Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ The Worst Party... Ever. ( Chapter 3 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he insists that I invite him to Kaiba's party. It's not happening.

 

Within the hour, Ryou managed to take a shower, get dressed, and he even was able to get Bakura to promise to behave himself. Considering the thief's usual disposition toward anything even relatively social, Ryou counted it as a blessing as he fixed something onto his coat. They had discussed it briefly, but Ryou made it clear that if Bakura did anything embarrassing, he'd be sent home, or even worse if Sami happened to call him on it. And as much as Bakura hated being threatened by Ryou, Sami was more than adequate for making him swear to be a `good boy' for the rest of the evening. After that, the two hadn't spoken, each of them doing their best to make themselves presentable to one of Kaiba's events. Ryou learned a long time ago that that was a nearly impossible task. He attempted it anyway.

 

“Ryou, hurry it up or we're leaving without you!” Katt called after a few minutes had passed, “Sami's outside waiting, and I'd hate to be the one that makes her wait!” Ryou had to chuckle; Sami was incredibly impatient when it came to something like this. He tugged the brush through his hair just once more, and then set it down, running down the stairs. Katt was waiting for him by the banister, with Bakura just a bit behind, mumbling something in a language Ryou didn't recognize. Like Ryou, Bakura was in a tuxedo, much to his disliking. Katt was in a beautiful blue dress that, while slim and fitting close to her body around the torso, eventually spanned out like a fan around the calves. Both of them looked incredible to Ryou.

 

“You look lovely, Katt,” Ryou complimented, and Katt smiled as Ryou said to Bakura, “And you clean up well, too.” Bakura rolled his eyes and stormed out to the car as Katt walked out with Ryou. Both of them laughed at how stiff Bakura was walking as he slammed the door to the car, having climbed in and ignored Sami's questioning look. Sami herself was waiting in front of the car, and Ryou couldn't believe how well her own outfit looked, either. Her dress was pure black, fanning out at the ends like Katt's did, with a rose in the center. Her hair, normally tied in a bandana, had been let down for the evening, and because of that, it was just a bit wilder than Ryou would've thought. Either way, she looked the most regal, and Ryou didn't hide that fact as he said, “Sami… you look amazing!”

 

“Thank you,” she replied, and then tossed him the keys, “Will you please drive? I don't know where Kaiba lives, and I don't want to ruin this dress.” Ryou nodded. He didn't want her ruining that dress, either. Politely, he helped both women into the car. Then he climbed into the driver's seat as Bakura sat down next to him. He started the car and then drove down the road towards the general direction of where Kaiba lived. He didn't need to tell Sami he didn't exactly know the place, either.

 

“So, what do you think Kaiba wants to tell us?” Katt asked, as they passed a marketplace that was closed. Sami, who was looking out the window, shrugged, and Ryou noticed that it seemed almost uncomfortable as one sleeve bunched just a little. She appeared to have ignored it.

 

“I wish I knew, but he wouldn't tell me,” she replied calmly, “It must be important, though, because he insisted that we come. Perhaps he's going bankrupt?” Bakura snorted as Ryou turned down a quiet street into the richer part of Domino. If that were true, Kaiba wouldn't tell anyone about it. He'd keep it as secret as he could, if only to stop his own humiliation.

 

“Yeah, and I'm not the greatest thief in the world,” Bakura joked, “I bet it's something like him producing a new duel disk.” Ryou continued the drive as Sami and Bakura debated on what the announcement could be, both ruling out that it probably wasn't a new duel disk. The whole ordeal took around half an hour, and when he finally did make it, he parked the car in a driveway, and everyone climbed out. The sight of the mansion was shocking, even for Sami. No one had been to Kaiba's house in two years, and although Ryou was expecting a level of elegance, Kaiba seemed to have taken it to an unreal degree. A large, wrought-iron fence protected the premises, but Kaiba added a swimming pool to the yard, along with a better improvement for the porch. The scent of flowers were strong, as Sami wrinkled her nose irritably. They walked to the door, and Ryou knocked using one of the lion head knockers on the door. To their surprise, Joey answered.

