Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Game Master! ❯ Villains are heroes, too ( Chapter 8 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he says Yugi hates seafood. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they say that Ultros is morally offended with takoyaki.

 

“I can't believe he made me cook that,” Sith hissed at Ryou, as they watched Yugi eat his food happily, without dying. He was the only one who'd take the risk; neither Ryou nor Sith would even touch it let alone eat it, and Malik was vegetarian. Ryou snorted, looking from her to the fire. The day had begun to darken now; the fire looked especially bright against the deepening blue of the sky.

 

“Just let them eat, Sith,” he said calmly, and smiled, “When we get to Narshe, things will get better.” He heard Sith huff impatiently, and felt her look away grumpily.

 

“So you say, but we're not of the same opinion,” she told him, and her tone grew somber, “Who knows if she'll stop here. Falnika will go after other worlds, Ryou. For whatever reason, though, she chose this one.” Ryou nodded gravely. Somehow, it felt more than coincidence that he decided to play that game on that day, when Falnika took control of that world. He looked down. This time, he hadn't wanted to really get Sith involved. Not when she had no magic.

 

“Do you think Aeon could stall her?” he asked quietly, hesitating to get the name past his lips. Sith let out a short sigh, looking up at the clouds as they drifted past.

 

“He lost some of his power when I lost mine,” she said quite regretfully, “If he can, it won't be for long. Not unless… unless he shows up to help him.” Ryou heard her voice grow quiet, and felt his own anger rise. The blonde man would show up. He knew it. And as much as he hated it, he knew seeing the man might help Sith. Just a little bit.

 

But Ryou didn't dwell on that thought too long. Even though this world was losing more and more of its gaming aspects due to Sith's presence and still-lingering power, there were still battles to be fought. Defeating Ultros hadn't lessened the encounter rate in the least, either. To Riz, stuck in the human world, the television flashed to show that Ryou's team initiated a fight; to Ryou and the others, four pterodactyls simply glided toward them, swooping overhead. Sith drew her sword instantly. And Ryou had a feeling that none of the enemies would live long thereafter.

 

“Sith, be careful,” Ryou warned, as useless as that was. Sith was far beyond his level. She could take care of herself. Except that she was losing health. And as she prepared the only sword technique she could use in her handicap, she began to feel it. When she unleashed her attack, it didn't even kill one of the opposing forces. To say the least, Ryou was stunned. To say the most, so was everyone else.

  

“Why didn't it kill them!?” Malik asked, eyes widening as he saw the monsters scatter for a moment, and then regroup to retaliate. Sith barely dodged two of them; she took two more hits head on. And it was clear she was losing health now. Her skin paled and she fell to her knees, clutching her arm.

 

“Because I'm nearly dead,” she said with strain, “Damn it, someone heal me!” Ryou and Yugi ran to help her as Malik smashed his fist into the jaw of one of the pterodactyls. It fell into the river and didn't fly back up. As Yugi struggled to get the older woman to her feet, he saw she was bleeding from her arm profusely. Ultros had hit her after all. Her constant loss of health was due to the blood loss; but even Ryou's healing abilities did nothing. He was too low a level to heal her much at all.

 

“That's it. Ryou, give me your turn,” Malik said, and when Ryou looked back at him, he continued, “Look, Sith's going to pass out soon. I'm going to Rush all these enemies, but we have to do something before she's actually dead.” Ryou didn't disagree, and passed his turn to Malik again. Malik wasted no time; he unleashed the Bum Rush and subsequently destroyed every monster that was currently attacking them. But they didn't wait to receive their experience. Sith was still in danger.

 

In the end, it took every potion they had, and the raft's lone sail to heal Sith before she finally left the critical condition mark. Ultros had managed to slash her arm badly, though how he did so wasn't known to Ryou. He guessed she either gave herself the injury when she leapt at the squid, or he hit her on her descent. Either way, at least now she wouldn't be dying soon. It reminded Ryou of when she had been shot. Back then, she nearly died as well. It was only because she had a job to do that brought her back. And while she still had a job even now, Ryou sensed she was less than enthusiastic to complete it now. For all she knew, her closest friends could be dead. That thought affected the rest of the group as well. As they drifted down the rapids, two hours passed in silence. Two hours with no encounters, no battle, and no interaction. Two hours to let Sith rest.

