Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Hold On to You and I
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This takes place post-series and Kalin and Radley are very close. I see Radley as a good person and depict him as such. The Big Five from YGO Classic have long ago repented and Lector especially developed a bond with Kalin in an earlier fic. Every now and then I get the urge to do a stranded in the snow fic. I got the plunnie for this one and it immediately started coming fast. I love insistent story ideas. I'm also using the prompt #43 - Ice Cold from the abandoned 5Ds_100 writing community on Livejournal. I base the idea of the town's climate on what things are typically like here and in the surrounding area. Nesbitt's robots have been mentioned now and then as something he wants to build or is building in the fics. Kalin and Radley conversing about how they've helped the town is inspired a lot by a role-play with MoonlightTyger.
Even though Satisfaction Town usually had a more desert-like climate, it turned very cold in the winter and snow was not an impossibility. In the mountains surrounding the area, it was practically a certainty.
Snow had already fallen that night and more was coming down as Kalin and Radley stumbled through the trees and brush. They had been inspecting an old mining tunnel from the town's Old West days when it had suddenly started to collapse, forcing them to run outside into the storm. The snow swirled and howled at near-blizzard levels. Figuring out where they were going was not going to happen as long as that continued. They could barely see each other and some nearby pine trees. The only thing keeping them from getting separated was tightly gripping each other's hands.
"This is useless," Kalin finally snarled in frustration. "We have no idea if we might stumble over a cliff or roll down the mountain at any given time!" Plus, he could feel Radley's hand trembling in his grasp. Radley was cold. Kalin didn't feel so great himself, but he could deal with the cold easier after his harsh upbringing in the Satellite.
"You're right," Radley said in resignation. "But what can we do?!"
Kalin pulled Radley towards the nearest pine. "Get under here." He started taking off his coat.
Radley stiffened as he realized what Kalin was doing. "Oh Kalin, no," he exclaimed. "You need that!"
"I'll drape it over both of us," Kalin promised. Radley would never agree otherwise, and Kalin had no intention of dying. They were both coming out of this.
Finally Radley sighed and nodded in resignation. "Alright. But I'll hold you to that!" He waited until Kalin was ready before going under the pine tree. There was less snow there than outside of it, but it was coming practically sideways and it would keep filling up under the tree.
Kalin crawled in right after him. He threw the coat over his friend and then burrowed under it when Radley held it up. They clutched each other close, both shivering now.
"The poor Bunch will be going out of their minds," Radley remarked. "They won't even be able to look for us until this quiets down."
"Not unless Nesbitt has one of his search-and-rescue robot prototypes ready," Kalin mumbled.
Radley had to smile a bit at that. "That's a nice thought." He snuggled closer against Kalin. "You're not shaking as much as I am," he noted.
"Winters in the Satellite were cold," Kalin told him. "We didn't always have heat. I had to learn to steel myself against the temperatures. We all did."
"That's horrible," Radley exclaimed.
"And you've always lived where it's warmer." Kalin rubbed Radley's back, both to warm him and to try to stimulate his hands. More adapted to the cold or not, Kalin didn't have gloves and his hands were colder than Radley's.
"It's pretty cold here in winter, as we're seeing now," Radley remarked. "But yeah, I've never been this exposed to the elements before. I always had a warm heat vent when it was too cold." He felt terrible as Kalin's hands shook against his back. "Oh Kalin, let me give you my gloves," he exclaimed.
"You need them!" Kalin insisted.
"How about I give you one, anyway?" Radley suggested. "Then we'll each have one warmer hand." He was already taking off his left glove. "Maybe we can switch back and forth to give all our hands a chance to be warmer."
Kalin sighed, but he allowed Radley to raise up and slip it on his hand. It definitely felt good.
Radley hesitated instead of settling back into the snow. "You know, I'm probably warmer in general than you are," he exclaimed. "I still have two layers of clothing and you just have one."
"Keep your jacket," Kalin insisted. "You just have a T-Shirt on under it. At least my shirt has long sleeves." He reached to pull Radley back down. "I'll be warm enough, especially if we keep huddling together."
Radley finally laid back down and hugged Kalin close to him. "You know, I've heard that the most effective way of keeping warm is taking off all one's clothes—or at least everything other than underwear—and then huddling together," he remarked. "I don't know that I believe that. Sharing body heat would help, but how could it be a good thing to have so much bare skin directly touching the snow?"
"Maybe it only works if the people are completely wrapped up in a blanket, which we're not," Kalin said. "We'll just stick with what we're doing." He wouldn't be embarrassed, but he definitely doubted that it would be a good idea in their present circumstances.
