Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Gx, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (even more so than the minor characters in the show - save for Nozomi and Hiroshi. My fingers ran away with them, and I like the dynamic they made too much to change it. I find them amusing). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you're only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz. Now enjoy!
Two years later...
Yusei sighed as the acceleration chip in his newly finished D-wheel blew a circuit… again. That was the fifth chip in a week. He had one more, but the Hope of the Satellite wasn't sure it would work. He was sorely tempted to use a new chip if one happened to show up, despite knowing the only way that would happen is if the Public Safety Bureau set a trap for him. After all, he's built a D-Wheel before. (And he doubted they didn't realize he was building another. Hence why Yusei and his friends moved hideouts within the subway tunnels every so often.)
After a quick check to confirm the chip was indeed busted beyond repair, even with Yusei's considerable skill with electronics, the now-eighteen-year-old began pushing his D-Wheel back to the current hideout. He heard the TV going and knew that Taka, Nerve, and Blitz were home. Rally was probably still out with Hiroshi, the two having become fast friends. Nozomi, Hiroshi's sister, no doubt watching over her little brothers. The young woman had teasingly said she was kidnapping Rally so Hiroshi could have a little brother of his own. Yusei just teased back that that made her his daughter since he saw Rally as his son, causing the then-eighteen-year-old to splutter at the thought of a father-figure that was younger than her. (She since compromised with Yusei by being his "step-sister" and Rally his "nephew" to everyone's amusement.)
To Yusei's surprise, Nozomi was home too. No wonder dinner was already being made (and actually smelled edible). Yusei pushed the D-Wheel up the ramp, making a mental note to break it down and move it to the next hideout in five days so he could use the D-Wheel as a means to help move stuff next week (even if it still couldn't be ridden).
"What's for dinner?" Yusei asked as he opened his laptop to run a diagnostic on his D-Wheel. He was originally going to name it the "Yusei-Go" as a joke because his friends always cheered him on in a duel with that phrase… But decided on "Hope" in honor of what he represented to the Satellite.
"Yusei," called the voice of a middle-aged woman. Yusei turned to see Martha, his foster mother (and the only mother he knew) standing behind him. He was at the docks again, gazing out at Neo Domino City, wondering how Jack was really doing (TV interviews don't count, Jack won't show insecurity before thousands upon millions of people) and how he was going to bring Kiryu back from his complete mental breakdown (last anyone had heard, he was moved to a part of the Facility for the criminally insane).
Martha stepped up next to Yusei, gazing out at the shining city across the water that just took and took and gave nothing but pain and grief in return. A utopia, they said. More like a dystopia in Martha's eyes, one hidden beneath glitz and glamour. But no matter how much the package was prettied up, once you looked beneath, it was uglier than even the Satellite was on the surface. At least the Satellite didn't lie about the life people were forced to live.
"You're not thinking of leaving too, are you?" Martha asked. She knew Yusei wouldn't, but the boys hiding behind the rusted-out crates had their doubts, but were too afraid of the answer to ask.
"Not permanently. I need to get Stardust back. And while I'm there, I plan on knocking some sense back into Jack and bringing him home. Might shake a few things up too, like revealing who my parents were and how I'm only a citizen of Satellite because they died during Zero Reverse before returning home," Yusei replied.
"Fair enough. Just be careful. That city's more dangerous than a den full of snakes," Martha advised. "We can't afford to lose you. You've kept our hope alive all this time."
"I know…" the 17-year-old said quietly. He had just had his birthday 3 weeks ago, seven months after Jack's betrayal. He had already shown that even without Team Satisfaction, Yusei would protect the innocents in Satellite. He had beat that gang of twenty not a month after Jack left, and rescued Hiroshi two weeks later. Now he and his friends were doing much better financially, partly from Yusei's electronic repair business he started, and partly because Nozomi was a damn good cook and sold some meals. Martha let her use the vegetables from the orphanage's garden in lieu of monetary payment, leaving them with more money to use for necessity's other than food. After all, Nozomi had an amazing green thumb, and Martha's garden had never looked better or bore more fruit.
Martha smiled at Yusei. "Don't worry too much about living up to everyone's expectations. You're the Hope of the Satellite because of who you are. No need to change."
Yusei smiled at Martha. His mom always knew what to say.
"Hmm.. Oh, fish stew," Nozomi replied, somewhat distractedly. "Rally and Hiroshi managed to get a few decent-sized sea bass today. There's also fresh bread from Martha. I gave her a couple of sea bass in return."
