Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ "I want some damn answers!" ( Chapter 12 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe I made Kaiba believe in magic.

 

When everyone finally emerged from the crater, they'd all decided that it was best to report back to Shadi, Ishizu, and Malik and to see what each said from there. It was a good plan, except that they'd have no idea what Tiamat's meanings actually meant. She had spoken rather vaguely, never actually giving a true answer. Kaiba was generous enough to allow them all passage in his limousine, which was good. It'd give them all some time to think. Ryou looked out the window as Kaiba began to drive off. With Tiamat gone, the fog that normally obscured the summit was gone. It'd grown much colder, too. Which would be just another problem for them later. He sighed. Things would never be easy when it came to magic.

 

“We know there's someone who's foolish enough to unleash the forbidden spells and summon demons,” Yami summarized, breaking the silence that drove with them, “Now we have to find this person and stop her.” Sami nodded disinterestedly. That was the conclusion she'd drawn up straight from the beginning. Personally, she was tired of hearing everyone else repeating it. It was nothing new. But the only problem was, not even Tiamat seemed too sure of where this person might've been. And if an Esper didn't know, humans definitely wouldn't. She turned to Rex. He said he was a detective. Maybe he could help them further.

 

“You're leading this investigation,” she stated, “Can you find who this asshole is?” Rex's face paled. He didn't want to tell her that he had no idea what to look for. He didn't even know if this thing was in the city! For all he knew, it could've been a kindergartener playing on a swing.

 

“You're expecting me to work miracles here,” he told her, “I don't have anything, and even if I request gadgets to help get a trace like the ones you felt, it'd take weeks to process.” Sami swore under her breath. They didn't have that sort of time. The ESB popped into her head again, but she didn't want to go there if she could avoid it. Looking for a file there would mean registration, and she wanted to leave as little data on herself as possible. It'd point her to Ryou, and it might put them both in death's way. Death wasn't one to sidestep, either. So much for relying on police work.

 

“Think you could find anything at the library?” Yugi asked, but a quick shake of Ryou's head shot down his idea.

 

“She already found out about the magic we're supposed to be stopping, and that was pushing it,” Ryou told him seriously, “I don't think they'd keep records of people at the library, anyway.” Yugi just nodded slowly. He didn't know what else to say, though. That was usually the best source of information other than the museum. And since Ryou technically owned that, he would've brought any information he had, if he had it. Sami just narrowed her eyes, looking out into the dark, dreary night. Drizzle had picked up now that the temperature on the mountain was dropping. Ice would probably be forming soon, too.

 

“We're better off asking a magic eight ball if it has any answers instead of going to the library,” she muttered irritably, crossing her arms, “Mystics aren't stupid. They're like me; leave as little data as possible. And if they're doing something illegal, which this really is, they're going to burn anything they did leave. We'll be lucky if the library isn't torched yet.” Considering that they'd been at the library just two hours ago, Ryou didn't see how that could've been likely. Then he thought that it was possible the Mystic got to it while they were with Tiamat. That was a decent gap of time, or so it felt. He heard Joey snickering across from them, and Sami looked at the man critically. She couldn't see what was so funny.

 

“Man, this feels like a murder mystery waiting to happen,” he joked, “I mean, first everything's nice and quiet, and then one of you gets shot. Now it's like we're racing around trying to do two things at once! And all hell's going to break loose, too! This is just awesome!” Ryou glanced at Sami. Judging by the look on her face, she didn't find this nearly as awesome as Joey said it was. Then again, Joey had never actually faced Mystics before. Sami had. As well as demons, monsters, zombies, pretty much anything the fantasy world could've thrown at her. This wouldn't have been funny to her, even if she wasn't the one going through it. She just sighed.

 

“I really don't see how you managed to get this far without my setting you on fire,” she stated tiredly, and looked out the window again. The sky was beginning to lighten now, from pitch black to a cloud gray. Streetlights flickered a little bit. That meant whoever was doing this was losing even more power. If only she could find out who it was. She sighed. And then she noticed Ryou was watching her. She tilted her head. She could feel his worry coming through to her.

