AN: This is probably the first of a bunch of drabbles that are likely to be way too short to warrant their own "story". They're pretty much all going to be Kiryu-ships or Kiryu-centric. Kiryu is my fandom bicycle, so...

Also, he doesn't get enough love. And neither do quite a few of the people I ship him with.

Like this first one!

Disclaimers: I don't own Yugioh 5D's.
Rating: T
Pairings/characters: Kiryu & Demak
Warnings: a mention of blood?
Summary: Kiryu's introduction to the Dark Signers. That's about it.

A Fine Day to Exit

Demak found him sooner than he'd expected. Rudger had suggested looking out here, but he hadn't thought he would find anything. But there he was. Wandering alone, so close to the control tower of his god. Demak wondered how he'd made it so far on his own--Security's prison facility wasn't anywhere near here, and he looked like he was about to pass out any minute--but it didn't matter in the long run. He'd made Demak's job easier by coming so far on his own.

"Kiryu Kyosuke."

Kiryu froze and stared at him with wild eyes. Eyes like a hungry wild dog. Or even a domestic dog that had been kicked a few too many times. But they were white, like any normal person, not the near-black reddish-brown of the dead.

"Who are you?" Kiryu demanded. "How do you know my name? Are you Security?"

Demak stopped a short distance away and held up his hands to show he meant no harm. Now that he was closer, he could see that Kiryu was covered in blood under the black cloak he was wearing. Probably not his own. It wasn't too surprising; Demak doubted Security would have just let Kiryu walk out.

"My name is Demak. I'm a friend."

"I don't have any friends."

Demak slowly lowered his hands, watching him closely. "I'm not an enemy. I'm like you, chosen by the Gods. Perhaps not a friend, but a team-mate."

Kiryu's expression opened up with that word, full of hurt and anger and fear and muted hope. He did take a step back away from Demak, but overall he looked more open to hearing more.

"" Then his expression closed off again and he sneered, clutching at his right arm where his mark probably was. "Prove it."

Demak shrugged and pushed the top of his glove down, revealing his own mark. Kiryu stared at it and gripped his own arm even tighter, enough to look painful. He took a couple steps forward before he seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped again.

Demak wondered if Rudger knew their newest recruit was this anxious.

"I don't...I don't need a team," Kiryu whispered. But he didn't look like he really believed it. His eyes hadn't left Demak's mark, and if there was look Demak knew well, it was longing, and he was sure that was what he was seeing.

"I've heard Rudger-sama say the same thing occasionally. He never means it." Demak walked over to his and held a hand out. Kiryu stared at it like he was holding deadly snake.

"I mean it."

Demak smiled and shook his head. "If you say so."

Kiryu glared right back at him and slapped his hand away. Then he turned around and started shuffling away, moving with as much purpose as he could in his weakened state.


Kiryu tensed and stopped but he didn't look around. It was promising enough just to have him stop.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Demak asked, nodding to himself when Kiryu just seemed to shrink more in on himself. "As long as you're one of us, you'll have a room. You can claim it when you're ready. I'll inform Rudger-sama of how you're doing."

Demak turned and started the walk back to Old Momentum.

He'd hardly taken ten steps before something grabbed his cloak. He held out a hand and wasn't entirely surprised when Kiryu took it and clung.

"It feels like it's going to rain," Kiryu muttered, gaze firmly on the ground. "I don't want to get caught out in it."

Demak squeezed his hand and started leading him back to Old Momentum, smiling faintly. "I understand."