Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Taking Over Me ❯ Chapter 1

Taking Over Me

Ame no Mizu

Author's note: Read 'Dying Again' before you read this, or you may not understand. Lyrics by Evanescence. I absolutely love this song, and it's perfect for this plot. So, enjoy. Also, there are some French words in here. If they aren't explained in the story, I'll have some notes on it at the end.

I know it's not especially long, but the sequel to this will be much longer. I've decided this will be a triad. The next story will be the ending. I hope you like it!

*

You don't remember me but I remember you
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you
But who can decide what they dream?
And dream I do...
*

Bakura stared out the window of the airplane and sighed. As happy as he was that he was going to see the others, something in the back of his mind was pointing out very rudely one person that wasn't going to be rushing up to meet him at the airport: Ryou.

He'd lost his hikari ten years ago, and seven years ago he'd gotten a new one. She was nothing special, not like his Ryou, but she was nice enough.

Or she would be, if he could understand anything that came out of her mouth.

At least Ryou had spoken a language that he could understand. This girl spoke French, a language Ryou had neglected to teach him thoroughly. Sure, he knew a few words, but not many. He just barely learned the name and age of the girl next to him with the French rock music blasting in her ears: Her name was Juliette, and she turned sixteen just a few weeks ago. How did he know her birthday? He didn't. He just assumed that it was on the same day as her party (which he wasn't allowed to attend… not that he'd wanted to).

He looked over to the girl in question, but she didn't look back.

"Juliette," he called. She didn't hear him.

"Juliette," he called louder. Nothing.

"Juliette," he yelled, catching the attention of the people around them, but not the girl. He threw the people a dirty look and shook the girl. She looked at him.

"Nani?" she asked, displaying the only word of Japanese she knew, besides 'iie' and 'dore'¹. Dore was, of course, not exactly useful, but she made a point to learn it. Why, he had no idea.

"Um… Ca va?" he said hopefully.

"C'est ça va," she said, "Et oui, je suis bien. Toi?"

"Um… oui," he said, mimicking her, "So… what time is it?" he asked, tapping his wrist so she would understand.

"Il est dix heures," she said, and when she caught his confused look, she showed him her watch. It was ten o'clock. They would be arriving in Domino in ten minutes, "Uh… merci." Juliette smiled.

"Tres bien," she complimented, "De rien." ²

He hoped that meant something good.

They entered the airport about twenty minutes later, and Bakura yelled in shock as thin tanned arms suddenly squeezed the breath out of him. Juliette giggled as Malik Ishtar let go and smiled at him. Behind the blonde hikari were Marik, Yami, Yugi, Isis, and Rishid. Yugi stepped up hesitantly, apparently unsure of his actions.

"It's okay," Bakura said, "I've given up on the whole 'taking over the world' thing. You know, for Ryou. He would have wanted me to try to keep up my good behavior even after he passed on." With tears in his eyes, Yugi stepped up and wrapped his arms around Bakura's middle (still not able to reach anything else-though he had grown a bit). Bakura hugged back softly.

"We missed you here, Bakura," said Yugi, "It's been really quiet."

"I would think so," he replied, "The pharaoh must have been bored without me there to give him a little excitement, huh?"

"That's not true," Yami growled, "And anyway, you still haven't introduced us to your new little friend here…"

"Oh yeah…" he said, having completely forgotten about his hikari, "Um… this is Juliette, but don't bother talking to her. She doesn't understand anything but French."

"Really?" said Yugi, and he stepped up to her, "Bonjour, Juliette. Je m'appelle Yugi." Juliette's eyes lit up.

"Bonjour, Yugi. Je m'appelle Juliette. Enchantee."

"Enchante," Yugi smiled.

"The runt knows French," Bakura growled, "Why did no one tell me? I had to live with her for seven years without understanding a damn word she said to me!"

"Juliette, je te presente Yami, Malik, et Marik," Yugi told the girl, pointing to each person as he said their name, "Tu connais Bakura, oui?"

"Mais oui," she growled in Bakura's direction.

"She resents the fact that I don't know French," Bakura explained when everyone looked at him suspiciously, "She's a stuck up little brat who gets everything she wants. Her parents are loaded."

"She seems nice to me," Yami said, "I mean, anyone who doesn't like you has to have some amount of common sense, right?"

"Yami," Yugi snapped to him, "Be nice to Bakura. He's changed, remember?"

"So he says."

"Okay, Bakura, let's get your bags!" Malik cried loudly, trying to avoid a fight, "Then we'll head over to my place and get you settled in, alright?"

