Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ Operation STALK ( Chapter 7 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he wants to know why he wasn't invited to dinner with Ryou, Sith, and Yami.

 

Yami continued driving for what felt like hours. Ryou was beginning to get the urge to tell him to just turn around; the only thing stopping him was that the thought of food, and not needing to cook for four, seemed to have mellowed Sami out a little. And he knew he'd be a damned fool to risk giving that up. But still, the ride was taking way too long, and it'd be only a matter of time before Sami began to notice it as well. Secretly, Ryou wished she would. She'd definitely make Yami turn around and drive home. But she didn't notice, and several more minutes passed before Ryou felt sure he'd drive himself insane if he didn't say anything.

 

“How long until we get there!?” he whined, and he noted how much he sounded like Bakura. Yami looked at him flatly through the rear-view mirror.

 

“We'll get there when we get there,” came the annoyed reply, “It's not my fault that this road goes to the middle of nowhere.” Ryou half-expected Sami to remind him that he was the one driving, but she didn't open her mouth. Maybe she hadn't calmed down as much as they thought. No one said anything after that, and the restaurant came into view a few miles later. Yami parked the car, and Ryou helped Sami to get out, whether she needed it or not. They walked up the quiet path and up the stairs of what looked like a large, log cabin. Yami opened the door into an adorable entryway that spanned a few feet until it opened up into a much larger room. Already, Ryou smelled logs burning in a fireplace. It brought a sense of comfort to him that nothing else ever had before.

 

“Ah, welcome!” came the bright, cheerful voice of a young waitress, who rushed out upon seeing them enter, “How many today? Three?” Yami nodded, and the waitress grabbed three menus, leading them through the large common-room, toward the booths in the back, nearest the kitchen. The entire cabin smelled of wonderful food. Yami slid in, with Sami sitting next to him again. Ryou sat across from them both, and the waitress left to get them some water. Sami looked around the room quickly, seemingly to take in the scene; she was actually counting for exits in case something went wrong. She'd been in enough trouble to know that no place was peaceful, even in the middle of nowhere. There were three possible means of escape if it was necessary, but when she realized she'd been staring, she spoke.

 

“Lovely,” she commented casually, “In most large cities, it's rare to have even one large park dedicated to the preservation of the region's natural beauty. Domino's very blessed for whoever rules over it now.” Ryou couldn't help but snort. That was an interesting way to refer to the government, but then he remembered that Sami never involved herself in politics. Wherever she came from, she wasn't about to go messing around in this world if she could avoid it. He just smiled.

 

“Mayor Tamaki's very kind,” he commented, “He believes firmly that we should do our best not to disturb nature. He thinks that, as human beings, it's our job to do what we can to protect our home, not destroy it.” Sami's grin returned. Obviously, she approved. Lazily, she leaned back in her seat a little bit. She looked mildly amused.

 

“How ironic that he thinks that,” she said bluntly, “Considering how advanced humans are with polluting their worlds. I know some people who'd like to have your mayor dead for that sort of unconscious hypocrisy.” Ryou nearly choked as she said that. Considering that she couldn't remember a damn thing before coming to this world, that was a bold thing to say. Even Yami seemed taken aback by the comment. But before either could question her, the waitress came back with their water, pad in her hand. She flashed a dazzling smile at Sami.

 

“Are you ready to order?” she asked. Sami nodded without looking at her, and glanced only minimally at her menu before handing it to her.

 

“I'll take the eggplant parmesan,” Sami said, “And if you have it, an Irish coffee.” Ryou glanced warningly at her, but she ignored him. The waitress just giggled and wrote down the order, looking to Ryou and Yami next.

 

“Anything for you boys?” she asked cheerfully. Ryou blushed at the tone in her voice, and heard a snort of amusement from Sami herself. His brows creased. She was laughing at him! His eyes narrowed at her as he handed the waitress his menu.

 

“Veal, with a baked potato,” he replied grumpily, as Yami said, “I'll try a caribou burger, whatever that is.” Sami snorted a second time, and the waitress nodded, jotting their orders down, too.

