Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Colors Changing Hue
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This takes place prior to the Crash Town arc. I believe the crystal cave is my concept, but I honestly can't remember if it was mine or an RP partner's when we played out the idea. I am writing this for the YGO Mini Bang event in 2024, and the wonderfully talented Alpabet has illustrated! Look for the link later in the story. As always, Radley is a nice guy, the way I honestly see him and feel is a canon possibility.
Crash Town was a small town, really, a hole in the wall without much to it unless one was there for the mining or the Dueling. Kalin had scouted the entire town in a couple of hours—or rather, Radley had taken him on a tour. Now, after several weeks of Dueling for him, he felt he had the entire place and its surrounding area memorized.
Strange that it still had secrets to yield.
He was wandering aimlessly around the nearby wilderness on foot and examining the red rock formations in mild curiosity. Mostly everything was what he expected to see—just rocks and some desert lizards. The strange crack between the rocks caught his eye and he went over for a closer look. It looked dark beyond, and yet something there seemed to be . . . shimmering? The hole was big enough for his slender form, so he slipped through, expecting to find another branch-off of the mine or something that could be connected to it. The shimmer had to be dyne, right? What else could it be?
Instead, he found himself in a cool chamber. Water was dripping somewhere in the distance, but it was dry where he was. Taking out his phone, he turned on the flashlight and beamed it around the room.
It looked like something out of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Stalactites and stalagmites were everywhere, which was normal for a cave. Them coming in crystalized form was not so much. The walls, too, seemed to be crystal or other gems. It must just be the way it looked, some trick of the light or something, but it was amazing. Amethyst, sapphire, turquoise, topaz. .. . Even in Kalin's depressed state, he was not immune to the beauty and mystery of such a place. What was this? How was it even possible for it to exist here?
He ran his hand over the wall, jagged with the various colored rocks. Did anyone else know about this spot? He was pretty sure Malcolm didn't. He would have the whole place ravaged. And Radley? He seemed to appreciate beauty much more than Malcolm did, but he also appreciated money.
Was Kalin going to tell anyone?
He certainly wouldn't have any reason to. He didn't socialize with Radley, in spite of Radley's attempts to be friendly. And of course he wouldn't tell Malcolm.
He didn't really have any reason not to tell Radley either, though. What was it to him what was done with this place?
He rested against the wall. It was cool on his cheek and felt so nice.
He didn't deserve nice things, or beauty.
Sighing, he pushed away again.
He would probably keep it quiet.
Normally Kalin was alone when he went to the plateau after night fell. He could stay for hours in his solitude, playing his harmonica, until Radley or one of the Bunch came to find him to get him to go to bed. He had to be well-rested, after all.
Tonight, however, Radley was already sitting there, staring off into the night sky, as Kalin approached. He looked up with a smile. "Hey."
Kalin grunted and sat down near him. "You couldn't wait for later tonight?"
Radley shrugged. "I used to come here sometimes before you showed up in town," he admitted. "I'd look up at the stars and think."
"Really." Kalin played a couple of notes on his harmonica and then let it drop back against his chest. "You don't seem the type."
"Not intellectual enough?" Radley gave a dark smirk. He knew what Kalin tended to think of him, what many people thought of him. He didn't like it, but he didn't know how to change it either. Not that he didn't keep trying where Kalin was concerned.
Kalin shrugged. "I just don't know a lot of bikers who like stars." Except Yusei. Sometimes Crow.
"Well, now you know one," Radley quipped. He leaned back. "I like the evening sun too. I liked it long before it started symbolizing the time to duel."
"Why?" Kalin wondered.
"You know, I'm still trying to figure that out myself?" Radley mused. "There's just something so happy, so comforting about those last rays of sun stretching across the land. No . . . maybe nostalgic's a better word. It reminds me of something happy and comforting, and yet I can't put my finger on any one experience that made me feel that way. Maybe it wasn't just one, but many experiences all through my life that have blended together in my memories. Well, one thing I can tell you is that the evening sun, especially in late summertime, reminds me of happy times discovering and loving anime. I can't tell you why it's specifically that time of day that makes me think of it, though. Maybe I'm remembering running errands with my dad and stopping at stores and the library and finding merch and DVDs for shows I liked."
