Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Little Brother ❯ Fading ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Boko 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.12.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 339 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.12.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 339 | Status: Work In Progress
Okay, now this is just stupid late. *cries* Sorry everyone! I just got moved to full-time at work, so I have even less time now! Don't worry though; I'm going to work on getting a new chapter out a lot more often, unless I get blocked again. Which shouldn't happen since everything's got itself pretty much resolved in my head.
And sorry for those few hopefuls out there; this is STILL shounen-ai, and will be to the end!! *insert mad cackle --here--*
Yami R: There definitely won't be any more delays now that her playstation's gone. ^_^
A/N: *pouties* Yeah, yeah. For once, Yami R carried through on one of her threats and chucked out my PS2. ^_^ But no worries; it landed on a pile of raked-up leaves, so I just had to brush it off a bit.
Yami R: *scowls*
DISCLAIMER: Damn, almost got away with forgetting this again. *Sigh* I...*hesitates*...I-I d-don't....*runs off in tears* Yami, you say it!
Yami R: She's in denial, don't mind her. ChibiBoko doesn't and never will (thank god) own Yugioh or any of its characters. She only borrows the bishies to act out her fantasies.
A/N: You make that sound bad. *pouties*
Okays, little different for this chapter:
/.../ thoughts,
\...\ Yugi to Yami
\\...\\ Yami to Yugi
*...* Emphasis
--....-- past scene inserted
* * * * scene change
~oO0@0Oo~ Flashbacks
*sigh* the sad part is, I'm probably gonna have to refer back up here myself as I'm writing this, what with all those changes...-_-
----------------------------------------------
< br> Little Brother
Chapter Three
by ChibiBoko
Yami poked his head into the kitchen hopefully. The pristine surfaces of the counters and table were spotless and untouched.
/Damn, he still hasn't come down..../ His face dropped as he pulled his head back from around the corner. /I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for if he.../
He poked his head into the living room this time. No TV commercials blared obnoxiously to greet him, no couch potatoes lulled asleep from droning voices emanating from the unusually dark screen could be seen.
Yami sighed as he trudged upstairs to Yugi's room. /Maybe he's having a rest, god knows he hasn't had much of it lately./
For himself, Yami had barely slept at all since the accident. Yugi had been stricken with nightmares ever since that day; it was a rare night when he didn't wake up either screaming or in tears. Yami stayed by his side, holding the smaller one close, watching him as he slept fitfully to catch any nightmares before they truly began.
He rubbed his face as he crept down the hallway. Yugi had been getting even worse ever since his trip to the cemetery and his run-in with Kaiba. Yami would've gone with him, but Yugi insisted on him getting at least *some* sleep. He smiled ruefully, /And here I thought I got away with him not noticing.../
/..As if anything really slipped by Yugi. Especially if it concerned his friends.../
Yami let his mind drift back to that incident involving Ryou and Joey. Now that had been amusing. He smiled.
Silently entering and closing the door behind him, Yami first looked to the bed. Finding it sadly neat and empty, he eyed the small hunched figure on the windowsill, watching the rain. Or perhaps nothing at all. It was getting harder and harder for Yami to tell.
"The others were just here."
"..."
Yami crossed his arms. "Everyone's worried about you, Yugi. What happened at the cemetery? Did Kaiba do anything to you?" He asked angrily. "As if you weren't bad enough before, but for him to go and make it *worse*.."
"He didn't do anything, Yami." Yugi said quietly, never turning from his reflection.
"Something happened though. You came home in tears that day, aibou." Yami crossed the distance between them to rest a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "..Why won't you tell me, Yugi?" He said gently. "You know you can tell me anything, that if there's anything I can do...."
Yugi bowed his head, resting it on his knees. "Nothing happened, Yami. You shouldn't.." He swallowed, face still hidden from the other. "You shouldn't.. worry about me."
Yami kneeled down so he was looking up at him. "Of course I should. The Yugi I know has been deteriorating before my eyes in the past few weeks. Tell me what there isn't to worry about." He challenged.
Yugi just looked down at him sadly.
Yami sighed, getting to his feet. "Your grandfather should be home soon." He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you hungry at all?"
Yugi shook his head silently, turning back to the window.
Yami's heart tore anew at the sight Yugi made. "..I'll bring something up later then, just in case." So saying, he quietly retreated to the safety of downstairs.
He heard the front door announce Yugi's grandpa's entry. "I'm home!" The older man greeted him cheerfully, his arms precariously overflowing with groceries which Yami hastened to help him with.
