A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I'm sorry that it took such a long time to write this, but went through a bit of a writers block while writing this chapter. If you have any questions or comments about this story, feel free to leave a review. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I don't own the fairytale of Aladdin either.
Warnings: AU, eventual shounen-ai, mild language, mild violence
Wish with Your Heart
Chapter 4: Genie of the Lamp
"Are you okay?"
Jounouchi was unsure where that voice came from. In fact, he never heard that voice before in his life. Whoever it was seemed kind of worried, though. The blond teen tried to remember what had just happened as he struggled to open his eyes. Finally, the darkness faded and light began to seep through his eyelids.
The first thing he noticed was a spiky-haired boy looking down at him. Since no one else was around, Jounouchi assumed the voice came from the spiky-haired boy. He also realized that he was currently lying on the floor. As he rose to his feet, Jounouchi noticed that the strange boy quite a bit shorter than he was. He also saw the lamp lying just a few feet away.
"Uh, what happened?" asked Jounouchi, who was still confused as to what was going on.
"You fell and bumped your head," answered the boy. "Are you sure you're alright, Master?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a bump to the head," replied Jounouchi. After a few moments, it suddenly occurred to him what the boy had called him. "Wait a minute! Who are you, and why did you call me 'Master'? What's going on?"
The boy gave a cheerful smile and said, "My name is Yugi Mutou! Since you freed me from my lamp, you are now my Master."
Jounouchi's eyes went wide as his mind tried to process this new information. "So, are you saying you came from this lamp? Does that make you a genie or something?"
The short boy nodded his head. "Yep, I am a genie. As least, that was what I've been told."
"What you've been told?" the blond teen repeated with a confused look on his face. At this point, Jounouchi was unsure whether the boy in front of him was really a genie or just insane. He had heard countless stories about genies that lived inside lamps and other objects, but he had always thought they were fairytales that someone had made up. However, that would explain the smoke and how that boy appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"It's kind of a long story," replied Yugi, as he quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, is there anything that you want to wish for?"
"Wish?!" stuttered Jounouchi, "You mean that I can have three wishes just like in those stories? I can wish for whatever I want, right?"
"Well, there are a few restrictions," explained the genie. "You do have three wishes, but there are limits to my power. I can't kill the living, and I can't bring anyone back from the dead. Also, my powers aren't able to force people to do things against their will."
'Hmmm, looks like I can't wish for my dad to quit his drinking and gambling,' thought Jounouchi. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are there any more restrictions I should know about?"
A sad look crossed Yugi's face as he replied, "Well, I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, I never actually used my powers before so I don't know if I can grant large wishes or not."
"Huh?!" exclaimed the shocked blond teen, "What do you mean by that?!"
"Well, you're actually my very first master," admitted the genie.
"What?!" yelled Jounouchi, "Aren't genies supposed to be ancient beings or something? How the hell can I be your first master?!"
"Well," began Yugi, "I'm pretty young in genie standards. At least, I think so. To tell you the truth, I wasn't always a genie."
It didn't surprise the genie at all when his master suddenly exclaimed, "What?! What do you mean you weren't always a genie?!" Yugi just smiled and explained, "You see, I used to be a human just like you, but something happened and I was turned into a genie. Ever since then, I've been trapped in that lamp and was in a deep sleep. In fact, I'm not quite sure how much time has passed."
"I see," replied Jounouchi, who was too shocked to think of anything better to say. He had a feeling the genie was not telling him everything, but decided to let it slide. Whatever happened that turned Yugi into a genie was most likely very traumatic, which would explain why the genie seemed to avoid talking about. 'Besides,' thought the blond teen, 'I only just met the guy. Maybe he'll feel like telling me the full story later.'
After a few awkward moments, Yugi spoke up. "So, are you going to wish for something, Master?"
"First off, don't call me Master," replied the blond teen. "It feels weird when you call me that. If you have to call me something, call me Jounouchi." After Yugi nodded in confirmation, Jounouchi began to ponder the genie's question. 'If Yugi really is a genie and not some psycho, then I can have three wishes,' he thought. 'I have to make them count, though. I need to think of something worth wishing for. Wait! I know! Maybe I can wish for Shizuka's eye condition to be cured! I just hope it's within the little guy's powers.'
"Hey, do you think you cure an eye condition on someone?" Jounouchi asked the genie.
Yugi thought for a moment before he answered, "I'm not sure, but I think I can. It would be better if I performed the wish near the person who needed to be cure, though. That way, I won't need to use as much magic energy as I would if I did it far away."