 

“You feeling okay?” he asked her. She nodded, and glanced out the window again. For a split second, she thought she saw the blonde man running in the distance, but when she looked again, he was gone.

 

“Yes, just a little concerned, I guess,” she replied calmly, and then realized she was being rather vague, “What Tiamat said was really bothering me. I don't know much about Teufel, but I know enough. Ryou… if she's linking this world to that one, she might actually succeed in destroying this world.” The last part, she said with a whisper. She really was afraid. Ryou frowned. As much as he knew Sami was mortal, he didn't like that she was scared. Morale was getting low enough. If Sami, who was their best bet here, was afraid, what would it mean to the others?

 

“You think Rath is doing this?” Yugi asked, and Sami glanced over at him, “I mean, think she's controlling whoever's doing this? If it's another Mystic, they've got to be talking to her, don't they?” Sami's lips thinned as she returned to the window. She really didn't know what to think. Tiamat didn't say it was Rath. If it was her, the dragon wouldn't have kept that a secret. Not unless the dragon wanted to die, too. It was all getting too complicated for her.

 

“…not necessarily,” she said after a few long moments, “This doesn't seem like her, at least. Rath's last onslaught was carefully planned, and she wasn't just targeting Domino. She went all over the place, and she nearly conquered this continent. The only reason she failed was because Katsaiga betrayed her. But this? This is sloppy work. Whoever's doing this is having trouble just keeping a steady stream of monsters to kill us. No, I doubt Rath has anything to do with this, even if she's ordering an attack.” No one said anything after that. There really wasn't much to add. The only thing that could've contradicted what Sami said was the fact that the crystal had been a direct connector to Rath. And Shadi now had the crystal. For a while, silence filled the limousine. Then, slowly, Mokuba spoke up. He looked over at Sami, the older woman still staring out the window.

 

“So all this crap about magic is real?” he asked her. She looked over, an eyebrow raised as though she couldn't even believe he'd actually ask her that. She wanted to say that it should've been obvious magic was real, but Kaiba was right there, and he might actually shove her out of the car. As strong as she was, she knew it'd tear her arm off if she fell out. She simply nodded.

 

“Of course it is,” she replied sternly, “You might not believe it, but magic is one of the oldest sources of energy in the universe. Everything you see contains a certain amount of power. Even yourselves, despite not being able to actually use magic. That's why it's so dangerous; if humans were to tap into too much of it, they might abuse it.”

 

“But what about those Mystics you keep talking about?” Rex asked her critically, almost skeptically, “And what about you? Don't you all abuse magic?” Sami just smirked, shifting enough to face the man. For someone who'd been placed in the paranormal investigation unit, this should've been covered on his training course. Obviously, Domino was more skeptical than she'd thought.

 

“There's varying degrees of magic usage, so unless we're purposely looking to knock the balance of magic out of Oblivion, then no, we're not abusing it,” she told them all, “Listen to me, because you're obviously beginning to think we're warring with an entire race. We're not. Rath is the one starting this war, not the Mystics as a whole. She has a few lords to support her, but that's it. We find them, we kill them, we'll end the war. I don't want any of you thinking that Mystics are evil. Katsaiga was proof that they aren't.” Ryou had never heard her speak so seriously before. Then again, this was part of her life. Even if they didn't believe in magic, she had to. She didn't entirely have a choice unless she wanted to deny her own existence. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to convince all of them. Kaiba just snorted from the driver's seat.

 

“If these morons are so good, why did you have to seal your own spells up?” he asked her. Ryou's mouth dropped open. That wasn't just rude. It was absolutely insulting! And just how was Sami supposed to know that? Ryou looked at her. She didn't seem particularly disturbed, though her expression had become blank. She blinked once, and then again a minute later. Her silence was beginning to weigh on them, the tension thickening indefinitely. Then, slowly, she spoke.

