Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own this franchise or any of its characters.
Author Note: By the way in case you haven't noticed this is slightly AU-y. It's a what if fic. The what if being what if someone else was dicking with the timestream causing everything to go differently.Hey Imma explain the timeline now cause some people may be confuzzled. Jack's was about a week before Crow's. Crow's and Brave's happen at the same time. Harald's and Kazama's happen at the same time up to when they get in the car as it then continues. Dragan's happens about four hours ahead. Divine's is at the same time as Crow's and Brave's. Any more would be super duper spoilers. So here's
Meltdown
Om nom nom. Mmn, jellybeans. My console starts buzzing. I drop the bag at the news.
"Divine has escaped. You are the only one near him. I'm sorry Kaz." Mikage stutters.
"It'll be alright!" I wink.
She looks relieved. I hope she won't worry about me. I hate it when people are concerned.
"So where is he?" I ask.
"We don't quite know." Mikage mumbles.
"Well what do you know?" I ask.
"We know that he's around you and that he's driving a prison truck. And he has a hostage."
"Who's the hostage?"
"We don't know."
"What does the hostage look like?"
"A young albino woman with spikey hair."
"Alright. She won't be hard to miss. Anything else?"
"No."
"Alright."
I motion to shut it off.
"Kaz?"
"Yeah Sagiri-San?"
"Don't die."
She's so concerned. She's always so worried. Even about me. It's cute. Right time to go.
"Psst, I'll be alright."
"Okay."
I shut the console off and begin to drive. You know it isn't supposed to rain today. That's what makes this strange. After all it isn't raining anywhere but around here. Oh no this isn't more magic is it? It's always magic in this city. Unnamed and unfaced villains with abilities beyond the norm. And now that Yuusei's gone—I can't think about it like that. It's depressing. Alright let me check in with Ushio.
"Ushio hey." I smile.
"What do you want?" He grumbles.
"Have you heard about—"
"Divine yep but I have bigger problems to deal with."
"Like?"
"Some kid is threatening to blow up the part of the city unless the hostage is released. Some really weird shit's going down."
"Well then I'm glad I'm chasing after the sociopathic psychic and not where you are."
"Yeah, yeah. Kazama make sure whoever's in the car get's out alive. If there are any doubts the whole place is going boom."
"Alright."
Well now the fate of the city rests in my hands. This isn't quite as refreshing as I had hoped. Who's in that truck anyway? Ushio called it a car, hah. Focus. That person must be important if the city's in danger. It's probably someone with magic. It's always magic. The console buzzes again.
"We have a problem Kaz." Mikage tears up.
"What?" I ask.
"Divine stopped."
I speed up and am forced to slow down by the wreckage of a white car and a prison truck in front of me.
"I think I know why. I have to go Mikage."
I stop and step out of my car. Police cars were recently ordered to prevent more dueling related deaths. Funny as all we got were traffic related deaths because we could no longer force our opponents to a slow speed. They'd just go so fast they'd kill themselves and innocents around them.
"Ah. Some of it's from his sinuses and the other is from his stomach. This is bad. There is nothing you can—"
I grab my phone and dial 119.
"Yes hello someone has been in an accident downtown on the highway. I don't know which I wasn't paying attention but you can't miss it." I inform them setting it down on the seat so they can trace it.
"Anyone called 119?" A gruff voice calls.
"I have." I reply.
A tall man with dark skin and black hair runs over.
"Hey aren't you security?" He asks.
"I am. My name is Kazama and I'm here for the man in the truck. He's an escapee from prison." I explain.
"This guy's a criminal?" He pursues.
"Yes." I explain again.
"Dragan make sure Brave isn't going unconscious." A man in the car commands.
"Alright." The other one states.
He walks over to check. What's going on here? The rain stopped. Stranger and stranger. Alright. Let's go through this. One Jack Atlus dies, two Yuusei dies, three Divine escapes, four he grabs a hostage, five, some kid wants or needs the hostage and threatens to blow up part of the city, six magic is somehow involved. Magic's always involved. Think, think, think. I've got it! Yuusei mentioned that he defeated a man with the help of the legendary Mutou Yuugi and Yuuki Judai. Time traveled must have been involved for that to happen. This happened just before he rescued Kyosuke Kiryu. So someone's screwing with the timeline. It is freaking magic! Knew it. So then the hostage in the truck is so important that someone threatened to explode the city. The hostage must be one of the causes for the time issues. So a time traveler killed two people that are important to the future and caused a chain reaction that will kill many more unless I save the hostage! Time to be a hero! At last!
