Hey there guys! I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY that this update took so long! To make it up, you're getting another one this Sunday and then again a week from then, and I should be able to update regularly from then on. I'll try to update at least once a week after that(I'm going to get word soon... On ENTIRELY legal premises, I assure you... hehe...) but I might update more often if I get a large amount of reviews. Also, sometime in the next month or so I will have completed a Destiel fanfiction; (Supernatural fandom) so if you're interested in that (I typed it out entirely on my ipod and most of it before I got my computer, which I don't like to do, so I wasn't wasting time when I should have been working on my other stuff, I promise.) So yeah.
Sorry this authors note had been so long.
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
He walked into the supervisor's office the next morning, for the first time in two weeks freshly showered and looking presentable.
"Sir, I think I've found a way that we can make the program succeed." He said confidently, tossing his folders over and onto the supervisor's desk. Maxamillion Pegasus stared up at Yami, raising his eyebrows upwards. How could one boy, who (as far as he was concerned) almost never made any kind of contribution to the project, just stomp into his office and magically have all the answers?
"Okay then. Let's have a look-see." He said flippantly, ready to put this cocky worker back in his place. He picked up the folder and opened it wide, beginning to read Yami's proposal. His brow furrowed as he realized that the first little bit actually made sense.
"How did you…?" He asked, looking up. He'd read only the first page of five, but he could already tell that the information was accurate and would lead to the completion of the project.
"Does it really matter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow of his own. He'd expected some kind of a joyful expression from Pegasus, but instead all he'd gotten was stuttering. He supposed that that was a good thing, though. He was stunned speechless. "We need a body, though. I can't figure out how to make one mature fast enough."
"I can handle that." Pegasus said automatically. "Though I have to ask, what motivated you?"
Yami could hardly think through the relief running through his body. He was going to be able to get Yuugi a body of his own! He smiled widely.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Yami said. Pegasus decided not to question it, instead being grateful for the immense contribution.
"How long did it take for you to find out how to do this?" Pegasus asked instead.
"Two weeks." Yami replied immediately. Pegasus's jaw hit the floor.
"Two weeks? How did you accomplish that?" He asked, shaking his head to clear it. Yami opened his mouth to respond, but Pegasus raised up his hand to signal to him not to talk. He didn't want to ruin his image of the project with knowing that Yami had deprived himself to complete it, because he knew that's what Yami had done. "Never mind, I don't want to know. But You may have the day off, Yami-boy." He said.
Yami hesitated. He would honestly love a day off, but he wanted to talk to Yuugi later, and he couldn't very well do that at home. He shook his head yes, deciding that Yuugi could wait. It had been much too long since he'd had any kind of relaxation time, and he thought that a nice bubble bath and a book was in order.
Of course, If you knew that he took bubble baths to relax, he'd have to kill you. Painfully.
"Okay." He said. Pegasus nodded his head and then gestured towards the door, and Yami followed his silent command, walking out the door.
"Joey, do you think you could catch a ride with Kaiba tonight?" Yami asked, wanting to leave now but also knowing that Joey really needed to stay and help.
"Of course. Why?" Joey asked.
"I get to go home early today." Yami informed him, grabbing his brief case and coat.
"Why?" Joey asked. Yami smiled a bit, thinking about how surprised Joey was going to be. He wondered what Joey had assumed he'd been doing during all of his time, since he hadn't actually gotten a straight answer from Yami yet.
"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." Yami said, a mischievous smile gracing his face. He wanted to see the look on Joey's face when he found out what he'd been doing.
"Well okay then, as long as you tell me eventually." Joey said with a shrug, turning back to his computer. Yami marched out the door and went to his car, impatiently driving through the traffic until he reached his desired destination; home.
As he lay in bed that night, he allowed himself finally to imagine what Yuugi was going to look like. Would he be short, or tall? Would he have large eyes or small eyes? Would his hair be a soft brown, or maybe a dirty blonde, like Joeys? Or even multi-colored, as his own was? It was impossible to guess; he could only think and smile softly to himself. He wanted to tell himself to cut it out, and that he was acting stupid, but he honestly couldn't get over his excitement for finally getting to meet Yuugi. It seemed like all of his dreams were coming true right in front of him.
Well, he had worked hard to bring Yuugi to life, so he had a right to be excited. If you'd worked on something hard for as long as he had, working as hard as he had, you'd be excited when it came, too. He couldn't help the smile that seemed to be permanently situated on his face now.
He fell asleep smiling softly.
