1
Yugi set foot onto the edge of the separation grass. On the side that he was standing on, it was bright green, but after a few inches, the green was drained out of it, and it turned light gray. What, he wondered, was on the other side? He had been told that it was suicide to cross the border, and he truly didn't want to find out if it was true.
Ra knows how long the barrier had existed. Yugi knew that it had been existent for quite a few years, but he didn't know exactly what year it came into existence. Did Yami know? Did his mother, father or grandfather know? Maybe, but if they did, they hadn't told him.
What was behind the barrier? He had seen weird animals once or twice, something that looked like a sparrow or a pigeon fly by once, but nothing, really, too strange. What was so scary about that barrier? He didn't know.
He walked away. He heard Yami's voice. /I know that look, and I can hear your thoughts, you know/, he told Yugi.
Yugi stayed silent. Last time he got into this conversation with someone (his best friend, Joey) he had regretted it. The conversation practically went on until sundown, and Yugi had never forgotten Yami's warning, not to bring it up with his friends.
But, in Yami's opinion, Yami wasn't Yugi's friend. They were more like partners, making the subject okay to talk with to Yami. Yugi supposed that with Yami like to talk about the barrier, or liked to have conversations with Yugi.
/Why? Why do you wonder what's behind the barrier?/", Yami asked, /There are two good reasons not to. One, we have a nice place here, why would you want to leave? Two, it might be dangerous out there. I don't want you to get hurt./
Yugi rolled his eyes. You really seem to care, he thought. He facepalmed as soon as the thought left his head. He had forgotten that Yami could hear his thoughts. Yami carefully took control of Yugi's hand, and brought it back to his side. He gave Yugi control again.
Yugi took a deep breath out. "I don't know. All I see are…"
He heard squeaking. A mouse, or a rabbit, maybe? He turned around. He saw a flash of yellow, but nothing else.
/Yugi? Did you see something?/, Yami asked.
Yugi nodded. /What?/, Yami asked.
"A flash of yellow… and a thunderbolt-shaped tail," Yugi responded.
Yami looked at Yugi with one eyebrow raised and put a transparent hand to his forehead. Yami took his other hand, facepalmed himself, and took control of Yugi's right hand. He put it to Yugi's forehead. He then put it down, and gave Yugi control of his own hand, again.
/Okay,/ Yami said, "/Just checking to make sure you're not coming down with something./
Yugi scoffed and walked faster. Despite this, Yami could still, not surprisingly, keep up. /Don't try, Aibou," he told Yugi, "my legs are longer than yours./
Damn these stupid ghosts, Yugi thought, I've always been called "hamster".
Yami's eyebrows went down in anger. Yugi started running, and Yami caught up to him, merely by walking. /You know, I could beat you in a relay race!/
Yugi just kept running. He wondered, was he truly angry over being asked if he was sick? Maybe he was, he did feel insane. What kind of animal had a thunderbolt for a tail? Last time checked, there were no animals colored yellow, at least, that made a squeaking noise.
He fell to his knees out of exhaustion, it reminded him of a girl he had met in middle school, she couldn't run more than ten seconds without falling to her knees, gasping for air. Now that he thought about it, where did that girl go? She was there for seventh grade, but disappeared after the first few days of eighth. Everyone thought she moved, but she was a good friend to Yugi. She would've told him if she was moving. Something had been up.
This wasn't the time for memories. This was the time for an apology. As he stood up and brushed off his pants, he allowed Yami control of his body. Yami looked to the sky, and around him in surprise. He looked down at his hands and ran them up and down his arms.
"Yugi, why?", he asked.
/Because, I want you to see what I see,/ Yugi said.
Yami turned around to look outside the barrier. As he looked, he saw two birds, odd-looking sparrows fly overhead. A horse with fire for a mane. Yugi could see it, too. In all honesty, he had never seen the horse before. There was also a rat, oversized and purple. Yugi had seen that one.
"It truly is another world," Yami said, and Yugi was in control of his own body again.
Yugi turned around and walked home. Yami truly understood now, it seemed. And now that they understood the same thing, they could finally understand what was so special about that barrier. The one thing going through both of their heads, however, was if there was human life on the other side.
Was it only those bizarre animals that took residence on the other side, or were there humans? If there were humans, they were either smart enough or foolish enough not to approach it. In Yugi's and Yami's minds, they were foolish, not to at least explore the other world from their side. In the minds of others, they were smart, because it was dangerous to cross the barrier.
But Yugi and Yami thought that might not have been bad at all.