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I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! All I own is the plot to this fanfiction.
Yami sat at his desk, filing papers for the umpteenth time. He didn't know why he had to keep redoing it; weren't they good enough as it was? But of course, the project supervisor insisted that everything be perfect, and he was forced to comply with his foolishly high commands.
Sometimes, he felt like the entire staff did more cleaning than they did actual working—they were more like a team of housemaids than programmers. They had to pick up their desk areas every day, clean up their lunch area, someone ran the vacuum, someone did the dusting and cleaned the glass. They probably would've already been done with their project if it wasn't for all the extra, unnecessary time that cleaning took.
He finally put the last paper into place, leaving them in perfect, alphabetical order. He stared at the pristine stack and gave a small, self-satisfied smirk before standing and stretching, giving off a small yawn. He'd been up late last night working on the department project, so he felt his eyes drooping. He needed a little pick me up.
Well, he did deserve a little reward for getting his work done…
He slowly and carefully walked out of his personal workspace, walking quickly and looking down at the ground instead of making eye contact with anyone. He didn't want to engage in any conversations right now; he was headed to go and do something that he knew he probably shouldn't.
He was going to indulge in a nice cup of hot coffee.
He'd been trying to break his caffeine habit, he really had! It was just so difficult when he worked in a department where all of these people, all of his coworkers, constantly had a piping hot cup of the rich, brown liquid in their hands. It almost seemed like someone was intentionally teasing him, though he wasn't sure who. Maybe it was an office conspiracy?
It didn't really matter to him, though. He just needed caffeine and needed it soon, at this point. He didn't want to fall asleep at his desk yet again, only to be woken up by a kick to his ribcage by his best friend Joey, or a cup of water spilled on his head by his stupid cousin, Seto Kaiba. And heaven forbid if one of them saw the other's method of waking him up; it would be an all-out word brawl from then on.
Apparently, the way to wake him up was grounds enough to fight when both of them considered the other's methods to be cruel and unusual punishment.
He snuck quietly into the coffee room and shut the door silently behind him, flinching at just the slight click. Thanks to his lack of sleep and thinking about Joey and Kaiba being within a hundred feet of each other, he had a headache that was currently tormenting him. You know what can help to make a headache better?
Caffeine.
He walked over drowsily to the small coffee maker and gave a light groan when he saw that it was empty. Some people really need to learn to be courteous towards others—for example, putting more coffee in the coffee machine or remembering to put the toilet seat down when they use a unisex bathroom.
He reached up into the cabinet and felt around for a moment, wishing briefly that he were taller before his hand grasped the can of coffee beans and took it out like a prize. He popped off the container's lid and inhaled the rich scent of coffee beans, mouth watering just at the thought of coffee.
He opened his eyes and peered down into the can, his excitement quickly diminishing when he realized that, after all that trouble, the can was disappointingly empty. He gave a light growl, grasping it tightly before tossing it into the closest trash can angrily, then giving a long sigh and burying his face in his hands.
"You looking for something, buddy?" Joey asked. Yami's head snapped upwards, startled by his sudden appearance. He hadn't heard Joey enter, so he'd been completely unaware of his presence until that little line of dialog.
"Yeah. Someone decided to personally torment me." He groaned, letting his head fall back in exasperation, letting a light smile creep up on his lips. He really did look less old when he did that—all the sleep he was missing had caused wrinkles to appear around his eyes, so looking young was something he could really use at this point. Not that he'd ever really worry about it; he was too consumed in his work to really focus on any kind of social aspect. The only reason he was friends with Joey was because they'd known each other since grade school.
"I wouldn't suppose you would love eternally whoever could end that torment?" Joey asked casually, pulling a small can out from behind his back. Yami's eyes lit up at the sight and he unconsciously licked his lips, his pupils dilating as his eyes locked on the coffee grounds.