Kalin gave a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe." Outwardly he gave the appearance of really not being able to care less, but inwardly he was surprised. Radley seemed so tough with Malcolm, but here, alone with Kalin, he seemed so different. So . . . gentle, even. He just seemed like an ordinary guy.
". . . I guess you never had anything like that in the Satellite," Radley realized with a wince. He didn't want to wave his wealthier upbringing under Kalin's nose.
"No," Kalin said. "But . . . as far as liking the sunset, I liked it too." He wasn't sure why he was admitting that.
"Did it remind you of anything?" Radley curiously asked.
Kalin shook his head. "I just liked the colors. That, and maybe I was using it to think of how I would make everything it touched ours someday. I'd stand on the roof of an old apartment complex we were using as a hideout and look out across all the Satellite."
"That must have been a sight to see," Radley said.
Kalin nodded. "Mostly broken-down buildings, but at the time it was all we had, and I was determined to make the best of it."
"I'd like to see the town from up high somewhere," Radley said. "Like the villa bell tower. I'll bet that view is amazing."
Kalin grunted. "Are you going to claim the villa if you ever overthrow Malcolm?"
"When we ever overthrow Malcolm, yes, I hope to do that," Radley said.
Kalin looked away. He didn't plan to be around for that. He still planned to lose and see that he was punished for his crimes. But of course he wasn't about to tell Radley that, so he stayed silent on that point.
". . . What do you plan on doing with the town?" he asked instead.
"Make a department store, maybe a museum, get a real highway to connect us with the City. . . . I have lots of plans that will benefit everyone," Radley smiled.
Kalin couldn't deny those were good plans. "You have the money for all of that?"
"Oh yeah. And if I can get the rest of the mine, I'll have even more." Radley leaned back. "I'll take good care of all the miners and they'll have higher pay."
Kalin spoke guardedly. "They'll surely be grateful."
"Yeah. I'm a good boss." Radley winked. Glancing at the sky again, he said, "You know, I really wonder how the ancient Greeks saw pictures in the stars. I mostly just can't seem to catch their vision there. I see what the constellations are supposed to represent from books on the subject, but for the most part the stars just don't look like their ideas. About the only ones that actually look like something are the Big and Little Dippers."
Kalin shrugged. "Yusei seemed to be able to see it. He loves the stars. Sometimes I'd go on the roof and find him looking at the constellations in fascination. I wasn't interested, but he'd point out what the ones were that we could see from our location."
"That must have been nice," Radley said, sounding genuinely wistful.
". . . I wish I'd been more interested," Kalin had to admit. "I squandered those times with him."
"I'm sorry," Radley said quietly.
Kalin shrugged. "It's over. I can never get those times back."
". . . Don't you ever want to go back to Yusei?" Radley asked. Now there was a tinge of worry in his voice. He didn't want to lose Kalin.
Kalin didn't answer. He might want to, but he could never show his face around Yusei again. Yusei was the one he had hurt the most. He had to see that he suffered for everything he had done to his friend.
Finally Radley sighed. "Nevermind. I just hope you'll stick around long enough to lead us to victory."
Kalin just shrugged again. "We'll see." He took up his harmonica, this time playing a longer piece.
Radley relaxed. "You play real good," he said. "I'd like to hear more."
Kalin obliged, not really to play for Radley but because he wanted to hear more himself. Radley relaxed more, his eyes closing as he rested against the mountain behind him.
Kalin watched him, his eyes darkening a bit. Radley was so trusting of him. Naturally he wouldn't think his best Duelist would suddenly harm him, but still, how could he lay there and even start to go to sleep when he was with Kalin? Kalin was dangerous . . . or he had been in the past. Radley didn't know about the Dark Signer mess, but he knew Kalin had flipped out in the Satellite and caused the break-up of the Enforcers. He knew Kalin had been a terrorist and had finally been caught by Sector Security. And he could dare close his eyes on someone like that?!
Kalin stopped playing and moved a bit closer to him. Radley definitely seemed to be asleep. His breathing was deep and even, his hands completely relaxed as they lay clasped on his chest. He looked . . . not tough at all, but . . . sweet.
