Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

When I Say Always, I Mean Forever

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters from the show and the Over the Nexus game are not mine. Any other characters and the story are! This is very loosely inspired by the soap opera-y movie The Promise and its cheesy but very sweet song I'll Never Say Goodbye. It's post-series, and as always, Radley is a sweetheart, as I always portray him.

The day had been normal up to that point. Radley and Kalin had been doing a routine inspection of the mines and the new tunnels being made. Now they were heading around the mountain with Klaus's truck to deliver some tools to the other side. They had no reason to think it wouldn't be a simple, routine trip. But as the truck picked up speed and Kalin tried to slow it down, his blood ran cold with a horrifying discovery.

"Radley, the brakes are out!" he cried.

Radley stiffened. "What?!"

Kalin clenched his teeth. "I'm pressing the pedal as hard as it will go and nothing happens!"

"But Klaus just had the truck tuned up!" Radley remembered. "Are they that incompetent?!"

"This speaks for itself," Kalin retorted. "I'll try to steer into that bush to make us stop."

"The bush?!" Radley stared at the desert plant. "Kalin, we'll just run it down and keep going!"

"I have to try something!" Kalin retorted. "There's nothing else around here!"

But the steering was also failing him. No matter how he tried to turn it towards the bush, it wouldn't go. Instead, they were just continuing to barrel down the mountain towards the ground.

Radley was sheet-white, gripping the seat and the seatbelt as they flew along. This was completely terrifying and he felt like screaming, but he didn't.

Kalin struggled with the truck as long as he could. When it became obvious he could do nothing more, he let go of the wheel and threw himself across Radley right before the impact.

Radley did scream then.

xxxx

Radley groaned as consciousness returned. His mind felt in such a fog. He really didn't remember much of what had happened, at least not until the pain stabbed him above his right eye and he jerked at the memory of the accident that had left him unconscious. He hadn't been alone.

"Kalin?!" he called. "Kalin?!"

Then the town doctor was there and gently pushing him back into the hospital bed. "Take it easy for once," he said gruffly but kindly. "You had a terrible shock."

"We were in Klaus's truck, taking some tools to the other side of the mountain," Radley stammered. "Something went wrong. . . . Kalin?!" Catching sight of blue hair in the other bed, he rose up again and looked over, his leather clothes rustling with the motion. Kalin was lying there, his eyes closed, very still.

The doctor immediately stepped in the way, trying to block his view. "Amazingly, you weren't too badly hurt," he said. "You took a knock to the head, but there's no sign of concussion."

Radley wasn't fooled or distracted. "But Kalin got it worse, didn't he?" he demanded. "When the brakes gave out, he tried so hard to steer the truck harmlessly into a bush. He couldn't. . . ." He started getting off the bed.

"Radley, I don't want to have to force you down," the doctor scolded.

"If I wasn't badly hurt, I should be able to get up," Radley countered. "So you must be worried about how I'll handle Kalin's state. But if you try to keep me away from him, I'll only get upset anyway." He walked around the doctor and over to the other bed. "Kalin? Kalin, it's me. Please . . . wake up. . . ." The complete stillness froze his veins and he looked to the physician in disbelieving devastation. "No. . . ."

"He was dead on arrival," the doctor said quietly. "When they found you both, he had thrown himself over you to protect you from the worst of the crash. It was very effective."

Radley shook his head. "No. . . . No, that's not possible! Kalin, he . . . he has to be alright! He has to . . ." He trailed off, shaking.

"I've called the Bunch," the doctor said kindly. "They're all coming as soon as they can get away from the diner. Yusei and the others are coming from the City too. Radley, I'm so sorry."

Radley barely heard. He was just staring numbly at Kalin. There had to be a mistake, a horrible mistake! And yet he could see that Kalin wasn't moving or responding. There was no indication of breath or a heartbeat.

Something in Radley snapped. He seized Kalin's shoulders, giving him several wild shakes. "Wake up! You have to wake up right now or everyone will think you're dead! Kalin . . ." He trailed off, his grip loosening as he stared at the lifeless body he now held. "Say something," he rasped helplessly. "Say something. . . . Please. . . ."

He fell forward over his best friend, sobbing on his chest.

xxxx

Standing over the scene in spirit form, Kalin stared in horror at Radley's heartbreak. "Radley . . . no. . . ." He reached out, trying to touch him, but of course his hand only went through. He rocked back, staring at both hands in devastation. "I don't want to be dead. Not now! I have too much to live for!"

How ironic it was, to live when he wanted to die and to die when he wanted to live. Kalin felt dizzy, helpless. He stumbled back into the doctor, who of course didn't see or hear or feel him either.

