It was inevitable that Musume awaken first. Despite guards on the doorway to prevent any snooping reporters, she had somehow slipped away in the middle of the night between rounds from the nurses. Crow had woken up early the follow morning with a throbbing headache and was instantly regaled with tales of stupidity, disability and impotence by a waiting Jack. It wasn't often that he stayed up through the night but there was surprisingly good coffee somewhere he wasn't telling and a rare opportunity to catch Crow completely off his guard. They had a long-established truce regarding sleeping quarters after Jack had almost broken Crow's nose during a failed ambush by the tiny warrior.
Yusei was still showing marginal levels of brain activity. According to the doctors, his condition was somewhere between a coma and extreme exhaustion. Depending on which doctors were asked, it was towards one or the other. Neither was particularly affirming to Akiza who had slept in a chair beside Yusei's bed.
Bruno was possibly in the worst shape of all. Between his own unique physiology, traces of metal in bloodwork and even far too convenient equipment crashes, the assembled medical genii were stumped as to what was actually wrong with him. A few broken bones were assumed and even a minor concussion but many of the doctors had never been without equipment and were struggling to make an accurate diagnosis.
Despite his best attempts to the contrary, Crow was being kept under strict observation for technical reasons. "Look, I am clearly a very different person from the rest of them." In possibly not his best strategy ever, the ginger Duelist was speaking slowly to convey his point and using very simple hand gestures. "And I am fine."
Paper rustled as the current nurse flicked through his papers in confirmation of the words. "You do seem to be mostly healed. But doctors are worried about some problems with your mobility." There was actually some truth to their worries. Since being struck by lightning, Crow had found some minor trembling in his feet. It was likely only temporary but had only manifested during visits to toilets. Hard-headed as he was, there were some things in the world that Crow didn't want to risk and freedom to use the toilet was one such item. Being cooped up in the room was swiftly getting to the little bird and endless chatter seemed to be his only outlet. Unfortunately, the only other conscious person in the room was Akiza.
"Can you believe they're keeping me here just because I twisted my ankle?" It was the story Crow was sticking with over the damage caused by the lightning bolt. "What I would give to go home and have a shower or sleep in my own bed. And can you believe this food?" Cold gruel dropped from his spoon into the remnants of his breakfast. "Even Jack's cooked better food than this slop." Even in her semi-catatonic state, Akiza was starting to get irritated by his constant droning. It was a miracle how Jack was snoring just a few inches away from the motor-mouth. "A comfy bed and some warm food is all I ask for in this world and what do I get for my troubles? A twisted ankle and something bit me in my sleep." Several futile stretches failed to locate the centre of his itching. "Hey, how about a game? We could play,"
Of all the possible games Akiza could have chosen to play, she picked 'storm out the room and slam the door loudly whilst shouting about getting some comfy sleep and warm meals'. It wasn't exactly an unforeseen move either.
"Nicely done." Jack seemingly awoke from the depths of his own coma. In reality, he had been awake almost an hour but was just waiting for Crow's subtle plan to take hold. "Of course, Yusei could have done it better." All eyes came to rest on their sleeping brother. Over their many years together, Yusei had quickly learned how to subtly suggest ideas to his adoptive siblings and let them make their own ways. Even after all three had reached the same page, Yusei always seemed to be a line ahead.
Crow shifted uncomfortably, his pretend itch transforming into a very real one. "Yeah, well, Akiza needed some time to get herself together." It was fairly obvious from how long Akiza had stayed by Yusei's side that things were becoming serious between the pair. No matter how much they would taunt and torment him when she wasn't around, the pair were willing to pull a few tricks to keep Akiza well.
"I talked with the doctors." There had been more than a few language barriers between the doctors and Jack. Between his lack of medical knowledge and their inability to dumb things down to mechanical terms, it had taken a few hours to convey enough understanding of the damage to Jack. "It's not looking good right now." As his brother, Jack's words had pulled some legal strength with the staff of the hospital. With his own 'persuasive' skills and the good-natured doctors, the true extent of Yusei's damage was being kept from most. He wasn't just in a coma but was an inch from being put on full life support. Physically, there was very little wrong with Yusei. But there wasn't just minimal brain activity but actually none at all. For all intents and purposes, he was clinically dead.
"I'm betting this wasn't in the letter." Something that Yusei had once complained about was not getting the decent chance to leave instructions when fighting the Dark Signers or Yliaster. This time, he had taken the preparation of hiding a letter in Crow's Runner. The lightning had crisped the paper slightly when a couple of volts sneaked past but everything was still legible.
Despite this turn of fortune, nothing about being found on the brink of death had come up at any point. Just a few basic directions should the worst come to pass. It appeared that Yusei had been prepared to either come back with his metaphorical shield or metaphorically on it. "Not really." Even with their combined levels of intellect, the pair were stumped. Jack usually either ignored doctors or followed their advice religiously. Crow usually went with whatever he felt was best. But both when pulling up short with nothing in the bank. "I can think of a couple of things."