"Whatever," Bakura growled, going to go get his bags. This was going to be a long vacation…

"Juliette!" Bakura found himself yelling through the Ishtar house several nights later, "Juliette, where the hell are you?"

"I think she's out with Yugi," called Malik, "You know, I'm pretty sure she's got a thing for him."

"Too bad for her he doesn't swing that way, huh?" replied Bakura, "But it seems right: she's always been attracted to short guys. She was dating this one guy a while ago, and he was smaller than Yugi."

"You mean there's an actual teenager smaller than him? Don't let him know, he might get jealous."

Bakura walked into the kitchen to find a giggling Malik sitting at the kitchen table, and he sat beside him.

"So, where's Marik?" Bakura asked.

"I don't know. He goes out every once in a while. I think he misses you, really. He hasn't had anyone to hang out and cause havoc with. He's lonely."

"That's hard to believe."

"But it's true. You know, he missed you, just like I miss Ryou."

"Yeah, I guess a guy could get a little lonely with no one to hang out with. I can hardly see him hanging out with Yami. That fern-head would drive him crazy."

"Bakura," Malik began sadly, "You're avoiding it, aren't you?"

"Avoiding what?" asked Bakura, but he knew very well what.

"You're avoiding any discussion about Ryou. You haven't talked about him once since you got here. Now, I know you're hurt, and that you loved him, but your grief will grow, and begin to consume you. I wouldn't be surprised if it's already started. Please, Bakura, tell me how you feel…"

"There's nothing to tell. Yeah, I miss him, but I… I've moved on, Malik. Ryou's dead. There's nothing I can do about that." Not wanting to continue the conversation, Bakura got up and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live

To breathe,
You're taking over me

Bakura sighed as he curled up under the large tree, and he watched the children play in the nearby park. A single tear escaped his eye and fell down his cheek as he brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face in it.

Malik was right. He hadn't talked about Ryou since he died. He didn't want to admit it, but it still hurt to think of his beautiful hikari. Bakura was still very in love with him, even though he was no longer there.

"Bakura?"

The albino looked up to see Marik standing above him, his arms crossed and a concerned look in his eyes. Bakura sighed and uncurled, stretching himself out on the grass.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked as Marik sat beside him.

"I went home, and Malik told me you'd left," Marik replied softly, "I figured you'd go here. Ryou used to drag you here all the time. You used to hate it."

"I wasn't exactly a people person," Bakura grumbled, "Come to think of it, I'm still not."

"Malik also told me what happened to make you leave. Why won't you talk about Ryou? It'll help, you know…" Bakura narrowed his eyes dangerously at the blonde.

"Has everyone suddenly become my shrink?" he shouted, getting to his feet, "I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! What's so hard to understand about that? Yeah, I miss Ryou. What kind of yami would I be if I didn't? Even in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, I was afraid of losing him! But he's gone. I can't do anything about that. I loved him. I worshiped him. But he left me, and I can't reverse that. I've come to terms with it. Who cares if I don't talk about him? You all want me to get better, but you keep making me think about everything that's making me upset in the first place! How is that helping me?"

"Not talking about it will begin to eat away at you from the inside," Marik explained, "Malik learned that the hard way. He kept everything to himself and look what happened."

"I don't think it's quite the same situation with me," Bakura growled. Marik shook his head slowly.

"But the results will be the same. We all miss Ryou terribly, but through talking about it, we're able to sleep at night. I've been watching you these past few nights. You haven't been sleeping at all."

"What's it to you if I don't sleep?" Bakura said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Bakura, you're my friend," Marik replied, "It hurts me to see you in so much pain."

"Then don't look," the albino snapped, turning in his heel. Without another word, he left, and Marik chose not to follow.

Have you forgotten all I know,
And all we had?
You saw me mourning my love for you
And touched my hand
I knew you loved me then

Bakura shivered as the sky began to darken. He'd stayed out all afternoon, not wanting to go back to the Ishtars and face the wrath of Marik and Malik. Frankly, he'd rather ram his head repeatedly against a very solid brick wall than allow himself to be bombarded by questions and lectures from the same people who used to think that killing should be considered a hobby.

But now it was getting cold, and Bakura suddenly found himself wishing that he'd brought along a jacket. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly and looked for any kind of relief from the cold.

After a few minutes of walking through downtown Domino, he finally came to a warm-looking coffee shop and smiled. He pulled out his wallet and looked through it; more than enough for a little coffee.

