Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ Aftermath: Hesitation ( Chapter 26 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he says that if Sith does end up with Ryou, technically he should own her too.

 

It'd been some time before Sith spoke once again. During that time, Ryou looked around to see just how badly Sith's own spells devastated the land. The answer was, thankfully, small. Amber pretty much destroyed everything she could. Sith had done very little, though that was only because Amber had done so majestically first. Ryou just sighed as he looked. Every building had been blown apart; it'd take years to rebuild unless the Espers decided to help them with the recreation as well. But the good news was, casualties were a minimum. Already, birds were flying back to their old homes, and the sun was just beginning to peak out of the clouds, sending a ray slanting on the barren lots. Sith snorted. It all looked so damn pathetic.

 

“It brings absolutely nothing to have those spells sealed or unsealed,” she said bitterly, and Ryou turned to her, “Either way, it causes havoc and chaos. What the hell was even the point!?” Ryou bit his lip. Sith was right. Even sealed, the spells are what brought Amber here, and even sealed, Amber had found a way to use them regardless. He should've asked Bahamut the same question Sith just posed. But then he was sure Fenrir would've killed him, too. He shrugged, leaning back.

 

“But at least now, the other Espers can watch out for them, right?” he asked. That did nothing to lighten her irritation. She crossed her arms, setting one foot on the table.

 

“As long as I'm the one suffering, I'm sure the Espers think it's just dandy,” she growled. Ryou sighed quietly and looked down. He was sure this wasn't what Bahamut wanted, but he didn't blame Sith for being angry. Technically, they did leave their problems to her, and some even blamed her for it. That part wasn't fair.

 

“Think Bahamut would be willing to help?” he asked her. This got a disgruntled, almost mocking snort from the woman. She smiled; it was ruefully.

 

“With what? Arresting me? If he gets his claws on me, he'll certainly do that,” she said grimly, and then her smile grew, “Good news is, my physical strength hasn't diminished. Even if another Mystic comes, I'll slice them with Zealacht.” Ryou was worried about that, but he didn't press further. For then, they could relax a little. It would take time for Sith to get used to being without magic. And the Mystics would need time to appoint another assassin, too. Not that it'd help. Ryou wasn't sure who'd be able to actually kill Sith at this point. From what Bahamut said, she's lived over three thousand years and nothing stopped her stride, yet.

 

In the distance, Sith had caught a bit of movement, and holding a finger up to silence Ryou, she squinted to see further. She couldn't imagine who would actually still be in the city, or who'd be stupid enough to stay, but when they came close and she finally was about to see a blur of white, she knew who it was. Bakura. And he was leading a team behind him. Without her glasses, she couldn't point out specifics. But Ryou knew exactly who was there. All of their friends had come rushing back. Perhaps Sith's spell did more than simply demolish Amber; perhaps it alerted the three spirits as well.

 

“YOU DID IT, RYOU!” Malik roared in pride as they ran toward where he and Sith sat, “We saw the whole damn thing! Dude, those explosions… they nearly blew Ishtar's socks off!” The spirit in question looked agitated enough for Ryou to believe Malik. Within two minutes, his friends surrounded him, all of them cheering and laughing as they hugged him and gave him high-fives. Sith was happy to let him receive them, as well. She wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

 

“No one's hurt?” Tea asked, turning to Sith and hugging her, “…Sith? You okay?” Sith said nothing, and then Tea let it pass as she asked, “Whatever happened to Amber?” This time, Sith did speak. She smiled wryly.

 

“Dead,” the woman replied, “And if not, then pretty damn close to it.” Ryou's face paled. Just before, Sith had said she was sure Amber was dead. Then again, Sith was like that; never giving true answers, or at least changing them when she wanted. He just patted her shoulder as Tea gasped and turned to Miho, who looked similarly awed. Obviously, the fact that someone committed murder wasn't a big bother to either of them.

 

“You got her,” he assured her, and she laughed, “Trust me, Oregashyn killed her.” Sith stopped laughing, and likewise, everyone else fell silent at the name, too. Ryou realized now why that was. Normally, no one but Sith could recite the name. But it had such a massive impact, and it sounded so clear amidst the chaos. He doubted he could've forgotten it, and if he ever would. Rex looked at Sith critically, his eyes widened with worry.

