The rain splattered against the glass with a gentle pit-a-pat rhythm, the droplets scattering all over the window pane with abandon. Yugi was drifting in and out of consciousness, trying desperately to sleep, but there was something missing, and his body wouldn't allow him to shut down without it. Finally, he gave up, sitting up and rubbing his eyes wearily. He sighed, wondering why on earth he couldn't sleep; usually the rain was a calming, soothing element.
Just as he glanced at the clock, wondering just how long he'd been lying in the shadows, it struck midnight. The wind picked up suddenly outside, driving against the house with an eerie, mournful howl. Yugi shivered; somehow the night seemed more sinister than usual, like something out of a horror movie. Despite the ruckus outside, the house held a hushed silence, not a sound could be heard, as though it was waiting for something. The wind moaned louder, more insistently, almost as though it was trying to scare him.
Yugi hadn't been afraid of the dark since he was very young, but his rational side was drowned out suddenly when lightning flashed through the window, illuminating parts of the room, but allowing the rest of the shadows to twist themselves into grotesque shapes. He swallowed loudly as his imagination pictured what sort of horrid creatures lurked within those depths.
He grabbed a flashlight off of his bedside counter and quickly flicked on the light, stumbling toward the door clumsily.
Maybe a drink will calm my nerves, He thought hopefully, easing his way down the creaking steps toward the kitchen. He passed his grandfather's bedroom on the way down, and peeked inside to check on him. Solomon lay sprawled contentedly across the bed, snoring nearly as loud as the rumbles of thunder outside. Yugi smiled slightly, glad that someone was able to sleep, at least.
When he got to the kitchen, the flashlight suddenly gave out on him, enveloping the room in darkness again.
"Odd..." Yugi mumbled, "These batteries were fresh..." He tried not to think about the fact that this scenario was gaining a definite horror movie theme to it, and focused instead on letting his eyes adjust to the darkness enough to see what he was doing. He then placed the expired light on the counter and went to the cupboard to get himself a glass.
He was just pouring himself a cup of water when a sudden great burst of light illuminated the room, accompanied by a thunderous, booming crash. Yugi gasped in shock, the glass pitcher slipping through his startled fingers, shattering on the floor and dousing him with cold water.
His heart beating wildly, he bent to carefully retrieve the broken glass, trying to breathe deeply enough to calm himself down.
"You're to wound up," Yugi told himself. "You need to relax."
The commotion apparently didn't shake grandpa from his slumber, so Yugi hurriedly cleaned up in the silence. For some reason, his imagination kicked into hyper drive when he finished getting a drink and again stood at the bottom of the stairs. Every little shadow seemed to be reaching out to him, trying to lure him into their depths, where unspeakable horrors lurked, and demons roamed, and...
He shook his head, trying to stop his mind from forcing him into a panic. This is silly, he tried to tell himself, but once again his practical side was completely overwhelmed a moment later when the tree outside the front window slammed its branches viciously against the glass with a horrid screeching sound. He let out a small squeak of alarm, and rushed up the stairs as quickly as he could in the pitch blackness, running into his room and shutting the door, breathing heavily.
He pulled off his water-soaked clothes and reached into his dresser drawer for his favorite pajamas, hoping the warm fleece and comforting design would ease his irrational fears.
Just as he slipped the starry design over his head, another flash of light burst through the window, partially illuminating a shadowy form standing barely two steps in front of him. The figure's face was completely cloaked in shadow for the split second it took the light to fade from the room, making it seem even scarier.
Yugi yelped in terror and dove under the covers, curling up in a ball like a frightened child.
It's the boogeyman! That tiny child-like voice inside him cried.
And that's exactly what he felt like too, a child. For some weird reason his mind had decided not to listen to logic, and was turning every little harmless thing into something dangerous and sinister this night. He shivered under the blankets, hoping against hope that whatever it was he saw was just an illusion.
"Aibou?" A voice called softly from the darkness. "Is everything alright?"
Yugi's heart warmed a little at the familiar sound, soft and gentle and comforting all at once. He peeked out of one eye and saw Yami hovering anxiously over him.
Oh, his heart gave an embarrassed little thump. It's just Yami.
"Yeah, I'm fine, really." He tried to reassure Yami, though he felt all jumbled around inside. "I'm just tired is all."
Yami narrowed his eyes, seeing through the facade easily. "Are you sure?" He asked, in all seriousness. "You know you can talk to me about it if it will make you feel better."
Yugi hesitated, wondering if Yami would laugh at him. He didn't want his partner to think he was a scared little child, no matter if that's exactly what he felt like at the moment.
"Of course, if you don't want to, I'll let you go back to sleep..." Yami murmured, starting to disappear back into the puzzle.
"Wait," Yugi bade him, on a sudden impulse. "Could you, um, maybe just lay with me for a while? Just until I fall asleep." He finished sheepishly, embarrassed at having to ask. But if just having Yami in the room helped to keep the darkness away, then having him right next to his heart would help him feel safer than he ever had before.
"Of course." Yami smiled, his amethyst eyes sparkling softly with an inner light. He gently slid in next to Yugi, pulling the blanket over himself as he went.
"Geez Yugi, your feet are like ice. What were you doing down there?" Yami asked quietly.
"Um... I sort of dropped the water pitcher." He blushed. "The thunder startled me." He looked up at his brother, seeing the amusement twinkling in Yami's eyes.
"It's not my fault," Yugi protested weakly, trying to defend what little dignity he had left. 'I froze all of a sudden. I think I'm still in shock, my heart keeps trying to jump out of my chest, and my imagination goes haywire with the slightest noise." What's wrong with me? He wondered silently, but of course, Yami heard him anyway.