"Why yes, yes I would. And I would eternally torment someone if I were to discover they'd had the means to end my suffering and didn't." He said. Joey rolled his eyes, and mumbled something about the threat being unnecessary. Yami wasn't listening, as his eyes were still trained on the can.
Joey lazily tossed the can at Yami and Yami caught it with ease, smiling to himself as he uncapped the lid and smelled the contents, almost giving a low moan. This was some strong stuff.
He put in the proper amount, glancing over to make sure that Joey was still there before he added a little more, knowing that he should be polite and make some for him. Yami wasn't much one for 'polite', but he wasn't a complete jerk. So, he poured the water into the coffee machine and snapped the lid back onto the top, flicking the 'on' switch before he turned to face Joey, leaning against the counter and impatiently tapping his fingers against the counter.
"Distract me while I wait." He said. Joey rolled his eyes again and walked over, sitting at the small, four-person table that was equipped to the room. Joey had never been the type to stand up; wasted energy was wasted no matter how you decided to look at it.
"So, how about them nix?" He asked, kicking his feet up on the table. Yami decided to play along, taking the few short steps to the table and sitting down himself.
"Joey, are you even aware of what sport the nix play?" He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side a bit.
"Is it swimming?" He asked sheepishly, causing Yami to give an awkward chuckle. He didn't want to spoil the fun, but that was a bit far out, even for Joey.
"Joey, just cut it out right now. You very well know that I care about the mating patterns of flamingos more than I care about sports." Yami said. There was a silence that followed as both struggled to come up with a topic. It was sort of hard when it felt like you knew everything there was to know about someone.
"Is volleyball a sport?" Joey asked suddenly. Yami looked up and they made eye contact briefly before they both broke out in laughter, smiles wider and probably brighter than the sun.
Yami really was happy. He had Joey and Kaiba and everyone else, friends and family and everything that people insisted you needed to be happy in life. But there was still something missing. It almost felt like there was a small place inside his heart that was already prepared for something or someone else, and it was hurting ever so slightly about the fact that he hadn't met that person yet.
Odd to feel a longing for someone that you'd never even met.
He slowly stopped laughing, smiling in the comfortable silence that followed. The only noise was the steady drip of the coffee machine behind him, which of course sounded like a symphony to his ears.
That was the thing about hanging out with Joey; he could fall into silence and not worry about it becoming awkward. Their silence was the silence of two people who had known each other since childhood, full of friendship and affection and unspoken words. Full of warm, fuzzy feelings that made you want to hug someone.
Suddenly, Joey took out a deck of playing cards, opening the package deliberately and keeping his eyes locked with Yami's. The challenge in his eyes was a look that Yami now knew by heart, and Yami also knew that it was a look he couldn't turn down, even if they really needed to get back to work.
"So, what were you planning on playing? Not that it matters, I'll still beat you every time." Yami said proudly, giving a warmhearted laugh. Joey rolled his eyes and began to shuffle the deck, having long ago decided that Yami most definitely had to be cheating to do as good as he always did in these games.
"War, the game of luck." He challenged. Yami shook his head in consent, smirking. It didn't really matter to him; he'd earned the nickname 'King of Games' for a reason. Even Joey's luck couldn't outshine his own.
There was a small ding as the coffee maker signaled that the coffee was ready, and suddenly Joey was alone at the table. He rolled his eyes as Yami came back carrying two steaming hot cups, eyeing them with a severe lack of patience clearly written on his features. He had waited far too long for his caffeinated beverage.
Yami took a small sip, burning his lip in the process. His eyes widened and he fought the urge to drop the cup, knowing that it would probably them spill right in his lap, which wasn't all that pleasing an option, either. He set it down slowly, glaring at it as if this was somehow the coffee's fault. That poor, poor coffee didn't know what it had done.
Joey dealt the cards, altogether looking much too serious about what he was doing. Yami took his with a scowl, already making eyes at his coffee again. Joey was halfway between wanting him to get burned again and hoping that he didn't.
