Just a one-shot about Seto Kaiba and my OC, Ravana - she's a character in another of my stories, "What Happened". Warning: if you're reading "What Happened", be aware that this story contains a spoiler or two... or three... at least for the earlier chapters of WH. Reccomended that if you wish to read WH [adventure/drama, bad language and dark themes including rape], that you read up to chapter four before reading this one.
For those that have read/are reading "What Happened", you'll be glad to know that this fic is set outside that storyline entirely. AU, ish, if you get my drift.
Warning: this story contains an OC, suicide, mentions of self-harm, character death and possible OOCness.
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. If I did, why would I be writing fanfics?
Dancing On The Beach
Normally Seto would have chosen to spend the night working on business matters. He couldn't sleep; so what was new?
The decision to go for a walk instead of doing something productive, that was what.
He sighed, shaking his brown-haired head. There were meetings to be planned, reports to be read and written, problems to be managed. He had precious little time as it was. So why are you walking on the beach at two in the morning instead of using your time productively? He snarled at himself. He hated incompetence, especially when it was his own.
But… no. Something inside him had decided against working, insisting on doing something else. Something that could only be described as a sense of purposelessness. He'd lost interest in his business work recently—of course, he still did it, but it was a chore now. Even duelling had begun to lose its attraction.
A chill breeze played across his face. Today's duel against Yugi Moto had become almost boring. He'd lost; that was to be expected. He hadn't bothered putting up a fight, even though he was the one who'd challenged the King of Games. Losing the duel was almost worth it for the fight after, though.
Yugi's twin sister Ravana had called Seto a pussy, and he'd been obliged to turn around and insult her in kind. She'd retaliated with a hard punch… and it had devolved from there. He knew it wasn't what was expected of him, neither by himself nor anyone else, but the fight had felt good. It was the only real excitement of the day.
His mind drifted to Ravana Moto. She was Yugi's tougher twin sister; a highly intelligent, fist-fighting tomboy with flaming red and black hair and ears filled with piercings. The only thing connecting her to Yugi was her last name and duelling skills. Seto often argued with her. Rarely did it turn into an actual fist-fight; he was above that.
She wasn't.
Today's fight, however, had been playing on his mind throughout the day. Some idiot had captured it on a phone and it had been splashed across the news on every channel. Ravana's name hadn't even been mentioned… only her relationship with Yugi.
Scandal! Horror! Businessman Seto Kaiba caught fighting with sister of Yugi Moto! He'd been tempted to call the TV stations and tell them exactly what he thought of them. But it would affect the company's image, Mokuba had said, the shrewd businessman he'd become. So Seto couldn't.
Why do I even bother? He sighed. Business is boring. Duelling is boring. It's not worth anything. But it was all he had. So after the news had broke, he'd set Mokuba on damage control, despite the fact he didn't care about his reputation that much anymore. He was obliged to hold the reputation.
Just as I'm obliged to be polite, well-presented and interested in this crap.
He'd been thinking about the fight and its aftermath all afternoon, and had come to the conclusion that it didn't matter; nothing really mattered, he decided. Not business, not duelling, not anything. Waking up the next morning—well, waking up later that morning—wasn't something he wanted to do. Leaving him without focus, direction or purpose.
Hence why he was now wandering aimlessly along the moonlit beach, shoeless and alone.
His eyes drifted to an indentation by his foot. It was a human footprint… and too small to be his. Not alone.
Soft cries reached his ears. Instinctively he made for the shadows of the headland cliffs, peering around the edge of the rocks. Sobs were sobs, but it was two in the morning—god only knew what kind of crackpot could be waiting there.
His jaw nearly hit the ground when he saw who it was.
The person crying into the night was Ravana.
Seto shook his head to clear it. There was no way that person could be Ravana. Every time he'd seen her she was always laughing and joking—well, that or beating the daylights out of someone. She never cried.
Yet here she was, as bare-footed as he, howling to the moon.
Her hair was no longer in her trademark loose ponytail; it whipped around her in the night breeze like a cloak. She still wore her normal black tank-top, her normal black jeans, her ever-present duel disk. He'd never seen her without it.
Another round of sobs racked her body, jolting him out of his study. Should he go to her? For all he knew, she'd be more than willing to continue their fight from earlier today; he already had a few bruises forming, and didn't need more.
