WITH ME
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, this song, or Kingdom Hearts.
Set after Atemu leaves. Jounouchi and Yuugi sit on the rooftop of their school, contemplating their friendship. Through it all, they realize that they helped each other more than they ever gave themselves credit for. "With Me" is sung by Sum41.
Jounouchi Katsuya and Mutou Yuugi sit in a comfortable silence atop the school roof. It had already been a month since Atemu left to the afterlife. The wounds, however, were still fresh. Jounouchi looks over at Yuugi. How strange that he is beginning to take on traits characteristic of Atemu. He had grown taller, his movements more graceful and confident. Jounouchi recalls all the times they spent together and realized that it had always been Yuugi, not Atemu, helping him in every difficult situation. Atemu was, no doubt, a brave young man, but it was always Yuugi who held their little group together. Who held Jounouchi together.
"To tell you the truth, Yuugi," Jounouchi says, breaking the silence, "I was jealous of you."
"What for?" perplexed, Yuugi raises his eyebrows at his best friend.
"I wished that I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart." A light breeze blows through Jounouchi's messy blond hair, making him seem almost ethereal. A long pause ensues, both young men contemplating what Jounouchi had just said. Though not as bad as Seto Kaiba, Jounouchi had quite a bit of pride. He would never openly say he was jealous of anyone, much less to the person he may be jealous of.
"I've got my share of problems, too," Yuugi wistfully replies.
"Like what?" Jounouchi immediately wishes he hadn't said that. How stupid can he be? Of course he had his own share of problems. He lost his other self a month ago!
"Like wanting to be like you." Surprised, Jounouchi whips his head to meet Yuugi's soft gaze.
I don't want this moment to ever end
Where everything's nothing without you
"What do you mean, Yuugi?" he asks, a small blush forming on the blond's face. No one had ever said they wanted to be like him. Not even his younger sister, Shizuka.
"You're so strong, Jounouchi," Yuugi responds, not breaking his gaze on Jounouchi. "You're have so much confidence in yourself and it overflows so that others feed off of it. I know I did, at times. But you weren't cocky, not really. You could back it up, you know? You walked the talk." He looks up at the sky, a small smile forming on his face. "There were many times where I drew my strength from you. I don't think I'd be here if not for you."
I'll wait here forever just to see you smile
'Cause it's true, I am nothing without you
Jounouchi continues looking over at Yuugi, grasping what he had just heard. He doesn't know what to say. For once, Jounouchi Katsuya is rendered speechless.
"You always smiled," Yuugi continues, his own smile growing into a grin. "I don't know how you did it but every time you smiled, I felt better. Like everything was going to be okay. I always thought to myself that if you can smile, then things aren't really as bad as they seem. Everyone always says that I held the group together, that I was the glue. But, Jounouchi, you were always the one who held me together."
Funny, Jounouchi thinks to himself, I was just thinking the same about him.
Through it all, I made my mistakes
I stumble and fall, but I mean these words
"Yuugi--"
"I hurt people," Yuugi looks at his hands, not thinking about what he was saying but just going with it. He knew Jounouchi wouldn't judge him. "With this hands, I sent people to the Shadow Realm. With these hands I endangered the lives of the people I love most."
"Yuugi, you did what you had to do," Jounouchi places, what he hopes, a comforting hand on his shoulder. When have his shoulders gotten so broad? he thinks.
"I know, Jounouchi," Yuugi smiles and places his hand on top of Jounouchi's. "And even though I messed up and lost my way, I never forgot our friendship."
I want you to know
With everything I won't let this go, these words are my heart and soul
"Neither did I, Yuugi," Jounouchi gives his best friend a lopsided grin and gives his hand an encouraging squeeze.
"I think this is the first time we've ever had a heart-to-heart like this," Yuugi says, releasing Jounouchi's hand.
"Yeah, I think it is."
"I don't think we'll have many chances to do this, so let's cherish it."
I'll hold on to this moment you know, as I bleed my heart out to show
And I won't let go
Giving him a pat on the back, Jounouchi replies, "You got it." He looks at the skies, feeling the breeze softly caress his face. It was calming, sitting there and talking to Yuugi. He cannot recall a time where he felt just as peaceful as he does now.
