Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ A Beacon of Hope ❯ A Beacon of Hope ( Chapter 1 )

A Beacon of Hope

:Dedication:

This is dedicated to my dear dear friend Alison who puts up with my Yu-Gi-Oh

talk even though she doesn't like the show and reads my stories even though she doesn't really understand what's going on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything related to it.

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"Wasn't that an awesome movie, Joey?" Serenity asked from the passenger's side of the Volkswagen her older brother had borrowed from his father. Her big, brown eyes gleamed with happiness while her long auburn hair flowed gently down her back.

"Yeah," he agreed, "it was much better than I thought it'd be."

Serenity grinned up at him and added, "I loved the part when all the Saxton's fell through the ice. It was so dramatic!" She squirmed in her seat excitedly. "We'll have to get Yugi, Tea, and Tristan to come with us next time. I know they'll like it!"

Joey grinned. He'd never seen his little sister so excited about a war movie before.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, and Serenity glanced out the window, watching the beautiful lights pass by them in blurs of color. Joey had treated his sister to see King Arthur after he'd received his pay check from the bar he worked at after school. It was now 10:05 PM on a Friday, and Joey and Serenity were planning on meeting up with the rest of the gang at the Kame Game shop.

"What are we going to do when we get to Yugi's, Big Brother?" Serenity asked casually.

Joey shrugged, "I dunno," then his grin widened and he added, "rub the fact dat Yugi and Tristan missed out on the movie in their faces."

Serenity tried to stifle a giggle, but it came out as a snort. "That's not very nice, Joey," she chastised. "Besides, they chose not to come for a reason."

"I guess so," he replied with a frown, "I mean, I understand why Yuge didn't wanna go, but I still don' understand why Tristan turned down a war movie. It's not like him."

Serenity nodded. They pulled up to a stop light and waited impatiently for it to turn green.

"Do you wanna listen to the radio, sis?" Joey asked, glancing at Serenity out of the corner of his eye. Without waiting for her response, he switched on the radio and turned up the volume after finding a song he liked.

When the light finally changed, he accelerated smoothly and pulled out into the middle of the intersection. Suddenly, a car came careening around the corner, making no move to stop at the light. "Watch out, Joey!" Serenity cried, though she sounded far away to her blonde haired brother. There was a screech of tires and a blinding flash of headlights as Joey tried swerving to avoid the oncoming car. A scream erupted from Serenity's lungs as she heard metal twisting with metal. She was thrown forward and back and then darkness engulfed her.

"Serenity? Serenity? Can you hear me?"

Serenity opened her eyes slowly and winced at the bright light, making her head pound. She tried to focus on the two figures in front of her, but that only made her headache worse. Instead, she closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

Several hours later, she awoke to the murmuring of voices. She opened her eyes and saw Yugi, Duke, and Tristan talking quietly in a corner. Bakura was standing uneasily by the door, and Mai and Tea were sitting in chairs, crying silently. Mai was the first one to notice she was awake. "Hey hon," she greeted quietly, drying the tears from her eyes. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Serenity asked, struggling to sit up. A pain shot through her chest, and she gasped sharply.

"You were hit by a drunk driver," Tristan answered for Mai, coming over to take a seat next to Serenity on her bed. "You've been in a coma for a week and just began coming out of it earlier today. We've been worried sick about you."

As if Tristan had flipped on a switch, all the memories came flooding back to Serenity, and her eyes widened in fear. "Where's my brother? Is he ok?" There was an awkward silence as Mai and Tristan exchanged glances, and everyone else held their breath. "You guys?" Serenity asked, now fearful for the answer. "What's going on?"

Yugi stepped forward hesitantly and whispered, "Serenity, Joey…….He didn't make it. He was killed in the accident."

Serenity suddenly felt like she had cotton balls in her throat and couldn't get any sound to come out no matter how much she wanted to. She sat in numbed silence, taking in the information she'd just received. This couldn't be real. Maybe if she went back to sleep she'd wake up and this would simply be a horrible nightmare.

Mai leaned forward and put a hand hesitantly on Serenity's arm. "I'm sorry," she murmured. Tears began streaming down her face again, smearing her mascara.

Yugi sighed shakily. "Joey," he muttered, his voice quivering. He sank to his knees, and put a hand to his face, shaking with silent sobs.

