Disclaimer: YGO and the song Sing to Me are not mine. YGO belongs to a Japanese male obsessed with card games, and Sing to Me belongs to The Rasmus. (Recommend listening to it...I got hooked on the album it came from.)
Sing to Me
I roll over on my bed, glancing towards the window. The boat cabin is a bit cramped, but there had been enough space for two.
Once upon a time.
The curtains are tacky things; pale blue plastic that looks nearly grey in this light. A sigh escapes my lips. The night air is still. The engine of the boat hums in the background. My eyes are heavy, but when I shut them, I can't fall asleep. It's easier to lie here, with them open, pretending I'm trying to stay awake. Even after the past few days, it's a battle I know I can win.
Even if I've already won the 'stay-awake-longest' by default. Everyone else is sleeping. The boat is anchored halfway between the accursed island and the blessed mainland.
A breeze stirs the curtains. They whisper and hiss against one another. There's a shape there. I close my eyes and roll over. I'm hallucinating. I can still hear it, though. I must be delusional as well.
*~*~*~*~*
Yuugi's sobbing, down on his knees, holding his deck to his chest as though it was his heart that someone had inadvertently ripped out. Or…perhaps intentionally. His copy is standing there, defying the laws that built my life. Science… No matter is created or destroyed. Except, he was created. How he came, I have no idea.
His eyes are different than Yuugi's. They remind me of the stories of women who cried tears of blood. I wonder – if he shed tears, would it wash away the red staining his eyes? There is no fire within him. He is malicious intent, honed to purpose. To perfection.
I appreciate perfection.
The brat's friends gather around him, consoling, and congratulating – there should be only one emotion when one wins: pride.
This one is proud, despite the fact that he has lost. And he's coming here.
My arms are crossed, my eyes narrow as he approaches. He can't exist, because I say he cannot, and yet he does, and science seems to support that. He take my hand in his, and I do not pull it back. So…he is real. I think I had known.
Reflexively, my hand tightens around his, until our fingers are entwined. How much do I owe this creature? He glances back at the brat, and his legion of cohorts before leaning into me slightly. He is warm. Somehow, I realize that something is going to happen. Something of terrible importance… And he is smiling at me.
"Yami!" That's Yuugi, crying out this creature's name, and he turns. The smile fades from his face. He pulls at my hand. I tighten my grip.
"Kaiba –" Whether warning or pleading, I have no idea. He pries his hand out of mine slowly, more slowly than is really necessitated. I am loathe to release him.
He turns then, and walks to Yuugi, pulling the smaller duelist to his feet, and plants a chaste kiss on the brat's forehead. And then…he turns to face the wall, and begins to chant in an ancient language that resonates within the cavern. White light grows slowly from a fissure in the wall, pushing outwards until its intensity is blinding, and all are forced to look away.
I hear him though. He's singing.
*~*~*~*~*
I remember wishing that he was only a figment of my imagination. I've never wanted something real to be not-real before. I've only ever recalled wanting explanations. Not…reasons. He's turned me inside out.
The curtains are whispering louder now. I roll over again. It sounds too much like singing when coupled with the rhythmic hiss of the waves against the boat's hull. Like soft, breathy words, whispered into my ear –
I sit up suddenly, violently, expecting him to be there, expecting to wake up somewhere far away, having been living in a dream for so very long… But there's only the curtains, rustling, and the waves, hissing, and the remainder is silence.
*~*~*~*~*
The walls open for him and he steps forward, not even glancing back once…until there is the thunder of falling rocks, and he turns, his song faltering, his face showing fear. And then he is gone, buried beneath several tons of rock, and in the memories of the fickle friendship gang. They were chatting away merrily, consoling Yuugi until his tears were smiles, never once turning to see the rubble that had fallen.
I watched it fall. I saw them not see it. And then…I see them leave. As if he was nothing. Nothing!
My hands are bleeding from the rocks by the time I realize it is well and truly hopeless. An open hand – shallow cuts dripping sluggishly – presses to the rock face…that which has not yet been marred. But when I pull it back, there is my handprint. It is all I have time to leave him.
The boat is screaming for me.
*~*~*~*~*
Even with my eyes closed, I see him. Flashes – a look, a smile…that terrified expression that faded into realization of power greater than his own as rocks fell. I can't make sense of what I am seeing.
I can't breathe in here. From the little cabin, I find my way out to the deck, standing at the rail, my hands turning white from gripping the edge of the railing. There is no moon out tonight; only the pale ship lights glare off the dark water. There is a reflection on the surface. I see myself.
Maybe it's just meant to be, maybe we're just lost at sea…
I hear him. In the water, I see his reflection. He is not here.
A warmth engulfs my hand.
But, I suppose it's close enough.