 

“But… Oregashyn… isn't that one of those sealed spells?” he asked in the silence, cutting it like butter, “Winchester, what happened?” Sith's good guess was that Rex already knew. But she'd humor him. Hell, if it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have been able to kill Amber. He deserved to know.

 

“I released the spells,” she told them all, and many of their mouths dropped open in terror, “They can't be learned by anyone else except for Bahamut… or myself. And I certainly won't be using them.” No one was surprised by that, but her tone gave off a clue as to why. Yugi asked her what she meant, and she simply said, “I lost my magic.”

 

“What!?” Bakura demanded, eyes burning now, “Why!? Are they serious!? You just saved the fucking universe and they're going to punish you!? You did more than they did! The damn cowards! Those hypocrites!” Sith stopped him with a raised hand. The look on her face was gaunt again. And for once, she looked years and years older. But just for a second. Ryou thought it was from exhaustion.

 

“I broke the law,” she said simply, “Those spells could destroy Oblivion, and I released them anyway. This is better than being killed, trust me.” Bakura wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't question Sith. He learned that if she said it was better, it had to be. But no one had to be happy about it. And no one tried to be. Even if magic made their lives difficult, it was still part of Sith, and she was part of them.

 

“How long will it last?” Yugi asked her, as Tea gave her a hug. Her lips went thin and she took a deep breath. This could be a difficult answer.

 

“Depends. If they don't think my actions warranted what I did… again, then it could last the rest of my life,” Sith replied, and tilted her head, “That's about eight thousand years at least.” No one pretended not to be shocked, either. Eight thousand years! Ryou knew now that Sith was thousands of years old. No one lived that long unless they were ancient already. Rex seemed ready to collapse from an answer like that, as blunt as it was.

 

“If you're going to live to be a billion, they should give your magic back!” Joey declared, brows creased in a sharp V. Obviously, he felt this was a terrible injustice, “I mean, we have to celebrate! And we can't, not when they pulled this shit!” Sith looked away. She didn't want to be the reason that what they did wasn't celebrated. Kaiba glanced at her, and then turned to Joey, crossing his arms stiffly. He knew automatically what Joey was going to say soon, and if he had any intentions of stopping it, he'd have to inadvertently agree with Sith. Never mind that he hated her.

 

“Celebrate what? Our city being blown to pieces?” he asked flatly, and Sith's fists clenched, “Look, as much as I hate Winchester, I'm going to have to agree here. The woman lost that crap you all call magic. There's no reason to celebrate.” Ryou was sure that if no one intervened, Sith would go ballistic and hit Kaiba. Joey didn't give her that chance. He just grinned, as if to prove Kaiba wrong.

 

“Yes there is, jackass!” the younger man declared, and sharply yelled, “PARTY AT KAIBA'S!” And unfortunately for Kaiba, anything Joey suggested, Tristan usually followed. In no time at all, everyone that they'd brought was chanting `Party at Kaiba's' like a group of lemmings. Sith gave the man a smug look, as though this was exactly what he deserved for badmouthing both her and magic. Kaiba just twitched as she passed him. The only way magic would redeem itself was if he had any that'd actually kill her.

 

“Are you idiots insane!?” the flustered man demanded, trying to yell above the chanting, “Don't you half-wits remember what happened last time I threw a goddamn party!? WHY AREN'T YOU INGRATES LISTENING!?” Unfortunately, no one was. Kaiba just moaned. He didn't want another party. He hated parties. The only thing he hated more was Sith Winchester, and even she hadn't stopped the party. Only Mokuba seemed to have heard him as he walked toward Joey, who was already leading everyone back toward where Kaiba's house had been.

 

“Awww, come on, Seto! We did just save the world!” Mokuba reminded him. Kaiba growled and watched his own brother cross over to the dark side as Mokuba ran to help Joey out. Then, Kaiba turned to the only person who hadn't been cheering, aside from himself. Pierre had come and taken the sight of what had once been his prized café, his life's work. It was a pile of garbage now. Ashy, smoldering, rotting garbage that would kill a normal person to walk through. Which was, in Kaiba's mind, probably the epitome of the man's feeble existence.

