"You can't!"
"Oh?"
Furiously, Yuugi shook his head. "You can't... you can't just kill people because you don't like them!"
"Why not?" The look the demon gave him was pure innocence.
"Why would you?"
"I don't like him, I believe that he would harm me if left alive, so I will not leave him alive to harm me."
"But... but you can't just assume that he's going to hurt you! Death is final. You can't change your mind... ever..."
"Not that I'd want to. Ever. And besides, Honda, I believe his name was, did try to hurt me. It's only fair that I be allowed to kill him before he can kill me."
"But... how would you feel if I killed you just because I assumed that you'd kill me?"
"You couldn't kill me." The answer was accompanied by a smug look.
"Fine then. Somebody who could."
"Then it would be fair. Survival of the fittest. If someone is stronger than I am, and they choose to kill me, what could I do about it?"
"Wouldn't you at least be upset??"
"A little, but that's just the way it works."
Meanwhile, Anzu, Jou, and Honda made their grand escape. That is to say, they tried to get out of the room. Jou stood dizzily, taking a few trembling steps, but couldn't keep his balance, and was finally resigned to crawling in a poor imitation of a straight line. Anzu helped Honda stand, but the instant weight was applied to his left leg, he yelled and clung to Anzu in order to keep from falling to the ground in an undignified heap.
"Sit," the demon commanded, waving them down. "I'm not done with you yet."
They sat.
Though Yuugi had kept his voice calm and his words bland throughout the entire conversation in mimic of the demon sitting beside him, it wasn't very easy to forget just what was at stake here. And the demon had an _infuriating_ sense of logic that defied every argument Yuugi threw at him with the ease of a raincoat repelling water.
And now, the demon stood.
"Wait!" What could Yuugi say to convince this demon to refrain from killing everybody in sight? What could convince the demon of anything? "You... How can you protect me if you keep on hurting me?"
The demon paused mid-stride and turned around. "I hurt you?"
"Not physically, no. But when my friends die, especially if it's because of me, it... hurts. It hurts me more than any bodily wound ever could."
"Hn..."
Was that all? Was the demon only going to say 'hn,' and then continue? "So please?" Yuugi bit his lip. "For me, would you stop killing people?"
"Hn." Again with the 'hn'! What did it mean? Yes? No? Maybe so? Yuugi could hardly breathe with the anticipation.
"For you... I will."
~~
Jou and Honda were bandaged, Sugoroku was checked upon and reassured that the noises were harmless, and they all (minus Sugoroku, who'd thankfully gone back to sleep) congregated back in Yuugi's room. An uncertain silence settled as everybody looked expectantly at the demon, who compensated by looking expectantly back at each of them.
"So, er, what now?" Anzu asked finally, breaking the silence.
"What now?" the demon echoed quizzically, settling his gaze on her. "What do you mean, what now?"
"Are you leaving now, or what?" Honda, ever subtle, burst in.
"Leaving--?"
"Are you going back into the puzzle?" Yuugi amended helpfully.
"Oh. I see." Resting his chin on his interwoven fingers and his elbows on the windowsill, the demon looked out at the neighborhood through his reflection, successfully avoiding looking at the others. "But I cannot go back into the puzzle; it will no longer hold me. When Yuugi solved it, he released me and gave me both substance and home... in himself."
"You mean... you live _in_ me?"
"Don't sound so pleased," the demon remarked dryly at Yuugi's horrified tone, never once removing his gaze from the window. "You'll boost my ego."
"G... gomen..." Nobody had to look to see his blush.
"Hn."
"So, I suppose you'll be here forever, then?" Yuugi asked, recovering quickly from the admonishment.
"You know what I wish?" The demon seemed to do that a lot, the ignoring of comments that he didn't like. "I wish that you would stop seeing me as an obstacle and start seeing me as a person. I may not be human, and I may not have the same kind of morals as you, but that doesn't mean that I don't notice that all you really want is to be rid of me." Finally, he turned around, fixing his gaze upon Yuugi. His eyes were hard, as always, but there was something behind them that hinted at sorrow. "I _am_ your guardian, after all."
"Well, you did try to kill me," Honda muttered.
"And you tried to kill me too. What's the problem?"
"That's 'cause you killed all of Yuugi's other friends!"
"I didn't think they were good for Yuugi."
"And you have the right to decide that because...?"
"I am his guardian."
"Did he want a guardian in the first place?" Jou, quick to defend a friend, jumped into the argument.
"Actually, yes. If he didn't need a guardian, and if he didn't deserve a guardian, there's no way he could've solved my puzzle."
"Yeah, but did he want _you_?"
Wearily, Yuugi waved a hand between the three arguing. "You guys, please..." He trailed off. Please what? Please stop arguing, even though that's just what I would've done? Please make the demon feel at home, though he creeps me out and I want him to leave? And instantly, he felt guilty for that thought. How could it feel to know that the one you were supposed to be protecting didn't want you?
And how could Yuugi make it right again?
"Anou..." Everybody quieted down to listen to Yuugi. "What's your name?"
~~
Yami no Katya: Nooo! You changed your name! Funny angst... interesting. ^.~
Master Elora Dannan: Yes, whacking people is the best way to revive them, of course.
Shitsumon: Ah, the Tristan thing was just random. (Evil laughing here.) And no Mokuba, this is the last real chapter, next is an epilogue. *runs off to buy index cards*
~~
And... next chapter concludes it all! (I hope.)
Thanks for your support, and thanks for taking the time to read this. *hugs everybody*
"Oh?"