With their unique psychic bond, the first idea made for a short argument. Under no circumstances were they going to let Akiza try her latest Psychic ability and heal Yusei. A vague mention about the energy required and theoretical displacement from Yusei had imparted enough information for the pair to realise that Akiza basically turned herself into a walking energy source. The worse a person was hurt, the more it would take from Akiza. Trying to save Yusei might very well kill her. Ideas two and three weren't much more use. Either wait for Bruno to wake up and see what he could do or the same but for Musume.
"Not exactly great options either way." A gloomy silence settled about the room as they contemplated their next move.
"Tell me, O great and wise thief." Even between the two brothers, there was always room for surprise. "How do you feel about a jailbreak?"
Old wood creaked as Crow gingerly placed his full weight on the worn bar stool and leant forward in minor agony. Being struck by lightning might not have done any permanent damage but being thrown from a moving Duel Runner had done bad things to his muscles and back. "That didn't take you long." Musume was sipping something that resembled transmission fluid and was still sporting several layers in place of her helmet. Covering her eyes were a pair of glasses which were typically used for the blind.
"Skills of a thief and the connections of a cop." Something about tracking his new friend down so quickly had felt more like cheating when he had so many ways to locate her. Still, it had taken him the better part of an hour to do so.
"Yusei still asleep?" Bootleg, the reported owner of Bootleg's Bar, walked over with equal levels of contempt and confusion on his face.
Blister had brought the three brothers down for drinks after the Dark Signer incident so Crow was a known face but the gleam of a Sector Security badge beneath his jacket was unmistakeable. "Can I get a glass of milk?" Jeered laughter sounded from around the hunched figure. It quickly dropped away when Crow turned around and his face was recognised.
"Classy." Some of her drink made a dash for freedom and made a slight stain on the fabric of her bandages. "I thought the doctors would have kept you locked up for another few days." There was the distinct impression she was looking at him from the corners of her eyes. "Jailbreak?"
Crow nodded. It had been surprisingly easy. Jack had secured his clothes and left first. Then had then met in the toilets a floor below and Crow had walked out a free man. "Not too hard. Getting out without being seen was a trick." Modest to a fault, Musume simply shrugged.
"I'm not doing it." Her drink verging on empty, the remaining liquid swirled around the glass.
"I haven't even asked for anything yet." The 'yet' proved he had jumped the gun.
"But you want some magical cure to wake up your sleeping princess." Several old but still golden coins bought a fresh unlabelled bottle of whatever she was drinking. "Let me tell you something you should have figured out by now," Her tone was about as friendly as a starving wolf was to a fat rabbit. Pleasant and polite but about to unleash raw fury any moment. "I really seriously hate Yusei Fudo."
It was unexpected, to say the least. Musume had always been somewhat abrasive but in much the same way as Jack. It wasn't intentional but everybody else was just unworthy of being polite to. "But if you hated him so much," The rest of the question finally found an answer in his mind. "It was always about Bruno." She proffered him the bottle of something possibly illegal after tipping a generous amount into her own glass.
"Honestly? Meeting the fabled Signers was never particularly important. I just needed to change a few things and Bruno is my shortcut." Bitter laughter found itself to the surface. "At least, that was the plan." One gloved hand flexed in and out several times as she drained her second glass in a single motion. "Do you have any idea what it's like to fly one day and have your wings torn away the next?" Something about the way she spoke indicated that this was barely a metaphor.
"I broke my leg once?" It wasn't exactly the best comparison but it was the closest Crow had. His leg still ached in the right conditions - mainly whenever work needed doing.
"I will be born," Tenses mangled themselves as time travel drew itself into the conversation. "A little over twenty years from now. Time was never exactly an issue for me. I learned very early that it was just a path through the universe. Stepping off and going back a way wasn't hard." Another glass vanished into her gullet. "Forward was about as difficult. Now imagine your leg didn't just break but your entire body was completely paralysed for your entire life." Dots slowly formed themselves in his mind and connected at glacial speeds. Unfortunately, the Titanic also connected with a giant mass of ice and, much like Crow's vague understanding, sunk.
"Sounds bad." Bootleg was kind enough to top Crow's glass back up as he passed towards the back rooms.
"I'm stuck in this miserable little backwater of a year. You have no idea how advanced the next few decades get." A sideways glance of his own forced her to realise the problem.
"And what exactly does this have to do with helping Yusei?" Musume gave a tired sigh, as if she was explaining something to a child for the tenth time in a row.
"Until I talk with Bruno, I'm not helping Yusei." That much sounded deeply unreasonable to Crow's personal side but understandable to what passed for his intellectual self. "And I can't just skip to the future to talk with him. So we wait for Bruno. He wakes up, I talk with him, see what I can do for Yusei and then we all go our separate ways." That last part sounded especially pleasing to his ears but Crow was determined to give his usual charm one last shot.
