Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ Making her Move ( Chapter 8 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he liked my use of Ryou's fans. I did too. Makes them seem a little more important now.

 

The drive ended with silence as Ryou, Yami, and Sami walked into the house and locked the door. None of them would be leaving again that night, and with what Sami said, a little security wasn't a bad thing, no matter how peaceful this neighborhood was supposed to be. She quickly retired to her room, and Ryou could only guess at what she'd been doing in there. He and Yami had waited in the living room, but finally, he'd become tired of waiting. It was clear that, after an hour, she wasn't coming back down. Her answer concerning her next move wafted into Ryou's head again. He looked at Yami, who'd taken to reading one of his books. The spirit seemed completely unaware of what might've been happening. Ryou stood up suddenly.

 

“Come on,” he said. Yami put the book down and quietly followed him up the stairs. It was unnervingly quiet, but as Ryou approached Sami's room, he heard fast typing on a keyboard. She was working diligently on something, and he peeked into the doorway to see. But he couldn't see much at all. She was directly in front of the screen. He went to leave, but he caught her head turning to look at him. He froze.

 

“Ryou, come here,” she said sternly. Ryou shivered. She seemed absolutely pissed with something. He walked over, Yami trailing in silently. Sami turned back to the monitor, typing again. He watched the words on her email fly from her hands.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked her. She looked up at him gravely.

 

“Making my move,” she replied calmly, “I'm going to meet this woman.” Ryou's eyes widened as he stared at her in complete disbelief. Meeting a stalker! Of all the dumb things Sami could've done, this was the worst. That woman could've been insane, and Sami was walking right into her! He shook his head vigorously.

 

“Absolutely not!” he declared, “I won't let you go!” Sami just snorted in amusement, turning back to her screen to begin typing again.

 

“Let me? I'd love to see you stop me,” she commented with a grin, “Besides, you need to relax. I know what I'm doing. I'm offering to meet her in a public place so nothing happens. Trust me, I know how to manipulate this battlefield for my favor. There's little time for something to go wrong unless she harms me on my way there. Which she can't do without Yugi noticing. Where I'm suggesting, he's near.” That calmed Ryou down a little, for that meant Yami would be there, too.

 

“Where are you meeting her?” he asked her, his voice returning to its normal tone. Her grin faded slightly.

 

“Flamenco's,” she replied stiffly, “At the very least, Pierre will be there. He won't let anything happen, and he already knows what I'm doing. He agreed.” Ryou's eyes widened and he stared down at her again in disbelief. Just how many people was she going to involve in this!?

 

“You actually called him,” he stated flatly. Sami nearly laughed at his tone. He was so sure, and technically, he was right. The only thing he didn't know was that Pierre offered to help her. Even if she'd been fired, Pierre knew loyalty when he saw it. He told her Flamenco's was the best place to meet. And she had agreed with him.

 

“I don't like to risk myself unless I know there's backup,” she told him firmly, “As much as I'm skilled at battle, I'm a coward underneath it. I prefer to have others at my side in case shit hits the fan. And I'm worried this'll all go right to hell the moment I walk in.” Ryou didn't blame her for worrying. People were downright insane sometimes. Unless Sami walked in with her sword drawn, she wouldn't have time to react if the woman knew who she was and aimed a dagger for the door when it opened. He was beginning to wonder if Sami would even make it.

 

“You're going with an alias, right?” he asked her, and to his dismay, she shook her head as she continued typing, “Sami…”

 

“She will not meet with anyone other than I,” the woman replied seriously, “Ryou, think this through. Would she honestly trust someone she's never heard of? She'll show herself if I come in person.” That wasn't enough of a reason for Ryou.

 

“What are you thinking!?” he blurted out in terror, “Sami, you're going to get yourself killed! We don't even know what she is! She might still be a human!” But as much as he tried, he couldn't dissuade Sami in the least. She raised a brow, sighing as she waited for him to stop. Only when he did, did she reply.

