The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche


Dear Amane,

Ryou's pen glided across the lined paper, rewriting the line he had written so many times previous. It had become second nature by now.

School's getting better. We've started learning about Ancient Egypt in social studies, and it's very interesting. Which reminds me, yesterday I got father's letter. His said that they have been finding pots and such almost every day and they think that they are going to find a breakthrough soon! Isn't that exciting? I thought you might -

The pen fell out of Ryou's hand, caused by a sudden jerk. A chill had ran through his body, no - it was almost as if the chill had come from within him. He shivered and shook it off. It was January, these things were to be expected. No point in getting upset about. It was probably nothing.

I thought you might like that. Father also says that he will be home sometime this summer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, you know, just in case, but I'm really looking forward to seeing him again! It's hard to believe that it's -

There it was again! That feeling, that coldness. Only now Ryou was certain it was coming from outside his body and it seemed to be centered on his shoulders. No matter. Ryou placed his pen delicately down next to his letter, and went to his bedroom to fetch a blanket. (These chills were becoming increasingly more distracting and Ryou simply would not have any more of it.)

The only light on in his whole apartment was the reading lamp sitting next to Amane's letter, but his apartment was small enough that the lamp had enough light to carry. It did however, create lots of shadows, dark masses that seemed to wiggle and squirm upon further inspection. That seemed to grow. That seemed to breathe. Ryou let out a small, helpless laugh. He was getting himself all worked up for what? Shadows. They were probably nothing. Finally, after rummaging through his room, Ryou saw what he had been searching for. A quilt, with all different stitches, some with plaid patterns, others intricate landscapes and his favorite of all a square with the names of everyone in his family. He made a mental note to tell Amane he still had it and bent over to retrieve it.

//What else are you planning on telling her, yadonushi? More lies?\\

Ryou bolted upright, quilt clenched tight in his grasp. He could have sworn he heard something, something almost like a voice. With a shake of his head, he realized it was most likely the neighbors upstairs, sound always traveled through the ventilation. It was probably nothing. Everything was fine. He draped the quilt around him like a cape and sat back down to finish his letter. No more interruptions. Ryou needed to finish his letter as soon as possible, he hadn't written Amane in almost a week. Besides, it was getting late and he had school tomorrow.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost two years since I've seen him. From the pictures he sent me, he still looks that same. He even still has the same silly grin. He's really happy in Egypt, happiest he has been since you and Mum left.

//Happier without you.\\

Ryou cringed, for a second he could have sworn he felt someone whisper into his ear or the wind blow past him. But he quickly came back to his senses. A voice and whispering? Such absurd thoughts. There was no one here except himself; he was alone.

//Heh. Yadonushi, you are never alone.\\

Ryou clenched tighter onto his pen. There was no one here but himself, everything he was hearing could be explained. The voices were just neighbors, the whispering was probably just a draft, and the shadows that seemed to have a life of their own were nothing more than tricks of lights. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

//Oh, really?\\

Ryou's pen broke.

He let out a hiss of surprised, his pale white hands stained with black ink. Swiftly, he pulled Amane's letter out of the ink's way and raced to the kitchen to fetch a towel. What a mess, he thought miserably, I hope it doesn't stain. Ryou sighed heavily, it seemed as if the universe was dead set against him finishing his letter. He let the water from the sink run down on his hands a little bit longer than what was necessary, musing about this. It was probably nothing, just his own negative thoughts impacting his actions. Ryou wiped his hands on a towel and returned to his desk to finish Amane's letter.

(No matter what it took.)

That's not to say he doesn't miss you two though. We both miss you and mum, so very much. But your happy now right? Are you happy? I hope so. I think I'm pretty happy, like I said school is getting better. I've made some friends -

//Friends, yadonushi? Why do you even bother writing lies to someone who will never read them?\\

Ryou heard his noisy neighbors and felt that draft again. But he pursued his lips and drew his quilt closer to him, his new pen quickly picking up where he left off.

(After all, it was probably nothing.)

I've made some friends, too. They're really nice and let me tag along with them when they play games.

//Go on, tell her what other fun games we will be playing soon. It's only a matter of time before the shadow games begin again...\\

I really like them, but I don't want to be a bother. But still, I get to see them every day at school. One of them, Yuugi, is my science partner.

//Isn't there something else about Yuugi that you want to say?\\

It's a very strange coincidence. Yuugi has a puzzle that is almost exactly like my ring! I told father about this but when never said anything of it in any of his letters. So it's probably just nothing. Still, rather interesting don't you think?

//Very interesting, indeed, yadonushi.\\

I have to admit though, living by myself is hard. I get really lonely and sometimes -

Ryou paused, wishing that he had written in pencil so he could erase that last line. He frowned for a second and decided to continue on without white out. This was Amane he was writing to, he could trust her.

I get really lonely and sometimes I hear things, like a voice. I'm sure it's nothing, but I can't shake the feeling that even though I'm lonely, I am not alone.

Ryou paused for he was shaking and he didn't want to ruin Amane's letter. The chill was back, even through the quilt. It was as if there was ice on top of his shoulders or snowy breeze wrapped around his frame. And very clearly he could hear the wind in his ears, although all of his windows were closed.

It doesn't matter though. Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm sure I'll get use to it. I miss you, Amane.

Forever Yours,

Ryou


A/N - This was born out of me wondering what Ryou's letters to Amane would be like. Diary Entries? Lies? It didn't turn out like I wanted it too, so that's why the quote doesn't really match up. Oh well, I never said these quotes described these stories, just that they were based on them. On the other hand, Wow! Fifty reviews! I just again want to express my gratitude to all those who review! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Review again?