 

“Hey, guys! Welcome to the party!” he exclaimed, letting them inside. It smelled of expensive food, and Ryou saw that many people had already arrived. Rex Raptor was serving punch, and everyone else was just mingling, dancing, or avoiding everyone else. Joey told them briefly about what had happened since the party began, and then left them a short while later. Sami looked around for something, and Ryou tried following her gaze, but with so many people wandering around, it became impossible to know what she might've been looking for. She finally turned to Ryou.

 

“Ryou, I'm going to find Tea,” she stated, and when Ryou nodded, she left. Katt saw Malik and immediately walked over, Bakura trailing slowly to talk to Ishtar, who looked equally as disgruntled to be there. Ryou chuckled and then went to the food table, where Yugi was. He beamed when he saw the white-haired man.

 

“Ryou! I haven't seen you for a while,” Yugi exclaimed, and clapped Ryou on the shoulder, “College dragging you down?” Ryou smiled weakly as he reached for a glass. He was happy to see Yugi, but it had been nearly a year since he'd even heard from his old friend. And he knew he was partly responsible; ever since his father's death, he let his friendships drift apart. He shrugged.

 

“No, it's more like life in general,” he replied, slowly at first, “Sami and I are struggling, but hopefully things will pick up once I start work.” Yugi nodded with understanding, but Ryou didn't appear to like the heavy air around them, so he asked, “How about you?” Yugi smiled again, oblivious to the change in subject.

 

“I'm great! Yami and I've been working to keep the game shop running,” Yugi explained proudly, “I mean, we can't do it like Grandpa did, but we're pretty close! Yami's much better than I am, though. He can get people to buy two or three card packs at once sometimes.” Ryou laughed. Yami was always sneakier than he ever wanted to admit, and that skill often helped him and Yugi, whether it was in a duel or during a sale. Even Bakura had admitted once that Yami might very well be better than him at swindling.

 

“How's it going with you and Tea?” Ryou asked. Yugi bit his lip.

 

“We broke up,” Yugi explained, “She wanted to go to New York, but I wasn't ready to give up the game shop. We tried to work it out, but long-distant relationships are harder than either of us had time for. We just decided to end it. It felt better that way.” Ryou looked down thoughtfully. He didn't like to hear that his friends were having that difficult a time, but he was glad that somehow, it did end up working out.

 

“Are you two still talking to each other, though?” he asked, and Yugi nodded vigorously.

 

“Of course! Actually, she's going out with Kaiba now,” Yugi replied, smiling again, “Tell you truth, she hasn't been happier. I mean, it's a little weird, but if she's happy, so am I.” Ryou's mouth dropped, not only at the news, but at the tone in Yugi's voice. He hadn't meant to, but his voice did break a bit at the last sentence, and unfortunately, Ryou did catch it.

 

“It'll get better,” Ryou assured him, smiling weakly, “How's Yami doing?”

 

“He's fine. He's lurking around here somewhere,” Yugi said, glancing around, “He wasn't happy to be coming, but once I told him Sami was coming, he decided to join. He missed her this summer.” Ryou nodded, knowing that over the past two years, Sami and Yami had become as close as siblings. Whether it was due to them actually liking each other or them just enjoying their combined intelligence, Ryou wasn't sure, but he was glad Sami made an effort to retain one very good friendship.

 

“Likewise, Sami's been wondering where he's been, too,” Ryou admitted, “She's been worried about you two since your grandfather passed.” Yugi nodded, looking down. Any mention of his grandfather still hurt, but he was grateful that Sami was concerned. He also knew Ryou was worried as well. He looked up and smiled.

 

“I'll make sure she knows we're both fine,” Yugi said brightly, “Anyway, I'd better go find Yami before he does something he'll regret later. He's not good when it comes to partying.” Ryou laughed, and Yugi departed, disappearing in the crowds of people. Ryou sipped the rest of his drink as Sami came back, looking frustrated and almost weary. Either she did find Tea, or she hadn't and decided to give up.