 

“And you want me to risk scaring her away with a fake name,” she stated bluntly, and Ryou winced, “Ryou, I appreciate the worry, but boy, you need to understand how games work. She's using your fans and manipulating them to get to you, and she's asking for me, and you're going to assume she won't turn tail if she thinks for a second she's being set up. It'll save her time if I show up, and by the sound of it, she's not worried about what I can do.”

 

“She's probably armed, is why,” Ryou mumbled irritably. Sami just patted his arm as he took a seat next to her.

 

“You worry too much, my friend,” she told him gently, “Trust me for once, okay? I might've been out of the battle scene for two years, but I'm not rusty yet. And I'm very good at these games. We have a stalker, that much is clear. And I'm going to stop her quickly before she can hurt you. If she's armed, then I'll be, too.” Yami finally looked at her incredulously, and he finally spoke for the first time since entering the house.

 

“You realize carrying weapons is illegal, right?” he reminded her. She actually laughed. Obviously, Sami had no concerns breaking that law; she carried a sword practically everywhere she went.

 

“Who said I'd be carrying weapons?” she asked him in response, and grinned, “Are you forgetting I have magic?”

 

“You're going to use magic!?” Ryou demanded angrily, “Damn it, Sami, no! Magic's what had those Mystics come after us before!” Sami's eyebrow rose again. Clearly, she wasn't seeing the same problems he and Yami were. She shrugged, turning back to her monitor.

 

“It's either that or I'm carrying knives,” she told them both simply, “Besides, the use of magic will prove my suspicions even more. If she retaliates of defends against my spells in any way, she's not human. And if she burns, then we're out one stalker. Frankly, there's little risk here, so you'd do best to let me go on with my plan.” Ryou was shocked by those words. She was seriously going to treat this like a battle. Not that he blamed her; seven years of sensing evil did that to someone, but this was a stalker. No threats had been made yet. He and Yami walked out, leaving Sami to type rapidly again. When they reached the halls, Yami turned to him.

 

“She's serious,” he whispered, “She's going to find this person.” Ryou just nodded, as they walked down the silent hall toward his room. He glanced back as the typing began to fade, but Sami didn't come to say goodnight or anything.

 

“What do you think of this?” he asked the spirit, as they reached his door. He opened it, smiling as he walked into the warm, bright room. It always washed away any worry he had, and it was working now. That was, until Yami spoke again.

 

“I think she might have reason to worry,” the spirit replied, as Ryou sat on his bed, “This seems a bit too suspicious. The woman comes asking about you right after Sami is nearly killed by something neither of you know anything about, even to the point of how it got to Kaiba's. I'm looking at it sequentially, whereas Sami's looking at it tactically. It might not be related, but I'm not willing to overlook the two, either.” Ryou sighed, shaking his head. He didn't want to deal with this sort of trouble. At least, not right then. He climbed into his bed.

 

“I'm going to sleep,” he grumbled, “Goodnight, Yami.” He heard Yami sit into a chair, but didn't bother to look over. He was too occupied to worry about where Yami would be sleeping. If the spirit was too uncomfortable, he'd just head downstairs to a couch.

 

“Goodnight,” came the quiet reply. Ryou shut his eyes, praying his dreams would take his mind off his new problem. They didn't.

 

Morning came quickly, and it found Sami already awake and dressed as she stood in the bathroom, fixing the bonnet that went with her old uniform. She was going to Flamenco's to meet the woman, but there was a second motive she didn't share with Ryou: getting her job back, as well. And that meant donning the maid's uniform she'd come to love. She examined herself in the mirror carefully, her ears twitching underneath the bonnet. She adjusted her glasses, her expression stern.

 

“I never thought I'd be wearing this again,” she said, and a snort behind her caused her to turn. The blonde man just grinned, giving her the thumbs-up.

 

“You look adorable, Sith,” he commented, and then frowned, “Should we?” Sami nodded, and the man jumped out the window. She left the bathroom and went into the dark hallway, passing Ryou's door as she came to the stairs. She made an effort to go down silently, as to not wake Ryou up. If he heard her, he'd be pissed if he saw who she was traveling with. And she wanted to avoid that. Quickly, she went from the stairs and out the front door. The air was crisp, warm, and sweet, just perfect for September. She smiled as she heard a thud behind her.

