[fic] Serendipity - Yugioh, YnYxYugi, gen/introspective, G, theme 063 (100_chances)
Theme: 063 - Serendipity; for 100_chances
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Genre: General/introspective
Rating: G
Pairings: Yami no Yugi/Yugi
Archive: Here
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Battle City...if anyone from that even counts as a spoiler anymore.
Summary: Maybe they had to be incomplete to help each other change.
Disclaimer: I'm not even Takahashi on Christmas. D=
---
Brightly colored cards were scattered in loose piles across the small table top. A belt with a rectangular pouch on the back lay coiled beside them. The young man at the desk, however, was engrossed with the sky outside the window.
A flash of color across the table and the sudden materialization of another person made him snap back to the present. “Hi mou hitori no boku.”
The spirit looked down at the cards on the table. “Fixing your deck?”
Yugi shrugged. “Just trying to make it as good as it can be for tonight. I can’t think of anything to change though. It might have helped if we’d had time to stop by the house and get my other cards, but I didn’t think of it.”
“And looking out the window helps you think?”
Yugi smiled sheepishly. “No. I just can’t concentrate, so much has happened today. Especially this evening.” His smile faded as he glanced at the table. The Red Eyes Black Dragon sat off to one side. The spirit followed his gaze.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” Yugi said, startling his other self.
“What? Why?”
“I may have been a bit harsh this evening, during that duel. Saying that I had to do it myself when I know you wanted to help. You were scared for Jounouchi too and you were helpless and knew I was in danger. I’m sorry if that hurt you, standing aside.”
“You did nothing wrong,” he replied quietly. “You were right, only you could have made the difference in that place.”
“Yeah,” Yugi said thoughtfully, moving some of the cards around absentmindedly. “And I am glad…to know I handled it without you.” He looked up to see the spirit’s haunting eyes watching him. “I was afraid that cowardice was still in me. I’m glad to know I can stand on my own. Thank you for giving me that chance.”
“Of course.” His other self watched him sort out the cards for a moment, then: “Aibou?”
“Hmn?”
“Is it truly so terrible for you...accepting my help?”
“What? No, I’m not saying that!” Yugi waved his hands frantically, shaking his head. “I don’t mean that it’s terrible that you help me. Mou hitori no boku, I’m glad I met you and so glad for your help. I just mean…that I don’t like to think I’m only who I am because of you. I kind of like to believe that if I hadn’t met you I would still be someone brave enough to face what I did today for the sake of my friend. I know deep down without you I wouldn’t have been able to, but it’s nice to think-”
“No,” the spirit interrupted.
“What?”
“No,” he repeated. “You really believe you only saved Jounouchi today because of me? Aibou, it’s because of me that he was in trouble to begin with.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Yugi sighed. He hadn’t really wanted to say this straight out; it was shameful. “I meant…I know I’m strong now. But the old Yugi, before I met you, would have been too afraid. I would have just run away, or given in to anything that scared me. I’d probably still be that way now, but because of you I learned to face my fears because I knew you would help me. You’re tough enough to face everything for me, but I don’t want it to be that way forever.” He looked away from the spirit. Their mind link was closed, but he didn’t want to risk his often ultra-perceptive other self to glimpse his thoughts in his eyes. It can’t be that way forever. One day you have to leave. I have to be able to stand on my own before that day.
“You think you’re only strong now…because of me?”
The fact that he sounded so puzzled came as a surprise. Just a few hours before Yugi had flat out told him that his courage was entirely attributed to him. Yugi furrowed his eyebrows at him. “Why does that surprise you? Isn’t it obvious? I know you didn’t really know me well back in the old days, but you’ve heard us talk about it. You know what I was like, naïve and passive. I couldn’t have changed and done what I did today without you.” His cheeks flushed. “This is incredibly humiliating to talk about, by the way. The old days are not my proudest moments.”
The spirit regarded him quietly. “You didn’t change. This you and the ‘old you’ are the same person.”
“Thank you, that’s kind, but-”
“You changed me,” he pressed. “So in the end, if you did change, it’s because of yourself.”
“I don’t see what one has to do with the other,” Yugi said, unsettled at the agitation in his voice. It was rare for the spirit to be so upset, much less this talkative. He’d been extremely quiet all evening. Even after the duel, when Yugi had piped in to celebrate that he had won, the spirit hadn’t responded. Yugi assumed he was focused on the finals.
“When you solved the puzzle, I was different. I was ruled by reflex and I didn’t understand things like morals or wrong and right. I just did what my reactions to things told me to do. There was no humanity there.” He paused uncomfortably. “I am equally as ashamed of that person as you said you are of your past.”
The idea of the spirit feeling the same secret humiliation was too much. Yugi had to interject. “Well, you’d been trapped for three thousand years. You had no memories of what was right or wrong.”
“Not having memories is no excuse. That person is not someone who you admired.”
Yugi couldn’t deny that one. His other self had killed, had done worse than kill, and he’d smiled while doing it. It wasn’t something he liked to think about, even now. Whenever he did, he ended up feeling queasy and anxious.