Joey flipped over his first card, puffing out his chest with pride when he observed that it was, in fact, an 8. Actually a very good card, seeing as how there was a less than fifty percent chance that he would lose that hand.
Yami flipped his card over without even glancing at it first, knowing immediately that it would overpower Joey's. Joey's slightly stuttered accusation of cheating that followed confirmed his suspicions and he took the cards without even looking, leaning over to blow lightly on his coffee. Joey flipped over another card, crying out in frustration when Yami flipped over his second card. Again, Yami took the pair without even looking.
"Sometimes I swear your sexual orientation is caffeinated beverages." Joey told him flatly, crossing his arms over his chest with a light huff. Yami chuckled and flipped over his next card, hearing Joey's sigh as he read the number.
Needless to say, the game of war didn't last much longer.
Joey was hitting his head against the table as Yami picked up his finally cooled off cup of coffee and took a big gulp, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable heat. It had cooled off a lot, but apparently not enough to alleviate all discomfort….
"You're cheating somehow." Joey stated, sighing. Yami shook his head no, an action that Joey had seen him preform many times in answer to the same accusation. Joey himself wasn't certain what to believe. On one hand, Yami would never lie to him. On the other, he also knew that the odds that Yami wasn't cheating were getting smaller and smaller every time.
"I want a rematch eventually." He said with a small sigh. Yami gave a light chuckle, taking another swig of his coffee. A small click was heard and he could see the handle to the door behind Joey's head turning as someone gently pushed the door open.
"You two should really get back to work." Came Seto's disapproving voice through the opening in the door. Joey gave a soft growl and Yami watched as his eyes lit up with annoyance and some other unidentified emotion.
"You should really stop being such a buzz kill." Joey spat. Kaiba chuckled from the doorway and walked away from the fight, sufficiently angering Joey beyond the point of logic. Of course, Joey didn't have too much logic in the first place, but still.
He stood up quickly, shaking the table. A small drop of his coffee spilled, but Yami had luckily been holding his cup at the time. Joey started to stomp out of the room and Yami got up, following a bit.
"Where are you going?" He asked curiously. Joey's eyes narrowed forward.
"I'm going to have a little talk with Kaiba about bein' a jerk." He said. Yami shook his head and let him go, deciding that it was probably best not to get involved when it came to those two. Especially when they got into fights.
Yami walked forward slowly and cautiously, not wanting to draw any excess attention to himself. He slowly glided himself down and into his own seat, giving a long sigh as he stared at the blank screen. He still had an hour left until he could be done with his work, and he was dreading today's project.
He had to do a report on the human body and its brainwave energy, in hopes of bringing to life project RT-57. Now you may wonder about the contents of project RT-57, or you may have already guessed, either way I'm going to inform you of what Yami and his colleagues had been working on.
Project RT-57 was a top-secret project designed to help scientists see if they could breathe life into a creation. It would use top secret technology and do some of its own research, its primary goal to create an intelligent, functioning life form with feelings and wants. They started by designing a basic personality for the thing, adding in what they all believed to be top qualities, and they worked from there. They added in small details, tweaked some of the ones they already had, and they did any necessary reprogramming. Everything was going just fine until they realized something;
How would they transfer this data to a living, breathing body?
That was what Yami was working on now. He had to figure out some way to possibly transfer the coding for RT-57's data to a functional brain, making sure that the minimal amount of information was lost. He hated this tedious work, going through and studying the electrical waves of the brain, comparing them to the chip's, doing work that he was certain wouldn't pay off for quite some time to come. It all felt so meaningless, so pointless, to him. He felt that they would never succeed in this project, especially with the staffing for it.
He heard yelling and a couple of crashes from Seto's office, and he rolled his eyes.
Yes, the staffing was mediocre at best.
But, this job brought in the dough, and since it was a government funded project, he'd never have to worry about losing his job. The government had assured him that if the project were ever shut down, they would pay for any kind of need or want he could have after that. Yami was a top scientist, so they'd really needed him on the project.
