Nightmares

First off, a great big thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! **hugshugs** I feel like I'm walking a fine line, trying to make this realistic without turning it into a Reader's Digest "Very Special Story." Nothing's ever as simple as those stories make things out to be.

BTW, Yugi's fear over his first trip to the doctor was inspired by a friend's four-year-old, who thought a "booster shot" involved something akin to darting and tagging, like they dth wth wild animals (and like I have long threatened to do to some of the people I work with who nev never ever where they're supposed to be! :-)

No warnings except for extreme cuteness - a couple more flashbacks. I'm starting to think I should write some stories about Yugi when he was little - they're coming out funny.

BTW, did anyone see this month's issue of Shonen Jump with Yugi and his Tamogatchi? Was that too cute or what? (and check out Jou's inadvertantly hentai suggestion - you know the WB would never have allowed THAT! I couldn't stop laughing....) And I think Yami should find Yugi's digital pet in the Shadow Realm and bring him back----

Disclaimer: Nope, they're not mine. Siiiiiiiighhhhhh.....

******************************************************************************


"Everyone has bad dreams when they're sick," Solomon said.

"These were --- different, though---" Yugi said softly, then looked down at the floor. "Ji-chan? What were my mother and father like?"

Solomon was taken aback, to say the least. "They --- Yugi, why do you ask?"

"I think I was dreaming about them," he said, sitting down in one of the chairs, not looking up. "They were always yelling at each other and fighting, ahen hen they'd say it was my fault---" He was rapidly losing the nerve he'd spent most of the afternoon working up. "And then my father --- he-----"

"Shhh, it's okay." Solomon went to him and ruffled his hair. "Your parents --- didn't get along all that well, Yugi," he admitted. "That was why you came to live with me when you were little."

"I thought it was because they died in an --- accident?" Yugi's tone was confused rather than angry.

"That --- was later," Solomon said, hating himself for lyio hio his beloved grandson, but still unable to fully face the painful truth after all these years. What was he supposed to tell Yugi? That his father had beaten his mother to death, then kept whaling on her until the police arrived and blew his brains out? And all right in front of you, Yugi, although you were so freaked out that you don't remember any of it?

"How old was I when I came here?" Yugi asked after a moment, seeing the pain resurface in his grandfather's eyes. It frightened him. What if his worst fears were correct and that nightmare was true? What if ---- he pushed the thought asi

"Barely four," Solomon said, smiling as he remembered....

~*~

Solomon groaned in annoyed frustration. He'd just worked for ten minutes to get a large heavy box open, only to be greeted with an ocean of packing peanuts. This was turning into a very bad day---

"Whacha doin?\tinytiny, blanket-carrying chibi suddenly inquired, standing on tiptoes but still not quite able to see into the box.

Solomon's annoyance and frustration evaporated in a warm rush of affectionate amusement. It was impossible to have a bad day with Yugi around. It had only been four and a half months but already Solomon couldn't imagine life without him. "I'm not sure yet. I think I'm about to make a big mess."

"Can I help?" Yugi looked up at him iner ier innocence, big violets los looking ever-so-slightly crossed.

Solomon had to laugh. "Of course."

Yugi tried to climb up on the box to see into it. His huge eyes lit up even more. "Ji-chan, look! It's snow!" he exclaimed excitedly. "They sent us---" He broke off with a startled squeak as he lost his balance and fell in, vanishing completely in a flurry of packing peanuts.

"Yugi?" Solomon did his best not to laugh, fearing for a moment that Yugi might have hurt himself. He needen't have worried. Yugi resurfaced a moment later, looking very puzzled, his disheveled, tri-colored hair festooned with Styrofoam.

"Ji-chan? This is vewy weird snow---" he said, picking up a double handful and looking at it in bewilderment. He'd almost mastered the letter L but still had twouble with his R's. "Is it Amewican snow?"

Solomon had to laugh. "It's not snow, baby. It's called packing peanuts. They use it so stuff won't break."

"It doesn't look wike peanuts---" Yugi said, even more confused.

"No, it doesn't, does it?" Solomon agreed, still smiling, reaching down to scoop Yugi out of the box. "Hey, how does a chocolate milk break sound? We can finish making a big mess later."

"Okay!" Yugi said, snuggling close.

~*~
"When does he go back to the healer's, Mutou-san?" Yami asked. It was a couple of hours later and Yugi was in bed, at Yami's insistance. Not that he'd had to insist very much. Yugi was still shaky and rather weak, easily tired out.

"Monday afternoon," Solomon replied, looking around from loading the dishwasher, remembering the first time he'd taken Yugi to the doctor......