“You aren’t that person anymore. The person you are now, strong and confident and loyal, that’s who I look up to, that’s who changed me,” Yugi said.
“And the weak person who you consider a disgrace is the person who changed me,” the spirit said flatly. “You think your innocence makes you naïve or childish, but it was that innocence which made me human.”
“Mou hitori no boku…?”
“You were an anomaly to me,” he said. “You had compassion for people who hurt you. You believed in the good in people who had done nothing good. You could trust someone implicitly. To me…I still have trouble accepting that. You went against everything I based my existence on and showed me another life besides reacting blindly. You taught me what real wrong and right were. You showed me it takes more strength to be compassionate than to hate. You taught me morals. You say I, as I am now, helped you, but without you, the ‘old you,’ I wouldn’t be me. It was you, from the beginning, who changed things. So don’t say it was me who made the difference and don’t throw aside that person who showed me kindness.”
Yugi blinked as the spirit stared back at him. Was his other self correct? The helpless person he’d been was, to him, a personal flaw he was relieved to leave behind in favor of the toughness the spirit had taught him. That old Yugi had been lonely and pathetic and unable to do a thing. Now everything he’d been sure of had been turned upside down.
If I had met him today, as I am now…would I have been able to help him?
Another thought occurred almost instantly: If I’d met him back then, but he was the way he is now…maybe he wouldn’t have been able to help me, either. Maybe we had to be incomplete to help each other change.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of his other self speaking slowly, hesitantly:
“Aibou…I-”
The intercom on the wall beside them squawked to life, interrupting his words.
“Duelists have fifteen minutes before assembly for round one. Fifteen minutes.”
As the announcement died away, Yugi waited for the spirit to repeat what he was going to say, but the other side of the table brought only silence now.
Slowly, Yugi looked up. He met the spirit’s eyes only for a moment, before standing and gathering up the cards.
“We need to get ready.”
The spirit nodded, and vanished. All business, Yugi checked his deck one last time, fixed the belt, and gave himself and the spirit a last minute pep-talk through their mind link. He secured his duel disk on his arm and walked to the door, welcoming the distraction of his friends waiting outside.
But in those few seconds between the table and door, he couldn’t help wondering what the spirit had been about to say.
X - X - X
Notes: In case you’re wondering where “serendipity” comes in, my thought process before writing this went as thus: “What a perfect working of fate, that Yami and Yugi each possess what the other needs. This is why Puzzleshipping works so well. It just goes to show that true love isn’t in both people being perfect, but in the two being perfect together.” And fate = serendipity…and truthfully there just weren’t any other themes that this fit in. xD
Happy Christmas everyone! Sorry I had no holiday themed fic for the occasion. ^^;
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Genre: General/introspective
Rating: G
Pairings: Yami no Yugi/Yugi
Archive: Here
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Battle City...if anyone from that even counts as a spoiler anymore.
Summary: Maybe they had to be incomplete to help each other change.
Disclaimer: I'm not even Takahashi on Christmas. D=
---
Brightly colored cards were scattered in loose piles across the small table top. A belt with a rectangular pouch on the back lay coiled beside them. The young man at the desk, however, was engrossed with the sky outside the window.
A flash of color across the table and the sudden materialization of another person made him snap back to the present. “Hi mou hitori no boku.”
The spirit looked down at the cards on the table. “Fixing your deck?”
Yugi shrugged. “Just trying to make it as good as it can be for tonight. I can’t think of anything to change though. It might have helped if we’d had time to stop by the house and get my other cards, but I didn’t think of it.”
“And looking out the window helps you think?”
Yugi smiled sheepishly. “No. I just can’t concentrate, so much has happened today. Especially this evening.” His smile faded as he glanced at the table. The Red Eyes Black Dragon sat off to one side. The spirit followed his gaze.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” Yugi said, startling his other self.
“What? Why?”
“I may have been a bit harsh this evening, during that duel. Saying that I had to do it myself when I know you wanted to help. You were scared for Jounouchi too and you were helpless and knew I was in danger. I’m sorry if that hurt you, standing aside.”
“You did nothing wrong,” he replied quietly. “You were right, only you could have made the difference in that place.”
“Yeah,” Yugi said thoughtfully, moving some of the cards around absentmindedly. “And I am glad…to know I handled it without you.” He looked up to see the spirit’s haunting eyes watching him. “I was afraid that cowardice was still in me. I’m glad to know I can stand on my own. Thank you for giving me that chance.”
“Of course.” His other self watched him sort out the cards for a moment, then: “Aibou?”
“Hmn?”
“Is it truly so terrible for you...accepting my help?”
“What? No, I’m not saying that!” Yugi waved his hands frantically, shaking his head. “I don’t mean that it’s terrible that you help me. Mou hitori no boku, I’m glad I met you and so glad for your help. I just mean…that I don’t like to think I’m only who I am because of you. I kind of like to believe that if I hadn’t met you I would still be someone brave enough to face what I did today for the sake of my friend. I know deep down without you I wouldn’t have been able to, but it’s nice to think-”
“No,” the spirit interrupted.
“What?”
