Notes: I thought of this parody the other day and am highly amused.

I Don't Mind Working So Hard Every Day

As the two friends approached the arcade, the sounds of the Dance Dance Revolution game became audible. The song finished around the time they arrived and Scotch jumped down with a whoop of glee. "Yes! That was epic!"

Radley chuckled. "You got a good score, huh?"

"Yeah! And an idea!" Scotch gave a wicked smirk. "I was talking to Jake today. You know, one of the nice guys from Malcolm's Crew? He told me the most hysterical thing! He said sometimes Malcolm would get so drunk he'd stand there and sing You're Welcome to new recruits! Only he'd change it up to be about him instead of Maui!"

Radley snarked, while Kalin could only give a blank stare. "What," Kalin grunted.

"It's priceless! Jake said his friend Rick filmed it the night Yusei showed up!" Scotch said. "He sent me the video. I was thinking we could either show it or I could dress up like Malcolm and sing his version as a gag!"

Kalin folded his arms. "Malcolm sang that to Yusei?"

"Yeah! And Yusei was just staring! It was hilarious!" Scotch got out his phone for them to see.

Radley watched Malcolm's ridiculous antics in amusement while Kalin continued to stare. Malcolm stumbled and swayed, singing the whole song with modified lyrics and making the Crew dance with him. Not wanting to cross him, they cooperated. Yusei just stood by, his usual deadpan failing in the face of such utter nonsense.

Okay, okay, I see what's happening here

You're face to face with greatness, and it's strange

You don't even know how you feel

It's touching!

Well, it's nice to see that people never change

Open your eyes, let's begin

Yes, it's really me, it's Malcolm, breathe it in

I know it's a lot, the hair, the bod

So all you havta do is nod

What can I say except you're welcome

For the money you're gonna be making

Hey, it's okay, it's okay

You're welcome

I'm just an ordinary marvelous guy

Hey, what has two thumbs that pulled up Arizona's cacti

When you were waddling yay high

This guy

When the nights got boring

Who arranged the best entertainment

You're lookin' at him, yo

Oh, also I lassoed the mine

You're welcome

To stretch our dollars so we can dress to the nines

Also, I harnessed everyone in the Crew

You're welcome

To be the best friends and family to you

So what can I say except you're welcome

For keeping ol' Radley on his toes

There's no need to pray, it's okay

You're welcome

Ha, I guess it's just my way of being me

You're welcome

You're welcome

Well, come to think of it

Kid, honestly I can go on and on

I could explain this whole town and it's not a con

The villa, the mine, the Red Scarf Saloon

The way the cacti stand out under the moon

The ladies all love us, the Bunch are just kids

Someday they'll all work for me and follow my bids

What's the lesson? What is the take-away?

Don't mess with Malcolm, he keeps them at bay

And at the bar here in the saloon

Is a list of my biggest nuisances, the goons!

Look where I've been, I make everything happen

Look at the Crewmembers all just tippity tappin'

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, hey

Well, anyway let me say you're welcome (You're welcome)

For the town you'll soon come to know

Hey, it's okay, it's okay

You're welcome (You're welcome)

Well, come to think of it, I gotta go

Hey, it's your day to say you're welcome (You're welcome)

'Cause I'm gonna need your skills

You'll be dueling away, away

You're welcome (You're welcome)

'Cause Malcolm only hires the best

You're welcome (You're welcome)

You're welcome

And thank you

"Honestly, I think it'd be kinda low to show the actual video for the town to laugh at," Radley giggled. "Malcolm is just so completely sloshed. But if you wanna dress up as Malcolm to sing it live, I have no objections. Malcolm was clearly proud of his parody."

Scotch smirked. "I'm already planning for it!"

"Yusei never mentioned this," Kalin said. "Having seen it, I can see why. He probably wanted to forget it ever happened."

"Malcolm is something else, that's for sure," Radley laughed. "Maybe you can ask Yusei about it the next time you talk to him."

"Yeah, maybe I will," Kalin said.

"Right now weshould be getting home to bed," Radley said.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it's getting late," Scotch realized. "I'll wrap things up so we can all leave."

"Thanks, Scotch," Radley said. "It's been a great party and we've enjoyed it a lot."