Tea came to his side and wrapped him in a hug. "Yugi," she whispered, "don't cry." However, she too had tears running down her face.

Duke, who seemed to be the only one not crying, came over to the bed and took Serenity's hand gently. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked.

Serenity muttered a response before turning her head away from Duke. She couldn't believe this was happening. Joey couldn't be………..dead. It just wasn't possible. She needed him to be with her. She didn't think she could make it in this world without him. He'd been her inspiration since they were young. "I want to see him," she said suddenly. She had to see with him with her own eyes to prove that he was either alive…..or dead. Again, there was an exchange of glances.

Duke's grip tightened on her hand and he said, "I'm sorry, Serenity. We had the funeral for him three days ago."

"No one knew when you were going to wake up, or even if you'd wake up." Tristan added quickly, seeing the horrified look on Serenity's face, "We're really sorry, Serenity." He whispered the last part.

"Don't touch me!" she snarled, pulling her hand away from Duke and pushing Tristan away. "Just leave me alone." She turned her head away, but couldn't stop the sob from escaping her quivering lips, "I don't……I can't….I…..Oh Joey!" She put her head in her hands and started crying.

To everyone's surprise, Yugi came over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close into a comforting hug. "Shhh…It's ok. It'll all work out Serenity." His tears mingled with Serenity's own, and they stayed in that position for several minutes. No one else had the heart to speak.

"Why'd it have to be him? What'd he ever do to anyone?"

"I know it's not fair."

"I wish it had been me."

At this Yugi stopped and pushed Serenity away from him. He looked deep into her dark brown eyes and said very seriously. "Serenity, I don't want to hear you blaming for this again, ok? What happened isn't your fault, and I know Joey wouldn't want you thinking like that. Don't ever wish yourself dead." The seriousness in his voice made Serenity stop and look down at him. "I want you to promise me you won't blame yourself for what happened."

There was a long silence then, "….I promise."

~ One Month Later ~

The sound of wind rustling through leaves caught Serenity's attention as she walked slowly down the sidewalk to nowhere in particular. The air was chilly and made her thankful for the fuzzy woolen sweater she had thrown on before stepping outside. She glanced around at the beautiful red, yellow, and orange shades of the leaves out of the corner of her eye but wasn't captivated by them as she usually was. She gazed up at the blue sky but only to distract her mind from the images of `that night.'

The gang had noticed a definite change in Serenity, and not in a good way. She was no longer bubbly and talkative, as she had nothing worth saying. She couldn't focus nor cared about the quality of her schoolwork or the lecturing teachers. She often sat alone at lunch time instead of joining her friends at their usual table. Her curiosity and determination that had fueled her love of life and the world around her had been whittled away to a stub and pushed to the back of her mind. The spark in her eyes that had made her Serenity was gone.

There was also another classmate who noticed this change. His steely blue eyes, unknown to the rest of the gang, watched her move as if in a trance. Concern broke through his cold outer exterior when his eyes fell on her, only to be covered by his mask of indifference when someone glanced his way.

Serenity lowered her eyes to the pavement and watched her feet move robotically over the cracks in the sidewalk. When she was young, she'd always believed in the saying, "don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back," and thus made sure to avoid stepping on cracks. Of course, the wisdom of growing up had taught her that she wouldn't break her mother's back, or anyone else's back for that matter if she chose to ignore this superstition. Still, she continued the childhood game simply for the challenge.

A few more minutes of walking led her to a familiar building, the Kame Game Shop. Serenity's throat tightened, but her feet continued moving as if she had no control over them. She pushed open the door and after hearing the tinkling of bells stepped nervously inside. Although she'd been here countless times with her brother and the rest of the gang, she felt like an intruder coming on her own and made her rethink the reason of her visit. Her eyes wandered over the board games lining the shelves and the many displays of duel monster cards in the window.

She walked up slowly to the counter with her head down and felt the familiar presence of Yugi's Grandpa watching her. "Hello, Mr. Motou," she whispered.

"Hello, Serenity. How've you been?" he asked softly, "I haven't seen you around here for a while." Serenity had been working at the game shop for extra money before the accident.

Serenity raised her head slightly at the inviting warmth in Solomon's voice. "Hai. I….I," her voice faltered as she tried to say what she'd been dreading deep down for so long. She took a deep breath and plunged on. "To tell you the truth, Mr. Motou, I wasn't sure if you'd want me around."

