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Tsukasa's small footsteps and the wood creaking underneath their weight filled the hallway of his home as he did his best to not drop his blanket and alert mom and dad. Because his parents forbid him from what he was about to do. The house was very dark and it was way past Tsukasa's bedtime, but he knew his way around and quickly found his destination.
Amane's room was so clean. All of his toys were in their boxes, with the exception of one book laying near his Futon on the floor. In the center of the room laid the small, curled up figure of his brother.
Tsukasa smiled widely and pattered up next to him. His breathing was shallow, his brown hair clinging on his forehead from how drenched it was. A bucket with cold water stood next to his pillow, the towel that was supposed to be on his forehead having slipped off. Tsukasa knelt down next to him.
"Amane?" he whispered. No response. He grabbed his brothers shoulder and shook it a little.
"Amaneeeeee?" he said a little louder. Amane's eyelids twitched and he opened his eyes just a smidge.
"...Tsukasa?" he asked, his voice barely breaking above a whisper. But Tsukasa didn't care. He grinned excitedly.
"Guess what?" he asked and put down his blanket at his brother's feet. "I'm gonna sleep here tonight!"
Amane's expression distorted in exhaustion, as if simply following Tsukasa with his eyes was too big of a strain for him.
"N-No...Mom and Dad...said that you couldn't be...too much in my room."
Tsukasa shook his head. "It's just for tonight."
"W-Why though?"
"Because I felt like it!"
Amane would've probably protested some more, but he didn't say anything else. "I-I'm hot..." he simply whispered. Tsukasa smiled. He knew what to do about that! He took the small towel and dipped it into the bucket like he saw his parents and the doctors do. He pulled it out, squeezed as hard as he could and placed it on his brother's forehead. Many water droplets ran down Amane's forehead and almost landed in his eye, but Tsukasa didn't notice that. He was helpful! That's all that mattered.
He walked to the other side of the futon and placed his blanket on the edge before laying down and carefully slipping underneath Amane's own blanket. Amane inched towards the opposing side of the futon to make room for him, or rather tried to before falling in on himself like a house of playing cards. Tsukasa carefully pushed him a little, just enough so that both would fit in the Futon. The small part of him that was sticking out, he just pulled his own blanket over. He snuggled up to his brother and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.
"Goodnight Amane." Tsukasa whispered. Amane was really hot, but that also meant that he made a great heater. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Amane's chest to listen to his heartbeat, like he always did when cuddling with Mom, which he hasn't done in forever, but remembers fondly. The thumping he managed to make out was so weak, slow and slightly out of tune that it confused Tsukasa for a few seconds.
"T-Tsukasa..." the older brother's voice rung out through the barebones kid's room. Tsukasa lifted his head.
"What is it?"
"T-The doctors...they said I would d-die...before my...before our birthday." Amane choked out, every single word being a herculean task for him. "You will c-celebrate alone..."
Tsukasa looked at him in confusion. Their birthday was...soon. He was bad with days and dates, but he knew that when the trees had no leaves anymore, their birthday was close. And currently the trees weren't wearing any leaves.
"I'm scared Tsukasa..." tears pricked in the corners of Amane's eyes and he probably would've sobbed more if he wasn't exhausted, so his tears just apathetically rolled down his cheeks as Amane's eyes were turned to the ceiling, fighting to stay open. His overheating body suddenly felt colder than Tsukasa's.
The little brother tilted his head. Die...? He was supposed to celebrate alone? But that didn't make any sense. It was their birthday. Not his. Why does dying mean that they can't celebrate together? How is Tsukasa supposed to celebrate their shared birthday alone? How is he supposed to eat a whole cake all on his own?
"No...you can't die yet." Tsukasa said confidently. "You haven't even gotten better yet. We have barely played outside together. There's still so much I wanna show you!"
Amane weakly tilted his head to look at his brother. The expression on his face perplexed Tsukasa. It was so sad...so desperate...like he was really gonna die. But he wasn't...
Tsukasa never really understood the word 'die', but if it meant that he couldn't be with Amane during their birthday, he hated it.
Tsukasa grabbed Amane's right hand with both of his. It was really cold. "Lets make a plan on what we're gonna do together once you're better, kay?"
"B-But I-"
"No buts! You have to see the playground. And the park. And your favorite bakery has a new donut flavor, its suuuuuper tasty!"
Amane stayed silent for a minute, but Tsukasa felt Amane's grip tighten just a tiny bit around his hands.
"What do you wanna do once you're better?" he asked excitedly. His brother's gaze met his own and for the first time in months there was something like a sparkle in his amber eyes.
"I...I wanna explore." he whispered, a hint of excitement in his voice. Tsukasa grinned.
"Of course! Where do you wanna go? The park is huge, we could explore in there forever!"
"...The moon."
Tsukasa looked slightly confused. "The moon?" he asked.