 

“What's wrong?” Ryou asked, as Sami sat down in a chair. She looked at Ryou and then sighed.

 

“Tea talks too much these days,” she mumbled, “Did you know that Miho wanted to try dating both Tristan and Kaiba three years ago?” Ryou stifled a laugh and simply nodded, though he had no idea himself about that. Sami shook her head with disapproval and took a cup of juice as she said, “Honestly, I'm not sure how she would've had that happen. That would be no different than if I started sleeping with Bakura.” Ryou choked, as the thought ran through his head. He definitely didn't want that happening, no matter how close he and Bakura were.

 

“You… wouldn't, would you?” he managed to whisper. Sami looked at him, noting at once how jealous he sounded, and shook her head.

 

“Not a damn chance. Not even if I was drunk,” she said, and Ryou snorted, “I'd have to be dead before he tried that, and even then, I'd try to kill him.” Ryou nodded, and felt a pang of regret for his moment of jealousy. He saw Tea out of the corner of his eye, and felt Sami let go of him, sighing. She looked patient, but he knew she wouldn't listen to gossip forever.

 

“Sorry to lose you like that, Sami,” Tea said, walking over, “Yami managed to fall into the garbage bin, so I had to pull him out.” Sami actually snickered, the thought very comical to her. Yami was never usually spastic, but he had his moments. And judging from what Tea said, she had missed one.

 

“Is he all right?” she asked, still chuckling. Tea nodded.

 

“Probably a bit dazed, but he's fine,” Tea replied, trying not to laugh, “Anyway, dinner's almost ready. Do you want to join me and Miho for a bit?” Sami looked up at Ryou, wondering if he'd mind, but when he smiled approvingly, she left with Tea, and surely enough, the dinner bell struck. Everyone gathered around the large table in the dining room, where plates upon plates of food sat steaming. Bakura's mouth was issuing a tiny bit of drool, and Ryou heard Tristan's stomach growl hungrily. Surely enough, Kaiba appeared, grim and dark as ever. His appearance sent a shiver up Ryou's spine, but only Joey seemed particularly happy to see him appear. That meant they could eat.

 

“Thank you all for joining us today,” Kaiba said gruffly, “I've prepared a large feast for you all, because whether I like it or not, you all are friends. Therefore, I implore you to eat your fill.” With a clap of his hands, everyone sat and began to serve themselves. When Bakura saw the chicken, duck, and quail, his eyes widened, but a quick glare from Ryou kept his mouth shut, and he silently accepted the food, if only because he remembered the threats Ryou had given him.

 

“Are you sure you heard them right?” Ryou heard Sami ask as she and Miho grabbed their food. He noticed that somehow, Tea wasn't with them. He glanced around, wondering if he had heard her right beforehand, but she wasn't there.

 

“Yes. I heard the words `marriage' and `announcement' last night as I passed them,” Miho replied, and Sami looked thoughtful. She didn't normally believe gossip, but Miho sounded very sure of what she had heard from Kaiba and Joey when she had seen them at the mall. She assured Sami it wasn't between them, but for some reason, Kaiba was confiding in Joey.

 

“I'm not sure it means anything,” she replied, passing a plate to Miho, “They could've been talking about another wedding. Maybe Kaiba is helping Tea plan for hers. Or vice versa.” Miho raised an eyebrow as Sami ate a roll. Normally, she'd have let Sami dismiss the subject like that, but this was too different for her to just let go.

 

“But neither have a partner,” she reminded the older woman.

 

“Maybe we should ask Mokuba,” Serenity, who'd been sitting across from them, chimed in, and then the rest of the conversation was lost. Ryou sighed and then focused on his dinner. The food was rich, nothing Kaiba wasn't used to, and he enjoyed the wine as well. But he saw Bakura twitching out of the corner of his eye. At first, Ryou considered hitting the old thief on the head, but he knew if he did, he'd possibly cause an even bigger interruption than Bakura would. Malik also caught Bakura's wide-eyed glare, and raised an interested brow as he motioned toward Ryou.

