Chapter Three

Welcome to the Malcolm Family

I twirled a strand of white hair around my finger. Behind the shop counter, Charis awaited my reply. Her patient smile was reassuring enough for me to blurt out, "Do you need any help around your shop? I- I'm capable with a needle, and I can even do hemming or embroidery if you need it!"

Charis said, "My, my. I haven't taken an employee since the Dyne Rush days! I suppose you could help me with repairs. Most of the men 'round here are too stubborn to buy new, so they only request fixes. On occasion I'll make new women's clothes."

I offered a thumbs-up, and she tested me with my first repair. It was a pair of boots whose soles were falling off. The corners of my mouth pulled down. "Ew. Why wouldn't you get a new pair at this point?"

"Like I said," she sighed, "stubborn."

I reattached the soles as requested, and Charis watched my work with a close eye. "Um, is this okay?"

"Wonderful," she said. "You may want to tighten the stitching here."

I followed her advice. On the next pair, I did the same. "Is this one better?"

"Yes! You're a quick learner. Let's move to the chaps."

She taught me tricks for every article of clothing. By the time we'd gone through them all, the sun had long set. We stepped outside together. Charis locked up and said, "I suppose we lost track of time! I hope Klaus won't worry."

We parted ways. Klaus was waiting on the porch and stamping his spurs. "Rain! Where the heck have you been?"

"I was working with Charis," I muttered.

"Oh." He grumbled, "Let someone know next time."

"Charis knew."

"Don't get smart with me!" he hollered. "You're supposed to get those kids to leave me alone! They came around at sunset. 'Where's Rain?' Bah. They have too much time on their hands with the schoolhouse not in session."

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. It's good you have something to keep your hands busy. Tomorrow's the weekend, so you can get back to entertaining the three stooges."

The next day, I stumbled out of bed after noon. Klaus was sipping coffee in the kitchen. He offered a bowl of murky brown oats. "Oatmeal," he called it. It didn't taste the best, but I was grateful for it. He grumbled, "All I did was heat up a premade package. You don't have to act like it's your last meal."

"I just, uh, really appreciate it."

"Then get those kids off my stoop!"

I exited into the midday heat and wiped crust from my eyes. West, Nico, and Toru hopped to their feet. West said, "You're finally up! Why do you sleep so late?"

"I believe the real question here is: why do you wake up so early? Were you all waiting for me?"

"Well, duh. All we have is Toru, and he's boring. Anyway, we wanted to show you something!" He grabbed my arm and ran towards the crossroads. Toru and Nico lagged behind. "It's just up here!"

He led me north of the crossroads and out of town. Tucked next to the base of a mountain was a small wooden hut. Nico, gasping for breath, managed: "Here… here it is…"

"This is our hideout!" West showed me inside the shack. The structure had no roof. It was built out of wooden boards and stood on stilts. Makeshift stairs led to the room that made up the shack, but where there seemed to be a doorframe, there was no door.

"Isn't it great? Our dad helped us make it!" West was beaming, and his pride in the shack warmed my heart.

"Aw, don't show her this old thing." Toru stepped towards the entrance.

"No way, Toru! You're not allowed in. Only cool people are."

"Yeah Toru, isn't it obvious?" I added. "This is the coolest place ever, after all. I mean, it's not the best hideout I've seen, but it takes a definite second place."

I didn't think it was possible for West to look happier until then. It was nice to make somebody happy. Toru said, "Oh, come on! Stop playing around and let me in."

He broke the barrier and entered without consent. Nico explained, "This is where we like to hang out. We'd love it if you could stop by!"

Another hideout, huh? Funny how I ended up in one again. I looked around the place. It was more civil than I'd first judged. A fluorescent carpet covered the floor (probably to prevent splinters) and a chest of drawers sat in the corner of the building. On top of it sat a picture of West, Nico, and an older man. West noticed me observing the picture. "Oh, that's us and our dad. He's an awesome duelist! I bet he could beat you!"

