Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ One-Shots and Songfics ❯ I Will Be Here ( Chapter 1 )

It had been two months since Jou's untimely passing. It had been hard for his many friends to accept. Jou was a carefree and somewhat dim-witted person that seemed to attract people like flies to honey. But in just a matter of days, Jou had been hit by the silent killer: Leukemia. He suffered through endless chemo treatments, unbearable radiation, and many other treatments. He fought the good fight up until the end. His passing was a shock to everyone close to him, including his sister, Shizuka, and his love, Ashurii.

 

Tomorrow morning if you wake

up and the sun does not appear

I will be here

If in the dark, we lose sight of love

Hold my hand, and have no fear

'Cause I will be here

 

It was a cold Saturday in December. Ashurii was spending the day in Jou's former apartment, sorting through his belongings. An array of items was scattered about the floor as well as the sofa and the coffee table that also occupied the room. She thumbed through some old photographs of Jou before she and he met. She even found some photographs of her and him on their first date. Yuugi accompanied them as their “camera man”. Her stroll down memory lane was interrupted by a knock at the door. Ashurii quickly set down the items that were gathered in her lap and raced for the door. She opened it quickly to see Shizuka standing there. “Come in out of the cold,” Ashurii said invitingly. The younger girl nodded and stepped inside the warm apartment. “I was just going through some of Jou's things,” Ashurii explained as she prepared some hot chocolate for herself and Shuzuka. “So many memories,” Shizuka sighed as she draped her coat over the back of the sofa and sat down. Ashurii handed a mug of hot chocolate over to Shizuka who accepted it with a weak smile. “It just wasn't his time,” Ashurii sighed. A slight smile crept across her face as fond memories of her and Jou began to surface once more…

 

I will be here

When you feel like being quiet

When you need to speak your mind

I will listen

And I will be here

When the laughter turns to cryin'

Through the winning, losing and trying

We'll be together

I will be here

 

Ashurii and Jou had been close since the day they met at Duelist Kingdom. She quickly noticed Jou's strengths and weaknesses physically, mentally, and spiritually. The pair of them spent most of their quality time either at the park or the beach. All the times in between, she spent hanging out with Jou's friends. She always tagged along with them to any major dueling events, even though she was clueless when it came to dueling. She only went along with them to cheer them on.

 

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the future is unclear

I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change

Our lifetimes were made for these years

So I will be here

 

The years had gone by so quickly and the two teen's relationship began to flower. Everyday, Jou told her that he loved her and she responded; “I love you, too”. Both still spent time with friends, trying not to let their relationship get in the way of friendship.

 

I will be here

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we're older

I will hold you

And I will be here

To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me

I will be here

 

Whenever Ashurii was depressed, Jou would let her spill her guts to him about what she was feeling. He would, then, hold her while she wept and whisper soft words to her. Both of them would fall asleep together on the sofa. Ashurii would rest her head on his chest and listen to his strong heartbeat and steady breathing.

 

I will be true to the promise I have made

To you and to the One who gave you to me

 

Ashurii was even there when the doctor told Jou the bad news. She vowed to stay by his side during his treatments and keep him in her prayers. She visited him everyday while he was in the hospital. She brought him flowers, movies, and a little surprise now and then. When Jou's health began to fail, Ashurii stayed with him more often, hoping that he would get better and things would go back to the way things were. Her hopes were crushed on a crisp autumn afternoon in November. When she entered the room, Jou wasn't in the bed, or anywhere for that matter. The nurse who had attended to Jou explained that Jou had gone into heart failure the previous night. All of the attempts to save him failed, and he died.

 

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the sun does not appear

I will be here

 

Ashurii finally snapped back to reality to find Shizuka giving her an odd look. The older girl sighed. “Sorry,” she said, “I was just thinking about all of the good times we had with Jou. It's amazing how everything can change in one moment.” The younger female nodded in agreement. “He's with us in spirit.”

 

Oh, I will be here