~A medium-long note from the author, Bunny:
Hello all, and welcome to the first non-oneshot story I've got! It took me a while, but I realized that this would be the easiest and quickest story to put up with multiple chapters. Most of my longer fanfics, I'm waiting to upload until I've got all the chapters completed. But this one should be two, three at most, I'm thinking. No way to know for sure, but for now, enjoy the first chapter! Since I don't know many people in the Arc-V community, I dedicate this fanfic to all the Yuugo fans out there.

There is sort of an AU-thing going on here, where I'm assuming that Yuugo (or, anyone in the Commons) knows Crow quite well, and so does Rin, and I thought it would be nice if they stayed in contact to some degree. I'll try to make sure this doesn't contradict too much in later chapters with what happens in the anime.
Again, I suppose I should say I don't own anything but my own ideas.
And now prepare for a lot of angst. I've been told fangirls like it... *thoughtful expression*

"Hey, Yuugo! How are ya?"

The words appeared on the softly-glowing screen with a somewhat muffled noise that signaled the message's arrival. There was a long pause, then the reply suddenly appeared, as if it thought it was right on time.

"I'm fine."

There was a shorter pause, now, as the two words were re-read several times, then their owner stumbled to add, "What're you up to, Crow?"

"Nothing special." The first person replied, "I took a few of the kids out on the D-Wheel earlier, just around the building to let them have some fun. You would've loved to see their faces."

In the silence of the nearly pitch-black room, a quietly choked sob sounded, and a slow, shaking hand managed, "That's great." After several typos.

Yuugo watched for the next message from Crow, but he could barely see the computer screen in front of him. His blearily staring eyes were overflowing with blinding tears. As seconds slipped by, his head sank between his arms, and he curled into a tighter and more painful ball. He temporarily shut out the blank light of the computer, and, hugging his knees, was overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain.

Every labored breath stabbed at his already broken heart, choking him more and more until he grasped at his head from dizziness. Why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't everything return to the way it was?

'Bloop.'

Yuugo's eyes shot open at the sound from his computer and he scrambled upright, hastily wiping his eyes on his sleeve. The now-established silence was interrupted by a loud sniff, and a soft shuffle as Yuugo desperately returned to the computer screen. It almost didn't matter what Crow said. Anything to get his mind off of what had happened. Anything at all.

But as he read his friend's question, he crumbled again:

"How's Rin? Is she planning on coming by tomorrow?"

Trembling hands set down on the keys and replied, "No. She can't make it." There was no indication in the simple words that Yuugo was currently awake and alone in the dark, tearing at his electric-blue hair with tears streaming freely down his face, as he shattered further beneath the fact that haunted him so.

The dark cloaked figure, the flash of light, Rin's last expression… It all replayed again and again in Yuugo's mind, each rerun like a gunshot to his heart. Why did he have to keep thinking about it? But in the back of his mind, he knew, it was because he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Was she safe? Was she a prisoner? Where had she been taken to? Could he save her? Was she already dead? Was she being tortured? What had she done to deserve this? Why couldn't he have protected her?

The questions assaulted the broken bluenette's mind as his fingers tore deeper into his hair and he begged to whatever being that would hear him that Rin was alive. He wouldn't dare ask that she be alive and well. The thought of sounding that greedy terrified him. If he asked too much, he might be denied. But he might be denied as it was, and in fact, he might just be begging to nothing but his own mind. Rin might already be…

No. Think of Crow. Think of the kids. Think of anything but what had really happened. Crow would stop asking about Rin, right? He'd talk about the kids more. Or he'd complain about the Tops, or the police. Anything but Rin…

Luck did not favor Yuugo, as the next message appeared from Crow:

"Eh? She can't make it tomorrow? What's she got going on that's more important than the kids, huh?"

Yuugo's glassy, teal eyes stared blankly. How would he reply to that…? How would he even begin to speak…? He gave another loud sniff, wiped his face on his sleeve again, and fought back a new wave of nauseating emotion as he realized what the truth would sound like. Staring more didn't help.

"I don't really know what she'll be doing," the reply finally appeared. Followed by sharp sobs, the next message read, "Crow…she's gone. Rin's gone."

Crow was silent. Then all at once, he typed, "What happened?"

Yuugo flinched, aware of the stiff, furious tone that went unheard. No lies would fill the gap between messages…Crow would see through them and only get more frantic for the truth…but the truth… Yuugo saw tears blur his vision again, and the uncontrollable shake returned to his hands.