"Yeah, I bet he could…"

"What about your dad, Rain? Is he around here somewhere?"

"My father?" My eyes focused on a point in the distance, my mind in the past. "He… passed away. My ma, too."

My involvement in the matter wasn't necessary information.

"Ah, that sucks," Toru said. "My parents are, too. We're on our own out here."

"Our mother was sick," Nico said, "but we're very grateful to have our dad around."

"Hey, but, Rain, there's something I was wondering about you." Toru leaned in, cupped my ear, and whispered, "Are you with anyone?"

"…With?"

He swiftly backed away and puffed out his chest. "I was with that flower shop chick for a while, but eh, it was just casual. I want something serious. Something intense! You get what I mean, right, Rain?"

The look Toru gave me suggested he expected… something. I don't know what, but he was really looking for it. "No, I don't."

"Oh! You mean love, don't you?" Nico asked. She twirled, and the skirts of her dress lifted slightly. "I read books about it all the time! My favorite are the ones where the prince saves the girl from bad guys."

"Those are lame," West grumbled.

"Pffft," Toru said. "Not love! A re-la-tion-ship! They can be different, you know!"

Nico frowned. "Nuh-uh! They're supposed to go together!"

"Supposed to," I mumbled, "but it doesn't always work out that way."

"Oooh! Sounds like Rain has a nasty ex," Toru commented.

"…'X?' Like the letter?"

"No! Ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend! Like, a former relationship!"

"I see." I stared at my boots. "Nasty is… one way to put it."

"So what's the current status?" Toru asked, not quite looking me in the eye. "Angry over the last boyfriend, or have you gotten over it and wanting someone new?"

"I'm with- Um." I twirled a strand of white hair around my finger. He didn't remember me, so could I really say I was? He'd probably think that's super weird, like I was a stalker or something… "It's, uh, hard to explain."

"The old reliable," Toru mused. "'It's complicated.' It's okay, Rain, you can tell me the truth."

"No, really. I can't explain it."

"So you don't belong to anyone!"

Belong to?

My lungs deflated. A memory spurned.

"I was wondering what you mean when you say you love me."

"It means you belong to me."

I breathed faster, faster, faster but couldn't keep it in; darkness encroached upon my field of vision and I couldn't stop it. Someone was calling my name, screaming, but it was so far away.

My consciousness snapped back to attention. I was lying on something soft. "Wh-Where..?"

West's cheery gray eyes were the first to greet me. "She's up!"

"What… happened?"

"You fainted. I guess Klaus was right. You're not all better yet."

"No, no. It wasn't that. I just remembered something, is all." I put a hand to my forehead. It felt like a fever. "Maybe I'm a little sick. Wait, where are we? This doesn't look like-"

"Ta-da!" Toru appeared in front of me. "This is my place. Like it? No need to answer. I know it's lovely. You were conked out all through the night, so I had to stay at Klaus's! Weeell… I didn't have to, but Klaus said he didn't trust us alone. Rude, right?"

Toru tried to place a hand on my shoulder. I drifted away. "I, um, don't like being touched."

"Not you, too!" He pouted. "After I carried you all the way back here and everything. I thought we were friends."

"…We are. I don't like my friends touching me." I stared at my forearms. "I'm just trying to get better. Sorry I caused so much trouble. I'm sorry I'm such a burden."

Nico shoved Toru. "You're not! Toru's just being pushy like always!"

"…My bad," Toru said. "You are great, Rain. Really."

"Totally awesome!" West said. "We'd take you over Toru any day."

"You don't have to say it like that!" Toru shouted.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't need a fan club, you know!"

"I can make T-shirts," Nico pointed out.

"Uh, please don't."

They all started laughing. Toru said, "It's Sunday now. We've been waiting for you to wake up. You're ready to duel me now, right?"

I stood steady on my feet, breathed in deep, and set my gun disk on my arm. "I'm ready."

"DUEL START!"

I waved my hand towards him. "You can have the first move."