Kalin nodded. He had enjoyed it too, somewhat to his surprise. It was nice, to be able to have fun without guilt.

The rest of the Bunch were definitely ready to get going. Soon they had the dishes gathered and taken care of and the leftovers in take-out boxes to go home with them. They all trouped out of the diner, Radley turning off the lights and locking the doors on their way out.

The entire group rode back to their street, everyone turning off at their houses and parking in the driveway or the garage. Kalin and Radley headed for theirs too and soon had ridden into the garage by way of the automatic door.

"It's been a pretty fulfilling day for the most part," Radley said as they headed for the house door in the garage.

Kalin nodded. "And after being able to successfully duel that gang, I'd like to try practicing for the WRGP again soon," he said.

Radley looked happy to hear that. "Do you wanna try it before we go to the mine or after?"

"Before," Kalin said. They might both be too emotionally drained afterwards.

"Cool," Radley said. "We can try after breakfast."

They went into the house, Radley turning on lights as they entered. Kalin smiled to see their cozy rooms become illuminated. This was so different from any place he had lived before. It was warm and peaceful and safe. The Satellite had never felt like that, not with all the Duel Gangs around. He had always had to be alert for any attacks.

Suddenly thinking of something, he said, "Why did Scotch say only one other Duelist besides you had Rainbow Dragon? You named three others."

Radley glanced back at him. "Scotch is right, from a certain point of view," he said. "Kaiba doesn't really duel anymore. Neither does Solomon."

"Kaiba doesn't?" Kalin said in surprise. "I should know that. . . ."

"I don't know any details," Radley said. "Maybe he realized he was so competitive it was unhealthy? Or maybe he lost interest once Yugi wasn't dueling anymore."

"Probably the latter," Kalin said.

"Yeah," Radley chuckled. "Their rivalry is legendary. I haven't seen anything to equal it until Yusei and Jack."

Kalin nodded. "Without Yugi, there probably wasn't anyone he wanted to duel."

"Pretty much. I wonder if he feels the same now that such amazing Duelists are around," Radley said.

"I doubt he sees any of us as being on Yugi's level," Kalin said.

"Probably," Radley agreed. "Well, we'd better get ready for bed. We have another big day tomorrow."

"Yeah." Kalin felt another twinge of worry about the mine visit. Hopefully that would go alright for both of them.

Radley looked slightly worried himself. But he said nothing.

xxxx

The next morning after breakfast, it was time to try Turbo Dueling again. Kalin and Radley rode out to the desert and towards Malcolm's first cactus, just as they had yesterday. Kalin reached it first and drew a card. His hand still shook, but not as badly.

This wasn't like the past. Yes, he had hurt Yusei, but that was over. Yusei had forgiven him, even though he couldn't seem to forgive himself and might never do so. But he could Turbo Duel if he needed to. Yesterday had proved that. He could do it again now.

"How are you doing?" Radley asked after several turns.

"It's still hard," Kalin admitted. "But I want to try longer."

"Okay," Radley said. "Just let me know if it gets to be too much."

Kalin nodded. "I will."

The duel continued through to its conclusion, when Radley won. Kalin let out a shaking breath and slowly relaxed. It was over; he had done it again and saw it through to the end. It was a good feeling.

Radley rode up next to him. "How do you feel?" he asked in concern.

Kalin gave him a genuine smile. "I'm alright," he said. "Maybe I can gradually come to feel better about Turbo Dueling or maybe there will be setbacks. I'm not sure yet. But at least I proved again to myself that I can do it."

Radley smiled back. "And that's a big hurdle in and of itself."

Kalin nodded. "I didn't know if I could ever get to this point," he admitted. "It's a relief to know I can. Thank you for helping me to achieve this."

"Sure," Radley said. "You really did all the hard work yourself, though." He winked.

"But now we'll need to face your fear," Kalin said. "Are you ready for that?"

Radley sighed. "I'm trying to be. Let's turn around and head up there."

"Just let me know if it's too much," Kalin said.

"If it is, you'll probably know it when I do," Radley said. "If not before."

They went back home for their Harleys before heading up the mountain. As they drew closer to the mine entrances, Radley's fear became almost tangible in the air. But he kept going, struggling to prove to them both that he could do it.

