Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters, as much as I wish I did. I only own my original character, Taylor, and the characters involved in her backstory, namely her family and boyfriend. Just another note: this is my first fanfiction on here, as well as my first attempt at romance, so reviews are always helpful. And without further ado, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Cruel and Unhappy Endings
A bright, lazy afternoon sun shone down, bouncing its rays across the peaceful Seine River, offering promises of a hopeful summer, one filled with happy memories. But they were empty promises. False promises, meant only to be broken in the cruelest of manners.
The waters of the river rushed and rippled before me, slightly dampening the riverbank's stone path upon which I sat. Seemingly alone, I flipped through a deck of worn Duel Monsters card, memories flooding in through my fingertips and knowing that anybody could descend the steps to the pathway, unlikely though it was. After all, I truly was on my own, the city having emptied for Parisians and students alike to escape the city and enjoy the last few weeks of summer break with those they loved. A privilege I would never again get to enjoy thanks to them.
A fat drop of water, too large to have originated form the river, fell, glittering, onto the cards as the running waters and the blood pounding in my ears drowned out the sound of an approaching motorcycle and the subsequent muffled footsteps. "Everythin' alright?" a voice came directly from my left. I gasped, caught entirely off guard, hastily wiping a hand across my cheek to hide my emotions and jumping to my feet, nearly tripping on my nearby backpack. Impulsively, I stuffed the valued cards into my back pocket while snatching my own deck box from the ground.
Quickly, I regained my composure. "Yeah, but who are you to ask?"
"Name's Valon," he answered warmly, thick Australian accent oddly comforting in a way I couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Taylor Fairfax," I introduced myself, still understandably cautious in my opinion. After all, why would this Valon even care to inquire about me, someone he has surely never met?
"Saw ya lookin' at some cards," he changed course, eying both my deck box and the stack of cards in my pocket. "They yours?"
"These are," I answered, intentionally vague, holding up the deck box and leaving out an explanation for the remainder of the cards. It was the honest truth; I just wasn't about to disclose deeply personal information to someone who might not know the meaning of compassion.
"You know 'ow ta play?" Light sapphire blue eyes sparkled curiously with a childlike wonder.
"Well enough I guess. I only learned it just over a year ago from Corey…" I cut off, finding a weight suddenly constrict my throat, making it harder to breathe. These wounds still felt too new to even try to explore.
Apparently, Valon had noticed this, blue eyes softening a bit in real concern, something very few people this day seemed capable of understanding. " 'm sorry," he tried to console me," for whatever 'appened. You don' 'ave ta go on. I shouldn' be pryin'."
"It's not your fault," I tried to assure him, finding my voice again after a few moments, for he somehow had managed to pull me slightly from the dark recesses of my mind with only his mere presence. Almost in the way that close friends could. But, an unexpected thought weaseled its way into my thoughts, could I possibly tell him about what happened, all of it? Maybe it could lift the weight from myself with the support of someone who might possibly care, or at least wouldn't find a way to make it worse?
"Well, if you're sure you'll be okay, I'd best be on me way." He turned from me, walking back towards the stairs back up toward the road.
"Valon, wait," I called out to him weakly, trying to bide some time. He looked back as I slid back to the ground, still debating what I should really do. After all, it would be nice to not need to handle this all on my own, but letting others in has only ever caused me more grief and hurt in the end. Still, nothing I'd done by myself had helped me get over this, and I was truly desperate. Did I really have anything to lose? As Valon lowered himself down at my side, the story began tumbling out, almost unbidden by me, sealing my fate. "Five months ago…"
"Come on! Let's go in here!" I cried, leading Corey in, laughing, by the hand, despite the threat of our looming Finals. Rushing into a street-side café, surrounded by the aroma of baked goods, we bought the treats for ourselves with or measly college earnings before settling down outside.
"Can you believe it?" Corey mused as I turned my attention to him, away from the sweet delicacy in my hand. "The school year's already just about over. Almost whole year we've known each other." He locked kind, deep, dark brown eyes on me. "Remember when we first met, when we really got to know each other, in a place just like this?"
I nodded, feeling the pleasant smile spread across my face. How could I forget? We'd both travelled from America to make it on our own studying abroad. It had been a few weeks since starting at the University when we agreed to meet with each other and collaborate on some work for class. It had started out as business, but after a few hours, honest conversation, and forgotten schoolwork, it had turned into something far more than that, something meaningful. "Of course," I finally responded, "It's something I'll remember forever."
Corey smiled and leaned closer in response. Heat flowed through me like usual as the space between us narrowed and I could feel the warm puffs of his breath hovering over my skin. Feelings of bliss fluttering through my chest, and I waited, only to find Corey staring past me, deep in thought. My forehead creased in concern. "What are you looking at? What's wrong?" I whispered across the few inches of air between us, beginning to turn around.
Midway, I felt a gentle hand on my cheek, and I looked back at him, confused at the complex look in his expression. "We need to go, now." He stood from the table, taking my hand and guiding me away from the café. After making our way from the place, I risked shooting a glance behind me, finding three burly-looking men trailing us by a distance, cracking scarred knuckles though their faces remained still as stone in deep, angry scowls.
"Who are they?" I asked, turning to face forward again, having no desire to see such callous faces any longer than necessary.