"Yes..." Amane sighed. " I bet its awesome. You can probably see everything from up there. It'll be like in the book you gave me." With every word he uttered, a little bit of his strength seemed to return.
"Really, the book is about that?" Tsukasa asked and sat up a little to eye the book lying next to Amane. It was left open on a page of a blonde boy sitting on a grey rock looking to the stars. The picture didn't draw Tsukasa's interest any further, but Amane kept talking.
"Yup. Mom says its called 'The Little Prince' and its about a boy traveling through space and seeing the most amazing places." he said dreamily.
"And you can really see anything from up there?" Tsukasa asked, his brain having already moved on from the book. Reading has never been his thing.
Amane nodded reverently, like he couldn't believe himself how awesome that was. "Everything."
"Even our house?"
"Definitely. We could wave to mom and dad and show them what we did."
"But it's so far away!" Tsukasa exclaimed.
"I know...but imagine how great it would be." he reached out his hand towards the sky. Tsukasa smiled. There's no way he couldn't get carried away by how he talked about this floating rock Tsukasa never spared a second glance before.
"Promise to send me a postcard from up there?" he asked. Now it was Amane's turn to look confused.
"But I thought we would go together."
This caught Tsukasa off-guard. Amane...wanted him to come with? Normally he was a "nuisance", "in the way", or "weird". But Amane wanted to go to the moon with him. He hugged Amane with more force than his little body could muster.
"Of course I'll come with! And then we'll both send letters to mom and dad!"
Something resembling a giggle left Amane's lips. "Yeah...this'll be awesome." His eyes closed once again as his overexertion caught up to him. Tsukasa grabbed the cold towel from his brother's forehead and tossed it away. He didn't need something cold now. Sleepiness was also slowly taking over Tsukasa and he quieted down as well, holding on to Amane and letting himself be used as a heater. But he couldn't sleep yet. This is the first time they talked in a super long while and he didn't want it to end yet.
"Amane?" he whispered.
"Mm?" Amane answered.
"Did you know that there is something below the house? It can grant wishes. It just wants a new pet in exchange. It's really nice."
No response. Amane had probably drifted off to sleep already. Oh well, he was gonna have to tell him tomorrow.
Amane's hands weren't getting any warmer, no matter how much he wrapped them with his own and Tsukasa couldn't hear his breathing anymore. He was really weak. But Tsukasa told himself what he said every day: "Tomorrow he would be better."
"Tsukasa..." A voice wafted through the room. It wasn't Amane's or their parents'. Tsukasa sat up, his hand still tightly wrapped around Amane's. "Who is it?" he asked into the darkness.
There was no answer for a while. One corner of the room seemed somehow darker than it was two minutes ago. It felt like the moonlight retreated from their room, because it was scared of something.
"What is it that you wish for...?" the eerie voice asked. A lightbulb in Tsukasa's head ignited as he realized who he was talking to.
"Oh its you!" he exclaimed happily and grabbed Amane's shoulder. "Amane! It's here! The creature that grants wishes!"
"The boy will die...soon..." the creature whispered in Tsukasa's mind. He turned to look at the dark corner in shock. "N-No...no, Amane isn't gonna die. He can't...I don't want that!"
Tsukasa had never cared for something like 'death' before. He grabbed things, squished and poked them as he pleased and eventually they stopped moving. It never mattered, he never understood why he got scolded when the animals stopped moving or bled a lot. But now it was different. Now this 'death' thing stood between him and Amane. In this case and this case alone, he truly despised death. He wanted to grab it and bash it against a rock like he did with lizards sometimes. He wanted to do it until the rock was more red than grey, until he could see its eyeballs hanging from its head.
'Death' was usually a byproduct of him playing or a funny result, but mom always told him that the animals have feelings too and that they hurt if you injure them. Not like Tsukasa cared about that. But now...for the first time in his life, Tsukasa felt the urge to hurt. Because if death can hurt...he would hurt 'death' to death until it stayed away from Amane.
He felt his eyes watering in frustration and he clenched his fist. It didn't make sense. Amane couldn't die. He had yet to go to the moon. If he were to die before he got better...it would be so unfair! Death was such an unfair killjoy! Then he got an idea.
"That's my wish!" he exclaimed with determination. "I wish for Amane to be healthy again! I wish that that stupid death doesn't hurt Amane until he has done what he wanted to do!"
Silence from the dark corner. Tsukasa kept talking: "What do you want? I can find you more pets, I think the neighbors had puppies recently, you can have one of them."
More silence. The shadows stretched out from beyond the dark corner like thin tentacles and worked its way to their futon. Tsukasa pulled up the blanket a bit higher. Tsukasa wasn't a scaredy-cat, but for some reason in that moment he felt the need to hide from the creature, which was a first. Just as the slithering shadows were about to touch the twins, the voice spoke again.
"You..."
Shivers ran down Tsukasa's spine. Him? The creature wanted him?
