Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ One Reason why New Items are a Bad Idea ( Chapter 4 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi said the idea for the Millennium Crystal was funny, but he didn't like that it almost always kills its bearer.

 

Sleep was one of the few things that calmed Ryou down whenever he faced something he didn't like. Sleep was always there to catch him when he needed a blanket. It wasn't surprising when he didn't get any sleep the previous night, when the clock in his room finally struck seven in the morning. He dressed quickly, having had his thought turn in his head over and over, and now he wanted desperately to tell someone. But as he ran out into the hall, he realized something bad had happened during the night. Bakura was outside of Sami's door, and Katt was inside, trying to speak to her. He heard retching; Sami had gotten sick. But from what? He tried to ask, but no one answered. Bakura just ushered him out of the house, promising to care for her until Ryou returned. That's when the horrible thought from before picked up again, stronger now. As he started down the road, Ryou's fists clenched. Aside from being shoved out of his house, he knew Sami had gotten ill over something. And he blamed it on the crystal she wore. Magic again. Ryou's eyes narrowed as he stormed onto the campus, his mind ranting and raving about it.

 

“I knew I should've chucked that crystal out the window… I just knew it,” Ryou scolded himself, “And now…”

 

“Ryou!” Shimbou's voice rang, snapping Ryou out of his self-scolding, “Hey, buddy! We got the same class this morning!” Ryou looked up to see the black-haired boy waving frantically and jogging over, eyes shining. He smiled, but Shimbou realized at once that Ryou was distracted by something. Ryou was never good at hiding his own emotion, and even Shimbou could see that he was furious with something. Unfortunately, Ryou didn't think Shimbou was a good confidant.

 

“Good morning, Shimbou,” he said absently, and as they walked down the path toward the classrooms, Shimbou studied his expression carefully. He didn't look furious; he looked terrified. And pale. And ready to collapse on the spot. And unfortunately, Shimbou wasn't too skilled in dealing with crisis situations, in case Ryou really did pass out.

 

“What's wrong? You look sick, dude,” the young man observed. Ryou sighed, and nodded. He looked over at the boy, wondering if he had any advice. Then, Ryou silently chuckled. He highly doubted Shimbou would know what to do with anything that involved any form of magic, but he decided there was no harm in sharing his plight. For all he knew, Shimbou could help him.

 

“Sami's sick, and I'm not sure what's wrong,” he replied, deciding again to just give the half-truth, “She was fine last night, but all of the sudden, she was throwing up this morning… and that nightmare… I bet it came back.” Shimbou blinked. He didn't know what kind of nightmare Sami had, but she definitely sounded sick. No wonder Ryou was scared. Nightmares were always a bad sign. Sadly, though, Shimbou had no experience dealing with them. He shrugged.

 

“Maybe she has the stomach flu,” he suggested, and perked up, “Yeah! You could get her some medicine after class! I'll even go with you! I know the best places to get remedies and stuff. My brother's always getting sick.” Ryou laughed, glad to see that Shimbou was still cheerful even after his grim explanation, and agreed to buy Sami what she needed after class. Or, at least, what he thought could actually help her. There wasn't much to cure magical illness, but settling her stomach was a different matter. So long as her stomach was actually bothering her.

 

“Why's your brother always sick?” Ryou asked, deciding not to linger too long on his problem in case Shimbou wizened up. Shimbou had no clue of it. He grinned as they entered a long hallway that was filling with students.

 

“I have no idea. He might have some sort of immunity problem. He used to eat some really funky shit when he was in college, so who knows?” Shimbou replied, and as they walked into their classroom, he grinned, “Anyway, I heard we have a new teacher today. Isn't that awesome?”

 

“Yes,” Ryou replied, though in actuality, he didn't really care. He had never met his history teacher, and so whatever confidence Shimbou had couldn't actually be shared. Grabbing a chair next to Shimbou's, he sat down and listened as people murmured or whispered excitedly about their new teacher; some said it was a model of some sort, and others claimed it was a duelist. Ryou didn't know who to believe. Within minutes, the substitute walked in, and Ryou was shocked to see that it was Mai Valentine. So everyone's rumors were true.