Kalin himself was gripping the handlebars again. He had walked this path carrying Radley's body. He had felt so horrible, so helpless and responsible. The little bit of light he had started to find within himself from defeating Lawton had flickered and gone out. He hadn't known how anything would ever be right again.

It was, though. So much was right now. He had to focus on that.

They arrived at the top, parking by the main mine entrance. Radley sighed, getting down from his motorcycle. "Well, this is it," he said.

Kalin nodded. "Is Klaus meeting us inside?"

"I think so." Radley headed for the doorway.

Kalin swiftly kept pace with him and went in alongside him. Inside, everything was much as he remembered it, from the lights to the sounds of miners working carrying from the side that had always been Radley's. But of course, and to both their relief, there were no sounds of whips or shock collars or people moaning in pain.

Radley relaxed a bit. "It's different now," he said softly. "Everything's alright."

"Yeah." Kalin looked around. He didn't sense anything amiss; it was all peaceful. The workers sounded happy. But the side of the mine they were looking at bore no activity, in stark contrast to Radley's. He hadn't as yet opened Malcolm's part of the mine to work again in case of areas that were possibly unsafe. It was wise, but seeing everything shut down was eerie.

Klaus swiftly came up to them. "It's good to see you both here," he said gruffly. "Especially you, Radley."

"I'm glad I finally made it," Radley said with a bittersweet smile. "So let's see what you've got, okay?"

Klaus nodded. "Right."

The tour was enlightening. Klaus pointed out all the areas he had found concerning and Radley agreed with his assessments. Radley also found a couple of extra spots that needed work.

While they examined areas and discussed what to do, Kalin followed them and awkwardly stood by. To his relief, he was being able to handle being there alright. And to his further relief, they hadn't gone to the spot where Kalin had found Radley laying dead. He still wasn't sure he could deal with that area.

"I think that wraps it up," Klaus broke into his thoughts.

"Are you sure?" Radley asked. "I don't think we've seen every part of Malcolm's mine yet."

"Well . . ." Klaus hesitated, and suddenly Kalin realized the likely truth.

"You're avoiding it too," he said. "The place where I . . ." He swallowed hard. "Where I found Radley."

Radley's eyes flickered and he gripped Kalin's shoulder.

"There's nothin' there we need to see," Klaus insisted.

Radley sighed. "As much as none of us want to go there, it has to be inspected too if it hasn't been," he said.

Klaus sighed too. "I looked it over," he said. "But I might have missed something."

Radley nodded. "We'll have to look there too. Every part of this mine has to be in safe working order."

Klaus pushed his hat back in resignation. "I reckon you're right, Radley. Alright, you two! Let's buck up and do it!" He headed down the corridor.

Radley looked to Kalin. "You don't have to come, Kalin. . . ."

Kalin shook his head. "I should be there. I won't leave you to face it without me. I know it'll be hard for you too."

Radley smiled wanly. "Well, I can't deny that." He gripped Kalin's shoulder. "Let's get it over with."

Kalin kept hold of that sweet touch as they followed Klaus down the tunnel. It would be a rough crossing no matter what they did, but at least they could ease it by supporting each other.

Kalin recognized the dreaded area before Radley did. As soon as he did, he tensed, and then Radley tensed as well. This was the path, that horrible, haunting path. There was still blood on the walls and the floor. One patch on the wall looked like where Radley had been thrown during the fight. Another was streaked, as though he had touched it with bloodied fingers while stumbling to where he had eventually collapsed.

"We tried to get this off, but it wouldn't come completely," Klaus said shamefully.

"It's not your fault, Klaus," Radley said. "I'm sure you tried your hardest."

Kalin had locked up. He couldn't be here, he couldn't look at this place. He couldn't break down, not now, not here. He had to be strong . . . but he couldn't seem to be.

"You went through so much," he rasped at last. "I'm so sorry. . . . So sorry. . . ." His voice caught in his throat.

"Hey . . . you did too," Radley replied. He touched the wall, feeling for any structural damage.

"What I went through was justified," Kalin said. "I deserved to face the consequences of my actions. I deserved to be brought low to the dirt. But you . . . you didn't. At all. . . ."

Radley turned to face him again, gloriously alive and breathing. Not laying dead on the floor. His eyes were open, filled with sorrow and love.

