A rewritten and edited version of an old Kingdom Hearts fic. I still own nothing but the plot.
Note - Malik refers to the yami, Marik to the hikari.
I Believe
(intro is in first person/Ryou's POV)
Everyone knew the old mansion was haunted. It was common knowledge after Malik was killed by the ghost. So when Yami dared me to go to the old mansion and do the ritual, of course I was a little hesitant. Let me start at the beginning though…
(Switch to third person POV)
"Ryou!"
Ryou Touzoku turns to see his best friends running up to him. Yami Moto, the one who called his name, is in the lead.
"Hey Yami. Hey Yugi, hey Tea." Ryou grins.
Ryou stops to wait for his friends to catch up. Yami looks arrogant as usual, but Yugi Moto and Tea Gardner both look concerned.
"What's up?"
"C'mon, Yami, don't do it!" Tea pleads.
"Yeah, you know what happened to Malik! It's too dangerous!" Yugi joins Tea in pleading with Yami, but Yami has already decided.
"What's too dangerous? Yami…?" Ryou asks.
"I dare you. To do that ritual, the one Malik did," Yami smirks.
"Ryou! Don't do it!" Tea cries.
"You don't really believe in that sort of thing, do you, Ryou?" challenges Yami.
"Did Kaiba put you up to this?"
"No. Just because I lost our last duel doesn't mean I'll do whatever he wants," Yami answers. "So, you gonna do it?"
Ryou laughs nervously. "Why not? Sure, I'll do it."
"Well we're coming with you."
"Sure, Yugi. You can come. It'll be fine anyway." Ryou smiles, trying to convince his friends -and himself- that everything will be okay.
"Meet you at the game shop at eleven thirty then," Yami grins.
"I'll be there."
During dinner that night, Ryou doesn't join in the conversations that normally happen between his parents and his twin brother Bakura. He's too busy wondering what will happen tonight. As he puts his dishes into the sink and starts upstairs, he is ambushed by Bakura.
"Ryou, why are you so quiet? Did something happen today?"
"No, nothing happened. I'm just tired."
"Okay… then will you help me with that math homework?"
"Sure thing, Bakura." Ryou smiles.
Several hours later when the Touzoku house is dark, Ryou packs the things he'll need for the ritual and sets out for the usual spot.
"I'm here!" Ryou calls out, as he approaches the usual spot.
"Then let's get going."
The four friends start towards the mansion on the edge of town, completely unaware of what lies ahead of them.
"Okay. Yugi, you and Tea stand guard, make sure no one comes. I'll be standing here making sure Ryou doesn't wimp out."
"I'm not gonna wimp out, Yami." Ryou scowls.
"Whatever you say."
"Good luck, Ryou…"
"Thanks Tea."
Ryou smiles one last time before he enters the room where the ritual is to be performed. Yami, Yugi, and Tea get into their positions outside as Ryou is setting up the candles, preparing to summon the ghost of the mansion.
'C'mon, Ryou, you can do this… It'll be fine…'
Ryou takes a deep breath and begins the ritual.
"I believe in the mansion's ghost. I believe in the mansion's ghost…"
Ten times he says this, then he spins around once. As Ryou turns to face the mirror, a misty figure appears inside it. The ghost's tan skin and blond hair are the last things Ryou sees. As the ghost reaches out to draw him into the mirror, Ryou collapses, falling into darkness.
"RYOU!"
Yami, Yugi, and Tea rush to open the door, but they are too late. The candles are extinguished, the mirror is empty, and Ryou Touzoku lies dead on the floor. The three remaining friends run screaming from the mansion, and in his bedroom, Bakura Touzoku wakes up, drenched in a cold sweat.
"Ryou… no…"
The next morning, the police are summoned to the mansion on the hill. They interview all of Ryou's friends, all his family, trying to figure out what happened to him.
"I didn't think anything would actually happen… The ghost in the mansion, it's just a myth, right? If I had known this was going to happen, I never would have dared him to do it. Never!"
"Yugi and I told him not to do it, we told him not to do it! After what happened to Malik, I believed in the ghost! Yami shouldn't have done that… I knew something like this was going to happen…"
"I was there when Malik did it… I watched the ghost do that to him… Why did Ryou have to do it? Why did he do it?"
Bakura is in shock, his remaining friends trying to console him.
