Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Bonds that Bind Us ❯ Fly Away ( Chapter 4 )

Toboe LoneWolf: Well folks, this is it. *shrugs* I originally planned for this to be a bunch of vignettes, but so far they're vaguely connected to each other for some odd reason. It seems wrong to continue; that is, write something on Bakura and Ryou or Ishtar and Malik. What I'm saying is that this is the last piece, so to speak. A vague conclusion to all the Yami and Yugi bonding. The plans I had for Bakura and Ishtar I will write as one-shots.

Disclaimer: Toboe LoneWolf does not own YGO, any of the song bits, or the ever-pervasive fluffiness. XD
Originally posted on fanfiction.net

I've been going round and round in my mind on what song should go in the last chapter, and finally I just threw up my hands and put all of them in. Which makes for a very strange, vaguely-connected fic, but whatever. Song snippits: "Fill My Cup" by Paul Colman Trio; "Deeper Still" by Scott Krippane; "Dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman; "Open Up the Sky" by FFH; and "Fly Away" by FFH. No own, but love indeed. *scratches head* Though I don't think I'm very good at integrating 'em all, or even on the song-fic concept in general. *shrugs*

So here we go. Finale. Tied forever.

Fly Away

Laughter echoed down the room and in the hallways and reverberated through the two souls.

Yes, this is how it should be.

Yugi laughed, and pulled Yami along. "Come on! There's still more!" Yugi flung open a door. "Look at this!"

A memory, of Yugi and Yami at Christmas time long ago, Yugi trying to throw snowballs at Yami's nonexistent body. Snow was lightly falling down, covering Domino with fluffy crystals of light. The two were laughing and smiling, feeling the joy of Christmas.

"One sided snowball fights, eh?" Yami grinned. "That was fun, aibou. Care to try it again this year?"

Yugi grinned back. "Ooohh Yami, you're going to regret that. You've only had your body for three months."

"I learn quickly." Yami smirked, and grabbed Yugi's arm. "Show me more!"

More laughter and teasing. Yugi was showing Yami his soulroom, just like how Yami had shown Yugi his over a year ago.

It'd been a chance remark from Yami that led them to this.

"You know, aibou…I've never seen your soulroom."

"Nani?"

Yami turned off the TV. "You've been in my soulroom countless times. We both know what it's like. But I've never been in yours."

Yugi blinked. "You're right."

Yami grinned, and grabbed Yugi's hands. "Show me, hikari. Show me your soulroom."

Fill my cup to the top with running water
Call me out and show me how

Funny how Yami had never been in Yugi's soulroom. Hikari and yami, bonded forever, and yet one of them had never seen the other's true self…

Yugi's soulroom was the equal and opposite of his other self. While his darker half's soulroom was filled with shadows and dark passageways and aged stone, Yugi's was bright and filled with colors, with the innocence that was such a part of Yugi running through the place, though both of them had stairways that led everywhere. Yugi's soul was just as large as his other half.

After all, they are two in one.

Yami could never describe it. How could he have never known his aibou's soul? He known the sense of it, yes, and felt its depth…but he'd never actually walked in his hikari's soul. He walked in wonder, the sheer presence of Yugi calming his own mind, like it had done time and time again. Yugi's soul was as open and bright as he thought.

"Is there no end to your brightness, little one?" Yami murmured.

Yugi turned around, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Yami swept out an arm. "This. Your light. It…never ends. Where does it come from? Why are you so bright, hikari?"

Yugi answered with his own question. "Why are you so dark, Yami?"

Yami blinked. "Because that is what I am."

"Then there you go." Yugi smiled.

Yami smiled back, and pulled on Yugi's arm again. "Show me more, hikari. Show me the truth. Show me the depth and brightness of your soul."

Take me deep enough where I can see
The bottom of your heart
Deep enough that I can know your will
Take me deep enough to know that we
Will never be apart
When I get there take me deeper still

And they ran on, deeper into Yugi's soul. Laughing and playing, remembering the happy times of long ago. While Yami's soulroom seemed to promote pondering and deep thought, Yugi's soulroom produced laughter and cheeriness. No wonder Yugi was never down for long.

Suddenly, Yugi stopped.