"Expecting Joey?" Yami raised an eyebrow as he helped pack them into the kitchen. "I don't think he's coming for dinner; he didn't say anything about it when he was here a little while ago."
Grandpa chuckled. "No, no. I bought all this for Yugi; at least *something* in here should tempt his appetite."
Yami eyed the now bulging fridge. "Well, if it doesn't work, you could always have a dinner party.."
The old man smiled as he shooed Yami out of the kitchen so he could get working on dinner.
Yami trudged into the living room to collapse ungainly on the couch. He grimaced as he groped around underneath him for the remote he accidentally sat on and flipped on the TV.
/News. News. Seen it. Boring./ Yami surfed through the channels, trying to find something that would hold his attention. /God, how can anyone stand that?/ He hurriedly flipped the channel away from the overdramatic soap opera.
/Hmph, they're still airing that documentary on the Kaiba's.../ Yami switched the channel immediately. /...It's not like any of it's actually *accurate*../
He flipped the TV off with a sigh of disgust. He wondered if Yugi had caught the worry flowing through his head. Hopefully not, the boy didn't need guilt added to grief.
/Unlikely that he'd pick up on it, though./ Yugi had closed off all links between them, not letting anything get in, and not letting anything out.
/I don't know which is worse, either...Everyone mourns in their own way, I know; but this, this is beyond that. It's almost a madness.../
Yami could still remember the last time he had heard or felt anything through their bond, when Yugi's soul screamed out to him...
~oO0@0Oo~
Fear. Fear. FEAR.
Yami was literally sweating in it as Yugi's panicked mind screeched into his. He found himself sprinting back down the street to where they had separated; Yugi and Mokuba going to Kaiba's office to drag him along with them, him and the others going ahead.
\\Yugi, YUGI!..\\ He desperately tried to break through the barrier of panic that blocked him from getting through to the smaller boy. "God, no, no nono nononono..."
--"What's wrong, Mokuba?"
"..."
"C'mon, you can tell us."
"I-I...don't feel good."
Blink. "Huh?" A forearm brushed against the boy's forehead. "...No fever." Tea's voice tinged with concern. "Is your stomach upset or something?"
The dark-headed kid shook his head silently.
Yugi studied him for a moment. "It's not the same with us, is it?"
Mokuba's head shot up. "Wha? N-no! It's not that.."
"It's not that you don't want to go with us," Yugi nodded, "But, your brother isn't here. Right?"
The younger boy looked down at his untied sneaker. "I'm sorry..."
Ryou patted his shoulder. "Hey, don't be. There's nothing to be sorry about."
"Yeah, that's right!" Joey added in.
Yami looked over at Yugi, who had been silent. \\Aibou..?\\
Yugi looked over at him and smiled reassuringly. \I think I can fix this..\
Now Yami looked worried. \\What are you..\\
"I've got an idea, Mokuba..." Yugi told the boy.--
//Stupid, stupid, so STUPID. Letting them go off alone like that..//
Yami's imagination wasn't being kind to him. Yugi's mental screams had faded, leaving the pharaoh with a million scenarios flitting past his minds eye of what could've happened as he skidded around the corner...
--Mokuba was almost bouncing as he and Yugi took off down the street toward Kaiba Corp.
"We'll catch up, don't worry!" Yugi waved.
"Yah! Watch out, big brother, we're coming ta get yooouuu!" Mokuba practically sang. Joey laughed at their antics as they disappeared around a corner.
"Those two are gonna need all the luck in existence to get Kaiba to ditch work." He shook his head.
Ryou nodded ruefully. "It's worth a try though, even if it doesn't work. You saw Mokuba's face when Yugi suggested it."
"Yeah, how could anyone turn that down, even his brother?" Tea piped up as they walked along.
Yami just walked along silently trying to ignore the ache in his gut, telling himself that he was being ridiculous; Yugi had managed to survive growing up without him, he can survive a half-hour or so now.
/I just wish I could get rid of this feeling.../--
* * * *
Yami leaned against the wall across from the closed door. It was ominously quiet in there. Even he couldn't hear anything.
He looked down at his hikari sitting on the floor beside him, huddled against himself with his knees drawn up to his chest. He hadn't taken his eyes off the door since they got there.
Joey paced restlessly up and down the hallway, Ryou glancing at him worriedly from time to time from his post beside the door.