"Yes, that's preferable," Radley said. "We'll have to try to keep each other awake for as long as possible. Who knows how long this storm will go on, and how long it will take the others to find us even if they can bring in one of Nesbitt's robots."
"It's a good thing we like talking with each other," Kalin grunted.
And talk they did, for they didn't know how many hours. They talked about serious subjects and silly subjects and everything in between.
"You know, I probably know most Disney songs front and back because Scotch plays the movies so much?" Radley chuckled at one point.
Kalin smirked. "I know more of them than I ever thought I would."
"And when Scotch sings them, he likes to imitate voices," Radley said in amusement. "He especially has fun with Sebastian the Crab."
"He's not bad either," Kalin said.
"I was willing to sing with him when he wanted to do a Disney concert, but I drew the line at dressing in costume for it," Radley remarked. "That's not really my thing. But I'd rather be home doing something crazy right now instead of freezing in the snow."
Kalin grunted. "I like dressing up even less than you do. I'm not sure which I'd rather do. Only I do know I don't want you to suffer. So when you're here with me, I'd rather we were home safe . . . even in one of Scotch's strange concerts."
"Scotch's concerts are fun," Radley said. "The kids love them. He would really be talented planning things like that all the time."
"Yeah, he probably would be," Kalin said.
"Only he doesn't want to leave," Radley said. "He said he'd be happy planning concerts at the diner all his life. I have to admit, that makes me happy. I don't see any reason for him or any of the guys to leave. There's a lot of job opportunities in town, and more every week."
Kalin nodded. "Satisfaction Town has really expanded, thanks in large part to your vision. I may know how to protect people from threats, but you really know their likes and dislikes and how to successfully run this town in a way that makes them happy. This is really your town. I still think you should have been sheriff."
"In a way I am," Radley mused. "I'm not really like your chief deputy. We're more like co-sheriffs."
"And co-mayors," Kalin smirked.
"And I like that much better than me having all the burden on me," Radley said. "I got so worn-down through the years worrying about the town and the people and protecting them from Malcolm. Would you believe that when we first came here, I really looked my age?" he said wryly. "None of these pesky age lines."
"Does it bother you?" Kalin asked.
"I'm just vain enough to be annoyed by it sometimes, but not vain enough to spend thousands of dollars doing something about it," Radley smirked. "I'd rather spend my money on the town."
"Is that what you always used your money on?" Kalin wondered.
"A lot of it, yeah," Radley said. "Sure, I used some to make a nice, furnished house for myself and to upgrade my motorcycle, maybe get a few CDs and leather clothes, but pretty much everything else was for the town in some way. The diner and the mine . . . those things benefit the town as well as me."
Kalin smiled a bit, but looked wistful. "I wish I'd realized all of that at the time. I thought you were so greedy, and you really weren't. You aren't." He paused. "And I don't mind these lines on you at all. I just think of how you got so worn-down trying to protect everyone here. To me they're a symbol of your kindness and your protective nature."
"Well, that's one way to look at them," Radley mused. He smiled. "Thanks." He paused now. "That first night I saw you in town . . . I saw your blue hair and I remembered the kid I'd met years ago. I just never once dreamed he could really be you. I mean, that kinda thing only happens in the movies, right?"
"I'm glad it doesn't," Kalin said.
"Yeah," Radley said softly. "Me too."
The snow raged around them, soon covering the coat and their legs. Eventually they curled up even more under the garment as best as they could, drawing their legs up to their knees to try to protect them against the frozen temperatures. Each whispered more than one prayer for deliverance.
". . . If we don't make it . . ." Radley said at last.
"We will," Kalin growled.
"But if we don't . . . is it terrible of me that it feels comforting to think of going together?" Radley quietly asked. "We both know we can't stand it without each other. Just one of us surviving has never worked; it just hurts too much for the one left behind. This way, we wouldn't have to be apart. . . ."
Kalin fell silent. Radley wasn't usually so morbid. And if it came right down to it, each of them was willing to sacrifice for the other. Neither wanted the other to die too. But it was true that trying to go on without each other had never worked for them. They had just been blessed that so far, that had not been the case.
"No," he finally said. "That's not terrible."
"I mean . . . I want us both to survive and I'll keep fighting tooth and nail for that. And I hate to think of the Bunch being left without us. I don't want to not be able to be with them again. I love those guys so much! But . . . I can't help it . . . I don't want to die alone and never be able to communicate with you until you follow me in death. I know you don't want that either, nor would you want the situation to happen in reverse. And we're only half-alive without each other, so is surviving alone really a blessing?"
Kalin shut his eyes tightly. "I can't answer that. If only one of us made it out, I'd say that there must be a purpose in it, that he survived for a reason . . . but I would never be able to understand why the other was allowed to die."