His mind was made up for him when she looked down from a howl and noticed him peeking around the headland. 'Who—' she choked, hurriedly wiping her eyes. 'Who's there?'
He ran his hand through his hair before stepping out of the shadows. 'Just me.'
'Oh.' Her normal frosty demeanour came to the front. 'What are you doing here, Kaiba? It's two in the morning.'
'I'm aware of that.'
'So why are you here?'
'I could ask you the same question.' He walked over to her, stopping to stand about half a metre in front of her.
She glanced down. 'I asked first.'
'Couldn't sleep,' he said, as if the two words would explain everything.
To his surprise, she didn't probe further. 'Fair enough.'
Seto shook his head, confused. Ravana was an aggressive person by nature—the complete opposite of her gentle brother. She purposely started fights just to have an excuse to beat up someone. She irritated people until they yelled at her, just to have the pleasure of demolishing them verbally and emotionally. Dodging questions never worked around Ravana; she would probe until she was satisfied with the answer. Which was generally when her victim had completely collapsed.
He smirked inwardly. She'd make a damn fine businesswoman. Apart from the fact that she looked like a hooker most of the time.
'So why are you here?' he demanded. If she was going to be frosty, he wasn't going to be warm. 'Shouldn't you be asleep like the rest of your idiot friends?'
'And shouldn't you be making out with your Blue-Eyes?'
He growled. He was nineteen—two years older than her—and she still knew how to put him in his place. He hated that. She was the only person he knew that could infuriate him so easily. 'You still haven't answered.'
She shrugged. 'You still wouldn't care.'
'What makes you think that?'
'You're Seto Kaiba. You don't care—full stop.'
He was tempted for a moment to return home. 'I don't particularly care, but I am interested to know who managed to make the mighty Moto break down and cry like a child.'
Argue with me, argue with me…
She turned her back. 'Get fucked, Kaiba.' Her voice was taut.
His eyes widened. She turned away from a fight? A fight with him, no less—someone she loved to fight with. They'd been fighting just earlier today. Why the sudden change of heart?
Grudgingly, he sat beside her. 'I would, but oddly enough, nobody's available at this time of morning.'
She half-laughed, hair waving in the chill breeze.
'So you going to explain things or not, Moto?' he asked.
'Again, why would you care?' she sighed. He noticed her voice had become thicker, slower.
'I don't. But if something happens to you and your stupid brother finds out I could have done something but didn't do anything, I'd never hear the end of it. So, for my sake rather than yours: why are you here?'
'Because I didn't think anyone else would be here,' she said softly.
That got his attention. 'Why was that so important?'
'Because I need to be alone for a little while.'
Ever more interesting. He looked over her carefully. What would make Moto want to be alone? From what he knew of her, it was a case of the more the merrier. She loved a crowd around her.
'Why?'
Groaning, she slumped backwards, lying on her back and looking up at the stars. 'Kaiba, I came here to be on my own. I came here to be on my own because I wanted to cheer myself up.'
'Want to run that one by me again?' he asked. Comes here alone, crying her eyes out, yet says she did so because she was cheering herself up? He shook his head. Here I was thinking Yugi was the strange one.
She evidently noticed his confusion. 'Never mind. You'll understand one day.'
Leaving Seto even more confused.
'Look, Moto, stop talking in riddles,' he demanded. 'It's two in the morning. I'm not up for your shit. Either explain what's going on or—'
She moved her eyes to rest on his. 'Dance with me, Kaiba?'
'You…' his sentence trailed off, mind blown. 'What?'
'Dance,' she said simply.
He stared at the strange girl before him for a few seconds before finding his composure. 'I don't dance. Especially not at a time like this.' Especially not with you.
She got to her feet, brushing traces of sand from her clothes. 'Then learn.'
Before he registered what was happening, she'd pulled him to his feet and had taken both his hands firmly in his.
'There's no music.' He felt idiotic.
'We don't need music,' she said dreamily, swaying from one foot to the other. 'Just pretend you can hear some.'
He pulled his hand from her grip. 'I refuse to take part in such—childish games.'
'That's your problem, Kaiba. You're too serious. Live a little.'
'Just why should I?' he snapped. 'Life is serious. You ought to know that well enough, Moto. You're not exactly childish yourself.' Yet even as he argued, he felt his convictions grow weaker. Life was serious; yes. But after today's events, and his own feelings, well… is it really that important?
