Some Sick Dream
A Maru-kun songfic obsession challenge
Aislynn Goldleaf
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only.
Seraphim Shock and their Lyrics are also the intellectual property of someone else, and are being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. "Some Sick Dream" is from Nightmares For The Banished (1999 EP).
All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi or Seraphim Shock are the intellectual property of me. People, situations, and characters in this story are entirely fictional; any resemblance to actual people or events is unintentional.
Beneath the willow tree
She beckons me deep inside
An Autumn's chill, witches' spell
By candlelight, Legends cry…
Stare into my eyes forever
Let me take you in my arms
Dance with me out in the garden
Where tomorrow never comes…
Follow me into the darkness
Where the Nightmares never fade
Whisper dreams my Fallen Angel
From which you will never wake…
---
The weather is getting cold. Ryou shivered in the late afternoon twilight as he pulled a box of winter clothing out of the assigned storage shed behind his apartment. Well, it is late October after all.
Most of the trees in the fenced yard had lost their leaves in the last bout of rainstorms, but Ryou's favorite, an old willow, still had enough leaves to conceal the corner where it stood. His millennium ring clanged softly as he stood, softly grunting with the effort it took to lift the heavy clothes. Thankfully his building had a freight elevator, so he wouldn't be forced to carry the heavy box up the six flights of stairs.
He slid the box down the hallway and into his apartment, having to sit down and push it inside once it hit the carpet. What did I put in here last year, bricks?
Ryou kicked the door shut, hearing the lock catch, then went to get a drink before opening and sorting through what was inside. His winter coat, several sweaters and pairs of long underwear, heavy socks, boots, hats, mittens, a couple of scarves he'd never worn… An iron cauldron? No wonder the box was so heavy!
He'd bought the pot intending to use it for a Halloween party punchbowl. As the memory surfaced, he frowned sadly. His yami, whom he had privately named Ryo, had overwhelmed him before he could even issue the invitations. He'd fought, as he always had, but now wondered what the spirit had done for that entire week. He set the cauldron by the door, intending to take it back out to his shed the next day. It was getting late, and he hadn't eaten dinner yet.
Another hour later, fed, bathed and snuggled under the warm comforter of his bed, Ryou slowly relaxed and fell asleep.
Yami no Bakura stirred inside his soul room as he felt his host fall deeply asleep. He opened the 'door' and strode across the 'hallway' to peer into Ryou's room. The ancient spirit was unaware that it was his own insecurities that caused him to treat the young man so harshly, keeping his hikari locked in his soul room for weeks at a time so the spirit could selfishly experience life once more.
He watched Ryou sigh softly and shift slightly, the covers revealing the young man's shoulders and a slender hand stretched out as if to catch another's. A flicker of an idea came into the spirit's mind, and on an impulse, he pulled Ryou into a dark dream…
Ryou stood shivering in a chill autumn night breeze. Leaves rustled across the garden path leading back toward that sheltered corner beneath the willow. Pumpkins, abandoned Scarecrows, and a few other Halloween decorations lay artfully around as Ryou scanned the deserted area before muttering to himself. "It must be really late…"
He shivered again, hugging himself and turned to go inside the apartment building. A soft click and a low, initially haunting, tune froze him in place before he took a step. The tune was vaguely familiar, the voice singing quietly, overly so. He felt his hackles rise as he turned to see what he had believed to be impossible…
"Ryo…" He'd never before dared to call the spirit of the millennium ring that directly. The spirit sat beneath the willow, deep inside the concealing branches. The light of a candle placed inside the iron cauldron illuminated his pale features. He raised a hand and crooked a finger, the look in his eyes daring Ryou to accept his invitation.
Ryou gasped as his body took a step forward, then another, until he was close enough to see the trails of previously shed tears on the spirits face. He sank to his knees beside the ancient spirit as if he were under a witch's spell, the deeper voice of the spirit singing seductively along with the music.
"Stare into my eyes forever. Let me take you in my arms. Dance with me out in the garden, where tomorrow never comes… Follow me into the darkness, where the Nightmares never fade. Whisper dreams my Fallen Angel, from which you will never wake…"
Ryou stared into the rich red-brown of the spirit's eyes, entranced until the spirit had reached up to cup Ryou's cheek. The young man gasped at the warmth of contact, eyes widening in a sudden surge of fear, his voice overly loud as he hastily backed away.
"NO!" Ryou bolted upright in bed, gasping softly a few moments. His hand came up to touch his blushing cheek…