Yugioh: Stuff

~* Fanfiction *~

Below is a YGO fanfic/songfic I wrote a while back. This is also my first fanfic/songfic, so please review and give constructive criticism by clicking on the Guestbook botton at the end of the fic. The song I Turn To You, sang by Christina Aguilera reminded me so much of the relationship between Joey and Serenity. So this is a fic dedicated to them and their close sibling bond. Please listen to I Turn To You if you got a chance, it is just perfect. I just hope I did the song and the characters justice in this story.

Title: I Turn To You

Written by: Hikari-Tenshi05

Summary: After getting defeated by the Rare Hunter's Exodia and have his favorite card the Red Eyes Black Dragon taken away, Joey felt lost and disheartened, especially about himself as a duelist. Can a light in his life help him move on with his life and provide him with the hope and strength he needed? ONE-SHOT.

Quick Author's Note: This story takes place right after Joey got beaten by the Rare Hunter and got his Red Eyes taken away, but before going to see his sister. Just pretend Tristan and the others never went to look for Joey.

thought

("song lyrics")

Category: General

Rating: PG (for a brief reference to violence)

Disclaimer: Do not own Yugioh or any of its characters. Both Yugioh and I Turn To You are copyrighted to their respective owners.

Without further ado, I present you with the fic.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dark clouds slowly transform what should have been a starry night into an endless black abyss. Distant roars can be heard, harbingers of a summer storm that is sure to come any moment now. Down below, people are shuffling against each other hurriedly, trying to find shelter before the heaven opens itself up, letting countless drops of rain washing over earth.

In a dark lonely alley there is one figure who seems to be unaware of the oncoming storm. This figure is slender, with blond hair and crisp chestnut orbs that often held courage and determination. However, only defeat is held within these orbs now. The figure is sat up against a wall, wearing a torn up jacket. Fresh cuts can be seen on the usually perfect pale complexion, now tainted with bits of red. Looking straight ahead without really seeing anything, the figure lets out a sigh that has been held in for a long time. Duel monsters cards are scattered around him. Soft whirling sound of an activated duel disk can be heard, the only other noise except for the constant roar above.

How can I go from second best in Duelist Kingdom to this in a matter of seconds? The figure silently berates himself. Memory of what has just happened replays itself once again in his mind. He hears the evil chuckles of the Rare Hunter before letting his Exodia obliterate his favorite card, the Red Eyes Black Dragon. He relives through the agonizing pain that he suffered while being kicked in the stomach and various other body parts repeatedly by the thugs the Rare Hunter had brought along. He remembers his plea, to please spare his rarest and favorite card, but only to have it fall on deaf ears.

Joey Wheeler, have you really been reduced to the whimpering dog that Kaiba had said you were? He can just hear the CEO’s taunting now, with that arrogant smirk on his face. So you really are a mutt. Second best will always be second best. Where is your canine pride now? Grunting slightly, Joey shakes his head a little, removing the offending image of Kaiba in his mind. No, I can’t let Kaiba get to me now. I need to focus on how to get Red Eyes back from those Rare Hunters. But I don’t even know anything about them, let alone finding them. A deep sigh of defeat sounds from the duelist once more. Maybe Kaiba is right, maybe I am just a second rate duelist. I should just give up…

Suddenly, sounds of approaching feet resonate throughout the ghostly alley. Feeling alarmed, the duelist raises himself up painfully, wincing as his muscles gradually getting used to this sudden movement. The sky already started to drizzle and he tries hard to peer into the mist before him. Under the dimly lit streetlight, a little boy with a little girl, walking side by side came into view, talking and laughing together. The boy looks no more than eight, while the girl looks about six. The boy hugs the girl tightly around the waist with one hand, while the other hand holds out an umbrella playfully. To the pair, time seems to have stopped, leaving them in their own little world.

“Jou, stop playing with the umbrella. I will get wet and catch a cold if this rain starts to pour over me.” The girl scolds the older with humor. Her eyes looking up at the boy with warmth and love, the kind that only a sister would have for a brother.

“No, you are not going to get wet and catch a cold. See, I am holding you close to make sure you are getting covered by the umbrella.” To further prove his point, the boy holds the girl even closer, with the umbrella now raised protectively over her head.

