Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

A Change in My Life

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is a follow-up to So Much Beauty and Love Inside Us, as there was much more to tell but I felt it needed a separate story to tell it in. It picks up immediately after the Crash Town arc and will largely be about Kalin adjusting to his new life and new family. As always, Radley is a nice guy, the way I honestly see him. Segment titles will start out being taken from A Change in My Life but may branch out to other songs I associate with these two, such as Hold On Forever.

With You I Belong

Kalin had never had many belongings to call his own.

As a child, he had had very few toys, and those he had, he had scrouged up himself. His alcoholic father hadn't paid any attention. Kalin's favorites had been his Duel Monsters deck and his Dyna Dude figures, and he had taken those with him through all the rest of his life.

He didn't care much about having a large wardrobe, either. And while he had liked flashy colors in the past, now he mostly had clothes in blacks, grays, and washed-out blues and purples. He only had a few articles he had to collect when returning to Mrs. Rickshaw's boarding house for his belongings.

He paused as he straightened up from the dresser drawers. The pictures Scotch had taken of their snow adventure were still on top. He had given them a place of honor, even though he hadn't fully understood why, or let himself understand why. Now he understood. He would never leave those behind. He gathered them and the Dyna Dude figures into his pockets before turning to leave.

Mrs. Rickshaw was standing there with her cat Quilla, regretful tears in her eyes but a kind smile on her mouth. "I wish you weren't leaving," she lamented. "You've been my best boarder in ages."

"Radley's abolishing the dusk duel system," Kalin said. "You shouldn't continue to get wild boarders now."

Mrs. Rickshaw didn't look appeased. "But that's not really the point! I'll miss you, Kalin!"

"I'll still be in town," Kalin said awkwardly. It was still such a new concept to grasp, that anyone would miss him.

She smiled more. "Radley will take good care of you," she said. "And you'll take good care of him. I'm happy for you both."

Kalin nodded. "I'm happy too," he said, and meant it. Crash Town had been saved, and so had he. At last he could accept and embrace being with Radley, knowing it was what they both wanted. He was no longer bent on his path of self-destruction, but was moving forward into the future with friends old and new.

"Quilla will miss you too," Mrs. Rickshaw said. "You'll come visit us again, won't you?"

"Yeah," Kalin said. He gingerly patted the cat's head before heading down the hallway. "We both will."

It didn't take long to ride his motorcycle to Radley's house . . . to their house. How long would it take him to think of it in those terms? Radley had been very firm that the house would be theirs together and that Kalin wasn't to think of himself as a guest. That might be easier said than done, but Kalin would certainly try. He wanted this life, this incredible, amazing life that Radley had offered him and that he was finally willing to accept.

It was still hard to find any of this real. So shortly ago, Kalin hadn't found life worth living. But Yusei and the kids and Jordan had convinced him that he still had a purpose, and when he had stepped up to fight, he had helped bring Lawton down.

His relief had been short-lived when he had found Radley laying dead in the mines, tortured by Malcolm's men. Grief and guilt and horror had swept over him as he had finally accepted how much he loved Radley when it was too late. But a miracle had been granted and Radley had been restored to life. And incredibly, he was still forgiving and loving after how much Kalin had hurt him. Understanding about Kalin's mental illness had helped a great deal to smooth over the sorrow, and he had welcomed Kalin back in as a dear friend.

Now they were going to live together. Radley needed help while healing, but he intended this to be permanent and not temporary. He wanted Kalin with him, and Kalin wanted that too. Finally, he felt free to accept the love and kindness Radley had shown him, and he wanted to return it.

He had left Radley resting on the couch when he had left, and now as he returned, Radley opened the front door and smiled at him. "Hey."

Kalin had to smile too. "Hello." He swung down from his motorcycle and started up the walkway with his meager bag of possessions.

"The guest room's all ready to become your room," Radley said. He stepped aside to let Kalin come inside.

Kalin gave him a look. "Were you up doing more than you should?"

Radley smiled. "Nah. I always keep it ready." He shut the door after Kalin.

"So you were just resting, I hope," Kalin said.

