I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad/The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had ~Mad World, Tears for Fears.


Ryou's soul was falling apart - in the most literal way.

The thick cream walls were disintegrating, dissolving rapidly into a sort of black mist. A huge roaring sound seemed to accompany this whenever a particular big chunk disappeared. The few scattered possessions that lay within his soul room melted into white glowing ooze, which then turned into the same black mist. All except Amane's old worn out picture which simply stared back at Ryou oblivious to the chaos surrounding her.

Ryou shuddered.

Almost have of his soul was black mist now, Ryou noted in apathy. The mist drifted and flowed away from him and towards the holes of his soul room. From where he was standing, he could see the mist leaking out into the hallway that connected he and the spirit's soul.

The spirit.

Ryou's face twisted into a grimace. Is your soul falling apart too? His glare weakened. Are we going to die together?

Cautiously, courageously, Ryou took a step forward pressing his foot into the white ooze. It flung it's self out of the way and quickly reformed to cage him in. This continued with each step with the same tenacity. (Ryou's head was beginning to feel light.)

There were no walls anymore, only a thick veil of black mist, tinged with hints of midnight blue on the ends of the wisps. The roaring had been reduced to a slight hiss. Ryou cringed.

"Oh, Ryou there's nothing to be afraid of, it's not like it's going to hurt you," said a voice, confident and self-assured.

Dazed, flabbergasted, horrified, ecstatic Ryou turned around to see Amane smirking at him.

Amane, talking, breathing, living!

Ryou let out a laugh. She returned it.

"I take it you're glad to see me?"

Ryou had no words, so he just laughed again.

(Or was it cried?)

"Come on," she bounced forward to Ryou, the white ooze making way for her. Amane latched onto his arm, the way she use to when they were children and she had wanted her big brother to go on an adventure with her.

"There are so many things I have to show you," she gave Ryou a tug, and he stumbled but swiftly followed her lead.

"You've grown up," he said in awe, because she had. She was no longer a little girl but a young woman. Her face had slimmed and she wore her bluish neck-length hair in gentle waves instead of the tangled mess she had as a child.

She eyed him up and down. "So have you,"

(And with some horror and pride, Ryou realized he had.)

"I've missed you, so so much," he blurted out, still being dragged.

"I know," she scoffed, "I got your letters,"

Ryou looked away sheepishly at that. She rolled her green eyes.

"Come on," she said exasperated, tugging on him more, "If you keep moving so slow we'll never reach the darkness,"

What she said held some truth, because it seemed as if the short distance between the ooze and the mist lasted eternity. Ryou didn't mind though. He could stay here with Amane forever. (And ever and ever.)

But alas, they reached the mist, his mist as it was derived from his soul. The mist hissed in either welcoming or warning, Ryou didn't know which. Amane stepped towards it.

"Wait!" Ryou grasped Amane's arm, pulling her back. Fear, the first genuine emotion he had in years, scrawled out all over his face.

She jerked away in mild anger. "You're not the boss of me, Ryou," she sneered.

"I can't lose you again," he begged, and her face relaxed.

"It's alright – it's just you," and she plunged herself into the mist.

Without a moment of hesitation, he followed. Ryou would follow Amane to the end of the Earth, no matter what.

The mist was just that - mist. It was dense, but Ryou could still make a few things on the other side. (The spirit's side.) There were many blobs of a goldish color and someone in red. Then, abruptly with no warning, the mist changed. No longer was it black, with very dark shades of blue but the complete inverse. Dark, but most definitely blue with black on the ends of the wisps.

And it hit Ryou. This was no longer his mist, but the spirit's.

Amane slipped her hand into Ryou's.

"Don't worry, it'll be easy,"

Ryou didn't bother asking what; just tighten his hold on her hand. He promised himself he would hold onto it forever. (And ever and ever.)

Not once had Ryou ever been within the spirit's soul room, and he couldn't help but feel some regret when he realized it was completely destroyed. There were only a few possessions that had not been totally consumed by the ooze. A few piles of gold, a skeleton… The spirit himself stood in the middle of everything, his mist circling and howling at him. He was wearing a red robe which clashed painfully with the spirit's form of Ryou's pale skin. It was as if he was wearing his own blood.

But what the spirit wore was not as horrifying as what he was doing. He was laughing. Not the sadistic chuckle that Ryou had come to know, to fear but a loud, echoing laugh. It seem to radiate from deep within him and more important than that, it seemed sincere. The spirit was actually happy about something, actually found something funny.

Amane was not fazed.

(Ryou thought he was going to hurl.)

The laugh did not stop. In fact, it felt as if it had been going on for eternity. As if the spirit had been laughing forever. (And ever and ever.)

"Please stop," Ryou pleaded so softly that he would have been surprised if Amane, standing right next to him, heard.

The laughing stopped.

"Yadonushi," said the spirit fondly, stalking towards them. "How nice of you to stop by,"

Ryou froze, feeling both petrified because the spirit had most obviously lost what little sanity he had to begin with and disgusted because he was afraid. Amane was alive – next to him. That meant he was a big brother again and big brothers aren't suppose to be afraid. Not ever.

Amane didn't look scared at all. Her face was pouting, she was impatient and getting bored.

"You both take really long to die," she said, crossing her arms.

"What?" Ryou gasped, turning towards her. She regarded him in a childish "Well, duh" look.

The spirit simply let out another laugh.

"Didn't you know yadonushi? Didn't you know?" he laughed again, coming closer and closer to Ryou.

"We're dying," he said simply, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"About time too," Amane added in a huff. The spirit didn't regard her, his eyes always remained on Ryou.

"Even though you were so naïve, I would have thought that even you would recognize death,"

He reached out a hand, cupping Ryou's face. Ryou was motionless, transfixed with the horror of the scene before him. The spirit's body was dissolving, just like the walls of his soul room had. His body turning into blue mist that quite simply blew away.

"You were a good host," and the spirit smiled, as if the two had been good friends. The best of friends. Friends that would be by each other's side forever. (And ever and ever.)

And just like that he was gone.

"You're next," Amane said happily, sitting down crossed leg.

Ryou went to wipe away his tears, but there was no hand. He had no hands. Just arms that spilled out black mist when they should be spilling out blood.

He sat down next to his dead sister. She gave him a hug.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright. Promise!" she winked and Ryou gave a smile, sad, broken smile. It was the happiest he had been in the longest time.

"I believe you," and he rested his head on her, thinking this is how he would stay forever.

And ever. And ever.


A/N Dedicated to Bakura's Guardian Angel as requested. I hope you like it (even though it's not at all what you wanted)! In fact I hope all of you liked it. If you did then press the button and review! If you have a request, simply put it in your review!