Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Heroism ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh. I do, however, have the complete series and a subscription to Shonen Jump. Which I need to inform that my address has changed.

 

As I said on my lj (the homepage on my bio, where all updates go first), I was planning on not updating anything last week, but managed to get all the things near completion done. DYDOM is not near completion, it will continue until the start of Duelist Kingdom in the manga, so I gave it short shrift to work on finishing up other things so I could in future concentrate more on this.

 

Oh, and again, -…- = Yugi mentally communicating, --…-- = Yami mentally communicating.

 

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

 

Yugi couldn't believe it was only Tuesday. So many adventures already this week, and he would have to wait until the weekend for Professor Yoshimori to tell them what he had found out about the Millennium Items and Yami! It was very frustrating to wait. But what was making it easier was that Yami was becoming more awake, quicker now. He thought the Millennium Items had mentioned something about power, or something… he wasn't sure.

 

He wasn't sure if he wanted to be indebted to them for this, after everything they had done to Yami, but Yami was definitely talking more now. And being more active in other ways, like digging through Yugi's memory and finding the images of all the textbook pages he'd seen, which made his homework fly by. He'd hugged Yami in thanks, and Yami had smiled at him and nuzzled his shoulder, so sweet and grateful for his gratitude.

 

Yugi sometimes felt that he hadn't done enough for Yami, after everything Yami did for him, but then he remembered Yami's imprisonment, and how horrible it had been. He didn't like to think about it.

 

But… in a way, it sort of made him feel better, to know that he really had saved Yami like Yami saved him. That he wasn't dead weight, despite how scared Yami was for him. He hoped Yami would wake up even more, as soon as possible.

 

Yami had said Yugi was capable of learning magic. He wanted to learn it. To defend Yami. But, if even Yami was so scared of the Millennium Items, despite how powerful he was, would Yugi be of any use at all? How had he been captured by them?

 

No. Yugi would not think that way. He would be hopeful, like he always was. And he would get stronger, with Yami's help, and defend Yami.

 

And then… Yami would get strong enough to have his own body, and they'd work out how he could have his own life (maybe even go to school together) but still talk to Yugi in his mind, and Yami would consider him a friend and not be scared to offend him and call him Master anymore… and then, maybe… they could be… more than friends?

 

Yugi felt a slight questioning feeling at why he was so lost in though instead of paying attention to the class. He smiled, inwardly petting Yami, and told him, -I was just thinking about you, I'm not worried. It's fine.-

 

Yami, slightly asleep so he would have his full powers if anything happened (of if Yugi wanted to talk to him later tonight), preened under the attention.

 

Yugi had sometimes considered… that it was sort of demeaning to just pet him, hug him, invade his personal space like that, but Yami seemed to like it. More than like it. Yugi remembered when Yami had had that horrible nightmare.

 

Yami seemed to find the light of Yugi's mind reassuring, as well as something that healed him (Yugi was proud that it did so), but he seemed to crave human contact.

 

Yugi had thought that perhaps… normally, servants didn't cuddle their Masters. He was very glad Yami did, of course, but it was kinda unusual that he did. He hoped Yami didn't decide it was undignified later on and be too embarrassed to hold his Yugi-dono, but for now, Yami cuddled as much as Yugi would permit, which was as much as Yugi could manage. Stupid annoying school. There were more important things.

 

Yugi thought that the contact kept nightmares away. Sometimes, Yami had made a small noise of distress, or shifted slightly… but before Yugi could try to wake him up, the feeling of Yugi's arms around him had soothed him. It was probably just that after so long feeling nothing but hard stone, cold chains and his own blood, warmth and softness and proof that there was someone, anyone, nearby was enough to reassure Yami that he wasn't trapped any more.

 

But Yugi thought sometimes that it was his own touch that drove them away. That he was protecting Yami even as he dreamed. He sighed happily at the thought. Then snapped back to attention as Jou threw a ball of paper at him covertly so he would wake up and answer the teacher's question.