If he could've remembered his dreams from that night, he would've known that those too were full of thoughts about Yuugi and what he'd be like, how his voice would sound, how nice it would feel to hug him, once he finally could. It would be the most wonderful feeling in the world.
When he got up in the morning, he rushed to get ready, excitement radiating through him. He got to talk with Pegasus about Yuugi today! He quickly gathered up his work supplies, even deciding to skip making coffee so he'd get to work sooner. He dashed out the door like mad, jumping into his car after carelessly tossing his things into the back.
He sped on the way to work, (narrowly avoiding a speeding ticket, actually) stopping only to pick up Joey, and even then, he was impatient and a little pissed that Joey was taking so long to come out and get in the car. Could that boy move any slower?!
As soon as Joey was in the car, he took off again.
"Whoa there Speed Racer, slow down a bit!" Joey said, gripping the sides of his chair as Yami sped forward. He was, of course, promptly ignored in favor of keeping them from dying. Yami was going fast, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He wouldn't let his best friend die because he couldn't control his need for speed.
They pulled into the parking lot and Yami immediately got out, opening the back door and grabbing his stuff, then walking briskly towards the elevator. Joey ran to catch up as Yami waited impatiently for the elevator to show up where they were.
"What's gotten in to you?!" Joey asked, panting as he finally jogged up beside his apparently crazy best friend. Yami just gave a small smile and ignored him, breathing a sigh of relief as the elevator made the small dinging sound to signal that it was ready to be boarded. He stepped on the elevator, pressing the button without even waiting for Joey to get in. It was a miracle that Joey did get in in time.
"Really, why are you suddenly so enthusiastic to get to work? Don't you typically hate it?" Joey asked, now feeling a creeping feeling of intrigue welling up inside of him. Yami never acted like this before, and he wanted to know what could possibly be so exciting as to bring his friend to this state of happy excitement.
"I can't tell you now." He said honestly, stepping off as the elevator stopped at their floor. He and Joey both got off at the same time, but he was soon a good ten feet in front of Joey again, resisting the urge to run straight into Pegasus's office.
He had to appear normal, though, so he forced himself to walk. He opened the office doors, and his brow immediately crinkled in confusion. There was a third person sitting in the office with Pegasus, and she was holding up a sketch book that was facing towards him. He was smiling widely until he saw Yami, and then his face returned to its naturally blank expression.
"If you'll excuse me for a few minutes Cecelia, I'd like to talk to Yami about your proposition. Thank you for your time." Pegasus commented, shooting her a small smile. Cecelia shook her head in understanding.
"Okay. Just contact us as soon as you can with any information concerning the deal." She told him. He nodded in agreement, and she walked past Yami and out the door. She shut it behind her.
Pegasus gestured for me to come forward, and I did. He sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk, feeling his stomach sink straight to his feet. He was honestly afraid for what he was going to ask.
"It's about RT-57, isn't it?" He asked flatly, trying to keep my emotions in check.
"Yes, it is." Pegasus said. Yami looked down at the ground, trying to swallow the now rising lump in his throat. "I think we've found him a body."
Yami's head snapped up and his eyes had excitement swimming in their depths. He was entirely focused on Pegasus at this point. Pegasus gave a small smile.
"But, there's something you should know." Pegasus said, and Yami flinched. He knew that it was too good to be true… "Cecelia is from the mutations department. When we went out to dinner last night, I mentioned that we needed a body. She actually had a body that they need to bring to life somehow. The government won't let them preform mutations on any real people until they can prove that it won't interfere with basic life functions." He said.
"How bad is it?" Yami asked, making a face. Pegasus smiled and picked up the book that Cecelia had been holding when he walked in, sliding it across the table and within Yami's grasp.
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" Pegasus offered. Yami tentatively opened up the book, closing his eyes until the page was completely opened, giving a deep sigh before he opened up his eyes to assess the damage.
And his jaw hit the floor.
This thing in front of him was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. It was like a smaller version of him, except with every single one of his flaws corrected. His hair was the same bright, tri-colored, slightly sloppy pattern as Yami's, but he had an extra bang in the center of his forehead that hung down just barely into his eyes, which were the most beautiful shade of amethyst he'd ever seen, and he felt like he could get lost in their depths. He wasn't muscled, but he wasn't flabby, either. He had that perfect balance that left a layer of baby fat around his face. He looked like his skin would be as smooth as porcelain. All this was so overwhelming that Yami almost missed the proud pair of black ears and the thin, black tail behind him, which only served to add to his cuteness.