 

“How long until we reach Narshe?” Yugi asked, finally breaking that uncomfortable silence. Ryou didn't answer. He wasn't sure he could. It wasn't how long that worried him. It was what they'd face after arriving there. Either they were heading to their graves, or they'd find the Esper Bannon mentioned.

 

“Without Sith, I don't think anyone else knows,” Riz said to him, and Yugi looked up at the screen where her face showed, “Can't be too far, though, can it?” Ryou merely snorted. In a situation like this, even five hundred feet seemed too far a journey. All he could do was keep his eyes on Sith. And hope she woke up soon.

 

---

 

After making sure Hana and Sephira had been escorted home, Yami, Bakura, and Ishtar decided that finding Yaten was the next priority. None of them were sure just how to explain what happened to him, but they figured they'd cross that bridge when they got there. Unfortunately, Domino City was huge; Yaten had left no clues as to where he would be going, other than the fact that he was looking for Rex Raptor. Not that it helped them at all. Rex hadn't been in his office when they called him. Now, they stood on a busy street, trying to plan their next move. They'd already been searching for nearly three hours now. Surely, the man would need to go home at some point.

 

“This is hopeless!” Bakura eventually cried out, throwing his arms up, “We're never going to find that idiot! Does he even help us!? No! He just gets in our damned way!”

 

“Well, we'd better keep looking or Sith might kill us,” Ishtar pointed out seriously, crossing his arms, “The man's a walking safety hazard. If he's not stopped, who knows what he'll do.” Ishtar let the thought hang. He himself couldn't say for sure, but he understood what was going through the man's head. Ryou was missing, and there was no trace to where he went, either. To a father, that was a nightmare. Luckily, a chuckle alerted the three spirits to the fact that they weren't alone. Sith wasn't with them, but they found the next best thing: Her sister, Katt.

 

“I'll tell you what he'd do,” Katt said in amusement, holding up a bag, “He'll go on a rampage and justify it with some amount of stupidity straight from the voids of hell, like always.”

 

“Katt! Thank the gods!” Bakura exclaimed, running over to her, “Maybe you can help us! Have you seen him?” Unfortunately, Katt hadn't. She shook her head, stepping back a bit.

 

“I've been doing some shopping all day,” she told him, and frowned, “Why? What happened?” Bakura's lips thinned, but he didn't respond. What was he actually supposed to say, anyway? That they left her sister to save Ryou from what might be another Mystic attack? That wouldn't make much sense to Katt. Ishtar shrugged.

 

“Does it matter? We need to find him,” the young spirit said restlessly. But Katt wasn't convinced. His impatient words told her something was really wrong. She shook her head and put her bag down, tapping her foot as she surveyed the three. Yami looked relatively tense; Bakura and Ishtar were simply trying to get back to their current problem. All three looked like they were finding something. She grinned.

 

“I'm not that different from Sith. I know when something's wrong,” she told them suspiciously, and laughed, “Come on. I can handle it.” Bakura and Ishtar exchanged worried glances. They couldn't be sure of that one. But they humored her.

 

“Fine. Some bitch of a Mystic named Falnika trapped Ryou, Yugi, and Malik into an alternate world where she's going to kill them, and she did it to piss Sith off. So now Sith has to guide Ryou to the end of the game, and if he dies in the game, that's it,” Bakura summarized, which was more or less the truth. As he predicted, Katt didn't take it well. Her mouth dropped, and she stared at him in complete and utter disbelief. Then, slowly, she spoke. Her voice seemed shaken.

 

“Falnika…? Sith is… fighting her!?” Katt asked quietly, and Bakura nodded, “My… no… NO!” Katt turned and began to run, but Bakura stopped her. He turned her to face them, but distant rumbling distracted him, and Katt slipped away again. But Bakura paid no attention. His eyes bugged at what caused such a disturbance: a battle tank rumbling down the road. And seated in it was none other than Yaten Bakura himself. The man was focused entirely on driving. Despite that, he was still managing to run over every car in front of him.

 

“What in fucking hell!?” Bakura yelled, brows creased as he cupped his hands to his mouth, “MR. BAKURA, THIS IS ILLEGAL, YOU IDIOT!” As if that would've stopped Yaten in any way. The man snorted, shaking his head.

