"Yugi…I had a dream last night."
"Really?" Yugi asked, laughing a little at what he could remember, "Me too. At least we know what 'getting hammered' means now." He laughed again, but Ryou didn't join in. Opening his violet eyes, Yugi looked down a couple of tree branches to look at his best and only friend, "Ryou?"
"That's not what I meant," Ryou said, running his fingers through snowy white hair and momentarily flashing a pointed ear. "Remember when…when they released us, and they said that they were shutting down?"
"Yeah," Yugi said slowly, dragging out the syllable, lightly jumping down to Ryou's branch and sitting in front of him. Sure, Yugi enjoyed being graceful, but if he had a choice between clumsiness and freedom or elf-DNA and 16 years of imprisonment…he would've taken clumsiness…and parents…and choices, "You…you don't think they want us back, do you?"
"No," Ryou said quickly and rather loudly, "No…they said something about needing to kill the last two of…them…and the easiest way to do that was to wipe out the last village of…" He stopped, rolling his eyes towards the blue sky as if he couldn't remember, "Um…I think they were called Sensory Demons."
Yugi sighed and flopped onto his back, crossing his arms under his head as he spoke, "I wonder what Sensory Demons are…sounds cool, though…"
"Until someone wipes out your species," Ryou said sadly, running his fingers through his hair again.
Yugi frowned and sat up again, "It was just a dream, Ryou. I wouldn't worry about it. I had a dream that I was…" Yugi sheepishly smiled, "You know…never mind."
Yugi won a smile from the albino, "I guess you're right…and even if it was real…" He paused momentarily, "But its not…right?"
He nodded. "Right."
They both fell into a comfortable silence. Yugi relaxed on his back again and let his arms hang down. He told Ryou that it was just a dream, but…what if he was wrong? Sure, it didn't have anything to do with the two teenagers, otherwise they wouldn't be living semi-comfortably in a condo in Domino City, but…a whole species was going to be wiped out…for two lives? And worse than that…two lives that most likely didn't need to be taken?
But those 16 years were torture. The blood tests, the surgery, and the mental strain. There was no escape, and everyone around them seemed to just die. One day the people, for lack of a better word, around him would be fine, and then the next, dead.
In the end, Yugi and Ryou, who was a year older, were the only ones left. Well, except for these Sensory Demons. Yugi shook his head. No matter how much it hurt, it was over now, and it would never happen to them again. And present time for them really wasn't bad; they had pretty much a free life now, and that 'apparently unphasing' elf-DNA actually did affect them: they spent the same amount of time on Mt. Fuji as they did in Domino, but still…
Yugi wished that he could somehow have those 16 years back; he wished that he could have known his parents, even though there was a pretty good chance that he was just given away. Ryou, too.
"Hey, Yugi," Ryou said, and Yugi's violet eyes snapped open. The albino was now behind him and his face was hanging over Yugi's with a playful smirk, "The calendar in the condo says that Summer Solstice is in a week."
Yugi cocked an eyebrow, "What's that?"
Ryou laughed, and the other's ill thoughts disappeared, "I dunno."
Consciousness returns to me and I open my eyes. It's almost sunset, yet I don't move. Today is the Summer Solstice; I'm 17 now, and I should attend the festival. It's a tradition, I suppose, for the entire village to be present for something like this, including me. It's just that I've always watched from afar.
Another thing that makes me just like everyone else, like the humans I can't live with and the demons that I only literally do: jealousy. I was, and am, jealous of every person that gets to make this choice. Last year, only one of them left. Bakura was, and most likely is, just like me. He wants to see humans, be like humans…
Bakura, I must admit, in my opinion, is the luckiest person in Japan. He was just that wonderful of a man…I saw cry a few times as well, when a friend died or went off into the world. I'm sure that there were more as well; Bakura was the only Sensory Demon that I knew of, other than myself, that wasn't ashamed or afraid to cry and show feelings. He had the ability to, but he didn't bury anything.
When I last saw him from atop my hut on the edge of the city for the last time, I saw him smile, and was struck by the fact that his eyes glistened beautifully. Bakura was a beautiful man, inside and out. His parents, as well as his sister Amane, all loved and adored him. I wouldn't be surprised if they still speak of him, even though he left a whole year ago.
I shake my head and sit up, dipping my feet into the cool river; it feels nice on my soles. I shouldn't be thinking about Bakura, or his family, or anyone else, for that matter. Today is my day, and I'm not going to see the others decide to stay or leave, because I'm jealous. And the mocking stares and glares; if the people that I used to live with are jealous of me, it's because they want to be. I'm jealous because of a simple twinge of a feeling. I have to be jealous.