"Just resting," Radley insisted. He moved slowly alongside Kalin as they went down the hall.

Kalin made sure to keep pace with Radley so he wouldn't fall behind. Radley would be fully well soon, Kalin prayed, but for now he was still recovering from the physical and emotional torture in Malcolm's inhumane mines.

Thank God he was alive to recover at all.

Kalin had slept in the guest room before. It still looked as nice as ever, but it was a blank slate. No special customization for the occupant. Not that Kalin had any idea what he would decorate a room with. In the past, it might have been rock posters or Duel Monsters figures. He wasn't sure if he would do that now. Did he really want a two-foot Infernity Doom Dragon looking down at him every day?

. . . Actually, that sounded satisfying. Maybe he would look at posters later.

Kalin set the bag on his bed. "How's the Bunch?" he asked.

"They're still shook," Radley sighed.

"I thought maybe they'd come down on Clint for turning against you, considering he'd been a spy for Malcolm to begin with and had promised he'd never betray you," Kalin said.

"And maybe they would, if it wasn't that they all did the same thing out of fear," Radley said. "They're all so upset at themselves, they're not thinking much about casting blame on each other."

Kalin sighed too. "That makes me feel guilty for struggling to forgive them," he said. "I know I shouldn't struggle, especially in light of everything I did."

"You don't feel you can forgive yourself either, though," Radley said with a sad smile.

"You're right," Kalin agreed.

"Well . . ." Radley glanced around the room. "What would you like to do? Spruce the place up a bit? Get something to eat? Just relax?"

"Hmm." Kalin pondered as he followed Radley's gaze. "I think I'd like to think about what I could do to decorate."

"I'm all for that," Radley smiled. "Do you have any ideas?"

Kalin opened his bag and started to take out his clothes. "I'm not sure. In the past I liked rock. Listening to it, not making music myself. I can't quite see myself putting up a band poster now, though. Duel Monsters, maybe."

"Yeah, you should do that!" Radley said. "Maybe there's one showing the Infernity monsters or something."

"I might look into that," Kalin said. "And you should sit down."

Radley smiled more, touched that Kalin had thought of his well-being when he was still weak and wobbly. "I think I will." He moved slowly to the bed and sank down on the edge of it.

"Are we going to the diner tonight or staying here?" Kalin wondered.

Radley pondered. "Well . . . I don't want people to worry about me, so we should probably go for a short amount of time anyway. Unless you feel up to cooking, we need to have dinner there."

". . . I know how to cook," Kalin admitted. "Not anywhere as good as you, but at least I can throw things together without burning the pans. My alcoholic father never lifted a finger, so it was up to me to prepare meals."

"That's terrible he was like that," Radley frowned. "I'm sorry."

Kalin shrugged. "What is, is."

Radley smiled a bit. "And sure, I'd love to try something you made."

"It won't be anything spectacular," Kalin said apologetically. "I don't make anything that would qualify to be sold in an eatery."

"It'll be fine," Radley said. "I'm not picky. And it's probably much better than you think it is." He winked.

Kalin finally had to smirk a bit, touched. Radley was always a charmer. And now he knew Radley fully meant it and wasn't just saying it.

"I'll let you be the judge of that when you eat it," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it," Radley said.

It didn't take Kalin long to put all of his belongings around his new room. The final touch was the pictures he had saved. Those went right on the dresser.

Radley smiled in touched surprise when Kalin brought them out. "I kinda thought you probably threw those away," he said.

Kalin shook his head. "I kept them all. They meant a lot to me . . . even though I didn't let myself understand why."

"I'm glad," Radley said. "I thought that was a really fun time, maybe my favorite during the time I was trying to reach out to you. Of course, now I have a different favorite overall."

"What's that?" Kalin asked.

"Right now," Radley replied. "You here with me and openly happy to be here. It doesn't get better than this . . . or does it?"

"I wouldn't know," Kalin said. "This already seems like an impossible dream come true. I'm happier than I've been in a long time."

"And I'm part of that," Radley looked awed. "But it may get better when we join the Bunch. Then our little family will be that much more complete."