Radley suddenly sobbed. "I don't want to die," he said helplessly. "And I don't want you to die. I want us both to live!"
Kalin held him close. "We're going to live," he said fiercely. How much of this was the hypothermia talking and how much was Radley's real thoughts? Would they even remember this conversation later? It wasn't important, he supposed, especially fueled by the cold. Only . . . seeing Radley fall apart like this when he was normally strong . . . that deeply hurt. Kalin silently vowed again that he would live, that he would bring them both out of this darkness into the light.
That was all that could be.
As the night dragged on and the temperature dropped much more, both men realized staying awake was not going to happen. No matter how they fought, Slumber insisted on pulling them down into its soft but deadly blanket.
". . . I have to stay awake," Radley mumbled. "I can't leave you here alone. . . ."
"I could weather the night while you slept, but you might never wake up again," Kalin said. "That's what I can't allow to happen."
"Kalin . . ." Radley snuggled closer to him. "I won't die. Not this time. And you can't either. We both have to pull through this!"
"We're going to," Kalin said, relieved that Radley seemed to be more lucid again. "I'll never leave you here alone either."
". . . I'm sorry for what I said earlier," Radley said shamefully. "I'm just so scared. . . . I keep thinking what it would be like to wake up and be alive . . . but to then find you laying dead in my arms. I . . . don't think I could take that. . . ."
"I couldn't either, if it was me," Kalin said.
"But then I think how the Bunch would feel to find us both dead. . . ." Radley shook his head. "That can't happen. We can't do that to them!"
"We won't," Kalin said. "And it's alright to be scared. You've been strong for me so many times. I'll be strong for you now."
"Kalin . . ." Radley smiled, starting to relax. "Thank you."
Kalin kissed the top of his head. "Always."
Please, God . . . let me keep my promise. Let us both come out of this alive . . . and sane.
They struggled against the insistent pull of sleep for as long as they possibly could. When their strength gave out, it seemed to come at the same moment for them both. Neither had been able to bear closing his eyes on the other, but somehow sensing when it was too much, both passed out of knowing at the same time.
xxxx
The Bunch had been going out of their minds with worry, just as Radley had known. All attempts to go up the mountains had failed; the storm was too fierce. The miners had been contacted and were quite sure Kalin and Radley had made it out of the collapsing tunnel, although they couldn't say for sure. But after hours of digging through the debris, no trace of them had been found.
"What are we going to do?!" Scotch cried. He was relentlessly pacing in the diner, throwing his hands in the air. "They're suffering up there! We can't even get to them and they're dying!"
Marty took out his phone and dialed a number. "Nesbitt was building those robots when we saw him last," he said. "He said they were to look for people when the weather was so bad that people couldn't search on their own! Maybe one of them is ready enough that he could bring it now!"
"It's worth a try," Billy said.
It was a relief when Nesbitt swiftly answered the phone. "Hello?"
Marty put the phone on Speaker. "Hey, this is Marty Keith," he greeted. "I'm one of Radley's and Kalin's friends."
"Yeah, I remember you," Nesbitt said.
"Well, they're both stranded up in the mountains tonight and we can't get to them!" Marty cried. "The storm is just too fierce. Is there any way you could bring one of those search-and-rescue robots you were designing?! I know they're not on the market yet, but if they're in any state to help . . . !"
". . . I do have something I could bring," Nesbitt said. "I realized I had to overhaul the original design because I needed to have a place for them to put the injured people on the way back. I have a new prototype with a cab inside it."
"Like a Gundam or something?!" Scotch blurted.
"Something like that," Nesbitt said. "Of course it's not as big as those, since it has to maneuver through tight spaces."
"That would be amazing," Marty said. "How fast can you get it here?"
Nesbitt sighed. "It's storming here too. To go through that wilderness won't be easy, so I'll probably have to come in the robot. It can't move that fast speed-wise, but it does cover large distances with its long legs."
"Please do," Marty said. "We don't know where they are or how long they can last in this!"
"Alright, I'll start out right now," Nesbitt said. A short pause as he conversed with someone in the background. "Lector's coming with me."
"That's great," Marty said. "Thank you both."
xxxx
Nesbitt looked intimidated as he hung up the phone. "This will be the first time I've actually used this model in a real emergency," he said to the others.
"You've worked hard on it," Gansley said.
Lector nodded. "We all believe you will succeed in rescuing our friends."
"There's a 99% chance of success!" Crump insisted.
"You won't fail," Johnson agreed.
"Oh, I know I'll find them," Nesbitt said as he went for his coat and some extra blankets. "What worries me is if I'll find them still alive. It's already been a long time."
". . . You will have done your best," Lector said.
"And they're both strong," Crump said. "They'll still be alive!"