“I am just playing with you. I know you are never going to let me catch a cold, because you are my big brother and you are always there for me.” The girl sighed comfortably while letting her head rests on her brother’s shoulder. Her brother looks down lovingly, his free hand now stroking her hair.

“Thank you Shizuka. We are close to home now. So hang on tight for just a little bit.” The girl giggled at the last comment. Looking up once more, her eyes linger on her brother’s loving face and replies, “I will hang on to you forever. Promise me we would always be together?”

“I promise.”

The pair stops just before the alley, turning right into a street and disappears from Joey’s view. But the image of the boy and girl, sharing such a strong sibling bond, is forever burned into Joey’s mind. Suddenly his pain is all forgotten as he recalls the sole reason why he is even out this late at night. Serenity…

(“When I am alone… in the rain…
In your eyes I know I will find the light, to light my way.”)

Yes, the pair had reminded Joey the closeness he had shared with his own sister before their parents’ divorce brutally torn them apart. Joey and Serenity are always doing things together. He still remembers the time when he took her to see the ocean and the delight he had felt within himself and his sister as they played for a whole day on the beach, forgetting all the troubles in the world and finding solace in each other’s company. At the end of the day, Joey promised Serenity that he would still be there for her even after their parents got divorced. He promised her that they would come back to this place again. They even pinky-sweared on the promise. On the day of the separation, Serenity was dragged into her mother’s car, screaming Joey’s name. Joey, unable to restrain himself any longer, forced himself out from his father’s tight grasps and run after the car, calling out Serenity’s name. It proved to be futile to chase the car, for it soon disappeared from sight, leaving a crowd of dusts behind as the car’s only evidence for having been there once. Joey stared after it, promising to himself and to his sister that they will see each other again.

(“When I am scared… of losing ground,
When my world is going crazy, you can turn it all around,
And when I am down you are there pushing me to the top,
You are always there giving me all you got…”)

Joey hasn’t forgot about that. After finding out Serenity’s eye condition, he promised to himself that he would take his sister to see the beautiful ocean one more time. In Duelist Kingdom, his determination to win the prize money for his sister’s operation fueled him in all of his duels. Knowing his sister would be there for him always allowed him to triumph over duelists of caliber, including Mai, Rex Raptor, and Bandit Keith. When he has to duel his best friend in order to win during the final round, he got strength from his sister once again.

(“For a shield, from the stone,
For a friend, for the love to keep me safe and warm,
I turn to you”)

How could I give up on myself like that when you never give up on me, Serenity? You always believed in me, no matter what. I am going to be strong for you. You are going to go through the eye operation because like you are always there for me, I am always there for you.

(“For the strength, to be strong,
For the will to carry on…
For everything you do, for everything that is true,
I turn to you.”)

Without further hesitation and forgetting the bad condition his body is in, the duelist takes off in a run, in the direction of the Domino Hospital. The sky has opened up completely, rain now pounding mercilessly on the running figure. But he does not stop, because his determination and his promise to his sister that he would be there for her when her eyes get operated keep him going.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rain pounds loudly against the glass. A serious of lighting flashes briefly, revealing a small white hospital room behind the glass. A girl with auburn hair sits up on a small bed, with knees pulled up under her chin. Her head rests contently on top of it. The loud pounding of the rain has caught her attention, as she raised her head slightly towards the noise, only to find window frames come unfocused and blurred into her vision. Signing, she again placed her head back into its original spot.

(“When I lose… the will to win,
I just reach for you where I can reach sky again.”)

Where are you, big brother? You promised, you promised you would be here for me when they operate my eye. I need your strength to get me through this surgery. The thought of the operation struck a fear within her. Closing her eyes tightly, she buries her head within her folded arms. Silent sobs grow louder, as her body shakes with each inhalation of air. I am scared, big brother. Scared of the unknown, scared that I will never get my sight back, scared that I will never see you again…

(“I can do…anything…
’Course your love is so amazing, ’course your love is as fine as me.”)

Several soft knocks vibrated through the closed door. A soft voice proceeds after them, “Serenity, dear, it is time for your operation. Could you please open the door?”

(“And when I need a friend you are… always on my side,
Giving me the faith to get me through the night!”)