"Tell me something," He had waited for her to start drinking again before speaking. "How exactly did you learn all so much about the Signers?" Ringing laughter was not the answer he had been expecting but it was the one he received.
"A good man who took me in when my birth parents weren't around anymore." Both hands wrapped around the fragile glass in her hands as invisible eyes stared deep into the last round of contents. "My new father was more than a little crazy but he taught me a lot. Dueling, mechanics, survival and thievery." This man sounded like the crowd Crow had fallen in with for a while. They might have been outcasts from society but the normal people would never be as good teachers and friends. "Poor cook though. By the time I was six, I forced him to let me start making meals. It was either that or start to starve." She drained the rest of the glass, heedless of the bitter sting at the back of her throat.
"And the Signers?" Musume was usually tight-lipped about her future but the almost killer levels of alcohol in her system appeared to loosen her tongue slightly.
"There are two histories to the world." Only dregs remained in her glass but she drained them anyway. "There is what is written and remembered. There is what really happened." She turned to face him with three unsteady fingers trembling slightly as the bones inside protested against the abuse of the last day. "And then you have the events that people aren't meant to know. Anybody who learns about them is usually cut away from society because people don't want to know the truth. Yanagi knew it and look what happened to him." The remnants inside the bottle slowly dribbled down her throat. "And I know an entire history that nobody else will ever know. Imagine how far away I must live." With a gentle burp, she gracefully slid forward in her chair and began snoring against his shoulder.
Just to make a bad situation worse, Bootleg chose that exact moment to arrive with the hefty final bill.
"How did it go?" Undoubtedly, Jack or the twins had told Akiza what had been happening. By the time Crow had carried his drunk associate back to the hospital - having spent all his money on the bar bill she had rung up - Akiza had arrived and was dressed in her normal outfit.
"Jailbird decided to go drinking." The stench of liquor had drawn dozens of glances on his way through the hospital. Only taking advantage of a discrete tunnel had allowed him to avoid the enquiring lenses of reporters. Since Carly had confirmed rumours about two of Team 5D's being in hospital, an entire army had descended on every medical centre in the city.
It hadn't taken long for them to find out which areas they weren't allowed to enter and narrow it down. Come sunrise, no fewer than a hundred reporters were camped in the ground outside and the polite words of Trudge to security and harsh words to trusted officers had blocked off every entrance. There had been some unbelievable attempts to sneak in. One particularly outdoorsy photographer had attempted to parachute in. Unfortunately, there was a smoker on staff and several guards were around to greet the lander.
"How much?" Even in the private room on a secure floor, there were plenty of glares to go around at the smell.
"Enough." Although the group didn't actually drink, they knew the word was actually preceded by a silent 'meant more than'. The snoring body was dumped unceremoniously onto her empty bed it had occupied only a short while before.
"So I assume that she's not willing to help." Slumbering Jack had stolen the bed Crow had been allocated. Surprisingly, the doctors hadn't batted a single eye. Between undiagnosable patients, disappearing patients and then the returning-drunk-patient carried by the hit-lightning-patient, little was left to surprise them anymore. Seeing a pompous fool take a bad wasn't that high on their priorities.
"It's a bit more complicated than that." After cutting out the drunk talk, Crow realised that the story wasn't actually that long. "Basically, Musume refuses to help until she talks with Bruno but she can't travel in time anymore so she can't just go forward and see the future." Even as Crow blurted out the rushed story in his best voice of excitement, Akiza started to piece together parts of a puzzle only Yusei would have noticed besides herself. "So until Bruno wakes up, she refuses to hand over the cure for Yusei."
Before Akiza even noticed it herself, stray hairs on the back of her outfit started to pick up. "Stop that." Even when most of the way towards a deep sleep, Jack was unusually perceptive of his friends. In one of their late night talks, Crow had hypothesised at Yusei that years of caffeine overdosing might have made him hyperaware of his surroundings. Yusei had told him to shut up and pass a spanner. "We've talked about this already."
Akiza managed to catch herself just in time. True enough, some part of her was already reaching out to try and heal the others in the room. After losing her Psychic powers the first time, she had become interested in finding out all that she could about why. With them back, she wanted to find out how to use them properly. But one thing she had been quick to realise was the downside. The larger the injury, the more drained she would be. It would near suicide to try and rescue either of her two sleeping friends.
"So what now?" Even within Team 5D's, the three brothers operated in a group of their own. With one man down, Akiza was willing to temporarily fill the empty place.
"Unless you happen to know a magical way to speed up time so Bruno wakes up now?" Even with his heightened awareness, Jack seemed incapable of actual lasting empathy. "Sit and wait. It's basically what life is." Sadly, sitting and waiting was all they could. And so, life continued to move along even as Yusei and Bruno remained immobile in their beds.