1- Ann, thanks a lot!

2- YGO!Zexal is not mine!

3- Sorry for any mistakes...

4- Things in italic are memories.

5- Hope someone enjoy it!

Yuma sat on the floor, holding between his fingers a small piece of colored paper.

He sighed, closing his eyes, remembering what had happened earlier in the school: some kids had mocked his dream to become the champion of the duel monsters. They were cruel, even catching some of the kid's cards, who was now hiding in his own room, fighting against the urge to cry and the thought that, in fact, he was weak.

~xxxx*xxxx~

"Yuma, come here a second..."

The little boy of just 8 years quickly rose from the couch, running across the room towards the porch where his mother was waiting with a gentle hug.

It was a hot day and the wind was blowing slowly, shaking the sheets hanging on the clothesline. At the Tsukumo's home only Mirai and Yuma were there.

The woman kneeled until her eyes were on the same height of the red ones, smiling in a way that the boy could not decipher; was somewhere between concern and affection.

"You see that piece of paper?" - she asked, showing the object - "Today I'll teach you to make a folding shaped bird. A tsuru".

~xxxx*xxxx~

The boy was folding and crumpling the paper, until, after a while, he managed to visualize the shape of a bird. It was a little crooked and torn, but a comfortable feeling invaded the little one, making him smile. That had been his first tsuru.

~xxxx*xxxx~

"See? It's easy to make one " – Mirai said, handing to her infant son the origami.

The boy grabbed the folded paper as if it were a flower, but before he could run into the house and start practicing his mother began to talk:

"You know that have a legend that says..." - she paused, her eyes suddenly saddened – "That if you make a thousand of those tsurus you can make a wish come true."

"Really Mom?" – the surprise and excitement of the boy could not be higher - "And if I ask for... Earn a super rare card of dueling monsters?"

Mirai laughed, running a hand through Yuma's spiked hair.

"Any desire, even be the king of games!"

The boy's red eyes glowed, as if they were rubies.

"But I would like to ask one thing..." - again the woman's voice became low and even painful - "Make an origami every time you feel sad".

Yuma did not understand the reason for such request, but he agreed.

~xxxx*xxxx~

The years passed and the Tsukumo grew.

Inside the attic, where now was the teen's room, under the net, hidden among the boxes, cobwebs and darkness was a glass jar filled with various made foldings. Each contained the form of a bird, but in different colors.

Yuma had just come from school, passing by his grandmother and going into the attic, with his head down and dragging his feet.

The boy hadn't had a good day; Shark, the school bully, had broken his key-shaped pendant, his precious gift, one of the only memories that Yuma had from their parents. All that joy and love for life that the Tsukumo had seemed to vanished, escaped through the boy's fingers, who was now fighting back the tears that insisted on going down by his cheeks.

Before Yuma felt that he could achieve any desire, accomplish everything he wanted, become the person that he always wanted to be, but more importantly, felt he could meet his parents. All this because of that strange pendant.

Yuma stared at the gold object, noticing the cracks and as a great part had been abruptly broken. The boy closed his fingers around the pendant, sighing as he wiped the tears.

Now he couldn't fly to his dreams.

Slowly, Yuma stretched until he could get a huge glass jar, bringing it close to him.

He opened the pot, pouring the various tsurus which were there. There were so many that the floor of the attic almost disappeared beneath all those origami.

Yuma then took a flat piece of paper that was still stored inside the glass jar, beginning to fold it.

"Make an origami every time you feel sad".

At each folding the boy was remembering; Shark taking Tetsuo's deck. Shark holding his collar. Shark crushing the pendant. The laughs, the feeling of impotence, a voice saying to him: you're nothing but a loser.

He felt so angry, but at the same time he knew that wasn't good to hold this feeling.

Finally the Tsukumo finished the folding, making a little paper bird.

That if you make a thousand of those tsurus you can make a wish come true

Red eyes widened and Yuma took the recipient where the origamis were before, seeing that there was attached a number indicating how many folds were already made.

With only thirteen Yuma had several difficult situations and those origamis told each one of these stories...

999. 999 Tsurus. And with that, a thousand.

The boy's heart skipped a beat.

He finally could make his request, he would have what he most desired.

But then there were so many things that Yuma wanted... Like to see his parents again, hold them, smile with them, walking around the streets, going camping, dueling and even study with them. But he also wanted to have his pendant back... He wanted to feel that he could reach everything; that he would be enough to raise his hands to touch the sky. At the same time his heart felt extremely lonely... He had his family, friends… But the Tsukumo couldn't share with them everything he felt, all his desires...

"I want..." - Yuma suddenly lost his voice. He didn't know what to ask. A knot was forming in the boy's throat.

"I want..." - squeezed between the fingers the last tsuru, gritting his teeth - "I want someone!"

He said almost without thinking, keeping his eyes closed.

Yuma remained seated on the attic floor, waiting for some kind of miracle. But nothing happened.

~xxxx*xxxx~

"No matter how much I fail, no matter I get laughed at... I was always pop flying because I always believed in myself!"

At that moment a light flashed, blinding Yuma for a few seconds, leading the teen to the giant door which always appeared in his dreams. At that moment the key, his precious pendant, was remade as if it was magic, and a voice said to Yuma open the gate. At that moment something happened, and the teen opened his eyes, finding himself next to a blue-skinned alien being.

Nobody said, but it was at that moment that his wish came true.

One more one-shot! xD Well, I'll be, probably, adding the next chapter of my multi-chapters fics during this week :]

Review please? o/