 

“Nice day,” she commented, as the blonde man straightened his jacket, “Remember the plan. You're following just to the entrance of the café. Nowhere else.” The blonde man sighed, but nodded all the same. They walked down the street, turning right onto a bustling road. Already, people were lining up around shops and stands, waiting to buy and sell their wares. Sami ignored them all, though the blonde man eyed a gun shop almost hungrily. A quick glance at his cohort, however, made him pass it quietly. It took nearly twenty minutes to get to the road needed, and by that time, Sami was worrying she'd be back after Ryou woke up, in which case he'd be pissed as to why she left without him. But the crowd began to thin, and soon, she saw Yugi's shop coming into view. She smiled, and the blonde man growled, pulling up his hood to mask his face. Yugi happened to be out, and he grinned when he saw her approaching.

 

“Good morning, Sami!” he exclaimed, turning the `closed' sign to `open,' “How are you?” Sami smiled and nodded, and Yugi looked at her companion. He shivered. The man was watching him very intently, and his good eye went from Yugi, to the store. But he said nothing.

 

“I'm fine,” Sami replied calmly, “This is a friend. We're going to get my job back. Yourself?”

 

“Just opening the shop up to start the day!” Yugi replied cheerfully, “Grandpa used to say the best cure for drowsiness is to crack down and work hard. Sometimes, I miss him waking me up at five in the morning to polish the cards.” Sami just chuckled as he led the two inside. The sunlight warmed the glass surfaces, which shined from Yugi polishing them. Yugi went to a picture of his grandfather, his face growing somber. Sami placed a hand on his shoulder as the man sat in a stool, watching them.

 

“I'm sorry you lost him,” she said gently, “I regret that I couldn't heal him. With all my heart, I regret it.” Yugi looked up at her and smiled warmly, shaking his head.

 

“Don't be upset with yourself. Magic can't save everything,” he reminded her, and then said, “So… Flamenco's fired you? Why?” Sami's gentle look hardened, and Yugi heard a low growl issuing from her. But to his surprise, she didn't answer. The man laughed, his hand resting on the butt of his Winchester gun.

 

“Her boss is an idiot and doesn't remember how much staff he keeps,” he replied simply, and Yugi saw just the faintest outline of a grin, “He decided that some bimbo with a double-digit IQ is much better than a woman with magical power, and fired her. And now, I'm going to kick his ass for it.”

 

“Do that and I'm going to kill you,” she told the man sternly, and turned to Yugi, smiling, “He pretty much explained the basis of it. Yes, Pierre decided to fire me.” Yugi whistled as he took out a card and dusted it off before replacing it back within its case. Sami's nose twitched as she smelled a light, lemon scent.

 

“That is a stupid idea,” Yugi commented after a moment, “But why bring that guy?” He pointed to the blonde man, who was looking out the window at a group of kids playing in a playground, “Why not Ryou?” Sami's lips thinned. She didn't want to tell Yugi that she didn't exactly trust Ryou. Not that he didn't know that; Ryou wasn't reliable in confrontations, and he was prone to embarrassing himself.

 

“Ryou's asleep,” she said, which technically wasn't a lie, “Besides, this guy offered to come. I'd have taken Yami, but he'd tell Ryou about it, and I don't want that boy to know what happened.” Yugi frowned. He didn't like lying to his friends, and this had to be pretty bad if Sami was willing to fool Ryou over it. She felt, among everything else, that honesty was the most important aspect of a person's life. So, it was ironic that she was lying to Ryou now.

 

“…Sami, are you and Ryou okay?” Yugi asked her suddenly. Sami looked at him curiously, and he added, “You seem kind of distant today. Did something happen?” Sami looked away for a second. Technically, nothing happened, but she wasn't lying when she called Ryou out on staring at that waitress. And it bothered her. Not enough to make a deal of it, but enough for her to not want to speak with him for a while.

 

“…no,” she replied at length, “I just don't feel he's the best partner in this situation, that's all.” Yugi blinked slowly, not sure if he should believe that, but he didn't argue. It wasn't truly his business, and Yami would tell him if something really bad happened. The blonde man finally stood up, tapping Sami on the shoulder and jerking a thumb to the front door.