Tea had sat down on the other side of the door, sobbing quietly.
Their heads snapped up as the doctor came out. Yami's stomach turned quietly at the solemnity in the man's face.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Tea couldn't stand to hear anymore and broke away crying down the hall. Joey
clutched Ryou close to him like a plushie, as if trying to will the nightmare away.
Yugi shot up from the floor. "But..what? He c-can't-"
The doctor looked away.
Yugi was white and shaking as Yami pulled him into a gentle hug.
"Damn drunks," Joey whispered from Ryou's hair. "Even my old man never had the balls to get behind the wheel..."
"Is there anyone you need to call?" The doctor asked Yami, since he was obviously the most coherent one there. But not by much.
The pharaoh paled as he rubbed Yugi's back. "Oh, god." He nodded his head slowly.
The MD gave him a sympathetic look. "Would you care to give me the number? Arrangements will have to be made for the..boy."
Yami recited Seto Kaiba's cell number dully as the doctor wrote it down. The doctor shook his head as he walked away.
"I-i..i'm..s-sor.."
Yami hugged Yugi closer. "Shhh, I know. We know. There wasn't anything you could do."
Yugi struggled with his voice. "B-but I-i, I c-could'v-ve-"
"None of that, Yugi." Ryou interrupted tightly, looking up from Joey's shoulder. "Accidents are just that; accidents. Yami is right, there really wasn't anything you could have done to..change it. Nothing." His eyes welled up again.
Yugi turned back into Yami's shoulder and bawled.
~oO0@0Oo~
Distantly he heard the phone ringing. "Yami, could you please get that? My hands are full!" Grandpa yelled from the kitchen.
Heaving himself off the couch, Yami crossed the room to retrieve the cordless. "Hello?"
"Yami?" A tired voice greeted his ears.
------------------------------------------------------
< br> Evil cliffhangers, evil me. ^_^ I needed to end it there though.
Next chapter, "The Yugi I know", and the return of Seto's POV!! I missed the poor guy...
I just had to put the documentary thing in there. Has anyone else noticed that the TV gets flooded with the things whenever someone famous dies unnaturally?
So please review! I love it when people tell me what they think of my work! ^_^
Yami R: Not to mention that it feeds poor, neglected, starving muses...T_T
That a hint?
Yami R: GIMME FOOOODD! @_@
-_- By the way, can anyone tell me how I can get italics to show up on this damn thing? It's really starting to frustrate me.
And sorry for those few hopefuls out there; this is STILL shounen-ai, and will be to the end!! *insert mad cackle --here--*
Yami R: There definitely won't be any more delays now that her playstation's gone. ^_^
A/N: *pouties* Yeah, yeah. For once, Yami R carried through on one of her threats and chucked out my PS2. ^_^ But no worries; it landed on a pile of raked-up leaves, so I just had to brush it off a bit.
Yami R: *scowls*
DISCLAIMER: Damn, almost got away with forgetting this again. *Sigh* I...*hesitates*...I-I d-don't....*runs off in tears* Yami, you say it!
Yami R: She's in denial, don't mind her. ChibiBoko doesn't and never will (thank god) own Yugioh or any of its characters. She only borrows the bishies to act out her fantasies.
A/N: You make that sound bad. *pouties*
Okays, little different for this chapter:
/.../ thoughts,
\...\ Yugi to Yami
\\...\\ Yami to Yugi
*...* Emphasis
--....-- past scene inserted
* * * * scene change
~oO0@0Oo~ Flashbacks
*sigh* the sad part is, I'm probably gonna have to refer back up here myself as I'm writing this, what with all those changes...-_-
----------------------------------------------
< br> Little Brother
Chapter Three
by ChibiBoko
Yami poked his head into the kitchen hopefully. The pristine surfaces of the counters and table were spotless and untouched.
/Damn, he still hasn't come down..../ His face dropped as he pulled his head back from around the corner. /I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for if he.../
He poked his head into the living room this time. No TV commercials blared obnoxiously to greet him, no couch potatoes lulled asleep from droning voices emanating from the unusually dark screen could be seen.
Yami sighed as he trudged upstairs to Yugi's room. /Maybe he's having a rest, god knows he hasn't had much of it lately./
For himself, Yami had barely slept at all since the accident. Yugi had been stricken with nightmares ever since that day; it was a rare night when he didn't wake up either screaming or in tears. Yami stayed by his side, holding the smaller one close, watching him as he slept fitfully to catch any nightmares before they truly began.