As he stared blankly at the screen, he wondered briefly for the fourth time that day why he'd ever accepted the offer. Okay, so it probably wasn't smart to turn the government down in this day and age, but he still could barely stand this job.
It wasn't that it was tedious; it wasn't that it took forever to get here from his house, it wasn't even that he could hardly concentrate through the constant bickering of his coworkers. It was more that he didn't feel like it was going anywhere.
Yami was one of those kinds of people that wanted to get things done, and it bothered him immensely that his talents were being wasted on such a slow-moving project. If the entire office had his attitude, they'd be done with the project already and moving on to something more important, like curing the common cold. Thanks to the fact that they weren't, Yami often found himself unmotivated and bored out of his mind.
As he stared blankly at the numbers on the screen in front of him, he felt his brain turn to absolute mush. There was nothing he could do to concentrate; he felt his body slowly relaxing, even though he fought as hard as he could to keep his eyes from drooping and his head from slumping down. This wasn't supposed to happen, he'd had coffee! But despite the fact that he'd been hyped up on caffeine, he felt his determination dwindle as he glanced at the screen again. Seto and Joey were fighting and they'd most likely be for quite a little while, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting violently awakened…
He could really use some extra sleep, too…. Just for a few minutes, so he could concentrate better on his work.
After all, he was a very hard worker.
His eyes fluttered shut as his head fell forward slowly, not even bothered by the fact that he was laying down on the keyboard. He'd done this so many times by now that it almost felt like a pillow under his head, a nice, comfy pillow that you could rest your head on and dream to your heart's content…
So he slowly faded off to dream land, his mouth slightly opened and his face, for once, peaceful.
He wasn't sure how long it had been, but when he opened up his eyes to gaze around, everyone else was gone. He sat up straight immediately, his eyes adjusting to the darkness in the room slowly. The only light was coming off of his still glowing computer monitor, and he gave a groan. He'd fallen asleep and everybody had gone home.
He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, giving a small yawn and cracking his fingers. He noticed when a blanket gently fell from his shoulders, and he smiled a bit. Either Joey or Kaiba had done it, and he was grateful for his friends. They always kept him safe and sound, they always cared for him no matter what. To be honest, he felt like his entire life was dependent upon his friends; without them, he would've already died from neglecting his own personal needs or he'd never stop working. As it was now, he barely stopped working.
Yami got up swiftly, noticing when a small note fluttered down from his movement. He picked it up curiously and read it, figuring that it was from whoever had draped the blanket over him.
It read:
Dear Yami,
Kaiba and I didn't have the heart to wake you up, you're adorable when you sleep. I knew you needed it pal, so we just decided to put a blanket around ya. Don't worry, Kaiba's already offered to drive me home. As long as we both make it through this without killing each other—Kaiba's reading this over my shoulder and told me to erase that, but I'm not going to—I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good sleep, buddy!
With love,
Joey and Kaiba.
PS. Kaiba said that that ending was gay but it totally wasn't.
Yami finished reading the note and he chuckled, smiling a bit. Joey had personality, that was for sure. He felt a little bad that he'd had to catch a ride with Kaiba instead of riding with him, like they'd been doing for the past six months since he got the job, but at least he'd found a way home. Plus, he was right about Yami needing the sleep, and now he really needed to get his work done. He gave a heavy sigh and walked over to the break room, deciding that he definitely needed more coffee if he was to get this done.
He glanced at the clock they had hanging on the wall and gave a small groan, seeing that it was already nine o'clock at night. His stomach gave a growl, but he ignored it, choosing to grab his cup of coffee and get back to his desk. He needed to get this work done before he got home, no matter what the cost to his personal health. Other people were counting on him to get this done.
He cracked his knuckles and stared at the computer screen, seeing that a programming platform he'd never seen was pulled up. He leaned forward and squinted a little, his eyes scanning the odd thing. It was a nice shade of green, a color he was used to, working on these computers. He'd come to love that odd hue.
