Who's appreciative of Daylight Savings? I need that extra hour, thank you very much.

I'm going to have it tough this month, but on the bright side, I only have one final exam this semester. Go, go, go!

081 – candle flame
By – Hime no Ichigo

Written for 100_wangsts, a LJ community/writing challenge. This is theme 081.

Genre: General
Rating: G
Pairings: Yami + Yuugi, guardian-protégé angle
Story Type: Drabble/one-shot
Summary: Darkness is merely the absence of light, as coldness is the absence of warmth.

Disclaimer: See anything you recognize? Then it's not mine.

Spoilers: Chapters 144-145 of the manga (because the anime did it injustice).

Warnings: Spoiler-y-ish, see above.

Darkness is merely the absence of light, as coldness is the absence of warmth.

The spirit of the Puzzle wears a hole in the bricks of his soul-room, but there is no physical evidence; it is his mind, after all, and he is the master of it. He cannot pinpoint the exact source of his agitation – there seems to be too many all at once – but he only knows that he has steadily ignored persistent mental knocks on his door, and nothing has been solved. Yet.

He notices the silence – and he finds himself more surprised than he should be. He is asleep then, the spirit concludes, after stealing a quick peek into the room opposite his. Logical, after the events of late...

Part of the cause of his distress, however, lies right there, and he has no means of obtaining peace until – possibly – never, because he senses his aibou has enough on his mind already, and it will not do for him to add on to the pile. He paces a different circle in another part of the maze, reflecting.

Yesterday had not been a good day. He had been disconnected from his aibou, introducing an intense and rare (though not unheard of) period of having everything cut off: no sight, no sounds, no feelings. He had momentarily panicked at first; after having a taste of freedom he had no desire to be trapped again, so soon. Aibou, aibou, you will come?

And indeed, he had come, their brief reunion cut short by the pressure of the fire surrounding them. He had sensed the urgency in his aibou when he fit piece after piece flawlessly, the only stumbling block the chain he had teased him about only hours before. He could not help – could not have helped. It had made him worried, guilty.

It strikes the spirit that he is, after everything is said and done, simply something that does not belong in this world. The thought does not terrify him.

But he is also aware that he is nothing without Yuugi. Yuugi, on the other hand, is perfectly capable of living without his interference.

That alone makes him stop, and he willingly lets the maze take him in, to avoid thinking of consequences. That can wait until – hopefully – forever.

- Owari -

Story Word Count: 381

Authoress Notes: What can I say, I like angsty!Yami. Hee.

Also, as you've probably noted, the theme only inspired how the fire started in the manga. Yes, I'm lazy.

posted 11/07/10