 

“…I'm not sure I feel like answering,” she said curtly, and turned to the window. Ryou glanced at Kaiba. He was watching the woman through the rear-view mirror, and he looked on the verge of laughing at her.

 

“You like being difficult, don't you?” he asked her, and she glanced up only fractionally, “Aren't you actually helping Rath by not answering us? It's a valid question.” She shifted again, and now she looked extremely annoyed. Ryou wasn't surprised. Most people became irate after dealing with Kaiba.

 

“Tell me when you stop being such a condescending jackass and maybe I'll give you an answer,” she replied, and Joey snorted, “Until then, asshole, you can deal with my being difficult. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't exactly hitting me well, either, so I'd appreciate a little more time to think.” Bold words considering that Kaiba was the one driving. If he became too annoyed, there was nothing stopping him from driving straight off the cliff. But he just sighed. There wasn't arguing with Sami unless he gave her ammunition to fight with. And so far, she'd used what he did give. Silence dragged on again, and as they drove closer to Domino, the rain began to clear up again. The sky also darkened, but this time it was actually a decent time to do so. It was nearly five thirty now; it was also the middle of September. The days would be shortening fairly soon. Yami whistled as he watched the scenery.

 

“It's getting difficult to tell what's magic and what isn't,” he commented, “I'm half-expecting monsters to pop out, and it's just naturally nighttime now.” Sami side-glanced at him. She wasn't looking overly interested in conversation at that point. Ryou just patted her arm. Some rest might do her good, and he hoped she could get some when they got home. They couldn't afford one worn-out warrior, and it was growing obvious that she wasn't up to this now. He looked at Yami and answered for her.

 

“If we're lucky, the monsters won't be coming back,” he replied gently, “Remember what Tiamat said? Whoever this is doesn't have the experience to keep the power running. Sami even said the person's unskilled.” He glanced at Sami again. She wasn't even paying attention anymore. He sighed. Kaiba really did insult her, after all.

 

The car ride back into Domino went on in silence again. Without Sami giving any explanations or comments, there was very little to be said. The next most available source of information was Yami, and he was pretty sure he was dead before most of what happened in the past even transpired. And it definitely didn't help that Kaiba wanted nothing to do with the conversations, either. It was his car, and eventually no one felt welcome enough to speak on the subject. That might've explained Sami's silence more; she might've just felt threatened rather than insulted. Twice, Ryou tried asking if she was all right, but she merely waved the question away. He decided to just pretend she didn't want to talk, but something was clearly bothering her. After a while, he just kept quiet and watched everyone else. The conversations dwindled down to what Joey had seen on the news, and what Rex thought of the entire ordeal. Neither of them seemed particularly interesting.

 

Fifteen minutes after getting into the city, Kaiba headed west up a quiet road that eventually went from pavement to packed dirt, winding toward what seemed to be a forest. By that time, darkness had covered the city again, but the streetlights now fully worked. It was naturally nighttime, as Yami said. Ryou squinted as the limo came to a slow stop. He saw the faint outline of what appeared to be a nice, Victorian-style house, with a small backyard before it dumped right into the forest again. To the right was Malik's motorcycle. He raised a brow. Malik lived here? It seemed so… out of place. He was sure Malik and Ishizu would've chosen a home closer to what they grew up near. But this looked nice, too. Everyone climbed out, and Ryou led them up the steps and onto the porch. He knocked on the thick, wooden door. For a minute, he heard hushed whispers. Then the door opened, and Malik stepped out. Ryou smiled… until he saw how incredibly exhausted the younger boy looked.

 

“Malik, are you okay!?” Yugi asked in alarm, and Malik blinked, looking like he couldn't recognize them for a minute. Then he just smiled weakly. Even Sami seemed perturbed by his appearance. His eyes seemed red, and there were dark circles under them. He also looked a little thinner, too. Just what the hell happened to him, she wanted to ask. But she didn't. He was already waving them inside, toward the living room. It was dim, and Katt was sitting next to Bakura and Ishtar. All three of them looked worried, as they watched everyone else come inside. Sami sat down across from her sister. She knew instantly that something really wasn't right.

