Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Game Master! ❯ Ryou is a Dumbass ( Chapter 10 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou working for the dark side. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care as long as Kefka lives.

 

The traveling through the fields seemed too easy as they left Narshe's gates, into the wilderness beyond. None had been there to oppose them, and though Yugi didn't seem bothered by that, the further they went from Narshe, the more it grated on Malik's nerves. Where had all the guards gone? He highly doubted Kefka had done anything; the man seemed as nervous as they had been. But something had happened. The city had been under Imperial control beforehand. Now, it was as if no one existed, as if they all hid in their homes. What had scared them so? Was it the Esper, or was it the blonde man? Both seemed equally as right in Malik's mind.

 

Just as he thought this, another worry came to him. How did Kefka see what happened to Sith at all? How did he even know her? Only Mystics seemed to know who she was. Malik halted, and narrowed his eyes. Something didn't fit.

 

“How did you know Sith?” he asked suspiciously, and everyone stopped this time, turning to him, “She's never been in this world. How did you know who she was?” Kefka blinked for a slow moment, and then he frowned as if that were common knowledge. To the entirety of Oblivion, it sort of was.

 

“Everyone in Oblivion knows her, boy,” the older man replied seriously, “She's known as the one who did it, who seared the Esper race in two.” He noticed that the others seemed particularly concerned now, and asked, “You don't know who she is!?”

 

“She doesn't remember!” Ryou cried, eyes widened, “Are you saying everyone knows her!?” Kefka nodded, and looked down.

 

“Anyone who knows Oblivion knows who she is,” he replied grimly, and let out a sigh, “Well, apparently not everyone, but she does have a legend, that friend of yours. I'm surprised she travels with humans, though. From my understanding, Espers don't like humans much at all.” Ryou snorted. That had been clear when he was in Oblivion's void. But… Sith was that well known? How could she not know why? Why hadn't she questioned it? That worried Ryou. She was more inquisitive than that.

 

“What do you know about her?” he asked suddenly, and Kefka looked squarely at him, “If everyone knows who she is, someone somewhere must know what she was like. Tell us.” Kefka bit his lip. He never said he knew Sith, he just knew of her. There was a difference. But he shrugged. He had some level of knowledge, simply because she was an Esper herself.

 

“All I know was that she was involved in a war that threatened multiple parts of Oblivion at once, and nearly caused the balance between magic and mundane to capsize, which would've ripped apart the fabrics of space and time,” Kefka explained casually, “She did come here once, about twenty two years ago. She was with two people.” Ryou and Malik exchanged looks. By their world's time, that should've made her one or two years old when she came here. It must've been just before she came to their world.

 

“Who was she with?” Ryou asked, and Malik said, “Why the hell would she come here?” Kefka laughed hysterically, and shrugged as if he had no idea. Which he probably didn't.

 

“Perhaps she wanted to purchase some weapons? How should I know?” Kefka laughed, shaking his head. Then he sobered up and said, “As to her companions, one was a time keeper; a young brat of around twenty-four who obsessed over clocks and gears. The other was a normal human.” Ryou's eyes narrowed. A normal human…

 

“Was he blonde? With a scar on the left side of his face and one good eye?” Ryou asked. But surprisingly, Kefka shook his head.

 

“No. His face was unmarked, and undoubtedly handsome. But he was blonde,” Kefka replied, raising a brow, “Wore a lot of leather, though, and insisted on whipping out a gun at the slightest provocation. Didn't seem entirely sane to me.” That confirmed Ryou's suspicions. She had traveled with the blonde man before; he guessed the other man had been Aeon. But then… the blonde man should've been in his forties! He looked no older than Sith did. He couldn't have been human… could he?

 

“What were their names?” Ryou asked, and Malik gave him a warning glare. That was something that only Sith should've known, and if she knew Ryou found out, Malik didn't even want to think what she'd do. At the very least, she'd probably hit him. But Ryou felt no danger, didn't even consider Sith a threat. He was an idiot sometimes. And Kefka was even worse for answering him.