"So, what do you think?" Pegasus asked.
"I think it's beautiful." Yami said, biting his lip.
"So it's a yes?" Pegasus asked hopefully, looking at Yami. "You'd have to give him to that department for a couple of hours each week, but they already have the hormones and everything sorted out."
"I'm not sure. I want to ask the program's permission." Yami said, biting his lip. Pegasus laughed for a moment before he realized that Yami was being serious, and he stopped immediately.
"What do you mean? You found a way to communicate with the program?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. He looked like he was hanging on Yami's every word.
Yami hesitated. It was important that Pegasus knew, though…
"Yes, I did." He said. Pegasus clapped his hands together in joy.
"Really? Yami-boy, that's great! Why don't we go ask him together?" Pegasus suggested. Yami shook his head.
"I want to talk to him alone. Actually, the only way to talk with him is to actually talk out loud. So I'll have to wait until the office is clear tonight." Yami said. Pegasus frowned but shook his head.
"So, you know this program on a personal level?" Pegasus asked.
"In a way, yes. We've only talked a few times. It's been hard to get to know him, since as soon as I figured out it was really him, I threw myself into finding a way to bring him out." Yami told him honestly. Pegasus shook his head, taking the information in stride. "Also, he gave himself a name. He calls himself 'Yuugi'."
"Interesting." Pegasus said, shaking his head. Yami smiled a bit and his eyes filled with unexpressed emotions as he thought about Yuugi.
"How long will it be until he can have his own body?" Yami asked.
"The process will take two weeks once we have confirmation. If we had to make his body from scratch, it would take four years." He said, his tone turning serious. Yami felt like he wanted to faint. He could never go that long knowing that Yuugi was coming and not being able to do anything to speed it up. He prayed that Yuugi would be okay with having cat ears.
"Okay, thank you. I have a feeling it's going to be a yes, though." Yami said. Pegasus smiled at him, and waved goodbye as Yami got up. Yami turned towards the door and walked out, trying to breathe through the mixed emotions.
"Oh, and Yami?" Pegasus said. Yami turned to look back at him.
"You'll be unable to talk to this 'Yuugi' while his data is being transferred." Pegasus said. Yami shook his head yes and walked the rest of the way out, going into the break room and putting his head in his hands. He really didn't want to have to go that long without talking to Yuugi. He didn't want to have to wait that long for him to be here.
He was scared to death that he wouldn't want to go with the body they had ready because of the cat ears. He didn't think that he could wait for years to see him. He wanted to see him now, Ra darnnit!
He waited and waited as everyone slowly trickled out of the lab, the lights shutting off with the last person. Yami barely even noticed that he was alone; he was on his eighth game of solitaire to help entertain himself and keep himself from going crazy. He'd had a small, choppy talk with Joey and listened in on one of his and Kaiba's arguments, but other than that he had been entirely bored the entire time he was forced to wait.
It registered with him that everyone else was gone and he practically ran to his computer, his excitement flowing through him stronger than it ever had before. He couldn't believe that after all that waiting, it was finally here! He was finally able to talk to Yuugi about getting his own body.
After entering the code that would allow him to speak to Yuugi, he eagerly stood back and watched as the screen came to life, buzzing slightly.
"Yuugi, are you there?" He asked out loud, seeing the words flash across the screen.
Yami! I missed you, Yami! Yuugi responded. You talked to me really fast this time!
"That I did. Listen, there's something I want to talk to you about." He said sheepishly.
What is it? Is it good?
"It's… It's very good, Yuugi. We think we've found you a body."
YOU FOUND ME A BODY?!
"Yes, but there are some… complications." Yami said. Yuugi felt hope rise within him. He didn't care about the complications, he might have a body!
I don't care! Yami, I'll get to hug you!
"Yes, but you'll have cat ears and a tail." Yami informed him. Yuugi felt confusion rise up in him.
What are those? Is that a bad thing?
"They're the ears from a cat, they'll go on your head and make you look different from everyone else. The tail will be thin and attached to your lower back, and it'll help you balance." Yami said. "And it will take two weeks for your data to download into the brain."
Oh. Well, different in what way?
"You'll just be different. There's no way to describe it."
Do you think I'd look pretty with cat ears? Yuugi asked, concern going through him. All he really cared about was that Yami thought he was pretty. He wanted to spend as much time with Yami as possible.
"I've seen the pictures, and you'll look absolutely beautiful." Yami said genuinely, blushing a bit. He didn't think he'd have to admit that, and he found it a bit embarrassing for some reason.