Nesbitt sighed. "Let's hope." He headed for the garage. "We'd better get going."
Lector followed him. "We'll keep in touch," he said to the others.
"You'd better!" Crump agreed.
xxxx
Nesbitt and Lector came as soon as they could, but it was close to another two hours before they arrived. By the time they and some of the Bunch were loaded into the robot's cab and they were heading deeper into the woods behind the dyne mountain, it was past midnight.
"They could be anywhere!" Scotch fretted. "They never called or texted! We don't even know for sure if they made it out of that tunnel collapse! Maybe they got buried and the miners just didn't find them yet!"
"If they did get out, they must have comethis way," Nesbitt said.
The snow was so stacked around that there was no way of seeing them at first even with the robot's bright searchlights. But when they went past one particular tree, Scotch suddenly gasped. "Hey, wait! Go back!"
Nesbitt put the robot in reverse. "What is it?"
"I don't know!" Scotch exclaimed. "This tree . . . there's something about it! I just feel like they're here!"
Nesbitt grunted, but after some of his experiences with the rest of the Big Five, he wouldn't protest. He threw the robot in reverse and then used its long arms to search under the tree. It didn't take long and it had brushed enough snow away to reveal the black of Kalin's coat.
Scotch stood straight up. "It's them! Oh gosh, it's them!"
"Sit back down!" Nesbitt commanded. "I'll dig them out."
Everyone sat tensely while Nesbitt worked. When the entire coat was exposed, Scotch tore outside. "Radley! Kalin!"
The others grimly followed. There had been no movement while Nesbitt had worked. That was not a good sign.
Scotch shakily pulled the coat back from their friends. Both Radley and Kalin were deathly pale, still clutching each other and with no sign of breath.
"Wake up!" Scotch screamed. "Come on, you've gotta!" He shook them both. "Wake up!"
Billy stared at them in horror. "They're dead . . ." he whispered.
"No, they're not dead!" Scotch shot back. "They're not dead!" He fell over them, weeping uncontrollably. "They wouldn't leave us!"
"Scotch!" Biff grabbed him to pull him back, although he was just as haunted.
"There still might be a chance," Lector said in concern. "They say no one is dead unless they're warm and dead."
That spark of hope finally allowed Scotch to move back from them, shaking.
Lector bent down, gently reaching for Kalin. They had first met so many years ago from Lector's perspective, when Kalin had time-traveled and had been suffering from depression and the need to punish himself. Lector had seen how Kalin had recovered and blossomed due to his friendships with Yusei, Radley, and the Bunch. Now, to see Kalin laying so still was a harsh blow. And even in his current state, he and Radley were not letting go of each other.
"It's alright now, Mr. Kessler," Lector whispered to him. "We're here. You can let go of Mr. Radley now; Nesbitt will take him. We're all going back."
Finally Lector was able to pry the two apart with Nesbitt's help. Each carried one of the lifeless forms back to the cab, while the Bunch members trailed after them. Scotch brought Kalin's coat.
"Are they really going to be alright?" he sobbed as they all climbed in.
Lector tenderly wrapped Kalin in a blanket. Billy, Biff, and Scotch did the same for Radley so Nesbitt could drive them back to town.
"Let's hope and pray they will be," Lector said. "I'm not giving up on either of them yet."
xxxx
It felt so warm and peaceful and filled with love. Radley stared in amazement and confusion at the soft white all around him. It wasn't the white of snow, but of . . . what was it? He had just awakened standing here, gazing at the area. He wasn't cold anymore.
That . . . that couldn't be a good sign.
Before he could panic, footsteps next to him startled him and he turned. Kalin was there, looking just as amazed and confused. "What is this?"
"I don't know," Radley admitted. ". . . Are we dead?"
". . . This is the opposite of what it looked like when I died," Kalin frowned. "But it doesn't look like Heaven either."
"It sure doesn't. It looks more like some kind of . . . waiting room or holding area, maybe." Radley took a few cautious steps forward. ". . . And it does feel like I'd think Heaven would feel. . . ."
". . . Maybe it's an in-between place," Kalin suggested. "Maybe we have to choose from here what we're going to do before the scenery will change."
Radley turned to face him. "To have you with me would ease the pain of dying," he said quietly, "but we both have other loved ones too. We can't leave them to grieve over us, and I don't want to not be with them too."
Kalin nodded. "We already decided to live."
". . . So maybe it's a matter of if we've been rescued in time?" Radley said slowly. "Only . . . God could heal us even if it was too late, if we were meant to live. Or that's my understanding of how it works, anyway."
"I think the decision is entirely up to us," Kalin agreed.
"But . . . we already decided, so why are we still here?" Radley looked around in worried concern. "Hello? We want to go back! Please send us back!" His voice echoed eerily off the walls and he slumped back, disheartened. "We're completely alone in here. . . ."