 

“If that damn detective won't find my son, then I'm taking matters into my own hands!” he yelled, parking the tank and jumping out, “You wouldn't believe how long it took to get this, either. I had to sign up for IRPO, and special leases from the SPK, Shinra, and all over.” Bakura wasn't paying attention. His mind was on the tank. It was huge, and made of copper. But what caught his attention most was the turret on the back. It was large, with at least ten thousand clips in a charge. That, he knew, was far more destructive than any Mystic Sith would be fighting. At least in the short term. He grinned psychotically as he beheld the beautiful weapon of destruction.

 

“Oh Ra, this is just what I needed!” Bakura whispered, and laughed hysterically, “Screw finding Ryou! This'll blast those damn mockers right out of the sky! TAKE THAT FOR CRAPPING ON OUR CAR, CHARLATANS!” His yells were so loud, so shrill, so earsplitting, that every bird nearby flew as far away as they could from the deranged thief. Yami growled angrily, and taking Katt's bag, slammed it over Bakura's head. They didn't have time for his wild shenanigans.

 

“Would you stop that!?” Yami snapped angrily, “We have to bring him back with us!” Bakura raised an amused brow and nodded with complete understanding. Then he bent down and picked up a large stick, showing it to Yami and pointing to Yaten. Yami blinked for a long moment. What was Bakura getting to?

 

“Watch,” Bakura said, and then proceeded to throw the stick. It hit Yaten square in the head, and the man fell over with an earsplitting crack. Yami winced; there was a good chance the poor guy just broke a bone. Which meant there was a chance Sith would lose it when they got back. He grabbed Bakura by the collar.

 

“That's NOT WHAT I MEANT!” he screamed, shaking Bakura. But the thief ripped his arms off his neck, turned, and stormed off. Yami watched him go, realizing that, while Bakura hurt the man, he did make it easier to transport him. Surely, Sith wouldn't completely lose it for that. Then again, this was Sith Winchester they were trying to help. The woman was crazy enough to try and kill them. And she would have succeeded, too. Yami just hung his head. Sometimes, being her friend sucked.

 

---

 

The hours passed lazily by for Ryou and his team as they weaved down the rapids, which eventually opened up for a short while onto a trench that Sith explained was the `Serpent of the World.' It had been some time since she'd woken up, and Ryou saw that rest appeared to be what she needed. She seemed calm again. They remained on the trench in silence, and eventually, Sith looked over the side of the raft. The water was growing shallow; she could see rocks on the bottom of the glassy water. Smiling weakly, she turned to Ryou. Yugi and Malik were already asleep.

 

“Narshe isn't far now,” she told him quietly. He nodded, and walked over to join her. The water looked fresh. It was hard to believe even then, that monsters inhabited it.

 

“What do we do after finding the Esper?” he asked her again. Sith looked down. She didn't have an answer. She had to find out where to go to find Aeon before just trudging in blindly. Ryou knew this. And they both knew that wherever the time keeper was, Falnika was there, too.

 

But they had no time to discuss the matter. The water had grown too shallow. The raft bumped up against the bottom of the trench, jarring their movements and bouncing everyone around. Finally, the raft stopped. It stopped with such a force that Malik was promptly thrown off; everyone else had shifted their weight on time. The poor boy flew right through the air, slamming into the shoreline not fifteen feet away. And he certainly didn't appreciate the harsh wake up call. He coughed and sputtered, lifting his nearly-half-buried head.

 

“FUCK!” he screamed angrily, and turned to see his friends disembarking from the rubble that used to be their transportation, “Thbbbt! This sand? Just as fucking disgusting as the sand in Egypt!” Ryou and Yugi exchanged sympathetic glances, but Sith wasn't as compassionate. She snorted in mock amusement as she passed Malik, wiping her forehead on her glove. Then she looked up. Mountains surrounded them to the north, south, and northwest. Only a small path was open, and it led directly to Narshe proper. She didn't like that. It'd take them right into the pit of danger.

 

“Is she here, Sith?” Yugi asked, running behind her before she went too far. Sith didn't look at him, but she shook her head. Her eyes never left the northern range.

 

“No. But we've landed east of the proper. If we go in, we're going to be arrested,” she told him grimly, and crossed her arms, “We must've drifted off too far north on the rapids. The trench ends in a lake southwest of here, or at least it was supposed to.”