As long as you think I'm pretty, that's all that matters to me. Yuugi said. Yami smiled at the innocent, genuine response.
"Okay. The download process should start tomorrow, transferring your programming from the computer to the brain we have designed." Yami said, smiling a bit.
Two weeks is an awful long time. But I'll have you to keep me company. Yuugi sent, feeling a small wave of affection ripple through him.
"I'm afraid not, Little One. We won't be able to talk during the process."
B-But… I want to talk to you! Do we have to?
"I'm afraid so. But when it's all over, we can hug." Yami promised. Yuugi felt sad, but he knew it was a necessary evil to get his body.
Okay. I can't wait. Yuugi sent, feeling a bit dejected. Then again, he had waited this long, he could wait another two weeks.
"Okay. I have to go now." Yami said, giving a light sigh. "I'll see you in two weeks."
Goodnight, Yami. Yuugi said.
Yami clicked the 'x' button at the top right hand corner, giving a sigh as he did so. He didn't want to have to go so long without talking to Yuugi.
He walked out to his car, hopping in and turning the ignition. Joey had caught a ride home with Kaiba yet again, leaving him to drive home alone. He was just fine with that, actually. He hadn't really wanted the company after everything that had happened. He just wanted to close his eyes and think, but of course, they had to stay on the stupid road. Seriously, why had nobody invented a way to teleport yet?
Actually, he took that back. He'd read in a magazine that teleportation had just recently been accomplished by a French scientist, but they were going to be expensive as hell for the first ten years. So he rephrased that thought to, why couldn't someone have invented a way to teleport ten years ago?
He drove home in a few minutes, but the drive felt like it took hours upon hours to complete. Once he got home, he kicked off his shoes and took off his coat, throwing down his briefcase and going to have dinner. When he was done, he walked out to the living room and eyed the stairs warily. But, he knew he had to do something other than sleep on the couch again. His neck had been killing him lately.
So, he walked up the stairs, tiptoeing as if he might wake someone up. Which, of course, was not the case. He lived alone. Actually, how his footsteps seemed to echo off the walls in all directions was incredibly unnerving. He wished briefly that he had someone to share his house with, but then quickly dismissed the thought.
It was ridiculous for him to be thinking about something like that at a time like this.
But he couldn't help but think of what it would be like to have Yuugi in the house. He'd most certainly be fun. He'd probably run around everywhere, and fall asleep in random places just like a cat does. He might try to cook once or twice, but it would turn into a disaster and Yami would teach him how to make cereal instead. They'd stay up late talking about anything he came up with—Yuugi constantly asking questions and Yami constantly answering them. Yuugi's tail would twitch behind him as he listened, and Yami would rub his ears fondly as he talked.
He wondered if Yuugi would have the ability to purr? That could be interesting.
Wait- why was he thinking about bringing Yuugi into his home? That was ridiculous! That was crazy talk! That sounded like the best idea since sliced bread.
It was still crazy, though. He couldn't expect that he could ever take Yuugi home. He was an experiment, and he would need to be studied and kept at the office. Not only that, but Yuugi might not want to live with him, anyways. He didn't know how the boy was about things like that—he might like his privacy to the highest caliber.
Of course, if he did, it wasn't going to be very pleasant to him living back at the facility. Maybe Yuugi would even ask if he could come and live with him? He wondered if he would ever recover from the happiness that would result from such a request, or if he would be doomed to walking around with a smile the size of Jupiter on his face for the rest of his existence.
Somehow, he didn't think he'd care either way.
He shook his head to clear it, mentally scowling at himself. He was a scientist! He needed to get his head together and stop going off into fantasy land about something so stupid. Yes, he liked Yuugi, but not enough to live with him! It would be a bad idea to even try and make something like that work, especially when he could so easily say the wrong thing and mess with Yuugi's emotions, causing the project to fail in some way.
He lay down in bed that night, happier than he'd been in ages, but with a twisting knot of anticipation in his stomach growing with every second. Finally, he managed to fall asleep despite, and he finally had peace.
The next day, he came into work and told Pegasus the good news.
"Yami, darling, I have a favor to ask of you." Pegasus purred. Yami shook his head up and down once to show that he comprehended and urge Pegasus to continue. "When Yuugi wakes up, he'll be severely frightened. The senses he'll have will be overwhelming. Since you know him personally, I'd enjoy it if you'd be there when he wakes up."
