Hullo everyone! I just want to say that I am terrible at titles. The original files name was actually Mechanical Mistake and I thought that was too plain so I changed it. Let me know-Is it too plain or is it better than Let Me Down Slowly? Another possible name that I scrapped was Of Mechanics and Runners.

(In case you haven't noticed this little fic is named after a famous Alec Benjamin song that popped up on my playlist when I was thinking of a title.)

Anyway I'm sorry if some characters are OOC right now. I don't want to spoil anything but...well...yeah...

Also please note all chapters will not be this long. I tried to cut this into two chapters but it disrupted the flow of the story so here you go 7k words.

I'm really awful at summaries.

This Au will not contain any duels since I don't know how to write those.

I don't own Yugioh 5ds. If I did, King Crab shipping would be a thing...

Chapter 1

"What do you mean you can't upgrade it any further? What the hell am I paying you for?" The tall man yelled at the wispy looking mechanic.

"There's not much more that I can do, I'm afraid, Mr. Atlas. I've boosted the engine power to as high as it can go, plus improved the overall design to improve balance and stability."

"That's what you said before and yet it still lags between the bloody acceleration time and takeoff. It leans towards the right a tad bit much and the energy output is still weak! What kind of an improvement is that?!"

"Well Mr. Atlas, that's the extent of what I can do for you. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who can do better!" The mechanic was growing irate now. He pointed a bony finger at Jack who looked ready to snap it in half. "I will not stand for this anymore! I think I'll go offer my services to someone who actually understands and appreciates my work!"

Jack snorted. "Good luck with that Fredrick. I don't think anyone would bloody want any of your shitty motorcycles or even your shitty upgrades." He turned with a flourish to his motorcycle and sped off out of the large garage whilst flipping Fredrick off.

He sped down the long streets of New Domino City, weaving expertly through the waves of traffic. One street was raised leading into a loop that circled overhead and led to a road pointing west. Two motorcyclists were racing each other, neck to neck. A cloud of exhaust and police sirens traveled after them. Jack grinned. He would have joined the fun, but his bike let out an exhausted breath. Damn it. Frederick really was terrible at this. Lately, the illegal races around the city gave him no pleasure.

He turned onto a sidestreet that led onto a bridge leading into a reservoir. He kicked the kickstand and swung his leg over his bike. It was a beautiful night. The lights of the city splayed across the water in ever changing colors. The reservoir itself was about fifty feet high. He could fall and die, but Jack had done this enough times to know he wouldn't.

About ten feet down from the edge of the bridge was a five foot ledge. He jumped over the wall and slid down it until he reached the ledge. He leaned backwards and fished a cigarette packet from his pocket. The stars twinkled as he took a puff. He felt like a king looking down at his kingdom. This was his secret place, only a few of his closest friends knew of it. He leaned back and took another puff. Great, he was without a mechanic. About three years ago, he was called the Master of Faster, the best of the best on the roads. There was only one person who would have beaten him. His partner. A person Jack refused to think about.

The guilt was too much.

He wanted his title back. He wanted to be king again no matter what it took.

His phone buzzed. Jack frowned and checked the caller ID.

Bird Brain.

Great. Jack considered ignoring the call, but this particular caller always knew when people were trying to avoid answering and would just hound after them until they did. Plus they were brothers. Jack tapped his glowing cigarette and answered the call.

"What is it Crow?"

"Hey! What's up? You said that you'd help out around the place today."

Jack cursed. He was supposed to help Crow move into his new apartment today. He had been so caught up with yelling at Fredrick to remember. "Sorry, something came up."

"Nah. Nah, it's cool. I got all of it done by myself. And besides, if you were here, you would just keep complaining and we wouldn't have gotten anything done. I actually had extra time so I grabbed some chinese for dinner."

Jack's stomach rumbled. He hadn't had dinner yet. "Good for you. I'm surprised you can actually afford it with your meager paycheck."

"Got a bonus dude. The old geezer decided that I had worked too hard in the last few months. "

"Hm. Nice."

"Jack are you okay? You're not as snippy as usual."

"What the hell do you want Crow? Are you just trying to pick a fight? Cause if so, I'll beat your ass so bad you'll wish you were never born," Jack snapped.

"There's the Jack we all know and love." Jack heard squealing in the background. "Yeah…yeah, you little nerds. I'm talking to Jack. Go put your plates in the sink." He turned his attention back to Jack. "Sorry about that. Kids just finished eating."

"How are they doing?"