 

“Does she seriously have guards posted there?” Malik asked with worry, as Ryou helped him walk toward the two. Sith finally glanced back. Her expression told Malik he had hit the nail on the head.

 

“If not her, then someone in Narshe doesn't want us there,” she replied calmly, and looked at the path again, “We may have to battle our way through to get to the mines. Hopefully, if they're smart, they'll know who I am and will run far and fast.” She didn't say that it felt like everyone knew who she was, but Ryou understood the point. From this distance, Narshe looked relatively empty. But if Sith smelled guards, then there had to be guards. She had, over the past few years, developed a good sense of where danger lay, and more importantly, how to avoid it.

 

“Isn't there a way to sneak past?” Riz asked her. Sith hesitated.

 

“Who is to say she hasn't blocked it off?” came the quiet reply, and Sith continued, “There is, but it's the long way through the mines.” That, Ryou knew, had to be safer than battling fifty men at once, so he told her to show them anyway. Sith sighed; she didn't want to do it this way, but she relented and beckoned them to follow her. The path was short, and luckily it seemed to wind behind the manors of the older neighborhood. She used that to her advantage, and saw that indeed, if she engaged a fight head-on, she might have lost. Guards were heavily interspersed in the proper, most particularly in the center of the town's square.

 

Keeping to the shadows, however, was relatively simple, and they evaded the eyes of the guards. They crept toward the front, and in a few moments, Sith had gotten them to the mouth of the cave. It was concealed with strong magic, but Sith was far stronger. One swipe of Zealacht ripped the barrier apart.

 

“Think it's safe?” Ryou asked her, and Sith nodded. It didn't matter if it was or not. This was their path now, and she took the first steps, quickly vanishing in the darkness. Yugi lit a fire spell and ran after her; Ryou and Malik took the rear. With a small ability to see, they found the cave had been abandoned for some time now. There were tools and crates, but rust and rot claimed them currently, and the tracks from long before all but seemed to vanish under the dirty path. Malik shivered. This had to be a secret passage; it was clear no one else used it for some time now.

 

“If this is a bandit's cave, I'm leaving,” he grumbled, as they tramped down an incline toward a damp tunnel. Sith sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted was a complainer.

 

“Think of it this way, asshole. If it is, there's treasure here, too,” she reminded him pointedly, but that only served to get him motivated. He nodded. Their last treasure chest had been useless, but this might be promising. He aimed to keep going, for the sake of finding a decent reward.

 

“I don't think I'd want to steal from a thief…” Yugi whispered nervously, and Ryou chuckled. The only example they had was Bakura, and they stole from him on a pretty regular basis. He patted Yugi's back. There wasn't much reason to be afraid… except that thirty feet in, they found a treasure chest. Yugi groaned. That was just bad timing.

 

“Sweet!” Malik exclaimed, and grinned, “Please be something Sith can't use!” He laughed at the glare he received, but ignored Sith as he kicked open the chest. A brass knuckle greeted him. And as he wished, he could use it. He strapped it on. And that was when Sith shot her retort.

 

“Maybe now you won't be so goddamn useless,” she said, and Malik's mouth dropped. Useless!? He wanted to shout that it wasn't their fault she was the Uber-Death, but when he grabbed her arm, she stopped him immediately. She heard grumbling in the next room, and now Malik heard it as well. They looked beyond in the darkness; no discernable shape could be seen, but the grumbling grew louder. Malik glanced at Sith.

 

“Who the hell would be down here?” he whispered.

 

“Not sure, but let's run,” Ryou suggested. Sith followed it, except that she ran toward the noise, not away from it. Ryou groaned and yelled, “Sith, stop!” But she ignored him. She knew the voice. She recognized the tone. And now she'd kill the man in the next room, because he was what should've been the villain in that world.

 

“Kefka!” Sith screamed, and Ryou heard the clang of a sword. He knew she drew Zealacht, and quickly, he ran to stop her. With how screwed up everything had been, she might just kill an innocent man. But when he entered the next chamber, Sith hadn't yet attacked. The man she went after, dressed as he was like a scary-looking lord of aristocracy, was cowering from her. But when he saw Ryou, he gained some level of confidence. Perhaps he'd live, after all.