 

“Coming right up!” she exclaimed, and then was off. Ryou watched her go, trying to avoid looking at Sami, but the older woman inevitably snorted yet again. He turned sharply, wondering just what he was doing to earn her mockery. Yami noted the anger sketched on his face.

 

“What is so funny, Sami?” Ryou demanded, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. She didn't appear to notice it as she sipped her water.

 

“You are,” came the amused reply, “You get angry because another man told you he loves me, and yet we come here and you're staring at the waitress.” Ryou's eyes widened in guilt. That part was true enough, and he had hoped Sami hadn't noticed. But she had. She leaned and said, “I'll always find double-standards amusing. Especially if they're ridiculously stupid.”

 

“Stupid!?” Ryou echoed, his voice dripping with anger, “Sami, I…”

 

“You seem to forget most of what you say to me,” she commented, but not unkindly, “Let's make a deal, Ryou. Until one of us dies, or one of us leaves, or we marry, if ever, why don't we make this an open relationship? It'd certainly make things easier for you.” Yami had never seen Ryou's face grow red before, but that definitely did it. Ryou looked ready to explode on her. The accusation alone! She was offensive, without actually being so. It was annoying.

 

“And what of you!?” he blurted out. But if he thought to stump her, he failed. Her grin became slightly more pointed, her eyes sparkling with amusement under those red lenses.

 

“That blonde man you hate so much looks appealing right now,” she teased. Yami was sure Ryou would lose it for that one. Before that could happen, he cleared his throat.

 

“Want to know who I like?” he interjected, “I think that waitress is kind of cute. Of course, she's probably three thousand years too young, but…”

 

“Yami, shut up,” Sami said flatly, and Yami went completely silent as she turned back to Ryou, “What's wrong? Can't take it, but you're willing to dish it out?” Ryou growled under his breath, wishing sometimes that Sami didn't see things quite as clearly as she did. Maybe Bakura was right and he wasn't ready for marriage just yet. At least, not to marriage with Sami.

 

“I can't believe you're even saying this to me,” he grumbled, “It was one second. Just one!” But Sami didn't seem even remotely convinced. She just gave Ryou a skeptical stare. Yami glanced between both of them, now regretting that he came along. The tension was thick enough to stab with Sami's sword. Thankfully, the waitress came back with their food. Yami just smiled as she came to their table, setting their food down. It smelled delicious.

 

“Enjoy!” she exclaimed cheerfully, and then left them before Yami could thank her. Sami snorted again, and shook her head as she sipped her coffee. She grinned. The taste of Irish cream was a pleasure she savored, even if it had a tendency to make her tipsy. That never stopped her, of course. Ryou watched her cautiously as he picked up his fork and picked at his food. The tension didn't lessen with the arrival of their food.

 

“I won't get drunk,” she told him, and then her grin widened, “Again.” Ryou just sighed. At twenty-three, he never thought Sami would be considered a full-blown alcoholic, but she had a special love for alcohol that he just didn't understand. And when he actually met her mother, he heard she started drinking at the age of sixteen. How and why anyone let that happen was a mystery, and he was fairly sure she used magic to fix that a bit. And if she didn't, then Katt probably did.

 

“Hmph,” he said in reply, “Just as long as I don't need to carry you up the stairs again.” Sami's grin turned to a smug smirk as she recalled the last time she had gotten that intoxicated. It was Bakura's fault, really, for he had actually challenged her to a game of shots. She had won, but it cost Ryou about ten minutes to get her up to her room. Yami's face paled as he took a bite of his burger, glancing between them again.

 

“How often does that happen?” he inquired warily, looking at Sami with slight concern. Ryou just sighed again in response. Sami, of course, just laughed. Her friends had such little faith in her ability to hold herself. She shook her head as she ate a bite of her own food.

 

“Not often,” she told him, “The only time it got bad was when I lit my own sword on fire.”

