Authors note: A version of this fanfiction won 3rd place in the AnimeFEST Fanfiction contest. It has however been revised since then. However the majority of the story remains the same as the winning piece and was only changed for grammar's sake. The song and note at the end also did not appear in the original piece, but did however inspire the fiction, and it was in the original draft, so I put it back in. This fiction was meant to cause you to think, so don't get upset if it starts making you do so. Your thoughts are your own personal business, however if you feel inclined to express them I would love to hear them, but only as long as you can remain civil as you do. Thank you for reading!
Words Are Trivial
Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can't you understand
Oh my little girl
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Enjoy the silence
-Depech mode
Yami,
I was startled out of a light "sleep" by a timid but pleasant melody I had come to recognize as my Other Little Half, Yugi's, thoughts. Shaking the drowsiness from my mind, I responded promptly.
Yes, I'm here.
Ah…Yami?
There was a strange hesitation in my Light that caused me to worry to some extent.
What is it Little Other? Is everything alright? I asked apprehensively.
I knew within myself that he was shaking his head, though all I could actually sense were the negative indecisive feelings that permeated his thoughts.
I…well…Can I, ah, talk-talk to you for a second, Other Me?
Ah,
Being able to actually converse with my emotional Little Half had taken much time and effort, for both of us. Shaping his psyche from the usual stew of thoughts, feelings, and emotions into a mental lexis that I could easily understand, had taken some getting use to for him. Occasionally, he still found it difficult, to compress complicated concepts into something other than a mental storm. As for me, I learned Patience while sorting the actual meanings from his emotional storms. Talking, out loud, to a corporal version of myself seemed to help him at times, as well as allow me to get his attention when it was needed…even if he wasn't truly seeing 'me'…
Of course, Little Other.
I "appeared" before him in the image he had chosen for me. I find it rather humorous he chose to see me as a figure so much like himself, only with a more self-sure posture and an assertive gaze - though I suppose it comes from his desire to be just that. If only he realized he was. I have seen his inner strength and have been awed. One of these days, I wish him to call on his own power and realize the greatness that lies within him, but alas, now was not the time.
"I am here," I speak , or at least his brain tells him that he "hears" me. We bypass the actual speaking process when communicating. If you hear a tree falling in a forest, but can't see it, did it actually fall? Now that's something to ponder over…
"Yami," My Little Other fidgeted, actually speaking out loud, so to concentrate his attempts at communication into firm thoughts I could understand. "Do you…do you 23930 me?" And he waited uneasily for my response.
Sadly, I didn't have one for him. I was confused. There had been something missing within the thought, something I hadn't understood. Where there should have been a "word" there was only an empty swirl of nothing.
"I'm not sure I understand, Little Half…What did you say?"
Yugi looked slightly un-eased. "Do you 23930a me, Yami?"
Again, I didn't understand him, and it appeared as if his thought had changed to some degree. Almost as if the very build of the "word" had suddenly changed. I gazed at him, trying to understand what this could mean. Both of us stood perplexed; My Light shifted nervously, becoming more and more discomforted. Eventually, it dawned on me what was happening. We were having a miscommunication problem, once again, though this time it seemed as if my Little Other was having one with himself as well. I pressed him a comforting thought.
"Little One, I do not understand the objective of your thought. You seem to be asking me something that is only a word to you. When I 'hear' it, it has no meaning to me. It appears to not even have a meaning to yourself or perhaps it has shifting meanings. I need to feel what it is you are trying to communicate to me, I can not hear or understand anything spoken."
My Other Little Half frowned. "I know, Yami." He sighed, then more to himself he added, "My grandpa once told me something like that…That I was too young to understand what 23930b was…"
It did it again. It seemed to shift, whatever it was.
I sent to him my compassion.
"Well, let's see if we can define it then. Is there any other question you can ask me? Perhaps my answer might help define what it is you are looking for."
He smiled pleasantly at me. "I'm not sure I know how to,"
"Of course you can."
"Well," He began slowly, processing his thoughts in an organized matter, carefully and tactfully narrowing his questions into a precise thought. After several moments of reduction, he asked "What is my persona like?"