"And yet it feels like we're being watched," Kalin noted.
". . . What if one of us isn't fully sure about going back?" Radley turned his worried expression to Kalin. "You wanted to die so badly in the past. . . ."
"That's all over," Kalin insisted. "There's nothing I want more right now than to live, with you and the others at my side."
Radley frowned. "Then . . . I wonder if it's me? Maybe I'm torn because I'm still worried wondering if we're both going to be allowed back. I'm still afraid of waking up and finding you laying dead. . . . Or you going back and finding me dead. . . ."
"We're both here," Kalin said. "That should mean we both have the choice to go back."
"That makes sense," Radley said slowly. "Unless it's a test. . . . What if we have to choose to go back even if we're not sure the other is coming too?"
"That would be cruel," Kalin frowned.
Radley drew a shaking breath. "It would also be cruel to leave the Bunch." His shoulders slumped. "But . . . if I have to choose to stay dead with you or live without you . . . I . . ." He shook his head.
Kalin pulled Radley into a sweet hug. "The Bunch is strong, thanks to you," he said quietly. "It might give them some comfort to know we're still together in death. But . . ." He choked on his words. "It would be selfish, wouldn't it? They should have at least one of us with them. And . . . I love them too."
Radley clutched Kalin, several tears slipping from his eyes. "I don't want to have to be apart from any of my loved ones," he said. "The only way for that to happen is for us to go back together!"
Kalin held Radley close. That was the ideal, but were they going to be given their true desire? Or was this the last time they would be able to embrace for years?
". . . I think we're leaving," he gasped. They were both shimmering now and lifting off the floor.
Radley looked down. "But are we going together?!" The fear only grew stronger as Kalin grew fainter in front of his eyes.
"Just in case we're not, remember I love you," Kalin told him. There was so much he would want to say if he knew they wouldn't reunite on Earth, but he had no way of knowing whether they would or not. That was one thing that was so agonizing about this.
"I love you too," Radley said brokenly. "I don't want to leave the Bunch, but . . . Kalin, please . . . please be with me wherever I'm going. . . . Please. . . ."
They both faded from the room.
xxxx
Neither of the frozen victims had stirred by the time they got back to town. Scotch, who was cradling Radley on his lap, was practically hysterical.
"They're still not moving!" he cried. "It's warm in here and they're not moving!"
Lector touched Radley's cold cheek. "They have to get a lot warmer than this," he said. "Maybe if we lay them in front of a nice, roaring fire. . . ."
"There's one back at the diner," Biff said. "We've got a lounge in the back."
"And they always keep extra clothes upstairs, in Radley's office," Billy added.
"Good," Lector said. "Yes, we must get them into dry clothes as well."
Several agonizing moments later, they had arrived at the diner and were hurrying inside with their loved ones. The rest of the Bunch was right there, and they stared in horror at the sight.
"They look dead," Clint whispered.
"We have to pray they're not," Lector said. "Please bring their clothes from Mr. Radley's office. We need to change them and lay them by the fire."
Clint ran for the stairs. Virgil went into the lounge, turning on the lights and spreading out thick comforters in front of the fireplace. Jimmy lit the blaze.
Lector and Nesbitt laid Radley and Kalin on the quilts. Lector promptly set about undressing Kalin with Marty's help. Scotch tried to help Nesbitt with Radley. He was still crying as they worked.
"He's so still!" he sobbed. "And cold. . . . His skin feels like ice!"
"Stop it!" Nesbitt growled. But he felt guilty when Scotch flinched.
"I just . . . I love him so much, and it hurts . . . seeing him like this," Scotch said. "He's so helpless. . . . He was always strong for us, and now we have to be strong, but I can't be strong! If he's gone, I . . ."
". . . If they're both gone, at least they're still together," Marty whispered. He finished helping Lector get the wet clothes off of Kalin's body and reached for the dry pile.
"I believe they are still fighting to be with us," Lector said. When they had Kalin clothed again, he gently turned the younger man to face the fire and spread his hair out on the quilt. Marty covered him with another one.
"I know they really would fight," Scotch said tearfully. He finished dressing Radley and did likewise with him. "How long will we have to wait?" He tucked the second quilt around Radley and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"It may be a while," Lector said.
"I want to stay right here," Scotch said.
"We all should," Billy said.
"And let's keep talking to them as well," Lector said. "We'll try to guide them back to us."
"Is Yusei going to be able to make it?" Scotch wondered. They had of course called him too, and he had been horrified. But he hadn't even been in town; a business trip had taken him far away. He had promised to try to get away and come back.
"You know he will if he can," Nesbitt grunted.
