Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I'm just a girl with a pen and free time.
This is the second YGO One-Shot and one of the hardest I've made, since is rather difficult to put yourself into Ryou Bakura's skin, so maybe it's not everything you'd expected. I hope it'll be unless one tiny bit of proper characterization.
This is NOT the 'Shadow Realm', or whatever is called in the dub. I don't even know how that works. This is just my characterization of "Hell"
Life will knock us down many times; but it depends on us to stand up and keep fighting
Something to Hold onto
Darkness…
Darkness…
That's all he could see, no matter how far he tried to look. No matter how much he walked or ran, all he could see was darkness. Surrounded him; trying to break him. It all led into darkness. He could struggle, he could try to escape it, but it was impossible.
"You can't escape it; it has become a part of you…"
That's what he had said, one of the few times it had talked to him; one of the often times he had tried to struggle against the spirit. He always wondered what it meant; but the thought of it was so terrifying, he tried to push it away as fast as possible. Did that meant he was destined to be surrounded by darkness? Whenever it meant, he didn't want to think about it. The only idea of that was more than startling.
Ryou didn't actually remember much that had happened before he was sent to that place. He could just barely remember the last time he had saw his apartment, and almost a few images from the last time he had attended school. Everything after that was blurry and confusing. He remembered, though, a Hospital, feeling a very sharp pain in the arm, and the sight of Jounouchi and Anzu looking at him with worried expressions on their faces. Then the sight of a blimp came out from his head, accompanied from a face he recognized vaguely; what was his name, Marik? He remembered Dueling Yuugi too…
After that it was all black. He supposed he had been trapped in here again, but he couldn't exactly tell; because this place wasn't anything like the place he had been before. No. That place was like a cell, a locked room when he remained captive. Sometimes, he could even see the misshapen silhouette of a closed door. After a few times, he had even become sort of used to this. Waking up in that dark room, like a rat in a cage. It wasn't all bad though, because at least, he couldn't see the horrors he caused while he was in control, until he led him take over again. Like his father used to say; sometimes, blindness is a bless.
However, this place was nothing like that. It wasn't a room, nor either had a door. This place was…darkness. Purely and simply darkness. So much darkness it was overwhelming to the point to take away every single drop of life inside him. When he had woken up, he supposed a few hours later (he didn't exactly though this place would keep track with time) he had felt an oppression in his chest; like someone was squishing his heart very tight. He felt empty, drained away from all emotions other than sadness and anger.
"You can't escape it…"
He could even see the shadows, floating around him like shivering insects, or little balls of pure black. Trying to break his mind; trying to tear him apart. He could hear them whisper in a language he couldn't understand, so softly it could have been confused with the whisper of the wind in a stormy night.
"You can't escape it…"
And he was right, he couldn't. He could try, yes, but never succeed. It was all in vain. He had tried so many times he had lost track of them. He had tried to get rid of the Ring, of the shadows, but it always turned back to him, like some kind of sick prank.
He felt his mind been slowly drained from all emotions and memories. He could feel the shadows breaking into his head and taking away all his memories with every whisper. What was that one? A school trip perhaps? Grass, children playing soccer…no, it was a family trip. He could see his mother smiling, as she pulled out some sandwiches from a picnic basket; and calling the name of her sister, who was running around the meadow, an amusement look on her face.
Amane. Her face started to get blurry suddenly, as the smile was slowly erased from her face. No! He couldn't forget about her! He couldn't!
His knees started to tremble and fail, and he slowly fell on them, as more memories where taken away from his mind. He closed his eyes, drifting with every shivering whisper of the shadows
"I can't let this happen…" he thought, covering his head with his arms, as this would prevent the shadows from entering it "I can't give up…not after all this…I can't…"
But he felt himself gotten weaker and weaker; to the instance he couldn't even feel his own hands.
"I suppose this is how death feels…" he pondered felling himself faint. That was it. They had won; the darkness had won. The spirit in the Ring had won. "Al least, I hope I'll be reunited with you soon…Amane, mum…"
However, in the middle of that overwhelming swirl of memories and images that was being pulled out from his subconscious, a picture managed to sneak into Ryou's thoughts. A picture he had seen before, but until then hasn't realized how much it meant to him.
In that picture, there was Yuugi, Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda, standing in the classroom, in front of his desk. They all were smiling and stretching out their hands to him. It was just a tiny remembrance, but it felt incredible consistent. Then he remembered. It was the first time he had met them, the day he had been transferred to Domino High.
A picture of something he wasn't used to have, but somehow, had started growing a feeling inside him. The feeling that he wasn't alone…not anymore.
Suddenly, and to his amazement, the shadows stopped, just a few inches from his face. Slowly they started to back off and floated away from him, hiding into the dark again.
He tried to open his eyes, but he found them extremely heavy so he just let them slightly narrowed. However, he could distinguish between the darkness, the shape of a man. He was getting dangerously closely to Ryou, and he instinctively crossed his weakened arms in front of his face.
"Don't worry. It's alright" the man spoke, revealing a voice full of wisdom and tiredness
At this, Ryou pulled away his arms slowly and tried to open his eyes fully. This time he was successful, and he could now take a major look at the presence standing in front of him. It was an old man, no doubt, due the numerous wrinkles surrounding his face, and the grey-ish color of his bushy beard. He wasn't much taller than Ryou and his back was slightly bent.