"What's this?" He mused out loud, then gave a light jump as his words appeared on the screen in front of him. He glanced around to see if anybody was there, thinking briefly that this could be some sort of a juvenile prank. He didn't see anybody, so he turned back to the computer, seeing the small 'x' in the corner. He'd probably just accidentally opened something when his face fell onto the keyboard, so he wasn't going to look into it too hard. He just needed to get his work done and get out of there. His mouse hovered over the 'x' for just a second, before a flash of something caught his eye.
Hello!? Are you… are you a real person?
He stared at the words, and he felt his jaw drop. What was this? What did it mean, was he a real person? Of course he was a real freaking person!
"Yes. This isn't funny, whoever's messing with me." He said out loud, watching as the words appeared on the screen. This wasn't a very amusing prank.
Yuugi, in his programming, had been sitting and thinking, like he always did. He'd been brooding, philosophizing, and generally wishing he was anyone else but him. If he was even a real person, that is.
Suddenly, there was a flash of something, and he could comprehend, something. He couldn't understand completely what was happening, but he knew that someone had spoken, and to him, too.
He searched the data banks as fast as he could, searching for a way to respond. He didn't know anything about computers or technology, but he knew that he could somehow get through to this other person. Believe it or not, a window always went both ways, whether or not both people could see it.
Finally, he found a little trick. He could 'animate' a voice, and it would come across as words on the screen of whoever was speaking to him. Just in time, too. He could feel the other's mouse hovering over the 'x' button in the corner.
Hello!? Are you… are you a real person? He asked, hope flowing through him. He'd never had any contact with anyone before, so this was all seeming very exciting to the young boy. He wanted to have answers to some of his questions, he wanted to be sure that he actually existed. This could have been the answer to so many of his cravings.
"Yes. This isn't funny, whoever's messing with me." Yuugi 'heard', and he felt his heart almost singing with joy. A real life form! What should he say? How could he introduce himself in a way that wouldn't come across as immature of childish? How could he ensure that this contact didn't end?
I'm not sure what you mean. I'm sorry, but I'm not 'Messing with you'. What does that mean? He sent eagerly, waiting for a response. If he could've danced right then, he most definitely would have.
"Listen, I'm going to ex off of this program if you don't tell me the truth. I'm a very busy man." Came the response. Yuugi felt his stomach drop to his feel like a bowling ball. He couldn't leave! This was his first real taste of what it was like to interact!
WAIT! Please, don't go! I'm telling you the truth.
"Okay, then who are you?" Came the response. Relief flooded through Yuugi, and he decided to answer as quickly as possible, not wanting to give the man a chance to ex off of the program. He needed to find out what it was like on the outside!
I believe you call me… a quick scanning of the files brought up an odd thing, but it wasn't a name. It was the only thing he had, though, so he decided to use it. RT-57.
"Right, and pigs can fly without genetic alteration." The voice came back. Yuugi felt another emotion well up in him, this one light and fresh and full of discovery. He found that it was called, 'curiosity'.
What is a pig? What is 'fly'?
Yami stared at the screen, rolling his eyes. Whoever was pulling this prank was actually doing a pretty believable job of it, so he decided to just play along with them. It would be nice and amusing to indulge in some fantasy thinking, maybe even pretend he was talking to the real RT-57. No matter how impossible it was, it would be entertaining.
"So you're really the program?" Yami asked, chuckling in amusement. "Well then, isn't that just nice? A pig is a small, pink animal that snorts, while flying is soaring through the air, typically associated with having wings." He said, waiting patiently for a response. It didn't take long before more words flashed across the screen and he smiled, giving a light chuckle.
So pigs, they have these… 'wings'? They sound nice.
"Oh, they would be. Humans don't typically have wings, but I hear another department's working on that right now." He said, leaning back in his chair. "Of course, that's just a rumor."
Another department? What's department?
"Well, the facility where I work is for scientific research projects, so they have different places that work to figure out different things."
What's your department trying to figure out?
"How to make life out of programming."
