yusei could do on his own and so Jack started to move again. "We should hurry. It's going to start raining soon." he said. Crow nodded, his face donned with solemn expression.
"Yeah… that will be a hell of a storm tonight."
They could already hear the thunder come closer.
----
By the time they had reached the half-broken house they called their home, the clouds on the sky had became almost black. A few lone raindrops had started to hit the ground. Yet when the two of them came to stop before the door, Jack's hand hovering hesitantly over the doorknob and he knew that Crow too was dreading what they might find once the door had opened.
Of course he told himself that his imagination was going through with him if he thought that there would be a corps of a Security (or even worse: Yusei) lying on the floor of what they called living room, that it was totally impossible for Kiryu to even think about doing something like that. But when he thought back at the glance in Kiryus eyes as he had stated his plans concerning Security…
After another minute he huffed angrily, at himself for being paranoid, at the situation itself for having changed their world so much…
"This is getting ridicules!" he said as he firmly grabbed the knob and pressed down, pushing the door wide open.
But at the sight beyond the door, made him loose his grip o the bag. He heard Crow gasp beside him as their both bags collided with the ground and were left there forgotten. Leaning against the wall of the corridor before them was Yusei, unmoving, his head turned to the side.
A moment later they were already by his side, Crows trembling fingers hastily feeling for a pulse and a moment later Jack felt relief spread though him as his orange-haired companion breathed: "Just unconscious…"
For a moment he had truly believed that the worst situation had become reality: Kiryu not just being a murderer but a murderer of nakama…
His eyes drifted to the door and on the outside the rain had now started in earnest, unforgiving drenching everything, even the bags of food that had been dropped mere moments before. Quickly Jack got up; it wouldn't do for the food to be ruined now.
He quickly fished the bags out of their misery, while behind him he could hear how Crow tried to call Yusei back to the world of living (bad pun, Jack thought absently, especially considering their situation).
Just as he closed the door behind him, shutting out most of the light he heard a groan coming from the others. He watched as Yusei stirred awake, cobalt blue eyes mirroring his confusion as he muttered their names. But then it seemed that he remembered what had happened.
He tried to jump up, exclaiming. "Kiryu! He…" only to be stopped by his own body as pain caught up with him. Groaning Yusei sank back to the ground, one hand at his head, one at his stomach.
"Oi, take it easy!", Crow muttered, one hand touching Yuseis shoulder in concern. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable."
Somehow they managed to get upstairs to the makeshift living room of their hideout. A few raindrops found their way through the missing window, but Jack couldn't have cared less. He placed the supplies on the table that Yusei usually used as workbench to maintain their dueldiscs.
As he glanced over the old furniture, instinct told him that they would need neither table nor supplies anymore. Shaking his head for such negligibly thoughts, he walked back to where Crow had helped Yusei to sit down on a box.
Yusei, so Jack noted, looked like he had been dragged through half of B.A.D. area and back. Probably he also was still a bit disorientated but whatever had happened with Kiryu was clearly wearing Yusei down.
Jack and Crow exchanged a quick look. They wouldn't like what they were going to hear, they could be sure of that. But if what was supposed to be a short conversation between nakama ended with Yusei being knocked out, then they had ignored the issue far too long.
"What happened?" Crow quietly asked.
And Yusei told them. Short and in true Yusei-fashion but it was more than enough. When Yusei had finished silence reigned the room, none of them moving. Jack thoughts were jumbled and his eyes became distant as frustration and insecurity raced through his heart and mind until…
CHRASH! The loud noise snapped him back to reality and he was (actually not that) surprised to see Crow standing in front of a broken chair, trembling in furry and frustration.
"Damn it! Why the hell is this all happening?" he yelled as he paced before them and following the yell was a certainly impressive string of curses and insults, most of them involving Kiryu, authority and their situation in general (absently Jack made note of some of them; Crow when angered became truly creative). But cursing their situation did not make it any better and continuing to sit here in silence would not be getting them any further.
"One thing is clear so far." Jack said quietly, making Yusei look up to him and Crow stop at his tracks.
Reassured of their attention he continued. "Kiryu has made his choice, now it's time to make ours. If Kiryu really wants to go through with this I don't plan on sticking around. Security will not just stand on the side and watch if he decides to go around murdering them one for one and even Kiryu can only avoid them for so long."
Perhaps he had been too uncaring in his words, because just a moment after he had finished, Crow exploded on him: "So you just want to abandon him? Hell, Jack… Kiryu was the one who brought us to this. He gave us purpose! If not for him… We can't just leave it like that!"
"I know!" He snapped back, his own frustration and anger taking over, and would his pride allow it he would have destroyed the second chair, in order to deal with his feelings.
"But what do you propose? I'd do pretty much everything for Kiryu. But not this… This is the line I won't cross. If you are fine with Kiryu going around, killing off Securities, heck if you want to go and help him then…" he stopped himself as his mind caught up with his words.