 

“What's wrong with Bakura?” he asked, leaning over to whisper to Ryou. Ryou looked over, and aside from Bakura's occasional twitch, he saw nothing that could've been bothering the old thief. He just prayed Bakura would keep calm and remember what they had talked about before leaving.

 

“I don't know. Maybe…” Ryou was cut off as Bakura stood up and stabbed a quail with a knife.

 

“DIE, MOCKER!” he screeched, and Ryou hid his face with his hands. Everyone stared at Bakura, who crossed his arms and said, “It was moving! I saw its wings twitch!” Sami gave Bakura an icy stare. Ryou could feel the anger rising in her, and was sure she would lose it quite soon. To his surprise, she didn't.

 

“Bakura… Sit down. Now!” she said sternly, and Bakura sat. Then dinner resumed, though for Bakura, it was nothing short of torment. He swore his dinner moved, and every so often, a wing really did appear to twitch. He knew both Sami and Ryou were watching him, but finally, he couldn't stop himself. He stabbed the quail again, and finally, Kaiba threw him outside after his interruptions became almost constant. He landed on the grass, and stood up to run back inside, but as he turned, he heard something chirping. And, although it should've been too late for any bird to be out, Bakura recognized the call instantly. It made his blood boil.

 

“I hear you, you disgusting little mocker!” Bakura hissed, and when he threw a stone into a bush, tens of hundreds of birds rushed at him, flapping around him angrily. They squawked, and Bakura picked up another rock, hurling it at a particularly large bird. It missed, crashing through the window and slamming into Tristan's plate, spraying him and Duke Devlin with potatoes.

 

“What the hell was that!?” Tristan asked, as Duke jumped up. Both had been shocked by the ballistic, but Duke reacted much faster, much to the disadvantage of Tristan.

 

“So, you're going to be a bastard because I asked Serenity out, huh!?” Duke demanded, picking up a roll. Tristan looked at him with confusion, some of the mash dripping down his cheek. To him, that should've been proof enough of his innocence. Also, it'd been physically impossible, but the look on Duke's face told Tristan he'd have no part of logic.

 

“Dude, I didn't do that!” Tristan pleaded, “My potatoes just exploded!” Duke, however, didn't appear to care as he hurled the roll at Tristan. Tristan ducked, and though the roll missed him completely, it hit Tea in the head, and her head fell into her soup, spraying herself, Sami, and Rex with stew. Ryou sighed, knowing now that the inevitable would be happening; the party was officially ruined.

 

“JACKASS!” Tea screamed, throwing a baked potato at Duke. Her aim was off terribly, and she slammed Yami in the face, causing him to spit his wine all over Ishtar and Yugi. Yugi threw his water onto Yami in shock, and Ishtar slapped Yami across the face. Shocked, dazed, and having no idea what he did wrong, Yami stood up only to slip on a puddle and fall backwards into Malik's dinner, spraying him and Katt with pasta sauce. Angrily, Malik slugged Yami in the face, and he fell over again. Sami finally stood up to end the feud, but as she opened her mouth to speak, the turkey slammed her in the back of the head. Everyone fell silent, and whether they could sense her anger or not was irrelevant. Everyone knew that as soon as she even stood up, someone was in trouble.

 

“Which one of you… childish ingrates… threw that AT ME!?” she demanded furiously, her expression being one of such terror that Malik was sure even Obelisk or Slifer would cower in pure horror. Silence reigned heavily in the air, until the windows crashed again. Sami snapped around and saw that one thousand birds were now flying through the air, and among them was Bakura, decked in an army outfit. How he managed to don one so quickly was beyond anyone's logic, but no one dared to react to it. For, as soon as Bakura landed, all hell broke lose once again.