 

“Call off your Esper and we'll talk,” Kefka said to Ryou, and grinned, “I am Kefka, the master of what used to be the Imperial Empire of Vector. I'm quite sure you'd like information as to…”

 

“YOU are Kefka!?” Malik exclaimed, and laughed, “You look like a reject from the circus.”

 

“Excuse me!? Do you have any idea who I am!?” Kefka demanded hotly, and scoffed, “Well, then, I suppose you don't want my help! Fine! I'll just go slaughter everyone in Narshe! What should you care!?” He turned to storm out, and Sith proceeded to slam Malik on the head for his big mouth. They wasn't what she intended, but neither was going back to a sea of blood in the city. Malik wasn't making it better with his wiseass remarks.

 

“Do it and you will die,” Sith said firmly, and aimed her sword. Kefka stopped abruptly, and looked back as she said, “I am Sith Winchester of the world of Nesce, capital of the Espers. I demand to know what's happened here.” Kefka's momentary confidence was deflated. This woman was an Esper, after all. No wonder she tried to kill him. He sighed. Seemed like everyone just wanted him dead at that point.

 

“Then your guess is about as good as mine. I returned to Vector and found it deserted,” Kefka told her sharply, crossing his arms, “I have no idea what's going on, but I do know someone's taken my throne. Vector is all but burned to cinders now.”

 

“What!?” Sith's eyes widened in terror, and she turned to Ryou, “Vector is well-known. Their empire manufactures war machines and many types of magical weapons. If Falnika's destroyed it…” Ryou nodded. If it was destroyed, then she had access to every weapon Kefka previously owned. No wonder she didn't consider Sith a threat in the least. Kefka's frown worsened.

 

“That's why I ran here,” he told her, “Whoever took my capital is insane. She's already firing most of the heavy lasers. I figured if I woke the Esper here, I could stop her. But the damn thing's gone. It's not at the summit anymore.” Sith's eyes hardened. Bannon never mentioned that the Esper had been destroyed. She and Ryou exchanged worried glances. Without the Esper, there was no point in being here.

 

“What can we do?” Ryou asked her, but she shrugged.

 

“Head to Vector, it looks like,” she said simply, “There's a chance Falnika's still there. We might be able to catch her.” But even Sith wasn't strong enough to oppose the Mystic for long. Ryou knew her plan wouldn't hold up. Yugi blinked as Sith and Ryou exchanged a brief word or two, and then looked at Kefka.

 

“So it's really gone?” he asked. Malik growled, and shook his head. It couldn't be! They had come so far for it to just vanish!

 

“Don't say that!” he exclaimed furiously, “It's here!”

 

“It's gone,” Kefka told them quietly. Malik couldn't take it. He pushed past Kefka and ran down the passage, climbing the makeshift ladders upward until he managed to break out of the mines and into a field of snow. Sith came shortly after, but he didn't stop even at her approach. If anything, he ran faster. Sith just grumbled, shaking her head. Why couldn't he wait for her?

 

By the time they had reached the summit, the snow had subsided and the wind died down enough to not cut through them. But when Sith finally caught up, she found Malik simply staring down the edge of the range. She joined him; it was probably best for her to be there in case he managed to fall off. He glanced at her sideways.

 

“I'm going to climb down and get it,” he said to her, “Think it fell off?” She snorted, crossing her arms.

 

“Be careful,” she told him grimly, frowning, “This place is unstable. Don't go getting yourself killed.” Malik nodded, and then carefully picked his way among the scattered patches of ice and dirt. It was tough; there was no traction anymore, and his boots weren't made for extreme hiking. But Sith was there, and he was confident she'd help him. Except that he felt something push him over the edge, and he found himself screaming just a second later. He grabbed onto a branch just a few feet off the ledge, and looked up, shivering. Why… why did Sith do that!?

 

“SITH!” Malik screamed, brows creasing, “WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU…” He didn't finish when he saw Yugi fall over the edge, too. But the poor boy was unconscious; something had struck him on the head. And he saw that Sith had been struck as well. The woman was in a heap on the ground. Only Ryou was left standing. And he was being backed onto the edge of the cliff as well. Malik yelled, “What the hell!?” And he promptly heard an insane fit of laughter with the click of a gun.