 

“What the hell happened?” she asked, when none of them made an attempt to speak. Malik just yawned widely and stretched his legs out. Katt glanced at him, and then bit her lip as she turned back to her sister.

 

“We were attacked by monsters when we were in Ard,” she explained grimly, to which Sami wasn't surprised, “It was all Malik could do to just outrun them. He's been up for two days trying to keep a step ahead. We lost them just two hours ago.” Sami's eyes narrowed critically. That was around when the monsters stopped attacking her team, too. She looked at Malik and nodded sympathetically. He just grinned and gave her the thumbs-up. Bakura patted the young man on the back.

 

“Our magic barely works on them, either,” the thief told Sami, his own tone grim as well, “We've tried calling Ishizu, but she's not explaining a damn.” Sami just frowned deeply. Somehow, that didn't surprise her, either. Shadi seemed unhappy and reluctant to explain much to her, and Ishizu was hesitant, too. And that hardly made sense. If they wanted peace, they should've been cooperating, not hiding everything. She looked at Ishtar.

 

“Is your sister home?” she demanded. Ishtar's lips pursed, and slowly, he nodded. She snorted softly, and looked toward the stairs. She could hear someone moving upstairs. Which was too bad for them, because now she was just pissed.

 

“ISHIZU!” Sami screamed angrily, and she heard the woman upstairs jump in terror, “GET YOUR EGYPTIAN ASS DOWN HERE AND ANSWER US THIS INSTANT! I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR YOUR GAMES!” Ryou didn't know just what she had that made everyone want to obey her when she screamed, but she did the trick. Ishizu came hurrying down, eyes widened from the sheer fury in Sami's voice. `Pissed' was obviously an understatement. Malik fumed when he was pissed, but never once had Ishizu heard the kind of outrage Sami just displayed.

 

“Miss Winchester, you don't need…” Sami didn't even give her the chance to finish before she stood up and pointed to a seat. There was a very venomous look on her face. There was no compromising with her now; if Ishizu didn't do as she said, Ryou was sure Sami would seriously blow a gasket.

 

“Sit down and tell us right now what the hell we're dealing with,” the older woman growled fiercely, “No more evading our questions, no more referring to the Millennium Items, no more of this cosmic bullshit. Give us our answers or I'm tearing your damn house apart.” Ishizu trembled at that point. Sami was more than able to back the threat up, and she knew no item would protect her from the woman's insane wrath. She glanced at Malik, but even he seemed to agree that her unwillingness was taking its toll. Perhaps that was because he actually fought some of the monsters they'd traced. She gulped. Her life could literally end if she didn't speak.

 

“We… we found a point of origin for this power,” Ishizu said meekly, but Sami's anger didn't dissipate with her words, “It's a remote location, located within ten miles off the coast of the Domino bay. It's an island where Kaiba is building his new Duel Dome.” Sami blinked, her lips thinning. That was going to be a problem. She looked over at Kaiba. If he owned the place, he should've known why anyone would be there, or if there was any activities at all. He looked back almost smugly, which wasn't an entirely smart thing to be doing. Sami was angry enough as it was.

 

“Why the hell would anyone head there?” she asked him, raising a questioning brow. He just snorted and waved her inquiry away.

 

“Do I look like a damn mind reader?” he retorted, “Look, I don't believe this crap, but all I know is the place should've been abandoned. I had to stop progress two months ago because one of my other projects needed immediate attention. If someone's there, I don't know about it.” That didn't help them in the least. Ryou saw Sami was beginning to look concerned. If that was the case, no wonder the island was chosen as the point of origin. No one would even think to look there. Especially if Kaiba owned it; he wouldn't allow trespassers. Though that answer didn't entirely help them out, it did explain to her its meaning. Someone was trying to be discreet, at the same time giving her a real threat.