 

“DIE, YOU HORRIBLE BEASTS!” Bakura roared, and threw a grenade. Everyone screamed, and the grenade landed near Yami. The ticking was loud, and only created more panic, until Sami's eyes turned a deep blue. She opened her mouth, uttering a few words that no one recognized or could ever remember, and slowly, the grenade stopped ticking. Silence took over again, and Sami took her seat, her eyes slowly losing their glow as her magic receded back into her. Slowly, when they realized the grenade was neutralized, everyone settled down, and Ryou's eyes fell on Sami.

 

“Sami, what did you…”

 

“I froze it in place,” she replied, and then turned to Bakura, “Go out and wait in the car.” Bakura shivered at the sheer anger on Sami's face, and knew better than to argue. He left immediately, without saying a word. Everyone watched in silence for just a moment, and then Joey looked around and noticed that Kaiba and Tea were also missing. He alerted Sami to this, and Rex examined the seats. There was nothing to point them to where the two could've gone.

 

“I'll go look around the house. No one move,” Rex said, and walked out of the dining room. Everyone remained silent, wondering just where the two had disappeared to. Ryou looked questioningly at Sami, but she had no idea what had happened, either. Within a few minutes, Rex came back. No one else came with him, and that made Ryou just a little concerned. Had Bakura really caused their disappearance? Or had they actually fled the scene?

 

“Did you find them?” Duke asked, and Rex shook his head, resuming his seat.

 

“No. They're definitely gone,” Rex replied. Sami blinked, wondering why Kaiba would leave when both he and Tea walked through an open door. Joey handed him something, and then sat back down. Kaiba cleared his throat and looked at everyone, who were staring back expectantly. He swallowed hard. Obviously, the climax of the night was about to begin. A few people even shifted their seats a little closer, anxious to hear the reason they had all been called to the party.

 

“I know you all are wondering why the hell I'd call you here,” Kaiba began, “Heavens knows I'm wondering that myself. But today is a very important day in my life, and I feel that someone should know about it, so here you all are.” Malik snorted at the statement, but Katt nudged him and he fell silent as Kaiba continued on.

 

“I know that you all have endured a lot of pain tonight, no thanks to that moron, Bakura. But they say pain is the basis of love, right?” Kaiba asked, and Tea nodded as he continued, “They also say that through love, you develop understanding and patience, right?” Sami raised a suspicious eyebrow. This sounded like it could go on for some time, and while she understood nervousness, she wasn't accustomed to outright stalling.

 

“Kaiba, what are you talking about?” she asked, and Kaiba turned to her, then turned back to the crowd. The look on his face was mortification. Whatever this was, he was scared nearly shitless.

 

“There's no way to put this… Tea and I are getting married, and through a sheer respect for her wishes, I'm inviting you all to the wedding,” Kaiba finally stated, and the room once again fell silent as everyone stared up at the two. Tea was happier than even Yugi remembered seeing. Kaiba was relieved, but grim.

 

“You two are seriously getting hitched?” Ishtar asked, and with a nod, and a sharp glare from Kaiba, he added, “Wow. I never thought I'd see the day.”

 

“When is the wedding?” Miho asked cheerfully. Kaiba bit his lip, but Joey answered that question for him. It was clear that somehow, Kaiba had left Joey in charge of most of the planning. That smelled of trouble.

 

“In June! And I rented out the best pavilion I could, too!” Joey exclaimed proudly. Malik dropped the roll he'd been eating, too shocked to fully process what he had heard, and Sami's dog, who'd been lying on the floor since they had arrived, gobbled it up, and then barked loudly. Aside from that, nothing else was said for several moments. No one knew just what to say; they had never seen Kaiba and Tea coming.

 

“Someone say something,” Yugi mumbled. Yami, who barely woke up, sat up from the floor, and he looked incredibly dizzy. He also reeked of wine, mainly because so many people had attacked him at the food fight, and because he had slipped into so many puddles of the intoxicating liquid.