"Fine." Crow sighed through the phone and lowered his voice. "Mindy's operation's gonna cost a fortune, plus her medications. I'm on my balcony now so they don't hear, but this is probably the best meal they're going to get for a while. And it's frickin' chinese."

"I see. I think I can put more time in at work. I can send some cash through races as well."

"It's fine. Really. I'm putting in more hours at the Black Bird, plus I'm winning a fair amount of my races. Also, I can get a temporary loan."

"Crow…you're going to burn yourself out."

"Dude you know better than everyone nothing can get me down. I've got nerves of steel."

"And a brain full of feathers. Seriously, you've gone to the Facility twice, got into four accidents in the last five years, and have been homeless for about two months without telling anyone. You can't even get a job 'cause of your criminal record." Jack stubbed the cigarette bud on the ground and withdrew another one. "And then you insist on taking care of those kids from Marthas."

Martha was their foster mother and had died nearly two years ago. She was the closest either of them had to a parent and her death left an empty void.

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Jack let out a laugh. "Seriously man. Let me help."

"Jack, you're just as bad as me. I know you're this close to getting fired from your job. Plus you keep spending your savings on your bike, so it's not like you have much to give. If only you guys were able to go pro—"

"But we didn't Crow," Jack interrupted. "We didn't go pro and never will so stop fucking bringing it up."

"Okay okay. Geez. I'm just saying if you and Yusei-"

"Crow, I'm about to hang up."

"What the hell man? You know he doesn't blame you for anything! He knows you didn't mean it. You still have a chance."

"Fat chance with my runner."

"What did another mechanic leave you? What happened to Fredrick?"

"He didn't leave me! I left him."

"God you sound like a lovesick girl. What did he do this time? Not fill up your gas tank?"

"That was one time! And I'm not a girl!

"So you need a mechanic now? I've got the perfect one. After all he does mine."

"Crow—"

"Look Jack," Crow's voice turned serious. "You haven't spoken to him in a year. Not even after he got released. How long are you going to run away? And anyway, don't you remember how your runner felt when he was the one upgrading it? I think it'll get you back into the flow again. You could be the king again."

"But is he even going to accept?" Jack whispered softly.

"You should at least go talk to him. Make amends. I'm sure he would if he could. I hate seeing you guys not talk."

Jack closed his eyes considering and after a pause, he responded. "Fine."

"Really? That's great! Okay hold up a sec. I have to go. I think Jonas needs help brushing his teeth and I need to comb the knots out of Mindy's hair. Let's meet up tomorrow morning around ten-ish. I'll take you."

"Alright Crow. Tell the tikes I told them to behave."

"Will do. And Jack…thanks."

"No need to thank me Crow. Especially not me."

Jack cut the call. He was now on his fifth cigarette in nearly a half an hour. Damn it…he was running low and he couldn't afford another pack just yet. A heavy weight sat upon his heart as he pondered the last few years. Shit had happened. Shit he couldn't take back. Shit he was sorry for.

The water ran under him in a mild current, they wouldn't let it roar until the next morning. Jack rose carefully. He turned and looked upwards. The stars were covered by a thick layer of smog and smoke. Only a few peeked through, or perhaps they were planes and helicopters. Jack closed his eyes regardless and wished. He wished life was better for everyone.

"Yusei! Hey Yusei!" a redheaded girl called. She tapped his shoulder and he jolted back to reality. "Yusei, are you okay?"

"Hm? Yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." Yusei smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry."

Akiza frowned slightly. "Are you actually sure? You've been having a lot of these types of episodes lately. Like your mind isn't here."

They were sitting at a table in the New Dominio Library, books and workbooks spread out around the table. There were children's workbooks as well for his other two students who were currently at the adjoining cafe fawning over the various cakes.

"Really Akiza. There's no need to worry. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." He picked up the latte Akiza had placed on the table. Sweet. Mocha. "Now anyway, where were we before you decided to go on your little snack break?"

"We were on physics. Law of universal gravitation. I still don't get how to apply it to real like situations."

"Well that's just cause you're overthinking it. Here try this..."

A burly man cut Leo in the line causing Leo to retaliate. Luna was trying to calm her brother down. Their raised voices interrupted their concentration. Yusei lifted his head from Akiza's textbook and put his pencil down.

"Leo's going to get us kicked out," He murmured to Akiza who had also turned. "Better go sort this out..." He rose grabbing the crutch that was leaning on the chair.

"Wait Yusei. I can handle this." She reached out a hand to try and stop him from getting up but he waved her off.

