Where Are You Now?

by WSJ

WSJ stumbles in, dressed in a blue and white yukata (summer-time kimono, I use mine for pajamas) with pink sakura (cherry blossems) embrodered on it. Her hair is sticking out every which way and her eyes are half-lidded.

WSJ: *groans* I hate insomnia... *sighs* Even my muses are getting some sleep... *points to where Ryou is curled up in a corner, cuddling WSJ's Dark Magician Girl plushie. Bakura is stretched out beside him and snoring slightly, dispite the fact he doesn't need to sleep* I think Bakura's just sleeping to spite me though... *yawns* So I'm gonna pass it on. *grins sleepily* Poor Tristan...

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO or the song.

Coupling: 'Nother weird one. It's Tristan/Serenity.

()()()()()

Calling out your name

Your face is everywhere.

I'm reaching out to you,

To find that you're not there.

Tristan Taylor sighed and rolled over, flipping on the light on his bedside table. He squinted at the clock to find that it was 12:13AM on the dot. With a groan he lay back, staring at the ceiling with drooping eyelids.

From his bedside, right next to the clock, the face of his angel smiled at him from a gold-and-silver frame. That face had haunted him every night for the past seven years, flitting in his dreams, tempting him with its nearness.

Serenity Wheeler.

Tristan knew all he had to do was call Joey and ask about her, but yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't have the courage. He was scared to death that Joey would say she was married with kids, or engaged, or some equally horrible thing.

So instead he dreamed himself into depression, wishing on every star he saw that she'd come back to him, or at least, somehow, get word to him that she was all right. He just had to know.

I wake up every night

To see the state I'm in.

It's like an endless fight,

I never seem to win...

In a burst of desperation Tristan threw off the covers and stormed into the kitchen in his boxers and undershirt, shivering slightly at how chilly the rest of his apartment was. He grabbed the phone and impatiently punched the numbers to his best friend's house.

It rang three times, and then there was a sleepy "'Ello?"

For a moment, a shiver ran up Tristan's spine, thinking it was her. Then his mind caught up with his heart and he sighed inwardly. "Sorry to wake you Mai. Is Joey there?"

"Yeah. Jus' a moment Tris'." she said, obviously setting the phone down and going to wake her husband. Over the next several minutes Tristan heard several things. The first was harried whispers as Mai tried to wake Joey. Next was a rattling sound as she shook him. Then she began to yell at him, and then finally there was a thunk as she gave up and pushed him out of the bed.

A moment later Joey's voice came on the line. "Yeah?"

Tristan bit his lip. "Jo', I... Um... How's Serenity these days?"

I can't go on

As long as I believe,

Can't let go

When I keep wondering . . .

On the other end of the line Joey grinned as everything suddenly came together. "Ah, she's fine. Actually, she's in her third year of college at Julliard. She wants ta' be an actress."

Tristan felt his heart skip a beat. 'An actress! How fitting! She'd be so good!' he found himself thinking. It was several moments more before he realised Joey was still talking.

"Actually Tris', I've got several tickets to her next show. She's playin' Ophilia in Hamlet." The blond chuckled dryly. "Can't wait to see her kill herself... 'Too much water hath though, poor Ophilia!'"

"Joey, since when did you start quoting Shakespear?" Tristan asked, and he grinned as he heard Mai on Joey's end of the phone ask the same thing.

"Since my little sister started actin' in 'em." he said indignantly. "So Tris', wanna come with us next week? Yugi and Tea are comin' too. I was gonna call ya' tomorrow and ask if you wanted to come anyway."

Tristan froze. Go with them? And see Serenity? After all these years?

Where are you now?

What have you found?

Where is your heart

When I'm not around?

Tell me, where are you now?

You gotta let me know

Oh, baby, so I can let you go...

When Tristan didn't answer, Joey's voice softened. "Look, Tris', I know ya' still love her, man. Just come with us. Either you're gonna let her go, or you're gonna tell her ya' love her. Either way, ya' gotta be there."

Tristan nodded dumbly at the phone, then remembered Joey couldn't see him and muttered a hasty thanks.