~*~

Solomon walked into the overly rfulrful waiting room, carrying his terrified grandson. It was time for what was most likely Yugi's first-ever checkup, which would undoubtedly involve shots. Solomon had warned him about it that morning, not wanting to spring a nasty surprise on the little one.

"May I help you?" the receptionist said, then smiled at Yugi, who was clinging to Solomon and his blanket with his thumb corked tightly in his mouth. "Well, aren't you cute!"

Solomon smiled, touching Yugi's little nose with his free hand. "I think he'd rather be somewhere else though, right baby?" He looked back at the receptionist. "We're here for a ten o' clock -- Mutou."

"Okay," she said, checking the computer, then handing him the obligatory clipboard. "If you could just fill this out and bring it back up to the desk when you're finished."

Solomon took the clipboard, sitting down on a small loveseat and setting Yugi down next to him. "Do you want a book? There's some over there."

Yugi shook his head. Solomon ruffled his hair, then td tod to the clipboard.

"J--Ji-chan?" Yugi sniffled after a moment.

"What's the matter, baby?" Solomon set the clipboard aside and pulled Yugi onto his lap.

Yugi choked on a frightened sob. "Is --- is it gonna hurt a wot?"

"Is what going to hurt a lot?" Solomon stroked his little one's hair back.

"Wh-when they shoot me are they gonna use a weal big gun?" Yugi looked down, shaking, trying to choke back tears.

"Are they---?' It took Solomon mentment, then he was horrified. "Yugi, baby, it's not a gun! It's a needle---" He hugged the little one tight. "I'm sorry. I should have told you that before." No wonder Yugi was so scared. "They use a needle to give you medicine so you won't get things like the measles or whooping cough or stuff like that."

"It's not a gun?" Yugi quavered, looking up with tears spilling down his delicate face. "N-not like on TV when they put wadios on animals so they know where they are--?"

Solomon realized, to his relief, that his little grandson hadn't been thinking about his late father's end - he'd been watching "Wild Kingdom." He smiled. "No, baby, they're not going to dart and radio tag you. Not as long as I can still keep up with you," he teased gently. He'd been pleasantly surprised to find out that Yugi's sense of humor was intact after everything he'd suffered through.

"Oh. Okay---" Yugi said. Solomon kissed his forehead, then picked up the clipboard again. "Want to help me fill this out?"

~*~

After he finished helping Mutou-san with the dishes, Yami went to check on Yugi. To his surprise, the little hikari was awake, playing with the Game Boy Seto had given him while he was in the hospital. He had on a pair of light blue sweatpants and a light blue hooded sweatshirt, with thick white socks on his feet. The color had returned to his face and his amethyst eyes were bright once again. Yami almost felt like crying with relief. "Koi? How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down by Yugi and hugging him close.

Yugi deliberately abandoned the game, snuggling into his Yami's arms. "Better now."

"As am I---" Yami said, nuzzling into his beloved's hair.

Yugi looked up, nearly bumping noses with Yami. "Were you sick, too?"

Yami kissed his nose. "When something is amiss with you, beloved, it is amiss with me."

Yugi hugged him tight. "I love you so much, Yami."

"I love you too." Yami held him close.

They stayed there for awhile, cuddling, before Yugi spoke directly into Yami's mind. /Yami? What isn't Ji-chan telling me?/

//I don't know, beloved. It's not like him to deliberately mislead you.//

/I didn't get to ask him about --- that dream. I think he didn't want me to./

//What do you know about your mother and father, koi?//

/Nothing. They died in an accident, Ji-chan says. And they fought a lot./

//What kind of accident?//

/I guess a car accident. I never asked. Yami, I need to know, but if Ji-chan doesn't want me to --- I don't want to make him mad at me./

//There is a way, koi, but we should only do it as a last resort. And not until you have your strength back.//

/What is it?/

//There are locked chambers within your soul room, beloved. I never asked before because I presumed they were for things you did not wish me to see. Now I fear they may be room you have lost the key to. The answer is probably contained within them, but --- what if they are things you would be better off keeping locked away for all time? Do we really want to wha whatever is in there?//

Yugi considered it, then shook his head. /Let's go the library or something tomorrow. Maybe they'll have some old newspapers or something we could look though./ He snuggled closer against Yami, suddenly feeling very tired. It had been a really long week---

Yami smiled, realizing several minutes later that his koi was asleep. He curled arouugi,ugi, hugging him tighter. The past could stay buried for now, he thought. All that mattered was that his small angel was back in his arms.

******************************************************************************

Nope, not finished yet......