Wings of Time

A Running Memory

Though it had let up during the day to haze over the world like a grey blanket, the rain came down in torrents late that afternoon, bringing with it an early nightfall. Yugi didn't mind the rain. There was something comforting about being safe and warm inside while a storm raged outside. Finding himself feeling awkward and tongue twisted before the quiet Aleah, he escaped upstairs to his room, where he sat wrapped up tightly in his comforter. A flash of light with an accompanying boom gave the impression of a sky warring with itself. Sighing, he tucked the comfort up to his chin, and just watched.

Yami felt no need to disturb his peace. He had his own thoughts to turn to. So Yugi found one of the rare occasions when he was truly alone, but not in a bad way.

He didn't know what the white girl's place was. Was she to be a friend? A stranger who came and went? So far he still knew little to nothing about her besides the fact that she somehow found comfort in his presence. It was probably because he appeared so harmless. In a way, he was. Completely harmless. It didn't bother him thought. Still...who was this girl? Should he even bother?

A flash lit up his world. Slowly, he began to count. Three seconds later a boom rattled the house. He smiled as he felt it. He almost missed the quiet knock on his door.

"Come in!"

A pale face peered in. Before he could reconsider allowing her in, Aleah slipped in, still dressed in the shorts and shirt Tea had leant her. They hung on her a few sizes too big.

"Aleah." he said as greeting. "There's another blanket in the closet if you want to watch the storm with me. It can get rather cold up here."

With a bashful smile she retrieved said blanket and wrapped up across from him to the point he could only see the puff of her white hair and those big round eyes.

"Yugi..." she said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I..." her voice trembled. "I don't know what to do."

He tried to give her a reassuring smile, because in all honesty, he didn't know what to do either. It was a feeling he was use to, though.

Another flash of lightening lit up the room. This time Yugi counted two and a half seconds between the boom and the flash. The storm had to be right above them.

"I...I think I'm remembering." she continued softly. "But...it hurts. It's making my head spin. One minute I'm remembering running in the rain, a lot like this, and the next I'm standing in a sun so hot with sand going on as far as the eye can see. Then I'm, then I'm..." the bundle of blankets shook. "Then things I don't remember at all. It sounds so true, but...they're things that are me, memory of me, but...not of me."

Yugi stared at her. The last paragraph had been the most she had spoken at one time since they had found her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. But it...it scares me. I feel like I know myself, but right before I can grasp an exact memory, it tends to slip away. It's becoming more solid though and," she looked up from the floor to look at him. Her eyes were bright in the dim streetlights. "I'm not suppose to be here, Yugi. I meant...I meant to go home. But now I'm farther from home than ever before, and after how hard I tried to get out...get out..."

"Get out where?"

"Out of the past...where he was."

Instantly he felt Yami in him awaken and tune his attention in. He inwardly squirmed beneath the attention and hoped Yami had the sense to not come out and ruin the progress.