"Alright," said Jounouchi, but he quickly remembered that it would take a long time to reach his sister's house. It also occurred to him that he also had to make an even longer trek back to the hideout to feed and check up on a certain prince. "Damn," the blond muttered out loud, "I wish there was a faster way for me to travel everywhere."
Suddenly, Yugi's hands began to glow and a bright light filled the room. Yugi gasped with surprise and Jounouchi tried to shield his eyes from the light. When the blinding light finally faded, the blond teen rubbed his eyes as he mumbled "What the hell happened?"
"Look, Jounouchi!" exclaimed Yugi, as he held out his hands. Lying on top of the genie's palms was a small blue stone that seemed to glow. Taking a closer look at the object, Jounouchi asked, "What the heck is that thing?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it is the answer to your wish," the genie replied.
"Huh? My wish?" said a confused Jounouchi. "What do you mean? I didn't wish for anything!"
"Well, actually you did," explained Yugi. "You said 'I wish' and mentioned something about being able to travel faster."
"But that wasn't a wish," replied Jounouchi. "I was just complaining out loud!"
Yugi shook his head and sighed. "It doesn't matter if it was meant to be a wish or not. The moment you said 'I wish' was when everything after that counted as the wish."
"You have to be kidding me!" the blond teen exclaimed. "Well, there goes one of my wishes. I guess I'll have to be careful on how I word things around you. By the way, what does that rock thing have to do with being able to travel faster?"
Yugi looked down at the stone in his hands and examined it carefully. "Well, I think this is some sort of teleportation stone." With that said, the genie gently placed the bizarre stone in the confused teen's hands. "Close your eyes and imagine the place you want to go. If this really is a teleportation stone then it should automatically transport you to the place you are thinking of."
Before Jounouchi could think of any reply, Yugi suddenly grabbed onto his arm and held on tightly. "Hey! What are you doing?!" The genie gave a slight smile to his master's remark and answered, "If I'm holding on to you while you are teleporting then I will be able to travel with you. After all, you asked me about curing someone, right? Then I will need to come with you to perform the wish."
'Well, I guess that does make sense,' thought Jounouchi. 'I should probably think about where I should go. Maybe I should go back to the hideout and check on Prince Ryou. Then again, the sooner my sister's eye condition is cured, the better. Besides, if I wait too long I might mess up again and waste another wish. Yeah, I'll go to my sister's place first.'
With that thought running in his mind, Jounouchi curled his fingers around the glowing stone and slowly closed his eyes. He began to visualize his sister's house in detail, remembering the layout and what the rooms looked like. He then focused on Shizuka's bedroom and tried to visualize that he was there. Suddenly, a bizarre sensation overtook Jounouchi, and when he opened his eyes, he realized that he really was in his sister's bedroom!
"Wow! It actually worked!" exclaimed the blond teen. Any lingering doubts he had about Yugi being a genie instantly faded away at moment. Yugi gave Jounouchi a smile and was about to say something when another voice was suddenly heard.
"Katsuya? Is that you?" Both Jounouchi and Yugi turned towards the voice and saw Shizuka standing in the doorway. "Hey, Shizuka," answered her brother, "I'm sorry that we dropped in to see you so late."
"That's okay," said Shizuka, "I'm just surprised since I didn't hear you come in. You know I'm always happy to see you, brother. By the way, who's this? Is he a new friend of yours?"
"Yeah, I guess you can say he is a friend," replied Jounouchi as he place a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Shizuka, this is Yugi. Yugi, this is my sister Shizuka."
The spiky-haired boy haired held out his hand and politely said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Shizuka." A sweet smile formed of the girl's face as she took Yugi's hand and replied, "It's nice to meet you too! I'm glad that Katsuya is making more friends. Can I get a closer look at you?"
When Yugi nodded, Shizuka bent down to get a better look at his face. The girl stared at Yugi for a few moments; squinting a bit as she did so. After a while, Jounouchi noticed that the genie was getting a little tense and he decided to intervene. "No offense, sis, but I think you're making him a bit uncomfortable."
"Oh! I'm sorry!" exclaimed Shizuka, as she took a few steps back. "It's just that my vision isn't very good. I can still see, but everything is blurry and faded."
"That's okay, I understand," replied Yugi. 'I wonder if she if the one Jounouchi wants me to cure,' he thought. 'I bet she is!'
"Anyways, that's the reason why we came here tonight," said Jounouchi. "You see, Yugi has magic powers and he might be able to cure your eye condition."
Shizuka perked up at her brother's words. "Really?" she asked, as she turned towards Yugi. "Can you really do that?!"