"You?" Interesting question.
"Yes."
"Hummm….You are a very resolved person. You have an inner strength and purity that I am willing to protect at any cost. Not to mention that you excel at games, and anything that involves your wit. You're kind and gentle, but firm and fair. You're a dreamer and a hard worker…"
I was stopped by a wave of embarrassment emitting from my Little Half.
He was blushing.
"You really think all that about me?" He asked with wonder.
"Think it? I don't "think" it, it is fact."
"Ah," He understood.
This, too, was still occasionally a problem with us. Apparently in whatever language my Little Other was speaking, some spoken words, ex: 'Thinking' and 'Knowing, were similar, or were used (incorrectly) interchangingly and thus he would ask me one thing and be surprised at my (to him) literal response. 'Thinking' and 'knowing' are different things. 'Thinking' infers that something would be nice if it were true; 'knowing' infers that it IS. You don't look out side and 'think' it is day time, you 'know' it is. Just as you don't look outside, and "know" you are going to have a good day. Verbally, they might be the same; literally, they are not.
He moved on. "Alright, well…You said that you would protect me at any cost?"
"Yes, I would."
"Why?"
Again I was surprised. Not totally by the question-though it did come unexpectedly-but more at my inadequacy in being able to answer him.
"Oh, Little One…" I chuckled, an idea suddenly grasping me, "I think I understand what you might be asking… are you asking if I……….."
He didn't have a word for it, so I sent him my feelings. Feelings that had continued to grow for as long as I had known my Other Little Half.
He was being beaten-
I felt his pain as if it were my own and willingly took the pain from him, onto myself.
He was being tormented-
I felt his suffering and wanted it to stop, so I switched places with him.
He was sad-
I gave him my happiness.
He was lonely-
I gave him what company I had.
He lashed out at me-
I could only smile.
He was hungry-
I allowed him to consume my soul.
He was dieing-
I gave him my life.
I breathed for him-
Because I wanted him to surpass any standard.
I gave him all he wanted-
Because he was more important.
I lived and I died for him-
Because it wasn't about me, or what I wanted, it was about him- his goals, his life, his happiness.
Not my happiness-
His.
Not me-
"Yes, Other Little Me, if that is your definition of 23930, then I do."
My Light was crying. He was astounded, overjoyed and relieved.
"Why was this bothering you Little Me? And why was your definition of this changing so?"
I could feel the joy resonating in his heart.
"I never realized that you felt like that. I never realized you-"
Caring-Empathy-Compassion-Selflessness-Friendship
I laughed. He was still having trouble connecting the word with the meaning.
"Why is this such a difficult concept? Does this 'word' mean more than one thing in your language?"
My Little Other nodded, "It can mean lots of things I guess…and I'm not really sure I ever stopped to think about the real meaning of the word."
"The word has many meanings?"
"Yes, some are Pleasure, Want, Enjoyment, Fondness, Fulfillment, Reproduction, Companionship and Possession. Those are just a few perceptions I could think of that are behind the word."
"I see. It must be hard to communicate this idea, with so many perceptions - some contradicting - mixed up in its definition."
"I've only just defined it in my mind," My clever Little Other Me responded cheerfully, "I think there are three words people are getting mixed up into one. The first is 23930a-"Like", related to objects. For example, If you "Like" apples, or "Like" playing Duel Monsters. The second is 23930b, "Lust", a physical attraction. And then there is what you say about me…there is….is…
'Love'
He was elated over his self-discovery. He had defined something that must have been hard for his people to understand.
I felt Joyful for my Little One. If he was Happy, I was Happy. Such was the nature of this 'Love', as it had been defined.
"Words are trivial and forgettable. You did well, Other Little Me."
He grinned at my reflection of himself.
"Yami?"
"Yes, Little Half?"
"I Love you too,"
"I'm glad."
It is said that you can determine the importance of a concept to a culture by the number of different words there are for it.How many words (phrases) can you think of for "Love"? How many words (phrases) can you think of for "Sex", or "Hate"? What is the difference between "Love" and "Sex"?