 

“I do remember that part,” he said, “The time keeper was named Aeon. And the young man was named Mello, I think.” Ryou blinked profusely now. Mello? That was an actual name? It sounded very, very ridiculous to him, but then again, Sith and Aeon weren't common names, either. But he'd remember that name. Mello…

 

“Mello's got to be the one who kidnapped Sith,” Ryou concluded, looking at Malik, “If he's been her companion before…”

 

“Ryou, don't jump to conclusions,” Malik warned again, frowning with disapproval, “Are you absolutely sure he's the one? What if Sith wasn't kidnapped?”

 

“Are you telling me she willingly left us here!?” Ryou demanded, and for once his anger boiled over, “That's ridiculous, Malik! She's never do it! I know it's him! He's obsessed with her!” Malik backed away, and his brows creased with frustration. He didn't know the whole story; he didn't want to just hate Mello or disapprove of Sith's actions because of what Ryou said. There were two parts to this story, and he wanted to hear both. He shook his head.

 

“I find it hard to believe only he is obsessed,” Malik said pointedly, as a door in their world opened behind the view of the screen. He saw that the three spirits were walking inside, one carrying Yaten. Noting that, he continued on with, “Whatever the hell you have with this guy, let it go before it gets all of us killed, okay?” Ryou's fury went skyrocketing with that. Let it go!? Malik was basically telling him to give Sith up to a madman! He couldn't do it! He just couldn't!

 

“We miss anything?” Ishtar asked, hearing the harshness in Malik's words. Ryou didn't appear to notice they had walked into his house.

 

“I will not let this go!” Ryou exclaimed furiously, fists clenched and shoulders tensed up. Bakura and Yami exchanged confused looks, even as Ishtar asked what happened again. But he was ignored; even Malik seemed too into the conversation to pay him heed.

 

“Then Sith might just hate you,” Malik growled angrily, eyes narrowing, “Ryou, you have no idea what it's like to lose your memories. If Sith gains them, she won't choose you, and you know it.” Ryou finally lost it. He lunged, knocking Malik to the ground and slashing him across the face. But Malik was far stronger. He kicked Ryou off, and the younger man went flying, slamming into the dirt ten feet away. Malik stood, dusted himself, and said, “Don't make me an enemy, Ryou.”

 

“What the goddamn hell is going on!?” Ishtar finally yelled, and this time he wasn't ignored. Yugi turned up toward the screen, frowning slightly as he saw just how baffled all three spirits and Riz had become. He himself was still confused over it all. Just what was Malik saying?

 

“Well… first off, we went through the Lete River and fought a giant squid,” Yugi began nervously, “And then we ended up in Narshe, and we were separated from Sith… but now… Malik and Ryou keep arguing over something about her, and it's going way out of proportion. I think whoever took Sith knew her way back when, before she ever came here. But the problem is, she doesn't remember him at all.” Again, the three spirits exchanged confused glances. Then, slowly, Bakura nodded. He turned to Yami.

 

“I knew this would happen,” he said sternly, “Whatever happened to Sith during the 3,000 years since the war of the Espers, it's coming back and it's taking her with it.” He turned to Yugi and asked, “Where is she now?”

 

“We don't know. Kefka said that he saw them head to Figaro,” the young boy replied, “We're heading there, and once we get her, we're going to Vector. If Falnika's still here, she'd be there, and we're going to kill her as soon as possible and get out before we get killed.” Bakura nodded, but that wasn't enough to relieve his worry. The simple fact that Sith even left them told him something wasn't quite right. He turned back to Yami and Ishtar, and whispered so only the other two spirits could hear him. Whatever was wrong, he sounded grave indeed.

 

“Hopefully, something will come of this, but now I'm worried,” he whispered, and Yami agreed, “If Sith knows who she's with, then there's no doubt he may tell her more of what she's forgotten. If Ryou stops that, she might be what kills him.”