"I don't know," he replied tersely, "but if they're following us like that it can't be good." Without warning, I could hear the pace of the footsteps behind us began to change. Not needing to look back for even a moment, I knew exactly what was happening as my heart began pumping in a faster, more insistent rhythm, sending the chilling flow of adrenaline through my veins. Quickly, I glanced up to find Corey's normally peaceful eyes now clouded with fear. "Run," he whispered, and we did.
Down the narrow streets and different alleys we sprinted in no real direction besides away, but, much to my terror, the once distant footsteps continued sounding closer and closer as our attackers shortened the gap between us. Suddenly, I felt Corey pull us to a stop in a random, empty side street. "Why-"
"I need you to keep going, get somewhere safe. I'm staying here, making sure they can't get to you."
"No! You can't-!"
"Please," he begged now, eyes shining despite the long shadows of the tall buildings, "do this for me. I love you, and I wouldn't ever be able to live with myself if I let something happen to you." At that, he pulled me in close, laying his lips on mine, but not in the gentle way I had come to associate with him. Instead, this was desperate, passionate, in a way we had never tried before, only because this could be our last chance. Mirroring his emotions, I tried longingly to hold on as long as I could, but, much too soon, he pulled away. "Go," he breathed pressing something into my hand. But it couldn't be over, I didn't want it to be, I couldn't let it.
"Don't do this, please," I pleaded with him as I could hear my voice cracking, but I knew his already knew what his answer would be.
"I swear, I don't want to leave you either, but if somebody gets hurt, I won't let it be you." The thugs were coming closer now, and I knew that our time was up. He gave me one last rueful smile. "Whatever happens, I'll always be with you," and he walked calmly toward the three approaching figures while I tore myself painfully from the scene, running in the opposite direction. Towards life, towards safety. Towards loneliness, towards grief. But I couldn't make it far enough to entirely drown out the sounds of a deadly fight as the hot tears streamed down my cheeks.
I sighed as the spray from the river sprinkled over me, fine droplets hanging in the air. "People started telling me that there were other things to live for, that good things would come again, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that. Not after the police hardly investigated and convinced everybody that it didn't matter. But it did- he did- and nobody cared." My throat tightened again, but this time in anger for the authorities and those heartless murderers rather than grief. They are the ones to blame for everything being the way it is. The tightness alleviated itself slightly as I fingered the object he had pressed into my hand in those last moments. "These are the last things I have from him." I revealed the cards-his cards-, pulling them from my back pocket and cradling them in my palms.
"I can't believe that all 'appened ta you. That's 'orrible. No one deserves somethin' like that to 'appen to 'em." Valon tried to comfort me to no avail. It was all I could do to nod my head in answer, lost again in my own thoughts from having to relive that nightmare once again. "But what are ya doin' out 'ere all alone? Isn't your family back 'ome ta comfort you?"
I felt my muscles tense involuntarily at the mention. "I don't want to talk about them."
Respecting my wishes, he dropped the subject, allowing the sound of rushing water to envelop us. Eventually, Valon stood, his posture exuding confidence as he looked down at me, and offered me his hand. "You wanna come with me?"
"What?" I sputtered, entirely taken aback. That was the last thing I had expected.
"I was just wonderin' if ya might wanna leave with me. Beats staying 'ere all by yourself."
He was right; there was no arguing what he had said. But could I really bear to leave this city, leave the place I'd explored with Corey, behind me already? Was that really right? Almost like abandoning the one person who had truly loved and cared for me. "I don't know, Valon, it's just…" I trailed off.
"Trust me, I get it," he explained gently as a barely perceptible sadness momentarily marred his features. "But this place'll be better. I promise." Seeing the warmth in his face, now partly shadowed by his chocolate brown hair, I couldn't help but want to trust him, believe he could help me in every way possible. He understood what was going on and offered me a chance no one else even bothered to give me. Though it was a chance I would have never normally
considered, desperation truly made people do things differently, act on impulses and whims, take such chances. Feeling there was really only one choice, I gave him my hand, allowing him to pull me up, the light evident in his eyes. "Come on; let's go," he finished, leading me up the steps to a pristine yellow motorcycle. Stepping up to the machine and lifting the kickstand deftly with his foot, he eventually tore his focus from it to regard me. "Ever ridden before?"
"I have," I answered simply, not delving into further details as I had no desire to lose my composure in front of him more than I already had. Equally unceremoniously (on the outside at least), I extracted the helmet from my bag, the place I had always kept it in case of those times when he would show unexpectedly to take me on an unplanned joyride around Paris.
"Got your own?"
I shook my head. "I know how to drive one, but I never needed my own." The words stung in my chest at knowing such times were over, but, apparently, I hid it well enough this time.
"Then I guess tha' means you're ridin' with me." He smiled slyly at the prospect before pulling his goggles from their place in his spiky hair and sliding his helmet on, prompting me to follow suit. Mounting the bike easily, I stopped halfway as my hands reached out to anchor myself to the person in front of me, remembering then that this was not the person who normally sat in that spot. Valon, noticing my hesitation, turned to see what the problem was. "Don' worry," he laughed slightly, "It's alright." Sure of himself, he guided my hands, and I reluctantly wrapped my arms around his muscular form. From there, I had only a few moments to marvel at the awkwardness before the familiar burst of adrenaline and gust of wind distracted me entirely.