 

“My café… it is ruined!” he declared in a wave of sobs, further marred by his thick accent, “Non, non! This cannot be! I cannot accept this! My life… my work! Ruined!!” He knelt down, picking up what had once been a china plate. It was a chip of its former self now. Kaiba just snorted, looking from the plate to whatever was left of the building. Whatever the hell Sith did, she pretty much ensured that Pierre would need to either relocate or rebuild the place. Kaiba partly wondered if insurance would even cover a tenth of the damage done.

 

“Relax, you old fool. You can just rebuild the damn thing,” Kaiba mumbled, helping the man to stand, “Hell, I'll even pay for it. If it'll prevent me from going to that terrible party, I'll even come here myself and start plastering.” Pierre hardly knew what to say. Here, his life had been torn apart by some spoiled brat, and this man, this miracle… this angel was offering to help him! For nothing!

 

“Oh, thank you, monsieur Kaiba! It is an honor to know you, monsieur!” Pierre exclaimed, this time sobbing in absolute glee, “Please, I insist we build it in your honor! How else can I ever repay you!?” Kaiba growled in annoyance and abruptly turned away.

 

“Shooting me seems a good payment,” the young man said, and with that, the two of them began to head toward where Joey was leading the crowd. It wasn't hard to follow; their chants could easily be heard no matter where in the city they were. Kaiba wished he were dead right then.

 

It hadn't taken long for anyone to spot Kaiba's house. It seemed to be the only place that survived, at least in that neighborhood. And considering how much money Kaiba had, and how much insurance he probably invested in, that was just as well. Before the man could even unlock the door, Bakura picked the lock off and admitted everyone inside. Immediately, everyone began getting whatever they thought would serve the party. And all Kaiba could do was run into the backyard and watch. And when he saw Tristan, Rex, and Duke Devlin carrying out a stereo system that cost more than their lives, he was just about ready to blow his blood vessels. If magic had any love for him, it should've smote them when they touched the damn doorknob.

 

“What!? No, NO!” Kaiba yelled, though again, no one appeared to listen, “If you dirtbags bust up my stuff, I'm charging you over two-hundred percent interest for it, you hear me!? Leave my things alone!” Unfortunately, if he thought that would stop everyone from helping to set up the party, he was sourly disappointed. All Sith could do was snort and stand alongside him as she watched everyone continue to hustle. The stereo was safely installed, and in less than ten minutes, the dance floor was laid out, the tables were set, and even guards began to help out by bringing out food. And when Rex took it upon himself to begin playing the music, the party was officially started.

 

“I can't believe Kaiba actually agreed to another party!” Tea exclaimed as she and Yugi started dancing to the heavy techno beats that Rex was pumping out. Sith snorted in amusement again, and shook her head as Kaiba stormed away, back inside his house. She almost felt bad. Except that this was pissing him off.

 

“I hate to burst your bubble, but he didn't,” she reminded the girl, and smirked, “Hopefully, it won't be too…” She didn't finish before she was hit with a torrent of pool water.

 

“DIVEBOMB!” Tristan roared, again jumping in the pool and splashing Sith with water, “Uh… Sith, you might want to… SHIT!” By that time, Sith was more than prepared for returning fire. She had picked up a brick and heaved it right at him. He dived into the water, and the brick whooshed by, slamming Yami right on the head. Jasper's worst nightmare went down with one shot, and this time Bakura and Ishtar were laughing at Sith. Her eye twitched as she saw them. Bakura just gave her the thumbs up.

 

“Nice shot!” Ishtar called. Sith blushed crimson, knowing that if Yami had been human, he'd be dead. Yugi ran over to see what he could do, but he knew the spirit was down for the count. Sith just chuckled, turning to Ryou and giving him a shrug. Especially since he was glaring at her.

 

“I guess we should be happy it missed Tristan,” she simply said, as though that were any reason to not be worried. Ryou turned away, and then cringed when he heard the next song Rex played. Why Kaiba would have a Rick Astley CD was beyond everyone's comprehension, but Joey decided it was a good choice. He practically threw himself onto the dance floor.