 

“You owed my father a new set of bed sheets and forty dollars for that,” Ryou grumbled. Yami's eyes widened. He hadn't heard of that story, and he was glad he hadn't been there. He wasn't an expert, but Sami with a flaming sword spelled a mess of trouble in his mind. And of death, too. No matter what her condition was, any weapon in Sami's hands was a means to mass murder.

 

“Oh, please. He wanted a reason to replace that piece of shit he called a bed, and you knew it,” Sami replied airily, “Besides, I didn't kill him, did I?” Ryou just grunted in frustration. Yami bit his lip as he watched them both. Now he could see why Bakura was always worried about where the two of them could end up. They bickered like an old couple already, and they weren't even married. Yami wondered if that'd change, but he didn't press. He quietly took another bite of his burger.

 

“You two sure have an interesting relationship,” he commented. After that, their meal was eaten in silence. Thankfully, Sami didn't drink much at all; one Irish coffee and she was done for the night. After it was all said and done, Yami graciously paid, as it was originally his idea to go for a drive. The waitress accepted the large tip he gave, and Sami simply raised an amused brow when he walked out with a smile on his face. She was almost certain he managed to get the girl's number. But she didn't ask him. They walked to the car, just as the last few rays of sunlight were fading. It was getting close to seven or eight now.

 

“Should we head home?” she asked, as she climbed back into the passenger seat. Ryou nodded as he got in the back again. Yami hummed as he took the driver's seat and started the ignition. Under the harsh glare of the headlights, the cabin's walls looked white, and it took them a minute for their eyes to adjust.

 

“That'd be a good idea,” Yami told her, “Yugi might call, and he'll panic if I don't answer the phone.” Sami nodded, and Yami pulled out of the parking lot. The road was dark, as there were no streetlights; this was a fairly uninhabited road, winding directly into the mountains. Ryou hoped Malik was safe. He was headed that way. After a few moments passed, Sami looked over her shoulder at Ryou.

 

“Ready for college tomorrow?” she asked him, “After what we've been through, it might be tough going back there.” Ryou nodded slowly, looking out the window. He didn't want to know what Shimbou might ask when he saw him again. If he did. Ryou was afraid he might've scared his best friend off.

 

“I'll be ready,” he replied, “I just hope Shimbou's okay. That really freaked him out. If he's smart, he won't go around telling my fan club about it. That'll put you in a tough spot.” He noticed with unease that Sami's eyes hardened at the mention of his `fan club.' He paled, remembering that she didn't like to hear of it. Mainly because it troubled him so much during high school.

 

“You still deal with them,” Ryou winced at the directness of her voice. She didn't need to question to know that he did.

 

“Sam, you might need to just set them on fire if you want them to leave him alone,” Yami commented, and as they stopped at the first red light, he looked over and said, “Look who's here.” Sami and Ryou both turned, and Ryou's mouth dropped. He recognized the women in the car next to them. They were his old classmates from high school, all six of them having been part of his fan club. Sami's ears stiffened in annoyance.

 

“I ought to kill them for this,” she mumbled, “Want me to handle this, or do you want to give out some autographs?” Ryou mumbled an incoherent reply, and Sami took that as a `handle it.' She climbed out of the car and walked over, a flat expression crossing her face. Ryou was intrigued to see that the girls, most of them, seemed happy to see her. The driver rolled down her window and flashed a smile.

 

“Evening, miss Winchester!” she called cheerfully, “I didn't think you'd be out tonight. You and Ryou on a date?” Ryou could feel Sami twitch in annoyance. Genuinely, the girls had always tried to be kind, but there was always a level of distrust Sami held for them. But she was composed enough to not show it. She nodded, but Ryou caught the stiffness.

 

“Not a date, really, but we went out to eat,” Sami replied easily, “We decided to get outside. What of you? This is an interesting coincidence.” The girl just smiled again, and pointed to the trunk, which was full of bags.

 

“We went to Ard to do some shopping,” she replied, “New wardrobe before winter hits, and I wanted some things for our dorm.” Sami just nodded. The girl examined her before asking, “Did you and Ryou want to hang out for a while? It's been a year, and we've been wondering if he's been okay. College can be brutal.” Sami didn't doubt the genuine offer, but she shook her head nonetheless.

