To me, heaven had always seemed to be an interesting idea. According to what I had been told since childhood, it meant being sent after death to a world where everything was just the way you wanted it- nothing could hurt you, you could be surrounded by lost loved ones, and you would never have to cry again. It was everything you had enjoyed about life, and more that could hardly be imagined.

From the time that I received the millennium ring- no, possibly even earlier, when I lost most of my family- I had vivid dreams of a place I would eventually go, where I could be with them, a genuine smile on my face for the first time in ages. Yet, it wasn't until I realized as a teenager how alone I truly was in the world, with only a sadistic Egyptian thief king to guide me, to mold me into his image. I pretended to be strong, both for others and myself, and for a while, I really did believe it. I truly wanted to stay alive, to last long enough to return to a semi-normal life. But it's only possible to fool your own mind for so long, and as soon as the spirit and the ring disappeared, I realized that I was, once again, completely alone in the world. That was when I started to think about the same thing that kept me sane as a child- a place where I could be happy again, and surrounded by the people I loved.

Only this time, I dreamt not only of getting there, but how I would be getting there. Or, more specifically, how soon. I don't know how many times I fantasized about throwing myself off a building, putting a gun to my head… anything, as long as it would send me to a place where I could be happy again.

That was when you came back to Domino City.

That day had not been a good one for me, to say the least. Not because of anything specific that had happened, but because of what I had been planning for later that night. I had everything ready to go back at my apartment- one of Bakura's old daggers sat on the table, along with a pre-written note, in case anyone decided they cared enough to notice my absence.

Our first meeting was essentially a coincidence- we were in the same coffee shop at the same time, that's all. But you were the one to notice me. As I waited in line to order some tea (I always preferred it to coffee, anyways, and I wanted to enjoy it while I could), you entered the store. At first I didn't look back, because I assumed it was only a stranger. But after a few moments, I realized that someone was staring at me, which brought me to turn around. Sure enough, there you were. Your eyes were wide with shock, and you stood in the doorway, completely motionless.

"…Bakura." That was what you finally whispered after several beats of silence. Then, you took a step towards me, your face a confused mess of emotions.

At first, the entire thing struck me as incredibly odd. After all, I had only had a few short encounters with you in the past, as most of "my" time spent with you was through the spirit of the ring. Your face was only a vague memory to me.

Still, I put on a smile, and stepped closer and closer to you, until we faced each other. "Marik, right? It's… um, it's been a while." You nodded faintly, staring down at the floor and saying nothing. "So, what brings you here?"

"My sister had work," you said, after a split-second pause. "I wanted to come and see how everyone was doing." Finally, you glanced up at me, smiling. "You're the first one I've seen, actually- I haven't told anyone I was in town yet."

I returned your warm smile. "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Yeah." You gestured toward one of the few empty booths. "We can sit down, if you want." I didn't have my tea yet, but I decided to let it go, and followed him.

After that, there was the first of many awkward silences between us. I stared out the windows of the doors, while you preferred to avert your gaze toward the floor. I felt my face burn, and I shifted my body, wanting to be anywhere but here. Maybe if I made a run for it now, I could make it home, I remember thinking. Maybe even get a head start on my plans. But something, somewhere inside of me, forced me to stay glued to my spot, waiting for the right words to surface.

"So, Bakura, I almost forgot to ask you," you finally said, making me jump just the slightest bit out of my thoughts. "How have you been doing lately?" I was about to say something, but I paused. I barely knew you at the time, and while I'm sure you only asked me that as a formality, I was terrified, completely unsure of how to answer. Mainly because I knew that answering with a simple "fine" or "good" would only be a lie.

Yet, what else could I say? The last thing I wanted was to burden you with all my problems, yet they were the driving force for the majority of my emotions as of late.

So, I realized, I was faced with a choice. I could lie, and both of us would take the easy way out.

Or, I could do what I ended up doing, and let everything I had bottled up inside over most of my life pour out of my mouth. I told you about my mother and my sister, and how much I missed them. I rambled on about how my father was never around. I almost broke down crying telling you about how hard it had been, adjusting to not needing to share a body with a psychopath. Every single minute detail that had caused my life to go wrong, was in that rant.

I wouldn't have blamed you if you had left. Made up some silly excuse about needing to go help your sister, anything to get away from the crazy man in front of you sharing his life story. But, against all odds, you didn't. You listened to every word I had to say, quietly nodding the entire time. I must have talked for half an hour, and you never said a word. I have to admit, though, I was surprised- you hadn't seemed like the type to be a good listener.

After I successfully calmed myself down, we continued talking, mostly about little things. It got to be 8:00 and dark outside, but neither of us really noticed. By the time we did, in fact, it was late enough that we didn't want to walk alone. Domino could be a scary place at night, and taking your chances by staying out late was extremely risky. Which was one of the reasons that I asked if you wanted to spend the night. It was the only reason I could think of at the time, but looking back on it, I think there were a few more. After hours of speaking to you, I felt closer to you than I had to anyone since my family was still around. When you listened to my story, you made me feel less lonely, right when I needed it the most.

