Even in Death-- 4/4
[A/n: The final chapter! How many kind reviewers actually were waiting for this? Are you wondering what that last preview meant? ((And if you've read it before, -cough-ANZU-cough- and have given it away, I'll beat you with sticks at school!)) I'll be quick again, cuz I bet you wanna read the ending. I know I said i wrote all these in adavnce and set them up and everything, but I just have to respond to the few reviewers i did get in this last chapter! Here goes!
Anzu2: You first, cuz you reviewed FIRST. Hi Anzu!! I'm glad you read it, i wrote a Yaoi fic you liked, and now I'm going to shove all my Yaoi fics down your throat at school!!!
Chibi Chaos Mage: You reviewed before, too, when it was all one big chapter. Thanks for sitting through the whole thing and actually reviewing! You should get a hug, even if you don't read this.
Abby Rose: Hey Abby! Look, I talked about you! See you in school, Kwessen. ((If you don't know what Kwessen means, read the book, "The Riddle of the Wren" by Charles de Lint))
YG: Thanks so much! My biggest fear is putting them totally out of character. Well, one of my biggest fears. And unless it's comedy. Then its ok sometimes.
DeathMist's Master: Yeah, I wanted it to be really Emo. lol. Thanks for reviewing!
Rowan Girl: I made someone I don't know cry! I guess thats what I was trying to do, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. =)
mymuselovescookies: Awww! Well, I hope you read the rest, and I'm so glad you liked it!
Anime Crazed: Yay! More people I haven't forced to read this reviewed! I hope you really like the ending, I made it super-sweet to make up for all the sadness I caused them.
Molly-chan the Anime/Game: I love it when people have conversations in reviews. I like long reviews. hehe. You made me smile. All the reviews did, but this was a long one. I give you plushies.
Silvershadowfire: Thanks so much! You think I'm original! dances That really means so much to me! I wanna be Ryou, really, just so i could snuggle Bakura... o.o I'm not a freak, just a fan-girl... -.-; o.o You know what? If I knew you I'd buy you Apple Pie ice cream at ColdStone... Because ColdStone is the ice cream god-store and Apple Pie is great.
worthless: O.O I'm actually good enough to be a favorite! dances You bring me so much joy! I give you love and plushies!!!!
moocow33: W00t! More people in tears! Almost, anyway. - Wow, you guys make me wanna update early! Hehe.
Bakuras-Hell: Hey, that was the name of a website that i heard alot about, but closed before i could see it... I'm sure you'll love the ending, I made it real nice for Bakura... Or maybe I just make Bakura die to be with his Ryou-kun? Lol. I'll leave you guessing for now.
april: Well, here's the last chapter for you. Hehe, April is the month i was born in...
DreamingChild: w00t! I'm cool! lol. Read on, review again, and I'll check out your stories. bribe
[Disclaimer; Still don't own YGO, still don't own the song. I wish I could write poetry that pretty, but I'm stuck to my angsty little scrawls.]"Well, Bakura, you sure seem happy tonight," quipped little Yugi as I eagerly finished off my dinner. I looked over at him from my nest of blankets on the ground with a look that was almost a smirk. He smiled back and carefully asked, "Any thoughts on coming back with us?"
I paused, considering telling him my thought, but it would be my secret for now, until I could prove it to them. Instead of snapping at him or being angry, I simply looked back at him calmly. "Maybe soon, but not yet," I said, choosing my words carefully. He instantly brightened. I could've been telling him that there was going to be a party soon or something. Who knows, if I came back, they might have one.
"Alright Bakura," he said, nodding happily.
When he left a little while later, he gave me a hopeful grin before passing out of view. My lip twitched to the side in an almost-smile. Soon, I thought. Soon.
A week went by without anything really new. I stopped hearing voices calling, and I didn't dream at all. It must have been around midnight that it happened. I was almost completely asleep when I felt something SNAP awake inside of me. There was a sudden rush of emotion I couldn't control, and I sat straight up. I felt so many different things coming from out of nowhere that for a second I forgot where I was. Surprise, fear, happiness, worry, confusion; all at once and jumbled together.