"I don't know, Bakura. I don't know…"
Miho Nosaka is crying, though she has no one to comfort her. She hadn't worked up the courage to tell Ryou her feelings, and now she would never get the chance.
After the police have interviewed them all, Yami, Yugi, Tea, Bakura, Ishizu, and Miho are sitting in the usual spot, silently pondering what went wrong.
"We have to go back," Yami murmurs.
"Yami, that's crazy! You want the ghost to get you too!" Tea yells.
"The police aren't going to find anything, Tea. They don't believe in the ghost," Ishizu whispers.
"I'm coming with you. I have to know what happened," declares Bakura.
"Bakura! Don't!"
"It'll be okay. I won't do the ritual, but I have to go."
"I'll do it. It's my fault he's dead, I'll be the one who does it." Yami sighs. "It's my fault…"
The six friends fall silent. After a few moments, Miho speaks.
"Ishizu and I will come too."
Ishizu nods. "Ryou was our friend. We owe it to him to figure out what really happened."
At eleven thirty the night after they first set out, the six remaining friends begin the hike up to the mansion. Yami carries the candles required for the ritual, Yugi holds a lighter. Tea, Ishizu, Miho, and Bakura are silent.
Upon reaching the mansion, the six friends squeeze into the room. Yugi and Ishizu set up the candles in a circle around the mirror. When the clock strikes midnight, Yami begins to chant.
"I believe in the mansion's ghost. I believe in the mansion's ghost…"
Again, he chants this ten times, then spins around once. As he finishes turning, all six friends turn towards the mirror. But something is different this time. Instead of just the blond ghost with tan skin that Ryou saw, there are two figures appearing in the mirror.
"Ryou…" Miho gasps.
"Hey," Ryou smiles. "How have you guys been?"
"Ry? But you're…" Bakura trails off, unable to believe his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm dead, aren't I?"
"What happened?" asks Tea.
"Well, Marik? Do you want to start, or should I?" Ryou turns to the other figure in the mirror and smiles.
"I owe you all an explanation…" The ghost sighs. "My name was Marik Ishtar… Two hundred or so years ago, I lived in this house with Ryou."
"We were in love," Ryou murmurs. "But I got sick. I was dying. Marik, he spent every moment caring for me, but he couldn't save my life."
Marik laughs once, a harsh grating sound, unused for so long.
"You, Bakura, you thought Marik killed me. You accused him of killing me, and somehow you convinced the entire town." Ryou smiles sadly.
"The townspeople chased me through our manor; I locked myself in this room. I was so upset, Ryou… he was dead. Gone. My friends had turned on me. Bakura, he had turned them all against me. So I grabbed my dagger and stabbed myself. I died right here, just as the mob broke down the door," Marik murmurs.
"He waited here for two hundred years, waiting for me to come back to him." Ryou smiles again.
"I am sorry, Bakura. Your friend did not deserve what I did to him." Marik murmurs. "Your loyalty to your brother and your friends is admirable. I only wish that I had that much strength." He manages a small smile.
"Thank you, Yami. Thank you for daring me to come here. If you hadn't, I never would have remembered Marik. Then and now… he's everything to me. Now we can be together…" Ryou smiles.
"Wait… your name, it was Ishtar? That's my name..." Ishizu asks.
"Yes. I am not surprised you do not know about me." Marik laughs again, slightly less rough than before.
"You're my…?"
"Your great grandfather was my brother. I suppose he was ashamed of being related to the ghost of the manor. It is no wonder he did not speak of me."
Miho is devastated. She loved Ryou while he was alive. She also thought that he may have been able to return her feelings. Now her hopes have been destroyed, all in the span of a few minutes.
"I'm sorry, Miho. You and I weren't meant to be together. Your light is out there. Keep looking."
Ryou looks at the clock.
"Almost time then. Bakura, please, bury my body beside Marik's. Tell Mom and Dad I love them."
"Ready, Ryou?" Marik asks.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
As Ryou is saying this, a small ball of light appears inside the mirror. Slowly it expands, until both Marik and Ryou can fit inside it.
"Goodbye!" Ryou calls to his friends. "Never stop believing! Dreams do come true."
Ryou and Marik hold hands as they step into the white light, leaving the troubles of their lives behind and heading for a new future.
As the light fades, Yami smiles.
"Good luck, Ryou. Good luck, Marik. You deserve it."
Constructive criticism always appreciated!