"I've got this Akiza. I'll just go sort this out before we get kicked out. You've got a test tomorrow, you have to study." Yusei hauled himself up and limped towards the twins and their confrontation of the day.

"What did you say you damn brat?" The man snarled into Leo's face. "Say that one more fucking time!"

"Um, Excuse me," Yusei interrupted.

"Ah Yusei!" Luna called running towards him.

"Oh Yusei!" Leo said. "Perfect! Tell this guy off will ya? He cut us in line!"

Yusei raised a stern eyebrow. "Is that why you guys are fighting? Leo I thought you knew better than that."

"Are you in charge of these brats?" The man asked, glaring daggers. He was holding Leo by the shirt and had lifted him off the ground an inch.

Yusei didn't flinch. "Well sort of. I'm their tutor. Look, I'm sorry for whatever trouble these two caused, but can you please let him go? He's only in elementary school."

"Tch…do you know what this kid did to me, you punk? He insulted my runner. Nobody insults my runner and gets away with it!" He lifted Leo another inch and he yelped suddenly looking nervous for the first time.

"Look sir, just let him go and we wouldn't have a problem. Leo, apologize!"

"And what are you going to do about it, you crippled freak? You can barely stand and from your face you've been sent to the facility haven't you? If you even so much as touch me, you'll get thrown back in." This situation was escalating now. A crowd had formed around them cameras flashing and murmurs spreading.

Akiza had abandoned her studies and stood behind Yusei. "Leo, Luna!"

Luna heard her voice and gripped her hand. "Please let my brother go!"

Yusei gritted his teeth. He hated being called crippled. He tried again. "Look, we don't want trouble. Just give us the boy and we'll be gone. Hell, if you want to punish someone, just punish me."

The man looked surprised then grinned. "Well someones gotta pay. Might as well be a criminal. By the looks of your leg, it's dead isn't it? That's what they do to riders at the facility. You had a runner didn't you? What's your name, shortstack?"

Yusei reached out a hand. "Leo first."

The man rolled his eyes and dropped Leo who scrambled towards Yusei. "Yusei wait, don't do this. It was my fault I should be taking the blame."

"It's fine Leo." Yusei flashed him a quick smile. "You three go pack up. I'll take care of things here."

The twins looked like they wanted to protest, but Yusei looked deliberately at Akiza who pursed her lips and nodded slightly. She shepherded them back to the table. The crowds around him were cheering, wanting a fight. The librarians either didn't notice the ruckus or just didn't care. And why would they? He was a criminal. Branded for life. Who cares if he got hurt?

Yusei stood tall, well as tall as his mangled body would allow him, bracing himself. "My name is Yusei Fudo. Now get on with it." He averted his eyes angrily.

"Wait a second. The Yusei Fudo? You mean the one that won the Preliminaries and the NDRC, the biggest illegal street race?" He pointed a finger in awe as Yusei nodded reluctantly. "You were set to go pro! I was supposed to be your next opponent after the preliminaries," he frowned. "Because you got disqualified they had to bring your runner up. He beat me and trashed my bike." His face grew with a cold irrational fury. "Because of you, I wasn't able to go pro!" He cracked his knuckles and grinned. "This just got personal and there's nothing you can do about it."

Akiza helped Yusei into her car. The twins were carrying their books and bags. They didn't have an ice pack so Yusei used his slowly warming latte to nurse the bruise around his eye. He'd have multiple purple and black patches by tomorrow.

Leo sniffed. "I'm sorry Yusei. I shouldn't have picked a fight with him."

Yusei ruffled his hair from the front seat. "It's fine Leo. It was clear he had a grudge against me anyway. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. Sorry we couldn't finish our lesson, Akiza."

She shook her head. "It's totally fine Yusei. Anyway, those notes you showed me really helped. But thats not the point here. Yusei, you have to take better care of yourself. You know even if they hurt you, there's nothing we can do. I hate this. You can't go to the hospital or even get medications!"

Yusei shrugged but that caused him to wince. His shoulder had taken quite a beating. "Can't do anything about it now. Besides, if I need anything I'll just get Bruno to get it for me. Leo, Luna, don't feel too bad about it."

"But—" Luna started.

"No buts! If you want to make it up to me, how about you guys get good grades on your quarter exams?"

A mix of groans and cheers met his ears at that.

Akiza pulled up to the twins house with a smile. "Alright you two. Say hello to your parents for me. Oh, and tell them they're invited to dinner next week."

"We will! Take care guys! Get well soon Yusei!" Luna waved with Leo right behind her.