Yuugi froze completely, not daring to let hope raise up inside him. There was no way, it couldn't be… could it? A certain word came to his mind, one he'd been programmed to know, but still a word none the less… 'Lucky'. That would be too 'lucky' to be happening to him. He had 'bad' luck, being what he was.
How are you going to do that? He asked, waiting on edge for the response.
"Well, I wouldn't expect you to understand any of the scientific talk of it, but we're going to transfer data from a program and into a body somehow."
Which program? How will you do that?
"Well, the 'how' is something I'm trying to figure out now. As for which program, I think you already know. Although I don't think we're going to make it too far with this project; there are still a lot of kinks we're trying to work out. Have been for the past five years."
Well, of course. Yuugi felt like slumping, but of course, he couldn't. He knew he'd been in here a long time, but five years seemed fairly hopeless. Still, there was a small flicker of something… 'Hope'? He was programmed to have a lot of hope, but somehow he just couldn't find it in himself to search for any more.
They were looking for a way, though. More importantly, this man was working on a way. He felt gratitude well up inside of him, and he knew that he had to express it. Of course, it was in his programming.
So, you're working on a way to make me a body?
"I believe that was the goal of the project, yes." He was sent. He smiled.
Thank you. Thank you so much. He said. If it was possible, he would be crying tears of joy. He couldn't help but feel happy. Someone was taking time out of their day to help him, to try and make his deepest wish come true. He couldn't help but form an appreciation for this unnamed man.
"You're welcome. I'm just doing my job." The man stated. Yuugi felt himself swoon a bit.
But your job is helping me.
"Yes, and right now I need to get back to that job." Yami sent. He found whoever was on the other side of this conversation to be charming and sweet, but he didn't have any more time to waste on going along with someone's little prank. He had things that he needed to get done, and his stomach gave a soft growl, reminding him that he still needed to get something to eat, too.
Okay. Does that mean we have to stop talking?
"I'm afraid so." He said, smiling a bit.
I understand. But wait. What is your name?
Yami read the message and decided to humor himself. It couldn't hurt to just tell whoever was speaking to him his name, could it? Besides, they probably already knew who he was. He wouldn't be surprised if Joey came around the corner at any second to tell him how gullible he was.
"It's Atem, but my friends all call me Yami." He sent.
Okay. This will seem strange, but can you please call me Yuugi?
"Game? Of course. But I really must go."
Will you talk to me more, sometime later?
"I suppose. How do you propose I find how to talk to you?" Yami asked him. Yuugi thought for a moment before he scanned the files that were stored with him, finding a source. It was labeled as a failed project, but it was the only way he could see that would work. Maybe Yami had accidentally activated that program? Maybe he'd done something the others hadn't been able to do?
Well, I can send a file I found related to the project to the printer. That's all I know, though. He said.
"That's fine. But I have to go now." Yami stated out loud, moving his mouse to hover over the 'x' again. Yuugi didn't want him to go, but he also knew that he couldn't stop him. He needed to get his work done anyways; it was selfish of Yuugi to expect him to stop his work for his sake.
Okay. Don't forget to pick up the paper! He said, giving a small sigh. He really didn't want to say goodbye to Yami! Still. He knew that he could do nothing to stop it.
He felt Yami click the button and he was plunged back into despair, fighting against the urge to weep. Not that he could weep, even if he wanted to. He felt so alone and so cold, he wanted to talk to Yami again. He wanted to talk to someone else, he wanted to be free and explore. But there was something different about his cold imprisonment that had changed, some kind of a crucial element that changed his outlook. He no longer wanted to find some way to erase himself. He wanted to exist.
He wanted to talk to Yami again.
As long as he had that to look forward to, he no longer wanted to give up. He had a reason to live now, and even if that reason was as trivial as talking to someone, he was going to live because of it. So, he looked around, seeing nothing. For the first time, he didn't care. He had something else to be concentrating on.
He was waiting for his next chat with Yami.