LOD: Well, I was in Driver's Ed, a three-hour class.

Kahti: The horror.

LOD: And I always finish all my work with an hour and a half to spare.

Kahti: The boredom can kill you

LOD: So, I got to writing, and this was born!

Kahti: Don't ask who the father is.

LOD: Um, yeah. Anyway, it's kinda a letter from someone to another.

Kahti: We're not telling you 'till the end!!

LOD: Oh, and about the title, I'll explain the contest at the end!

Disclaimer Dude: LightOfDarkness does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Kahti: Why are you disclaiming this, there's only one name mentioned.

DD: I don't know, LightOfDarkness must be bored.

LOD: I'm right here, and yes I am!!

Kahti: Just read!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Do you know how you make me feel?

Probably not, I hid my emotions well

But I wish you could see me for what I truly am

And not for this mask I've been holding for years

I always thought that mask was my protection

My shelter

My sanctuary

And the way I lived my life was how I wanted it to be

So what happens when someone realizes they've been wrong all this time?

That what I've known, or thought I knew, was I a lie?

How can a person change?

Can a monster learn to love?

Or to receive love?

I've tried, whatever God there is knows I've tried

Tried to change

Tried to love

Tried to remove my mask

But somehow, that mask has become a part of my face

A part of my life

Of who I am

And I can't take it off

Not by myself

I'm afraid

Afraid to ask for help

Afraid to stop

Afraid that you'll see me

The person behind this cover of darkness

What you will do when I'm revealed

Will you laugh?

Will you run away?

Or will you love me

And forgive me

Like you've forgiven me before

I don't understand

All these things I've done to myself, to others

To you

You have been the bearer of most of my pain

The pain I've inflicted on you

The pain no one deserves to know

Except, maybe me

And for everything, you've never given up

On life

On hope

On me

Countless times I've laughed at your outstretched hand

The hand I now know, was not for the rescue of you, no

For the rescue of me

You wanted me to see you

Your love

And after being so blind

I can see

See what I needed to see all along

But seeing isn't enough

And it's all I can do

I'm afraid

What if my transformation changes you?

Me

You

Yami

Hikari

Dark

Light

Ever seen a Yin-Yang?

A perfect sphere, divided by a good and an evil half

Balanced

The dark pushes into the light

The light ventures into the dark

Equal

And still, they aren't completely separated

For in the white, the purity, there is a streak of darkness

At the same time, a portion of light rests in the black

A glimmer of innocence in the evil of the world

No one can be completely evil, in other words

And no one can be entirely pure

The scale never tips

So the brighter you are, the darker I am

If I embrace the light inside me, help it to grow,

Will the dark in you take over?

Another thing I fear

The corruption of you

The white angel

That makes me a demon, doesn't it?

I guess it fits

But I don't want it to

And I can't do it alone

I'm so afraid

So cold

So far away

What if you refuse to help?

I'll continue to drift further away

And that light burning within me might be extinguished

I'm afraid of what will happen then

To me

To everyone

To you

You'll become even brighter

The innocence

The beauty

All will be yours

So if I am to change, you must agree

You must give up some of your light

Your purity

For some of me

My tainted soul

I don't want to do that to you

But it's the only way

Only way to remove the mask

To stop the dreams

Dreams of death

Dreams of you

Every night, the same vision

Same room

Same me

Same you

Every night, I wake to cold sweat

Fearing what I've done

If it really was reality

Then, I watch you

So peaceful while you sleep

You give me hope

I've never told you that

I've seen the look in your eyes

It hurts

Fear, pain

And pity

That's what cuts the deepest

I don't want to be this

I'm afraid

I don't want to be this helpless

But I am

Until you find it in your heart

To take my hand

I'm not sure I can do it myself

So please, help

Make this go away

Make me feel like I belong

In a world that can be so unforgiving

Please,

Take this mask from me

Be my release

Please, help me

I'm afraid, Ryou

So afraid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

LOD: Okay, about the title contest-

Kahti: You just said what it was!!

LOD: Yeah, but I'm explaining it!!

Kahti: Oh, continue!

LOD: Anyway, I couldn't figure out a good title for this, and I decided, hey, why not ask the reader?

Kahti: Review, and tell us what you think the title should be!!

LOD: If I don't get one I like, I'm calling it "So Afraid," but it doesn't seem very good to me.

Kahti: If you do win, you'll have your name put up in the fic!!

LOD: Basically, REVIEW!!!

DD: I need a new job.

Kahti: Quiet, you!