When Ryou awoke, the world was dark but it wasn't the type of darkness that the night brings. At least when the sun set, the moon and stars would take its place but there wasn't even a speck of light in the sky until an unnatural bolt of lightning pierced the sky and hit a tree causing a small fire to spread and poorly illuminate the area but it was enough.

Ryou's eyes, accustomed to the dark, took the opportunity of the fire to take in the scenery around him. The world appeared to be dead. The trees were barren and the few patches of grass he could see had turned a dry brown. However, these things didn't disturb him. Winter brought the same type of environment. It was the bodies.

A corpse covered almost every inch of the ground in different stages of decomposition. Some were fresh bodies, their blood slowly flowing into the ground but the majority had already reached the stage of black putrefaction, their bodies a dark shade of black-green and their open body cavities left susceptible to various insects and birds that would prey on the decayed flesh if those same type of animals weren't also corpses.

Ryou turned his head away from the mass grave but the lifeless trees were also littered with bodies put there by the living for crimes they did not commit. It was a representation of the state of the living. They either lay among the dead, contacting disease and waiting to die or they were pitted against one another. Underneath the nearest tree to Ryou, he watched as one man impaled a stick through another's throat to steal a rotted apple. In this time to live, you had to kill. Even if the murdered was your friend.

Ryou stepped over the bodies, making his way to the town's largest hill where he suspects the cause of this destruction lies. He wouldn't be surprised. The spirit had always thought highly of himself and the highest point in the city would be the perfect place for his throne to watch as destruction consumes everything.

He didn't know what he would do when he saw the spirit. Ryou had no weapons on him and even if he did, he doubted he would be able to even harm the spirit. The last time he stood up to the spirit, he ended up with a bloody hand and, if it hadn't been for the other Yugi and one of his figurines, Ryou would have lost his life. He suspected death would be the outcome of this confrontation but his feet kept stepping over the bodies to make his journey.

He was about halfway to the mountain when he heard someone call out his name. He tried to brush it off and continue to his destination, not wanting to look into the face of a dying friend but he heard the call again although though this time it was more forceful which caused Ryou to scan the sea of corpses until his brown eyes locked with the pharaoh's amethyst ones. Ryou walked toward him while trying to ignore the fact that as he drew closer, many of the bodies belonged to his friends.

"Bakura," The pharaoh addressed him as the boy stopped before him. "The spirit hasn't won yet."

He pressed an item into Ryou's hand although the teen wasn't sure if it would be of much use.

"Come with me?" Ryou asked. The pharaoh had always won the battles against the spirit. If he were by his side perhaps there would be a chance that they could win but the pharaoh shook his head and this is when Ryou noticed the body he was kneeling beside.

It was Yugi or, rather, parts of the teen. His head was no longer attached to his body and there was a poorly cut wound on the left side of the boy's chest. Ryou didn't have to look to know that the heart would be missing. The mind and the heart both represented the soul and although the pharaoh's voice was still strong and anger radiated off him, Ryou understood what the situation means. Without Yugi's soul, he would die in a few moments. It was why he couldn't fight with Ryou.

Ryou nodded and turned away from the pharaoh who was now holding his partner's decapitated body to let him die without being watched. All his friends were now dead and the closer he approached the hill, the less living beings existed. The circumference of the hill had the largest piles of dead bodies. They were the ones who had attempted to fight the tyrant but failed. From his place on top of the hill, the spirit had the advantage and could easily wipe out anyone who tried.

The teen reached the top of the hill to come face to face with the man who had used Ryou's body as a vessel for years. He stood looking out in to the dark watching as the few living being massacred themselves with a deranged smile upon his face. The spirit was dressed as a king with the finest fabrics and jewellery adorning his body. He controlled the darkness therefore he controlled the world.

"You've finally come to Landlord." He smirked at the boy. "You're body was drained of a lot of energy to create this utopia."

"Why didn't you kill me?" Ryou asked although he knew the answer. "Instead of laying me among the dead?"

"You know the answer to the first question Landlord. As for the location of your body, that was decided by fate. Not myself. I'd rather you have gained consciousness near me."

"And why is that?" The teens suspicion was aroused. The spirit had no need to for the boy except to live.

"That is the exact reason." The spirit responded. "If you were near me, I could make sure you wouldn't do anything stupid and we could rule together."

"And you think I would like that?" Ryou laughed although the situation doesn't call for it but he has an advantage that the spirit does not; he knew the path of destiny. "There are only a handful of people left. How can you rule over that?"

"Actually, there are only two people left." The spirit gestured to the world around him. "The last man, besides us, killed himself moments ago by running into the fires and allowing his body to turn to dust. Now we can be immortal."

Ryou smiled which took the spirit back. He expected defiance and more fighting. Even if an apocalypse hadn't succeeded, a smile seemed out of place on the boy. He didn't do it often but as he watched his former vessel, he understood why the feature graced his face.

The teen had pulled out a small and silver object that was now pointed towards his forehead. It was the gun the pharaoh had given him before his death.

"Unlike you, I am not afraid of death." Ryou moved the gun to be placed inside his mouth. It tasted metallic and every human instinct told him to remove the item and to live in this hell. It was better than nothing but Ryou pushed those thoughts aside and pulled the trigger.

In an instance, the boy's body fell to the ground with blood and pieces of Ryou's skull scattered around the hill. It had happened in too quick of a movement or else the spirit would have been able to stop him. The action wasn't expected. Although the boy was disgruntled towards him, he hadn't stood up to him in that manner since the RPG.

The spirit could feel himself slipping into the land of the death. Without Ryou, he had no connection to this world and Death wasn't going let him escape this time. However, as he died, the spirit let out one last cold laugh. His goal was to plunge the world into darkness and with the death of his host and now himself, there would be nothing living left. His plan was accomplished.

A/N: It has been awhile hasn't it? Anyway, if you think that action of Ryou's is OoC, I direct you to volume 7 of the manga. He pretty much killed himself there but the little figure that he poured is soul into through playing the game was able to bring him back. Unfortunately, that couldn't happen here.

This was inspired by Lord Bryon's poem Darkness. And yes, I totally made Yami the dog from the poem. Except the dog in the poem isn't useful.

I will mainly be posting one shots until March because I am super busy with school and don't want to start anything and not be able to do that. I also don't know how far apart my oneshots will be so I apologize in advance.

Anyway, what did you think?