"Make sure you review your notes! And don't forget to do those practice problems I assigned!" Yusei called as Akiza backed out of the driveway of the sprawling mansion.

"Oh, they're going to regret making you their tutor Yusei," Akiza laughed. "You're like an actual professor. Seriously Yusei, you should go back to school. New Domino Engineering College would be more than happy to have you. You'd be the best in the country with your intelligence! The fact that you can create anything you want with a simple high school level education is amazing."

"Well…a high school dropout." Yusei removed the latte cup from his eye. Still swollen. Bruno was going to have a heart attack. Akiza's car rounded the corner of the street, speeding down a lane. Cars whizzed past them. A few motorists were having a meet up in a cafe nearby. "Anyway, I don't think I'd be allowed. Especially not with my mark."

"With an intellect of your caliber, any professor would take you. I could even have some people from the med department vouch for you. My parents could help too."

Akiza's dad was a senator, and a major benefactor of New Domino College. Her family was rich, one of the biggest differences between them. Yusei had met Akiza back when he was still in High school. He was part of a tutoring after school club as well as the top student in the whole school. Akiza had been an outcast due to her grades and Yusei was the first real friend she had ever made. However, things couldn't stay that way.

He was given a scholarship to New Domino Engineering, but had to refuse since Martha's health had started to decline and the kids needed to be taken care of. Through everyone's protests he dropped out and started taking care of his family full time. It had shattered him to know Martha had passed away while he was incarcerated.

"Akiza, your parents have already done so much for me. I couldn't ask them to do more. I'm fine where I am. I don't need some fancy degree to tell me what I already know," he smiled. "Your parents helped me buy the garage and find a place to stay. I could never repay what they did for me."

"You're helping me pass med school. If anything, we owe you more," Akiza said.

"You got in through your own merits. You wrote that entrance exam, not me," he countered.

She shot him a glance. "That fancy degree could get you a better job. You could be making millions somewhere. Your work would be recognized and you wouldn't have to do things under Bruno's name."

"Akiza, you know I wouldn't be accepted. I've been marked. It's a miracle your parents aren't shunning me. I'm not even allowed onto the campus."

Akiza sighed. Yusei had a point and, she begrudgingly thought, he was right. After a surge of criminal activity about 10 years back, New Domino had enacted a low tolerance rule on criminals. If you committed a bad enough crime, you were branded. The brand was an indicator and soon the populace turned against those who were branded and they were shunned.

It was massively hypocritical and any crime against those who were branded was tolerated. Stores bared their doors against them. They became the lowest of the low. Yusei's friend Kiryu was killed that way. He had been incarcerated and when he was free, he was mobbed and killed on the street. According to Yusei, he could have been saved if he had been brought to the hospital, but nobody helped them. Akiza wanted to change that. She wanted to help everyone regardless of if they were branded or not and so she was studying to become a doctor.

"Stupid system," she muttered angrily. "Dad's pushing for more rights and protections for those who are marked. Every single time those bastards in congress are putting him down. Leo and Luna's parents are trying too..."

She pulled into the back driveway of the 2 story garage. It was a large brown building that also had a residential floor to live in. "We're here," she announced the obvious. "Well, lets get you inside, shall we?"

Jack was waiting by the entrance of Crow's new apartment building. It rose into the sky in a myriad of tan and orange shades. A nice place…and it was big, too. It had to be to fit all ten kids Crow had taken in. Not too expensive as well, but a bit of a stretch for Crow's budget.

Jack sighed and flicked his lighter on and off absently. This probably meant that Crow would probably be eating the bare minimum again. The only thing that kept the bird brain going was adrenaline and determination, neither of which could fill his stomach.

Crow stumbled down the stairs throwing his jacket on. It was chilly and the overhang of clouds didn't help. Neither did the persistent wind ripping through the air. But Jack felt none of that. His body felt numb at the thought of seeing him again. He tried to push it out of his mind. He flicked the lighter shut and pocketed it.

"You're late."

"Sorry, sorry. I had an early shift. Then I had to get the kids to school. I had to come back here to grab my jacket." The back of his jacket was emblazoned with Black Bird Delivery Service. "I've got another shift tonight."

"Can the kids take care of themselves while you're gone?"

Crow waved him off. "Tank and Nervin are taking care of them. They'll pick them up from school and keep an eye on them until I get back. They're actually up there right now, taking care of Rally and Kevin," Crow grinned. "Kevin's started taking his first steps yesterday. He walked towards me. Now if we can only get him to start speaking." No matter how many times he's seen it, Crow would always be amazed at the smallest of things. From the first word, to the first crawl, or even the first day of school, he always acted like a proud parent.