Because, the closer I felt to you, the more I realized: I didn't really want to die.

In fact, by the time we left that little coffee shop, I had nearly forgotten about my plans. We walked back to my apartment together, and I made it there without thinking of it once.

But, all moments of blissfulness have to come to an end.

As soon as I stepped in the door, I came to a dead stop. From where I was standing, I saw them- the knife that I had planned to use, and the note I had written, sitting patiently on the kitchen table. My mouth felt dry, because I realized that you were probably going to see it. The one thing I had deliberately hidden from you during our conversation was lying directly in front of you.

"I-I think I'll go make us some tea," I stammered, my face burning with what I assumed to be shame. I was on the verge of tears, really, as I remembered what I had been planning to do. But the only thing I could do was remain silent as I grabbed the knife, folded up the note, and shoved them in a drawer, to be forgotten until over two years later, when I finally brought up the courage to tell you about them. Only then did I actually make the tea I had promised you, and sat down with you in the small living room, where you fell asleep on the couch shortly after sipping a bit at your tea. I headed to bed myself, and only then did I let myself break down at the fact that I was alive. And it was going to be that way for at least another day.

Xxx

Except, it was far more than a day. We continued to visit each other every day, and even when you returned to Egypt, we kept in touch, although you moved back to Domino permanently around a year later to stay with me. We were inseparable, as though we were a real family for each other. Which, considering my circumstances, meant more to me than you will ever know.

I know that most of this letter is nothing new to you- or at least, it isn't if your memories are as clear as mine. But right now, as I watch you breaking apart over my recent passing, I want to try and help you focus on better times. Even though you will never receive this letter in your lifetime, I like to think that it will get through to you somehow. But, if it does get through, there are some things I want you to know.

First of all, I hate seeing you like this. I hate even more that it's all my fault. I don't want to tell you to move on, because a selfish part of me doesn't want that, either- I really, really don't want you to simply forget about me, like I'm sure everyone else has. But please. Don't keep blaming yourself, when nothing could have been done in the first place. You can't continue on the way you have been, Marik. It really is killing you. And while I want to see you here, I don't want it to be for a long time. I want you to live out the life I couldn't, and smile as you do it.

I'm sorry that this letter is so long. It's ridiculous, how much time I'm spending on a letter that won't be received for years to come. So, I think I'll let you go, after I tell you one last thing.

Marik Ishtar, you mean the world to me. Not even death was enough to change that. You managed to save me in one single day, a day when everything seemed completely hopeless. And I owe you my life for that. So, please, take on the life that I was forced to leave behind, and consider it repayment. You don't need to suffer anymore.

Love for eternity,

Ryou Bakura

Xxx

Slowly, I awoke to a hazy world, wrapped in my blanket as my eyes fluttered open. Right away, I noticed something on my face. I slowly brought a finger and brushed it against my cheek, from which it came back slightly wet. I was… crying? This early in the morning? For a moment, I wondered what the cause for that could have been. But slowly, it came back to me. The latest in a series of dreams, all of which starred the voice of someone no longer living.

I reached straight away for the small notebook I kept near my bed, especially for mornings like these. And, reaching into the deepest corners of my mind, I recalled everything that he had told me the previous night, scribbling it down as I went along.

Before his death, it had never really occurred to me to write down my dreams. They were rarely anything other than nightmares, and those were hardly worthy of remembrance. But now that I heard his voice some nights as I slept, as though he was trying to tell me something, I wanted to remember. It was the only thing I had left that I could do for him.

… Marik Ishtar, you mean the world to me. Not even death was enough to change that. You managed to save me in one single day, a day when everything seemed completely hopeless. And I owe you my life for that. So, please, take on the life that I was forced to leave behind, and consider it repayment. You don't need to suffer anymore.

Love for eternity,

Ryou Bakura

I knew, as I wrote those final words, that there was nothing left to remember. I silently flipped to the next page of my notebook, where I began to write feverishly.

To Ryou,

I got your last message. I don't know if mine go through, but I swear, I hear you, almost every night. Somehow, it's enough to keep me going without you. I hope you know that from now on, I'm going to try and do my best to grant your wish. I'll make sure that I'll try, like you had to so many years ago.

But when the day comes that I do come to join you, wherever you are, I hope you grant my wish as well- I want you to find me, so we can talk face to face. Just like that day in the coffee shop. Yes, I did remember, by the way. I don't easily forget the things that are important to me.

I hope to hear from you again soon.

Love,

Marik Ishtar

Xxx

This really is the story that never ends. Seriously, it took me a couple weeks to actually write this thing. Mostly because I couldn't seem to find a satisfying stopping point. But I do rather like the place I decided on. I feel like it could be interpreted multiple ways, which makes it a bit more interesting, in my opinion. I'll let you figure out how you interpret it, and I would love to hear it in a review or a message. So see you all next time- hopefully this time in less than almost three months…