 

“Man, I love this song!” Joey replied, and began to do a dance move that had died in the late 70's, to which everyone had prayed it would stay dead. Kaiba looked over when he heard, `Never gonna give you up,' and just shook his head. He really prayed hard that a freak lightning bolt would kill him. Or Rex. Or everyone else, for that matter. But none came. Finally, Ryou turned to Sith.

 

“We're just lucky my father isn't here,” he stated. But he spoke too soon. Tea gave him a worried glance and pointed outside of the fence. Sith looked to where she indicated. Ryou swore he'd never heard her laugh so hard in either of their lives. And when he looked as well, he wished a lightning bolt would kill him, too. For right there was Yaten Bakura, walking over, completely decked out in his safari gear.

 

“RYOU, WHERE ARE YOU!?” he yelled, as guards ran out of the house toward him, “Son, that dog of yours needs a walk, and the maid's gone out!”

 

“Sir, get out of the garden. You're stepping on the flowers,” one guard said. But Yaten simply ignored him as he spotted Ryou, who immediately grabbed Sith's hand and hid among a crowd of people that stopped by for Kaiba's party. Yaten ran to the fence to try and get to his son. Not only did he end up destroying more flowers, but he lost sight of Ryou, too. And he was pissing the guards off.

 

“Ryou, where are you going!?” Yaten called, but that simply made Ryou move faster, “I'm your father! Listen to me!”

 

“Sir, get down from there! You're disturbing Master Kaiba's garden!” another guard yelled, grabbing Yaten's leg, “GET OFF THE FENCE!” Finally, he dragged Yaten off, resulting in a large crash as a series of curses erupted from all guards and Yaten involved. Everyone who wasn't completely enthralled with Joey's moves turned to where the fight was ensuing. The only ones ignoring the fight were Ryou and Sith, the former of which kept wishing something would kill him, the latter of which couldn't even believe Yaten was actually alive, let alone able to find them. She cursed whichever god favored the Bakura line that day. And apparently, so did Kaiba. He stormed to the gate, kicked it open, and stormed right in the throng of dust, pushing whoever got in his way away.

 

“GET OFF OF MY PROPERTY THIS INSTANCE!” he screamed at Yaten, “You're ruining my damn flowers! I don't know where your son is, and I don't care! I hate your son! I hate your son, I hate your maid, I hate this party! So GET OFF MY LAWN!” After that, the fight promptly ended. In a match of rage, only Sith could've possibly outdone Kaiba, and she wasn't there. No one wanted to argue with the man, not even Yaten, who calmly stood and dusted his shirt off as though this weren't a problem. And to him, it wasn't. He was just looking for his boy.

 

“Well, if you tell me where my son is, I'll leave,” Yaten replied calmly, “He's a good boy, but he needs to learn about responsibility and what it means to have a dog.” Kaiba wasn't personally interested in whatever problems Yaten had, and he simply pointed in a random direction to get rid of the man. He happened to nail Ryou's location exactly, and Yaten followed it. Ryou moaned miserably as he saw his father approach them from the gate, and Sith just snorted again, as though this were the most amusing thing she'd ever seen. Ryou wished she'd just shut up.

 

“Dad, what is it!?” he demanded, turning to his father, “We're at a party!”

 

“And as much as I'm happy to see you leave the house for once, your dog needs a walk,” Yaten replied simply, “So unless this is a Dungeons and Dragons party, get back home and walk him.” Ryou simply stared at him in disbelief. His father had walked nearly five miles to tell him to walk a dog that wasn't even his! Never mind that Yaten could've walked the dog! Never mind that Rush would just jump a window if he needed to go out! Yaten just did whatever the hell he wanted again.

 

“Dad? You could've just walked the dog while coming here,” Ryou pointed out flatly. Sith snorted. As much as she had confidence that the boy made a good point, logic would always be lost on Yaten. The man tapped his chin, either actually considering that or just pretending to. Then he shrugged. He opted on pretending. Mainly because he felt he was the father and he was right.

 

“But would that have made you a better citizen?” Yaten asked his son, and when Ryou didn't answer, he said, “No. Now let's go…” Yaten stopped when Rex changed the music. Someone really should've explained what good party music was, for he switched from Rick Astley to a song by Human League. And unfortunately, it happened to be one of Yaten's favorites. He said, “My god, I haven't heard this song in years!” and proceeded to dash right onto the dance floor, immediately forgetting any lesson he was trying to teach Ryou. Ishtar walked past Ryou, and snorted as he saw the whole ordeal.