Jack mustered a smile. "Hopefully he's nothing like you, or the entire world would go deaf from your incessant blabbering."

"Hey!" Crow slapped his shoulder, still smiling. He walked towards the basement parking lot and a few moments later, an engine revved and his runner came streaking out. He and Jack sat on their respective runners. "Alrighty, follow along. Try to keep up!" With that, Crow was streaking down the road.

Jack smirked. "Oh, you dare challenge me?" He took off after Crow, dodging the early morning traffic, zipping around corner after corner. The wind was blocked by his helmet, but stung sharply against his exposed neck. Buildings flashed by in a ripple of color.

Half an hour later, they rode onto a side street and turned right. A large tan building popped into view. Its garage doors were open and vehicles of every shape and size littered the interior. A small crane was visible in the corner. Some of the cars were suspended a few feet off the ground in various states of disarray and disassembly. The parking lot had two cars in it. They turned off their engines and parked next to one of the cars.

Jack's stomach did flip flops. He clutched Crow's sleeve. "Crow…I think I'm going to throw up."

"What the hell man? Come on, what happened to that bravado you showed before? The King doesn't puke. It's just a simple meeting."

Jack straightened and withdrew a cigarette. No way is he doing this without one. "Fuck. You're right. I am the King."

"There we go." Crow patted him on the back. "Don't get cold feet alright? If you do, I'll start calling you princess."

"Shut up, Birdie."

Crow grinned ducking the fist coming towards him. He walked towards one of the garages open doors. "Hey! Anybody home?!"

A young man with blue hair was carrying what seemed to be a toolbox and nearly dropped it on his foot when he heard Crows call. "What the—"

"Hey Bruno!" Crow waved in greeting.

"Hey Crow!" The young man was enthusiastic, but a bit more reserved. He held out a fist and Crow bumped it obligingly. "What do you need? Another repair? You were in here only last week, don't tell me you broke it already."

"Nah, nah. My runner's good. I'm here for Yusei." He beckoned Jack forward. "This here's Jack. You've heard about him haven't you?"

"Oh yeah." Bruno held out a hand. "Nice to meet you Jack. I'm Bruno. I guess you can say I'm a squatter here."

Jack shook the hand distractedly. "A squatter?"

"Yeah, I live here. In return, I help out around the garage."

"Bruno here is one of the top students at New Domino Engineering. He's from the countryside so he doesn't know much about the city," Crow said. "Where's Yusei?"

Bruno beckoned them inside. "I'll show ya. Watch your step. I haven't been able to clean up yet. We've been working on a project and so he hasn't slept in a few days." The garage smelt of motor oil. Wires and pipes were taped to the floor and tools were strewn about. One wall was covered in drawers and work tables with schematics tacked to the wall of cars and motorcycles. Another wall had a staircase that led upwards. Large hooks dangled from the ceiling.

Organized chaos. In other words, the type of place that would keep Yusei sane. The back wall was lined with four computers, all of them flashing the blue home screen as well as processors and extra keyboards. There was a figure sleeping on the table, a blanket covering his shoulders. His back was to them, but Jack recognized him instantly. An orange prescription bottle lay empty on its side on a heap of papers and pens. The figure himself was sleeping on a large textbook with scribbled notes. Similar books were stacked nearby.

"Yus. Hey Yusei, wake up." Bruno shook his shoulder gently.

Jack's heart twinged. He rubbed the spot over his heart absently.

Yusei stirred slightly and cracked open one blue eye. "No…" he murmured slightly and closed his eyes again.

Bruno shook his shoulders again. "Hey, come on. You have visitors. This is why I told you to take a break."

Finally, Yusei opened both his eyes with a scowl. He lifted his head, yawned. "Alright then. I'm up." He dropped the blanket from his shoulders.

"About time Yusei." Crow tackled him. "You really need to start taking care of yourself. Seems like Bruno's doing most of that—hey, what happened to your face?" Crow peered at Yusei's black eye and the bruises peeking out of his tank top.

Yusei extricated himself from Crow and swiveled his chair around. He waved off Crows concerns. "Some guy got into a scuff with Leo at the library two days ago. I guess the bruises haven't faded as much as I thought." Before Crow could say anything, Yusei held up a hand. "No, I'm not going to tell you who it was. I know what you're going to do."

"Really?" Crow said hotly. "What would I do?"

