Wings Are More Than We Thought They Could Be (Old version)

Chapter One

After Yugo was done crying, he stood up shakily...and threw up all over the place. Nox and Qilby, looking worried, hurried over to him. Qilby started to clean up the mess, while Nox held him up. "Yugo... we're sorry. We didn't realize the effects our battles would have on you," Qilby said, slowly, hesitantly, reaching over to grasp Yugo's hand. Exhausted, Yugo let him, then wakfu started rushing through his body, giving him energy. Then Qilby stepped back a bit, and Nox slowly put Yugo in the chair he was in a minute ago. 

Yugo watched them, confused. "What do you mean? What's your fault? They both sighed and looked at him sadly. "Yugo... during our battles with you, we accidentally gave you a rare disease that only Eliatropes get. Unfortunately, your disease is even further along than we suspected... you see, there are five stages. Stage one is time lapses, stage two is burning wings, stage three is being unable to eat without large amounts of pain, stage four is blindness, and stage five is extraordinary sickness followed by painful death. You are on stage three, which is further along then we suspected. Just as a thing, the blindness will go on for a few months before stage five hits. Okay, first of all, we want to know when you started having time lapses." 

Qilby leaned forward in his seat, looking nervous. Yugo tried to think... when was it... oh yeah... "A few hours after the battle with Nox. I blinked and suddenly it was dark out. I assumed that I had just fallen asleep, but when they kept happening, I guessed that something was wrong." They looked a little unsettled, then Nox asked the next question. "When did stage two begin?"

Yugo smiled, glad that this one would be easy. "Three hours before I fought Qilby. I was in my room, so I took my hat off so that I could relax, because of how warm and comforting they felt, only to burn my hand and give myself a migraine. Ever since then, I haven't been able to touch my wings." Qilby nodded, looking nervous. "Yugo... we're going to bring you home now, but we will communicate with you through dreams, understand? Good... Farewell." 

"Wait! Don't go! I have more questions!" Yugo shouted, but it was too late, and he knew no more.

                                                                                         .oOo.

Adamaï felt a sudden surge of wakfu, and startled, knocking over his coffee cup. Everybody in the room, Dally, Eva, Amalia, Ruel, Alibert, Az, and the King startled. "What's wrong, Adamaï?" Amalia asked kindly. "It's Yugo! I found him! He needs help!" With that, Adamaï flew out after the signal as fast as he could without loosing the people following.

                                                                                           .oOo.

Yugo woke up slowly, unaccustomed to anything half as soft as the surface that he was lying on after a week of sleeping on the ground of the white dimension. He groaned, and rolled off his bed, but relaxed as soon as he hit the nice, comfortable floor. Wait... Nox! Qilby! There aren't any beds in the white dimension! Where was he?

His eyes flew open wide in panic, as he jumped up off the floor, only to stop as soon as he saw where he was. "I-I'm home?" Startled, he blinked a few times, then looked around, shaking. He guessed that after he'd hit his head, then Nox and Qilby had brought him to the real world, and someone must have found him and brought him there. Probably Adamaï, but it could be someone else, like Ami, Eva, Dally, even a random stranger!

Yugo was interrupted when his belly rumbled, reminding him that it was very hungry, and would like some food, now. 

He sighed, plopping down on the too-soft bed, only to get up and open the door when his stomach rumbled again. Giving in, he opened the door a crack and peeked out. Nobody there. That was good. Opening the door just enough to allow his skinny frame out, He crept into the hallway silently, the only noise being the drumming of rain against the roof, and quiet chattering from downstairs. 

He heard Amalia ask "Do you think that Yugo will wake up soon?" He had no way of telling who she was talking to, so he strained his ears for whoever answered. To his surprise, the first one to answer was Adamaï, sounding sad. "I don't know, Ami." Evangelyne piped in, adding to his sentence. "I wonder what he went through during the week he was missing." Ruel answered her in a roundabout way that didn't actually answer the question, but helped Yugo figure out what happened. "Well, whatever it was, it was bad enough to put him in a coma for three days." 

At this, Yugo gasped almost silently. He had been in the white dimension for a week, then in a coma for three days? What caused that? However, it seemed that he didn't gasp quietly enough, as Amalia's father and brother looked in his direction briefly immediately afterwards, but saw nothing, as they didn't come over or look back in his direction for the remainder of the meal.

He crept up to his room, where he sat on the edge of his bed and waited for somebody to find him.

He blinked.

Suddenly it was dark out, and the door was beginning to open. Yugo jumped, startled. He must have had a time lapse. They were growing more common as his illness ( Et In Alis Morbus, or The Disease of Wings, as it was apparently known) progressed.

Adamaï entered slowly, his eyes on the ground. Yugo grinned at him. "Hello, Brother!" He called out cheerfully. Adamaï's head snapped up. "Brother?" He breathed softly, startled at the sight of Yugo up and awake and well. 

Yugo waved cheerfully. "Hi!" 

.oOo.

Yugo turned a one-handed cartwheel, then turned and grinned at Adamaï. "See? I can too do a cartwheel." Adamaï smiled back. "I never doubted you!" Yugo turned another.  Adamaï watched, smiling. It had been two weeks since Yugo had returned. He hadn't said a word about what had happened, and Adamaï didn't ask. 

Yugo stopped suddenly. "Hey, Brother?" Adamaï snapped to attention. "Yes?" Yugo turned to smile at him. "Can you keep a secret?" Adamaï's eyes widened. "Of course, Brother. Of course." 

Yugo's smile was brilliant, but his moves were hesitant. He was scared.

.oOo.

"Listen, Adamaï! Please, just STOP! Okay? I'm not about to break! I'm not about to die! I don't need you hovering over me every second of the rest of my life! When I get sick enough to actually need your help, then you can follow me around to your heart's desire, but until then, STOP, please!" 

Adamaï looked startled. Yugo had turned on him in the middle of the hallway, shouting, and he had no clue how to react. Yugo sighed. "Listen, Brother, I appreciate it. Really, I do. But I'm fine. I don't need care like this yet. I'm still only on stage three, and I won't need help until stage four." He sighed. "Listen, Adamaï.  I appreciate this. I really do. But I'm fine. Once I really need help, then you can help me all that you want, okay? But until then, I need some space. I'm not an invalid yet, and... I'm scared, Adamaï. And you following me makes me even more scared."

After that talk, Adamaï stopped following Yugo everywhere, but he was always close by, just in case. He watched from a distance, making sure not to stifle his little brother. After all, he wanted to protect him, not kill him.

He watched as Yugo walked down the street, talking with Amalia. It was so obvious that his brother had a crush on her that it was funny. But honestly, he thought that Yugo could do better. Sure, he liked Amalia, but she didn't seem to be an ideal choice for a mate. First of all, she wasn't willing to wait for him, and that was the biggest no of all.

There was much more, but the bottom line was, Adamaï did not approve.

Amalia reached for Yugo's hat, but he ducked, laughing and ran away. Not for the first time, Adamaï wondered why his brother never ever took his hat off.