Her eyes grew soft. 'Not anymore. Life's too short,' she murmured.
'And you know that because…?'
'Just dance,' she said, pulling him into a turn.
It was a few seconds before he realised he'd stopped fighting against her, and a few more before realising he was actually—
Dancing with Ravana Moto. On a beach. At two in the morning.
And it felt good.
For a moment, Seto felt better than he had for a long time. This time, this place, it seemed alien; it wasn't part of his world, and what he did here had no consequence. Nothing mattered here. He was no longer the stony-faced businessman, no longer the runner-up World Champion; he was only Seto Kaiba. There was no stress, no work, no news stories, no nothing. He was dancing on a beach with his arch-rival's—
No. Here, at this point in time, Yugi could be forgotten. He was dancing on a beach with Ravana Moto at two a.m., and nothing else mattered. Not business, not duelling, not the company… just him, and his newfound dancing partner.
He looked down at the girl in his arms. She was now humming contentedly, still swaying back and forth to the music only she could hear.
But then she stumbled.
From her pocket, a small plastic bottle fell, making only the smallest of sounds as it hit the sand-covered ground. It was half-empty, and held white tablets; only a white paper label, writing inked in fading black, stopped him seeing directly through it.
Continuing to dance, he smoothly leant down and scooped up the small container. It was fairly warm despite the coolness of the sand. Then again, he supposed, it had been in her pocket; she was warm.
It was then that he felt warmth against him, and realised he was now slow-dancing with Ravana held tightly in his arms. The regular Seto Kaiba would have shoved her away by now. It was something he would neither do nor condone. But this time, this place—he would.
He knew this wasn't his normal persona. Then again, it's not exactly her normal persona, either. Briefly he wondered if someone had slipped drugs into his evening meal.
They swung into another turn and he carelessly glanced at the cooling bottle. It was a perfect cylinder, the kind one would find in a cheap pharmacy. He turned it over in his hands.
Methadone—Relief for strong to severe pain. 30 tablets.
Prescribed for: Solomon Moto
Prescription: One tablet no more than twice a day for the relief of strong to severe pain. If symptoms persist, consult doctor.
That was odd. He knew the old man had the occasional problems with back pain, but why did Ravana have it? Mentally shrugging, he pulled her into the next turn. He was sure he could hear the music she was dancing to. Or perhaps it was only her humming.
He kept reading.
WARNING! READ BEFORE USE.
Overdose of this medication may cause: difficulty breathing; lethargy; extreme tiredness; blurred vision; inability to think, walk, or talk normally; faintness, dizziness or confusion; death.
Seto shook his head, a pit of worry growing inside him. There was a perfectly logical reason why Ravana had her grandfather's medicine container in her back pocket. It had passed its expiration date, and she was throwing it out for him, but became distracted. Hence why it was still in her pocket. Yes. That's it.
Then he noticed the prescription date.
11th November.
Two days ago.
Ravana stumbled again, breaking him from his reverie. She suddenly felt so much heavier in his arms.
'I'm sorry, I think I might have to sit down,' she said softly. 'I'm a bit tired.'
Extreme tiredness.
'Moto.'
She leant against him, heavier still. 'Is it alright if I sit down?'
'Moto,' he repeated, heart beginning to beat painfully fast. Leaving one arm around her for support he held up the container. 'Did you take any of these?'
She squinted, focussing her eyes on the small cylinder. 'Yeah.'
Blurred vision.
'How many?' he demanded. When she did nothing but smile, he shook her roughly. 'How many?'
'Twenty,' she said lightly. Her voice was slowing. 'From the first bottle. Didn't need the second. There's another thirty in there.'
Inability to talk normally.
The moonlit world around him shattered under the strains of reality.
He pulled at her arm. 'Moto, come with me. Now.'
'Why?'
'You're going to the hospital,' He snarled, heart pounding. Goddammit, Seto, what have you got yourself into? His moment of perfectness was crashing down around him.
'No,' she said.
'But—'
'No,' she repeated, turning her head to face out across the still ocean. She smiled sadly. 'I told you I wanted to cheer myself up, and this is my method for doing so.'