". . . It hurts, seeing this place again," he admitted. "But . . . now that it's all over, it feels almost surreal to comeback. I'm not afraid, like I thought I might be. It hurts worse seeing how you suffered, how you're still suffering. I don't want that. But there's no way to fully make the pain go away, is there?"

Kalin shook his head. "There's not. At least, not yet. But the best medicine is seeing you alive and well."

Radley had to smile a bit at that. "That means the world to me, Kalin."

Kalin finally smiled too. Maybe, eventually, he would heal even from this, when Radley was with him.

Radley went back to examining the area with Klaus. Kalin, not knowing what to look for, just stood by and watched. At last the task was done and Radley leaned back, ready to move on.

"This area will need some work," he said. "And I'd like to try again to get the blood away. Maybe there's something stronger we can try."

"Well, if nothing works, it'll be a testament to Malcolm's cruelty as long as this mine stands," Klaus said.

Radley sighed. "Yeah."

Kalin looked to Klaus. "Is this the last place we needed to inspect?"

Klaus sighed too. "There's one other area," he said. "The miners all told me they won't work there when the mine starts up again. They're convinced it's haunted."

"Oh, they are, huh?" Radley frowned. "I can't even scoff at that after everything."

"What happens there?" Kalin asked.

"It's cold, no matter what's done," Klaus said. "Portable heaters will be going full-blast and it feels like AC. And that's if they come on at all. Machinery often malfunctions or stops working altogether, but when it's set up in another area, it works just fine. It's been inspected several times and there's no scientific reason for the power not to come on there!"

"Well, that's not encouraging," Radley said. "Do you know if something in particular happened there, an especially cruel death or something like that?"

"Nobody seems to know," Klaus said. "We just know nothing works right there." He looked concerned. "Do you really want to go there, Radley? I'm sure you can't do anything with it."

"No, probably not," Radley said. "But it's still mine now and I really should have a look."

"I guess you're right," Klaus said in resignation. "Come on then." He started walking again.

Radley looked to Kalin as they followed. "What do you think, Kalin?"

"It sounds haunted," Kalin said flatly. "I'm surprised the whole mine isn't like that."

"Yeah," Radley sighed. "Should we get Pastor Green to try to help them move on? I'm sure they wouldn't be evil spirits or demons. They're probably victims."

"No doubt," Kalin growled. "Let's check it out ourselves first, but yeah, we probably will want to see if he can help."

The drop in temperature as they drew closer to the affected area was absolutely palpable. Radley pulled his jacket closer around him and Kalin frowned, feeling the chill although he didn't do anything about it. It wasn't a chill that could be solved with physical warmth. Kalin could feel it through to his soul.

"Hello?" Radley called as they stopped by the silent machines. "We don't mean any harm. We just want to talk."

The temperature plunged even more.

Kalin growled. "Were you victims of Malcolm's men's torture?"

The mention of Malcolm sent a wave of what could only be described as hatred over the small group.

". . . I am so sorry," Radley said sorrowfully. "Were you some of my Duelists?"

There was no change in the level of response now.

"I never wanted this," Radley said. "I wanted to stop Malcolm. But so many suffered because of him . . . and because of me."

Kalin gripped his shoulder. "You had to fight back," he insisted. "You couldn't just let Malcolm take the town any more than I could let the rival Duel Gangs have the Satellite!"

"No, I couldn't," Radley said. "But were the duels the solution, Kalin? I will never really know the answer to that. And I will always be haunted by what happened because of them. These people haunting the mine, they likely won't be able to put their pain behind them either."

Kalin was afraid that was true, for Radley as well as for these restless spirits. "I don't know the answer either," he admitted. "But it had to have been better to do something than nothing."

Radley didn't look convinced. "Yeah . . . I guess."

Kalin laid a hand on his shoulder. "You can't just want to stay here forever," he said to the spirits. "What's there for you to even do? Don't you want to move on?"

No response.

Radley sighed. "I'll call Pastor Green." He took out his phone.

The spirits offered no resistance.

Pastor Green arrived before long and stood near Radley and Kalin, his eyes flickering as the chill came over him too. "I see what you mean about the temperature," he said.

