I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh – Not a bit of it!
The back porch was cool, under the heavy shade of the wisteria. Purple flowers hung pendant, all through the green leaves above them, their scent mingling with the fragrance of the newly-cut grass. They sat together on the porch swing, while the desert breeze blew in on them, carrying the distant sounds of the Las Vegas traffic. She leaned her head on his chest, her long hair mingling with his, while he rocked them slowly back and forth.
"It's not the end of the world," he said out of the blue, "A lot of people beat leukemia."
"Yeah." She put her arm around his waist.
"Pretty much everyone does, I think." He held her close. "I don't know why they even talk about mortality rates – You'll see, they'll start chemo – And it'll work – And the next thing you know, things'll be just the same as they used to be."
"Yeah." She curled her toes around his ankles. She could feel the muscles in his legs, as he pushed the swing slowly back and forth. The sun was bright, but there, in the shade, his warmth felt good to her.
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I took that bone-marrow test thing – The one they told us about at the hospital." He smiled into her eyes. Strange, how exciting the future had always seemed, when she looked into his smile! "Wouldn't it be just perfect, if I turned out to be the right donor for you?" Unconsciously, he pushed the swing quicker. "It could happen. There's been times. It doesn't have to be a member of your immediate family."
"Pegasus –"
"We're alike every other way," he said positively, "Why not this way too?"
"Pegasus," she spoke louder this time.
"What is it, Cyndia?" His face was concerned. "Am I talking too much for you again?"
"It's nothing." She leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his arms. "Only – Sometimes I get scared."
"Scared?" He sounded almost angry. "Why would you be scared? What is there to be scared about? You'll beat this – I'm positive! You'll see –" He wrapped both arms tightly around her. "This time next year, it'll all be over – It'll be like it never even happened. And I'll be 18, and we'll be together – Alone – Where do you want to live, Cyndia?" He looked out over his father's carefully-tended garden, the roses gaudy, in the blinding sunlight. "Pick anywhere in the world, and we'll go there."
She smiled up at him. "Anywhere?"
"Name it –" His smile was brighter than hers. "Chicago, Alaska, Japan – I'll take you to the MOON, if that's what your heart is set on. And we'll have a house of our own, just for us – And we'll both have our whole lives to make each other happy." He kissed her. "I love you, Cyndia."
She kissed him back. "I love you too." And it won't hurt to pretend, she thought, not on a beautiful afternoon like this, just to imagine, for a little while longer, that we still have a future together.