Crow had paled and glared angrily at Jack, who just realised what he actually was implying and that he had just crossed a line himself by doing so, one that could cost him Crows friendship.
Crow's eyes narrowed coldly as he was about to spite back, but Yusei's quiet voice cut sharp between them, signalling the end of their fight before even more unforgivable implications were made. "That's not what he said and you know that."
Yusei, who had been silent through their spat, now stood up and straightened, signalling them that he was feeling fine again. "Crow is right," he continued "we can't leave it like this… not as long as we have time to stop him – Kiryu hasn't killed anybody yet…"
Yes not yet, Jack thought. The question was how long it would stay that way. Time was against them. Not to mention that none of them had an actual idea what was really wrong with Kiryu.
What should they do supposing that they managed to stop Kiryu? Tie him to the remaining chair in their hideout and hope that he would regain common sense, if they talked him down long enough? As amusing as the thought might have been with the old Kiryu, as terrifying was it with this new one.
But the real issue wasn't what to do if they stopped him; that they could really figure out afterwards. The real issue…
"What if we fail?" He asked, his head slightly bowed "What if Kiryu kills; and judging from his words before and from what he told you, there is a definite chance that he will. What then, Yusei?"
He looked up again and their eyes met. It was a challenge, to Yusei, to all of them; testing if they could truly put this to an end. They had already been strong in heart and as duelists before they had met Kiryu, but Kiryu had given them direction, purpose.
He had shown them how to focus on a goal, how truly important it was not to give up even in the worst situation. Before they had been already friends, close enough to be brothers. But with Kiryu they had turned into a unit; a team that worked flawlessly together regardless of the situation.
"If he does…" Yusei quietly replied, blue eyes heavy with the knowledge that he wouldn't like to speak the words following, wouldn't even want to think them – and neither would they – but nevertheless he would speak them out aloud, "If Kiryu truly does cross that line… kills… then that moment I can no longer see him as nakama."
Silence again, heavily wearing on them. No longer nakama… that meant that Kiryu was to be left behind. Nakama couldn't be abandoned, was trusted almost blindly and defended to the end. In truth, with his recent actions Kiryu had already lost their trust, yet he had still been nakama in their minds. The thought of him not leading them – not being nakama anymore – was almost impossible to bear for all of them.
And those words, declaring that in the worst case they needed and probably would stop seeing Kiryu as such, coming from Yusei, made even clearer that Team Satisfaction was in the state of emergency.
"Tch!" Crow's short, dry laugh disrupted the silence. "Well then we'll just have to stop him before it comes to that, won't we?" he crooked his head, grey eyes filled with the fires of determination.
"After all, even before Team Satisfaction, failure was never part of our dictionary!", he continued as he stretched out his fisted hand. Yusei nodded and even Jack couldn't suppress a small smile as their knuckles touched in familiar gesture.
True, they had never given up, not before meeting Kiryu and even after this they would refuse to do so. Yet all of them missed the touch of their leader, the fourth fist that completed and led their team.
The moment passed and their fists separated again. Yusei and Crow both turned to the exit, both determined to keep Kiryu from falling into the abyss of insanity. But Jack didn't move, knowing that now he had to do his part and speak the words that the other two couldn't speak.
"Wait!" he said stopping the two younger ones in their tracks.
"Before we head out… You two better remember this." He knew that he would have to tell them. Not because they didn't know, but because saying it aloud would make it real.
"Whatever happens tonight will probably change everything." That was given. Even if they managed to stop Kiryu, who knew if they would be able to fully trust him again.
"Tonight we may stay together as Team Satisfaction and grow even stronger. Or perhaps we will fall apart into pieces, without any idea what tomorrow will bring." They were listening he knew. And it was good that way. The following words needed to be burned into their minds and hearts for tonight at least.
"Whatever happens…" he continued, it felt as if it took all his strength to relay these words to the other two. "No regretting afterwards. Nobody can unmake what might happen. Thus we cannot turn back… We can only look forward."
For a moment all of their eyes met the ground. Until now they had lived the dream of freedom. Freedom, they had found in becoming the best together, not just the three, but the four of them.
But reality had caught up with them. Yet they would refuse to bend that easily. They would fight, against authority, against fate, against anyone who dared to try to control them.
Through the window, they saw short flashes of lightning, thunder following loudly as the raindrops continued to hit heavily into the room. The storm had begun.
Jack noticed how Yusei's fists clenched. "Let's go!"
TBC.
------
I hope you liked it. Two parts finished one more to go (and perhaps an epilogue or not, depends on how long part 3 turns out to be).
I'm thinking about changing the rating to M with next chapter. Just to make sure and stuff.
Also on my use of the word nakama: I suppose I still got that from my time in the OP-fandom, but I think (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that nakama is sort of a very, very close friend (almost closer than family). Since there is nothing really equal in English language to the definition I've heard, I like to keep the word as it is.
Please review.