"Nice!" He slapped his disk on his arm. It was a standard white model. He said, "These are the kind they use in New Domino City. I'll be a turbo duelist there one day!"

His words reminded me of my friend Yusei Fudo, who had achieved that dream. I smiled and said, "You will be for sure."

Toru grinned and placed two cards on his disk. "I summon Scrap Searcher and activate the Quick Play Spell, Scrapstorm! Scrap Searcher is destroyed, I send a Scrap monster from my hand to the grave, and I can draw a card. Next, I'll use the Scrap Lube Continuous Spell! I can special summon the card I sent to the grave earlier: Scrap Soldier!"

A collection of parts in the shape of a man hobbled onto Toru's field. Its 2100 attack was shown by a drill attached to its arm in place of a hand. Toru said, "I end my turn."

"There's no way Rain can beat that," West said. "He got a powerful monster out in his first turn!"

"Rain can win easily!" Nico said. "I summoned a good monster in my duel, and she still won!"

"What're you saying about me?" West grumbled.

I added a sixth card to my hand and tried to ignore their banter. "I summon Blizzard Dragon in attack mode. I target your Scrap Soldier with his ability. Until the end of your next turn, Soldier can't change his battle position or declare an attack!"

Toru stuck out his tongue. "Pffft. You still can't kill it."

Not yet. "I set two face-downs and pass my turn to you."

"Alright! I know you think you've knocked me out for a turn, but I'm still on the offensive! See, one thing you may not know about Scrap Soldier is that he's a level five tuner!"

"…I can read, Toru."

"W-well, read this! I summon Scrap Hunter! Level three Hunter tunes with level five Soldier for level eight Scrap Dragon!" The bits and bobs making up his Frankensteinian monsters swirled together, creating a new beast. Mechanical wings stretched outward, red eyes glowed, and steam huffed from Scrap Dragon's snout. Scrap Dragon's 2800 attack was 1000 more than Blizzard Dragon's. "Scrap Dragon has a super neat ability! I'll set a face-down and activate it. By destroying another card on my field – like my new face-down – and selecting one of your cards, both are destroyed!"

Scrap Dragon breathed hot steam onto the field, shattering both Toru's card and my monster. Toru said, "Scrap Dragon attacks directly!"

His dragon roared and blasted me with burning mist. My life points dropped to 1200. West said, "See, Nico? I told you!"

"This duel isn't over," I said. "I use the spell One for One. By discarding from my hand, I can special summon a level one monster from my hand or deck. I discard White Stone of Legend to special summon Flamvell Guard! Since White Stone of Legend hit the grave, I can add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand. Now, I'll use the spell card Ancient Rules to special summon that Blue-Eyes. My final spell card is known as Dragonic Tactics! By tributing the two Dragon-types on my field, I can special summon a level eight Dragon from my deck! I choose yet another Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Uh, huh?" Toru asked. "You had two monsters, but you tributed them for a monster you already had!"

"That's because of my two trap cards," I said. "I activate the trap Birthright! This special summons a Normal monster from my grave, like the Blue-Eyes I sent earlier! My second trap is known as Aqua Chorus! Monsters with the same name gain 500 attack and defense."

Both Blue-Eyes boosted to 3500 attack. Toru said, "Two whole Blue-Eyes? Geez… Make it quick, would you?"

I nodded. "The first Blue-Eyes destroys Scrap Dragon, and the second attacks you directly."

White Lightning exploded through his Synchro, dealing 700 damage. His life dropped to 3300. The final Blue-Eyes gathered energy in its throat and blasted Toru directly. His life points hit zero. Nico cheered and clapped her hands. "I knew you could bring it back, Rain!"

"Using a Blue-Eyes White Dragon is totally cheating!" West said. "But… it's also really cool…"

"Where'd you get those cards?" Toru asked. "They're supposed to be super rare."

Blue fire sparked in my palm. "I got them from the Blue-Eyes."

"…What?"

