[fic] Fire - Yugioh, YYxY, serious/angst, PG, theme 010 (100_chances)
Theme: 010- Fire; for 100_chances
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Rating: PG
Genre: Serious/angst
Pairings: YamixYugi
Archive: You're lookin' at it
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Manga chapter 86
Summary: He didn't want to hear Yugi's last words.
Disclaimer: Despite all I've given to the fandom, Takahashi still hasn't signed Yugioh over to me.---
As everyone ran for the door, Yugi stopped and looked back. On the table sat the half-completed Puzzle, the other pieces scattered around it, shimmering in the fire. He turned.
“Yugi, what are you-”
His voice rose as he turned to tell Jounouchi through the flames, “I’ve got to solve the Puzzle!”
“Are you nuts? We’ve got to get out of here or we’ll burn to death!”
He glared, shouting over the roar of the fire. “I can’t leave mou hitori no boku behind...if this place burns down, the Puzzle will be destroyed! Don’t you understand? I’ll never see him again!”
“Yugi-”
Nobody finished the sentence, but he could see it in their faces. ‘Leave the Puzzle and save yourself.’
I can’t.
They didn’t understand, his other self depended on him. Yet he had let Otogi’s father separate them, he had let him break his other self’s heart. He could never leave him behind and make him perish alone in this fire.
“Please, all of you, let me stay here and solve the Puzzle.” He tried again, begging them to understand as he fumbled with the tiny pieces.
“Yugi, it’s no good,” Jounouchi was insisting. “Even if you solve it, it’s chained to the table. Solving it won’t save…him.”
I know that. I know I can’t save him. That’s why…
“Just…just let me see mou hitori no boku for one last time,” he finally replied, eyes trained on the pieces as tears welled up, both in sadness and from the smoke.
“One last…Yugi, no!”
Somewhere to his left, his friends were shouting, pulling at him, but he didn’t hear them anymore. He could spare no more time to listen to their concerns. He had to save his other soul. And if he couldn't save him, he had to at least see him…he had to tell him…
Hold on mou hitori no boku…I’ll solve the Puzzle again, then we’ll see each other…and I can tell you how sorry I am…
The air thick with smoke, he found himself lightheaded. His burned skin blistered, yet somehow he had gone past pain. Either that, or the lack of oxygen was getting to him…
I just want to see him one last time.
The number of pieces was dwindling. He must be almost finished; strange, it had only taken moments…
Almost done…
His vision was going dark, but as he placed in the last piece, he knew he’d been successful. He could feel the connection filling in the empty place.
Mou hitori no boku…I’m so sorry…for letting them hurt you.
Aibou! The voice was coming from somewhere nearby. Yugi smiled in his mind at the sound. The blurry sight of his spirit partner appeared before him.
I’m happy...now I can tell you good-bye…now you won’t be alone…
Aibou, no, get to safety-
I must…I need to tell you… He found his strength fading and struggled to hang on long enough. I lo…
Aibou- Somewhere in the distance he could feel someone touching his face. It wasn’t Jounouchi, he was still aware of being in the chair in the burning room. It must be happening in his mind…
Mou…hitori…
He couldn’t hang on any longer as blackness crashed over him and he felt himself falling. The heat and pain faded, suddenly replaced by the sensation of being caught by warm arms and gentle hands, and of someone’s heartbeat against his cheek as they held him safe.
And on the edge of unconsciousness, the faintest echo of a whisper: Aibou…
---
“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?”
“Anzu, calm down, he’s going to be fine.”
“He hasn’t woken up yet.”
“Considering the burns, he might count himself lucky to be unconscious,” Jounouchi mused, wincing as he attempted to flex his own blistered fingers.
Anzu didn’t smile, she glared at him and then looked back down at the boy lying in the bed between them.
Honda picked up the Puzzle lying beside Yugi and peered at it. “So do you think the Other Yugi is in there?”
“What kind of stupid question is that?!” Jounouchi snatched it from him and tilted Yugi’s head up so that he could place the pendant around his neck, before retaliating, “After what Yugi went through to save him? Of course he’s in there.”
“Well how do you know?”
“The Puzzle’s complete, isn’t it?” He returned, electing not to tell them that he was sure he’d heard the Other Yugi’s voice when he was trying to get them out.
“Well you’re not missing any pieces but it’s still questionable if you have a brain or not-”
“Hey! I-”
“Would the two of you shut up?!” Anzu snapped, silencing them both. “Yugi almost died, and you’re making jokes!”
“Anzu…”
“If you hadn’t gotten him out, Jounouchi…who knows what might have happened?” Tears suddenly ran down her cheeks. “He shouldn’t have stayed in that. The building was collapsing. A few more minutes and…”
“Anzu, he wasn’t leaving without the Puzzle. Even after he passed out I couldn’t pry his hand off of it.”
“What good would staying behind with it really do?! They would have both been killed.”
“Are you saying he should have left it behind? He should have left…him behind?”
