Absolute One

a Bakura and Ryou collection of fanfictions

Without Notice

The doors closed. The eye of Horus still shone brightly for a while, its light reflecting on the seven golden millennium items. Everyone's hearts were filled with lots of emotions. Some cheeks were wet with tears. Parting words had been said. The story was over.

And yet, before anyone could even say a thing, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the whole room started shaking.

"It's collapsing!" someone shouted. "Get out! Quick!"

They all started dashing toward the stairs. No… not all of them. Ryou was hurrying in the opposite direction. Honda stopped.

"Bakura!" he screamed, worried, but the other boy ignored the call. Without thinking about the risks, Honda ran after Ryou.

The white haired teen wanted desperately to reach the millennium stone, where the items were resting. But before he could get close enough, the floor around it began to crack. Ryou had to stop and was forced to watch in horror as his Ring fell into emptiness. His mouth opened to let out a scream that could not be heard. Just as he was making to jump into the abyss, Honda caught his wrist.

"No! Let go! I have to go! Bakura! Bakura!" Ryou cried out.

Honda didn't try to figure out why Ryou kept yelling his own name. He grabbed the boy, threw him over his shoulder and ran to the stairs. Ryou was struggling and screaming, trying to get free. His hands curled into fists and he hit Honda's back countless times. His friend was too focused on getting out of that place alive he didn't even notice. The others were out of sight and the stairs seemed to never end.

Were they going to die in there?

A sudden rush of adrenaline rushed through Honda's body. Running faster, he could make out a light at the end of the stairs. They were going to make it. They had to. Through the rumbles, Honda heard Jounouchi shouting.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

The entrance was getting closer. After a few meters, Honda threw himself forward and crashed against the burning sand. Like a rag doll, Ryou fell down beside him. The entrance collapsed, blowing a gust of dust and small rocks on the two teens.

Honda sat up, spitting out sand. He had just escaped death. After a short moment of disorientation, he turned his head to Ryou. The white haired teen hadn't moved an inch. Honda put his hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly. Still no response from Ryou.

Anzu hesitantly walked toward the pair. "Bakura-kun?"

Hearing his name, Ryou raised his head. His face and hair were covered with dust and his tears traced clear lines on his cheeks. As he looked at the ruins, a faint cry of distress escaped his throat. As if mentally unable to stand, Ryou crawled to the place where the entrance had just been standing. He grabbed two handfuls of sand. The others stared, bewildered, as Ryou frantically attempted to clear away the rubbles.

"What is he doing?" Young Mokuba asked. His brother snorted and turned on his heels, walking away from the pathetic scene.

Once more, Honda put his hand on Ryou's shoulder. "It's over now."

"No…" The teen shook his head forcefully. "Bakura… I must…"

His own name. About another.

Anzu gasped and looked away. She understood too well how Ryou felt. She had seen the one she loved leave moments ago. But it was probably worse for Ryou. The spirit of Ring had left without notice, leaving his host to weep.

Yuugi bit his lip and knelt next to Ryou. "Bakura-kun… I'm sorry…" He felt horrible. He had been so focused about sending Atem away he hadn't thought the Items could disappear, the spirit of the Ring with it.

Ryou kept removing the rubbles one by one. It wasn't long before his long pale hands were covered with cuts and grazes. The sand on his wounds made him wince but Ryou refused to stop, not even noticing how useless his task was.

It was Honda who seized the teen's hand with authority. "It's over, Ryou. He's dead." Ryou burst into sobs.

Honda held the teen against him, rubbing his back gently.

Malik bit his lip. He had known the other Bakura personally. The spirit of the Ring had made it clear his host was one of his most treasured possessions. Had he even considered what would actually happen to his host once he was gone?

Ryou's sobs lessened to finally stop. The teen carefully pushed himself from Honda. He stood up and looked at the sky. It was bright and blue. Way too blue. With dust still covering most of his being, the teen had the look of a sad ghost, out of place standing in broad daylight. Yet, Ryou looked serene.

"… He will come back…" A faint, barely audible whisper.

Ryou smiled. One last tear rolled down his cheek.

"He will come back. He always does."

Notes: This fic is a translation of a French fic of mine (though I added some stuff in that one). This is what I think should have happened at the end of the series. Hope you enjoyed that first oneshot. If you have some time, review please? That'd make me very happy.