'But you'll die.' He found himself with a lump in his throat and quickly squashed it back down. This is Ravana Moto, Seto. You're back in the real world now.
'So much the better.'
He swore under his breath. Until that container had dropped, he'd almost been grateful for the fight, the news story and the subsequent insomnia. He'd felt… free. But Ravana's suicide attempt had dragged him out of his living dream.
Seto checked his watch. How long had they been here?
'You need to go to the hospital,' he said, in a tone he'd take with a small child.
'I told you. I don't want to.'
He yanked a hand free. 'Look, Moto, this isn't the time. You're dying for god's sake! You've got deadly poison in your system, a limited time to get to the hospital—what in hell possessed you to do this?'
'Everyone has a purpose,' she said softly. 'Mine was to be a bad example.'
He snorted. 'I know you, Moto. How are you a bad—'
She stared up at him, eyes creased in pain. 'You don't know me, Kaiba. Or you'd know what was going on.'
Slowly she removed her duel disk, still leaning heavily on him. He considered removing his arms, but realised he was clutching her tightly, and if he let go she'd hit the ground. He was all that was keeping her up.
The disk hit the sand heavily.
'See those?' she croaked, pointing to her arm. His stomach twisted at the sight of many scars. 'Those are from me. You know why?'
All he could do was numbly shake his head.
Her confessions began pouring forth torrentially. Each new sentence brought more pain that Seto thought was possible to feel, although he wasn't sure if pain was the right word. Sadness? Fear?
Protectiveness?
He quashed the feeling. No. You only feel that way because of the dancing. And you only danced because she got you while your guard was down.
Half-listening, he struggled with his own mind. Something about drinking… fighting… Yugi finding her slicing into her arm…
'…I was sick of not being able to be myself,' she said softly.
That caught Seto's attention. He knew that feeling. 'How?'
'You think I fight because I like it?' she whispered. 'I fight because it takes my anger away from myself. The piercings are just another way to cause pain. I act loud and proud, but at night I lock myself in my room and slice open my skin just to feel real.'
He couldn't help it. He tried to stop himself. It's not the done thing. She's your enemy. Despite himself, he pulled Ravana into a bone-crushing embrace.
'Look, let's just get you to a hospital for now. Once you get out we can—'
'No,' she repeated. 'No hospitals.'
'This isn't something you can argue about.'
'It is. This is what I want, Seto.'
The wind was knocked out of his sails. She'd said it. She'd said his name. Not Kaiba. Seto.
He was suddenly aware of a lump in his throat.
'I want to die,' she whispered. 'Please… just sit with me?'
A thousand voices screamed inside his mind, and a thousand feelings raged alongside them. So much that confused him felt in such a short time. The dancing… that dreamlike feeling was still with him. It called to him to save her, to keep her alive—to keep her with him.
He pulled out his phone.
But it was what she wanted. Saving her would only doom her to years spent in psych wards, years of estrangement from friends and family, years of pain. More pain.
Suddenly he couldn't bring himself to make the call. Yet at the same time, he couldn't bear to let her go.
He sunk to his knees, cradling her cooling body against his. Her breathing was growing shallow.
'Please?' she repeated, voice growing softer.
'Of course I will,' he replied. 'Ravana.'
His voice wasn't breaking, but it felt like it should be.
A tired smile crept across her face. 'Thankyou… it means a lot to me.'
He reached for her disk and gently strapped it back on her arm. As he did so, he noticed a small red phone lying beside it on the sand, and he returned it to one of Ravana's pockets. Gently, he slid his arm under her legs and struggled to his feet. He began walking back up the beach, towards the track leading to the headland cliff.
'You said you'd sit with me.'
'I am,' he panted. The gradient of the track steepened, turning from sand to stone. 'We're just moving to a better spot.'
She sank back into silence, apparently trusting him enough not to question.
He made it to the top of the cliffs he'd been peering around not so long before. Who am I kidding? It could have been an eternity and it would still seem not so long ago. Being careful not to hurt her, or himself, he lowered them both to sit on the very edge of the cliffs. 'Open your eyes.'
Slowly she complied, smiling as her eyes lit upon the view. The very first rays of sunrise were strung across the ocean's still mass like golden fingers settled gently on a velveteen cushion. They were not directly opposite their position, rather to the right.
'Thankyou,' she whispered.
