Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

Castles and Dreams

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This takes place post-series and Radley and Kalin are very close friends. Kalin has some psychic abilities in my verse, as per Amber2002161's suggestion, but I take it mostly in a different direction than she does with her verse. I reference a misadventure from my short story collection I Know You Carry Me, in which Kalin was missing for three weeks and ended up seeing other dimensions while trying to get home. In that short story collection I also have a blurb set at a Scottish castle. This is likely the full version of that story, so that particular blurb has not happened yet in my timeline even though the other short stories have. Title is from Blackmore's Night.

Chapter One

It had been peaceful in Satisfaction Town for some time. After the calamity at Bennett Ranch, the townspeople had largely rallied around Amanda Bennett and her motley staff, most of whom were former members of Malcolm's Crew. Both Kalin and Radley hoped that the animosity against them would stop, especially since for the most part, the ranch's workers had never been among the Crewmembers who had hurt others.

"It's good that things have been quiet for a while," Radley noted as he and Kalin shared breakfast at home before the Bunch's morning ride.

Kalin grunted. "It is, but I always wonder how long it's going to last and when it's going to be shattered."

Radley sighed. "That's a legitimate worry, unfortunately. After everything we've been through, it's hard not to constantly wonder when the other shoe will drop."

Kalin nodded. "I always wonder if there's anything that can be done to help Antinomy remember everything too. I always come up empty."

Radley frowned and nodded. Yusei was Kalin's oldest friend, and Antinomy was a recent friend of all of theirs. He still had very little memory of his time as Bruno following his mysterious restoration to life, and Yusei was still hurting over that even as he was joyous to have his loved one back at all.

"He's started to remember bits and pieces," Radley said. "It must be possible to bring back all of his memories somehow."

"Pastor Green said he's praying for Antinomy," Kalin said. "But I think it's going to take more than that."

"Maybe," Radley said. "He certainly received some kind of supernatural restoration in the first place. Maybe his memories are being blocked for some reason and will be returned eventually. I know that doesn't make sense, but . . ."

"I can't make heads or tails out of decisions God might be making," Kalin grunted. "I never can. I wish I could."

Radley sighed. "Well, maybe someday we'll understand. Right now there isn't much to do except try to deal with it as best as we can."

Kalin nodded. "The only things I really understand with God are when He gives deserving people another chance, like Antinomy . . . and like you."

Radley smiled. "I'm certainly grateful He did. And that He allowed you another chance as well."

"I still wonder sometimes why He did," Kalin admitted. "I still don't feel deserving. But I'm grateful."

"At least now you're using your second chance, instead of trying to rid yourself of it," Radley said.

"I owe that to everyone who helped me get my mind straightened out," Kalin said, "including you."

"Me?" Radley blinked in surprise. "But you never listened to me back then."

"I should have," Kalin said. He sighed. "And when I saw what my apathy did to you, I was devastated. I had already started to change, but that was what sealed it for me."

"I'm sorry it took my being hurt for that to happen," Radley said.

"So am I," Kalin said. He got up from the table. "You never should have suffered because of my foolishness. If you hadn't been alright . . ." He looked down at the table. "I never would have recovered, just like the Kalin in that alternate world who renamed the town in your honor."

Radley came up behind him. "I'm also sorry you had to see that," he said quietly.

Kalin nodded. "He was hurting so much. . . . And all the time I was with him, I kept thinking This could have been me."

". . . How was that me found alive?" Radley asked.

Kalin sighed. "That's a long story. . . . I'd hoped that maybe he was in the tunnels like that first alternate you, but the other Kalin told me No, that he'd taken your body out of the mines and into town. Everyone mourned with him at a big memorial service and . . . they buried you."

Radley blanched. "What?!"

". . . Billy tried to commit suicide several times out of grief and guilt, and Scotch was so heartbroken that they kept finding him having cried himself to sleep on your grave." Kalin stared out at the town and the mountains beyond it. "I saw that while I was there. It was horrible."