“No,” he repeated. “You really believe you only saved Jounouchi today because of me? Aibou, it’s because of me that he was in trouble to begin with.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Yugi sighed. He hadn’t really wanted to say this straight out; it was shameful. “I meant…I know I’m strong now. But the old Yugi, before I met you, would have been too afraid. I would have just run away, or given in to anything that scared me. I’d probably still be that way now, but because of you I learned to face my fears because I knew you would help me. You’re tough enough to face everything for me, but I don’t want it to be that way forever.” He looked away from the spirit. Their mind link was closed, but he didn’t want to risk his often ultra-perceptive other self to glimpse his thoughts in his eyes. It can’t be that way forever. One day you have to leave. I have to be able to stand on my own before that day.
“You think you’re only strong now…because of me?”
The fact that he sounded so puzzled came as a surprise. Just a few hours before Yugi had flat out told him that his courage was entirely attributed to him. Yugi furrowed his eyebrows at him. “Why does that surprise you? Isn’t it obvious? I know you didn’t really know me well back in the old days, but you’ve heard us talk about it. You know what I was like, naïve and passive. I couldn’t have changed and done what I did today without you.” His cheeks flushed. “This is incredibly humiliating to talk about, by the way. The old days are not my proudest moments.”
The spirit regarded him quietly. “You didn’t change. This you and the ‘old you’ are the same person.”
“Thank you, that’s kind, but-”
“You changed me,” he pressed. “So in the end, if you did change, it’s because of yourself.”
“I don’t see what one has to do with the other,” Yugi said, unsettled at the agitation in his voice. It was rare for the spirit to be so upset, much less this talkative. He’d been extremely quiet all evening. Even after the duel, when Yugi had piped in to celebrate that he had won, the spirit hadn’t responded. Yugi assumed he was focused on the finals.
“When you solved the puzzle, I was different. I was ruled by reflex and I didn’t understand things like morals or wrong and right. I just did what my reactions to things told me to do. There was no humanity there.” He paused uncomfortably. “I am equally as ashamed of that person as you said you are of your past.”
The idea of the spirit feeling the same secret humiliation was too much. Yugi had to interject. “Well, you’d been trapped for three thousand years. You had no memories of what was right or wrong.”
“Not having memories is no excuse. That person is not someone who you admired.”
Yugi couldn’t deny that one. His other self had killed, had done worse than kill, and he’d smiled while doing it. It wasn’t something he liked to think about, even now. Whenever he did, he ended up feeling queasy and anxious.
“You aren’t that person anymore. The person you are now, strong and confident and loyal, that’s who I look up to, that’s who changed me,” Yugi said.
“And the weak person who you consider a disgrace is the person who changed me,” the spirit said flatly. “You think your innocence makes you naïve or childish, but it was that innocence which made me human.”
“Mou hitori no boku…?”
“You were an anomaly to me,” he said. “You had compassion for people who hurt you. You believed in the good in people who had done nothing good. You could trust someone implicitly. To me…I still have trouble accepting that. You went against everything I based my existence on and showed me another life besides reacting blindly. You taught me what real wrong and right were. You showed me it takes more strength to be compassionate than to hate. You taught me morals. You say I, as I am now, helped you, but without you, the ‘old you,’ I wouldn’t be me. It was you, from the beginning, who changed things. So don’t say it was me who made the difference and don’t throw aside that person who showed me kindness.”
Yugi blinked as the spirit stared back at him. Was his other self correct? The helpless person he’d been was, to him, a personal flaw he was relieved to leave behind in favor of the toughness the spirit had taught him. That old Yugi had been lonely and pathetic and unable to do a thing. Now everything he’d been sure of had been turned upside down.
If I had met him today, as I am now…would I have been able to help him?
Another thought occurred almost instantly: If I’d met him back then, but he was the way he is now…maybe he wouldn’t have been able to help me, either. Maybe we had to be incomplete to help each other change.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of his other self speaking slowly, hesitantly:
“Aibou…I-”
The intercom on the wall beside them squawked to life, interrupting his words.
“Duelists have fifteen minutes before assembly for round one. Fifteen minutes.”
As the announcement died away, Yugi waited for the spirit to repeat what he was going to say, but the other side of the table brought only silence now.
Slowly, Yugi looked up. He met the spirit’s eyes only for a moment, before standing and gathering up the cards.
“We need to get ready.”
The spirit nodded, and vanished. All business, Yugi checked his deck one last time, fixed the belt, and gave himself and the spirit a last minute pep-talk through their mind link. He secured his duel disk on his arm and walked to the door, welcoming the distraction of his friends waiting outside.
But in those few seconds between the table and door, he couldn’t help wondering what the spirit had been about to say.
X - X - X
Notes: In case you’re wondering where “serendipity” comes in, my thought process before writing this went as thus: “What a perfect working of fate, that Yami and Yugi each possess what the other needs. This is why Puzzleshipping works so well. It just goes to show that true love isn’t in both people being perfect, but in the two being perfect together.” And fate = serendipity…and truthfully there just weren’t any other themes that this fit in. xD
Happy Christmas everyone! Sorry I had no holiday themed fic for the occasion. ^^;