"How is this fair?!" Kalin finally cried. "Even if I don't deserve any blessings, Radley does! He doesn't deserve to lose me when he loves me so much! And . . . oh God, did he say Yusei was notified?! No. . . . Yusei has already seen me dead once and suffered with me being dead twice! God, please, please don't do this to Yusei again! Please . . ."

He went back over to the bed, desperate to get back in his body. But he was roughly repelled and he stumbled again. With increasing panic he tried again and again to re-enter his body, to no avail. Finally he just sank to his knees at the side of the bed and wept while Radley continued to lay on the bed and cry with his head on Kalin's chest.

"We had so much, and it's been taken away in a cruel instant," Kalin despaired.

"It's not lost," came Kasumi's voice from beside him. "Everything you've been through and experienced together still lives on in both of your memories and in Radley's heart. It's changed the both of you forever."

"That's not enough," Kalin objected of the angel. "We still wanted to be together. Are we really being pulled apart now?"

"You will never truly be apart," Kasumi said. "You love each other too much for that."

That answer wasn't good enough for Kalin. He got back to his feet. "You're really taking me then." He looked back to his grieving friend. "At least let me talk to him one last time. Please!"

Kasumi smiled at him. "You can have all the time you want. You can go back to your home, Kalin. Go back to the ones you love."

Kalin started, looking to her in shock. "But . . ."

"They still need you, and you them," Kasumi said. "I didn't come to take you away, just to heal you enough to let you go back. You've come so far on your journey and God loves you and is so proud of you."

"Proud of me?!" Kalin snorted. "How?"

"You've found your happiness in helping and protecting others," Kasumi said. "You've brought happiness to so many, including Radley."

"Without me, he's only half-alive," Kalin said. "I can't stand to see him so heartbroken." He looked away. "And I can't imagine I could be happy in Heaven without him."

Kasumi gently laid her hand on his body's heart until a white glow formed. "Try again now," she encouraged. "You'll be able to go back, but you may be unconscious for a time until your body regains the strength to wake up."

Kalin reached out, and this time his hand phased through. "Thank you," he said in relief.

xxxx

Radley felt the glow, even though he didn't see Kasumi or Kalin's spirit. He sat up, shaking, reaching to touch Kalin's chest. "Kalin?" he whispered. "Are you here? Are you coming back to me?"

It was a fanciful thing to wonder, of course. And yet, after the miracles they had experienced, he couldn't help but wonder and hope with all his heart. He bent down, praying to feel Kalin's breath on his face. But there was nothing. New tears pricked his eyes. It had been his imagination after all.

At that moment, the door burst open courtesy of Jack. "You!" he cried, pointing at Radley. "It's your fault this happened!"

Radley rocked back, hurt and devastation flooding his eyes. "And I'll never get over it!" he retorted.

"Jack." Yusei laid a hand on Jack's shoulder and walked past him into the room. "Radley, I know you're hurting just as much as the rest of us. Maybe more." He swallowed hard, staring at Kalin's lifeless body on the bed. "Is he really . . . ?"

Radley sorrowfully nodded. "He died saving me," he whispered. "I didn't even get to say Goodbye. . . . But you didn't either. . . . None of you did. . . . I'm so sorry. . . ."

"Radley, it wasn't your fault," Yusei insisted.

"I . . . if Kalin had been in the City with you, it wouldn't have happened," Radley said.

Yusei gripped his shoulder. "Kalin wanted to be here," he said. "He was happy here, with you and the Bunch and the kids. I never would have wanted to take him away from that."

"Kalin's place was with us," Jack growled.

"Hey, come on, man," Crow frowned as he appeared with Antinomy. "You're just upset and talking. You know you're the main one who's been saying how we've all moved on and we have different goals and dreams now and all that."

"That was when we were all still alive," Jack shot back.

"Jack, I think you should go out for some fresh air," Antinomy warned.

"I'm staying right here!" Jack snapped.

Radley got off the bed, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "Do you think I manipulated Kalin into staying here?" he asked. "He decided it of his own free will!"

"Because you were hurt and he wanted to atone for it," Jack said. "Then he got to liking being with you!"

"I wasn't the only reason he stayed," Radley said. "He wanted to keep helping the whole town!" He glowered at Jack. "You said you weren't jealous of me anymore. Was that a lie?"

Jack glowered right back. "I suppose you're going to bury Kalin here in this cemetery too, aren't you?!"

Radley flinched. "Yes, I am! It's what he wanted!"

"How do you know what he wanted?!" Jack yelled. "You didn't get to say Goodbye! You talked about it before?!"

"Yes!" Radley snapped. "You know how Kalin is! He'll talk about things like that!"

"Was!" Jack roared. "It's how he was! He's not here now!"

"STOP!"

Everyone jerked and looked over as Crow yelled. He stood in the middle of the floor, fists clenched, glowering mostly at Jack. But when he spoke again, he continued to address both of them.