 

“Is that freak really your father?” he asked smugly. Ryou glared as the man sipped his beer, and almost considered pushing him over. He could've fallen, if he was drunk.

 

“You shouldn't be calling anyone a freak,” Ryou ended up mumbling, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He noticed Sith backed away a step, and heard a distant `he's probably drunk' issuing from her mind. He nodded slightly, and knew she was probably right. Of course, being a spirit, Ishtar didn't show any signs on intoxication. Yet.

 

“I'm not the one related to one of the Bee Gees over there,” the spirit remarked rather snidely, and cackled again as he decided to cut across the dance floor. If he were sober, he probably would've thought better, for both Joey and Yaten were in the process of a disco contest, and both were going fast enough to nearly hit him. And at just that second, Malik happened to spot the spirit, who was just about to yell at Joey for nearly smacking him on the head.

 

“Idiot, get over here before you get yourself hurt!” Malik called furiously, storming over and practically wrestling Ishtar to get him off the dance floor. Bakura just snorted before going to help him out as Ryou continued to watch. Whether he was amused or just freaked out, Sith couldn't actually know. She didn't comment on it, either. And when she asked Ryou if he wanted to leave, he just shook his head and kept watching. She sighed, and decided to head over to the buffet before Tristan ate all the food. It was supposed to be quiet over by the food.

 

“Tell me someone else is enjoying this waiting disaster,” she mumbled as she grabbed a leg of chicken and sat down at the closest table, next to Tea and Yami. Tea looked up at her and flashed a sympathetic smile. She understood completely that Sith wanted nothing to do with this party.

 

“I think I am,” Tea replied, and chuckled, “If only because I get to see everyone else have fun.” Sith just mumbled something incoherent as she bit into the chicken leg. Tea watched her for a second, stunned into silence from the woman's attitude. She didn't have to be there. Then again, she probably was because Ryou was there. Cautiously, Tea asked, “What about you? Are you liking the party?” She heard Yami snorting as Sith looked up at her flatly, as though that were the stupidest thing to ask. To someone like Sith, who hated socializing, it probably was.

 

“No,” the woman replied bluntly, and this time, Yami actually did laugh, “I think this is pretty stupid. We're celebrating the fact that I fucked up and lost my magic. Whoop-de-doo. The only good thing that happened is that Amber's dead, and I don't think we should be celebrating murder.” Yami abruptly shut up at that. Sith was kind of right, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And from her point of view, he could see why she thought the party was a stupid idea. He merely shrugged and sipped his wine.

 

“You're always a grump,” he commented, and when Sith glared, he said, “Look, Sith, we're friends. But you don't have to be so grim. Lighten up. Even Mr. Bakura is…” He looked over, and instantly regretted it as he screamed, “OH RA, MR. BAKURA'S GOING TO KILL ME!” He dove, and as Sith and Tea looked over to see what the problem was, the giant disco ball above the dance floor flew over their heads and slammed right through the fence, leaving a path of debris and dust in its wake. The two women coughed as Bakura came by, bending down to try and help Yami out.

 

“We're dead, so there's no point,” the thief reminded him bluntly, as they crawled out from under the table. Then they saw what actually caused the rogue assault. Or more smelled it. Ishtar came over, walking crookedly as he did, and proceeded to try sitting himself between Sith and Tea, neither one enjoying the newfound company one bit. If fact, Bakura was sure that if the drunken idiot didn't move, Sith might actually kill him right there.

 

“What the hell!? I told you to stay inside!” came Malik's voice as he and Katt ran over, a towel and a bucket with each of them. Sith raised a questioning brow as Katt stopped, obviously wondering just how they were actually supposed to subdue a spirit. He could probably just vanish if he wanted to.

 

“What happened?” the older woman asked, her voice flat again. Malik sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead with his palm as though he couldn't believe he had to deal with this. Katt patted his back.

