A/N: Sorry about the wait, all of those who have enjoyed thus far. I recently got a better job, both in pay and in treatment, and now I have that glorious thing known as free time. And a little bit of inspiration. And two kittens!
So, here you go!
Chapter 4: Melodrama
There's nothing quite like waking up in the morning to the realization that, once again, your underwear is soaked in blood.
Satellite, at the best of times, still lacks so many basic necessities that it simply boggles the mind. What do you do when you lack hygiene products? Apparently the world is run by ignorant men that don't register my extreme need for pads and pills.
Cramps, folks. Blood. Dead tissue. It's gross, so for fuck's sake, can we at least get something to deal with it? Claire sighed.
If I get to Neo Domino alive, I'm fucking raiding the nearest Wal-Mart and hoarding. I will become a dragon, and sleep atop a mound of absorbent cotton and ibuprofen. Probably nab a few pillows while I'm at it.
Anyone who's woken up thinking, "Well shit, that pair of underwear is fucked" knows the pain Claire endured that morning. The scraps of cloth and fabric she scavenged could only do so much.
Of course, the day of the Great Escape, and Claire got to start it off bleeding. And Yusei, in blissful ignorance, 'borrowed' some of her rags to use on oil and grease. On the bright side, chances were relatively high that she could get some actual pads soon.
So, Claire let Yusei off with just an entirely-justified whack to the back of the head. His baffled expression almost made the unintentional theft worth it.
"What was that for?"
"You commandeered my PMS rags."
He took one look at the rag in his hands and let it flop to the floor. I snickered.
"Maybe you should keep your disgusting habits of hoarding bloody rags somewhere else," Nerve walked in, just in time to receive a rag to the face. He tore it off and threw it to the ground with the most disgusted expression.
Claire couldn't help but smirk. I have good aim, huh?
"Guys, please. It's too early." Yusei glanced at his laptop just as Claire did. Nerve only took a moment longer.
"Yusei, it's past noon." Nerve pointed out. The conversation apparently woke Tank, because he peered out of his little tent-room at all of us.
"Yeah, exactly." Claire grinned. "For us night owls, it's too fucking early for your bullshit."
Yusei, knowing there was no stopping the oncoming storm, began to blast Guns and Roses to drown out the bickering. Tank wisely receded into his living quarters.
-One Hour Later-
Claire looked through her deck, frowning. As powerful as the Seal was, the major drawback of destroying Special Summoned monsters really sucked. Plus, Kyoutou Waterfront was kind of a big deal for her main strategy.
Eh. Maybe she'd give it a whirl once or twice, just for the hell of it. Considering what she had lost already from the card, there was no way she'd just get rid of it.
Stacking her deck back together and slipping it into a worn leather holster, Claire stood and looked around. Everyone else was in the main room getting ready for tonight's blaze of glory. After Yusei very clearly expressed his irritation with them, she had sequestered herself in one of the little nooks of the subway hideout. She was sorry for bothering him, but insulting... Ned? Nerd? Whatsisface? Usually enough entertainment to keep her going for a bit. Blitz was less fun, just because after a while he would go silent and ignore her, and Tank didn't have thick enough skin. He was left alone unless he started it.
Rally was the only one she could stand, although the relative innocence (amazing really, when you consider the time in prison and Jack's outright betrayal) made casual conversation somewhat trying. Claire had a feeling Rally, out of all of them, was probably the one with the most heart. Yusei's was buried, hers was rotten, Crow's belonged to a bunch of orphans, Jack's was AWOL, and the other guys probably sold their's for rations.
She didn't want to think about what happened to Kiryu's.
"Hey Claire," Blitz's unwelcome voice filtered in through the not-quite-solid walls. "Yusei wants you."
"Fine." Like hell she'd thank the cunt for the distraction, but it was still welcome. When Claire emerged, Yusei beckoned her with a jerk of his head, hair spikes wagging. Claire grinned the grin of any mischievous being and began to play with the spikes the moment she was close. Somehow her longtime friend ignored her. The others looked at her like she'd grown a fifth limb, save for Rally, who was barely holding back a similar grin.
"So, this is the map of the pipeline. Fairly straightforward."
"..." Claire's grin widened at Yusei's slow realization of his unintentional pun, but once again he endeavored to ignore her.
"I know you aren't super comfortable on a runner still, how fast do you think you can go?"