It took twenty minutes to type what had happened that night, describing what an idiot he was for letting Rin get out of his sight, and how he was useless trying to save her from the cloaked figure. He barely filled in the blanks of his return home, and he scrambled to remember how exactly he had come to collapse on his bed in the dark, curled in pain beside his laptop.

Every word was an effort to get out, as he tried in vain to deny and forget everything he was saying. Rin was perfectly fine and well. She was in her room, sound asleep… She was somewhere in another dimension, in the claws of a terrible villain… The truth wouldn't stay away from Yuugo. It was right before his eyes and beneath his fingers as he typed out the tragedy. It was even in his tears as they soaked his face and sleeve, and fell to his hands like swift, salty rain.

But when he finally hit enter, and sent the message, he felt even more terrible knowing what Crow's reaction would be. 'Why didn't you stay with her, Yuugo?!' he imagined the Blackwing duelist saying, 'How could you let something like this happen?!' 'How do you expect to find her now?! She could be dead for all we know!'

Yuugo heavily sank to his side, only half-watching the computer. Rin was gone. Those three words echoed endlessly in his head. The bluenette buried his face into his arms, but the fact would not escape him.

As much pain as he felt, he could only feel more terrible knowing that he'd just shared this horror with Crow. The Blackwing duelist cared about the girl, too, and now the happiness he'd shared with the kids, the ordinary day he'd had…Yuugo had just robbed all of it from him…

'Bloop.'

There was no reaction. He knew what Crow had said, and he embraced that it was true. If he'd been just a bit faster, a bit stronger, and a bit less of an idiot, Rin wouldn't be…

Several option words flashed through his head. Dead, tortured, captured, gone. That was the safest one. Rin wouldn't be gone.

'Bloop.'

With a sniff, Yuugo blearily raised his head. Was Crow berating him again…? Why would he-

'Bloop.'

There were three messages now, each one surprisingly short… As he crept closer, they slowly came into focus, and he could do nothing but stare in shock.

"Don't you give up on her, Yuugo. Don't you give up on her for one minute. She's a tough girl, and she'll stay strong."

"We'll find her."

"I don't know how, but we'll find her."

Yuugo stared at the words, speechless. Crow wasn't angry…he was…hopeful. Another message appeared.

"Oi! Yuugo! Talk to me! Let me know you're still there!"

"I'm still here…" he quickly replied. But the words silently followed, "I…I don't know if I can go on like this… She's gone…without a trace… She could be anywhere, with anyone."

Steadily louder tears began to fill the quiet as the message continued, "I don't think I'll ever see her again…and I can't live without her… I'm just…scared…"

The bluenette almost felt the firm hand clasp on his shoulder, almost saw the solemn stare connect, as Crow said through the screen, "You can make it through this, Yuugo."

There was no reply for some time. Yuugo breathed shakily, drying his eyes once more. He'd try…but how could he go on without Rin, if… His thoughts trailed off and his expression turned to one of teary revelation.

"Crow…" he typed slowly, "…I love her…"

A second passed. Then two. Then he knew his friend was smiling softly as he responded with the last message of the night: "All the more reason to find that girl and bring her back home. Rin won't want you crying when she could be just fine. She could also be in danger, yeah, but you know her. You know she's strong, and you know she'll try to find you as hard as you'll try for her. Now I want you to sleep on this. Then first thing in the morning, you go out there and give it your best shot to track down the guy who took her. But for now…you just rest, alright…?"

The dim light closed slowly, and the computer was pushed to the end of the bed. Yuugo stared after it as he sank further into the bed's surface…and in seconds, exhaustion overtook him. There were only two thoughts in his mind as he fell into sleep's embrace. The image of Rin, smiling, laughing, encouraging him as she always did…and the other…

'Arigato…Crow…'

Aaand scene! Thank you one and all for reading this first chapter of TT2AM, and for all of you who may have just skipped through it to get to the bottom of the page *pats shoulder* that's okay, too.
Please drop a review if it tickles your fancy: reviews are life and I love them a ton! Better yet, they help me write faster! But if you'd rather not review, feel free to favorite, follow, flame, view and then vanish, etc. Whatever will make you happy.
Thank you again, and I'll hopefully see you next chapter!

~Peace out! Bunny