 

“As much as I like chatting, babe, we need to get going,” he told her, and Yugi raised a particularly concerned brow at him calling her `babe,' “Flamenco's opens soon, and I want to be good and drunk if this bitch of yours is going to come armed.” Sami's eyes narrowed flatly, and Yugi's eyes simply widened in disbelief. This was the partner she'd be taking? A rough-talking, offensive, alcoholic gunman!? Yugi looked at Sami. She seemed completely sane, albeit a little annoyed now. But she nodded and walked to the door.

 

“Get yourself drunk and I'm leaving you in a dumpster,” she threatened, and turned to Yugi, “Wish me luck. I'll call later with the details.” Yugi nodded, and waved as she opened the door and departed into the street. The blonde man grinned, clicked his gun, and left with her.

 

“Have fun storming the castle!” Yugi called after them, and then his voice was lost as the door swung shut. The crowd had grown since Sami had gone in; it was almost impossible to get through, and the only reason they did was because the blonde man took his pistol and aimed a shot straight into the sky, scaring everyone away from them. When Sami glared, he just grinned and told her it was how he handled traffic… if his friend didn't mow them down with a muffin cart first. Sami just shook her head, and turned onto the road leading to Flamenco's. She stopped suddenly, and frowned. Was this even worth her time? If she needed money, she really could just go to the ESB and work for them. But she hated them. She took a deep breath, her fists clenching. Flamenco's was in view.

 

“…I need this job,” she told herself, and then turned to the man, “Wait here.” He nodded, and took out his gun, looking for a victim to scare while she was gone. She walked through the doors confidently, until her eyes actually took in what she saw. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eye twitched in anger. She looked to the sign to see if she even walked into the right place; to her horror, what she was in was definitely Flamenco's. But instead of it looking like a nice café, it now looked like a love lounge. The booths and stools had all been replaced with leather seating, and each table was adorned with a red cloth and roses. Neon hearts hung in rows on the ceiling, and there was an acrid smell of perfume and incense that made Sami want to vomit. If she hadn't been in her beloved maid's outfit, she would have. She could feel her wings shaking in rage. Someone was going to die today.

 

“PIERRE!” she yelled, storming further in, “Get out here, you son of a bitch!” A mousy man with a wiry mustache and a purple suit came running out at the sound of her voice, and he beamed when he saw her. Stopping before her, he bowed.

 

“Ah, mademoiselle! A pleasure, truly!” he exclaimed happily, “How are you? Tre magnific?” Sami's eyes narrowed flatly again. She wasn't about to chatter with this man. Her breath came out in a heavy sigh as her eyes roamed the scene again.

 

“What in the seven levels of frozen hell happened here?” she demanded, “What, did your contractor die or something?” One of the customers behind her snorted, but no one answered. Pierre stepped back, shocked by the question. Obviously, he hadn't expected her to come so angrily. He smiled nervously.

 

“It's the new Flamenco's!” Pierre replied, but Sami sensed the hesitation to him, “Do you not like it?” Sami hummed. This was bad. Pierre was scared of something, but she didn't know what. Nor could she agree. She wasn't going to lie for this place, or for whoever did it. Getting her job back was officially crossed off her list now. She shook her head.

 

“It offends me to the highest degree,” she answered, “Pierre, who the hell did this?” Pierre's lips thinned. For a second, Sami saw his mask of cheeriness falter. Her eyes hardened, and he swallowed hard. Then, he looked around quickly before leaning closer to her. He didn't want anyone else listening to him.

 

“Amber did,” he whispered frantically, “Miss Sami, I beg of you, you must…” Pierre yelped, and Sami looked up and turned around. Amber, the girl who had replaced Sami, had shown up. Sami's eyes narrowed. That was too coincidental. And it was too disastrous, too. Right then, Sami was sure if she didn't leave soon, she'd kill the girl before her. Amber's already red hair had become even more so; Sami wasn't so sure the girl hadn't fried her hair to a crisp during dying it. Her face was covered with thick makeup. But, what truly offended Sami was the uniform: it was nothing more than a leather bustier with a short, leather skirt. Her eyes widened in horror, and now she was really glad she hadn't brought anyone inside with her. They'd have run off in terror. Which was something she now considered doing.