He laughed quietly in the darkness, and as the sound wormed its way through Yugi, his nerves calmed somewhat.
"What do you think, am I going crazy Pharaoh?" Yugi asked in mock seriousness.
Yami pretended to think about his answer for a moment, which made Yugi laugh. A sudden idea came to Yami then, and he rolled over and stood up, tugging on Yugi's hands to get him on his feet.
"Come on," He urged suddenly. "I want to show you something."
Yugi obediently followed as the spirit pulled him back down the stairs and into the front hall. But when he saw where Yami was obviously headed, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Outside?" He asked incredulously. "Are you nuts? I'll catch my death of cold, or we'll get struck by lightning, or the wind will carry me away or..." He blathered on aimlessly, his fears jumping one on top of the other as they flew out of his mouth. Yami raised his hand to stop him, still smiling brightly.
"Trust me." He implored, this time catching a hold of both Yugi's wrists and tugging him forward insistently. Yami passed right through the door, and Yugi made a split-second decision. He could either let his crazy friend drag him out in the middle of the night into a torrential downpour and possibly catch the worst cold this side of the equator, or, he could run back upstairs to his warm, soft, and dry bed and fall into a deep sleep.
It was no choice at all really.
Yami grinned hugely when the door opened, and Yugi stepped cautiously onto the cold pavement. He shivered slightly as the wind gusted around him, raising goose bumps on his skin. The rain poured heavily, and the meager protection afforded by the door frame did not stop his whole front from getting soaked. "Alright, I'm out, now what did you want to show me?" He asked Yami, eager to get back inside before he was scared witless by the thunder.
Of course, as soon as that thought completed itself, a brilliant flash of forked lightning lit up the black clouds with a bright blast of electric blue, followed almost immediately by the deafening rumble that sounded as though Obelisk himself was raging through the skies. Suddenly, Yugi couldn't see a thing, and it took him a moment to realize he had clapped his hands over his own eyes to block out the world. Gentle hands pulled his shaking fingers away from his face, and Yami placed one palm on Yugi's shoulder. "What is it you're afraid of Yugi?" He whispered softly. "There is no cause for fear. The skies are simply playing together, as they give their precious contents back to a thirsty world."
The way he said it made sense, and Yugi wanted to believe that, but he still winced when the skies lit up again.
Yami slipped behind Yugi quickly, and positioned himself so that he could make Yugi move where he wanted to. "What are you doing?" Yugi asked, curious.
"Showing you the rain." Came the whispered reply.
"I can see it perfectly fine from here, thanks." He started to protest, but Yami ignored him and shuffled his legs forward, forcing Yugi to take a step into the night.
"Not like this you can't."
As he maneuvered Yugi into the rain, he started to give instructions to the confused youth.
"Okay now close your eyes... now tilt your head back. Good, now spread your arms out, like this... Okay and now tell me what you feel." Yami spoke quietly, stepping back from Yugi and watching him intently.
Wet. Was Yugi's first automatic response, but as he took a minute to ponder the spirit's words, he gradually opened his mind to the possibility that there was some other element to rain other than cold and wet. The drops cascaded onto his face, his neck, his whole body, and somehow soothed the tense feelings it found there, somehow found their way under his skin to reach his spirit. He was shocked for a moment, and experimentally opened his heart a little further, probing into the storm with curiosity.
There is a peace here. He observed after a moment, speaking mentally so as not to shatter the silence. It is strange; I never noticed that there was spirituality in the midst of all the chaos...
He opened his eyes slowly, and found himself standing with his arms above his head, absently catching the water. Yami stood off to the side in an identical pose. He could feel the rain through Yugi, and he sensed that an important observation had just been made. He smiled when he felt a stirring of joy in Yugi; he looked over to see his partner staring into the sky with wonder.
When the lightning again lit up the night, instead of a sinister bolt of fire, Yugi instead saw a beautiful dancing light bouncing across the clouds. And the thunder seemed to carry with it a comforting note now, as though the clouds were singing a deep song.
Okay. He sighed, awed. How did you manage to convince me that not only is the storm a natural miracle in and of itself, but also a spiritually cleansing experience? I feel like all my troubles are washing away with the rain...
Yami laughed and hugged Yugi's soaking wet form to him. I told you, he whispered. The storm is nothing to be afraid of. It is a gift, to help things grow and flourish, and also to clean. I learned long ago how amazing a simple shower can be.
When did you get so wise? Yugi teased, grateful that Yami had taken the time to show him this wonderful miracle.
Yami chuckled softly. About the same time I met you, aibou.
When they got back inside, Yugi promptly changed into some dry pajamas for the second time that night. The rain may have become beautiful and gentle to him, but it was still cold.
He dove under the blankets gratefully, twisting them around until every inch of him was securely wrapped in the warmth. Then he looked around the room, wondering where Yami got to. He spotted the spirit standing in the corner, absently rubbing his arms, as though he was cold. Yugi lifted the edge of his cocoon tiredly.
Coming? He invited. Yami smiled and gratefully jumped in next to his friend, wrapping his arms around Yugi's chest and resting his chin on Yugi's head.
"Thanks Yami..." Yugi mumbled, happily snuggling up to the warmth of his brother's hug.
Yami smiled warmly, pleased that Yugi could rest easily, now that he knew more about the rain.
"Love you Yugi..." Yami sighed.
"Love you too, Yami..." Yugi smiled.
And the storm ceased.