 

“Hello, Ryou Bakura,” the voice spat, and Malik saw that it was the blonde man he had seen just barely at Kaiba's party, months ago, “Remember me?” Malik shivered. The man sounded insane, and now he wasn't so sure that jumping off the cliff was the best course of action. Mainly because it left him hanging uselessly over a cliff, and Ryou nearly defenseless. But the blonde man looked down at the cliff and said, “You're still alive?” He snorted, and shot the branch until it cracked. Malik screamed again, and then he plummeted down to the depths of the caverns below. Ryou's eyes widened as he rushed to the cliff.

 

“MALIK!” he screamed, and was about to jump when the blonde man stopped him, “Damn it, let go! They're hurt! You might've killed them!”

 

“Pity, because you're the only one I want dead right now,” the blonde man replied darkly, his good eye glowing with anger, “Didn't think you'd see me again, eh? I haven't forgotten what you did.” He aimed his gun and continued, “Trust me, it broke my heart to hear Sith actually say yes. Now I'm going to break your spine.”

 

“W-why!?” Ryou demanded, terror flooding his better judgment, “Why now!? Why here!?” He glanced at Sith again. The blonde man had knocked her out… but hadn't thrown her off the cliff. Ryou had to buy her time to get up. But the blonde man caught his glance and grinned. He looked… feral.

 

“Why not here?” he asked slowly, and then looked down at his gun, patting it lovingly, “It's the perfect time. Don't tell me it isn't. We both know Sith doesn't want to marry you.” Ryou froze. He had always suspected that, just a bit, but to hear it so plainly, stated so bluntly… it was like being slapped in the face. And the man knew he hit him, too. He clicked the gun and said, “We'll decide here and now who takes Sith.”

 

“You're crazy!” Ryou cried, backing away, “You can't! You can't force Sith to choose! You…”

 

“Force? Force Sith!?” the blonde man shrieked with laughter now, and shook his head violently, “You don't know anything! Sith already chose, you idiot! The only reason she chose you was…” Ryou heard enough. He clenched his fists and went after the blonde man, both of them tumbling off the cliff. Ryou screamed, but he also clawed and scratched at anything he could get to. Anything that might've been the blonde man, he was determined to tear up. He felt leather ripping underneath his nails, and heard cursing and hissing as well. But in the end, he felt a blow to the head that sent him whirling…

 

And when he awoke, the man was gone. But Yugi and Malik were there, and they were just barely alive. But… but Sith wasn't. Ryou looked around slowly, groggily. Sith hadn't fallen, but she had been unconscious when he left her. And now he growled. If the man survived, then there was a good chance he had gone back up and taken Sith. But Ryou had no time to think about that. He heard a voice calling to him, and looked up. It was Kefka. Did that mean he had helped Sith?

 

“Are you all right?” Kefka called, “That was a nasty fall!” Ryou blinked slowly, his mind processing what was just asked. Then, he realized he felt a little sore. That fall did a number on him. He slowly stood, and took a step. He felt stiff, but he was fine. Nothing was broken. He nodded.

 

“I'm all right, but my friends are unconscious,” Ryou called up, and added, “By the way, is Sith up there?” Kefka took a long time to respond. Ryou had a feeling he knew why. And when the man did finally speak, he confirmed Ryou's suspicion.

 

“No. Some crazy, blonde man climbed up and took her,” Kefka told him slowly, “Said something about taking her to Figaro… but I don't know if he's heading there.” Ryou growled, shaking his head. Sith was gone. He narrowed his eyes, wondering just what they were supposed to do now. Sith was the only one who had any knowledge about that world. And she was on level fifty. She was their primary attack force. They had to find her. He looked up at Kefka.

 

“Go and get help. I'm going to see if I can get out from here,” Ryou told him. Kefka nodded, and left to get help… or so, Ryou could only hope. That left Ryou alone, with two unconscious friends and a cavern full of monsters to contend with. He turned, looking down the only road he could go. And he sighed. If it got him closer to Sith, he might as well take it. He just had to wait for his friends to wake up.

 

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

 

Just when they reach Narshe, Ryou finds that the Esper is not only gone, but that the blonde man was waiting for him as well. And now, he doesn't even have Sith to help him anymore. With the Vector Empire under Falnika's control, it's now up to Ryou to find a way to get there, with or without his most trusted ally. But, can Kefka be relied upon? Can Yugi and Malik wake up? And, where was Sith taken to? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!