He cradled her body ever closer to his, burying his face in her hair. Why only now? He felt as if he was just waking up to his first day of life, but dying at the same time.
For the first time he could remember, Seto Kaiba felt helpless.
Ravana groaned, and he stroked her hair.
'For what?'
'For being with me now,' she replied, smiling softly. 'For holding me while I die.' Her eyes closed again. 'For dancing with me on the beach, as well.'
'It should be me who's thanking you, then,' Seto whispered. It was true. He knew now his purpose.
His family's deaths… his lack of friends, and his unwillingness to make them… his loss of interest in business, in duelling… he now knew what it was for.
He began rifling through her pockets.
'For what?'
He could almost laugh at her weak imitation. And he did. 'For teaching me to dance. Maybe one day you can teach me how to dance properly.'
'Might be… a bit difficult,' she breathed.
'Shh.' He put a finger over her lips, and planted a gentle kiss on her eyelids. 'Don't stress yourself.'
Her head tilted inwards, resting on his collarbone. 'It's not stressful. Just tiring.'
Under his fingers he felt what he'd been searching for. Gently, being careful not to alert Ravana, he pulled the small cylinders from their resting place.
'What are you doing?' she whispered.
He was silent for a few seconds, then the cylinders clattered to the ground—empty. 'Fulfilling my purpose.'
'Your purpose… or your choice?' Her chest rose less and less with each breath she took, and Seto knew her time was short.
But so is mine.
'My purpose. But I would choose it even if it wasn't.' His head began spinning. 'What about you? Is it your purpose?'
A smile curved her cold lips. 'I would choose it even if it wasn't, Seto.'
He curled his hand around hers, resting his head upon her own. 'Rest.' It wasn't an order. 'I'll be here when you wake up… Ravana.'
*
Later that day, a solemn group of nine gathered at the beach cliffs. Yugi, Solomon and Mokuba had received calls at about seven that morning from the Domino Police; by seven-thirty, Joey, Tea, Tristan, Serenity, Duke and Ryou had been told the news as well.
'Do you think they planned it?' Tea asked, eyes red raw.
'I know… I know Ravana did.' Yugi choked. He didn't bother to wipe the fresh tears from his eyes. 'But Kaiba?'
A tall, stocky policeman walked over to them, carrying a small black phone.
'That's Seto's!' Mokuba said. His eyes, too, were red.
'There was a message on it,' the officer said mechanically. 'It appears to have been recorded by Mr—'
'Just give it to me!' He tore it from the man's fingers and, with trembling fingers, pressed the playback button. Seto's voice began to echo from the phone's speaker. The sound of the ocean echoed in the background.
'Mokie, I'm sorry to break a promise, but I won't be coming home again. I intended to, though, so don't think I lied to you. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you. The following is my will:
'My worldly possessions, including KaibaCorp, are now the property of Mokuba Kaiba. The three Blue-Eyes are to be split up; one to Solomon Moto, one to Joseph Wheeler, and one to Mokuba Kaiba. The remainder of my deck is the property of Mokuba Kaiba. Any and all outstanding debts are to be paid from my personal account. The remnants of my trust fund are hereby transferred into the trust fund of Mokuba Kaiba, which may be accessed upon his eighteenth birthday. The remnants of my personal account are to be transferred to the personal account of Mokuba Kaiba. I wish to have a private funeral; only friends and family shall be allowed. Nothing extravagant. Not now.
'Ten thousand dollars are to be given to each of the family and friends of Ravana Moto. She tells me that she wishes for her deck to be returned to her brother. Any other belongings are now the property of Solomon and Yugi Moto. She also requests a private funeral, and asks to be cremated.'
Solomon pulled Yugi into a hug.
'That's it,' Mokuba croaked. He handed the phone back to the policeman.
'There was also this,' the officer said, holding up a red mobile. 'We believe it belonged to Miss Moto.'
This time Yugi took the device.
'There was no message recorded on this one, only two videos. Again, we are sorry for your losses.' He turned his back and walked back under the yellow tape.
Yugi quickly navigated to the video menu and started the first recording.
Ravana's face appeared on the screen. 'Hey. It's Ravana here, though I guess you know that already. If you're watching this then I'm dead. It's about one-thirty in the morning, and—' the view moved to her lap, upon which lay a small pile of pills— 'I'm about to take twenty of Grandpa's methadone tablets. Sorry, Grandpa, but this time my pain is greater than yours. I have another bottle but I don't think I'll need it.'