 

“We're on our way home,” she told them, “And we're tired. Besides, we already have company.” The girl's face fell, and most of her friends seemed equally as disappointed. Ryou just snorted, and feeling that it was rude not to speak with them, he got out of the car. As he did, he heard their pleas to her.

 

“Awww, please, miss Winchester?”

 

“We've missed you so much! You used to help us with our homework!”

 

“We won't bother Ryou, we promise!”

 

“Not even for a few moments?”

 

“Stop,” Sami said sternly, and the girls fell silent, “I appreciate your offers, but we're otherwise engaged. Perhaps another day?” The driver nodded, with most of the girls agreeing. Ryou couldn't help but smile, just a little. He had been afraid, two years ago, that living with Sami would cause an upheaval between her and his club. But it had come to quite the opposite. Many of them were ecstatic to see that he was moving on, and vowed to help him keep his happiness. Unfortunately, it gravely annoyed Sami, especially since they began to follow her; she became some form of icon for them, and she didn't overly like it.

 

“We're sorry, miss Winchester,” the driver said earnestly, “If you can this weekend, we'd love to see you! Even if Ryou doesn't want to come, please join us!” Sami just nodded. There wasn't much else she could do. She simply found it ironic that she, who was dating Ryou, was idolized by his fans. She had thought she'd be beating them away with her sword.

 

“I will try,” she replied calmly. The driver nodded, and glanced at a movement behind Sami. Ryou had come up behind her, and he looked vaguely amused. He waved silently, and the girls waved back. Sami blinked, and turned to look at him.

 

“I think you're stealing my club,” he joked with a grin, “Making plans?”

 

“You could say that,” she replied calmly, grinning slyly herself, “Jealous?” The girls just giggled joyously, and even Ryou managed a snort. By that time, Yami had come to see what was up, but the driver noted the pale look on the spirit's face. She alerted Sami to it, and Sami turned to him. When she asked if he was all right, he pointed to the backseat of the car. Sami turned and saw one of the girls taking a picture of Ryou. Warily, Sami asked, “What the hell are you doing?”

 

“What's it to you?” the girl replied flatly, “I'm taking pictures.” Sami's eyes narrowed to match the girl's tone.

 

“I see that, but why?” she inquired almost disinterestedly. Except that Ryou knew very well that this was exactly what bothered her. He just hoped the girl was smart enough to answer. As easy-going as Sami was, if she thought Ryou was in trouble, all hell broke loose because of it.

 

“Why not? We're fans, it's what we do,” the girl reminded her, “Why? You wanted to see what we have?” Sami just raised a brow. In some way Ryou couldn't see, this almost amused her. But only because she found anything that opposed her amusing. She shook her head.

 

“Actually, I'm wondering how bad it is so I know what I can do to kill you and what's considered overkill,” Sami joked, though everyone understood that she wasn't truly kidding, “I thought you stopped this when he left high school.” The driver bit her lip. Most of them had, but some were more stubborn than that.

 

“Er… well…” the girl hesitated, “Before you get mad at me, just hear this out. There are others worse than I am, so if you're going to fight me, you're going to set off a war, miss Winchester. You really sure you want to do that?” Sami hummed in irritation. Of course this wasn't what she wanted to do. It was stupid. But what the girl said intrigued her. How worse off was she talking?

 

“…no one's stalking Ryou, are they?” she asked suspiciously. The girl with the camera shrugged, putting the camera down.

 

“That's the thing, we don't know,” she replied curiously, “We found a site the other day asking a lot of questions about both you and Ryou. We thought it was another girl from school, so we tried getting in touch with her. But she hasn't responded other than to ask for pictures. We thought that if she knew you, she'd answer, and I didn't think one picture would be bad.” The girl noticed Sami had gone silent on her. She noted the look of worry crossing the older woman's face. Ryou glanced at Sami, but she didn't speak. Something was bothering her greatly now. She could handle Ryou being stalked; she knew many ways to dispatch a stalker. But when it involved both of them was when she knew something was wrong. She wasn't well-known in Domino City, and the only people who knew who she truly was were her friends, and Mystics. Her lips thinned gravely, and she turned to Ryou.