"You know you mean a lot to me, right?" he asks. He knew, but he wanted to hear it from Yuugi. He just had to.
"Of course. Likewise, Jounouchi."
Thoughts read unspoken, forever in doubt
Pieces of memories fall to the ground
"I've never been one to show my feelings like this," Jounouchi confesses.
"I know," he replies, with a small smile. "You don't have to say anything. I know. You're my best friend. You've been there for me more times than I can count. Your actions have spoken all that I need to hear."
Jounouchi gazes at Yuugi, wondering when the wimpy little kid from what seems like ages ago matured into someone so strong. He recalls their adventures, from Duelist Kingdom to Atemu's farewell. All he sees, though, was Yuugi being there for him, not the other way around. Briefly, he wonders if he was confusing him for Atemu. He then disregards that thought as Yuugi isn't one to mix people up so easily.
I know what I didn't have so, I won't let this go
'Cause it's true, I am nothing without you
"You know, I don't remember much of my life before I met you," Jounouchi suddenly says. "I mean, there was Honda but once I met you, it was like a light overpowering the darkness inside of me. If it weren't for you, then I don't even wanna know the kind of person I would become."
"Jounouchi…"
"It's true. I think my life would be a lot worse off if it weren't for you."
All the streets where I walked alone, with nowhere to go
I've come to an end
"You gave me meaning to the word 'friendship,'" Jounouchi continues. "Before you, I was just some aimless kid always looking for trouble. I didn't live for anything. I had no purpose. My life was a solid dead end. Then you came along and broke down all my walls. You gave me meaning to my life. You taught me that it wasn't just me, that there were other people out there who could care for me."
I want you to know
With everything I won't let this go, these words are my heart and soul
Jounouchi grabs Yuugi's shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Look at me," he says, in a gentle tone. "You're one of the best things to have ever happened to me. And our friendship will last forever. I promise."
I'll hold on to this moment you know, as I bleed my heart out to show
And I won't let go
"Forever," Yuugi promises. "I'll hold onto our friendship for as long as I am able."
In front of your eyes, it falls from the skies
When you don't know what you're looking to find
"You know," Yuugi says, turning away from Jounouchi, "I never expected to find a best friend. I mean, other than Anzu. You were right there all along."
"Bullying ya," Jounouchi cuts in, with a cocky grin.
Yuugi laughs. "Funny how the Millennium Puzzle changed all that."
In front of your eyes, it falls from the skies
When you just never know what you will find (what you will find)
"I never wanted to find a best friend," Jounouchi says. "I thought I didn't need one. I had Honda, who was more than enough. I guess one just never knows, huh? It is those we meet that change us. You changed me."
I don't want this moment to ever end
Where everything's nothing without you
Both young men sit in silence. The temperature drops, signaling the coming of evening and, thus, the end of their conversation. Little did they know was that the other was wishing this moment would last just a little bit longer. Soon, they would separate, going about their daily lives. With time, they knew this conversation will fade. But their friendship would shine brighter than ever.
I want you to know
With everything I won't let this go, these words are my heart and soul
"Yuugi."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For everything. I mean it."
I'll hold on to this moment you know, as I bleed my heart out to show
And I won't let go (I want you to know)
Yuugi turns towards Jounouchi. "Thank you, too. I'll remember this."
With everything I won't let this go, these words are my soul
I'll hold on to this moment you know, as I bleed my heart out to show
Jounouchi ruffles his hair in response. "Let's go. It's getting dark." He pauses, struggling to find the right words. "This… this was precious to me."
"Yeah," Yuugi simply replies.
And I won't let go.
The bit of dialogue before the first verse is taken from Kingdom Hearts II. So I decided to a friendship fic between Yuugi and Jounouchi because, well, I think their friendship is a bit underrated. And, watching Yuugi grow up throughout the entire series, I saw a little bit of Jounouchi in him. I also saw a little bit of Yuugi in Jounouchi. I decided to do something different and write about what friendship meant to them, in their eyes. I hoped I portrayed their characters correctly. I apologize if they were too OOCish. Also, I never intended to make this a romance fic but rereading it, I guess if you're a fan of the Jounouchi/Yuugi pairing, the I guess you can kinda see remnants of a possible romance.
Thanks for reading, guys. Hope you enjoyed it.