Back at the Wheelers, Joey grinned and winked at Mai, who gave him the thumbs up. "Great. We'll pick you up next Friday at seven. The play starts at eight." (For the sake of the story, let's pretend they all live in New York, all right?)

Six nights later the doorbell to Tristan's apartment rang at seven-oh-five on the dot. He gulped and straitened his tie, then answered the door. "Fasionably late, as usual Joey?"

Joey grinned as Tristan locked the door behind him. "You bet. Le'ss go." The blond led the way to his beat up black van, climbing into the driver's seat as Tristan hauled himself into the back, greeting Yugi, Tea, Mai, and, surprisingly, Ryou, as he went. Ryou was holding a bouquet of white roses, and Tristan's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Who're the flowers for?"

Ryou looked up at him in surprise, and fidgitted a little under his stare. "Ah... My little sister goes to Julliard too... She's in the production, and plays a pretty major part." (I don't know much about Hamlet, so let's leave it at that, shall we?)

"You have a sister, Ryou?" Yugi asked in surprise.

He nodded. "Yes. And three older brothers. It's a really long and complicated story involving murder, dimention-jumping and the crown princess of a lost empire, so if I told you I'd have to kill you."

The others in the van laughed, but Ryou just gave a thin-lipped smile, knowing he hadn't lied. (Don't ask... I pretend that Ryou, Malik and two other bishonen are my older brothers, and we're actually the dimention-jumping royal family of a lost race. Like Ryou said, it's really long and complicated, so I won't go into it. -_-;; Me and my fantacies...)

Their seats were in the third row. When Serenity first stepped on stage, along with the girl who had to be Ryou's sister, Tristan's heart nearly stopped. She was even more gorgeous then he remembered. His heart ached, and he wished he hadn't come. It only made him hurt worse.

I can hear your voice,

The ring of yesterday.

It seems so close to me,

But yet so far away...

His mind drifted back seven years, to the time just after Serenity's operation, when she hadn't been able to get around very well because of the bandages covering her eyes. He'd been the one to help her, since Joey was busy with the Battle City tourney.

And that was when he'd first fallen in love.

The two of them had been nearly inseperable, and so in love, until Tristan had headed off to college in England. After that he'd lost contact with her, even though he easily could have gotten a message to her through Joey. But he figured the link worked both ways, and that that was a sign that Serenity really didn't care for him anymore, since she'd never sent him a letter or anything.

I should let it out,

To save what's left of me,

Close the doors of doubt,

Revive my dignity.

All too soon the play was over, and it was time to greet the cast out in the commons room. Ryou immediatly headed for the young blond woman whom Tristan had earlier guessed to be his sister. She looked delighted to see him and gave him a big hug, accepting the roses with a grin. They were joined a moment later by three other men, whom Tristan thought must have been their other three brothers. But my, did they ever make a weird-looking family! One of them had long, bleached blond hair and a dagger stuck through his belt. Another had what looked like a red number seven, either a birthmark or a tattoo, on his right cheek. The third had long brown hair in a braid down his back.

Shaking his head, Tristan turned around and nearly had a heart attack when he came face-to-face with Serenity Wheeler. Over her shoulder he saw Joey and Mai give each other high-fives, and Tristan vowed to kill them both later.

"Hi Serenity..." he said. "Long time no see."

She didn't answer right away, just stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar and her eyes huge. "T-Tristan, I didn't think you'd come! I mean, I thought you might, just because me brother asked you to, and-"

She stopped as Tristan captured her hand in his. "I came for you."

I would let it out

It's time to let you go

Oh, baby, I just wanna know . . .

Serenity blinked and dropped her eyes, and Tristan was concerned to see tears in them. "Sere'..."

"Tristan... I'm engaged..."

He smiled bitterly. "You're forgiven." Leaning in, he captured her lips for the couples first, and last kiss. Then he turned and walked away, leaving Serenity behind, a single tear running down her cheek.

Two hearts, one wish, a forbidden match.

"Aishiteru..."