"Look, I know we're all feeling pretty bad about Kalin. But he wouldn't want his friends carrying on like this! He'd want us to come together over this, not be driven apart! And Yusei, he's barely holding it together! Can't you guys try to get along for his sake, if nothing else?!"

Radley looked away. He had to admit to feeling more like the victim in the argument. Should he have just taken Jack's cruel words, knowing they were likely spoken in grief and not meant? With Jack, it was hard to say sometimes. Radley likely would have taken it had it been the Bunch, but from Jack it was harder to stand. Maybe because he still feared that they all blamed him for taking Kalin away. Maybe because he was afraid himself that Kalin's death was his fault.

Yusei went over to him. "I think we could all use some time to cool off," he said. "Me too. And . . . we need to say Goodbye."

Jack turned away. "That's not my thing. I'm not going to talk to a corpse."

"He'll say that now, but he will," Crow said low.

Radley went back over to Kalin and sank down on the bed. "Oh Kalin . . . we're all lost without you," he whispered. "We need you with us so much. Please . . . please come back to us. . . ." He bent over his friend in despair.

Suddenly Kalin stirred, smiling as he opened his eyes and shakily reached to brush Radley's hair away from his face. "I'm here," he said.

Radley jumped a mile and exclaimed for sheer joy, hugging Kalin close while trying to be careful of any injuries he may have sustained. "Oh Kalin . . . !"

The others looked up. "Kalin!" Yusei exclaimed.

"You really came back, man?!" Crow gasped.

Jack just stared.

Kalin wrapped Radley in a tender hug, kissing the side of his head. "Of course," he said.

Yusei smiled with joy as well. Despite trying to be aloof on his feelings so Radley wouldn't feel even worse, he hadn't known how he would stand it without Kalin. To believe him safe and then learn he wasn't had been a thoroughly devastating blow. "Kalin . . ." Then he wasn't sure what to say. The other times he had believed Kalin dead, he hadn't had a proper reunion with him. The first time, he hadn't seen Kalin again until he had reappeared as a Dark Signer. The second time, he had known about Kalin's revival but hadn't seen him until finding him in Crash Town.

Kalin looked at Yusei very seriously. "Yusei, I am so sorry to have put you through this again," he said. "Please forgive me."

Yusei shook his head. "You were protecting someone you love," he said. "It couldn't be helped."

"I hoped that somehow we would both make it," Kalin said.

"And we have," Radley said. "Thank God we have!"

Kalin smiled, hugging him again before drawing back to hug Yusei too. Surprised but happy, Yusei clutched him close.

Crow patted him on the shoulder. "You really scared us all, you know? You've gotta stop doing that!"

"I know," Kalin said. "I'm sorry."

Jack looked like he still hadn't worked out in his mind how to react. He wasn't above punching people who had seriously worried him. But after already causing so much hurt, he didn't want to cause more. He had noticeably relaxed, and when Radley glanced to him, he looked ashamed.

". . . I didn't mean what I said," he said gruffly. "I'm sorry, Radley."

Radley gave him a sad smile. "I know," he said. "You were hurting. I was too."

Kalin frowned. "What happened?"

"Oh, Jack just blew up at Radley," Crow said. "But it looks like it's water under the bridge."

Jack looked bewildered by that statement. "Really?" He stared at Radley. "You can just let it go after how hurtful I was?! I wouldn't be able to do that."

"If it had happened any other way, I'd probably stay mad and hurt," Radley admitted. "But we've never been close and a tragedy like this can cause emotions to run rampant. It's better not to take anything hurtful seriously when something like this is the context for it."

Jack looked down, deeply humbled.

The Bunch rushed in then, all looking disheveled. "Radley!" Scotch exclaimed, hugging him close. "Are you okay?!"

Radley smiled and hugged him, and the others when they went over too. "Yeah," he said. "I'm just fine."

"Is it really true about Kalin?!" Scotch rambled on. "We're so sorry it took us so long to get here. The whole town was practically rioting and it took all of us to calm them down!"

Kalin started. "They're that upset?"

"Yeah, they all love y- . . . Kalin!" Scotch immediately glomped Kalin in joy and some of the rest of the Bunch crowded in to hug him too. "I knew it had to be wrong! You couldn't really be gone!"

Radley grinned at the sweet scene. A bit overwhelmed but moved, Kalin hugged them back.

". . . I was gone," Kalin confessed. "But I was allowed back."

They hugged him more. "Everyone's going to be so happy!" Scotch gushed. "The kids are all crying! Some of the grown-ups too! Klaus is just devastated!"

"Yeah, what happened about his truck?" Radley frowned. "The brakes shouldn't have gave out."

Billy's expression darkened. "We're still checking it out, but it really looks like it might have been deliberately sabotaged," he said. "If it was, it was probably one of the Malcolm supporters still in town."