He rubbed his face as he crept down the hallway. Yugi had been getting even worse ever since his trip to the cemetery and his run-in with Kaiba. Yami would've gone with him, but Yugi insisted on him getting at least *some* sleep. He smiled ruefully, /And here I thought I got away with him not noticing.../
/..As if anything really slipped by Yugi. Especially if it concerned his friends.../
Yami let his mind drift back to that incident involving Ryou and Joey. Now that had been amusing. He smiled.
Silently entering and closing the door behind him, Yami first looked to the bed. Finding it sadly neat and empty, he eyed the small hunched figure on the windowsill, watching the rain. Or perhaps nothing at all. It was getting harder and harder for Yami to tell.
"The others were just here."
"..."
Yami crossed his arms. "Everyone's worried about you, Yugi. What happened at the cemetery? Did Kaiba do anything to you?" He asked angrily. "As if you weren't bad enough before, but for him to go and make it *worse*.."
"He didn't do anything, Yami." Yugi said quietly, never turning from his reflection.
"Something happened though. You came home in tears that day, aibou." Yami crossed the distance between them to rest a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "..Why won't you tell me, Yugi?" He said gently. "You know you can tell me anything, that if there's anything I can do...."
Yugi bowed his head, resting it on his knees. "Nothing happened, Yami. You shouldn't.." He swallowed, face still hidden from the other. "You shouldn't.. worry about me."
Yami kneeled down so he was looking up at him. "Of course I should. The Yugi I know has been deteriorating before my eyes in the past few weeks. Tell me what there isn't to worry about." He challenged.
Yugi just looked down at him sadly.
Yami sighed, getting to his feet. "Your grandfather should be home soon." He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you hungry at all?"
Yugi shook his head silently, turning back to the window.
Yami's heart tore anew at the sight Yugi made. "..I'll bring something up later then, just in case." So saying, he quietly retreated to the safety of downstairs.
He heard the front door announce Yugi's grandpa's entry. "I'm home!" The older man greeted him cheerfully, his arms precariously overflowing with groceries which Yami hastened to help him with.
"Expecting Joey?" Yami raised an eyebrow as he helped pack them into the kitchen. "I don't think he's coming for dinner; he didn't say anything about it when he was here a little while ago."
Grandpa chuckled. "No, no. I bought all this for Yugi; at least *something* in here should tempt his appetite."
Yami eyed the now bulging fridge. "Well, if it doesn't work, you could always have a dinner party.."
The old man smiled as he shooed Yami out of the kitchen so he could get working on dinner.
Yami trudged into the living room to collapse ungainly on the couch. He grimaced as he groped around underneath him for the remote he accidentally sat on and flipped on the TV.
/News. News. Seen it. Boring./ Yami surfed through the channels, trying to find something that would hold his attention. /God, how can anyone stand that?/ He hurriedly flipped the channel away from the overdramatic soap opera.
/Hmph, they're still airing that documentary on the Kaiba's.../ Yami switched the channel immediately. /...It's not like any of it's actually *accurate*../
He flipped the TV off with a sigh of disgust. He wondered if Yugi had caught the worry flowing through his head. Hopefully not, the boy didn't need guilt added to grief.
/Unlikely that he'd pick up on it, though./ Yugi had closed off all links between them, not letting anything get in, and not letting anything out.
/I don't know which is worse, either...Everyone mourns in their own way, I know; but this, this is beyond that. It's almost a madness.../
Yami could still remember the last time he had heard or felt anything through their bond, when Yugi's soul screamed out to him...
~oO0@0Oo~
Fear. Fear. FEAR.
Yami was literally sweating in it as Yugi's panicked mind screeched into his. He found himself sprinting back down the street to where they had separated; Yugi and Mokuba going to Kaiba's office to drag him along with them, him and the others going ahead.
\\Yugi, YUGI!..\\ He desperately tried to break through the barrier of panic that blocked him from getting through to the smaller boy. "God, no, no nono nononono..."
--"What's wrong, Mokuba?"
"..."
"C'mon, you can tell us."
"I-I...don't feel good."
Blink. "Huh?" A forearm brushed against the boy's forehead. "...No fever." Tea's voice tinged with concern. "Is your stomach upset or something?"
The dark-headed kid shook his head silently.
Yugi studied him for a moment. "It's not the same with us, is it?"
Mokuba's head shot up. "Wha? N-no! It's not that.."