 

“Hello, class!” she sang cheerfully, scribbling her name on the chalkboard, “My name is Ms. Valentine, and I'll be your teacher for the rest of the semester! Now then, does anyone have any questions before we begin?” Ryou stared in disbelief, not understanding how Mai could've gotten a teaching job. But he ignored it, trying to focus instead on finishing the lesson as quickly as he could; with Mai as the teacher, the class probably wouldn't be too complicated. She didn't strike Ryou as being historically informed. When no one answered her, Mai said, “Wonderful! Now, we're going to discuss a topic that I've been interested in for years! Who knows what fascism is?” Ryou blinked, looking up from his desk. No one raised their hands, and Mai didn't offer to give an explanation herself. Biting his lip, he summoned his courage.

 

“Do you know what fascism is, Mai?” Ryou asked, and everyone looked at him, shocked that he showed such little respect for their teacher. Mai glared at him and tapped her foot impatiently.

 

“I believe you mean `Ms. Valentine,' am I right, Ryou?” she asked sternly. Ryou blinked. He hadn't actually seen that coming. He blushed slightly.

 

“Mai, I know…”

 

“It's Ms. Valentine. Do not make me repeat myself!” she exclaimed sternly. But today, Ryou decided to try his hand at rebellion.

 

“But Mai…”

 

“MS. VALENTINE!” Rebellion wasn't working well, Ryou learned. He finally lost it. This was wasting more time than was necessary.

 

“FINE! Do you know what it is, Ms. Valentine!?” Ryou asked through gritted teeth. There was only one person he'd ever really wanted to hit, and right then, Mai might've actually replaced the man. It didn't help that she flashed a grin a mile wide, just like any idiot with a fake teaching degree.

 

“Why, yes, Ryou, I do,” she replied calmly, to which Ryou didn't believe in the least, “It's when the fashion industry takes over the world! Now, if we look at this chart…” Ryou drowned out her rambling as he watched her roll down a chart that depicted a pair of shoes, a purse, a bottle of perfume, a dress, and jewelry orbiting around the earth. He couldn't believe she was his teacher, and now he wondered if Bakura saw this coming; the spirit did ditch class today. And that seemed like the smart thing to do. Ryou just flopped his head down. This was going to be an incredibly long lesson. Shimbou just patted his back comfortingly. He wouldn't be suffering this lecture alone.

 

Nearly two hours later, after Mai reluctantly agreed to dismiss the class, Ryou and Shimbou were running down the halls to find a pay phone. Another teacher had come into the class, telling Mai that Ryou had a desperate phone call, and that scared Ryou. His thoughts immediately went to Sami, but Mai wouldn't let him take the call, saying that it was `rude to interrupt her very important lesson.' Never mind the fact that her lesson wasn't teaching him a damn thing. Finally, they found a phone booth, and Ryou ran into it, dialing as fast as he could. His mind raced as he listened almost impatiently as the phone rang. He wished to all hell that it would just speed up, but eventually, someone picked it up.

 

“…hello?” came Sami's voice. It sounded much weaker than Ryou was comfortable with, and he knew she had just gotten sick again from the wheezing. He took a deep breath. He didn't want her talking, but he had to answer her.

 

“Sami? Dear, how are you?” Ryou asked quickly, “Where is Bakura?” He heard shuffling, and then another cough before Sami answered.

 

“I'm… sick, Ryou,” she replied as best as she could, “Bakura went… to get Yami… damn it, I'm going to throw up again.” Surely enough, Ryou heard her retching, and winced. She was in pain, and there was nothing he could do. He tried to shut out the tears threatening to stain his face. Right then, tears wouldn't help anyone.

 

“Sami, go rest and don't do anything until Bakura or I return, all right?” Ryou said sternly, but he had no reply, “Sami?” All he heard was the phone hanging up, and slowly, he walked out. His skin paled incredibly, and he himself wanted to get sick. Shimbou looked at him with concern, not knowing what happened, but guessing instantly that it was nothing good. When Ryou staggered over, Shimbou nearly bent over to help him stay up. If he collapsed, no one would be able to help Sami. Shimbou doubted highly that he could.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked. Ryou shook his head, and his expression went grim. That scared Shimbou. He wasn't used to complete and utter panic on anyone else's part except for his own mother. He had a feeling he'd get his first lesson on caring for the sick.

 

“Sami's sick… my god, she's even worse than this morning,” Ryou whispered, and Shimbou's expression turned to one of complete terror, “I have to get home, but I'm scheduled for a double shift, and I can't call in.” What a day for that to happen, Shimbou decided. They walked toward the end of the hall silently. Ryou was too out of it to speak, and Shimbou had no idea how to even help him. Finally, he snapped his fingers.