"You're a fool," Kalin whispered. "I don't deserve such trust."
He sighed and leaned back against the rock next to Radley. Well . . . at least Radley was right that Kalin wouldn't hurt him. Kalin was his Duelist, his bodyguard, and he would serve those purposes until he lost a Duel and could fulfill his destiny at last.
Strange how the thought of finally being able to do that usually filled him with peace, but now he actually felt a touch of . . . regret? Sadness?
He sat up straight again. Being around Radley confused him too much. He couldn't let himself become distracted by such pointless longings. He couldn't give Radley the companionship he wanted.
Perhaps, though, he would show Radley the cave after all, as a sort of consolation prize. Surely it was the real prize anyway. It really was a pure thing of beauty, not tainted and twisted and evil as Kalin was. Radley appreciated beauty; he would love the cave.
With that idea solidified, Kalin leaned back against the rock again and let himself enjoy sitting there with his boss.
Radley stirred after a few moments. "Whoo, clearly it's time for me to go to beddy-bye," he smirked. "How about you, Kalin?"
Kalin shrugged. He knew Radley would make sure he tried to sleep. ". . . How much have you explored the area around here?" he asked.
Radley looked surprised by the sudden question. "Quite a bit," he said. "I've tried to scout out everything I've had access to."
"Have you been in all the caves?" Kalin questioned next.
"All of them? Aside from the mine, I haven't found any rocks I could go in," Radley replied. He looked completely sincere and confused.
Satisfied, Kalin started to get up. "Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"
"Sure, as far as I know." Radley stood as well. "What are you planning, Kalin?" He tilted his head. "Are you taking me on a field trip?"
"Something like that," Kalin said. "Oh, and you might want to wear jeans instead of leather."
"Okay." Still completely baffled, Radley followed Kalin to the edge of the plateau. "We will be back in time for the duel, won't we?"
Kalin paused. He didn't think the cave went back very far, but there was at least one other chamber. Radley would want to explore, and Kalin couldn't deny he was curious himself. He had never seen anything like that cave before.
". . . Maybe we'd better make it morning instead," he amended. "At least late morning."
"I'll be ready," Radley said. "And I'll bring lunch."
Kalin hadn't even thought about that. But he nodded. "Alright." He already knew Radley was skilled with food. Whatever he would come up with would no doubt be delicious.
"Maybe around ten?" Radley suggested.
"That should be enough time," Kalin agreed. More than enough, most likely. But that was better than planning too little time.
"Okay then." Radley smiled and rested a hand on Kalin's shoulder. "I'm looking forward to what you've got for me."
Kalin didn't outwardly react, but silently he had to admit he liked the feel of Radley's hand. It was warm and good . . . too good for the likes of him.
He climbed down the plateau. "I'll see you at ten."
Radley jumped down after him. "And be sure you sleep well, Kalin," he said, not really being playful now. "I know you don't always get as much as you should."
Kalin gave a half-hearted shrug. "How do you know that?"
"Mrs. Rickshaw worries about you and calls me," Radley said. "That, and your eyes are bloodshot half the time. That's a telltale sign, you know."
Kalin grunted. "I'll sleep."
Radley didn't look convinced. But he replied, "Okay then."
Several minutes later he dropped Kalin off at the bed and breakfast and Kalin thoughtfully went inside and upstairs. Was he going to regret having set this in motion? He had essentially arranged to have an outing with Radley. What was he thinking? To give Radley that much hope of warming up to him was dangerous. But it was done now, so he would have to handle the consequences. The whole point was to give Radley something in place of him, so it should really work.
Shouldn't it?
And did he really want it to?
Tuning out such unsettling questions, Kalin laid down to go to sleep.
Radley was at the door promptly at ten, as promised. He smiled at Kalin as he adjusted a backpack against his black jean jacket. "Hi," he greeted.
Kalin imagined his eyes still looked bloodshot. "Hello." He stepped outside. "You've packed a lot."
Radley shrugged. "Since I don't know exactly what you have in mind, I thought I should be prepared with plenty of food and water," he said. "You've really intrigued me, Kalin. Even more than usual, I mean." He winked.
Kalin grunted. "I'm not intriguing." He stepped onto Mrs. Rickshaw's porch, pulling the door shut behind him.
