Strong Enough?
```Songfic Chapter```
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HiKari and Makura have been through a lot together, but that won't change the fact that they're forced to be apart.
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~Makura_On the jet on the way to the Duelist Kingdom~
A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
I stared at the picture of HiKari and I that I had brought. It had only been a day since I had seen her, but it seemed like it had been forever. Her picture stared back at me, smiling. It was one of the few times she had ever smiled in America, and it was the day that we left. It had been horrible for her, every day there was hate. Some hated her for just being herself, others because she was true. I never understood those people, but they didn't deserve to have the privilege of knowing her. It got so bad that we decided to move to Japan, where we'd be accepted and stay together forever… or so we thought.
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
Every day, things got a little better, even though at first no one wanted us there. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt HiKari any more, so I was good to the people who accepted her and beat up those who didn't. I thought finally we were going to have a normal life, and HiKari had made many new friends, but I didn't know that they didn't really care. Then that bastard Pegasus set up this stupid Duelist Kingdom. I vowed I'd have my revenge, but now I had to be on the lookout for land so that I could see how I could get out and escape.
All the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face
As I looked out the window, I could see a ship in the distance. I didn't know if it was the ship to the duelist kingdom, or not, but still I wished that it was. I wished that the plane would just go down and land on the ship, then I'd walk out and see HiKari's smiling face. That was all I really wanted, all I really needed. I just wanted to see her again… I closed my eyes and imagined what she would be doing right now, but to my horror, she was on her knees, crying. She was looking at my picture, saying how she'd been betrayed and how she had to stay friends with Yugi or she'd be all alone in the duelist kingdom. She felt so horrible and she didn't know what to do. She asked the picture of me what I would do in her position. I tried to answer her, but as soon as I did my eyes opened and I was back in the jet. I had to find some way to get out of here, some way to see her.
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
There were only two other people in the jet. Both were guards, because the jet had autopilot and was set for the Duelist Kingdom. They were both asleep, and I saw that they were armed with guns. I silently crept up to one of them and took the gun. As it gleamed in my hand, I knew there were only two things I could do with it. No, there was only one thing. I couldn't use it on myself because I knew HiKari needed me, and I wouldn't give up on her. That left me with only one option. I could kill the two guards and escape to the main island right as we landed. I took the gun, which was already loaded, and pointed it at the first guard's head. Suddenly I had a flashback. I was fighting with Suzuki. Suddenly I saw the gun, and I grabbed for it. The next thing I knew the gun had gone off. I was a murderer. Suddenly I snapped back to reality. I felt my grip loosen, then the gun fall from my hand with a loud clatter. The two guards burst awake and saw the gun on the floor. I was in trouble. ~HiKari_Ship to the duelist kingdom~
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
"Where are you, Makura?" I asked the picture I had brought of her aloud, "Makura, why did Yugi lie to me? I thought we were friends, but he knew that you could come, but he still didn't tell me. Was he trying to make my life miserable?" I asked as I started to cry, "I really, really wanted you to come. Why couldn't you? I know the answer to that one. It was me. I was the one who didn't tell you. It's all my fault. Now I'm all alone on this stupid boat going to a stupid tournament that I shouldn't have been invited to in the first place. I mean, you were a better duelist than I was, so why…" I stopped. Mabey it was all a trap. Mabey Pegasus was going to take my soul and use it for an evil scheme. Mabey to make Makura come to the duelist kingdom. I had given her enough to worry about already, so I couldn't let Pegasus take my soul. I'd have to be on the watch every step of the way. "What would you do, Makura? What would you do?"
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight, there's only you and me.
I went over to the window of my room. Mai had given me one of the three rooms in the suite she won from Rex, but she had warned me that we probably wouldn't be able to see each other in the duelist kingdom as anything but rivals, and I wouldn't be able to travel with her. I said okay, but in my mind I knew how hard that would be. She had helped me, just like Makura had when I needed her. She kind of reminded me of Makura, but in a different way. Suddenly Mai stepped in the room, "What's wrong, Kari?" she asked caringly., putting an arm around my shoulder, "You're crying."
I sniffed as I wiped away my tears, "I miss my sister." I said, "She must be so worried for me right now."
"You two close?" she asked.
"Closer than close, we were inseparable, but I had to come to protect her, and I didn't tell her, because she might have stopped me. Do you think she'll forgive me?" I asked Mai. Since she was like Makura, I figured she'd know.
"She won't get mad at you, so there'll be nothing to forgive." She said, "I know. I had a friend a long time ago, before I moved to Japan, but when I moved out of the neighborhood that we both lived in, I never saw her again. I'm not mad at her at all, I'd just be glad to see her again."
Well, I guess I'd better let you get your deck ready, we'll be arriving at the duelist kingdom in an hour and a half.
The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
Mai went out, and a few minutes after, I went out to see the other duelists and talk to Yugi.