Kalin wasn't sure how to comment to that. ". . . You really think I can connect with them, and vice versa?" he said at last.

"Yeah, I do," Radley said. "Oh, I know things might be a little rocky at first, but in the end, all of you care about me and that will bring you together."

"Or drive us apart because of how we treated you," Kalin grunted.

Radley laid a hand on his arm. "I have more faith that you can get past this," he said. "At least enough to start to be friends. I know you'll probably all always be haunted by what happened, just like I'll continue to be haunted by some of my decisions." He looked sad at that. "But we have to keep going anyway."

Kalin nodded. "I understand that now. I will. I want to. For the first time in ages, I see I have so many positive things to live for."

Radley smiled. "Good."

xxxx

Kalin hadn't cooked in years. The thought of trying it again was nerve-wracking, but he had volunteered and Radley was looking forward to it, so he had no choice but to go ahead. He looked in the fridge to collect the ingredients and finally pulled a few things out.

Radley was curiously watching from the table. "Do you know what you're gonna make?" he asked. He hadn't suggested anything in case Kalin would feel he couldn't make it, so he planned to just accept anything Kalin came up with. It was good he could eat almost anything.

Kalin fingered the ingredients hesitantly. "Rice casserole?"

Radley smiled. "Sounds good to me. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kalin pondered. He would say No, but he knew how desperately Radley longed to feel useful. There probably was something he could do without straining himself. "You could cut up celery and pepper?" he suggested.

Radley looked pleased. "Sure."

With them working together, the casserole was soon assembled and ready to go in the oven. Radley regarded the meal in delight. "It looks amazing!" he praised. "Now there's just one more thing: cheese to melt on top."

Kalin got back in the fridge for the brick. "You really like it?"

"Cheese is the food of the gods," Radley smirked.

". . . I meant the casserole," Kalin amended as he cut some slices.

"Of course I do," Radley said. "Oh, I know I haven't eaten any yet, but I have every confidence it's going to taste wonderful!"

Kalin regarded Radley in wonder. It still seemed unreal for something of his to be praised so highly when it wasn't dueling. His father had certainly never been appreciative for all the food Kalin had prepared . . . although he had greedily eaten it enough.

Soon the casserole was in the oven. Kalin set about washing thekettle and some of the utensils while they waited. Radley sat back at the table, just watching him.

"The Bunch will probably think we should have a 'you moving in' party," he chuckled after a moment. "Actually, it's a very nice idea."

"Are you really up for a party?" Kalin grunted.

"Not like the usual ones," Radley admitted. "But a more low-key one, sure. If you want it, that is."

Kalin pondered. He wasn't a party fan in general . . . or he wasn't now. In the Enforcers, he had been the one organizing parties.

How times had changed.

". . . Yeah, that would be nice," he said at last.

"Good, because they probably intend on it for tonight," Radley said with an awkward smile.

". . . Did they say anything to you about that?" Kalin asked.

"Nah, but I know them well enough to know they don't pass up any opportunity for a party," Radley said. "You wouldn't believe some of the things we've celebrated."

"Dare I ask?" Kalin grunted.

"Oh, it's nothing bad," Radley assured him. "Just off-the-wall, like National Sock Day or National Leaf Day or National . . . whatever else gets a random national holiday." He smirked. "Scotch keeps up on all that stuff. He's our official party planner."

"That sounds like him." Kalin finished the dishes and went to get the casserole out of the oven. ". . . How do you celebrate National Sock Day?"

"By putting on the coolest or the weirdest socks you own," Radley chuckled. "And if you're really conservative on socks, you just sit back and watch the wackiness unfold."

Kalin shook his head. ". . . It must be nice to be that carefree." He set the casserole on the stovetop and got out plates.

"They seem pretty happy, yeah," Radley said softly. "I'll never do anything to take that away from them."

Kalin cut into the casserole and gave them each a good portion before bringing it to the table. Before he could work out something to reply, Radley perked up and changed the subject. "Hey, this looks amazing!" he exclaimed. He cut into it and started to eat. "Kalin, you're wrong. This is perfect for the menu at the diner!"