 

Yugi, now that he was paying attention (stupid school, distracting him from Yami!), noticed that Hanasaki was peeking at him from time to time. Now that he thought about it… Hanasaki had been looking at him an awful lot lately. Why…

 

Yami stirred. He had forgotten! Apology.

 

-Huh? What did you forget about?- Yugi asked, glancing covertly at Hanasaki.

 

Yami showed him the memory of after he had defeated Sozoji. He had comforted Hanasaki-san and sent him home. His memories should be unclear, and he had not been awake for the Shadow Game, but -I am sorry, Master. I should have told you that he had seen me before.—Yugi felt Yami's shame at what he saw as a failure to tell his Master something Master would certainly have wished to know.

 

Yugi pet him. -It's okay. I'll just go talk to him after school with my friends sometime. Maybe today, we're not planning anything… I'm not angry at you, you were barely awake then!-

 

Relief. Yami bowed, and then relaxed into Yugi's arms again. Master was not offended! Kind Master. Worship.

 

Yugi sighed and pet the hair so like his own.

 

When they wandered over to Hanasaki's desk at recess, he seemed normal (for Hanasaki) and talked excitedly about his favorite superhero, Zombire! Hanasaki told them all about Zombire, then realized how obsessive he had acted and apologized, telling them, “I get all excited when I talk about Zombire…” His face was red, and he looked away until they reassured him they didn't mind.

 

Yugi commented that “At my family's store, import Zombire action figures have been selling like hotcakes!”

 

“Hey, guys! Do you want to come to my house?! I'll show you my collection!” Hanasaki promised.

 

“Sure!” they agreed. That would be the perfect time to talk to him, Yami and Yugi agreed.

 

Hanasaki's room was filled with Zombire merchandise. All sorts of statuettes and action figures covered the shelves.

 

“OMIGOD! Zombire everywhere!” Jou exclaimed, amazed. “Did you collect all of this Hanasaki?!”

 

“Actually, my father works in America. Every time he comes back to Japan, he brings something for me,” Hanasaki replied, smiling. Yugi exclaimed over a rare figure, and Hanasaki's mom even served American Zombire cookies! A second later, that surprise was topped by Hanasaki's dad showing up in a real Zombire mask. Hanasaki followed him out, and while he was gone Jou noticed a model building kit and they decided to put it together for him.

 

When Hanasaki showed up again, they all screamed. Yugi and his friends because they were startled by Hanasaki's Zombire costume… and Hanasaki because he had wanted to keep the `garage kit' in the original packaging.

 

They all had a good time despite that, and the evening passed without Yugi seeing an opportunity or need to talk to Hanasaki. He seemed to not be scared by Yugi's presence: in fact, he seemed more confident than before, glad that they liked his hobby.

 

As they left, however, after Hanasaki and his mom had gone back into the house, Hanasaki's dad called out to them. “Ah… ahem… Excuse me, everyone…”

 

When they turned to listen, he begged them to, “Please stay friends with Tomoya! I… I beg you…” Tomoya was Hanasaki's first name.

 

Jou and Yugi looked at him questioningly. “We'll always be his friends!” Yugi reassured him. Jou and the others agreed.

 

“Thank you… To be honest, Tomoya is… fragile. Because of my work, I haven't been able to spend as much time with him as I'd like… I was starting to think his only friends were those action figures…”

 

“Don't worry, Mr. Hanasaki. He's not as fragile as you think he is!” Jou reassured him.

 

“Later!” Yugi said smiling.

 

--He is fragile.—Yami said, becoming more alert and frowning.

 

-What!?- Yugi kept walking.

 

--Hanasaki-san is sick.—Yami wondered if he should start calling him Hanasaki-sama, as he was Yugi-dono's friend now.

