When Yami gained his own body back, he wasn't quite sure what to think about several things. He also had trouble with a lot of things; simple things, even, like speaking to people or remembering to eat. He especially had trouble with sleeping for the first while.
I clearly remember the first night Yami physically slept. After spending hundreds of years in spiritual sleep in the Millennium Puzzle, I could tell he really wasn't used to sleeping in his own body.
Throughout the first day I spent with him again, I could almost feel anxiety coming off of him in waves, as if we were actually still connected. I couldn't figure out why, until that night, long after the sun had gone down.
It was pretty late and it was getting hard to keep my eyes open. I decided to go ahead and put on my pajamas and get Mou Hitori no Boku a place to sleep. I didn't hear him walk into my room behind me as I slipped my pajama shirt over my head.
"Aibou?"
I jumped slightly and my reflexes caused me to turn around and jam my shirt over my head so I could see where the voice was coming from.
"Oh, Mou Hitori no Boku," I laughed, "Don't scare me like that!"
He didn't laugh, or even smile. He was frowning and looking down at the floor, his eyes filled with worry. A pang of anxiety hit me and I knew something was wrong.
"Yami…? Is everything all right…?" I asked him, letting my voice convey my concern.
"Is it time for bed already?" he asked, his voice full of anxiety.
"Well, uhh… yeah, if that's okay. Is anything wrong?"
"No… it's okay, I'm fine."
"You know you can't hide anything from me… I can tell something is wrong…"
He seemed really hesitant for some reason. He wouldn't look me in the eyes, he wouldn't approach me; he just hovered at the doorway to my room and looked down at the floor.
I decided to close the distance between us myself. I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, frowning as he shrunk away from me.
"What is your problem?" I asked, trying to keep my voice gentle and concerned.
He simply shook his head and took a step back from me.
"I'm fine, Hikari," he muttered, still not meeting my eyes.
I shrugged, sighing, and walked over to my dresser, pulling out a spare set of pajamas.
"Change into these before we go to bed. They're much more comfortable than your day clothes," I said, giving a small smile.
He nodded again, mumbled a thank you, and took them from me. As he began to pull off his clothes to change into the pajamas, I walked to my closet and took out a few blankets to lie on the floor to sleep on. After getting them from the closet, I got on my knees on the floor near my bed and began to spread the blankets out and layer them on top of each other.
"Aibou? What are you doing?" I heard Yami ask.
"I'm making my bed." I replied.
"But your bed is over there."
"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor on your first night here, Mou Hitori no Boku. I'll be sleeping down here tonight."
"No, Aibou, your bed is yours. I insist, let me sleep on the floor tonight."
I sighed, deciding whether or not to let him do as he asked. He seemed so adamant about it, so I finally agreed and ended up on my bed for the night.
After making sure he was comfortable on his "bed", I switched off the light and made my way back to my bed. The room was slightly illuminated by moonlight and I could see him lying there, his chest moving in an irregular rhythm. He seemed panicked…
"Mou Hitori no Boku, are you sure you're all right?" I asked, breaking the silence that hung in the room.
"I'm fine, Aibou." He said.
I could tell he was trying to mask anxiety with irritation, so I mumbled a good night and turned on my side, away from him.
I felt strangely tired and found it really hard to keep my eyes open. It was comfortable having Yami's presence in my room again. My vision was blurring, and soon, I drifted into deep, peaceful sleep…
"Aibou…? Aibou, wake up… I need you…"
I could barely hear Mou Hitori no Boku's voice, but I heard it. He sounded distressed and I desperately tried to wake myself up quickly.
"Hrmm…? Yami… what is it…?"
As I was waking up, I could feel that he was holding my hand.
"Aibou… I can't sleep…"
"You can't sleep…? Are you not tired…?"
"No… no, it's not that… I just… I'm… scared."
I knew that something was wrong. And I knew that his pride was what was keeping him from telling me what was bothering him. He couldn't admit that he was scared.
I scooted over in my bed to make room for him. He saw me do that and immediately took the opportunity to slip into bed beside me.
"Why are you scared?" I asked, yawning.
"I… I don't want to sleep… I don't want to feel dead again…" he mumbled, his voice wavering.
"Feel dead? Going to sleep doesn't mean you'll feel dead, Mou Hitori no Boku."
"Doesn't it…? Won't it feel like I'm trapped in the puzzle again…?"
"Of course it won't," I cooed, "Sleep doesn't feel like that at all."
"It's been thousands of years since I've slept in my own body… How do I know it won't feel the same?"
"I promise, it doesn't. It's peaceful and you dream until you wake up, and you feel refreshed when you open your eyes in the morning."
He closed his eyes and yawned.
"You're tired." I pointed out, attempting to persuade him to sleep.
"I'm fine," he said, looking over to me, "I don't need to sleep."
"Everyone needs to sleep, Mou Hitori no Boku," I said, "Even you need to now. Sleep isn't as bad as you think it is, I promise."
"You mean I have to sleep?"
"Mhm. You can't just not sleep. Your body needs rest."
He sighed heavily, frowning.
"Aibou…?"
"Hm?"
"Could I… hold your hand…? Just until I have to fall asleep…?"
"Of course you can," I murmured, smiling.
As soon as I said that, I felt his hand move and his fingers wrap around mine tightly; almost too tightly.
As we both laid in silence, I could hear his breathing begin to even out. His grip on my hand was slightly relaxed.
"Are you alright?" I whispered.
"I…I don't know… I can't really feel my body anymore…"
"You're falling asleep," I chuckled.
At that statement, the grip on my hand was tightened again, and I frowned, mad at myself for possibly ruining my chances of getting him asleep.
"You'll be okay, Yami…" I murmured, "Just let your eyes close and dream for a while. I'll be here when you wake up."
"You will? Still right here beside me?"
"Of course I will."
He nodded and shut his eyes, sighing anxiously.
After a few moments, I could hear his breathing fall into a slow, steady rhythm. The grip on my hand relaxed more and more until I could only feel his fingers barely touching mine.
I sat up slowly to look at his face. For the first time in hours, he looked at peace.
Smiling, I laid back down and whispered,
"Sweet dreams, Mou Hitori no Boku."