 

“You and Yami, get in the car,” she told him, and turned to the girls, “No one's giving or taking any pictures of Ryou. I don't trust this site, whatever it is. I'd like to do some investigation, so if you could, I'd like your cameras to see what it is she's looking for.” The girls all looked at each other, worry crossing their faces as well. Normally, they wouldn't hand their things over, but Sami's voice was absolutely terrifying to them. She seemed furious. The girl with the camera shook her head.

 

“We can't! Are you crazy?” she asked the older woman, “If we give you these, how're we going to know what you'll do? Miss Winchester, what the hell's wrong?” Sami growled. She didn't like having to rush to do things her way, but she didn't have time to explain. She reached through the window and took the camera quickly, the girl's mouth dropping open in protest. Sami held up one finger.

 

“Nothing you need to worry about as long as you don't speak with this girl again,” she replied grimly, looking the camera over, “Hmm… 8-megapixels, Zoom x4 features, stability options… nice model. I'll get some clear results with this.” Ryou just snorted. Sami seemed to be speaking to herself on that subject. The girl's eyes widened and she finally found her voice as she watched Sami.

 

“Miss Winchester, how dare you take my camera this way!” she exclaimed, “Just what the…” She stopped as Ryou reached in and pulled out a bag, unzipping it calmly. He showed the contents to Sami: photos, notebooks of information, memory cards, and camcorders. Sami looked ready to faint. Ryou turned to them.

 

“Just how much of this were you going to post up?” he asked them in a deadening tone, one that, while calm, spoke only waves of anger, “What do you think you're doing? I might not know what's going on, but I'm not allowing this. Get rid of them.” He dropped the bag to the ground, his eyes hardening just a little. He wasn't so sure to believe whatever it was that was bothering Sami. He stiffened when he felt her hand on his arm, and he looked over. Her skin had gone white. What was wrong with her?

 

“Ryou,” Sami said calmly, “Get back in the car.” There was something final, something definite, in the way she spoke. Ryou nodded, and went to join Yami, who'd already taken refuge into the car. Sami looked at the girls, and then down at the bag. She didn't want to do what she did next, but she had to keep them from giving any information on either her or Ryou away. She began to understand what was going on; the fact that the girl was even asking about her tipped her off. Someone was looking for them. She smashed the bag, earning surprised cries from the girls, as well as from Ryou himself. She didn't look up as she smashed it again, her boot crunching on something plastic.

 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” one of the girls cried, “Miss Winchester, what's going on!? We didn't mean to make you mad, but this…”

 

“Silence!” Sami demanded forcefully, and they all fell into quiet, “Listen to me, and listen well, because I hate to repeat myself. Someone is after both of us, and they're using you to get to us. They know you, and they know about your club. Do not speak to this woman, do not email her, do not even go to her site. I will investigate this further, myself, and alone. If you wish to help, you will call me, but do not interfere, understood?” The depth of her anger ran so deep, that the driver's skin paled considerably. She looked ill, and she nodded. When she looked back, everyone in her car agreed, too.

 

“We understand,” she squeaked in terror, “We'll call you when we get back to our place and give you what we know.” Sami nodded, and was about to turn. Then she looked back and said one thing that made everyone wonder just what she was trying to imply.

 

“Fandom is no strength. It's the biggest weakness I've ever seen. Obsession… desire… it's a game to this woman, and she's using you as pieces. Stay away from any site for a while, unless you want to turn into a monster yourself,” she said, and then she left them. Ryou watched her approach, and there was something much different to her demeanor. Something was very, very wrong. She normally never threatened anyone unless they made her mad, but she threatened those girls in a very passive way. But what for? She hadn't said much about what was wrong, and Ryou was concerned for her now. Then he remembered what she and Yami both said in the car. Was it a Mystic that got in contact with those girls? That was a scary thought to have.