 

“Want me to go take care of her?” he offered, but once again, Ryou shook his head as they headed out of the double doors and into the campus yard. The wind was brisk, and the clouds had come in thickly, matching just how Ryou was beginning to feel on the inside. He didn't like the comparison one bit.

 

“She won't let you in. She doesn't know you,” Ryou said sadly, shaking, “Shimbou, can you help me with work? I have to help her. She's really sick…” Shimbou bit his lip, and nodded, leading Ryou out of the school and down the road into the city square. Everything seemed so silent as they walked through the empty streets, though Ryou knew it was just his panic drowning out normal city life. But even the wind seemed to subside as they turned a corner. It was like the city was dying along with Sami.

 

“Yeah. I'll help you,” Shimbou finally agreed, “I'll talk to your boss. This sounds pretty serious.” Ryou nodded, and together, they walked down the cold, lonely road toward Mecca Doomers. As soon as they arrived, Ryou got into his uniform, and Shimbou went back to find Ryou's boss, who was writing something down on a clip board. After a quick talk, both Shimbou and the boss walked out, and the boss pulled Ryou aside.

 

“I'll take over from here,” he said, and Ryou blinked, not sure of what was going on, “Your friend told me your wife's terribly ill. If you really need to get home, then you need to go.” Ryou looked up at his boss.

 

“You're letting me leave?” he asked, and the boss nodded, smiling.

 

“If I know anything, it's that a man is only as strong as his girl. Go take care of yours,” the boss said, and Ryou nodded. Nanisaka, who'd been listening, handed him her cell phone as she chewed on a lollipop. He looked at it, and then at her, and she rolled her eyes as though he were some retarded idiot-child and she had to make everything as simple as pressing a tiny button.

 

“Don't you want to call her and make sure she's still all right?” Nanisaka demanded, and Ryou blushed crimson. Then he dialed home. It rung… and rung… and kept ringing. Ryou was getting very worried, and when the line cut, he dropped the phone, eyes widened. Sami didn't even try to pick up. His face paled even more, and he started to resemble a ghost. Shakily, he turned to Shimbou.

 

“She didn't even pick up,” Ryou whispered, and Shimbou patted his back as Nanisaka took her cell phone. It didn't take science for Shimbou to know that that was probably the worst thing to happen right then. He looked around, trying to think of something that'd lessen the panic Ryou was feeling. In the end, he found there was nothing to be done, save for the obvious.

 

“Come on, let's go over to your place,” he assured, “Maybe she's just asleep.” Ryou nodded, but he knew she wasn't asleep at all; Shimbou was just trying to be optimistic. Something was wrong, though, and as they ran out, the boss looked after them with worry until they vanished around the corner. Though it was a slow battle between being sunny and cloudy, the air felt thick and heavy to Ryou, and all he could focus on was seeing if Sami was all right. He couldn't feel her magic anywhere. That terrified him, for that usually meant she was in trouble. Bakura's words of warning ran through his head at that moment. `If it affects someone with even lower understanding.' Sami didn't exactly understand the Millennium Items.

 

“So what's the plan?” Shimbou asked as they rushed down the street and turned a sharp corner onto the quiet road Ryou lived on. Ryou thought about it. Storming into the house and getting Sami out seemed the best route to take. Then again, so was destroying the crystal she wore, and Bakura made it clear they couldn't do that. Quickly, he rushed up onto his porch and threw the door open, with Shimbou close behind. The house was freezing, and Ryou knew he hadn't turned the heat off at all. Which meant this was magical. Though silence greeted him, Ryou wished he heard anything but that. Silence, like chill, was another precursor to danger.

 

“Call her sister,” Ryou directed, and Shimbou ran into the kitchen, “Katt will know what to do. Hopefully.” As he heard Shimbou on the phone, explaining frantically what was happening, Ryou dashed up the stairs and into his room, praying that Sami was all right. When he entered, he saw her on the floor, in a black heap. He ran to her side, touching her forehead. She was covered in a cold sweat.

 

“Sami, wake up,” he called gently, picking her up and shaking her slowly, “Come on, you need to get up!” Ryou kept trying, but nothing would wake Sami. Tears filled his eyes, and finally, he decided to just put her on the bed and wrap her up in blankets. He heard the front door burst open again, and soon, he heard footsteps storming up the stairs. As he looked up, he saw Bakura, Yami, Ishtar, and Katt. He doubted anyone could've picked a better team to deal with this. Katt pulled through.

 

“Is she alive!?” Bakura demanded, “Your friend sounded terrified, Ryou. What happened!?” Ryou looked at Sami. Her skin was too white for his comfort, and too thin. She looked on the verge of death.