"I was planning on it. I wouldn't miss this for anything." Yami said, devotion shining in his eyes. Pegasus clapped his hands together and shook his head.
"He'll be transferring in room 2-D, so if you'd like to visit him while the transfer is taking place, all the bloody things should be done in the first three days." Pegasus said. Yami felt a small shiver go up his spine. Even if Yuugi wouldn't be able to feel it, he still hated that there was going to be a small 'bloody' phase. It was a necessary evil, though.
"That would be most appreciated." Yami said, tilting his head downwards as a sign of respect. Pegasus had organized all this himself, so Yami had to be extremely grateful for his contribution.
"Now, why don't you take the next week off? You've worked so hard, and I'm starting to worry that work is becoming an obsession for you." Pegasus said with a chuckle.
"I don't want to take off work, I want to be able to watch the transfer after the initial bloody stage." Yami said bravely. Pegasus gave a little laugh and made a dismissive gesture with his hand, effectively writing off Yami's words.
"Oh shush, everything will be fine without you here. Plus, you have to go on some kind of a vacation this year or I'll have the government on my tail again." Pegasus said. Yami knew at that point that it wasn't an option; it was an order. He was going to take a vacation and he was going to like it, no matter what.
"Okay. I'll go get my things." He said with a deep sigh. Pegasus smiled widely.
"Great! I'll see you back in a week!" He said. Yami began to leave, but Pegasus cleared his throat, causing Yami to turn and look at his superior. "I figure you could use something to keep you entertained." Pegasus said sweetly, tossing a file over the table.
Yami tentatively opened them up, seeing that the first few pages were pictures of Yuugi. After that, though, it had extensive research data from the other department about what the genetic changes made could do to him. He looked up at Pegasus with wide eyes.
"This should be top secret information. Why are you giving it to me?" Yami asked.
"Well, we need someone to know what we're up against. To determine if our work has any flaws, we need to make sure that everything considered out of the ordinary that he's doing is normal for him being in the partially warped body. So, I got the behavioral information."
"Thank you. I'm honored you'd trust me with information from your girlfriend's department." Yami said, looking down to hide his smile.
"Oh I assure you we're not like that!" Pegasus said, sounding slightly flustered.
"No, but you have intentions to be." Yami informed him. There was a long pause.
"I'm certain now that I chose the right person for the observation job." Pegasus said with a chuckle. "You're right, as always. Now get out of my office."
Yami did as he was told, walking over to his computer and grabbing all the documentation before promptly running to his car.
He read through the files that night.
He'd learned a mountain of things that he'd never need to know about cat behaviors Yuugi could possibly have, such as scratching with his hind legs, extreme flexibility, (No, Yami was NOT drooling as he read that part) (Okay, maybe a little) easily startled, he would always land on his feet when dropped, his teeth may be a bit sharper than regular humans, he would require more sleep, and have an incredibly high self-preservation instinct.
Oh, and he could have the tendency to reach out and grab your feet as you walked by.
He sounded adorable, but a bit troublesome. Yami wondered how he was supposed to take care of a thing like that. It was going to be difficult, but then again, it sounded like fun, too. He couldn't resist giving a deep sigh and practically swooning when he thought about how great it would be to have Yuugi there.
Of course, the week of waiting was torture.
All Yami did was pace around the house, eat food, and drive himself absolutely insane with waiting. He watched television, played solitaire with himself fifty two and a half times, and made a tumblr. Which he promptly abandoned, because he could tell that if he didn't, it would slowly take over his life and he'd no longer have any motivation to get anything done.
He finally walked in after his week of break, (with his sanity barely intact) and was immediately swarmed with people congratulating him on figuring it out and thanking him for finally getting it done, some even asking how he did it. He ignored them completely, stomping to his desk and being followed by the ridiculous mob of stupid people.
"I'M GOING TO GO CHECK ON THE PROJECT." He announced loudly, his commanding voice cutting through their pointless chatter. They all cut off speaking and stared at him blankly. "If any one of you follows me, I will personally see to it that you end up fired or at the bottom of a lake." He announced. Slowly, the group scooted back and made a path through them so that he could reach the door.
Yami walked through them with his head held high, marching right out the door. He stopped for a moment to look at the large directory, eyes scanning it for the room where his prize was held. He finally found it and immediately went to the elevator, hopping in and shutting the doors behind him. He closed his eyes once inside, trying to control his excitement. He was actually going to get to meet Yuugi!
Well, look at his body. It would still be another week before he would actually get to meet him.
He approached the door and yanked it open, entering as fast as he could.