What! It’s time already?! Panic and fear rush through her, stopping her sobs. No, no, I can’t go through with the operation yet, I need Joey to be here for me, to lend me his strength, to give me support, and give me courage to face the unknown, Please big brother, please come soon! I need you!

Knocks resume again when their owner did not elicit a response. “No! I will not come out of here until Joey arrives!” An angry reply sounded from behind the closed door. Ms. Wheeler cringed at the voice. “Please, Serenity, be reasonable. The doctors are not going to wait forever. They have other surgeries they need to attend to. Please, open the door dear. You need the operation so your sight can recover again, wouldn’t you want that?”

A stubborn “NO!” is all she received.

(“For a shield, from the stone,
For a friend, for the love to keep me safe and warm,
I turn to you.”)

Suddenly, the sound of doors opening behind her abruptly caught Ms. Wheeler’s attention, Turning around slowing, the older woman sees a figure standing behind them. The figure looks very tired and worn out, like he has been running all night without stopping in a storm. “Joey!” is all the surprised and stunned woman could muster.

“Hi mom, is Serenity in there?” His mother nods grimly. “She wouldn’t come out, no matter how much I reasoned with her. She keeps saying she wouldn’t come out until you arrive. Oh, she can be so stubborn sometimes…kind of like you.”

Joey chuckled lightly at the last comment. Returning seriousness back into his features, he walks to the door and stops in front of it. He knocks softly, hearing the voice within telling him to go away and leave her alone.

(“For the strength, to be strong,
For the will to carry on…
For everything you do, for everything that is true,
I turn to you.”)

“Serenity, it’s me.” Joey chokes on his own voice, unable to restrain his tears any longer. “I am sorry I am late. I…got into a little trouble on the way here. I almost give up on myself until I thought of you, how you are always there for me, cheering me on even when the odds are against me. Remember Duelist Kingdom? I was able to beat all those duelists and came out as second best because of you. You are my hope, inspiration, and light. Without you I could never have accomplished so much, so quickly as a duelist. Just like you are always there for me, I am always there for you. I am here for you now. Don’t be scared of the operation, everything is going to be fine, because I am here and together our strength will pull you through.”

(“For the answer to be my share from all the rain.
For the truth that can never change…
For someone to lean… on!”)

Click, the door is unlocked. Slowly, it opens to reveal a girl shorter than Joey. Her auburn hair falls neatly down her back. Eyes shining with tear and delight, she jumps into her brother’s waiting arms, sobbing and laughing at the same time. Joey strokes her hair gently, providing her with more comfort and security. His own tears fall on top of the auburn head and he can care less that he, a tough guy he always portrayed himself to be, is crying.

(“For a heart that I can rely… under anything…
For the one who… I can run to!”)

Gradually, the sobbing ceased. Pulling his sister up from his arms, Joey looks into her eyes. Yes, they are the same hazel color he had remembered. Even though she cannot see through these hazel orbs, they nonetheless emitted love and care for the figure in front of her. She looks at me the same way the little girl had did towards her brother. Joey reminisces. They contain the same kind of love that a sister would have only for her brother.

“Serenity. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I often do not believe in myself. You are the one I live for and duel for. You are always there for me and I know if I am ever in a bad situation, I can always turn to you.”

“Oh big brother, you are the one who is always there for me.” Serenity giggled/hiccuped happily. “Without you I don’t know how I am going to go through with this operation. When I need strength to keep me going and help me stay strong, I turn to you.”

(“For a shield, from the stone,
For a friend, for the love to keep me safe and warm,
I turn to you.
For the strength, to be strong,
For the will to carry on…
For everything you do, for everything that is true…
For everything you do, for everything that is true,
I… turn… to… you.”)

Both looked into each other’s eyes and smiled, knowing that even if the world ended around them at this moment, they would always have each other to turn to.

FIN

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: *Whistles*, wow, 5 pages. I never thought this fic would get this long. Yes, I did use Joey and Serenity's Japanese names for the little boy and girl to show their resemblance to their relationship. Hope everyone have caught that ^^. Well, I hope you all have enjoyed reading this songfic. Review for the author? Go ahead and click on the Guestbook button below.

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