 

“I don't know,” Ryou whispered, looking away, “I called her this morning. She… she said you left. Damn it, I should've just come back here.” Bakura sighed and placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder as the tears fell from Ryou's eyes. He felt the boy shake under his grasp.

 

“Blaming yourself won't help her,” Bakura said sternly, “We both made huge mistakes today. But right now, we need to get her back. How long has she been like this?” Ryou blinked, and realized he didn't have an answer. But it couldn't have possibly been long. He looked up, and forced his tears to stop.

 

“I… I just came home,” Ryou replied shakily, “I called her around 11 in the morning. She… she was weak, but she was all right.” Bakura looked at the clock on the dresser. It was just after one. He smiled gently, though he knew this still wasn't a good situation.

 

“Good news is, she hasn't been out that long,” Bakura stated, and Ryou finally looked at him, “We can get her back, but the bad news is… I'm pretty sure that crystal caused this. Ryou, is it still on her wrist?” Ryou bent down and took Sami's hand. The crystal was glowing dully, but it was still there. It felt warm, too. Which meant it was siphoning her energy. It made Ryou sick to think about.

 

“I need to take it off,” he said, but as he went to rip it off of Sami's wrist, Bakura smacked his hand away.

 

“Ryou, no!” Bakura snapped, and Yami pulled Ryou away as he screamed, “Ryou, I know you're upset, but you can't take it off! If you do, she might die. The only reason she's alive is because the crystal's still swimming in her energy. If that crystal's removed, so is her life force.” Ryou stopped struggling, and in the mirror, Bakura saw how red his face had become from his anger. He breathed heavily, unable to fill his lungs with air.

 

“Are you telling me to just keep that life-draining curse on her!?” Ryou exclaimed, and Bakura looked down, nodding, “Bakura, I can't! She's… I love her! I can't let that thing keep hurting her!”

 

“But if you rip it off like that, you'll kill her,” Ishtar retorted. Ryou glared angrily at all three spirits, hating them each for doing absolutely nothing about the crystal. Then he looked at Sami. Hatred wouldn't help her, and he knew deep down all three of them were right. He would have killed her. He swallowed hard. This was too much to deal with. Why was magic coming back to kick his ass now? What did he do to deserve it? He steeled himself. This was something he knew was coming. Sami had warned him of that long ago.

 

“What is that thing?” he asked grimly, tensing himself so he didn't break down, “Is it another item or is it a trap of some sort? Tell me.” Bakura bit his lip, and both Yami and Ishtar seemed hesitant to answer. But eventually, Yami did so.

 

“It… looks like one,” Yami replied calmly, “But it's not. We still have… no idea what it is, but until then, we're treating it like a regular item.” That was a rather poor excuse to Ryou. His eyes hardened. What good was pretending that it was harmless? Sami could be dead soon, and then what? Would they bury her like normal, write it off as a heart attack or something? It wasn't enough for him. It did her no justice, and the Espers would definitely figure out the truth, anyway. He shook his head.

 

“Why is it draining her life away?” he demanded coldly, refusing to look at anyone in particular. He knew that if he did look, he'd kill whoever he was looking at. And neither Katt nor Shimbou deserved his divine fury. Neither did the spirits, but they were the closest ones to killing Sami themselves.

 

“We're treating it as an `unstable item,” Yami replied gently, picking up Sami's hand, “When our items were first created, they needed to be infused with energy before they had any magic in them. Whatever this is, it's acting the same way.” Ryou shut his eyes. The situation seemed too hopeless now. If they didn't remove the crystal, it'd drain Sami's life away slowly, but painfully. And if he ripped it off, she would die anyway. It was a matter of her going through a slow death or a quick one, and he couldn't bring himself to decide that for her.

 

“Can we get it off of her?” Katt asked, and Ryou looked at her. She sounded hopeful, despite seeing her sister in such a state. Yami sighed, considering the question. It was possible, but he didn't know how to do it. Or if they could without killing her. Or if they could even just do it period.

 

“Yes. But, we'll need Shadi to do it safely,” the old spirit replied sadly, looking down at Sami, who continued to grow paler and weaker with every second. He began to feel it was a mistake letting anyone take the crystal. Sami had overwhelming will, and little time left; he could only imagine how someone weaker would last.