I felt suddenly very strange, and I wanted to just get up and run off this sudden anxiety. That was when I heard it. Looking around I began to get a little frantic, and I had no idea why. And where did the thoughts come from that I shouldn't be where I am, or that I had just appeared there and not been there for two months. I stood up, trying to shake myself off, when I heard it.
"Bakura?!" came a voice. I looked around, I know I heard someone say my name from nearby. That was when I recognized the voice.
"Ryou?" I asked aloud hopefully.
"Bakura?? Where am I?" I heard, and realized that it was coming from inside my head. I was positively thrilled!
"Ryou!" I yelled aloud, overjoyed. "Ryou, you're back!"
"What on Earth?" Your confused voice wondered, before saying softly, "Bakura, I'm not dead?"
"No!" I cried, "You're back! You came back to me!"
I felt him slowly start to understand. "But… how?"
I laughed aloud. "I don't know, maybe the Ring did it, all I know is that you're not dead anymore!"
It finally sunk in, and I felt a swell of joy come from his soul room. He materialized next to me, his astral body thin and weak, but there. He looked around cautiously. "Where are we?" he asked.
To show him, I pulled him down, kneeling in front of the marker. We could always touch each other when we used astral bodies, but no one else could see or touch us.
His eyes widened as he read the tomb stone. "Bakura," he started, "What are you doing here?" In answer, I motioned to the blankets on the ground. He looked back at me surprised. "You stayed here? All alone? How long?"
"You've been dead for two months, koi," I said softly. He looked shocked.
"I've been dead… for two whole months… and you stayed here? By your self?" he wondered. I shook my head.
"Well, yes, but Yugi and Anzu have been bring food for me, and keeping me company sometimes. And I was never really alone, anyway." I pointed to him, and he stared at me, still letting it all sink in. Then he practically threw himself at me.
"Bakura! How could you do something like that? You could've gotten sick or something!" he said worriedly. I could only smile and put my arms around him.
"Ryou," I said softly, still with his arms around my neck.
"Yeah?" he asked, his chin on my shoulder.
"Lets just stay like this for a while," I replied. He nodded an ok, closing his eyes and napping on our nest of blankets. I wondered if this meant I could leave here now, now that I had Ryou back, but I told myself I would worry about it in the morning when Anzu came with breakfast. Or maybe I'd wait until tonight. I didn't think I was ready to leave yet, anyway. It was quiet here, and I like to sit and think.
We stayed like that until the sun came up that morning, and Anzu found me sitting on the ground talking to him when she came for breakfast.
"Bakura?" she asked when she heard me laugh coming up from her car. I stopped with a smile and told Ryou telepathically to be quiet.
"Good morning, Anzu," I said, surprising her. I was usually nice now, but not nearly this friendly. She smiled and handed me the tray with food on it. I could see Ryou look at the hot cereal hungrily, but she couldn't. I guess being dead doesn't help much in the way of hunger, and suddenly I knew how he felt through the mind link. I ate much faster than usual, and she laughed.
"Didn't Yugi feed you last night?" she asked with a grin. I nodded, not looking up. She laughed again. "I don't remember you ever being this hungry." I didn't respond; its kind of hard to talk when you're shoveling food into your face.
I heard Ryou say, "Don't choke yourself," but I didn't listen. He hadn't eaten in two months, so he was really hungry, and the mind link showed me that plenty clearly. I must have looked quite a sight, too, because Ryou even laughed a little.
When I was finally done I handed her back the bowl and spoon with a smile. Wow. Ryou had only been back to me one night and he was already rubbing off on me. I could live with that, I guess. Anzu smiled, and after a little more small talk she left for school, leaving me with my Hikari.
"Come here," I said to him after her car drove away. I stood up, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. He smiled at me, and I was painfully reminded of how long it had been since the last time I saw him outside of my dreams.
I took him for a quiet walk around the cemetery, showing him all the places I visited while he was gone. My little world by myself. He still couldn't believe that I had been here for two whole months, but I think he appreciated it somehow, too.
I don't think he liked seeing his own tomb stone, either. Well, it's kind of hard to accept the fact that your original body is buried under 6 feet of earth in a coffin in a concrete tomb.