Radley nodded sadly. "Do you think you can help them move on, Pastor?"

"I will certainly do my best," Pastor Green said. "God-willing, they will accept passing into the afterlife, especially if it's Heaven that awaits them."

Radley didn't make a crack about wondering if anyone would willingly go if it wasn't Heaven that awaited them. He just folded his arms and stood by to watch.

Pastor Green spent a good deal of time with the spirits, talking to them and reading scriptures and reciting a prayer for God to guide them into the afterlife. When all was said and done, the cold feeling has lessened, but not vanished completely.

"Some of them aren't gone," Kalin said.

"They're not ready," Pastor Green sighed. "I wonder what it is that holds them here."

"Unfinished business," Kalin replied instantly. "If they were offered a chance to live again and finish it, they might agree."

Radley frowned and looked to him. Kalin spoke with such certainty. He must be thinking of the Dark Signers.

"Sadly, I highly doubt any righteous source would offer them such a chance," Pastor Green said. "That sounds very much like what I heard a wicked cult was doing recently."

Kalin looked away. "Yeah."

Radley stepped closer to him. "Thank you for coming, Pastor," he said, hugging Kalin around the shoulders. "I think you convinced some of them to go, and at least you gave the rest something to think about."

Pastor Green nodded and opened his bag. "I hope they will decide to move on as well," he said as he put his Bible and prayerbook away. "Please let me know if they start making trouble."

"I hope they won't," Radley sighed. "But I guess they might if they worry the mine isn't safe when it starts up again."

"They can see you stopped this part of the mine and have been investigating everything to make sure it's safe," Kalin frowned. "They'd better not think you're doing anything wrong."

Radley gave a wan smile. "I hope they won't."

The elephant in the room remained until they were alone again. Then Kalin sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I wonder what the pastor would say if he knew I'd been a part of that evil cult. No one here knows, except you."

Radley frowned in concern. "Hey, Kalin . . . after everything you've done for them, do you really think your past would change how they feel about you?"

Kalin shook his head. "I don't know. Yeah, I saved this town, but I tried to destroy the world! Will they really forgive that?!" His eyes darkened. "We both know at least some of these people would not."

"Bettina's group, maybe," Radley said. "But the ones who've always been on our side, I have more faith in them than that."

Kalin sighed. "I should tell them who and what I am. They have a right to know. They want me to be their sheriff! There shouldn't be any secrets between us. Not these kind."

Radley frowned, considering that. He wasn't sure it was a good idea, but on the other hand, there was always the possibility that someone like Bettina could dig it up and spring it on everyone. It would be better for them to learn of it from Kalin himself if they were going to hear about it.

"Maybe you're right," he said at last. "But if you choose to tell them, I hope you'll tell them the whole story, how the darkness twisted you and caused you to do things you wouldn't do in your right mind."

Kalin grunted. "I guess I'd need to," he conceded.

Radley hugged him again. "Yeah."

Finally Kalin hugged back. He still didn't feel worthy, but he did not want to brush Radley off ever again. They had a priceless treasure together.

"I shouldn't have come," he lamented. "I wanted to support you, but instead, you've had to look after me and buoy me up."

"Coming here was worse for you than it was for me," Radley said. "I was worried about that. But you tried your hardest to help me too. We looked after each other."

Kalin couldn't quite see it that way, even though Radley was right. "We should go," he said.

Radley nodded. "Let's go home." He placed a hand on Kalin's shoulder and steered him away from the haunted area. Hopefully they would not have to come back to this spot or to the one that hurt them so deeply.

". . . What are you going to do with this part of the mine?" Kalin asked.

"It doesn't look like there's anything I can do unless the spirits move on," Radley said. "They won't even let the machinery work. It's good that we don't actually need this tunnel. I'll just close it off for now, probably. I'm sure no one will object or try to get in anyway."

"Scotch would try to get in," Kalin said instantly.

Radley laughed sadly. "Yeah . . . he would, wouldn't he."

Together they stepped out of the tunnel into the light of the waning afternoon. Night would be coming on soon, but unlike the last time they had come out of this mine, they would not meet it in hopeless despair. They were together and happy. They were still struggling with their inner demons, but they would push through them with each other's help.

The mine would not conquer them again.