He'd been right; it was warm in the shop. He ordered a latte and found a seat with it in his hand, sipping it gingerly. As he relaxed into the chintz like chair, he thought. Maybe Marik was right. Maybe he really hadn't gotten over Ryou. Yes, he was up at night. He hadn't slept right for years. Even now, as he sipped his latte and relaxed into the warmth, he could literally feel the dark circles under his eyes. Ryou would invade him, his kiss, his touch, his voice… his last breath. The moment Bakura lost him was the memory that kept him awake. He couldn't sleep knowing that the angel had died before him because he, Bakura, fucked up.

Yes, Bakura blamed it on himself. That much he wasn't afraid to admit. If he hadn't let Ryou run off, he would have never been hit by that car. He would never have had to go to the hospital. He would never have died. He'd be at home, in Bakura's arms, the two of them curled up on the couch. Bakura would still be able to see him, to touch him, to kiss him… he would still be able to sleep.

Ryou… I need you…

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live,

To breathe,
You're taking over me.

Marik sighed as he stepped into the warmth of his hikari's home, and he smiled as said hikari came out into the front hall to meet him. They hugged, and Marik held Malik close, relishing in his sweet scent. He was sure he would never come close to feeling what Bakura was feeling now, but the thought of losing the beautiful light in his arms, cuddled close to him, was almost too unbearable to think.

"I love you," he whispered into the tanned ear, and he smiled when he felt his lover quiver beneath his breath. Hmmm… so he did have a ticklish spot… Marik would have to remember that.

"So, what did Bakura say?" Malik asked, drawing away from his yami. Marik shook his head sadly.

"He doesn't want our help. He ran from me," he replied, "This is killing him. We have to find a way to get to him before he does something stupid." Malik frowned.

"What do you mean? What could Bakura do? He can't kill himself, he's already dead."

Marik sighed sadly.

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

I look in the mirror and see your face…
If I look deep enough,
So many things inside that are just like you are, taking over…

Bakura carefully held his breath as he opened the Ishtars' front door, hoping beyond anything that the two blondes were asleep. The lights were out, and it looked like no one would be up to see him come in.

He went up to the guestroom, where his hikari was sleeping in one of the beds. She looked peaceful and innocent, and that was how Bakura liked her. She was a little annoying sometimes. But asleep, she was perfect, more like his Ryou.

He passed his hikari and went to the windowsill, staring up at the stars above him. How he longed to be with his Ryou again, to hold him in his arms, to bring him back home, where he belonged. He knew that if this went on much longer, he would surely go insane…

"Do you see what you do to me, Ryou?" he whispered to the sky above, "Do you see how much I need you? Why won't you come back to me, even for just a moment? Why do the gods keep you concealed from me? Please, Ryou… even if it's just enough time to say how much I love you… I need to look into your eyes just one more time…"

With silent tears running freely down his face, he left the window, prepared to go downstairs and sleep on the couch.

"Bakura."

He turned at his hikari's voice, and he saw her sitting up in her bed, gazing up at him with a saddened expression. Slowly, as if remembering that words would be useless, she opened her arms to him. Tears still flowing, he went to her, not caring how the scene would look if someone had walked in. For that moment, he knew that he needed comfort, and he was willing to accept it from a person who made it clear, even without words, that she hated him.

Bakura fell asleep in the thin arms, Ryou invading his dreams once again.

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live

To breathe
You're taking over me

The shadowed figure sighed as he watched the pale yami leave the window. He knew that this was probably worse than any pain Bakura had ever felt, but this had to play out. This had to go on until the end.

"Why do you play with him like this?" his female companion hissed at him, "Can't you see that he's changed? Why do you make him suffer like this?"

"I need to make sure," he snapped, "How do we know that he won't convert back to his old ways? No… we can't take that chance. I have but one more test. He has faced pain; he has passed the test of faith… now we shall see if he can pass the test of righteousness."

"And if he does?"

"Then he shall awaken from his sorrow and begin anew," said the cloaked figure, and with the slightest breeze, he was gone, leaving the female to shiver and follow him.

You're taking over me…

1: Dore = which one.

2: De rien- you're welcome in French (lit: of nothing). I've gotten straight A's in the language at school ever since I started taking it.

I didn't mean to hint at any type of romantic interest between Bakura and Juliette. I don't like original character pairings with cannon characters. Juliette serves a different purpose. I created her for a reason. You find out in the last installment of the "Dying Again" Trilogy. I promise.