 

“Welcome to Flamenco's,” Amber said to her, sneering just a bit at the sight of Sami's attire, “What's you… ah, pleasure?” Sami's tail whipped under her own skirt. By the tone, Amber didn't look too highly on her right then.

 

“Pleasure? Between murdering you and setting this hellhole on fire, I'm really not sure which one takes precedence,” the older woman replied, “Right now, I'm just wondering what the hell happened to the furniture. You know, the shit that actually made this place look good?” Amber perked a confused brow. Obviously, she thought the café looked just dandy. To a whore, it would. She shrugged.

 

“I threw them all away,” she replied, “They were wasting space.” Sami's slender brow rose only fractionally.

 

“I see something wasting space, but it certainly wasn't the furniture,” Sami mumbled, and then said, “What the hell do you take this place for? This is a business, not some sick, little game for a brat like you. I have half a mind to call someone down and have the place condemned, it's so damn distasteful.” Pierre looked at the woman nervously, and Amber looked ready to have a stroke. She grabbed Sami's wrist, and for once, Sami actually winced. The brat had more strength than she thought.

 

“You… BITCH!” Amber screamed, “I'm saving this rat hole! It's a wreck!”

 

“You? Saving it? Really, sweetheart?” Sami asked her, almost mockingly, “Because if I came here to eat, I'd leave. I'd get my friends to leave. I'd even get the homeless man living in the alley out back to leave before I thought about eating here, where I'd have to be subjected to a snot like you.” Pierre snorted and turned away, and this time, Amber lost it. Her blue eyes widened in hatred as she let Sami's wrists drop. Then, she pointed an accusing finger at the older woman.

 

“A snot like… WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?” Amber screamed, “You're just jealous because Pierre hired a hottie like me and fired an old hag like you!” Pierre stared at Amber in terror, and Sami's face contorted. At first, Pierre was worried she'd resort to physical force; that was easily her biggest advantage, because even an armed man didn't stand a chance against her. But to his extreme surprise, Sami just laughed. She laughed so hard, she was ready to cry. And when she recovered, a dark look crossed her face as she stepped closer to Amber. She wasn't ready for a battle; she was ready for an onslaught.

 

“Me? Jealous of you? Don't flatter yourself, you don't have half the IQ I possess,” she said casually, and turned to Pierre, “Tell me about this new direction of yours, Pierre. Do the regulars that use to come? Do they come here still? Do they?” Pierre blinked, thinking back to a time when his customers had been of the respectable sort, when his café itself oozed of upper class and art. He frowned.

 

“…no, mademoiselle, zey do not come any longer,” he replied slowly, “When zey heard zat you were fired, zey left in utter outrage! `How could you?' zey would ask, `Zat girl, zat beauty, she reeks of class and intelligence!' I tell you, it was a terrible mistake!” Sami sighed slowly, not in the mood to hear words of praise about her own character. She appreciated it, but it wasn't the best time.

 

“Then who comes here, sir?” she asked, a bit more calm than before. Pierre opened his mouth to speak, but Amber beat him to it. And Sami wished she hadn't.

 

“Hot guys. And guess what? They all think I'm sexier than you,” the girl replied confidently. Sami's brow rose again, just ever so slightly. Whether she was amused or unchallenged, Pierre wasn't sure. He just knew now that he lost her. He was so close to getting his best employee back, and he lost her.

 

“Then I pray to the gods themselves that those men are blind,” she stated simply, and turned back to Pierre, “Well, sir, I came to get my job back, but I'm sure this is about the last place I'd go to, just short of hell. You'd be safer shutting the place down, but if you insist on continuing on, best of luck, and I'll see you when you apply for a bank loan.” With that, she turned and stormed out. Pierre watched her, stunned as he was by the bluntness of her voice and the truth to her words. He really would have to shut the place down soon; Amber had lost all of their customers in just a few days, and her new renovations had cost him most of his money. He sighed, not listening as Amber stored away in a huff.