"I bet you just left them in the ice chest rather than offer them. She'd have never accepted them otherwise," Yusei smirked. Knowing Martha as he did, she'd insist on them keeping the fish for themselves. Nozomi just smiled back with false innocence, making Yusei laugh.
'Score five points! Take that Taka, he actually did more than chuckle!' Nozomi thought triumphantly. Because Yusei so rarely laughed loud enough for anyone to hear, preferring to smirk or smile in response to amusement, she and Taka had start competing to see who could make Yusei laugh more often. One point for an audible chuckle, five points for true laughter, and ten points if they got Yusei to actually giggle. (So far, neither had succeed in the last even once.)
"Need any help?" the younger of the two asked, having washed his hands of the grime from working on his D-Wheel. The acceleration chip was definitely fried. He'd try the next one tomorrow.
"Sure, could you cut those onions for me. Preferably not next to me?" Nozomi asked. Onions actually hurt her eyes. Most people were at least somewhat sensitive to onions, but Nozomi, while not allergic, was pretty darn close. She couldn't even be in the same room as an onion being cut without an immediate and painful reaction. Yusei nodded, grabbed three large onions, a plate, and a knife, and walked to the nearby service tunnel. It was enough distance to keep Nozomi's eyes from nearly swelling shut from the reaction she had to onion fumes. A table had long since been set up as a counter in there for this very reason. After a quick check to make sure it was clean (it was, Nozomi wiped it down before starting dinner), Yusei quickly diced up the onions, waited a couple of minutes for the worst of the fumes to be released, and walked back, dumping the onions into the pot of water next to the stove to keep any lingering fumes from affecting his sister. Nozomi gave him a thankful smile and passed him a fish. He got to work gutting and filleting it while Nozomi worked on the base of the stew. Soon enough, the pot of stew was simmering on the stove as the meal cooked, Martha's bread being warmed in the oven with some basil and fish oil acting as butter on it. It was too bad diary was far too expensive for Satellite citizens, but the people made do with what they had.
Yusei walked over to the TV to see what Nozomi had had on as background noise since Taka, Nerve, and Blitz weren't home like Yusei originally thought. Looked like the Dueling Channel. Huh, Jack was dueling tomorrow. While Yusei still had mixed feelings about Jack, he refused to be truly angry at his brother. Jack had been hurting after Kiryu's mind snapped, and someone probably took advantage of the fact he'd do anything to escape the painful memories. If Yusei knew Jack, he was regretting his decision, but hiding it behind a mask of egotism and selfishness. After debating with himself for a bit, he decided he didn't want to see Jack duel with a mask - he'd duel Jack himself soon enough and see who his brother had become.
"Jack's dueling tomorrow," Nozomi said softly as she looked over Yusei's shoulder. She may not have ever known Jack personally, but she knew the mess he created when he left. She couldn't find it in her to be angry with him though - Yusei was the one Jack wronged the most, and the young man forgave him because the other boy was just trying to escape. Running never helps escape an inner demon, but that doesn't stop people from trying. She just hoped Yusei could find a way to bring his brother back.
Nozomi placed a hand on Yusei's forearm, gaining his attention. "Go get Rally and Hiroshi for dinner, they should be near the entrance to the surface. Taka, Nerve, and Blitz should be back soon, then we can eat," she said gently, understanding of the pain Yusei must be feeling. The blue-eyed man nodded and went up to get his "nephews", passing the other three men in their makeshift family as he went.
"Help Nozomi set the table, I'll be right back with the boys," Yusei instructed, and his brothers each nodded. Yusei nodded back before stepping into the dying sunlight.
'And that's the last of them,' Yusei thought as the final acceleration chip he had blew out during a test drive the next week. It had lasted the longest, so hopefully Yusei could fix it. Rally and Hiroshi had found a few more acceleration chips before they moved to the new hideout, but now there was little chance of finding another before the maintenance on the sewer line two nights from now - especially one that would work. If that happened, he'd need to wait another month before trying again. Yusei began pushing his D-Wheel towards the hideout once more. He paused briefly as he heard the TV on with a cheering crowd coming through.
'That's right, Jack had another duel today. Man wonder what's up, he's had one every day for the past week,' Yusei thought, not paying much attention to the MC on the TV. Nor did he listen to Jack self-deprecating words. He made them seem important and powerful, but saying the King's duel had to be entertainment for all - going by the King motif, that made him a jester, not a king. And Jack was admitting that, maybe not even realizing it as he did so. No, Yusei knew Jack didn't know what he was admitting to, what he was asking for. Good thing Yusei was close to reaching his goal and entering the city to help free his brother from the gilded chains he wore.
'Don't worry, Jack. I'm coming, and I'm going to make things right.'