She bowed her head. “No…I’m not saying that, I just…if it came down to losing them both or saving Yugi...I would choose Yugi’s life in a second. But Yugi doesn’t see it that way, does he? He would rather die with his other self than be saved without him…”
“Anzu, he’s gonna be okay,” Honda offered gently. “They’re both okay, you don’t need to worry about that now.”
“He loves him, doesn’t he?”
“What?” Jounouchi frowned at her. “What do you mean?”
“Yugi. He…loves the Other Yugi.”
“Of course he does, they’re friends.”
“I mean…as more.”
“Anzu, I doubt that.” Honda laughed.
“He was going to die with him in that fire!”
“Yugi would have done the same for any of us. That doesn’t mean he’s in love with us. He and his other self are best friends.”
She looked up. “Yugi never made you leave the fire. He didn’t risk his life to try and get you to safety, or to tell you good-bye…”
“Anzu, I don’t think that means anything. He was under a lot of stress, I doubt he would have noticed anybody there. He probably didn’t even realize I was outside the room.”
“They’re so attached…” She stared at the Puzzle, still slightly smudged by the oily smoke of the fire. “But if…there is a place in Egypt…that the Puzzle should ever have to return to, what will happen to-”
“Here we go! Snacks, drinks…” Ryou and Yugi’s grandfather appeared in the doorway, arms full of bags and cans, shattering the solemn moment and preventing her from finishing her question. With relief, Jounouchi walked over to help distribute the food.
He knew what she was going to ask. He also knew she was right. But dwelling on something that could only end in pain wasn’t going to do any good right now.
---
In the middle of the night Yugi regained consciousness. Even as he began to come to, the first thing he noticed was the weight resting on his chest, and slowly brought one bandaged hand up, holding - almost caressing - the golden pendent. He smiled.
You’re safe.
Aibou, you shouldn’t have done that. You should never have stayed in the fire like that, his other self’s voice returned, unexpectedly harsh, and when Yugi looked up, he saw the spirit’s eyes glittering from where he was curled at the foot of the bed.
But you-
My life is not worth that.
Tired, he closed his eyes. You’re wrong. Your life is worth even more than that to me.
His other self had no response.
Yugi sighed, opening his eyes and staring up at the dark hospital ceiling. It was you, wasn’t it? You caught me. I felt you.
Still, nothing but silence.
Your hands were warm.
He felt a strange jolt, and had the odd sensation that the spirit was attempting to pull away from him.
Did you hear me? What I was trying to say…?
I heard you, Aibou.
I didn’t have a chance to finish. I wanted to tell you-
I don’t want to hear it.
But-
No. Don’t say it. Never say it!
Confused at his angry tone, Yugi tentatively asked, Mou hitori no boku?
Never say…that…to me! His eyes glowed, then his figure vanished.
Mou hitori…?
He received no response, and, frowning, followed his other self into his mind to the door of his soul room, stepping inside after him. “Mou hitori no boku, don’t ignore me like that!”
The spirit turned, glaring. “Can you not see that I want to be left alone right now?”
“At least tell me what that outburst was all about!”
“No!”
Yugi stared, struck silent. The spirit stared back, trying to fight away the guilt at the hurt in Yugi’s eyes. He didn’t dare allow his gaze to rest on Yugi’s injuries, and compensated by looking past Yugi at the wall outside. He had to make Yugi leave soon, before he lost his composure…
“Mou hitori no boku?” Yugi asked quietly. “Is…something wrong?”
“There is nothing wrong.” He grit his teeth, stepping forward, one hand on the open door. “I just want to be left alone. Now please get out.”
“Not until you tell me what’s hurting you-”
“There is nothing hurting me!” He turned his face away, lest his eyes reveal the lie.
“Mou hit-”
“Out!” He shouted, shoving Yugi backwards into the hall and pulling the door shut with a loud bang. Yugi stumbled, falling down on the floor, a small gasp of shock and pain escaping him as he struggled to sit up. Heart pounding, he stared up at the closed door, tears of confusion filling his eyes.
“M…mou hitori no boku?”
Inside, the spirit pulled his hand to his chest, collapsing back against the wall in horror at himself. Sliding to the floor, he huddled against it as he clamped his hands over his ears to avoid hearing Yugi’s voice, squeezing his eyes shut.
He would have died.
Trembling, he curled more tightly, wishing he could forget it was he who encouraged Yugi to put the Puzzle on a chain, wishing he could forget it was he who Yugi was going to stay behind for…
Aibou would have died…all because of me.
x-x-x
Notes: Happy birthday Kaoru! I hope you have a great day. ^___^ Enjoy your Yami!angst. xD
I always have fun playing around with this scene. There is just SO MUCH PROOF of Puzzleshipping in it. I took creative license with some of the dialogue and obviously the scene where Yugi is unconcious and the night after, but I think everything is plausible in the story's context. And yes, I still maintain that Anzu is a Puzzleshipper. >.>