"Go Red Dragon Archfiend, obliterate Yusei's remaining life points! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack shouted to his dragon as he rode fast around the bend of the track that both he and Yusei were training on, preparing himself for the trap that Yusei had laid down a few turns before. He was ready for it, he knew it was coming, could feel the adrenaline rise up in him as he prepared to call out a counter, his arm raising up almost on instinct, waiting for the moment that he could begin his counter attack…

…But the moment never came.

The attack hit Yusei at full force, sending the other boy's remaining life points to zero as they both came to a stop along the track.

Jack had won, but he didn't think he'd felt so angry about winning in all his life.

His victory felt cheated. Wrong. He loved winning, loved the feeling of victory after a hard fought battle, but the last few times he had duelled the younger boy he was left sorely disappointed by the lack of a fight that Yusei put up. It wasn't as if the other boy wasn't trying, Jack wouldn't still be challenging him if he didn't at least put some effort into their duels, but it seemed that Yusei was now, well, the best term Jack could think of would be distracted.

Before, Yusei could carve his way through a duel with an elegance and sophistication that would leave most baffled, but now he stumbling through his moves with all the grace of a toddler on roller stakes, barely being able to plan more than a couple of moves ahead.

Jack had had enough. Yusei could be distracted in his own time as much as he wanted to be – in fact, Jack noted, that was his friend's perpetual state of being these days – but as soon as he bought that distraction into a duel? Well, Yusei's distraction officially became Jack's problem.

And Jack intended to fix it.

Pulling his helmet from his head, he walked over to the other boy. "What the hell is your problem, Yusei?"

Yusei didn't even get off his duel runner, simply pulled his helmet off and oriented himself towards Jack with a look of confusion in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"This!" Jack gestured to the younger boy's deck, "don't tell me you can't see that whatever problem you're dealing with is affecting your duelling!"

Yusei looked away. "It's nothing."

"Bullshit it's nothing! You wouldn't be duelling like this if it was nothing!"

Crow chose this moment to intervene. "That's not fair, Jack."

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed his game drop, Crow."

The two boys looked towards the orange haired duelist, who eventually caved in under the pressure of their combined stares.

"Well…You've got to admit that you're not exactly playing at your best, Yusei."

The boy in question lowered his head.

"Look I…I know I haven't exactly been myself lately. Both in and out of a duel but…I guess you could say my mind's been focusing on something else. There's this thing that I'm trying to figure out. I guess it's been affecting you guys more than I knew."

"What the hell are you doing duelling, then?"

"Jack!"

"No Crow. If this 'thing' that Yusei is trying to figure out is affecting his duelling this badly, why the hell isn't he focused on fixing it? He knows I want to beat him at the top of his game – not whatever crap this is."

There was a pause before Yusei spoke again.

"I didn't think it affecting my duelling that badly."

Jack let out a short laugh. "You didn't think it was…You know what? Forgot it! I'm out of here."

As he began to walk back to his duel runner Crow called out to him. "Jack, come on man!"

"No! I'm going over to Kazama's. At least there I'll be able to get a decent duel!"

"Duels don't usually end with hickeys, Jack!"

Either Jack didn't hear him or he chose not to answer, because before Crow had even finished speaking he was speeding out of the practice track, the other two boys watching him go.

As soon as he was out of sight, Crow let out a groan. "Does he have to be so obnoxious?"

"He's right though." Crow was struck but how quiet and defeated the other boy's voice sounded. The two of them didn't admit that Jack was right that often – they did it as little as possible in fact, the guy didn't need the ego boost – but to hear him say it like that…Well. Maybe the thoughts that were plaguing Yusei's mind were affecting him more than Crow had originally thought.

"What?"

"He's right. I need to work through this. Give myself space to air out these thoughts that have been clouding my head. I need…I need to be alone. I'm going to the outlook." Yusei said, pulling his helmet back on and revving the engine.

"I'll see you later, I guess." With that he drove off, leaving Crow standing in the middle of an empty practice track in the midday sun, slightly confused and more than a little worried.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you later."

When the hours ticked by and the sun began to set and Yusei still hadn't come home, Crow began to grow anxious. It was all well and good that Yusei was trying to work through his problem – Crow actively encouraged it, in fact – but he didn't want the younger boy to think he was alone, or get so lost in head that he ended up staying outside for hours and catching a cold.

He was the self-appointed 'mom friend', sue him.

So getting on his duel runner – and making sure to get an extra coat in case it got really cold – he began riding to the outlook, and hoped that his friend hadn't decided to move.