"Yeah," Scotch said softly. He moved to sit behind both Radley and Kalin and touched their shoulders. "Come on," he begged. "You've gotta come back to us! Please!" His shoulders slumped and he sobbed again.
Biff hugged him from behind, his own eyes filled with sorrow.
"If they can't come back . . . what then?" Scotch whispered without hope.
"I don't know," Biff said sadly. "Sure, it's good to know they'd be together, but we want them to be with us!"
Scotch gave a forlorn nod. Bending down, he hugged first Radley, then Kalin. "You guys won't leave us, will you?" he said plaintively.
Lector sighed sadly and met Nesbitt's uncomfortable gaze. All they could do now was wait and hope and pray.
xxxx
The feel of the warmth was the first thing that returned to him. It felt so good . . . so gentle and caring. And it wasn't just a physical warmth, but a spiritual warmth. His loved ones were there. . . .
Radley's eyes slowly opened. He was laying on thick quilts on the floor in front of the fireplace at the diner's lounge. Kalin was laying by him. Both were stretched out single-file across the floor to get the full feel of the blaze. Kalin, however, still wasn't awake.
Immediately Radley shot up. "Kalin?!"
The Bunch surrounded him in an instant. "Radley!" They all hugged him close, to which he whole-heartedly returned the gestures. They all been so worried and so grief-stricken. . . .
Guilt stabbed Radley in the heart. He hadn't known how to bear leaving Kalin, but he hadn't wanted to leave all of these guys either. Still, in his last, anguished words before leaving that strange room, he had revealed that he had desperately wanted to be with Kalin, whether or not they would both live. The Bunch likely knew that was the case, but Radley still felt terrible for those feelings. He loved the Bunch too, and he had really raised them for the last several years. They all looked upon him as a big brother or even a father figure, and they were all his brothers.
It wasn't fair that loved ones had to be split up, he bitterly decided. It wasn't fair at all to make one choose.
Of course, death wasn't fair. It was a natural part of life, but that didn't make it fair. Radley would never be able to feel otherwise.
"I'm so sorry, guys," he choked out. "I'm so sorry. . . ."
"For what?!" Scotch exclaimed.
Radley shook his head. "I didn't want to leave any of you. Please believe that. I love you all so much! But . . . it felt like I was being made to choose whether to live or die, and . . . if Kalin couldn't live, I . . . I wanted desperately to be with him. . . ." A tear slipped from his eye.
"Oh Radley. . . ." Indeed, none of the Bunch looked surprised.
"Hey, if things had turned out like that, we would've been happy to know you guys would be together," Scotch said with a shaky smile. "Neither of you should have to face death alone! And . . . if it was me and Biff like it was you and Kalin tonight, I . . . I'm not sure I'd know how I could leave Biff, and you know how much I love you!"
Radley managed a smile too. "Yeah. . . ." He touched Scotch's cheek. All the Bunch adored him, but Scotch especially seemed to idolize him.
The rest of the Bunch chorused similar sentiments, as did Lector and Nesbitt.
"Don't feel bad about it, Radley," Billy told him. "It's okay. I think each of us has that one special person we've seriously bonded with, even though we're all a big family and we all love each other."
"It's not just that, though," Radley confessed. He looked down, laying a hand on Kalin's motionless shoulder. "I also pleaded for Kalin to be with me no matter where I went. . . . That sounds awful. I wouldn't want him to stay dead with me if he was supposed to live! And I didn't want you guys to lose both of us. I just . . . I don't know, I just got so shaken up and scared. . . ."
"Hey, Kalin would know that," Scotch insisted. "He'd forgive you! Everybody says things they probably shouldn't! And look at me, I do things all the time I shouldn't! And you always forgive me."
Radley smiled a bit. "Yeah. . . ."
Again the others echoed their agreement.
"I still say things I shouldn't," Nesbitt grunted.
"And what you said really wasn't bad, Mr. Radley," Lector said. "You were just expressing how much you care about Mr. Kessler and how you couldn't bear to be without him."
Finally Radley nodded. "I know. . . ."
"And technically speaking, you were ill," Nesbitt said. "People suffering from hypothermia don't always behave the way they would under normal circumstances."
"I don't know if that applies in this case, because we were both out of our bodies when it happened," Radley said. "My mind should have been clear."
". . . I don't know what to say about that," Nesbitt admitted. "It could have just been some kind of hallucination or dream because you were so sick."
"We do know the afterlife exists, though," Lector said.
Scotch looked at Radley in horror. "You really were both dead?! I knew it!"
Radley winced. He shouldn't have revealed that. . . . "I think we were, but I'm not sure," he said honestly. "I have heard that sometimes, people leave their bodies when their bodies are really hurt but not dead."