"Sure you are," Radley replied. "I've never met anyone like you before."
"You don't know how lucky you are," Kalin deadpanned.
Deciding it was a lost cause, Radley gave up and headed down the steps to his motorcycle. "So, where are you taking me, Kalin?"
"Not far." Kalin climbed on his motorcycle and sped off after adjusting his helmet.
Radley soon sped off after him, no less intrigued.
Soon Kalin was stopping in front of the cracked rock. Radley stopped too, eyeing the crack with amazement.
"When we first got here, this wasn't big enough to slip through," he said. "All the mining must have shook it open more."
Kalin nodded. "Something definitely did." He took off his helmet and headed for the crack, lithely slipping inside.
Radley followed, taking off his backpack to pull it through after him. As Kalin switched on his phone's flashlight, Radley could only stare in awe.
"This . . . this is unbelievable!" he gasped, reaching to touch the nearest purple rock. "They surely can't really be gems, but the colors . . . ! Oh wow. . . ."
"I found it yesterday," Kalin said. "I thought you'd like it."
Radley smiled. "That means a lot that you thought of me, Kalin," he said. He pulled his backpack back on as he walked farther into the room. "Where's that water dripping from? There must be another chamber in here somewhere."
"I didn't look long enough to see where it is," Kalin said. "It might not be accessible."
"Let's find out." Radley walked around the room, feeling across the walls and admiring the colors. "Yeah, here it is!" He indicated an opening at the back behind deep blue stalagmites. "There's a corridor down this way."
Kalin went over to him. "If this cave goes back very far, do you think we'll get lost?"
Radley smirked. "Not as long as the string holds out." He took out a ball of thick cord and tied one end around the last stalagmite. "I'll keep this going along our path while we walk."
"Clever," Kalin had to admit.
"Not very original, but it works," Radley said.
Beautiful art by Alpabet (remove the spaces): file . garden / ZlO5aW_E6k9LjeXM / 5ds001 . jpg
The walls of the hallway sparkled sapphire blue and gradually lightened to turquoise and then a lighter blue Kalin couldn't identify. Radley gazed at them in fascination and snapped several pictures.
"Scotch would really love this place too," he said. "I think they all would."
Kalin shrugged. "Are you going to bring them all over?"
"Probably. But let's see where else it goes first." Radley paused to listen. "The dripping's getting louder. It must be in this other chamber up ahead."
Perhaps it wasn't too surprising to reach the end of the hallway and find a hidden pool in the middle of the next room. The stalactites above it were dripping into it and the walls were still glistening in a variety of colors. Radley stopped walking and just stood, gazing at the room in reverent awe.
"I didn't come this far," Kalin said. "I didn't know this was here."
"I love it." Radley smiled and walked forward, then settled down on a smooth rock near the water's edge. "I wonder how long this has been here."
"Probably centuries." Kalin hesitated, then sat down by him.
"This looks like a good place to relax and eat." Radley took off his backpack and started to open it. "I hope you're hungry."
Kalin was, especially as he had slept in and hadn't had breakfast. But he didn't admit that and simply accepted the sandwich and the small Thermos he was offered. "This is good," he said as he started to eat.
Radley smiled, pleased. "I always do my best to ensure satisfied customers," he said.
Kalin could believe it. Radley was thorough; he never went half-way on any effort.
". . . I hope Malcolm doesn't find this place." Radley sounded worried now. "I don't trust his men to appreciate it."
"What if some of the colors really are gems?" Kalin asked.
"I still wouldn't want him tearing the whole place apart to get to them," Radley replied. "I wonder if we could disguise the crack to look like it's closed."
"I don't know how you could without just getting a lot of rocks to stack up," Kalin said.
"Maybe if we had some kind of secret door," Radley mused. "I bet Marty could design it."
"He's skilled with that sort of thing?" Kalin was surprised. Marty especially seemed like a punk, not someone who would know how to make something as technologically advanced as Radley was describing.
"Oh yeah. He's our electrical wizard," Radley said. "Scotch would have a blast helping too, especially on the aesthetics."
"I can picture that," Kalin grunted. "He seems like someone who'd love secret doors."