 

“Damn idiot got himself completely blasted,” the boy moaned miserable, “Been saying shit that doesn't make sense for nearly ten minutes! DAMN IT, STAY OFF THE DAMN FURNITURE, YOU RETARD!” Sith shook her head as Tea laughed; Ishtar indeed decided to climb onto the table like it was some sort of stage. Likewise, the unstable spirit looked down at Malik. Sith couldn't tell if he was smug, or just so drunk that his face contorted into being smug. He smelled, though, and that was enough for her to give up trying to guess.

 

“Leave meeeesh alone!” Ishtar exclaimed, giggling madly as he threw up a can of beer, its contents spilling everywhere along the table, “Looksh! It'sh raining!” He giggled like a little girl as it spilled all over everyone else, and didn't even notice when Sith twitched. Malik, however, had. He reached to stop her when she finally lost it and began to climb up after Ishtar. And he found that stopped her felt like stopping a tank; she was insanely strong. He was glad she wasn't drunk, either.

 

“Sith, no! I'm sorry! I'll stop him!” he cried, and gulped when she mouthed, `do it or he dies.' He knew she'd act on it. He turned to Ishtar, who was currently trying to open what he thought was another can of beer. It was a jar of mustard. Frustrated, Malik said, “Put that down or I'm snapping the rod in half!” He went to grab it. If ever there was a thing Sith could credit him, it was bravery. And stupidity. One thing she had learned was that you never mess with a drunk, and what happened next proved why. Ishtar whipped his hand away and kicked Malik in the stomach. The poor boy went flying and slammed into the pool, shattering its glassy surface. And he screamed. It was like being hit with a blizzard.

 

“You'sh not my mosher, Malish!” Ishtar declared. Right then, Malik didn't care who he was. He was going to let Sith fully handle this now. She gladly did so. She yanked Ishtar's cape, pulling him right off the table, and slammed him in the face with her sword's hilt. Unfortunately, like Ishtar, Sith's strength worked against her. This time, the spirit went flying across the yard, and slammed right into one of the gigantic speakers that blared out the music. Everything froze at that point, as it wobbled back and forth. Any sudden movement… and someone would die. For someone was standing close to the speakers. And that someone was Ryou. Of course he'd be in the line of fire. Again.

 

“SHIT!” Sith screamed, realizing she was the reason he'd be dead. She leapt off, not noticing a white-haired man suddenly coming up behind her to see what had happened. He took out a pocket watch, everyone near him staring at him as he worked the contraption. Something happened that no one could quite explain; it was like watching Sith through slow-motion. Everything began to slow down, save for the Esper herself. She continued onward, apparently oblivious to the spell the man had cast to help her, and pushed Ryou out of the way as the speaker finally collapsed. Time resumed normally, and it crashed with a very loud boom, sending sprays of dust and sparks of electricity upwards. Rex backed away, and then ran forward when it looked clear.

 

“Winchester!?” he called, “Damn it, are you two okay!?”

 

“We're fine,” Ryou called back, as Sith pushed a piece of the speaker away and dragged Ryou out of the pile, “We're okay.” They stood, Ryou shivering as Sith kicked at the pile to discharge any electrical discharge. That's when she noticed that something had fallen to the ground, something that wasn't part of the speaker. She bent and picked it up; it was a ring. Brow raised, she turned it over to examine it. There was an emerald gem in the center. Her eyes gleamed as she beheld the gem.

 

“What on earth is this?” she asked curiously, showing the ring to Ryou. He blushed, and reached into his pocket. And cursed. That was the engagement ring. It fell out during their fall. The man with the watch ran up quickly, breath ragged, and then stopped when he saw the ring. And glared at Ryou. No one seemed to notice him.

 

“It's nothing,” Ryou lied. The white-haired man coughed loudly, deciding now he should intervene. Sith looked over. And her mouth dropped. Aeon had come back. He was perfectly fine. And he looked pissed as all hell, too.

 

“Aeon!?” she asked, as he slowly stormed forward, “Aeon, what happened?” He ignored her, however, and when he passed her, she went from shocked to grim, “What the hell is wrong?”

 

“Tell her the truth, Ryou Bakura,” Aeon said furiously. It was a subtle fury, and Ryou had a feeling that if he did so, Aeon might actually erase him from time. He went to hide the ring, but Sith stopped him. She looked at him, her expression grave now. Something wasn't right and she knew it. And she knew Aeon wouldn't tell her what it was.