 

“Sami, are you all right?” he asked her, as she climbed into the car. She shut the door, and didn't answer for a minute. Yami glanced at her carefully, and then drove off. She said nothing for several minutes, until they were well enough away from the girls. Then, she turned to Ryou.

 

“We're in trouble,” she told him frankly, “We're in trouble, and I don't even know who's coming after us now. But someone's looking for us, and you were almost caught.” Ryou blinked, trying to make sense of that answer. So he was being stalked by someone. But whoever this someone was, it was scaring Sami. And that's what made him so worried. She never got scared unless they were up against magic. So then what were they dealing with?

 

“You think it's just a fan?” he asked her, “Or you think it's something else?” Sami just smiled slyly. He hated that. He knew the answer, and she didn't even have to say it. Flatly, he said, “It's a Mystic.”

 

“I'm almost sure it is,” she replied, “The question is, what proof do I have? She hasn't used anything to alert me to it, but how else would she be looking for me? I highly doubt humans are dumb enough to try assassinating a Chesier, though they do have those moments. But… if anything, I'm sure we're dealing with something that's not human. And if it is, it's lost its humanity.” Ryou frowned slightly. That didn't really answer much of his question. Besides, people would try and kill Sami if they were crazy enough. Anything was possible. Sami didn't have proof that it wasn't a human.

 

“You're going to have to explain this, because it's not making sense,” he told her, “Why would a Mystic use my fans to get to you?”

 

“Because it'll ultimately lead to you as well,” was the reply, “Do you remember what Katsaiga said, and what the man said to you? Do you remember the Zerrkandr? Ryou, outside of the scope of human power, you hold amazing abilities that will be wanted by Mystics. If they kill me, you're unprotected. Normal fans wouldn't do anything like that, but this woman is actively seeking information. And what makes it worse, it's information your fans, who know you intimately through high school, cannot give them. They need to get closer to us just to meet this woman's needs. Doesn't that say anything to you?” Ryou hummed, looking down as he thought about Sami's answer. He could see why that would happen, but it'd been two years since he held Zerrkandr. Why such a long wait? He asked her this, and she said, “I can only wish I knew.”

 

“Can you find where this Mystic is, then?” Ryou asked her, as the streetlights of the city swam in the distance. Sami, unfortunately, shook her head.

 

“Not possible. She hasn't used magic yet, and she's not going to give us information. The best I can do is get an IP address, and that's only if those girls can give me a site,” Sami replied slowly, “And even then, it could lead anywhere. If it leads to a public area, our options would be boundless. We'd have to scour the entire city for a lead, and I doubt the police would find this worth their time. It's all about who moves next.” Ryou frowned. That's what Sami meant when she said the woman was playing this like a game. But who was actually the woman's opponent? Ryou, or Sami? He had a good feeling it was Sami; after all, if this was a Mystic, they'd know she was a majority of the reason why they lost the last battle. Even if it wasn't a Mystic, Sami was much smarter than Ryou, and she understood her opponents much better than he did.

 

“So what's your move?” he asked her. She smiled again. He was finally beginning to understand it. She took out a tiny dagger from her pocket, an ornamental trinket, really, and began playing with it absently. Her smile never faded.

 

“My move,” she echoed, “My move will be to wait and see what comes of it… after I send out a message of my own to her.” Ryou frowned again. He didn't like where this was going to head, and he wanted to know what Sami was thinking about doing. As much as he trusted her, there was something in her voice he really didn't like. She was hiding something from him, and he'd have to wait to see what it would be. And he hated waiting. Judging by Yami's expression, he was equally as disquieted by it. But neither of them would be talking Sami out of it. She was too damn stubborn. She was always too damn stubborn.

 

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

 

After a quiet dinner, and after acquiring information from Ryou's fans, Sami is now planning to investigate the matter of a potential stalker herself. But why is she so worried about this particular one? Were the girls put in danger? What will her next move be? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!