Yusei hadn't moved, thank god. So leaning over the railing, overlooking the city is where Crow found him, though it seemed at some point he'd taken his jacket off and Crow had to wonder why when the winds were rushing around them as they were. Yusei's hair seemed determined not to stay in its place, whipping around him at the will of the wind, seeming intent on dancing right in front of the younger man's face. Crow wondered if he could even see anything, he hadn't seen Yusei's hands even inch away from the spot they rested on since he'd come up to check on him.

It was almost funny, Crow thought as he approached the other duelist, careful to make his footsteps noticeable so Yusei had a chance to hear him approach even though he didn't seem to notice, the other boy didn't look particularly sad, and he certainly lacked the theatrics to suggest he was going through something as serious as all-consuming grief, but the aura surrounding his friend had never felt so…lost. Hopeless, even.

Crow was determined to change that.

Leaning over the railing next to Yusei, who was still oblivious to his presence, the older boy decided a more direct approach was required to break the silence.

"Hey."

The word startled Yusei from whatever thought was possessing his mind, and when he looked around he seemed genuinely shocked at the passage of time that had gone by as his eyes came to rest on the sunset that was only just visible though the city, hand coming up to his face to tuck the errant hair behind his ear. When Yusei turned his head to face Crow, he did so with a small smile upon his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey."

"You gonna tell me what's be eating ya?"

Yusei chuckled. "You're not going to leave until I do, are you?"

Crow shrugged. "Nope."

Yusei sighed, and turned to look back at the setting sun, and for the longest of moments Crow didn't think the other boy was going to speak again, until he lowered his head and sighed again.

"Do you remember that whole incident with Paradox? How the Crimson Dragon took me back in time to make sure he didn't ruin our time line?"

Crow's brows furrowed. "Yeah. What about him?"

"I didn't exactly…do it alone."

The older boy's eyes widened. Yusei hadn't really spoken about the Paradox incident – not to him, not to anyone really – the most than anyone knew was that he went back in time to make sure that things were set right. He'd never mentioned meeting anyone when he went back – let alone having help.

"There was two other guys that helped me, both from different time periods. One was a duelist named Jaden Yuki and the other was…"

"Was?"

"Yugi Moto."

"The King of Games?!"

Yusei smiled, it was a soft smile, Crow noted, something that was barely visible on his face, but the way his eyes lit up spoke for themselves.

"Yeah. Well, technically. It was the spirit that lived inside his puzzle really. He was nice. Really nice. Saved Stardust for me. And the way he smiled at me afterwards…" Yusei trailed off, a small blush sitting high on his cheeks as he tucked another errant piece of hair behind his ear and suddenly Crow could guess exactly what had been distracting his friend all this time.

"You like him, don't you?"

Yusei's eyes widened, and his hand fell away from where it was playing with his hair against his ear. The suggestion of a blush that was resting on his cheeks became full blown. "I…Yeah. Maybe more than like. Maybe a lot more than like. I don't know. I just know that when we parted…I think he felt the same way."

"What? Are you saying you think the King of Games was left behind harbouring a crush, maybe even love, a guy who, for him, hasn't even been born yet?" Crow asked.

Another small smile graced Yusei's lips, a look in his eyes that Crow couldn't quite identify – but he was slightly taken aback from the intensity of the emotions he could see swirling in those blue depths. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Alright then."

Yusei turned towards him so fast Crow was left to silently wonder how he hadn't got whiplash, causing the older boy to laugh.

"What? You've gone back in time once already, right? What's stopping you from going back or, hell bringing him here?" Crow chuckled, "I think I'd like to meet the guy that has you head over heels to the point of distraction."

Yusei continued to stare at him, his mouth opening and closing as the younger boy tried to think of a response. Crow just patted him on the back.

"I think Jack would as well, I mean, the guy was the King of Games – and a pharaoh to boot! I know he'd just love a chance to try his skills against him."

"Crow…"

When he looked towards the younger boy again, his joking mood disappeared as he took note of the tears that were gathering in the corners of Yusei's eyes, and he couldn't help but smile a little at the wide grin that was making itself known. Yusei looked – for the first time in a long time – happy. There might have been tears in his eyes and he might've started shivering from the cold, but looked more like himself than he had in weeks, and that was something Crow was thankful for.

"You'll see him again, Yusei. If your feelings for him are this strong, and you think his are the same, then I have no doubt that somehow you'll meet again."

Yusei sniffed, nodding to himself as he wiped his eyes with the back of his arm. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Besides…" Crow flashed him a smile as he grabbed Yusei's discarded jacket and put it over his shoulders.

"You'll get your happily ever after, I'm sure of it."

And from the smile that Yusei gave him, he knew the other boy believed it too.