Radley passed a hand over his forehead, horrified. "Those poor guys. But . . . if I was buried, then how . . . ?!"

Kalin shook his head. "It was a small thing, but the other Kalin suddenly remembered that he didn't think you'd been wearing your earring. We went back to the funeral home to find it and got the shock of our lives. The funeral director was keeping you there, alive and badly hurt, because he was trying to punish everyone who had abandoned you to the mines. He'd fixed up another body just enough to pass for you at burial."

Radley's mouth dropped open. "That's . . . that's sick!"

Kalin's expression darkened. "It was. He'd been trying to doctor you himself, but even though your body was healing from the torture, emotionally you were a complete wreck. You kept . . . moaning for the Bunch . . . even for me after a while. You pleaded with them not to forget you or abandon you . . ." His voice caught in his throat. "You pleaded for them to come back and not leave you there all alone. . . ."

Radley stared at him. "Oh Kalin. . . ." He hugged him close. "No wonder you didn't want to talk about this when you first got home. . . ."

Kalin sadly nodded and then clutched his friend. "We both got so enraged to see you suffering that we released our powers and nearly took out the entire room except for where you were," he said. "Then I realized we had to control ourselves, that we were behaving just like the funeral director, angry at how you were treated but endangering you ourselves. The other me ran over to you and tried to convince you he was really there. At first you couldn't believe it, but when you finally did . . . your whole face just lit up and you cried for joy and hugged him.

"I tied up the funeral director so the other me could arrest him later. Then you were carried outside and all the Bunch ran over. . . ." Kalin held him close. "It was amazing to see them all reunite with you after so much anguish. . . . It doesn't matter what world I'm in, I can't stand to see any you suffer. Or the Bunch." He frowned. "And seeing another me suffer is just surreal."

"I feel the same," Radley said. "But you can definitely comfort yourself knowing that you helped bring them happiness."

"I do," Kalin said. "But I'll never get that image of you deliriously calling for everyone out of my mind."

"As if you hadn't dealt with enough of me being delirious already." Radley hugged him again.

Kalin definitely took comfort in Radley's presence and the sweet hug. "If we're not having problems, we're watching other versions of us have problems," he grunted.

Radley sighed. "It really isn't quite fair, is it?"

"It's not fair at all," Kalin said emphatically. "Either for us or the other versions of us."

They both started at the sound of one lone motorcycle approaching. Radley glanced at the clock and then out the window. "It isn't usual for the Bunch to start coming in single-file," he remarked. "At least usually it's two by two."

"Which one is it?" Kalin wondered.

"It's Marty." Confused and still surprised, Radley headed for the front door. "Hey, Marty, what's up?"

Instead of staying on his motorcycle to wait for the morning ride, Marty climbed off and headed up the steps to meet Radley, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. "I got this letter today," he frowned.

Radley took it when Marty held it out to him. As he scanned through the contents, he stared, stunned.

"What is it?" Kalin asked as he came up beside his friend.

"It says . . . Marty has come into an inheritance?" Radley quirked an eyebrow. "Is this truly legitimate?"

"Probably," Marty sighed. "The guy that sent it really is the family lawyer."

Kalin looked at him in surprise. "Your family is rich enough to have a lawyer?"

"Yeah," Marty said. "One branch of it is, anyway. I didn't grow up in foster care or on skid row. I just had a lot of problems with my family not liking the directions I wanted to take my life, like Radley did. They said I shouldn't try to be an electrician or an HVAC specialist, that I needed go to all their social functions and junk." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, you certainly put your talents to use in town," Radley said. "A lot of homes and businesses wouldn't have central air if not for you."

Marty smiled a bit, but then looked at the letter and sighed. "But what do I do about this? My inheritance is in Scotland."