Furiously, Yuugi shook his head. "You can't... you can't just kill people because you don't like them!"
"Why not?" The look the demon gave him was pure innocence.
"Why would you?"
"I don't like him, I believe that he would harm me if left alive, so I will not leave him alive to harm me."
"But... but you can't just assume that he's going to hurt you! Death is final. You can't change your mind... ever..."
"Not that I'd want to. Ever. And besides, Honda, I believe his name was, did try to hurt me. It's only fair that I be allowed to kill him before he can kill me."
"But... how would you feel if I killed you just because I assumed that you'd kill me?"
"You couldn't kill me." The answer was accompanied by a smug look.
"Fine then. Somebody who could."
"Then it would be fair. Survival of the fittest. If someone is stronger than I am, and they choose to kill me, what could I do about it?"
"Wouldn't you at least be upset??"
"A little, but that's just the way it works."
Meanwhile, Anzu, Jou, and Honda made their grand escape. That is to say, they tried to get out of the room. Jou stood dizzily, taking a few trembling steps, but couldn't keep his balance, and was finally resigned to crawling in a poor imitation of a straight line. Anzu helped Honda stand, but the instant weight was applied to his left leg, he yelled and clung to Anzu in order to keep from falling to the ground in an undignified heap.
"Sit," the demon commanded, waving them down. "I'm not done with you yet."
They sat.
Though Yuugi had kept his voice calm and his words bland throughout the entire conversation in mimic of the demon sitting beside him, it wasn't very easy to forget just what was at stake here. And the demon had an _infuriating_ sense of logic that defied every argument Yuugi threw at him with the ease of a raincoat repelling water.
And now, the demon stood.
"Wait!" What could Yuugi say to convince this demon to refrain from killing everybody in sight? What could convince the demon of anything? "You... How can you protect me if you keep on hurting me?"
The demon paused mid-stride and turned around. "I hurt you?"
"Not physically, no. But when my friends die, especially if it's because of me, it... hurts. It hurts me more than any bodily wound ever could."
"Hn..."
Was that all? Was the demon only going to say 'hn,' and then continue? "So please?" Yuugi bit his lip. "For me, would you stop killing people?"
"Hn." Again with the 'hn'! What did it mean? Yes? No? Maybe so? Yuugi could hardly breathe with the anticipation.
"For you... I will."
~~
Jou and Honda were bandaged, Sugoroku was checked upon and reassured that the noises were harmless, and they all (minus Sugoroku, who'd thankfully gone back to sleep) congregated back in Yuugi's room. An uncertain silence settled as everybody looked expectantly at the demon, who compensated by looking expectantly back at each of them.
"So, er, what now?" Anzu asked finally, breaking the silence.
"What now?" the demon echoed quizzically, settling his gaze on her. "What do you mean, what now?"
"Are you leaving now, or what?" Honda, ever subtle, burst in.
"Leaving--?"
"Are you going back into the puzzle?" Yuugi amended helpfully.
"Oh. I see." Resting his chin on his interwoven fingers and his elbows on the windowsill, the demon looked out at the neighborhood through his reflection, successfully avoiding looking at the others. "But I cannot go back into the puzzle; it will no longer hold me. When Yuugi solved it, he released me and gave me both substance and home... in himself."
"You mean... you live _in_ me?"
"Don't sound so pleased," the demon remarked dryly at Yuugi's horrified tone, never once removing his gaze from the window. "You'll boost my ego."
"G... gomen..." Nobody had to look to see his blush.
"Hn."
"So, I suppose you'll be here forever, then?" Yuugi asked, recovering quickly from the admonishment.
"You know what I wish?" The demon seemed to do that a lot, the ignoring of comments that he didn't like. "I wish that you would stop seeing me as an obstacle and start seeing me as a person. I may not be human, and I may not have the same kind of morals as you, but that doesn't mean that I don't notice that all you really want is to be rid of me." Finally, he turned around, fixing his gaze upon Yuugi. His eyes were hard, as always, but there was something behind them that hinted at sorrow. "I _am_ your guardian, after all."
"Well, you did try to kill me," Honda muttered.
"And you tried to kill me too. What's the problem?"
"That's 'cause you killed all of Yuugi's other friends!"
"I didn't think they were good for Yuugi."
"And you have the right to decide that because...?"
"I am his guardian."
"Did he want a guardian in the first place?" Jou, quick to defend a friend, jumped into the argument.
"Actually, yes. If he didn't need a guardian, and if he didn't deserve a guardian, there's no way he could've solved my puzzle."
"Yeah, but did he want _you_?"
Wearily, Yuugi waved a hand between the three arguing. "You guys, please..." He trailed off. Please what? Please stop arguing, even though that's just what I would've done? Please make the demon feel at home, though he creeps me out and I want him to leave? And instantly, he felt guilty for that thought. How could it feel to know that the one you were supposed to be protecting didn't want you?
And how could Yuugi make it right again?
"Anou..." Everybody quieted down to listen to Yuugi. "What's your name?"
~~
Yami no Katya: Nooo! You changed your name! Funny angst... interesting. ^.~
Master Elora Dannan: Yes, whacking people is the best way to revive them, of course.
Shitsumon: Ah, the Tristan thing was just random. (Evil laughing here.) And no Mokuba, this is the last real chapter, next is an epilogue. *runs off to buy index cards*
~~
And... next chapter concludes it all! (I hope.)
Thanks for your support, and thanks for taking the time to read this. *hugs everybody*