 

“Mademoiselle… I beg of you, save my life,” he whispered, taking off his chef's hat and clutching it. Right then, right there, he watched the one person who could save him from this nightmare leave. He regretted every second since he fired her.

 

---

 

Ryou woke up slowly, stiffly, as a ray of sun spilled from the window onto his pale face. His eyes opened, and he glanced sideways at the clock. It was just after nine in the morning now. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. Last night, he barely got any sleep. The thought of Sami facing a stalker kept him awake for hours, and then the remembrance that things weren't going quite as well as he wanted with her just made getting to sleep nearly impossible. He turned to the windowsill, and saw Yami had pretty much collapsed on it. He snorted, shaking his head.

 

“Good night, Yami,” he whispered, and got himself dressed before heading to the hall and toward Sami's door, “Sami? Are you up?” He received no answer, and he knocked. But again, she didn't come out. This time, he was bold and just let himself in. An empty room greeted him, and he cursed. Sami had left without him! Rushing downstairs, he ran out the door and down the road. He knew where she had gone: Flamenco's. And he wished to all hell that she hadn't. He wished she waited for him. But she must've still been upset, even if she hadn't shown it at the time. Flamenco's came into view, and Ryou barely noticed the changes it went through before he burst through the front door, screeching to a halt in front of the girl who cost his girl her job. He twitched.

 

“Hello, baby, looking for a good time?” Amber asked suggestively. Ryou twitched again, and in a feat that could only come from Indiana Jones' descendant, he leapt over Amber, swinging on one of the neon hearts, and landing right through the window into the kitchen. Pierre looked up in shock. Then, he smiled when he recognized Ryou.

 

“May I help you, monsieur Bakura?” Pierre asked, perking an eyebrow. Ryou searched the kitchen with one look. Sami wasn't there, either. He turned to Pierre and grabbed the man's collar.

 

“Where is Sami?” he demanded quickly, “Tell me!” Pierre, unable to understand just what was wrong, pointed out the window and down the alley in the back. He explained that Sami and her friend were heading elsewhere that way, but Ryou barely heard as he rushed out the back door after her. He didn't have to go far; she hadn't made it far before three men stood in her way. And next to her was the blonde man. Damn it, Ryou wanted to kill him. But for now, he focused on Sami. She was speaking.

 

“I'll tell you once more: Let us pass or you'll taste steel,” she said, her hand resting idly on her sword. Despite her threat, she only seemed mildly annoyed. The three men smiled, and one took out a lute. Ryou raised a brow. This looked familiar, but he couldn't tell why. Not that he got the chance. The blonde man turned, and his good eye narrowed as he saw Ryou.

 

“Well, well, well,” he said lowly, “Look who showed up for you, Sith.” Sami turned, and now she just looked angry. Ryou really couldn't see why. What the hell had he done that was so wrong, anyway!?

 

“Ah! An audience! How splendid!” one of the three said, “For we like those. We are the Bards Three, Eric, Derek, and Jimmy D.! We mean no harm to this fair lass, whose eyes portray of utmost class! We just wish to sing, to tell a tale, and if you would like, we'll buy you some ale!” Ryou wondered if Sami would take the offer, what with her affinity for alcohol. But she didn't. She turned to them once again, her ears flattening in irritation. Obviously, this day wasn't going her way.

 

“Shut up,” she growled, “And move your asses before I light them on fire.”

 

“Do you not like our singing?” the second bard asked, his eyes watering. Sami's eyes narrowed flatly.

 

“No, I don't,” she told them, and the bards gasped. The blonde man laughed… until a loud gunshot pierced the air. Ryou screamed, but not from the noise. The bullet had hit Sami squarely in the chest, and she collapsed. Ryou glared at the blonde man, but he was currently loading his gun. He wouldn't have the time to shoot her without her noticing. When he looked up, he saw Sami was being dragged, and he shot with his pistol. The sound bounced off the walls, and then he was gone, pursuing whoever had assaulted Sami. Ryou cursed furiously, and turned to the bards, who were cowering in terror.