There's no way they'd understand. We're from different worlds. I said, "They're from a very good friend of mine."

"I wish I had a friend like that," Toru said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sorry again about worrying you guys. I think I'll turn in for the night."

"But… you just woke up," Nico said.

Yeah, that's right! I slept for hours! Why was I so exhausted all the time? The last time I felt like this, it had something to do with the Spirit World. Nothing's wrong there, though. The Knight, Ancient Fairy Dragon, or the Crimson Dragon would let me know. Could it be that… I wasn't really better? I wrapped my arm around my midsection and frowned. What if I was hurt so badly, I would never recover? What if…

"Nah, I'm sure Rain's fine," West said. "Mom would sleep way more than Rain when she was sick. She could barely even talk."

Nico and West's moods fell. My worry for myself was replaced by concern. I said, "Hey, want to see a magic trick?"

Their interest was piqued. Blue fire danced on my fingertips. I molded it into the shape of a butterfly, which crawled on my fingernail. It fluttered through the air, leaving azure sparkles in its flight path. West, Nico, and Toru's eyes were huge as they observed it. Nico said, "Wow! It's so pretty! Where'd it come from?"

"Magic," I said with a wink. Though the use of the Blue Flame drained my energy further, I created more for them: dragonflies, flowers, and bluebirds. I kept on until I was too exhausted to continue. I left them in high spirits, though, so it was worth it. I passed out at Klaus's in peace.

The days passed more swiftly than I expected. Before I knew it, the weekend hit again. I joined Charis in closing up shop. She said, "What're you in town for, Rain? We don't see many new folks."

"I'm searching for someone," I answered. "Actually, I was thinking of exploring more of the town. Do you know any places I should start to meet new people?"

She chuckled to herself. "Oh, I have an idea. You run home and let Klaus know you'll be out for a while. Meet with me at the crossroads."

I did as she said. Klaus's response was nothing more than a grunt. At the crossroads, Charis led me west. At the end of the street towered a polished, white estate. Charis walked past two guards like they didn't exist, though they offered us a nod.

Music boomed in the courtyard. A well-kept garden was in full bloom, and various men and women wearing red scarves stood in perfect lines and performed an odd dance. A bar was situated along the right wall, and tables were tucked in corners. String lights offered minor light from above, but they were incomparable to the Crash Town stars. The courtyard's lack of a roof allowed me to breathe in the night despite the large crowd. Charis started towards the pack of dancers, but I lingered. She said, "What're you waiting for?"

"I, um, I don't know this dance."

"Square dancin's easy. I'll teach you the steps!" She pulled me into the crowd and showed me each step in turn. It nearly drove me insane to go so slowly at first since I couldn't match the rhythm of whatever song was playing. As soon as I learned the most basic steps, I moved fast enough for the music. I went too fast, though, and tripped over my own feet. Charis caught me by the arm before I toppled. Blush touched my cheeks, and we laughed together. "See? It's fun!"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "I think I may take a small break and look around. See if I know anyone."

"Okay! You hop back in whenever you can!"

I slid into the seat at the edge of the bar. My elbows set on the counter as I scanned the crowd. I searched for anything to remind me of him – a flash of blue, a familiar criminal mark. There were plenty of criminal marks, but none of them were his. I sighed and set my cheek on my fist.

"You look like you could use a drink." The man who'd sat next to me had a bright white smile. Two yellow marks traced the outer edges of his forehead, and a third lined down his chin from his bottom lip. Swirls of brown hair perked up past his receding hairline. The unfocused glaze in his brown eyes and slowness of his words suggested he was already a few in.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure, why not."

He tapped two fingers on the table, and two shots slid our way. He downed his immediately. I swirled mine before downing it in one go. It hardly hit me. He said, "This is the finest whiskey in Crash Town. Hunnid years old or some shit, I swear!"

"Got anything stronger?" I muttered.

His laugh was so obnoxious I had to laugh at it. "You're alright, hey! I'll see what I've got in the back, hey. I've never seen you at our soirées."