 

“I'd like to… give them… my blessing,” Yami said very sluggishly, and pushed Yugi away when Yugi tried to help him. Then he opened his mouth, and instead of words, a long, loud belch issued from him, and then he slid on a puddle of wine and crashed ungracefully onto the floor. Everyone's eyes fell on the old spirit, and Yugi looked completely mortified. He picked Yami up and stood him up.

 

“I'm so sorry about him. I think he's had too much wine,” Yugi said quickly, “He's never like this, but…”

 

“Get that disgusting idiot out of my house,” Kaiba ordered, and immediately, Yugi ran outside, Yami dragging behind limply. Then with a shove, Yami fell into the backseat, and Yugi climbed into the front. All anyone inside heard were screeching tires, and then the sound of a mailbox flying off of its hinges as Yugi drove off. After that, Kaiba decided it might be best to break the party up, so slowly, he began to send everyone home. And that basically entailed kicking them out then and there. Ryou and Sami waited outside for Katt, who was saying goodbye to Malik for the night.

 

“I can't believe Yami got himself so tanked,” Sami commented, and Ryou nodded as Tristan and Miho passed them, talking about something they couldn't hear.

 

“I can't believe that food fight started,” Ryou added, “And in Kaiba's house! Do you think he's mad?” Sami huffed, and then smiled oddly, nodding. That was an easy question to answer. Mainly because so many things infuriated the man. It was just hard to tell which made it worse.

 

“If he is, most of it is probably directed at Bakura. After all, the fight was technically his fault,” Sami replied. She crossed her arms, noticing something glimmering on the ground. She tugged Ryou and asked, “Did you drop that?” Ryou looked at it, bent down, and picked it up. It was a crystal, decent in size, and it had a golden glow to it. It looked like it may have come from a ring.

 

“No, I didn't,” he replied, turning it over, “Sami! Look!” Sami leaned in, and saw what shocked Ryou. The Millennium insignia was on it, and it was glowing. She narrowed her eyes and backed away. She hadn't had too much experience with a Millennium Item, but she knew trouble when she felt it. And that spelled thousands of different kinds of trouble.

 

“One of those items?” she asked, and Ryou looked at it in terror.

 

“It can't be! There's only seven, and none of them look like this,” he replied frantically, “Sami, this isn't good.” Sami obviously agreed, and Ryou pocketed it, making a note to ask Bakura about it as soon as they were home; he couldn't just leave it there for someone else. As soon as Katt climbed into the car, Ryou drove off, often exchanging a nervous glance with Sami whenever they stopped at a red light. The ride had been quick, as Ryou had purposely tried to avoid any red lights. He wanted to get Bakura to examine what they had found as soon as he could. He could feel his pulse quicken just thinking on it. Only when they pulled into the driveway did he settle down, and as they walked in, he called for Bakura and Katt to follow them into the dining room, which they did.

 

“Ryou, what's wrong?” Bakura asked, noticing at once that Ryou had become silent and almost terrified of something. Ryou brought out the crystal, showing the insignia to Bakura. Bakura's eyes widened and he grabbed it, looking at it with a mixture of fear and worry. His ring reacted, but after a moment, fell silent. Whatever it was, the ring wasn't able to keep a straight trace on it. Which signified two things; either it was much more powerful than he, or it was made from another world and was meant to look like an item. He didn't know which scared him more at that point. He muttered something to himself, holding the crystal up in the light. He didn't even notice the glances he was receiving as a result to his inward rant.

 

“What is it?” Katt asked, when several minutes passed and Bakura hadn't spoken yet. Bakura continued to mutter to himself, and then finally turned to Sami and Ryou. He highly doubted either would possibly know what they happened to stumble upon. For that matter, he doubted they even realized what it might've been. This wasn't good.

 

“Where did you both find this?” he asked quickly to both of them. Sami was the first to answer.

 

“It was outside of Kaiba's house,” she answered, and quietly asked, “Bakura… is it another one of those items? Like Ryou's?” Bakura looked at the crystal again. In the light, it seemed almost transparent, as though it were going to disappear from his very eyes. If he knew one thing, it was that the other items couldn't do that. Whatever this was, it was entirely different. He took a deep breath and turned back to her.