 

“What in hell's going on!?” she demanded, and Ryou noticed she was trembling, “Someone tell me!” She looked frantically at Aeon, but he looked even angrier than before. He merely pointed to Ryou. She looked back at the younger boy, and he held out the ring again.

 

“It's an engagement ring,” Ryou explained quietly, and Sith's mouth dropped, “I… that is, before Amber came… I was going to ask you to marry me.” The thought must've terrified her. She backed away a step, her breathing even worse than Aeon's now.

 

“Ryou… you…” she shivered, looking down at the ring, “You were… going to…”

 

“Sith Winchester, will you marry me?” he asked her. Sith's mind went dead. How on earth could she answer that!? She was over three thousand years old, and he was barely eighteen. In what world would that union be acceptable!? And why did he think it was!? She looked around. Everyone else was silent, too. And they were waiting. Her eyes fell on Katt, who was far in the back, watching her carefully. For once in her life, Sith felt hatred. This wasn't what she wanted, but with Katt watching… she sighed. She promised she'd give Ryou a chance. She turned back to the boy.

 

“Yes…” she said finally, and Ryou smiled. But it was weak. Despite her acceptance, something in her voice didn't feel right. Everyone around them cheered and howled with glee, but Sith looked completely tense, and Aeon turned and vanished from sight. Ryou couldn't have felt worse. But before he could ask what was wrong, Bakura clapped him on the back. He nearly fell over, the thief was that strong.

 

“Finally, something good comes from this!” the thief declared. Ryou laughed, and then went to accept congratulations from Yugi and Malik. But he saw Sith slink away. She didn't even acknowledge Tea when the young girl gave her a high-five. His smile vanished entirely. This wasn't right at all. But what was wrong? He couldn't understand that at all. And right then, he'd have to wait to ask her.

 

The party ended late in the evening, by which everyone at the party had offered their blessings to Ryou; Sith had long since retired by herself to the front lawn. Ryou couldn't help but look over and wonder what had been bothering the woman. Surely, this wasn't how one acted upon an engagement. As soon as he bid Yugi and Malik a farewell, Ryou walked over toward the fence. Sith was speaking with Rex and Kaiba; it looked like they were all agreeing with something. Ryou smiled. Now was the right time to ask her what was going on. He went to unlatch the gate. And saw movement behind him. But everyone else had left the party. Hadn't they?

 

Ryou didn't know what it was, but something made him turn around to see what had come. And it made him ill. The blonde man had come, and this time, his hatred was all but carved into his face. He was shaking, and his gun was loaded and ready. Ryou now understood what was wrong. He proposed to Sith. This man loved Sith. And now this man wanted him to die for proposing to Sith. As though Sith belong to him and him only. His good eye burned in utter fury as he glared at Ryou. Ryou turned to get Sith, but the man snapped his fingers, and Ryou felt his throat lock up. He choked. He couldn't speak, which meant he couldn't alert Sith. The man advanced, and grabbed Ryou's chin, forcing him to look at the man directly. The scar across his face somehow seemed darker than usual. And his eyes looked red, not blue.

 

“I hate you,” the man whispered, “Don't you dare think we won't stop this.” Then, he let Ryou go. Ryou stumbled back, and then turned and threw himself at the gate. But, when he looked back, the blonde man was gone. Ryou frowned. Nothing was there anymore. Which meant there was nothing to do except go home. And right then, Ryou knew he wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed. He shivered just once, and then opened the gate to where Sith stood. She had seen what happened. And as Ryou came running, she took his arm and began to lead him home. For at least a little while, he'd be safe there. But only for a little while. Only until the man came back. If he ever did.

 

-----------------------------(End Story)

 

After destroying Amber and the orbs, Ryou and Sith are thrown into a party celebrating the death of another Mystic. Unfortunately, the cost for Sith was her own magic, and she doesn't feel that's worth the celebration. After Ryou proposes, he gets a terrifying threat from the blonde man. What does that mean? And why is Sith less than ecstatic to be getting married? What does Aeon or the blonde man have to do with it? Find out in the next installment, Ryou Bakura: Game Master, and click that Review button!