As I walked across the small room all the regular duelists stayed in, I heard other duelists whispering about me, that I hadn't even been in the top 20 Japanese duelists, that I had bribed Pegasus to get in, all sorts of stupid rumors like that. I tried to talk with some of them, and even trade, but the only trade offer was for the card Makura had given me the day I started dueling, the card that explained both of us in just three words. Change of Heart. Sometimes we would be so happy, just laughing together, but others we were depressed and needed each other just to keep on going. It was the card of us, and I wouldn't give it away for anything. I went to see Yugi, but when I went to see him he was crying. Apparently some kid named… I think it was Evil, but anyway, some kid had thrown his Exodia cards overboard and he was making a big deal out of it, crying about his grampa. I walked up to him and smacked him. "Yugi, those cards were not your grampa." I said firmly, "and they never will be. Your Grandpa is in the hospital, and his soul is in Pegasus's castle. That's what you should be focused on right now."
Then Joey and two other of Yugi's friends came up to Yugi and comforted him. I asked Yugi's two other friends if they were duelists, and they told me about how they had gotten on without the guards seeing them, which made me remember how Yugi lied to me, so I stormed off and back to my room, but on the way, I met another kid from our class (I think his name was Bakura), and he came up to talk to me. I didn't feel like hearing about how another of Yugi's friends got on board, so I simply pushed him overboard, then went back to my room.
I've heard this life is overrated
But I hope that it gets better as we go
.I went back to my room and started to cry again. I was starting to get depressed again. I needed Makura now, but it was my fault that she wasn't here, or that I wasn't still at home. I sat on the floor, wondering. Wondering why I was put here in the first place. Wondering why I didn't die all those many years ago, when my mom was in college. Then I remembered when I had been in the hospital on the verge of death. Makura was why I was here. She needed me, just as I needed her. I looked at her picture and wondered how long it would be until I saw her again.
~Makura~
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
The two guards had strapped me down to the seat so that I could only move far enough to see a glimpse out the window. They watched me, frowning. I could have killed them, and they both knew it. Had I been anyone else, I would have killed them. I was just too weak. I always tried to be strong in front of HiKari, always protected her, but I was weak. I remember her saying, "I'm not as strong as you are." Strong? I couldn't even put two bullets through the heads of total strangers. If HiKari was here and I was on the boat, we'd already be together. I was not even strong enough to be there for my sister. I just wanted to die. I never wanted her to see me this weak. I had to be strong for the both of us.
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, there's only you and me.
I looked out the window, up to the sky, the same sky that HiKari and I spent hours and hours stargazing at last summer, and then down to the sea, where I saw the island for the Duelist kingdom in the distance. I couldn't have cared less, except racing towards the island was also a boat. The boat I had seen earlier! HiKari was on it! As I watched the boat approach the island, I felt my heart jump, because I knew I would see her again soon.
~HiKari~
Everything I know, and anywhere I go
It gets hard but it won't take away my love
I stared out the window and out to the sky, as I watched a jet fly by, I knew that somewhere, Makura was under the same sky and that mabey she was looking at it too, wondering where I was. I missed her more every minute that passed by, and every minute I felt even more alone. I dreaded the thought of getting to the island, because then I'd lose my only other friend on the ship, Mai. That would be the worst I mean, sure I'd have Yugi and his friends to travel with, but it wouldn't be the same as the friendship of Mai or Kura, but I knew I had to stay with Yugi and his friends, I'd be easy prey for the other duelists who traveled together.
And when the last one falls, when it's all said and done.
It gets hard but it won't take away my love
Mai came in, "Hey Kari, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked I nodded, "Well," she started "I wanted to ask you if you've ever lived anywhere else, besides Japan."
"Of course I have," I replied, "I lived in the worst place in the world. The US."
"You did?" Mai asked happily, "Well, did you hear of a girl named Kuri?"
I shook my head, "It was always just me and my sister, everyone else hated us."
"Oh," She said, "Kuri was my friend growing up, and that speech you gave to Yugi back then sounded exactly like what she would have said."
I blushed, "I just did what my sister would have done if that had been me and she had been there."
"Well," Mai said, "If you wanted to take a rest in the room with the bed so that I could arrange my deck, you can if you want."
"Thanks," I said in appreciation before walking over and laying down. The minute my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. I had been up all night and I deserved a little shut-eye.
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I saw Makura. We had so much fun, and didn't care about the rest of the world and whether they hated us or not, because as far as we were concerned, the only two people in this world were the two of us. This went on for hours, but then suddenly I woke up. As I did, I knew that dreams were the one place we could never be separated.
~Makura~
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, there's only you and me
As I drifted off to sleep, my thoughts still dwelled on HiKari. I smiled. At least, in our dreams, no one could ever separate us.
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HiKari, I really hope life gets better for you in every way possible. Just 5 more weeks of school, then we'll see each other this summer.