Scotch just flung himself into Radley's arms again and hugged him, trembling. Radley held him close.
"You guys have been through so much," Billy said in sickened horror. "Lector and Nesbitt are right, though; what you said wasn't bad, and anyway, you weren't well. You must have still been stressed about it all."
Scotch nodded. "How could you be calm when it looked like you and Kalin might not be together any more? That's awful!"
"It is," Radley said. "But thank you, guys, so much . . . for understanding."
He looked worriedly to Kalin, who still hadn't moved. Would they really both make it back? What if they wouldn't? What if they hadn't? What if he had shared the last words he would ever have with Kalin for years to come?
"Kalin . . . you've gotta wake up," he pleaded. "I came back, but I wanted you here with me, with us! Please. . . . You wanted that too. . . ." He looked up at the Bunch in new anguish. "Will he really be alright?!" He knew they didn't know any better than he did, but he wanted some assurance. He needed to be told Kalin would live.
"He'd better be!" Scotch exclaimed. "We thought you were both dead when we found you! But Lector said we had to warm you guys up before we could be sure."
Radley reached out, laying a hand on Kalin's shoulder. "Kalin . . ." Tears filled his eyes when there was still no response. He laid down behind Kalin, hugging him close to offer added warmth. "Please, you've gotta wake up! We promised, remember? We wouldn't leave the other alone! We wouldn't!" He sobbed, resting his cheek against Kalin's hair. "Don't make my nightmare come true. . . . Please. . . ."
Scotch looked to Biff in devastation. As much as they couldn't bear to lose both, at least there had been that consolation that they would be together. To only get one back meant that his heart would always be divided and he would always be longing to be with the other. Radley's anguish was haunting.
Biff squeezed Scotch's shoulder. "We can't give up yet," he whispered, although tears were pricking his eyes now too.
"You said you were more adapted to the cold than me!" Radley cried. "How could I survive if you couldn't?!"
A chill went up Radley's spine at the realization. If Kalin was gone, it could be one of those things, unpredictable and horrible. But on the other hand, it could be that Kalin had given all his warmth and all his strength to Radley so he would survive. He had promised he would be strong for Radley, after all the strength Radley had given him.
"You've gotta come back, Kalin," Radley pleaded. "I kept fighting to live. I know you wouldn't give up!"
"Oh, Mr. Radley . . . Mr. Kessler . . ." Lector said sadly. He didn't want to believe it was too late for Kalin. Maybe . . . hopefully . . . feeling Radley hugging him would bring him around.
"I'd never just give up and die," Radley said, "but keeping that hope that we were both gonna make it gave me a lot of extra strength to fight."
"It'd help Kalin too," Scotch said.
Radley drew a shaking breath. "We're all here with you, Kalin," he said. "And Yusei's here in spirit. I'm not going to leave your side until you come home." He laid his hand on Kalin's. "You've kept so many vigils over me, and you've lost me several times. And yet I'm the one who broke and screamed for you not to leave me tonight. I'm so sorry. If that was the last time we'll ever even talk for years to come, I wouldn't have wanted my final words to you to be those. You know I'd never want you to die to be with me if you were supposed to live. It's just . . . we really can't deal with being apart from each other, and I know how much you've suffered without me, and I've suffered without you too. . . ." He shook his head. "Oh, what does it matter? I can't justify what I said. I'm not trying to, just to explain. But after everything you've gone through because of me, I feel . . . rotten that I couldn't be as strong as you've been. . . ."
"Kalin wasn't strong without you, Radley," Scotch said softly.
"You guys break without each other," Biff added. "And you've had more than one scare. We all thought Kalin was dead when that other tunnel collapsed, and there was the time he was missing for three weeks. . . ."
"Yeah! So it hasn't just been Kalin losing you," Virgil said.
". . . That's true," Radley admitted. "I don't know why it feels different to me."
"You always carry the weight of the world on your shoulders," Billy said. "You've always felt like you have to be strong for us. But losing Kalin is always what's broke you before. It shouldn't be any surprise it did again."
"I guess not," Radley said. He sighed sadly. "Kalin, please. . . . Please find your way home to us. . . . To me. . . ."
After several more unbearable moments, Kalin jerked, rolling onto his back. Radley gasped in surprise and joy, raising up to see into his face as his eyes opened. "Kalin!" he exclaimed.
Kalin smiled and reached up, gently brushing away Radley's tears. "I'll never leave you alone," he said.
Radley pulled Kalin close in a hug. "I've been so worried," he said. "We all were. . . ."
Kalin hugged him close. "We're here safe. Everything's okay now."
"Yeah," Radley smiled, as the Bunch cheered and swarmed them again for more hugs. "It is."