 

“Where is this island?” Ryou asked, but Kaiba just snorted again, “I'm serious! Tell us so we can go there before she opens up Teufel!” Another snort, and Ryou just sighed. He had hoped Kaiba would've cooperated, especially with Mokuba there, but that was pushing his luck. Kaiba didn't even help when Mokuba had been kidnapped by either Pegasus or the Rare Hunters. He went his own way, and magic hadn't been the sole center of those incidents. This time, Ryou had hoped he'd have realized his own life was at stake too. But he obviously hadn't. For he didn't cooperate in the least.

 

“You honestly believe the crap dribbling out of both Ishizu's and Winchester's mouths?” he asked, and laughed, “Come on, what on earth is wrong with you people!? You really think demons are going to come and kill us? You're delusional! No, I won't be letting any of you set foot on that island.” Ryou frowned, and everyone else began to glare at Kaiba. He was going to be the first major problem in this operation. Technically, they needed his permission to even get there. Ryou glanced at Sami, and his mouth dropped. She'd drawn her sword. Clearly, she was going to bully the permission out of him. And, that usually worked. She gripped Kaiba's collar, the man choking in surprise at her strength, and pulled him close to her, her pupils narrowing to slits. He could see red swimming amidst the green in her eyes.

 

“Then I hope you love fire,” she growled, “Because you're going to burn in hell if you don't help us. And don't think I'm being religious here. Teufel's as real as I am, boy, and you're going to get us killed. So do me a damn favor for once and just pretend to humor me.” Then, abruptly, she let Kaiba go. Maybe she wouldn't need to murder him. Kaiba twitched as he stumbled back, and then dusted his coat off, as though she'd actually gotten dirt on it. He looked just as angry as she did now. Ryou wasn't so sure whose side he was actually on. Sami had to stop this woman, but Kaiba had a right to want his dome to be kept safe. Both of them had valid reasoning, too. But it all came down to whose argument was stronger. Right then, Kaiba felt his was.

 

“Humor you?” he repeated, “Winchester, you're dragging us all into warfare here. You want me to support this? The media will be up my damn ass if they get hold of this.” Sami's smirk returned, and then she laughed. Everyone watched her either with mild confusion or with worry. Laughing in this situation wasn't a good sign for them; it usually meant she was beyond anger. But still, she laughed. She laughed until her glasses slid off her face, and she forced herself to wipe her tears away. The media was going to be his excuse. What a damn joke.

 

“You expect me to believe you're worried what the media will do?” she asked him, and snorted, turning away, “Please. The media's going to be the least of your worries if you don't let us go on. You really want to risk all of us because you can't accept the fact that magic's real, then do it on your own time. I'll swim to this island myself if I need to. At this rate, I'll get it done before anyone here can get an answer from you.” With that, she stormed out of the room. Ryou just blinked. That wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. Everyone was speechless for a time, before Joey finally stood up.

 

“Who's going with her?” he asked, and Kaiba glared at him warningly.

 

“Wait a damn minute! I just said…”

 

“Screw your rules, Kaiba,” Joey growled, “World's in danger and you're going to let it end. Sami's right. We can find this island faster without you. If any of you agree, I'll be outside with her.” With that, he walked out of the room, too, heading out the front door. Silence followed again. This meeting was falling apart, but Ryou noticed Rex was buttoning his coat. And he was grinning, too.

 

“I'm heading out,” he stated, “It's my job to investigate this, and I have bills to pay. Expect a warrant for obstructing justice, Kaiba.” He too walked out, and this time, Bakura laughed hysterically. Kaiba's mouth just dropped. Obstructing justice!? In his mind, he was protecting his right to private property! It didn't help when Mokuba jumped out of his seat and exclaimed that he was going, too. That's when Kaiba snapped.

 

“Absolutely not!” Kaiba roared furiously, his brows creasing, “I don't give a shit for Wheeler, Winchester, or that Raptor loser, but you are not going!” Mokuba just scowled, crossing his arms. This was one argument he'd be winning. He normally sided with Kaiba, but this time, his brother was being unreasonable.