That sobered everyone.

"Who were they trying to kill?!" Jack boomed. "Klaus, or the two of you?!"

"That's the really weird part," Scotch said. "No one knew ahead of time that Kalin and Radley would be taking the truck over the mountain! So if it was on purpose, somebody must have been after Klaus!"

Radley was stunned. "Why would anyone go after a harmless old man?!"

"Maybe to get at you?" Virgil suggested angrily. "He's so good as your foreman."

Radley frowned, still not sold. "Maybe," he said. "Or maybe it has nothing to do with me. Either way, we have to find out."

"We will," Yusei promised. "But tonight you guys should rest."

Scotch nodded. "We'll keep investigating!" he said. "We'll stay alert!"

"And some of us should guard you two," Virgil said. "Just in case you were the targets. If they find out they failed, they might try again!"

"It really doesn't seem like we could have been the targets," Radley said slowly. "But we won't turn down protection, will we, Kalin?"

"No, we won't," Kalin said, hugging Radley again. He wouldn't let anything else try to separate them now.

xxxx

It wasn't a surprise when Radley started and flinched during the night, awakening from a horrible nightmare. His heart still racing, he looked to where Kalin was laying next to him, arms wrapped around him and clearly breathing.

Kalin stirred, looking sleepily to Radley in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Radley said softly. "Because you're alright. I dreamed that you weren't." He shuddered.

Kalin hugged him close. "I'm so sorry."

"And the thought that someone deliberately caused the brakes to fail, that they put us in that horrible position on purpose, is too much to stand," Radley continued. He clutched at Kalin, shutting his eyes tightly.

"We'll find out what happened," Kalin vowed. "Somehow. And if it was on purpose, they'll pay."

Radley sighed. "I guess that should comfort me, but it doesn't, really. It won't change what almost happened."

"You're such a bright star in the darkness of my life's sky," Kalin whispered. "Of course the thought of vengeance or even justice wouldn't really comfort you."

". . . Does it comfort you?" Radley had to ask.

"In the sense that they won't be able to get away with any other attempts, yes," Kalin said.

Radley couldn't argue with that. "That's what I want too," he said. "I just hope we can catch them before anything else can happen. What if the Bunch gets hurt looking into this?"

"Don't think about that," Kalin said. But from the way he had tensed, it was obvious he was thinking about it too.

"We're both going to worry about them," Radley said. "You might as well admit it."

"You've had enough worry for one night," Kalin said. "And what was it Jack said to you?" He frowned.

Radley looked away. "He blamed me for what happened. He acted like you should have been with him and the others in the City. And he was upset you'd be buried here. He said he was just speaking in grief, but maybe he really does resent that you chose to stay here. He didn't answer me when I asked if he really wasn't still jealous."

"It was still my choice to stay," Kalin said.

Radley looked up at him again. "You never regret it or wish you were there?"

"I think it would be wonderful if we were all in the same place," Kalin admitted. "But we have different goals, different desires. It's better for most of them to live in the City, since that's where they can most easily accomplish their lives' dreams. And it's better for me to live here. We have a town to take care of, and I know you and the Bunch love it here like I do. It's strange; I never thought I would feel fulfilled in a place like this, but I do. This is what I want. I don't regret it at all. And I never wish to be in the City unless we can all be there together. I couldn't stand to live somewhere without you."

"That's how I feel too," Radley said. "I guess sometimes I'm still insecure when I know you still love the others too, and they you. I don't want to stand in your way if you ever want something else. When I made that awful threat to you, it was because I still needed you in town to help with fighting Malcolm. Otherwise, even though I could hardly stand to let you go, I would have."

"I know." Kalin hugged him. "But I will never want something that doesn't include you. Please believe that."

Radley smiled. "Thank you, Kalin. I feel the same."

"Even Heaven," Kalin said. "I don't know how it would even feel like Heaven without you there." He shut his eyes sorrowfully. "When I thought Kasumi was going to take me, I didn't know how I would bear to be taken away from you."

"I hope we'll never have to find out what that's like," Radley said softly. "Maybe we'll both be very long-lived and go together someday far in the future."

"Maybe," Kalin said. He sounded doubtful, yet hopeful. He didn't want to think of Radley dying, yet when he did, the thought of it being far in the future and both of them going at the same time was comforting.

"Let's just be happy in the present for now, though," Radley continued.

"I am," Kalin said. "So immeasurably happy."

Radley certainly was too, aside from the worries surrounding the question of why this had happened. He settled back into the bed, snuggling against Kalin. "We should probably try to sleep more. . . ."

"I know," Kalin said.

But they stayed awake a while longer, just rejoicing in being alive and together and reluctant to sleep and possibly become lost in more nightmares of what could have been. When eventually they dozed at last, they were hugging each other even closer.