"Uhm… Yami? Why are you starin' at the kid like he just grew another head?" asked Jou carefully. Yami looked up at his friends in surprise, opened his mouth – and realised that he had no answer for them.
//If I tell them that we're telepathically connected, they are going to think that I have gone completely insane,// he thought.
/Not. Insane,/ Yugi sent reassuringly.
//They might not believe that, little one,// he responded dryly. //I wouldn't, if it was happening to someone else.//
/Isn't./ With that, Yugi obviously felt that the topic had been exhausted, and he turned to look at the three teenagers.
"Talking," he said. They looked at him, then at Yami, hoping that someone would explain what was going on. Yami fidgeted, trying to ignore how they were going to react.
"Yugi was just telling me that… that he would understand all of the words if I explained to him what he had just said about it being nice in my arms," Yami rushed out, careful not to meet his friends' eyes.
"… So the kid is telepathic?" Honda joked weakly. Yami tensed, and nodded.
"Yes."
*
"I don't care how you think it happened, just make sure that it doesn't happen again!"
"Yes, sir!"
The guard saluted, and fled. He snarled, glaring at the wall. Those two scientists had allowed one of the hikaris to escape! Not only that, but they were somehow able to resist all of his torturer's skills! This was intolerable!
He threw his wineglass into the door, calming almost immediately at the shatter. Well, this was what he got for keeping the same scientists on after taking over Project Dawn. His lip curled disdainfully. Project Dawn, indeed! It had meant the 'dawn of hope', but under his influence it now meant something much more deadly – and more profitable. He leaned back in his chair, thinking about the hikari that had escaped. One of their most hopeful ones, too – if it had been the perfect specimen, he would really have had to see to those scientists personally. Ah well. They would surely capture the boy soon. And maybe his loss didn't affect the plans so much. They still had the other experiments, after all – not that they could use the first one. Not after the mistake made in his early training. But that still left the white-haired one to be sent out… perhaps, now that his preferred guinea-pig was no longer available, it was time to see just what that white-haired boy was capable of. What was his name again? Oh, yes, Ryou. Named by those idiot scientists, but he had earned the name of 'skill' with his uncanny abilities.
He smiled at the thought. Yes, he would send out Ryou on the final test, and then the project would move on. Still, he would have to try and find the missing hikari – such a ridiculous name he had been given. Yugi. Honestly, it was almost amusing that the scientists had thought to send him into the world with a name like that. Who was likely to take care of a boy who could barely speak (to prevent them warning their intended targets), had no home (apart from the laboratory, of course) and had such a preposterous name (moronic scientists!)? But he was a loose end, and that could be dangerous…
*
"You're nuts, Yami! You have finally lost it! Your elevator no longer reaches the top floors, your lights are not all on, you are insane!" Jou cried out. Honda nodded agreement, while even Anzu was unable to find a convincing argument. Yugi looked at them in surprise, then up at Yami.
//I told you, little one.//
/Wrong./
//Yes, they are, but they won't believe us.//
Yugi looked back at Yami's classmates, then sighed. /True,/ he agreed. Yami shrugged, and sat down on the sofa, watching his friends.
Jou was still listing the many ways of saying that Yami was crazy, ignoring the spooky way that he and his look-a-like were acting. Anzu and Honda, however, were both feeling unnerved by what was going on – it was obvious that Yugi couldn't really be telepathic, right? So why were he and Yami acting as though they were having a conversation that no one else could hear?
Yugi blinked at them. /Scared,/ he told Yami. Yami studied their faces, and had to admit that Yugi was right. They were scared.
//They don't believe that telepathy is real, so the way that we're acting is worrying them,// he explained to Yugi.
/Oh,/ Yugi responded blankly.
//You don't understand, do you?//
/No,/ Yugi admitted. /Strange…/ his thought trailed off, and he remembered the laboratory. /Yami?/ he asked urgently.
//Yes, aibou?// Yami blinked. What had possessed him to call Yugi his partner?
/Safe? Me? Here? Stay?/
Yami immediately forgot what he had been thinking. Yugi sounded so worried, as if he was expecting to be thrown out of the house any moment. //Of course you're staying here,// he projected reassuringly – and a little possessively, too. //You don't have anywhere else to go, do you?// He realised that he sounded – wrong, when he made that statement. He should be sympathetic, but instead he just felt relieved that Yugi had no one else to take him away from Yami.
/No-o,/ Yugi sent doubtfully. /Hunting. Dangerous. Safe?/
//What?//
/Them. Him. Hunting. Safe?/
Yami wondered at the emotion he received when Yugi thought, /Him/. It took a few minutes before he realised that it was hate.
//Him? Yugi, I promise you, no one will ever take you away from me,// he replied, allowing the possessiveness to come through more powerfully. Yugi gave him one of his brilliant grins, and Yami smiled back, his eyes softening from their usual coldness.
Jou had finally wound down, and was now staring at the two boys with a most peculiar expression. "Uh, Honda," he stage-whispered, "They're talkin' somehow, ain't they?"
"Yeah."
"They ain't whisperin', are they?"
"Nope."
"Aw, man…" Jou groaned. "Yams ain't crazy, is he?"
"Not unless we all are, too," retorted Anzu softly.
"Don't call me Yams, Jou," Yami interrupted, startling them all. He had finished his conversation with Yugi, and was glaring at them. Yugi reached up to cradle his double's chin, and before their eyes the harsh glare softened.
"Thanks, Yuge!" Jou said shakily, never doubting that Yugi had just spared him from Yami's anger.
"Yuge?" repeated Yugi quizzically. He turned his head to Yami, who burst out laughing.
"What?" asked Jou, rather hurt.
"He thinks – that you've got – a speech – speech impediment!" Yami choked out between fits of laughter. The others still looked confused, so he explained, "Because you – can't say the – 'ee' sound at the – the end of our names!"
Honda and Anzu began to snicker and giggle, while Jou turned rather red.
"Alright, I'll call you by your full names! Geez, a guy makes one comment…" he grumbled, turning away. Yugi watched everyone, smiling in empathy, but obviously unable to understand why they were all laughing so hard.
Finally, everyone was able to talk again. "So, what are ya gonna do with Yug – I mean, Yugi?" Jou corrected himself hastily. Yami tightened his arms reflexively.
"Keep him."
"It may not be that simple," Anzu warned him.
"Yeah, the kiddo may have people looking for him, Yami," agreed Honda. Yugi froze at those words, clinging tighter to Yami.
"I don't care if he's got the CIA, the Secret Service, and Scotland Yard looking for him. He stays here, with me," said Yami, a dangerous look in his eyes.
His friends exchanged worried glances, but none of them quite dared to say anything more to Yami. Instead, they turned their attention to Yugi.
"You wanna stay here?"
He nodded, not releasing Yami.
"Don't you wanna go home?" asked Jou. Yugi shrank back against Yami, shaking his head violently.
"O-kay. Maybe I can get Seto to help… he's got a whole troupe of performin' lawyers, I'm sure he can get them to let you adopt Yugi," suggested Jou hopefully. Yami frowned slightly, but nodded. //I don't want to adopt you,// he thought to Yugi. //I want to…// he quickly censored the thought, hoping that Yugi hadn't heard it.
Yugi smiled up at him innocently. He hadn't caught the thought itself, but he liked the feelings of protectiveness and love that accompanied it. He even liked the feeling of possessiveness, because it was so close to how he felt about Yami.
Suddenly, he twisted in Yami's arms to look at the door, and then turned back and burrowed further into them.
//Aibou, what's wrong?// asked Yami, concerned by the fear Yugi was projecting.
/STRANGER!/
The doorbell rang…