 

-Oh no! Is…- an idea occurred to Yugi. If Yami could heal… -Is there anything you can do?-

 

--…to aid, yes. To cure… the sickness is too firmly rooted. I would have to change all of him so he would be no longer small and weak.—Yami was sad he could not do as Master wished.

 

-Firmly rooted?- A concept passed between them. -It's genetic? Oh.- Yugi sighed. He had thought, maybe… but there were limits to what Yami could do. This was magic, not miracles. He pet him. -No, I'm not mad you can't cure it.- He wished he hadn't known Yami was thinking that.

 

Yami breathed a sigh of relief and bowed. -Thank you, and forgive me, my Master.—

 

Yugi took him back into his arms, and walked home.

 

The next day, Wednesday at the end of school, some delinquents came up to Yugi and asked for Hanasaki. Yugi stared them down, unafraid thanks to Yami, who was chafing at the bit, wanting to fight them, when Hanasaki stepped in. The little bully magnet told them to go away, and Yugi was amazed when they did!

 

“That was incredible, Hanasaki!” Yugi told him excitedly.

 

Hanasaki told Yugi to come to him if he had any bully problems, which Yugi said okay to, even though he didn't need any more help with bullies than he already did. And how had Hanasaki suddenly grown so respected? Yugi wondered about that as Yami reached out, until he started trying to follow what Yami was doing to learn magic. Strange… all the colors…

 

That evening, Yugi was working on a Zombire kit of his own, having picked up some of Hanasaki's enthusiasm. Partway through, he ran out of spray paint in the right color, so he decided to walk to Hanasaki's house to get more. He would never have dared if he hadn't been kept so safe lately. He hugged Yami as he walked along.

 

When he arrived at Hanasaki's house, his father was panicked. “T-… Tomoya is… Tomoya is…!” He was so worried he couldn't speak.

 

“What happened to Hanasaki?!” Yugi gasped. Why were so many things happening lately?

 

“I-I found this…” The father eventually gave Yugi a note from some jerks, telling Hanasaki (who they called `Superhero') that they held Yugi captive.

 

Yugi raced off, worried about Hanasaki, who had placed himself in danger for his sake. Yami was also impressed with Hanasaki-sama. Going against criminals for the sake of Yugi-dono, even if he was tricked… this one was worthy to be Master's friend.

 

“That's enough, you scum!” Yami took over, seeing the delinquents from earlier beating up Hanasaki, who was wearing his Zombire costume. One of them was using a can of spray paint on him, getting it in his eyes through the mask. When they turned around startled, he added, “I'm the one who's going to play with you!”

 

“What the?!”

 

“Another wanna-be hero?”

 

Hanasaki's father had followed Yugi. He took Tomoya out of the way, asking if he was all right.

 

Yugi and the bullies were left in a concrete area on the river bank surrounded with a fence with only two gates in it; one leading to a drop into the river.

 

The bullies' probably leader dropped a cigarette butt on the ground next to the spray paint. “Heh heh… think you can take on all three of us?”

 

“Heh heh…” Yam laughed as well, picking up the can of spray paint. “I think this'll be fun.”

 

“Huh… he's dissing us!” The bullies took out switchblade knives and tried to attack Yami, but he ran rings around them, using the can of spray paint on the ground.

 

Meanwhile, Hanasaki recovered, telling his dad his eyes were just blurry for the spray paint. He saw Yugi facing the bullies and remembered… another time, when Yugi had saved him, and been strange…

 

He ran toward Yugi, despite his father's protests. If he didn't help him now, he would never be strong!

 

But Yami had already won the game. The cigarette butt lit the spray paint, the fire herding the bullies though it's maze, leaving them no choice but to jump in the river. “Welcome to my Maze of Fire!!” Yami laughed.

 

Hanasaki arrived as the last of them jumped in. “I'm sorry… it's all my fault. I'm such an idiot… There's no way I could be a hero…”

 

“Of course you can.” Yami smiled. And Hanasaki's father, looking at how Hanasaki had been injured trying to help his friend, agreed.