I get to my feet in the water, feeling the soft and cool currents splashing the clean liquid on my pale thighs. The wind blows, and I breathe in the microscopic pollen, appreciating everything that this forest has to offer me.
My wings unfurl with a burst of energy and my feet leave the ground; my toes point as I glide almost effortlessly towards the sky. I'm afraid that I'm going to miss it, but my happy sigh proves me wrong as I land on a branch and the tree shakes in approval as it adjusts to my weight.
I can still see the yellow and white glow of the setting sun; the last time that I'll ever see the sun on this mountain. At this I realize that over the years I've fallen in love with Mt. Fuji, the water, the air, and the trees.
I feel a small twinge of doubt, and that small feeling grows and spreads, pushing the desire for the outside world that I've grown used to aside.
The small bit of sun that still gives me light slips away, leaving a sparkling indigo twilight behind. I don't ever want to leave; I can't, not after--
--Is there really anything left for me here? Was there ever?
My desire for the outside comes back in full fledge. Sunsets are everywhere; I can see the sunrise and the sun set anywhere in the world; the people that I used to live near don't want me, they don't need me, and they certainly don't like me.
But still, I want to see my old village one more time. I wasn't planning on it, I want to leave, but to see it one more time, just to make sure that I really want this…
Maybe I do need more time.
The two main things that I'm feeling right now are combating in my head. I just can't decide what I want to do. I can't decide what my heart is yearning to do, and I suddenly feel fatigued. For now my attachment to the mountain village where I learned to fly wins out, and I jump into the starry sky, deciding to stay to see just one more sunrise from my rooftop before my out of control emotions rein and fight against each other once more.
At least I still have my wings and can still see the night around me. You know, I think that my sight may be my favorite sense. It doesn't fight, and it doesn't take. It just gives me the beautiful sight of my world. After all, I can't smell, hear, taste, touch, or even mentally feel the colors of my favorite time of day.
"Ryou!" Yugi whispered loudly in the albino's ear while poking him in the side. Said albino flinched and grumbled sleepily, but Yugi was persistent, so he whispered again, "Ryou!"
"What?" He asked tiredly, crossing his arms and turning his head away, but not opening his eyes.
Yugi grinned, then continued in his stage whisper, "Are you awake?"
Ryou couldn't help but grin as well, "No."
"Aww," Yugi said, dropping the whisper and speaking in mock-disappointed tones, "That's too bad…and I just found a new trail, too."
Ryou's hair seemed to move as his ears perked, "Really?" He opened his eyes to give the smaller a quizzical look, "But I thought that we got them all."
Yugi smiled brightly as he shook his head, "Nope, this one's new. And, the beginning, at least, is covered in berry bushes." Yugi poked Ryou's side again, "Are you awake yet?"
Ryou nodded, "You bet."
Yugi grabbed Ryou's hand and practically dragged him away and down the path. When they were in the city, other than their slightly pointed ears, they were just like normal humans. In the woods, though, it was as if the two boy's senses were heightened. They could easily smell the pollen in the air, berries' tastes were magnified, and flowers had added colors; it was like ever snapping of ever twig was magic.
They both stopped a little into the trail to watch a doe and her fawn picking at the berries; it was beautiful, but sad at the same time. As far as the two teenagers knew, they never had anything like that. And if they did…their minds just didn't know.
"Yugi?" Ryou said in a small voice after they started along the trail again. The smaller's head snapped up to look at his friend, but by the time their eyes met Ryou's soft brown irises held no trace of the sad tone in his voice.
"What is it, Ryou?" Yugi asked, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, but Ryou only smiled a little, ignoring Yugi's quizzical stare and his own obvious discomfort.
"Happy Summer Solstice."
Yugi smirked a little and shook his head, "I still don't know what that is."
Ryou shrugged, "Neither do I."
17 Years Ago
Dead quiet graced a dark yet white laboratory room; the only sound that could be heard was calm breathing and the gentle hum of a machine, "I've done it…the cells and the double helix have been successfully split, and the cell's status is stable."
"Excellent," A second voice said, "Now bind the elf-DNA…but be careful! It is the last one left on the entire planet. We cannot make another."
Silence. Even the buzzing machine seemed to still.
"I've done it. The bond is weak, even weaker than normal, but the helix has twisted." A pause, and the sound of a button being pressed, "Accelerated duplication and synthesis of cells has begun. Time frame…9 months."
Another whirr from the machine, "Same over here with the unspecified demon…acceleration by 9 months." There was a pause. "You do realize that with today's events along with the events about 1 year ago…we have 4 specimens. This may be it."
A quick beep sounded, followed by a minute by another, "…synthesis complete."
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: This chapter was revised on 7-8-06.
Thanks to all reviewers!
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