"I'm here with Charis," I said. "I work for her."

"Hey! You're the gal who fixed my boots! She talks well of ya." He held a hand out to me, and I shook it. "The name's Malcolm. Yep, that's right. The Malcolm."

Odd way to introduce yourself, I thought. "I'm Rain."

"Not even shocked," he said. "You're not an easily impressed gal, are you?"

"I guess not."

"Well! Let me show ya somethin." Malcolm grabbed my arm and swept me into the courtyard. We stood behind the square dancers' floor. He hooked his elbow into mine and led me into a dance that made more sense to me. Our exchange of steps went perfectly until he made a mistake and stomped on my toes. "Shit! I really should save this for the beginning of the evenin."

He laughed to himself. I rolled my eyes. I swore the drinks weren't even strong. What's his problem? The estate's mood was broken by a furious shout: "Malcolm! I have a bone to pick with you!"

The dancers broke apart to reveal a thin, pale man with scraggly black hair. He grasped the collar of his leather jacket and ferociously adjusted it. Beside me, Malcolm tugged at his red scarf. "Ramon! T' what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ramon planted himself across from Malcolm. "The hell did you do to my bike?"

"Me? Why do you ass-ume it's me?"

"Because it's always you, you son of a bitch," Ramon growled. "I'll get you back for this. I swear to God, Malcolm, you'll regret it."

Malcolm showed off his obnoxious laugh again. I bit my cheek to keep a straight face. "You and what army? We've been here for longer, Ramon. Your little biker gang is just squatting in my town."

"Our share of the mountain is equal," Ramon spat.

"Not for long."

Malcolm's statement rippled waves of unsettling whispers through the crowd. Ramon fumed. "We'll see who has the better of who while you're here getting drunk every night."

Malcolm waved him away. "Yer killin the mood. Save the disputes for working hours, would ya?"

"I would if you didn't sabotage my shit."

"Shit is exactly how I'd describe it!" Ramon started towards Malcolm but several men were instantly at his flanks. Malcolm said, "Don't you forget whose side of town you're on. Go home, Ramon. You don't want this fight."

"Oh, I do," Ramon seethed through grit teeth. "You have no idea how much I do."

He stormed out of the estate. Everyone broke into whispers again. Malcolm clapped his hands together and said, "Alright, people, alright! Forget the buzzkill showed up. Letting 'im ruin our good time means he wins, got it?"

The music cranked up louder. Malcolm's guards joined the dance floor. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "You can't imagine how tough it is for a man like me to have fun. With Ramon trying to steal my ownership of the mountain, there's ne'er a dull moment, as they say."

"The mountain..?"

"The one north o' town. It's packed full o' Dyne. Stuff's more valuable than gold. Those New Domino folks eat it up. So do the black markets in the Satellite." Malcolm side-eyed me. "I shoulda picked you for a stranger. You let yer face get sunburnt. Try a hat. Oh, and you'll have to pick a side one day. Listen to your boss. I'm the clear winner."

He held his arms out, and his palms faced the stars. His massive ego made me sick. "I need a drink."

Malcolm laughed, and we returned to the bar. I ordered whatever was strongest and put it on his tab. When I had a solid buzz, I joined Charis and danced through the moonrise. We wore ourselves out. Charis led me towards the exit. Malcolm caught me before I left and handed me a black ten-gallon hat with one of the red scarves tied around it. "Come on back sometime. You're a fine dancer."

On our way to the crossroads, Charis said, "It's great to have favor with a man like him. The Malcolms have controlled Dyne excavation for generations. Same with the Ramons, but don't say so too close to Malcolm."

Charis winked, and I giggled. I pulled on the hat. "How do I look?"

"Just wonderful!" We stopped at the crossroads. She said, "Did you find anything out?"

"No. No, I didn't. I wish… he would've been there. I wish I could've…"

…danced with you, partner.

"Aw, I'm certain everything will turn out alright! Have a good weekend, okay, sweetie?"

