Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

The Butterfly Effect

Chapter CIV

…

Feeling guilty was a recurring trend at this point, wasn't it?

I don't know how long I slept. I don't know how long it took for all of my senses to come back to me and realize that I was alone, in a room that was, technically, mine, with a plate of fruits simply waiting for me to snack on them. And I honestly don't know how long it took for me to stand and step to the table to start eating before the door opened and my brother stepped in, hands filled with something that could only be a bento box.

All I knew was that I was rested, felt like I slept too long...

"There you are. I was starting to wonder if you were pulling a sleeping beauty on us."

And that there was probably going to be a lot to catch up on and explain if the fact that he actually dropped half of the bento box in front of me was any indication.

… Was it half? It looked complete. And knowing my brother, it probably was.

"Yuugi is handling the information you threw at the both of them a little better than Yami, and, according to Yuugi, they're working their way through it. The rest of the group has been made aware of what happened last night, and Katsuya summed up the situation by saying and I quote, "She needs to stop doing this shit on her own." And Mokuba told me to tell you that the information you both managed to get your hands on last night is safe and compiled, whatever that means, and to take your time with it because he still has to talk to his brother about it."

No, it definitely was, if just by what he was telling me.

I snorted at Katsuya's message, but the rest had me looking out the window to the clouds as my brother added that we were going to land soon. I breathed at the addition before slowly making my way through lunch while very much aware of the fact that I was being watched, carefully scanned by my brother who was doing the same with a look that I, honestly, couldn't find it in myself to meet as he tried to get my attention through pointing out how good the food was. And I sighed about halfway through, dropping one of the tamagoyaki slices back into the tray as he fell into silence, knowing that he'd managed something he hadn't wanted to.

"… Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just-"

"I know. Trust me, after getting near electrocuted to death and discovering that my sister is both a psychic and technically not my sister, I know."

Something neither of us wanted to bring up. To any extent.

"… Tired?"

"You have no idea."

… Everyone wanted this to be over, didn't they?

"What about you?"

"Also. But I just… I don't want to let anyone down, you know?"

"Need I remind you that you nearly killed yourself twice?"

Really, really wanted this to be over.

… We needed a break. A long one.

"Yuugi hasn't been facing better odds."

"Yuugi is Yami's partner. You're my sister."

A very, very long one.

"… Sorry."

One I could only hope Yami would give us as my brother sighed, rounded the table to hold me, and I felt my eyes sting, if only a little, as I leaned against him.

I felt fried. I felt so tired, my capacity for caring had to be at its lowest. I couldn't even bear to think about anything else but my next meal at the moment. Something, I'm sure, Mokuba had picked up on from his lack of presence. I felt so mentally drained, I just wanted to stay in my brother's embrace until I withered away, if only so I felt loved and loved someone by the end of it.

We all needed a break, and I could only pray that Yami, after witnessing this, us nearly tearing ourselves apart at the seams to hold everything together, understood that.