Solomon looked quite taken aback and his voice softened in concern. "Serenity? Why on earth would you ever think that?"

Anzu stared at her feet as a light blush crept up her neck. Tears began forming in her already bloodshot eyes, and she gave a slight whimper before continuing. "I thought you wouldn't want me coming here now that Joey's gone." She hesitated and then continued, "Joey was Yugi's best friend, and I should have done more to prevent the accident," she murmured. "It was all my fault."

Solomon took out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes with it. Then he pressed his lips together in a straight line and furrowed his eyebrows. "Serenity I don't know why you have the idea in your head that this is your fault, but it's not. You couldn't have done anything to prevent the accident. I also don't want you thinking that I'm mad at you for any of this. I want you to know that you are welcome to this shop whenever you want. So, young lady, I want you to get rid of those thoughts and stop blaming yourself."

Serenity allowed a small smile to graze her lips. "You sound like Yugi." Solomon chuckled lightly, and she asked, "Mr. Motou? Is there anything you need help with today?"

Solomon shook his head, "You need some time to grieve, and I think you need something to keep your mind of this whole ordeal. Go enjoy this beautiful day, and remember what we talked about."

Serenity gave him a sideways smile and nodded. She walked in a daze out the door and continued the way she'd been initially heading.

After several hours of mindless wandering, Serenity found herself at the place she wanted to be the least-the Domino Cemetery. The headstones leered out at her, daring her to enter, and she accepted. Walking passed the two iron gates that separated the living from the dead, she found Joey's grave. The realization that her brother was buried underground at this very spot was like a slap in the face.

Bouquets of brightly colored flowers were lovingly placed under the epitaph that had been carefully inscribed in stone. It took Serenity a moment to clear her tear blurred vision enough to read the message that had been chosen to sum up Joey's young life.

Joey Wheeler

1987-2004

A loving brother and a true friend

He will be greatly missed

Serenity snorted. That was the understatement of the year. What about his steadfast loyalty and trust in his friends? Or his spunky attitude and sense of humor that cheered up even the most downcast people? What about the way he'd constantly be there to listen to her problems or lend a shoulder for her to cry on when she was upset? Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and she wiped them away in anger. She wouldn't cry.

She kneeled down at the base of the headstone and traced her fingers along the edges of the carved lettering. She bowed her head and silently sobbed into her hands, wishing with all her heart that she could spend just one more day with her dear brother. Thinking back to Duelist Kingdom, she remembered how he'd risked everything to get the prize money for her operation. Then in Battle City he'd been just as determined to rescue Mai from the Shadow Realm. Serenity smiled weakly as she pictured the goofy grin he'd often used to get her to laugh. My life won't be the same without you Big Brother, she silently told him.

Serenity was so focused on her reverie that she failed to hear the sounds of footsteps coming toward her until a figure stopped next to her. She glanced up at him and hurriedly wiped the tears from her puffy, red eyes. His tall frame was outlined in a white trench coat that flapped out behind him violently in the wind. His chocolate brown hair whipped around his face, and his intense blue eyes narrowed at the girl before him. He stood tall and proud, and Serenity didn't need a second glance to know exactly who he was. "What are you doing here, Kaiba?" she asked emotionlessly, failing to meet his eyes. She felt defensive to have her brother's rival at his grave.

For a long moment Kaiba kept silent, his eyes focused on the message on the headstone. Serenity waited for one of his snide comments, but they never came. Instead, he closed his eyes and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He was silent for another few moments, deep in thought. At last he turned to face Serenity. Their gazes locked, and to her surprise, he kneeled gracefully down next to her. Serenity felt slightly uncomfortable about their close proximity and scooted away a few inches, but Kaiba took no notice; his attention was back on Joey's tombstone. "You're going to miss him aren't you?" he asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had enveloped between them.

Serenity looked up sharply, and then nodded. "He was my best friend," she whispered tearfully. Kaiba observed her in silence and nodded curtly.

Serenity shot him a sideways glance. Then a thought hit her; maybe this was Kaiba's idea of sympathy? After all, emotion wasn't one of the CEO's strong points. As if he had read her mind, Kaiba suddenly looked uncomfortable and stood up. He turned and began striding toward the gate.