"It's not that you don't want to go with us," Yugi nodded, "But, your brother isn't here. Right?"
The younger boy looked down at his untied sneaker. "I'm sorry..."
Ryou patted his shoulder. "Hey, don't be. There's nothing to be sorry about."
"Yeah, that's right!" Joey added in.
Yami looked over at Yugi, who had been silent. \\Aibou..?\\
Yugi looked over at him and smiled reassuringly. \I think I can fix this..\
Now Yami looked worried. \\What are you..\\
"I've got an idea, Mokuba..." Yugi told the boy.--
//Stupid, stupid, so STUPID. Letting them go off alone like that..//
Yami's imagination wasn't being kind to him. Yugi's mental screams had faded, leaving the pharaoh with a million scenarios flitting past his minds eye of what could've happened as he skidded around the corner...
--Mokuba was almost bouncing as he and Yugi took off down the street toward Kaiba Corp.
"We'll catch up, don't worry!" Yugi waved.
"Yah! Watch out, big brother, we're coming ta get yooouuu!" Mokuba practically sang. Joey laughed at their antics as they disappeared around a corner.
"Those two are gonna need all the luck in existence to get Kaiba to ditch work." He shook his head.
Ryou nodded ruefully. "It's worth a try though, even if it doesn't work. You saw Mokuba's face when Yugi suggested it."
"Yeah, how could anyone turn that down, even his brother?" Tea piped up as they walked along.
Yami just walked along silently trying to ignore the ache in his gut, telling himself that he was being ridiculous; Yugi had managed to survive growing up without him, he can survive a half-hour or so now.
/I just wish I could get rid of this feeling.../--
* * * *
Yami leaned against the wall across from the closed door. It was ominously quiet in there. Even he couldn't hear anything.
He looked down at his hikari sitting on the floor beside him, huddled against himself with his knees drawn up to his chest. He hadn't taken his eyes off the door since they got there.
Joey paced restlessly up and down the hallway, Ryou glancing at him worriedly from time to time from his post beside the door.
Tea had sat down on the other side of the door, sobbing quietly.
Their heads snapped up as the doctor came out. Yami's stomach turned quietly at the solemnity in the man's face.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Tea couldn't stand to hear anymore and broke away crying down the hall. Joey
clutched Ryou close to him like a plushie, as if trying to will the nightmare away.
Yugi shot up from the floor. "But..what? He c-can't-"
The doctor looked away.
Yugi was white and shaking as Yami pulled him into a gentle hug.
"Damn drunks," Joey whispered from Ryou's hair. "Even my old man never had the balls to get behind the wheel..."
"Is there anyone you need to call?" The doctor asked Yami, since he was obviously the most coherent one there. But not by much.
The pharaoh paled as he rubbed Yugi's back. "Oh, god." He nodded his head slowly.
The MD gave him a sympathetic look. "Would you care to give me the number? Arrangements will have to be made for the..boy."
Yami recited Seto Kaiba's cell number dully as the doctor wrote it down. The doctor shook his head as he walked away.
"I-i..i'm..s-sor.."
Yami hugged Yugi closer. "Shhh, I know. We know. There wasn't anything you could do."
Yugi struggled with his voice. "B-but I-i, I c-could'v-ve-"
"None of that, Yugi." Ryou interrupted tightly, looking up from Joey's shoulder. "Accidents are just that; accidents. Yami is right, there really wasn't anything you could have done to..change it. Nothing." His eyes welled up again.
Yugi turned back into Yami's shoulder and bawled.
~oO0@0Oo~
Distantly he heard the phone ringing. "Yami, could you please get that? My hands are full!" Grandpa yelled from the kitchen.
Heaving himself off the couch, Yami crossed the room to retrieve the cordless. "Hello?"
"Yami?" A tired voice greeted his ears.
------------------------------------------------------
< br> Evil cliffhangers, evil me. ^_^ I needed to end it there though.
Next chapter, "The Yugi I know", and the return of Seto's POV!! I missed the poor guy...
I just had to put the documentary thing in there. Has anyone else noticed that the TV gets flooded with the things whenever someone famous dies unnaturally?
So please review! I love it when people tell me what they think of my work! ^_^
Yami R: Not to mention that it feeds poor, neglected, starving muses...T_T
That a hint?
Yami R: GIMME FOOOODD! @_@
-_- By the way, can anyone tell me how I can get italics to show up on this damn thing? It's really starting to frustrate me.