Author's Note: Two within a week; I most be on a real roll. But I so couldn't resist writing this one; it started with me laughing about the mental image of a (sorta) domestic Kiryu and the dooming thought of: Actually… why not?

Enjoy

Warnings:

1. Slight spoilers for the series

2. Team Satisfaction (is their a need to say more XD)

3. pre-series

Summary: One Shot – The night before their last battle, Kiryu muses about his teammates…

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

--- Last night of calm ---

Night had fallen over Satellite, by the time that Kiryu had reached the house on the cliffs that he and his team had claimed for themselves as their hideout. He had spent most of the day scouting the entrance to Zone M, the last place that Team Satisfaction had yet to conquer. He hadn't been able to enter the territory, not without risking premature exposure, but what he had been able to gather on information on the Duelgang that reigned in Zone M, made him fairly confident that Team Satisfaction would emerge victorious (not that it could be any other way of course).

The thought of having their goal almost completed left a taste of excitement in his mouth and he certainly wanted to go over the plan for the following day with his boys before turning in for the night. Not that there was much of a plan aside from storming in with full force; using power and guts instead of tricks to overcome the final barrier.

However when he entered their hide out he frowned at the lake of light; and slight worry started to creep onto him as he realised that it was entirely to silent even for this time of the day. Usually he could hear Crow's kids shrieking all the way up to their hideout.

What if one of their past opponent's had come for payback or something, and made his boys more trouble than they could handle? If so what the hell had he been doing (what, but failing in his role as (not quiet official) big brother, that he had become to all of them).

But than Kiryu mentally kicked himself quiet firmly; why was he worrying like this without even checking the facts. For one there was nothing that indicated that anything was wrong (nothing but the slightly disturbing darkness and silence); for another he shouldn't be worrying about his boys; they could take care of themselves quiet well, had already been able to long before he had met them. They had survived and preserved the fires of passion and hope that so many of Satellite's resistant's lacked (or had lost to the island that had become their prison).

Yet Kiryu couldn't help but stay tensed as he pushed the door to their living room (the most likely place to find anyone) open. The image that welcomed him into the living room, left him bemused. Scattered through the room Yusei, Jack and Crow (not to mention Crow's little group of kids), all of them fast asleep.

Carefully he entered, half expecting Jack to snap awake and cuss him out for sneaking up on him (or attempt to, anyway). However, the otherwise jumpy Jack didn't react, not even when Kiryu accidentally stepped onto the loose floorboard, which they always talked about fixing since the sounds annoyed them but never had.

After any other night Kiryu might teased them for falling asleep so carelessly; their team had turned into a hot target in the last few weeks. But how could he when he understood; not even he could escape the slight feeling of strain and pressure, that had grown only worse the closer they came to their goal. It had affected the rest of the team just as bad, making them almost moody, at times when they didn't have much on their hands to distract themselves with.

For a moment he considered waking them, but then decided not to; all of them would need to get all sleep they could get for the coming day. Headshaking he shortly stepped out of the room, coming back with a bunch of thin blankets that should be doing the job right in such a warm spring night.

He couldn't suppress the faint smile when he dropped one of the blankets over Jack's lanky figure; that was leaning against the wall next to the window that faced the street that lead to their home.

That showed the slight paranoia that Jack fostered, for he hated to be surprised and always was ready to anticipate a strike by their now certainly numerous enemies against their home.

Jack liked to keep watch on exit points and had often mapped out the routes their team took through the Zones; always making sure that they had an alternative to turn to.

Next Kiryu walked over to Crow, the most outgoing and only marked member of Team Satisfaction, their risk taker and troublemaker. He was leaning against the leg of their table; at his side a number of kids was curled up, each of it with a blanket while Crow is out cold bare.

After laying the blanket over Crow, he couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him when Crow switched from sitting into lying position, curling himself up while shifting closer to his kids, his eyes firmly closed the whole time. Quickly Kiryu let his eyes wander over the kids, making sure that none of their blankets were lose.

He remembered how irritated he had been when Crow had first gathered them, allowing them free entrance and exit to their hideout. He hadn't expected a thrill seeking (and certainly foul mouthed) person like Crow to be such an active caretaker of children. But Yusei and Jack had gone along with it, as if they had expected it (although Jack had made one or two snidely comments before being stopped by one sharp glare from Yusei).

So Kiryu had let it slide with a frown but soon discovered that the kids were actually rather pleasant to have around; nothing lifted the spirit more than listening to the laughing that Crow encouraged in them, the laugh that chased away any hopelessness that Satellite was prone to spawn in a mans heart and which made Kiryu even more determined to success in his, in their goal to conquer the island, (because in far of days when those kids were at his age, and he long dead, they just might remember them, Team Satisfaction, and follow their example, instead of turning into hopeless shells).

Lastly he turned to Yusei, the last of his member of the team, who's knowledge and handling of dueldiscs, laptops and any other junk that the city discarded as useless was invaluable to them; especially given the number accidents that Crow seemed to attract when he was off as decoy to allow the rest of the team to enter a Zone without attracting trouble.

Yusei had buried his head on his hands over the table, a completely repaired dueldisc lying beside him and his laptop half closed. If he hadn't known raven-haired duelist already as long as he had, he would have thought of the position as uncomfortable but he had seen Yusei fall asleep like this more times than he could count. With greatest care Kiryu placed the last blanket over the younger boys shoulders.

Then before stepping out of the room to sleep for a couple of hours as well he turned back a last time, burning the peaceful image into his head. Letting it burn away all pressure he felt regarding his own position. Despite all edges and clashing attributes, Kiryu couldn't have wished for better comrades.

They were his team, his brothers. His responsibility to lead and protect…

And tomorrow they would face off against the last obstacle in Zone M, proving that they were the best of Satellite, that despite all difficulty that was connected to living on the island, one could live content with oneself when he/she just made the effort to.

They were Team Satisfaction.

They would go and win.

-----

It turned out more or less as I expected it to; but really somebody needs to make a crack-fic with this (I would but I miserably fail with crack.)

On lesser note if you are interested (or bored enough to care), yesterday first preview information on german 5d's dub appeared on official side; I translated it and have posted it for comments in LJ *points less than subtle to the link on the bottom of her profile* Personally I found it very amusing.

Please review.