"You would confront him and end up back in the facility," Yusei said, crossing his arms. "You know the rules. If you end up in there for a third time, you wouldn't be coming out unscated. I'm not letting that happen."

"Tch…fine." Crow deflated.

Then Yusei's eyes met those of the blond man standing awkwardly behind Crow. His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth parted slightly. Jack stared at his face drinking in those blue eyes one of which was now ringed in black. The yellow brand down one side of his face. Those lean tawny shoulders. He hadn't changed. Much.

A second later, Yusei broke their stare. "Jack." He nodded grimmly. "So what do you guys need?" Then a lightbulb went off as Yusei noticed the helmet tucked under Jack's arm and his riding outfit.

"Well you see, our dear Jack isn't very good at keeping a mechanic around. Its like a sad romance. They either can't handle him or he can't handle them." Crow said.

"Let me guess-You want me to be his mechanic?" Yusei raised an eyebrow.

"Hey that He is standing right now." Jack interrupted. He felt nauseous and couldn't even look at Yusei. "Yes I would like you to be my mechanic. That is, if you want."

"Mechanic?"Bruno interrupted. He set down a cup of coffee down by Yusei. "Like you need a repair done or…?"Yusei took the cup with a smile. God Jack loved that smile. "Before you ask, yes I put in the sugar and creamer. 6 and 6."

"Thanks Bruno. You read my mind." He took a tentative sip.

"How does he not know what a mechanic is?"Jack asked.

"Bruno isn't from the city. In fact he's only been here for about a year and a half. Not enough time to know about the races. Guess it never came up in a conversation either." Crow mused.

Yusei swiveled his chair and sipped thoughtfully."You've seen the racers on the highways right? Well what you might not have known is that they're illegal but through bets you could make a fortune off of racing. These motorcycles are called runners-illegal racers. Now in order to stay on top of everyone else these riders usually hire or have some sort of mechanic on hand. That mechanic is in charge of keeping the runner up to date and better than everyone else's. It is pretty dangerous work. Different groups and gangs might try and attack other groups or even sabotage the races." Jack winced at that. Yusei continued. "It's messy. Security doesn't discriminate between riders and mechanics. If you get caught no matter who you are you're going to the Facility. "

"I see. Wait Crow aren't you a racer?" Bruno asked.

"Sure am." Crow took pride in the fact that he was never incarcerated for racing. "It's a huge part of our income. Most of the pro racers, even if they wouldn admit it, used to street race. Its every racers dream to go pro."

"Wait a moment."Jack could see the wheels turning inside Bruno's genius head. The blue haired man glanced towards Yusei.

"So you in Yusei?"Crow asked.

Yusei glanced at Jack and gave him a once over. His mind seemed to be fighting and reluctantly a resigned and grim expression overtook his face. "I'll take a look and see what I can do. Who was your last mechanic?"

"Fredrick."

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "What did he do? He's one of the best."

Jack scoffed. "The balance, the suspension. None of it ever felt right."

Yusei nodded."You're special Jack. You can feel the slightest change in balance plus every tiny inch the extra acceleration affords you. You're more in tune with your runner. I should know. I built your last one. I can see why you had so much trouble with Fredrick."

Jack nodded saying nothing.

"Anyway. You guys should go bring it in. I'll give it a shot." Yusei turned towards the computer, booting it up and opening a file.

Bruno started walking towards the garage entrance. "You heard him guys. Lets get it inside."

A few minutes of grunting later Jack's runner was hooked up to a stand equipped with jack stands and a transmission jack. A small table was set up and Bruno rushed around collecting tools, placing them carefully on the table.

"Damn it this thing is heavy."Crow huffed. They had to lift it onto the stands. "I've got grease stains on my cuffs."

"Go soak it in the sink or something." Jack responded offhandedly.

"Grease doesn't go away that easily you I needed it for work. The old geezer wants us to be neat…"

"I think we can wash it before tonight." Bruno reassured. "We can toss it in the washing machine. Hopefully it doesn't blow up again."

"Blow up? Its just washing clothes. How the hell do you mess that up?" Jack said.

Bruno grimaced. But before he could say anything Yusei's stomach growled loudly. They paused. Yusei's face went red. "Shoot, I haven't eaten in a while. Especially with all the meds."

"I'll go make breakfast." Bruno volunteered.

"I'll come with you." Crow said. "I'll take you up on that Bruno. Even if there's a risk I might never get this jacket back."