"Wait, Kaiba!" Serenity called out after him, though she wasn't exactly sure why she had called out to him. He turned and regarded her calmly with a raised eyebrow. "You don't have to leave," she stammered embarrassedly, looking down at the ground. "Stay a little longer, please?" The tone in her voice was almost pleading, though she hadn't meant to sound so desperate. If truth be told, she didn't want to be alone.

She looked up expecting to see one of Kaiba's trademark smirks but was surprised to see a flicker of concern cross his passive face. He took a step toward her and opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it again after a split second of hesitation.

At that moment Serenity put aside any dignity and pride she had left and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and crying heavily into his chest.

The action caught the teen off guard, and he stumbled back in surprise. Serenity however, clung on to his shirt as if he were her only life line. She continued sobbing into his chest, allowing all the grief, guilt, anger, and sadness that had built up inside to flow out of her in one constant motion. Kaiba simply glanced down at her in confusion, making no move to push her away or draw her towards him. She took comfort in his presence and moved closer to him, desperate to quell the need for the support she could no longer provide herself.

At last Serenity's sobs lessened to quiet whimpers and her breathing returned to normal, but her head was still buried in his chest, and her hands clung desperately to his shirt. Kaiba put a finger under her chin and tilted it up so she was looking at him. "Are you ok, now?" he asked softly.

She nodded, but her eyes widened and her grip on his shirt tightened. "Please stay," she hissed softly. "I don't want to be alone." She didn't know why she wanted to be with Kaiba so badly. Perhaps it was the fact that he was the only other human being around, and she desperately needed to be comforted.

Kaiba sighed and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "Don't worry. I won't leave you." She sighed in relief and silently thanked him. "Come here," Kaiba commanded, putting both hands on her shoulders. He steered her toward a bench beneath a large oak tree. Kaiba sat down and leaned back against the bench as Serenity sat on the opposite end. They were silent for a while, neither looking at the other.

At last Serenity spoke, "Why'd you come here Kaiba? You didn't even like my brother."

Kaiba turned to face her and said, "That doesn't mean I wanted him to die."

"Why'd you always call him names like mutt and dog?" She asked calmly, ignoring his previous answer.

Kaiba smirked and crossed her arms over his chest, "He was those things."

Serenity furrowed her brows. "If you had another chance to make amendments with him, would you?"

"Not in this life." His answer was short and to the point.

Serenity frowned and stood up. "I'm here to remember all the good times I had with him, and if you're here to gloat about his mistakes then I think you should leave." She glared at him and he stared evenly back, noting with some satisfaction that she had to look up to meet his gaze despite the fact that he was sitting. Serenity turned and prepared to stomp away, but Kaiba grabbed her wrist before she could go anywhere.

"Do you think you're the only one here who's ever lost someone they loved?" he growled.

She immediately froze and turned slowly around to face him. "What?"

His stormy blue eyes bore into hers and he snapped, "You're acting as if your brother's death affects you and you alone. Have you ever stopped to think that Joey's other friends are just as hurt as you?"

"I….." she paused, "maybe like you?"

Kaiba scowled. "Listen, although I never cared for that hack duelist and still don't, I never expected or wanted something like this to happen to him, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop treating me like I was the cause for his death."

Serenity dropped her gaze to the ground in shame. Then she sat stiffly next to Kaiba and tried her best to fight the tears that were building up behind her eye lids. She felt pricks of pain at the corners of her eyes, and her throat tightened. She sighed shakily but couldn't hold her grief in any longer and began to sob all over again into her hands. Kaiba, feeling guilty for making her cry again, hesitantly put his hand on Serenity's head and pulled his fingers through her long auburn hair. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Serenity accepted the invitation and once again found herself crying into his broad chest.

"I'm sorry……." Kaiba murmured quietly. Then he looked away. He hated apologizing. As far as he was concerned it was like giving in and therefore made him weak. He couldn't afford to be weak.

Serenity's muffled sobs ceased immediately and she raised a tear stained face up to look at Kaiba. He was actually apologizing to her? Maybe he wasn't as bad as Joey always made him out to be. "Oh Kaiba," she whispered. "I miss him so much. Life's just not the same anymore……"

There was a pause, and then Kaiba said to her in an emotionless voice, "My parents died when I was very young. I-I watched them die for God's sake. Believe it or not I do know what you're going through." He glared at her when she gave him a look of sympathy. "I know you miss him," he continued, "but it's not like he really left you. As long as you have memories, he'll always live on in your heart." He then looked away, frowning at his hands in disgust for making such a sentimental and `mushy' statement. To gain back a little of his dignity he added snidely, "Besides, Wheeler's like a cockroach you can't seem to get rid of. He always comes back no matter what you do."