 

“What the… who the… who shot at her!?” he demanded, his voice threatening to break in absolute horror. But, the man had no answers. Ryou let him go and rushed down after the blonde man. He must've seen who shot her! Then, Ryou stopped, remembering what the girls the night before had said. They had a stalker following them. Sami was going to meet this person. And now Sami had been shot. The stalker knew exactly where she was. But how? Ryou shook his head. Sami might be dead if he didn't move it, so he ran down, becoming acutely aware of the state of this part of town. Garbage was piling along the walls, and the buildings were looking ramshackle and decrepit, some sagging from neglect. And further, he saw remnants of a train. No, of many trains. He was heading toward an abandoned train yard.

 

“…Sami? Are you down here?” he called, wondering why anyone would drag her here. Were they going to leave her and hope she wasn't discovered? Obviously, they hadn't counted on the blonde man, but as Ryou carefully picked his way through, he realized that there was no sign of him, either. And he hadn't gotten that far ahead. Ryou sighed, laying a hand on the side of a broken car. Then he pulled away. It felt sticky; when he looked, he saw his hand was covered with blue blood. Sami was severely injured.

 

“Sami!” he yelled, but received no response. This was terrible. He looked around, and saw that lots of blood had been spilled: blue, black, and red blood. He felt sick. Someone must've died. He had to get away and tell Yami what happened. He ran as fast as he could down the path, stumbling up the stairs. He didn't even care as he rushed out onto a nicer, much nicer part of the city, leaving the underground wreck behind. Yugi's shop was close, and while he didn't want to frighten the poor boy, he had to alert someone that Sami was missing. He burst through the doors.

 

“Yugi!” Ryou yelled, “Yugi, I need your phone! I need to call someone!”

 

“Hold on, Ryou,” Yugi called. But that wasn't good enough. Ryou shook his head. Sami was going to die, and he had no idea where the hell she was. He stormed into the living room. He didn't have the time to explain, but someone needed to be brought up to speed.

 

“Yugi, Sami was just,” Ryou began, and then stopped dead in his tracks. Yugi was bandaging someone's arm, sponging blue blood off carefully, and that someone was Sami. She looked pissed as hell, but otherwise, she didn't seem to notice that she was shot. Ryou's eyes widened as he said, “What the HELL!? You're supposed to be dead!”

 

“Nice to see you too,” came the flat reply, “You sound like you want me dead.” Ryou looked down. He certainly didn't, but someone else did. And he lost sight of that someone.

 

“What happened!?” he asked her, collapsing into a chair. Sami winced as Yugi tightened her bandage, and then gave her arm a firm pat. She looked at Ryou.

 

“After I was shot, whoever attacked me tried to drag me to the abandoned train yard underground, thinking I'd never be discovered. My friend followed and tried to stop her as we reached the site,” she told him shakily, “But… I don't know what happened after that. I saw… nothing.”

 

“The blonde man carried her back and left her here, but he said he had unfinished business and left before I could patch him up,” Yugi added, “I called Yami. He's coming down to see what he could do.” Ryou didn't see what the spirit would've done, but he didn't object. Yami could treat Sami if she passed out again. He turned back to her, his face pale with worry.

 

“Thank the gods you're even alive!” he declared, and reached over to hug her. She patted his back, and laughed heartily. When he let go, he was greeted with a confident grin.

 

“It's going to take more than a single bullet to bring this `old hag' down,” she told him. He blinked, wondering where the `old hag' came from, but she didn't answer on it. Instead, she looked away, and seemed distant as she stared at nothing in particular. Ryou looked to Yugi, but he shrugged with worry. Sami must've been like this for most of her time here. Ryou just let out a sigh. She had a right to be. She was nearly killed, and who knew what happened to the blonde man? Ryou's eyes narrowed. He'd have to do something about this. He just wasn't sure what it was yet. And he hoped Yami would have answers.

 

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

 

After storming Flamenco's, Sami decides she doesn't need her job and promptly leaves with the blonde man to go elsewhere. But who attacked her and dragged her off, and why was she left for dead? Was it the stalker? And will Ryou be attacked next? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!