"It says it's a castle owned by your great-uncle," Radley mused. "Thankfully, it doesn't have that tired old cliché that you have to agree to live there to claim it. Why not go over, look at it, and we'll use it as a vacation spot when we feel like getting away for a while? Or if you don't like it or the area, you could turn it into a historic hotel. There are several popular hotels made out of castles."

". . . And you know that, how?" Kalin grunted.

Radley smirked. "I'm always open for new ways to make legitimate money."

Marty smiled more. "You always know how to make us feel better, Radley," he said. "The only other thing is, I don't really want to go over there all alone. I've never been there, and I don't know if I'll run into more of my family wanting to contest the will or something."

"Who said anything about going alone?" Radley said easily. "I will definitely come. I'm sure Kalin will too, and some of the rest of the Bunch. I suppose we'll have to leave some of them here to look after the town, but you could choose several of them to come with us."

Kalin nodded. "I'll come."

"Billy is still your best friend, isn't he?" Radley said to Marty, who frowned a bit.

"Well, he was, but you know things got rocky after he tried to sell me out to Barbara and the mines," Marty said.

Radley sighed in resignation. "Yes, I know."

"And I'm sure you've seen that things have never been the same since then, really," Marty said. "I mean, I try, and he tries, but . . ." He heaved a sigh and shook his head. "It's hard to always really trust somebody after something like that. I don't really confide in him anymore. And even you, Radley, you're way closer to Kalin than you ever were to Billy."

Radley frowned now. "But not because of that," he insisted.

"Then why?" Marty wondered.

"It's hard to explain why certain people bond so closely," Radley said. "And in our case, we weren't even friends at first. But I think it was partially because of that that enabled us to bond as we did once we finally understood each other."

Kalin nodded. "I cared about Radley in spite of myself. When I realized that, and that I'd squandered how he tried to genuinely reach out in friendship, I could hardly live with myself when I found him dead."

"And when I knew Kalin hadn't been well when he rejected me so many times, I wanted to try again," Radley said. "But I might not have trusted him for some time if it hadn't been for what truly bonded us. Kalin showed me life is still worth living when I gave up on everything."

"I know," Marty said. "But most people don't have life-changing experiences like that, so it's pretty unlikely there'll be a case where Billy saves my life or something."

"You're probably right," Radley conceded. "And honestly, if you feel you can't trust Billy, you can't force yourself to feel otherwise. However, if you want to trust him again, you'll have to put yourself out there and risk being hurt again. I don't think Billy will make the first move. He knows he won't betray us again, but he also knows he caused damage that may not be able to be fully repaired. He's respected your need for space."

Marty nodded. ". . . I don't know what I want," he admitted. "Well, I know I'd like for things to be like they were before, but after what happened, how can they?"

"They never can be," Radley said. "But maybe, if you're both willing to work at it, you can have something deeper and even better than before."

Marty gave a wistful smile. "I'd like that. Okay, I'll ask Billy to come."

"Scotch will definitely volunteer to come," Radley chuckled. "He loves adventuring with us, and if the castle is spooky, all the better."

"Poor Biff," Marty said, shaking his head. "Scotch loves creepy stuff and Biff hates it."

"But you know he'll come too, to be with us," Radley said.

"Virgil will probably come," Kalin intoned. "Maybe Clint."

"And Jimmy," Radley said. "He won't want to be far apart from his cousin."

"It's nice that not all of our biological families are shot," Marty said. He stuffed the letter back in his pocket.

"When everyone gets here, we'll explain the situation to them," Radley said. "Oh, I noticed that the letter mentioned a private plane?"

"Yeah," Marty nodded. "We have to go meet it at an airfield in the City tonight."

"Hopefully there'll be room for our motorcycles," Radley mused. "Although if we ride out there to meet it, we won't be able to take much luggage with us."

"Maybe Klaus could drive out with us and bring our bags in his truck," Marty said.

Radley nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll ask him."

"And I'm going to try to get a car license and a car so we won't have to keep bothering him in the future," Kalin said flatly.

"That will be a good idea," Radley said.