He turned his head and caught Serenity smiling at his attempt at a joke. They locked gazes, he searching her soft brown eyes with his cold blue ones as she blushed a light pink. She'd never been this close to him before and soaked up ever detail of his handsome face.

Kaiba looked away and started to say something, but Serenity put a finger on his lips to silence him. His eyes widened and he stiffened at the contact, but he remained quiet. Serenity reached out her other hand and delicately touched his cheek. She continued running her fingers softly over his features, memorizing every detail of his face and smiled. "You aren't like what I expected, Kaiba," she murmured.

Kaiba found his voice at last and cleared his throat nervously. "What were you expecting me to be like?"

"Cold," she replied, "cold and cruel, but you aren't…." The young CEO cocked his head at her, and then playfully tugged on a stray piece of her hair. Serenity smiled, her first true smile in a month, and added, "You know, you have beautiful eyes." She chuckled at Kaiba's surprised expression and replaced her hands in her lap.

"That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me," he remarked in amusement.

"That's because they always pay more attention to your smirk than your eyes," Serenity grinned. "They're afraid of it." She continued at his confused expression, "Everyone just knows you're going to do something……erm…Kaiba like when you smirk," she finished weakly. Then she added, "But I like it. I think it's sexy." As soon as the words popped out, her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise and a sly smirk made its way to his lips. "You think it's sexy?" When Serenity didn't answer he added, "You think I'm sexy?"

Serenity nodded her head and flushed a deep red. Kaiba burst out in laughter, though it wasn't his usual sarcastic/sadistic laughter. It was the laughter of someone who'd just heard a funny joke. It had a nice ring to it, but Serenity wasn't thinking about that at the moment. Joey would've killed me if he heard me say that, she thought grimly, Sorry, Big Brother. She could just picture him throwing a fit and smiled softly. Some of the pain that resided in her heart lifted slightly.

It was then that Serenity realized Kaiba had gone silent and was looking at her intensely. "Kaiba, I-" she began but was silenced by the feeling of his lips on hers. The kiss was soft and sweet and only lasted a few seconds, but it made Serenity feel alive and free. They broke apart, and she smiled. "What was that for?" she asked softly.

Kaiba gave her a small genuine smile and was about to respond when he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing. "Serenity! There you are. We've been looking all over for you!" Tristan panted, running up to the bench Serenity and Kaiba were currently residing on. "Oh, hey Kaiba," he added as if just noticing the young CEO for the first time.

"What are you guys doing here?" came a voice Kaiba loathed but respected. A tri color haired boy poked his head around Tristan's torso. He grinned innocently, but his large, violet eyes sparkled with mischief as they darted back and forth from Kaiba to Serenity.

Kaiba frowned and snapped, "That's none of your concern, Yugi." Then he stood up, exchanged glances with Serenity, and strode away, trench coat flapping around his legs as he walked.

Tristan glared at his retreating back. "What was that about?"

"We were just talking," Serenity shrugged. "It was no big deal."

Tristan eyed her suspiciously but decided to drop the matter altogether. Instead he said, "Come on. Let's all go to Yugi's house and watch a movie."

Serenity hesitated and replied, "Actually, I'd like to stay out here a little longer if that's ok with you guys."

Tristan looked at her in concern and asked, "Are you sure? It's going to get dark soon."

"I'll be fine," she replied firmly. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with you later." She turned and walked slowly back to Joey's grave, smiling as she thought back to what Kaiba had said. He had helped her realize (unintentionally) that even though her dear brother was gone, he'd always be with her in spirit. She also realized that she had a bunch of great friends who cared about her.

She gazed back at the lettering on the tombstone and smiled fondly. Although she would always miss her brother, the bonds she had with her friends were enough to give her the strength to accept her loss and move on. She knew that she was not the cause of the accident nor could she have done anything to prevent it from happening; she could finally stop blaming herself. It would take time for her heart to heal, but she knew that eventually the emptiness she felt right now would shrink and finally disappear altogether.

Serenity closed her eyes and pictured Joey's happy smile in her mind. She sighed deeply and whispered the three words that would finally allow her to let go, "Goodbye, Big Brother."