"Well, I've never done something like this before," the genie admitted, "but I can try. If I put my mind and heart to it, I am certain I can help you, Shizuka." Then, the genie turned his head towards Jounouchi. "I'm ready when you are. All you have to do is to say the wish and it will be granted."
'Well, this is it,' thought Jounouchi. 'This is probably the best chance for Shizuka to get cured. All I can do now is to put my faith in the little guy and hope he can actually do it.' Gathering his courage, the blond teen finally gave his order. "Alright, I wish for Shizuka's eye condition to be cured and for her sight to be restored!"
Immediately after the command was given, Yugi's hands began to emit a soft, gentle glow and he instinctually walked towards the girl. Shizuka was somewhat apprehensive at first, but a voice deep inside told her that she could trust Yugi; thus, she bent down a little in order to give the genie easier access to her face. 'I can do this,' the genie reassured himself as she placed both of his hands over the girl's eyes. 'I have to do this because they are both counting on me!'
As he cured Shizuka, a memory flashed through Yugi's mind. He remembered watching two hands glow as they slowly brought health back to his grandpa's sickly form. He remembered thanking the owner of those hands for saving the only family he had left. 'This brings back memories of the day my grandpa was healed,' thought Yugi, 'except this time, I'm the genie and I'm the one helping someone.'
Several minutes passed until the glow from Yugi's hands began to fade and finally disappeared altogether. Then the genie lowered his hands and said, "I think it's done. Shizuka, can you see better now?" Jounouchi held his breath and hoped that the wish had worked. He could only watch in anticipation as his sister blinked a few times and was flooded with relief when a shocked but happy smile crossed her face.
"Katsuya! Yugi! Everything looks so clear and detailed!" exclaimed Shizuka. Tears of joy began to flow down her cheeks as she approached her brother and gave him a big hug. Despite his best efforts, Jounouchi was unable to completely stop his own tears from leaking out of his eyes. His sister was now spared from the fate of having to live in the darkness, and the blond teen felt as if some sort of weight had been lifted off of his chest. Unfortunately, the celebration was quickly cut short when a sleepy voice came from another room.
"Shizuka? Are you still up?"
"Oh no! I think mother has woken up," whispered Shizuka, as her brother was thinking of something along the same lines.
'Damn it!' thought Jounouchi, 'the old lady just had to interfere just when things were looking up. Well, I'm not going to get into a fight with her right now!' Letting out a soft sigh, the blond teen whispered back, "I wish I didn't have to say goodbye like this, sis. But I think I should go before mom finds out I'm here."
"I understand," his sister replied. "I just wish you two would get along one day. Anyways, I'll try to distract her while you and Yugi find a way out."
As Shizuka left the room, Jounouchi grabbed Yugi's arm and pulled out the teleportation stone. "Look, me and my mother aren't in good terms," said Jounouchi, when the genie gave him a questioning look. "Anyways, I don't want to get into an argument with her while Shizuka's around; so, let's get out of here while we still can."
Meanwhile, Shizuka managed to intercept her mother in the hallway. Upon seeing her daughter, the mother narrowed her eyes and asked, "Shizuka, why are you up at this time of the night?"
"I'm sorry, mother," the girl replied, "but I was thirsty and got up to get a drink of water." It wasn't entirely a lie, since Shizuka really did get up to get a drink of water right before she saw her brother and Yugi in her room. Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty about the deception. However, she loved both her mother and her brother, and she was willing to do almost anything to keep them from arguing.
Her mother seemed to be satisfied with Shizuka's answer. "Alright, honey. Just try to go back to sleep soon. Remember, you have another doctor's appointment tomorrow."
"Okay, mother. Goodnight." With those words, Shizuka headed back towards her bedroom. Yet, when she got there her brother and Yugi were nowhere in sight. "Katsuya? Yugi?" she said in a hushed tone so that it would not alert her mother. Silence was the only thing that answered her.
Shizuka briefly wondered if the two boys climbed out of her bedroom window, but she soon dismissed such a thought. Her bedroom window was quite small, and she doubted that even Yugi could climb through it, much less her brother. 'Maybe they were able to escape with some sort of magical spell,' she suddenly thought. 'After all, Yugi was able to cure my eyes with his magic; so, perhaps he used his magic to send him and Katsuya to someplace else.'
A yawn passed through Shizuka's lips, and she figured it was best to follow her mother's advice and go back to bed. As she slipped into the covers on her bed, a small smile appeared on her face. 'I bet mother and the doctor are going to be really surprised tomorrow!'