Lector leaned back with a smile. "Thank God. It would have been too unbearably cruel to separate them."
Nesbitt could only nod in overcome agreement.
Lector smiled at him too. "Well, Nesbitt, your robot's first real mission is a true success," he proclaimed.
"And this was exactly what I built it for," Nesbitt said as he watched the joyous reunion. "I never forgot how Hellish it was when you were lost in that snowstorm and we couldn't keep looking for you. I got the inspiration for my robots because of that."
"Then I am glad that horrible experience happened, to inspire you," Lector said. "I have no doubt that these two would be dead without you."
"Maybe," Nesbitt mused. "Their will to stay together was strong." He looked troubled. "I think they really were dead when we found them. But they both came back."
"They love each other very much," Lector agreed. "Just as you and I do."
"Yeah," Nesbitt said. "That's true; they remind me of us."
"Oh, I need to call Yusei!" Scotch exclaimed. "He was on a business trip and he's been so worried!" He fumbled for his phone.
Kalin rested his head against Radley's. "If you reach him, I'd like to talk to him to personally assure him I'm alright," he said. "Radley too."
"Sure!" Scotch quickly dialed.
"Hello?!" Yusei sounded harried and desperate for good news.
Scotch beamed. "Yusei! There's someone here who wants to talk to you!"
"Hello, Yusei." Kalin smiled as he took Scotch's phone and activated the hologram projector.
"Kalin!" Yusei brightened exponentially. "And Radley! You're both okay!"
Kalin hugged Radley close. "Yes, we are," he said. "We had a promise to keep."
Radley returned the hug. "And we have," he said reverently. "Everything is alright now."
"I haven't been able to get a flight back because the storm's so bad," Yusei lamented. "But I'll come as soon as I can."
"We'll be glad to see you, Yusei," Kalin said. "Stay safe."
"We don't need any more disasters," Radley added.
"I'll be careful," Yusei said. "Now that I can see you guys are okay, I can rest easy tonight."
"We all can," Radley said, and Kalin nodded agreement.
xxxx
The fire crackled peacefully, casting its life-saving glow on the walls and on Radley and Kalin as they rested in front of it, one of the heavy comforters draped over their shoulders. It was even later at night now, and the Bunch had flopped around the room to sleep. Lector and Nesbitt had taken their leave, riding in the robot back to the City and the rest of the Five. Kalin and Radley were tired and wanted to sleep too, but for the moment they just wanted to drink in this experience. It was so much different than when they had desperately burrowed under Kalin's coat for warmth. Now they had plenty of warmth and were able to relax.
"I was so afraid when I woke up and you were still laying there," Radley said quietly.
"I would have given in to death in the past, but this time I was fighting tooth and nail to stay alive," Kalin said. "I didn't know if you'd made it either. But then I felt you hugging me and I knew you were safe." He paused. "I heard you talking to me too. Radley, it's alright. I don't hold anything you said earlier against you. After everything we've been through, I . . . I don't want us to be apart either." His voice had grown thick.
"I just feel like I put so much more of a burden on you," Radley said sadly.
"You didn't," Kalin insisted. "You just voiced how I felt." He sighed. "I was so determined to save you after all those nightmarish times in the past, but I wanted to save myself too. You're right that it just doesn't work for only one of us to survive. I didn't want you to go through what we've both gone through too much before."
Radley smiled a bit. "And you did manage to save us both," he said.
"You were determined as well," Kalin said. "And . . . I prayed for help. We both got it."
"We did," Radley said. "We definitely did. But I still don't understand what the purpose of that room was."
"I don't either," Kalin said. "Maybe we'll never really know until we die for real."
"And that is not gonna be for decades," Radley vowed. "It can't be."
Kalin smiled. "Thank God we both made it."
"I do. And so many of our family is here around us." Radley looked around the room at the Bunch, sweetly sleeping in so many strange positions in chairs, couches, and on quilts on the floor. The snow had quieted down, but none of them had wanted to go home tonight.
"When Yusei and the others come, it will be complete," Kalin said.
"Such a large family," Radley mused.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kalin said.
"I wouldn't either," Radley said. "This is how it's supposed to be." He laid down on the quilt with the pillow brought from his office.
Kalin laid down on it too. "And now we can have a decent rest."
"If this floor is soft enough to sleep on," Radley chuckled. But he was sure Kalin would fall asleep anyway.
"We could go back home," Kalin said.
"I know. But it's nice here, with the fire and the Bunch." Radley smiled. "We rarely ever get to rest in the same room."
"Then let's try it." Kalin pulled the quilt closer around them. Radley snuggled close and soon they were both dozing, lulled by each other's breathing.
After what they had been through, nothing else could have been as comforting.