I nodded and returned to Klaus's place. The darkness in his home told me he was already asleep. I fell into bed, and my regular nightmares chased me in my sleep. I awoke gasping and covered in sweat.

"Hey, listen to me. You have to breathe slowly. Slow, okay? In, out."

The memory of my partner's voice soothed me until I remembered-

I was alone.

I rubbed my eyes, walked to the kitchen, and filled a glass full of water. A voice from the corner said, "You're up earlier than usual."

"Yeah," I told Klaus. "Nightmares."

He grunted. "Who do you see?"

"Someone I'd like to never see again."

"Humph. I see a few people I'd give anything to see again."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Man, what I wouldn't give to share a slice of my brother's pie with him and have one last conversation. He's at rest, though. He deserves the rest."

Klaus was stone-faced. "You do, too, Rain. Go on back."

He wouldn't meet my eyes. I finished my water and started down the hall. When I was gone from his sight, he muttered a "thank you" I barely heard. I figured he wouldn't want me to acknowledge it, so I let sleep take me again.

Later in the day, I awoke to an empty house. Toru, Nico, and West waited for me outside. Nico skipped on the way to the hideout and sang some new song she heard on the radio, and West screamed at her to stop because it was annoying. Toru spoke loud to be heard over the kids. "Where'd you get the hat?"

"Malcolm gave it to me last night."

Toru's jaw dropped open. "The Malcolm? No way! How'd you get to meet him?"

"Charis took me to some party he was throwing. We shared some drinks and a dance. Some other guy named Ramon showed up, and they nearly got into a fight."

"You saw Ramon in person, too?" West said. He and Nico had stopped bickering at my news. "They're the richest people in town!"

"Right," I muttered. "What's their beef, anyway? Charis told me about the whole Dyne excavation business, but why do they hate each other?"

"Dyne's so crucial and valuable it's hard for guys like Malcolm and Ramon to split up. Even Crash Town is split into west and east halves 'cause of those two! Who knows? When they finally duke it out, we may all end up working in the mines," Toru said. "You should stick around nice guys like me and West."

That might work if I were 'nice.' Eventually, those two humans would cave in to their own greedy desires, and Crash Town would fall to pieces. The town wasn't so different from Atlantis after all.

I-I mean, no! That's not true. I couldn't believe that, not anymore.

But it's so hard to deny…

"No way," West uttered. "Malcolm and Ramon aren't anyone to be afraid of! We have people like you, Rain, and my dad who could save us!"

He would believe in anything. The thought gave me a strange hope. "So, this town is more high-wired than it looks."

"Basically, yeah," agreed Toru.

Despite Toru's warning, I stayed. Several nights I searched different areas of town for my partner; he never showed. I started to wonder if he was here or would ever come. Besides him, I kind of wanted to stay. After the couple of weeks I'd been here, it felt like… like a home.

After being outcast in one home and hunted by Sector Security in another, I suppose I understood why I'd be attached to Crash Town. Hell, if anything were to happen to it, I'd do what West said and fight for it. This whole family feud business was a shame.

Well… a shame for those families if anything did happen, because they'd face the wrath of a young dragon. Malcolm would hate to learn my only alignment was with myself. I'd denied my partner an alliance before, after all.

That didn't stop me from using Malcolm's tab heartily at his Friday night soirées, though.

End of Chapter Three

A/N: What's on Malcolm's jukebox? GREAT NIGHT (feat. Shovels & Rope) - NEEDTOBREATHE

early chappie 'cause I love you guys. When I said Crash Town was getting the treatment I hope you imagined Malcolm's beautiful mug. You did, didn't you? Of course you did! He is the most important character in Crash Town - nay, the world

*sighs* I'm gonna need more """cactus juice""" if you know what I'm saying. (Crash Town is my favorite arc in YGO but the dub is easily the worst.)

I'll post chapter four at it's usual time. It's called "I" in Team, and it may include a familiar face you've been waiting for~