The next thirty seconds showed her swallowing pill after pill, two or three at a time. As the last one vanished down her throat, she smiled and shook her head. 'I don't think I left a note for you but this will do just fine. Yugi, my deck is now yours; all my other crap is yours and Grandpa's. Do what you want with it… I don't think I'll really care. Private funeral, please. Burn my body.'
She began to tear up. 'I'm really sorry to have to do this, I truly am. I just can't go on anymore. Blame nobody but me. I'll see you when I see you…'
The recording ended on a shot of Ravana, tears dripping down her face and onto the screen.
His whole body racked with sobs, Yugi started the second video.
This time, the phone lay on its side in the sand. For a moment nothing could be seen. Then—
'They're dancing,' Tea whispered.
Onto the screen spun Seto and Ravana, neither apparently noticing the phone. For a few minutes, all that could be seen was their dance; suddenly, something fell from Ravana's pocket and Seto scooped it up. A few seconds later he was shaking her.
Despite the distance, the audio was clear.
'How many?' he demanded. 'How many?'
'Twenty from the first bottle. Didn't need the second. There's another thirty in there.'
They heard him swear under his breath. 'Moto, come with me. Now.'
'Why?'
'You're going to the hospital.'
'No.'
'But—'
'No. I told you I wanted to cheer myself up, and this is my method for doing so.'
'But you'll die.'
'So much the better.'
'You need to go to the hospital.'
'I told you. I don't want to.'
'Look, Moto, this isn't the time. You're dying for god's sake! You've got deadly poison in your system, a limited time to get to the hospital—what in hell possessed you to do this?'
'Everyone has a purpose. Mine was to be a bad example.'
'I know you, Moto. How are you a bad—'
'You don't know me, Kaiba. Or you'd know what was going on.'
Gasps echoed from the nine shellshocked watchers. Ravana's disk dropped heavily into the sand, revealing an arm covered with scars.
'See those? Those are from me. You know why?'
Yugi's sobs drowned out her confessions. Those who listened closely heard of her secret drinking, and her addiction to self-harm; those who watched saw Kaiba's features soften over time.
'I was sick of not being able to be myself,' she finally said.
'How?'
'You think I fight because I like it? I fight because it takes my anger away from myself. The piercings are just another way to cause pain. I act loud and proud, but at night I lock myself in my room and slice open my skin just to feel real.'
He hugged her. 'Look, let's just get you to a hospital for now. Once you get out we can—'
'No. No hospitals.'
'This isn't something you can argue about.'
'It is. This is what I want, Seto.'
Kaiba paused.
'I want to die. Please… just sit with me?'
Tears pouring from many eyes, they watched as he pulled out his phone, then put it away as he sunk to the ground.
'Please?'
'Of course I will, Ravana.'
'Why?' Yugi whispered. 'Why? Why didn't he help her!'
The recording continued, showing Kaiba pick up her duel disk and strap it back on her arm. Then the whole view moved as he picked up the phone, putting it in a pocket. Now the screen showed black. The audio continued in the background.
'Thankyou… it means a lot to me.'
There was a brief pause, and a few sandy footsteps before she spoke again.
'You said you'd sit with me.'
'I am. We're just moving to a better spot.'
For a few moments, all that could be heard was the noise of feet on sand. Soon, however, it quietened.
'Open your eyes.' Kaiba's voice said.
Suddenly the view screen lit up again as the phone bounced onto the ground. This time it showed Ravana and Seto sat on the top of the cliff, looking out across the ocean. He cradled her body in his arms with the love one would show to a newborn child.
Those who looked closely enough could see a new light in his eyes.
'Thankyou,' Ravana whispered.
Kaiba buried his face in her hair. 'For what?'
'For being with me now. For holding me while I die. For dancing with me on the beach, as well.'
'It should be me who's thanking you, then.'
Yugi bristled as Kaiba began running his hands over her body, but had to choke back a fresh wave of tears as he realised Kaiba was only searching for the remaining tablets.
'For what?' Ravana asked.
'For teaching me to dance. Maybe one day you can teach me how to dance properly.'
'Might be a bit difficult.'