"You don't know the half of it," Radley chuckled. "When we first came here, he investigated almost all the standing buildings for secret passageways. If we owned the villa, he really might find some there."
"How much was already standing?" Kalin wondered.
"Not a whole lot," Radley said. "A few places from the Old West days, like the villa. But they were mostly falling apart and had to be torn down to make way for our shiny new buildings." He looked like he regretted that.
"But you would have left them up if you could?" Kalin said in some surprise.
"I like to preserve history," Radley said. "I saw to it that we kept what we could, but it wasn't much. The kids' old hideout outside of town, that was one of the original buildings."
"I see," Kalin mused. "Interesting. I thought businessmen were all about getting rid of the old to make way for the new."
"Hey, sometimes the old turns a profit too," Radley smirked. "Think about all the preserved old towns and their role in the tourist industry."
"I guess that's true," Kalin said. "I never really thought about it. I've never been to any towns like that." He paused. "If you ever overthrow Malcolm, will you want to open up tours of this cave?"
"That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?" Radley said, eyes gleaming at the thought. "People would love it!"
"I wonder how sturdy it is, for the crack to keep widening so fast," Kalin remarked.
"I'd have to have a professional look at it before anybody would tour it," Radley said. "It looks like it's just these two chambers. I wonder if it has any connection with the Prism Cave in Domino Canyon."
"I've never been there," Kalin said.
"Me either," Radley said, "but I've heard it has lots of twists and turns and surprise passages. I just kind of wonder if one of them connects with this cave. That's probably too weird, though. That cave is almost an hour away."
"Who knows," Kalin said.
"Maybe when we're free of this war, we should go look at the Prism Cave," Radley suggested.
Kalin didn't plan on being around then, but he didn't say that. "Maybe," he said.
"All the Bunch will wanna go too," Radley smiled.
"And they'll probably try to get into the places that aren't open for tours," Kalin deadpanned.
"What, do you think they're really hoodlums?" Radley said with a look that Kalin wasn't sure was a mock expression of indignation or genuine disappointment.
"I think Scotch especially is too curious for his own good," Kalin said.
Radley sighed but laughed. "I'll give you that one," he conceded. "He's that and then some. I love him, though."
Kalin smiled a bit. "That comes through a lot."
Radley fell silent, continuing to eat as he looked around the glistening chamber. Shades of blue, purple, and green especially fell across his skin, always changing and shining in the light. Kalin could see the same effect on his own hands. It was like eating under Christmas lights.
"Some people think I'm corrupting the Bunch," Radley said at last. "They think we're one of those outlaw motorcycle gangs that seems charming but is actually dangerous."
"I know," Kalin said. "I thought that too, when I first got here."
Radley tilted his head and studied Kalin with cautious hopefulness and curiosity. "And now?"
"Now . . . I think you're really what you claim to be," Kalin admitted. "You're tough around Malcolm, but not when he isn't around. You're different. . . . Thoughtful, cultured . . . nice. I don't think you're dangerous except to those who would hurt you or this town."
Radley looked like he was pondering that response. "I guess those outlaw gangs think anyone they're taking revenge on is a danger to them," he mused.
"You're not like that," Kalin said. "You're not a vengeful person. If you were, you'd do worse to Malcolm than just making childish insults."
Radley leaned back against the purple rock and smiled. "That means a lot coming from you, Kalin. Thanks."
Kalin flushed a bit but nodded.
"This whole day means a lot," Radley continued. "I'm really happy you trusted me enough to share this beautiful place with me."
Kalin shrugged awkwardly. "You seemed like someone who'd appreciate it."
"I am," Radley said, pleased.
As they finished eating, they got up and took another look around the chamber. Radley took more pictures.
"I'd like to come here a lot, but I'm sure Malcolm's men would start noticing," he said with a sigh. "I'll have to settle for this until we stop them."
"You can come here as part of your victory celebration if you beat him," Kalin said.
"When, not if," Radley responded with a smile and a wink. "And I hope you'll be with me."
Kalin didn't acknowledge that. But he took another look around as they walked around studying it again before heading for the exit.
It really was a beautiful place. He would miss it when he could no longer come here.
But, strange as it was to realize it, he would miss Radley the most.