The console buzzes again. Mikage looks frazzled and is tearing up again.
"K-Kaz, he did it." She hoarsely chokes. "He did it. He heard about the crash. He did it. All the emergency services have been diverted there. Do crowd control. I don't care if Divine leaves the country! Just don't let anyone die! I don't think I could handle that!"
"Everything will be alright. I promise." I reply.
It's a lie. I'm terrified and I don't think I can do this. But I will try my hardest because this time I'm the hero!
I turn to the wreckage and the three men.
"An explosion happened in the city! I'm sorry but most of the emergency services were diverted there." I explain.
"So the ambulance won't get here?" The dark man snarls.
"I'm afraid not. I could take him in my car but you'd have to be with him and so would your friend because I don't have anybody with me with medical knowledge." I panic.
"It's no problem!" He shouts in return.
"Uh okay, I'll help you pull them out." I cry.
"Do not move Brave too fast." The light man calls.
I pull at the young man frantically and he breaks free with a larger hole. He coughs up more blood and it dribbles down onto the ground.
"What did you do?" The light man sobs.
"We made the hole bigger!" The dark one whimpers.
"You fools. Quickly get him to the hospital." The light one shrieks.
"The nearest is a good half hour away, probably longer with the traffic influx." I explain.
"Pick one off the traffic routes!" The lighter man screeches.
"That one's an hour away!"
"Then speed!"
The darker man bends the metal so he can free his friend. They seem quite close. Like Yuusei always was with everyone.
"This is a feat even for you." The lighter one chuckles.
"Not now Harald." The darker one grumbles.
I run into the car. Divine speeds past on foot. Should I? But Mikage said... and what Mikage says gos! After all if I don't do this then this man will die and that is, that is, unacceptable!
"Dragan are you okay?" The lighter one asks.
"Yeah Harald. I feel like I'm going to puke but I'm perfectly fine." Dragan replies.
"I am glad." Harald whines.
He looks tired and begins to fade in and out of consciousness.
"Dragan I am tired. No I am not dying. I am only tired. Please wake me up if something happens." Harald whimpers.
"I will alright? You deserve a nap. You only have bruises and the broken rib so you should be fine." Dragan murmurs.
"Are you sure you are alright?"
"Yes."
"Please always be alright."
The man passes out.
"So Kazama was it? Go off road." Dragan demands.
"This isn't an off roa-" I reply.
"Don't sass me! Do it! Please!"
With a frown I spin the wheel of the car and swerve it off road.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" I scream over the sound of burning pavement.
"YEEEEEEESSSSS!" He screams even louder.
He has a pair of lungs on him. He this is much faster. I can see the hospital in the distant. I speed up as fast as I can accelerate on this car. Thank you Director Yeager for spending more of the budget on faster cars.
I let Divine go. One of the most dangerous men in the world ran past me and I did nothing. I did it to save the life of an innocent! How many more lives have I endangered by letting him go? A hero would do this! Yes, yes a hero would do this and I am a hero, just for this time, just for this moment. I don't know how many lives I have doomed but I do know that this life I can save! This person I and I alone can save! And I never would have forgiven myself if I had not! I spin to the side and break just before I hit the hospital. Dragan throws open the door and carries the still heavily bleeding red head to the building. I open the door and carry Harald inside.
It smells like death and gunpowder. It smells like bacon in here. The lights burn my eyes. People, there are so many people with so many burns. Burning people smell like bacon. Burning people smell like bacon. Burning people smell like bacon. I'm gonna be sick. I put down the silver haired man and vomit on the ground. A nurse looks disgusted and sighs. She takes Harald into a room and leaves me and Dragan standing here. He looks like he already vomited.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"Yeah just worried is all. Don't worry about me. Don't worry." Dragan frowns.
I pull out a packet of cigarettes.
"You smoke?" I ask him.
"No." He replies.
"Funny, neither did I." I reply.
Everything will be alright, at least for this moment. Alright?