Claire's grin abruptly dropped and she stared at her motorcycle silently. "...Um. How... fast do we need to go?"
Nerve and Blitz had to be having a chuckle at her expense, but Claire refused to turn around and give them any satisfaction. Yusei looked at her, both amused and exasperated. "Claire, can you at least go 60?"
"...Uh. Sure. Yeah. Totally."
Yusei sighed. Snickers were audible behind them- even Rally couldn't help but shake their head. Claire was so thankful that her cheeks didn't turn red when she was embarrassed. She would never live it down.
"Look, uh, Yusei-" Claire shot a glare back at the chucklefucks before turning back. "If it comes down to it, leave me behind. Don't waste your shot on my account. You know I'll be fine regardless."
Maybe it was a pointless plea, but Claire would be damned if Yusei lost his shot at revenge (the pettier the better) because she was afraid. She was always afraid, frankly.
"Don't be ridiculous. There will be other chances." Yusei turned back to the computer screen as Claire scowled at his back.
"Don't 'other chance' me Fudo, this is your fucking shot. If you're gonna waste it on my account, I'm not going."
Yusei didn't even look at her. "I'm not leaving you behind."
"You will if you have to, Yusei." Rally spoke up, to everyone's surprise. "We all know how much that runner... no, more than that, Stardust Dragon means to you. If that's the price you gotta pay- leaving us behind- you'll pay it. And that's okay." Here, Rally reached into their sweater pocket and pulled out a card. "I know you won't waste your chance, after everything all of us have given for it to be possible. So, please, take this."
Yusei, shocked into silence, took one look at the card and his eyes widened. "Rally, this was your father's-"
"And now it's yours. Take it. Maybe Turbo Booster will... increase your odds." Rally's smile convinced Yusei more than the words, and he pocketed it with gratitude.
Claire wondered if she had ever been like Rally. Kind, generous, but not afraid to get dirty to get things done. Maybe once, but that was probably even before she had wound up in Satellite.
Plus, considering the kid had convinced Yusei to be selfish for once- that, in itself, was a miracle.
Rally deserved so much better than Satellite. So much better than almost drowning to Jack at 12 and serving prison time at 13 and waking up from nightmares of Jack trying to drown them or Yusei not making it in time or Security burning another marker in their face. Claire supposed she was lucky- she'd stopped having nightmares a long time ago. There just wasn't any point to it.
Touching moments like this hurt far more than any dream.
-8 Hours Later-
It was time. Yusei looked like he was born for the task at hand, confidently striding to his runner and donning his helmet.
Claire? Claire was struggling to appear any kind of confident.
"Ready?" Claire gave Yusei a look that said everything, and donned the spare helmet Yusei had lent her. She had spent enough time making sure she knew how to start the engine and turn on autopilot, that at least she didn't have to worry about getting started.
Yusei revved his engine and sped off, with Claire following close behind.
Satellite was quiet enough that their engines seemed to echo for miles. She was surprised that the streets were almost completely deserted. Even at night, usually there was somebody hanging around... but, it was just them tonight.
The massive fence that indicated the boundary of Security's domain was easily jumped for Yusei. Claire, on the other hand, was not Yusei and thus simply barreled it over.
"Really, Claire?" Yusei looked back briefly in exasperation, as alarms began to peal out. Claire didn't bother to shrug as they quickly navigated to the pipeline entrance. She felt more than heard or saw the Security bike come up from behind them. "Hey- wait a minute, you're not an officer!"
Claire barked a laugh. "Oh my god, Trudge! What a coincidence, huh?"
"Coincidence?! You- you stole a Security runner!"
"Uh, actually, it was somebody else, but I don't think that matters to you..." Claire sighed as Yusei was dragged into a riding duel.
"No, it doesn't! Either way, I'm taking you Satellite scum back to where you belong- the trash!" Trudge grinned predatorily, then paused. "Hey, wait, why isn't yours engaging!?"
Claire flipped the bird. "Because, I don't have a duel disk inserted into my motorcycle. I also don't have a riding duel deck, so... Yusei, mind if I clear the way?"
Yusei nodded. With a casual, two-fingered salute, Claire sped ahead. High on adrenaline and the joys of giving Security the finger, she forgot her fears and went fast.
Neo Domino was her next stop. After that? Wal-Mart.
A/N: Considering having Claire see Jack and engaging in some good ol' fashioned verbal warfare before proceeding to plunder Wal-Mart. Whaddya think?