 

“This cannot possibly be another item,” he told her, “It's either a fake or a ruse. Don't trust it.”

 

“But… who'd use the items as a trick?” Katt whispered, “What for?” Bakura wished he could answer her, but he was at a loss for words as well. There was no plausible reason. Clearly, this did something, but it was no Millennium item. Someone would have sensed it. Shadi would've warned them. The fact that Ryou happened to find it before anyone else scared Bakura. There was a good chance he was the intended victim.

 

“This is a dangerous sign,” the thief growled, “First of all, we don't know what this piece of shit will do. Until then, we can't throw it out. Second, Ryou, I'm worried that you picked it up. Third, Sami, what worries me most is that Yami and Yugi walked past it, while you didn't. You actually saw it.” Sami nodded in silent confirmation. Bakura didn't question; he was completely suspicious, and he didn't need questions to know that something was off. Katt looked at the crystal nervously now.

 

“How was that possible?” she whispered. Bakura's eyes narrowed as he eyed the dangling crystal. His voice had grown slow, as though he were debating his answer as he spoke it.

 

“Either they were too occupied to see it, or someone left it after they drove off,” he finally answered, “I'm not sure which one is worse, personally. For now, though, someone needs to keep an eye on it. We can't have it go missing in case it's something really bad. If it affects someone with even lower understanding, well… that's a recipe for the end of the earth, eh?” Sami nodded, but no one spoke. No one could decide who should keep the crystal. Ryou was ruled out, though. He had the weakest willpower of them all. Katt cleared herself out as well. If she got into trouble, Malik wouldn't be able to help her. Which left Bakura and Sami. The two stared at each other silently, as though a battle were waging in their heads. Finally, Sami's expression turned grim.

 

“I'll do it,” she declared, and Bakura gave her the crystal, “But we're checking this out. Bakura, tomorrow, call Yami and bring him here.” Bakura didn't particularly like that Sami was telling him this. He was already going to do that. He snorted.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I've already told Ishtar what happened in my mind,” he stated, and somberly added, “Sami… I have confidence in you, but that thing worries me. If you get sick, tell me, okay?” Sami nodded, looking down at the crystal for just a moment before a small grin crept on her face.

 

“Got it,” she replied. Bakura patted her shoulder and walked up the stairs silently. Something about how stiff he'd become alerted Ryou. His eyes locked on Sami's wrist, and for a brief moment, a flash of the worst kind of evil ran through his mind; dark and empty, but with two leering, red eyes. His pupils thinned. If he'd been holding something, he'd have dropped it now. That was a terrifying sight, even if he couldn't comprehend it. Sami had already begun up the stairs with Katt by the time he snapped himself out of it and grabbed her arm.

 

“Sami, are you sure you should do this!?” he cried suddenly, with enough terror to make Sami stop in her tracks. She looked down at Ryou curiously, and then nodded, letting out a deep breath. She must've been having the same thought as he was.

 

“No. But that's never stopped me,” she told him grimly, “I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.” Ryou nodded, and let Sami and Katt be. He looked down the stairs again, trembling. It was just one thought. Just one tiny thought. But it didn't leave his mind. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, like a vision just at the edge of his consciousness. He couldn't grasp it, but he knew it was right there. He frowned.

 

“This doesn't feel good at all,” he said to himself, slowly heading up the stairs, “Damn it, Sami… if I get this sorted out, I hope you'll listen to me.” He had his theories on the crystal, ragtag as they seemed. A lot of his thought made no sense, but that was what thinking was for. And, Ryou had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of that for most of the night. He wouldn't get much sleep, either.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

And so, Kaiba's party went much worse than anyone wanted or expected, but at least he made his announcement! But has it shocked everyone to the very core? Why did he seem so grim, despite his happy moment? And, what of the crystal hanging around Sami's wrist? What theory does Ryou have on it? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!