Kalin stared at him in shock. "Really?"

"Of course! I'll want your recipe for this. I'm gonna offer it for dinner." Radley looked utterly enthused and blissful as he continued to eat.

Kalin slowly took a bite too. Well . . . it was good, he had to admit. He just hadn't thought his tastes would impress a restauranteur. He caught himself beginning to smile as the feast continued.

xxxx

Radley was right that the Bunch wanted to party at the diner. But they knew Radley shouldn't try to do too much right then, so it was definitely a quieter affair. The extent of it seemed to be a special dessert, a mini concert, and presenting Kalin with a moving in gift once they were back at the house.

"What's this?" Kalin said in surprise when he was handed a large box.

"We all chipped in!" Scotch said. "It's something you should have!"

Kalin was further stunned when he opened it to find a combination CD and record player. "All this for me?" he said in disbelief.

Radley smiled. "And your first CDs." He handed Kalin a smaller package.

Kalin unwrapped that to find several compilations of popular 1970s and 1980s rock songs. He read over the tracks, overwhelmed by the generosity of the welcome. "I don't deserve so much," he protested.

"You saved my life and the town," Radley said. "Yeah, you deserve it." He smiled.

Kalin set everything on the table and looked to his new friends . . . his family. "Thank you," he said, the emotion thickening his voice. "I'll prove myself worthy of this."

"You can do that by starting to listen to them tomorrow!" Scotch said grandly. "And having a ball!"

"I will," Kalin promised.

So much was different now. But for the first time in years, the changes to his life were good.

xxxx

Kalin was deep in thought after the Bunch left. He took his new gifts to his room and set them on the desk, running his fingers over all the buttons and knobs of the player without pushing or turning anything.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" Radley said as he appeared in the doorway. "The Bunch came over while you were getting your stuff and we talked about what would be a nice gift for you."

"This must have cost so much," Kalin said.

Radley smiled. "Well, with all the members of the Bunch chipping in, no one guy had to pay too much. And they all wanted to do it. I didn't suggest it; it was Scotch's idea. Then I wrote a list of CDs to look for to go with it."

Kalin drew his hand back. ". . . Now I feel even worse that I've been struggling to forgive them."

Radley went over to him. "I think they know that," he said quietly. "It's a moving in gift, but it's also a peace offering. And . . . they're so thankful to you that you saved me when they didn't and couldn't."

Kalin nodded. ". . . It doesn't make up for what was done," he said. "But nothing can do that. I . . . want to forgive them. . . ."

"Then that's the first step," Radley soothed. "Maybe it will take time, but I'm sure you'll do it."

Kalin looked back to the CDs. "Are these personal favorites or just ones you felt represented the eras best?" he curiously asked.

"Both," Radley smirked. "A lot of my favorites are on each of these compilations. But I also tried to pick ones I thought you might like."

"Really." Kalin studied the titles. Most were unfamiliar to him. "What are some of those?"

"Well." Radley winked. "You'll just have to listen and figure it out."

Kalin smirked a bit. "I'll do that . . . tomorrow."

"Yes, it's time for bed by now," Radley agreed. "If you need anything, I'll be right next-door." He smiled and stepped back.

Kalin grunted. "Considering you're still recovering, shouldn't that be my line?"

Radley giggled. "I'm flattered. I feel very safe." He sobered. "Honestly, though, Kalin, thank you. I'm really glad you're here."

Kalin smiled. "I am too."

He sat down on the bed after Radley left, marveling for a moment at all that he had. Suddenly he had so many more material possessions than what he had started the day with. But far more than that, he had a loving home with friends and family, something he hadn't had since the days of the Enforcers.

"I have to get it right this time," he said softly to the room. "I can't mess it up again."

He wasn't sure just how he would achieve that. He just knew that somehow he had to. He couldn't hurt Radley any more than he already had. And . . . he really wanted the happiness Radley and the Bunch were offering him. He wanted to accept his rebirth into this fresh life.

He laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Who was Kalin Kessler, especially now? He still didn't know. But he would find out.