"What is it, Yugi?"

Yugi pointed in front of them. The hallway they'd been walking along just ended, cutting off like a cliff. But instead of simply ending in darkness, there seemed to be a sheet of light. Like a bright white backdrop that ended the hallway and opened…elsewhere. It…pulsed, its glow brightening and fading like a heartbeat.

Yami walked over and reached out a hand. He pulled it back as he felt the heat emanating from…someplace. "You've never seen this before, Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head. "What is it?"

Yami could see magic swirling around this, this endway, but unlike the shadow magic he knew, it was magic of a different kind, magic that his people associated with holy power… and somehow, what lay beyond that cliff felt familiar to Yami. Something that he'd known for a long time…ever since Yugi solved the Puzzle…

"Yugi," Yami said slowly. "Can you sense what lies down there?"

"Well, it feels familiar, but not anything that I know of." Yugi walked closer, and got down on his knees to look over the edge. Just sheer, pure white. "It doesn't feel dangerous or anything, but it's like…it's been here all this time and I knew about it but I don't know it…"

Yami closed his eyes, and felt the magic. Yes, it was familiar. He had seen it before. But where…then it came to him. Yami stared at the brightness, incredulous. It couldn't be…but that was the only way…

"I think it's a entranceway to our bond."

"What?!" Yugi turned around, looking up.

"You know there is a bond between us," Yami explained. "Well, apparently this…cliff…leads to it. It has the same feel; the same sense. That is why it feels familiar to both of us, though exactly what lies beyond it I do not know."

Yugi grinned. "Wanna find out?" He got up and stepped forward, looking over the edge.

Yami slowly smiled, and took Yugi's hand. "We'll never know unless we try."

The light around them pulsed, strong and steady. Taking a deep breath, holding tight onto each other's hand, they jumped off-- and dove in.

I'm diving in, I'm going deep in over my head, I want to be
Caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head, I want to go
The river's deep, the river's wide, the river's water is alive
So sink or swim, I'm diving in

They fell, deeper and deeper, colors flashing and light swirling, until they lost all knowledge of being and everything just is.

And they flew.

Flew on ephemeral wings of white, shimmering and luminous. Soaring high, twisting and looping, rejoicing in the wonder of flight. To fly on wings, lifting their souls in joy. They flew straight up, feeling wind stream back behind them, only to dive back down with wings closed, weaving and intertwining a dance in the air. Flying separately they flew as one.

Here, they were Hikari and Yami, Light and Dark. This is what made them that way, the bond that bound them together. A bond that ran deep and strong, forged from time beyond. Here, they were one.

And rain poured down over them, washing them clean. For a moment they stopped, and hovered, tilting back and letting the warm water run down their face.

Open up the sky, rain down your love
I don't care if I never get enough
I just want to be caught in that flood
So open up the sky, yeah
Open up the sky

Slowly everything faded away. They opened their eyes and found themselves back in the real world, snuggled against the couch.

It was raining outside, lightly tapping against the window.

No words were spoken, both of them remembering how it was to fly.

"Wow."

"Indeed."

"Did that really happen?" Yugi looked down at his hand. "Did we really fly?"

Yami chuckled. "Of course we did did. And now we know just how deep our bond truly is."

"And now you've seen my soul."

"…Think we could do that again?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "You had to ask?"

And all together we'll fly away
Oh how I long for the day
When we'll fly away

Yami yawned and stretched out his arms. He looked over his shoulders. "Funny. I can feel my wings, but I know they're not there…"

"That's because we flew in our minds," Yugi said sleepily. He leaned back against the sofa and curled his arms around a pillow, resting his head on its plushiness.

Yami grumbled and sat back down. "It was a nice thought," he said wistfully.

Yugi lifted his head from the pillow "We're not done yet."

"We're not?" Yami quirked an eyebrow.

Yugi laughed. "Mou hitori no boku, other half of my soul, did you truly think that it would end? There's still more to show you. Besides," Yugi turned around and looked into Yami's eyes, "We've only touched the surface. We've only just begun."

"So, there is more?" Yami whispered.

For just a moment, Yami could see wings outstretched, cupping around them both. "There is always more," Yugi whispered back.

--Finale--