We stayed together that whole day, not talking too much, just enjoying being back together. We decided to tell Yugi when he came to bring me dinner, and hope that he didn't think I was crazy. I asked Ryou if he felt he could take control of my body, but he said no.
"Not yet, I don't think I have the energy. Give me a few days, maybe then."
I accepted it, wondering if things could ever go back to the way they were. Could Ryou go back to school? People would ask a lot of questions, mostly, "Didn't you just die???", but we would cross that bridge when we got to it. I was determined to just enjoy him while I had him to myself.
Finally night came, and Yugi drove up in his little car with our dinner. I still didn't know how to tell him, but I would figure it out. "Hey Bakura," he called as he came into view, holding up a bag of take-out from some restaurant or another. I waved back, smiling slightly. If nothing else, this would be interesting. I would tell him after we ate; he had brought some for himself, so we don't choke or anything, and to give me more time to think.
When we did finish, I cleared my throat. "Yugi," I started, "I have something to tell you."
He looked at me, hoping that I would say I would go back to living like a normal person. I guess I was, really. "Yes, Bakura?"
I gave him a level stare, looking him in the eyes, and said, "Yugi, Ryou isn't dead anymore."
He faltered, stammering something or other about how that wasn't possible. I stayed sitting calmly where I was.
"He's back, Yugi. Somehow the Ring brought his soul back. I don't know how it happened, but he is."
He could only stare at me confusedly.
'Ryou?' I telepathed to my Hikari, who was holding back a giggle. He thought the look on Yugi's face was pretty funny, and I had to agree, just a little. 'Can you at least use my voice?' I asked. He shook his head, so I turned back to Yugi.
"Yugi, you're just going to have to believe me. I know its crazy, and you probably think I've lost it again, but he really is back. The Millennium Ring brought his soul back, and I think we're back to sharing one body again."
"H-how will I know?" he asked finally. I shrugged.
"In a few days, when he has his strength back, I'll give him control, but he needs to rest for now."
He could still only stare at me, not sure whether to believe me or not, but he eventually nodded. "Will you be coming back home?" he asked. I felt my eyes suddenly widen.
"Yugi? Could we stay with you for a couple of days?" I asked, my voice strained when I suddenly remembered the mess I had left the house in. I really didn't think Ryou would want to go back to a bloody living room. Yugi smiled, understanding.
"Don't worry, Bakura, we cleaned the house up for you.," he replied, causing me to let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
We folded up the blankets and packed them into Yugi's car. He was almost skipping he seemed so happy. Whether it was because I was coming back or that Ryou was apparently back I didn't know, but at least he wasn't calling me crazy. We drove back to my house, the radio the only sound, Ryou's astral self sitting on top of the folded blankets in the back seat.
When we reached the house, Yugi walked inside with me, showing me where they had washed the bloodstains off the walls, carpets and couch. He gave me another smile as he said good night, and he was off. Ryou looked around, gladness evident on his face. We finally went upstairs to our room and, as I was suddenly more tired than I had realized, flopped down on the bed together and fell asleep.
In the morning, I awoke to find that Ryou had gone back to his soul room in his sleep. I thought about waking him up, but he would need all the rest he could get if he was ever going to get better. I figured I would stay home for the next few days and let Ryou recuperate. It would be good for him, and I didn't feel like answering a million questions and having people think I'm crazy until I could prove he was back. Surely Yugi would tell everyone anyway, but I wouldn't have to see them for a while.
Ryou slept for the next four days. He would occasionally wake up and keep me company for a while, but then he'd go back to his much needed rest. I guess dying takes a lot out of a person. I smirked at the thought. No kidding. Eventually, we'll go back to the way we were. Maybe we'll even try the spell again, but not for a long time. And I accept help this time. I don't ever want to lose my precious Hikari again. I swear, Ryou, I'll take good care of you. I'll never let anything separate me from you again.
Never.
People die, but real love is forever
[Yay!! Were you surprised? Did you like it? Should I hang up my story board and never write again? It's all up to you, reviewers! I give you all flowers and candies! And if you really love me, you'll read another one of my stories -. See you next story!]