 

“I'm fourteen, Seto,” he argued, as though that were a good enough reason to go, “Sami's been adventuring since she was my age, and she's really strong! I'll be careful!” Kaiba just gritted his teeth. He definitely didn't want to put Mokuba's care into Sami's hands. True, she was a warrior, but she wasn't nearly as good a caretaker. The fact that they'd nearly died once already under her care proved it. Finally, though, Yami intervened. Ryou smiled; if anyone could've convinced Kaiba, it was the old pharaoh.

 

“Let him come,” the spirit said, “Sami and I will protect him.” Kaiba just glared, and Ryou frowned. Sami wasn't a reassurance at all, and Yami wasn't much better. But in the end, Kaiba agreed. Mokuba wouldn't have backed down, anyway. Quickly, he wrote down the directions for the island and handed them to the old spirit. But, he also handed a warning as well.

 

“If he's hurt, I'm going to kill both you and Winchester,” he growled, “I don't care which dies first, but one of you will.” Yami didn't even appear to be phased. Ryou decided now would be a good time to end it and just head out before Kaiba actually acted on his words.

 

“Enough. Let's head out before the others leave,” Ryou said, “Anyone have anything else they'd like to add?” He looked at Katt as he said this. No one else had spoken since Rex left, and he wanted to make absolutely sure they all chose what they wanted. Katt just bit her lip. She was worried, and probably torn between the decision. It'd have been nice to have her, Ryou admitted honestly. She was a better healer than Sami.

 

“We'll stay here and make sure that demons don't come into the city,” she replied, and inwardly, Ryou cursed, “If Teufel does get linked, someone needs to protect the city while you guys go and investigate the island. It's…” A loud smash interrupted Katt, momentarily dimming the lights in the house. Everyone looked outside, and Ryou heard the wind howling, shutters banging against the windows loudly. Then he heard a clap of thunder. Something was happening. He rushed to the door and threw it open.

 

“Move out!” he shouted, and Mokuba, Yami, and Yugi followed him. They ran onto the porch, and saw Rex and Joey were shielding their eyes from the storm as Sami struggled to get down the stairs. The wind was horrendous; Ryou could see a tree nearly uprooted from it. In the distance, the forest swayed backwards, and he was worried all of the trees would snap apart. Slowly, carefully, he made his way to Sami. She was trying to look into the storm. He did the same. The sky had actually turned purple now, a key indicator that whoever had summoned the store beforehand had regained their power. Which meant even more magic would be coming next. He sighed. Then he felt Sami take his hand.

 

“You scared?” she whispered. Slowly, he nodded, and she said, “Good. It shows you've got some brains after all. Come on.” She tugged his arm and moved down a step, but he didn't budge. She looked back. He was staring at her as though he were evaluating her sanity again. She sighed. They didn't have time for this. “Are you coming?”

 

“You're going out there!?” he cried, “Sami, I love you, but that's insane! You're going to be killed!” Sami just sighed again. She let go and looked at him seriously.

 

“Ryou, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I think I'd rather die trying to save this world than die knowing I didn't do anything,” she replied sternly, “Now stop stalling and let's go.” Ryou muttered under his breath. He wanted to save his world as much as she did, but the thought of death was halting him. He didn't particularly want to die. But he caved. He wanted to help her, so he followed her down the steps and onto the sidewalk. It was slick with rain. But it didn't slow Sami down in the least. Ryou just wasn't surprised with that, and quickly, he walked to catch up to her. Whatever she was going to do to get to Kaiba's island, he wanted to hear.

 

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

 

After unsuccessfully obtaining a little bit of information from Ishizu and Kaiba, now Ryou and his friends need to find a way to the abandoned island and see what's going on there. With another storm just breaking in, monsters could be swarming to Domino any minute. What is Sami's move for getting to the island? And will the Mystic succeed in summoning a link to the world, Teufel? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!