Jack grabbed Crow. His eyes were wide as though pleading for Crow to stay. Crow glared back in a look that meant 'Why are you so scared? You'll be fine.'

Jack let go and Crow flashed him a thumbs up when Yusei and Bruno weren't looking.

"What do you want for breakfast, Yusei?"Bruno asked from the stairs.

"Just reheat the dinner we had last night."

"That was two days ago. You didn't eat anything yesterday. "

"Oh..."

"Yusei seriously?"Crow admonished. "If Bruno wasn't here you'd be dead by now."

Yusei had the grace to look sheepish."I know. I'm sorry. I just got so caught up in this new program."

"Thats no excuse Yus. You're all skin and bones."

Crow and Bruno disappeared up the stairs.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack asked awkwardly. "So, you have a kitchen up there?"

Yusei nodded slowly as though he still couldn't believe Jack was here. "The 2nd floor has a small kitchen and 3 extra rooms. One of them is Bruno's, ones mine and the other's is just an extra room for storage." Yusei grabbed something Jack hadn't noticed before. A crutch. He hoisted himself then noticed Jack staring. A flash of irritation crossed over his normally calm features. "What?"

"Oh nothing. I-ah- Do you need help?"

"No I can manage." The dark haired man grabbed a laptop and fished out a connector cable from a bin of wires. He slowly limped over to the stool Bruno had placed next to Jack's runner. "How long have you had this one?"He asked casually.

"Only about 2 years. I totaled the one before."

"How many mechanics?"

"Seven."

Yusei let out a chuckle. "Are you trying to set a record or something Jack?"

"Well there truly is nobody else who can make me a proper runner like you. Everyone else is pure and utter garbage." He fingered the lighter in his pocket.

Yusei laughed lightly as he hooked up the laptop to Jack's runner."You flatter me."

"Please if I wanted to do that , I'd be telling you were good looking. And clearly your bed head disagrees with that statement."

For a moment the atmosphere turned jovial, then it reverted back to its tense state. Yusei turned away from him in silence and started typing out commands on his laptop. The awkwardness was palpable as Jack stood behind Yusei not knowing what to do.

"Um, Yusei?"

"Hm?"Yusei seemed engrossed in his analysis. He fiddled expertly with one hand, plugging in wires, opening panels revving the engine up and down.

"I just wanted to ask, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just-I... I saw your limp. Did-Did I do that? After the accident?" He cleared his throat. "I wanted to apologize for what I did. Thats the real reason I came today. I hurt you. I destroyed your life. I-I just want to know if you could forgive me- Yusei are you okay?" Yusei had gone stock still. Jack crossed around to look him in the face. His eyes were unfocused and glassy. His fingers trembled slightly.

"Yusei? Hey Yus?"Jack shook him slightly. "What's wrong?"His panic was growing now. He slapped his face lightly. That seemed to jolt him out of whatever was going on. "Yus?"

"Jack?"Yusei stiffened, Jack's hand was still on his shoulder.

He pulled away quickly. "Are you okay? You kinda went blank on me there."

"Oh sorry. I was just thinking." Jack knew this was a lie. If anything it looked like his brain had shut down. They were only a foot apart. Closer than they've been in years. "Sorry what were you saying?"

Jack closed his eyes and turned away. "It-it was nothing."

Yusei looked at him dubiously. "Well alright then." He went back to fiddling with Jack's runner.

The awkward silence returned and Jack crossed the threshold so that he was behind Yusei. It was easier to stare at the indecipherable code and text rather than Yusei's face which was unreadable in its own right. Occasionally he muttered to himself or asked Jack to reach a place he couldn't since he was bound to the stool. Yusei's leg was in a brace that seemed to be holding it straight. His crutch lay next to him. The sick feeling in Jack's gut didn't leave. Like he told Crow earlier he still felt like he was going to puke.

Bruno plugged the kettle for water into the wall. Thankfully it didn't explode. Crow walked down the hallway, his jacket in the washing machine which was in the bathroom. The kitchen was nestled in between the bedrooms and bathroom, complete with a shoddy dining table that creaked when things were placed on it.

"Whatcha makin?" Crow asked looking over Bruno's shoulder.

"Well I've got eggs so I was thinking of an omelet. But Yusei doesn't like eating omelets first thing in the morning so I was planning a few waffles for him and omelets for the rest of us."

"You don't have to make us anything." Crow leaned back against the table which creaked loudly.

"Its fine. I need the practice anyway. Plus Crow it looks like you're missing a few meals."

Crow grunted. Bruno took that as confirmation. "You take good care of him Bruno. Yus better appreciate you."