'Shh. Don't stress yourself.'
She tilted her head inwards. 'It's not stressful. Just tiring.'
He pulled the tablets from her hip pocket, and undid the lids. Unlike Ravana, he swallowed the tablets in batches.
'What are you doing?' Ravana's voice whispered.
Mokuba sobbed as Kaiba let the cylinders drop to the ground, empty.
'Fulfilling my purpose.'
'Your purpose… or your choice?'
'My purpose. But I would choose it even if it wasn't.' His eyes began to cloud over, and he gave a tiny shake of his head. 'What about you? Is it your purpose?'
'I would choose it even if it wasn't, Seto.'
'Rest. I'll be here when you wake up… Ravana.'
Yugi stopped the video.
'At least they both went happy,' Ryou whispered.
'Doesn't take away from the fact they left us.' Joey slammed his fist into his palm. 'They're still gone.'
Yugi looked out across the ocean horizon. It was almost sunset, and the sun's tendrils could be seen retreating across the darkening waves. 'It was what she wanted, and what he wanted too,' he said softly.
'They didn't think that maybe we wanted them to stick around?' Solomon growled.
'It's too late for anything to be done now,' Ryou said softly. 'All we can do is remember the better times.'
Yugi dissolved into sobs, and Solomon joined him. Tea tried to support Yugi but soon lost her composure and began howling. Mokuba cried, leaning against Serenity; she in turn leant on Joey, tears running down both their faces. Duke and Tristan commiserated together.
Ryou left the group and walked slowly to the cliff's edge.
I pray you found peace, Ravana and Seto, he thought. He looked silently over the beach below him as his own tears began to spill over. Far, far below him, he could see the footsteps in the sand where his two lost friends had spent some of their final hours.
Closing his eyes, he began to pray for his two friends, hoping against hope that wherever they were now, they could hear him.
*
A sunlit beach. Not sunrise, but sunset. Two figures could be seen, their shadows playing over the sand, over the cliffs. One was tall, lean, with ruffled brown hair. The other was shorter, still lean, with red and black hair that flowed like a river. They were smiling, laughing, voices echoing despite nothing to echo from.
The taller one spun his companion into a turn, gentle yet carefree. 'You going to teach me how to dance properly?'
'Maybe tomorrow,' she replied, ending the turn in his embrace.
'It is a bit late.' He slowly lowered himself to the ground, his companion following. 'Perfect sunset.'
'I have a feeling it always will be,' she said. She leant on his shoulder, watching out across the horizon. 'Do you think they'll hate us? You know, for leaving them?'
He put an arm around her shoulders. 'I don't think hate would be the right term. They'll likely be angry with us. But I don't think they'll hate us.'
'You're probably right.' She stretched. 'Funny, I don't feel tired.'
'Do we even need sleep now?'
'Probably not.'
He looked out across the ocean, fancying himself to see a reflection of Ryou in the ocean; white hair and soft brown eyes. The reflection was crying and smiling.
'You see him too?' Ravana asked.
He tightened his grip around her shoulders. 'Yeah, I see him.'
'Wonder why he's there.' It wasn't a question so much as a voiced thought.
'I pray you found peace, Ravana and Seto,' the reflection said.
'He's talking to us,' he said simply.
She smiled. 'I know I found peace. Have you?'
Seto returned her smile. 'Yes, I have.'
Ryou continued speaking. 'We're sad you left. Most of the others are still mad at you, but I'm not. You needed to go. You found your purpose.'
Slowly, Seto got back to his feet. 'Another dance, my friend?'
'Of course,' she said. She let him pull her to her feet, and returned his chaste kiss.
'It hurts,' Ryou said, 'It hurts so much to lose you two. I miss you; we all miss you. But if you are happy where you are now, then I am glad you chose to go. Please be happy. Please be happy together.'
Ravana smiled. 'We're happy, Ryou.'
'I don't think he can hear us, Ravana,' Seto said.
'No. But he doesn't think we can hear him. Who knows, he might be able to.'
Seto shook his head, but didn't protest as he would have done before. 'If you say so, aibou.'
Her smile grew. 'I hope I am always your aibou.'
'I have a feeling you always will be,' he replied softly. As they swung into another slow turn, Ryou spoke once more, smiling.
'I can almost see you two still dancing on the beach.'