He didn't know what would happen if he went with the creature, but almost instinctually he knew that if he gave himself over, he would never see Amane or his parents again.
He wouldn't go to the moon with Amane. He would never go to school. He wouldn't get to explore all the unexplored paths in the park he sees on a walk.
Was this...death? Being away from those you love? Be unable to do what you want to do? Was Tsukasa...going to die?
He didn't want that, he really didn't.
His gaze fell on Amane. He looked pale and cold, more dead than alive. Tsukasa remembers hearing his mother cry. He hears her through the wall, crying for Amane. That's why he slept in his room tonight. He hates hearing Mom cry. If Amane got better...she wouldn't cry anymore.
Nobody would even notice if he was gone. Sometimes Mom forgot to feed him, sometimes there are days between his dad acknowledging his existence. But they talk about Amane almost every day. So if the one they like gets better and the one they forget disappears...then everyone would be happy, right?
If mom and dad had the choice, they would also throw him into the hole to save Amane, Tsukasa was sure of it.
"Okay." he said in a clear voice. "I will come with you if you make Amane better."
Tsukasa didn't know how 'death' worked and he didn't care enough to ask further. He didn't even know if going with the creature was death or just like being locked up. And he didn't need to know that. All he needed to know was that Amane would be fine. Whatever happened to Tsukasa for Amane to be fine, mattered about as much as the ants he liked to trample in their garden
The shadow tentacles started moving again, inching closer and closer, as if to guide him to where he needed to go. Tsukasa stretched out his hand for the darkness. He was about to let go of Amane's hands and follow the scary shadows when he remembered something.
"Wait!" he exclaimed so loudly it probably should've woken Amane up and retracted his hand away from the tentacles. "Can I go with you later? Make him better and I will come to you after our birthday. He can't eat the whole cake on his own. Please?"
Silence from the spooky corner yet again. Tsukasa's grip around his brother's hand tightened.
"Very well..." the voice stated. And suddenly it was like a weight being lifted from Tsukasa's shoulders. The moonlight flooded the room again, enlightening the corner and every trace of the shadow strings disappeared too. Tsukasa whipped his head from corner to corner.
"Wait! Is there some way I could be with him? Like, can I see him on the weekends?" he hastily added. He didn't know if that was possible, but a wish is a wish and the creature should be able to grant it.
But no matter how much his eyes scanned for a dark corner or listened for an eerie voice, he received no further answer. Guess not. He sighed and looked at Amane, sleeping peacefully and he could almost make out his chest rising and falling with his breathing. He laid down next to him.
"Amane?"
"Mm?
"When you go to the moon...promise to send me a letter. I won't go with you after all."
Amane's eyes were still closed when he mumbled "Promise..." he probably won't even remember he said that in the morning. But Tsukasa smiled and hugged his brother tenderly.
"Oh and don't forget to wave to me when you're up there. I promise I'll wave back."
"Mmmn" was the answer Amane gave him, but Tsukasa didn't care. To him it was as enthusiastic as a "Totally!"
"I love you Amane. I'm really gonna miss you. Go on lots of adventures for me, kay?" he whispered and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He was not allowed to do that, but mom and dad would never find out. Tsukasa held Amane's hand tightly, as he felt it slowly warm up and drifted off to sleep to the sound of Amane's strengthening heartbeat. At least the creature knew how to keep a promise.
What Tsukasa Yugi didn't know as he dreamt of chasing his brother around the snow-white surface of the moon and preparing a postcard for their parents, was that if he hadn't made that wish tonight, the next morning he would've awoken next to the cold, dead body of his brother.
Amane had used up his last bit of energy to dream about a shining future in the stars which cost him the last, measly remainder of his time among the living. What would've gone on in Tsukasa's head if he woke up next to him, tried to shake him awake only to realize that there was no waking him up, can't be known for sure. If that sacrifice was the right choice is unclear. Maybe it would've been better if Amane Yugi died that night, dreaming of faraway stars and the vast endlessness of space.
One thing however, was for certain. Tsukasa didn't regret his choice. Didn't then, didn't now and never will. Because if the Yugi twins were ever to be weighed based on their worth, Amane would always come out on top and Tsukasa knew that. To him, Amane deserving to live more than him was as concrete of a fact as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening.
What he didn't know back then, was that the entity had heard his second wish to be with his brother. He didn't know that a part of his soul was roaming outside as a ghost, living his dream of being together with Amane forever. He also didn't know that a part of the entity was also in that ghostly body of his. Or that Amane never made it to the moon.
But no matter how many times you split and re-fuse his soul, one thing would always stay the same: He loved Amane more than himself and he always would, so while he may never get to see the moon with his brother, he would sit in the red house years later, imagining the adventures his brother went on and the wonderful life he continued to live, waving to the moon the house projected outside his window every once in a while, waiting for a letter that would never arrive.