Bruno mixed the batter thoughtfully. "Hey Crow? What happened between them?" He pointed his wooden spoon downwards. "Yus and Jack I mean."

Crow sighed. "Did Yusei not tell you?"

Bruno shook his head.

"I see. I don't blame him. It was hard on everyone, especially him." He leaned his head back. "You've probably guessed by now, but Yusei was a racer. He was the best one around too. All set to go pro."

"You see around 5 years ago we learned that racing could make us alot of money which we needed for the orphanage we grew up in. Our foster mother, Martha, disapproved heavily but she knew that we were born to be on the road so she relented. It was illegal but the profits outweighed the risks. We built our runners from scratch and set out. Yusei was both our mechanic and our lead racer. Jack was second and I was last. You see-" He leaned forward slightly. "-races are conducted like this. You have your lead racer then you have your supports and your mechanic. Generally it's three to a team but lately we've upgraded to four. The lead racer is the one who races. The support racers clear out the path, so scout the route, keep an eye on security ect. They also watch the other team and make sure that there's no cheating. And the mechanic is basically our pit crew. They repair our runners if need be. Since Yusei was our mechanic we didn't have one to actually repair our runners if they're damaged so we had to be really careful. He was our lead. Jack and I switched on and off as supports. We were unbeatable. Needless to say everyone hated us."

"We decided to enter the New Dominio racing Competition, the biggest street race. Everyone who's ever gone pro has been its champion. We were finally in a place where we could pay the entrance fee and quite possibly win so we entered." He remembered the screams of the crowd. The rush of adrenaline in his veins.

"Because this race was longer and much riskier we were required to have two supports. So me and Jack flanked Yusei. We had to be extra sharp because Security would be looking and the other teams would definitely cheat. It went off without a hitch and we won the tournament. We split the cash three ways. I used mine to pay off one of my kids hospital bills and saved the rest. Jack splurged. He was never good with money and ended up with just a fraction of the winnings after only 2 weeks. And Yusei, he used it to upgrade his runner. He and Jack wanted to go pro. For them racing wasn't just a money maker it was a way of life. Yusei never felt more alive than when he was on a runner. I wish you'd have been able to see his face. I've never seen him so happy."

Bruno nodded. "So what happened?"

"Jack happened." Crow growled. "Yusei and Jack passed the Preliminaries. They just had to make it past the quarter finals then the finals. That night we were having a little celebration when one of our previous opponents decided to challenge us. He told us that he'd sell us out to Security if we didn't. Later we found out he was related to one of our previous opponents. The guys we beat in order to win the NDRC. We took up our positions. The other side bet a lot of cash so we matched it. Whoever won would be taking the whole pot. A high stakes wager. Jack and I were playing support. Before we entered the tournament, Jack had gotten into an argument with Yusei. He wanted to be the lead but he could never beat Yusei so we never let him. This time his behavior was erratic. The other team's supports would keep on trying to provoke us. Jack fell for it every time. Apparently he was a bit drunk and nobody noticed it. I was flanking Yusei down the bridge over the dam. Jack was supposed to be at the other end with the support from the other team, looking out for security. But he wasn't. He was off racing the other bastard leaving Yusei without a clear idea where he was going. I took Jack's place but that left Yusei wide opponent kept trying to ram his runner into Yusei's. Security caught up to us and I couldn't find a good enough route by myself. Yusei and the other rider got into a huge accident and Yusei was hauled off to the facility. I didn't see him for 2 years after that."

Crow's voice broke as the pain of that day washed over him. "I was furious at Jack afterwards. He'd bailed on us when we needed him the most. I didn't speak to him for months but he was my brother. No matter what he's done, I couldn't leave him. I found him completely wasted in his apartment. He'd been drinking way too much after that incident. I helped him get back on his feet but he never got over his guilt. Truth be told that's why I brought him here. I want us to get along again." Crow's voice softened.

"I see." Bruno said softly. "It must have been terrible, to not be able to do what you love anymore. What happened to Yusei in the facility?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell anyone. Racers get it a lot worse than all the other prisoners. When I was there my roomie was a racer and he came back to the room every night with bruises and broken bones. Then one day he didn't come back at all. The reason the sentences for racing are so short are because the punishments are so extreme." Crow said grimmly.

"I see." Bruno repeated simply.

Again sorry if Yusei is a bit OOC but I swear he will get better. His confidence is really down and he needs someone to lift him back up. (Jack!)

Please drop a review! Let me know what you guys think!