 

“I'll give him a call,” Ishtar declared, and walked out of the room. Yami watched him until he disappeared down the stairs, and then looked at Ryou. His face was flushed with a mixture of anger and grief, and he gripped Sami's hand as though in doing so, he could prevent her from dying. Yami felt terrible for not having done anything, seeing Ryou so upset. And as he saw Bakura's expression soften, Yami knew the old thief was feeling just as guilty.

 

“Ryou, Yami and I will go through all of the magical tomes we have to find a spell to bring Sami back,” Bakura said, and Ryou looked up at him in shock, “But it'll take some time. Do you want us to do this? It means leaving you and Katt to care for her.” Ryou blinked, and considered the choice carefully. If they found anything at all, Sami would be safe. Anything would calm Ryou down, but how long did Sami have? He knew it wasn't much time. He closed his eyes, trying to find something to speak through to Sami's mind, but even her mind was closed. He wasn't surprised. In that stated, it might worry him more if it were opened.

 

“Yes,” he finally whispered, grasping Sami's hand just a little more, “Yes, Bakura. Please, find something. Anything. Just… I can't let her die. Not like this.” Bakura smiled, remembering what Ryou had said just two nights before. He patted Ryou on the head.

 

“I understand,” Bakura said compassionately, and then turned to Yami, his voice growing grim, “We need to get moving then. We'll need to split up. I'll search my ring, and you your puzzle. Anything we find, we need to share, all right?” Yami nodded, and the two vanished from sight, each heading back into their items. Ryou shook, having gotten used to Bakura having his own body, but he didn't object. Silence pursued for a few minutes until Shimbou tapped Ryou's shoulder. Curious, Ryou looked up at him.

 

“Is there anything we can do?” Shimbou asked. Ryou hesitated, thinking on it. His first reaction was to say no. Then he looked at Sami. There was hope. If they cared for her, maybe she'd have more time. He nodded, and pointed to the bathroom with his chin.

 

“Yes. Shimbou, I want you and Katt to get some warm water and a few cloths,” Ryou answered gently, “We have to keep Sami as warm as possible right now.” Shimbou nodded, and he left the room, with Katt following behind. Ryou looked at the empty room, save for himself and Sami. He never felt so empty; it felt like he was losing part of himself through all of this. He looked down at her. Two years. Two years didn't seem like long, but those two years brought them both a friendship that Ryou was hard-pressed to just give up. He patted her hand.

 

“It'll be okay, Sami,” Ryou whispered, “We'll figure out what's going on. Try to hang in there.” He looked down at Sami's face, letting another tear fall. She had winced in pain, but she didn't stir after that. Gently, Ryou brushed her hair away from her face, shivering at how cold her skin had gotten. She winced again, and then he saw a green eye open up at him. Her eyes looked so pale.

 

“Ryou… please,” she coughed, unable to get the rest of her sentence out, “Tell me… where everyone is…” Ryou's fists clenched. She was alive, but she was struggling. And he didn't want to answer her. She had to save her strength. But she demanded his answer, and he knew he'd have to give it eventually. He bit his lip.

 

“Ishtar's downstairs, talking to Shadi,” he said quickly, “Katt and my friend, Shimbou, are getting water for you. Bakura and Yami are looking for tomes and taking too long to do it. And everyone else can go to hell until you get better.” Sami managed a weak chuckle at that point. Weak, weak, weak. All she could convey was weakness. It pained Ryou to see, and he wished she'd go back to sleep. But she didn't.

 

“It's nice to know that you want them all dead,” she said, her voice soft in the dim room, “Ryou… does anyone know anything?” Ryou shook his head quickly. If he answered quickly enough, maybe that was enough for her.

 

“No,” he replied, “Nothing except that it's not a Millennium item. And thank god for that, too.”

 

“Yes… thank Bahamut,” Sami repeated slowly, “…Ryou…” Ryou looked down at her, noticing that her voice wasn't getting stronger. It was dipping again. She was getting too tired, “I need… to sleep…” Ryou nodded, putting a warm hand on her cold forehead. It felt clammy and uncomfortable. He wanted to wince, but he didn't dare to. She closed her eyes slowly, and slowly again, her breathing calmed itself. For now, that was good. Ryou took a deep breath. He loved Sami; he didn't mind taking care of her. But as he looked around the silent room, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. That something, however small, had been moved without their knowing. That something was in the room with them. But it wasn't hostile. It just was.

 

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

 

And so, Ryou's life once again becomes a mass of turmoil as Sami slowly falls into death's unloving hands. What is causing the crystal to take her life every second? Why did she happen to find it, and how did it get to Kaiba's? Can Bakura and Yami find a cure? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!