Nevertheless, there was something in the way he stood that made Ryou thought of an old warrior. The determination on his face, the way his feet where firmly planted on the ground. The bright in his eyes; only from a person who had lived a lot, and therefore, seen a lot.
This gave him a little more confidence, and he clumsily tried to stand up, using his hands as balance. After a few tries, he finally managed to sit, which was, unless something. Seeing his efforts, the man hinted an imperceptible grin, and walked closer to him. Heavily, he kneeled with the help of the large wooden can he was holding, and managed to keep squatting at the same height as the boy.
"W-who are you…?" Ryou couldn't help but ask after a little hesitation "What are you doing…? I thought I was…I was alone"
The man smiled again, and shrugged his skinny shoulders "The same thing as you kid, I suppose. Although this is not the place for a boy like you to be in. How'd you get in here?" he asked a tiny bit curiosity in his voice.
Ryou sighed. Not even he knew how he had gotten there. Although it supposed it had been the spirit's fault, it wasn't the same place. This was, as he had thought of before…darkness itself.
"An ancient spirit living in a piece of jewelry I suppose…I'm not quite sure yet" he answered with strange simplicity, which caused the old man to burst into laugh.
"You don't believe me…" the boy started, more than used to that kind of reaction
"No, son, it's not that. It's just…you seem to take it pretty average. Almost like you had been used to it"
Ryou shrugged "It's not my first time. Trapped I mean. It's been a few times. Although nothing like this…this place is so…" he hesitated, trying to find an adjective that would fit the horror he felt been there.
"…dark?" the man suggested raising an eyebrow "yes, you get used to that after a while I supposed. You know, I've been here quite a long time by now. There isn't a day I don't regret been stupid enough to end up in here, tough. I suppose I thought myself enough to be able to play with forces beyond me" he shook his head in embarrassment
There was an awkward silence.
Ryou's eyes narrowed again "sorry if I sound obnoxious, but…" he stopped, not knowing well how to continue
"Yes, you can say it, boy"
He nodded slowly "Well, a few minutes ago I was…those shadows where…and it felt like…like all my memories where been drained from my mind…like all my emotions had disappear…I felt so…empty" he lowered his head, feeling a sudden lump forming in his throat, remembering the image of his mother and her sister. All together again; like a family. Even if it was just for a second…
The man looked at him with surprisingly comprehensive eyes "Yes, that tends to…happen; in here you see"
"But what about those shadows?...or whatever those things where? Why they…?"
"Those 'shadows'" the man interrupted Ryou "feed on our emotions and memories. When a man enters in the Shadow World, his destiny is to be drained from all his memories and emotions, until he turns into only a pile of empty bones, destined to discompose. That's what the 'shadows' do" he made an almost imperceptible grimace, as he was remembering something rather painful
"But that's horrible" Ryou exclaimed suddenly terrified "I mean, it was like…like life been sucked out of you. It was like been tortured…but there was nothing you could do to stop it" it was definitely, the worst thin he'd ever suffered. Not even the mental torture the spirit could give him could possibly start comparing to that.
"That's why this place is only destined to the most evil and awful creatures that inhabit this world…"
Ryou's eyes widened "but then, you sir…you…"
The man gave him a bitter laugh "As I said before, I've done a few things I'm not proud at all. Thought I could control power beyond my comprehension was one of them. Thought that I was better than everybody else, that it would make me more powerful. Greed and pride. Those where my sins"
Ryou frowned "You seem to have taken that with acceptance"
The man shrugged again "It's what this places makes to you kid. It makes you surrender, it makes you don't want to fight anymore. It makes you give up…"
Hearing this, Ryou's chest started to hurt and he instinctively put a hand on it. He then remembered how he felt just a few minutes ago, when the shadows where draining his memories. He felt…he felt like giving up. That's how he felt. Like nothing cared anymore, like the only thing he could do was surrender to the darkness…
"It's a horrible feeling, isn't it?" the old man raised an eyebrow looking at Ryou, who's gaze had lowered "Well, this is what you'll get used to fight if you want to survive in here" he crossed his arms in front of his decrepit chest
"…how?" he asked weakly "how could you possibly survive to such horrible experience?" it didn't seem possible for him
The man's severe gaze suddenly softened, and he put a hand on one of Ryou's shoulder. He then muttered
"They can't tear you apart son, if you have hope. If you have unless one spot of light inside your heart that tells you to hold on, then you'll be able to keep your sanity… So tell me, what do you keep fighting for?"
Ryou raised his eyes, and they met the old man's. His face was suddenly more lighten up, like he had suddenly younger a few years. His hand was also surprisingly warm.
"W-what?" he asked confused
"What are you fighting for, son?" the man repeated firmly
And then it came to Ryou's mind. The picture; the image of his… friends. That's the only thing he wanted to fight for. That was the only thing he had left.
Suddenly, the old man vanished in the shadows, and instead of him, that memory of his friends smiling at him appeared right in front of him. It felt so real; he could almost touch their hands
"I can't give up! I can't! If they aren't giving up yet, I can't do it neither!"
I have to fight for them…
…
Ryou woke up in a rush, finding himself surrounded by the gulper darkness again. Breathing heavily and with the heart bumping faster, he looked around him, to find he was completely alone again.
Had all of that been nothing else but a dream? But it felt so real…
He was alone in the darkness again, yes. However, this time he had a new promise he'll have to fulfill. He wouldn't give up; he would find a way to get out of there. He wouldn't let the shadows tear him apart, no.
Not while he had something to hold onto…