Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ One Last Breath ❯ One-Shot

Author's Notes: Yay, my muse is back. He's been gone for three bloody weeks, so it was about time... Okay, so it was only about two weeks, but I have very little 'net connection during the summer! Err... Yeah. --; And I wrote this in rather loose terms, so take it as you will.

One Last Breath

As the opening guitar riffs start, we see Ryou sitting on the steps of a house, bent over and holding his knees. He looks a bit scuffed up, like he'd been in a fight. He gets up and starts walking down the street, singing:

Please come now, I think I'm falling,

I'm holding on to all I think is safe.

He suddenly stops walking and spins around, as if hearing someone or something behind him.

It seems I found the road to nowhere,

He looks down to see the Millennium Ring materialize around him.

And I'm trying to escape.

He pulls it off, throws it to the ground and starts running as fast as he can. He turns into an alley, just to run into his Yami who smirks at him.

I yelled back when I heard thunder!

He yelps in surprise and starts running in the opposite direction, looking over his should to see his Yami in the middle of the street with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at him coldly.

But I'm down to one last breath,

He collapses against a gate that separates the suburbs from less developed areas, such as the reservoir and forest.

And with it let me say,

He starts climbing the fence, but turns when he feels his Yami pulling him back.

Let me say...

Ryou kicks away and lands on the other side running. He starts singing again as he runs:

Hold me now,

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking,

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down...

He finds himself completely alone so he walks more slowly, wandering around the forest, finally calm and almost happy.

I'm looking down now that it's over,

The reservoir finally comes into view. His slowed pace comes to a halt as he sits beside it, catching his breath from earlier.

Reflecting on all of my mistakes.

He peers into the smooth surface of the water, a fleeting expression of disgust crossing his face as he sees the mangled state he's in.

I thought I found the road to somewhere,

He uses the sleeve of his sweater to wipe away the blood on his face, which had gotten there from several scratches he'd acquired during his escape from his Yami.

Somewhere in His grace.

He stands up and starts pacing a bit, wondering where to go. He'd go anywhere at all to keep some distance between himself and Yami.

I cried out, heaven save me!

A drop of water falls on his head. He looks up just as the clouds burst open and it begins to pour.

But I'm down to one last breath,

As a bolt of lightning cuts across the sky accompanied by rolling thunder, he spots his Yami coming out of the forest at the other end of the reservoir.

And with it let me say,

The cruel look is still on his face as he begins to walk around its perimeter to his Hikari.

Let me say...

With a flash of terror in his eyes, Ryou dashes back into the dense forest as the pounding rain pours harder, causing his wet hair to obscure his view as he tries to avoid tree branches that were in his path. He sings again, this time crying and shouting:

Hold me now!

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking,

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down!

He stops when he runs out of forest and finds himself at the top of a cliff. He faces his Yami as he too comes out into the open, but this time looks more apologetic than afraid as he sings:

Hold me now!

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking,

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down!

With these words, he takes a step backwards and begins the plunge.

I'm so far down...

He closes his eyes, peacefully awaiting the end.

Sad eyes follow me,

Feeling a sudden jerk, his eyes snap open to see that he's back at the top. The Ring around his Yami's neck is glowing and he knows that he must've used its powers to bring him back. Yami's smirk has long since evaporated and has been replaced with an expression equally if not more apologetic than Ryou's previous one. This time his Yami sings:

But I still believe there's something left for me,

So please come stay with me!

'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me,

For you and me,

For you and me...

Ryou sits up in his bed, shaking and a bit disoriented. He can't tell whether what he'd just seen was a dream or had really happened. He pushes away the covers and swings his feet over onto the floor, but doesn't get up. He starts singing the words he'd heard himself saying while staring downwards, so unsure that he doesn't dare look up into the mirror across from his bed:

Hold me now,

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking...

A bit more confident, he stands up and sings louder:

Hold me now!

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking,

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down!

Hold me now!

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking,

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down!

He glances into his mirror, not sure what to make of the scratches across his face that had scabbed over. Ryou smiles, now sure of what had happened. He sees the Ring lying on his bureau, but this time he senses no ominous danger radiating from it. He heads for the door, but turns around and sings in a whisper:

Please come now, I think I'm falling,

I'm holding on to all I think is safe.