 

“Would she really?” Ishtar asked, glancing at the screen, and at Ryou's sprite. Bakura shrugged; he couldn't be too sure. But Sith did have a temper, and if she dared to drink at all, Ryou would definitely die soon.

 

“Best we can do is sit back and watch what happens,” the old thief replied grimly, crossing his arms, “We still have Kefka to contend with.” That part, he said loudly enough for everyone else to hear. Riz just snorted, and Malik shook his head. Technically, it was his decision to trust Kefka. If they were double-crossed, it'd be on his shoulders. Kefka, ultimately, took offense at Bakura's accusation, and his brows creased in insult.

 

“You act like I'm some mass murdering freak!” he exclaimed, throwing up his arms. And when Bakura rose a brow, he sighed and said, “Okay, I am, but I'm not an idiot! I won't kill these guys! At least, not until this damned desert does, so let's just move!” He started off before he even finished, and Malik couldn't help but snort and shake his head. If that was their worst opponent, it wasn't much wonder Sith hadn't been too scared of him. He seemed more prone to being an ass than he was of actually harming them. Then again, they hadn't seen him in battle yet. For all they knew, he was the uber-mage squared.

 

“You don't think he'd actually kill us… do you?” Yugi whispered nervously as they followed the angry lord across the sandy desert. Luckily, sandstorm season wasn't up, so all that really got in their way was a giant dune or two. Malik laughed. As Kefka said, the desert probably had a better chance of killing them than he did; the sun was way too warm.

 

“If he tries anything, I'll Bum Rush his head into the sand,” Malik promised, grinning, “Then I'll leave a note to Sith: Feel Free to Stab. Just to make sure he stays dead.” Ryou laughed as well. That was a note Sith would like, especially if Zealacht was in her hands.

 

The desert seemed shorter than it had been when they first entered, before gaining Sith in their team. Ryou chalked that up to Falnika's influence again, but didn't bring it up unless Malik actually noticed. The less they spoke of Falnika, the calmer Ryou felt himself become. But when they came upon Figaro Castle, the remembrance came stronger than ever. The castle didn't look too good from when they had left. For one thing, there were scant few guards in the place at all. Only one was standing at the gates, watching for trouble. And with a kingdom as grand as Figaro, that was poor security. He watched Ryou approach nervously, and after looking the entire group over, he nodded to Kefka.

 

“Take them in,” he said, and Kefka grinned, leading the way through the entrance hall. Ryou looked around, and saw that indeed, there was no security inside, either. But something else bothered him now. Why was that? Kefka had spoken of an army. He bit his lip. This sounded like trouble.

 

“Where is Sith?” he demanded at once, and everyone stopped. Kefka just smiled a little more and opened the door into the throne room. But Ryou shook his head. This felt wrong. “Where is Sith!?”

 

“She's perfectly fine,” Kefka said gently, “Now come on.” But Ryou wasn't convinced, and neither was Malik. He saw the flicker of a gun in the next room, and when Yugi moved, the gun went off. Yugi ducked; the bullet missed and slammed into the wall behind him. But that was enough. Malik moved in, took the gun, and smashed it before the guard could reload. Then, he slammed the first piece into the guard's head, taking the next one out with a rebounding blow.

 

“We've been tricked!” he yelled to Ryou, “Get out and find Sith!”

 

“You lied to us!” Ryou said in disbelief, and Kefka laughed. Yugi finally drew his sword, aiming it at Kefka's stomach.

 

“You told us you'd help us! Why!?” Yugi demanded, but Kefka's laugh worsened. To him, that was a stupid question to ask. It almost didn't even deserve an answer. But since they were about to die anyway, he'd humor them.

 

“Because you're stupid enough to actually trust an evil lord like me,” he mocked, and laughed again, “That was by far the easiest ambush I've ever executed! It was nearly flawless!” But when his head was suddenly slammed into the wall, sending him to seeing stars, he realized his plan was going to fall apart. And the next few words proved it.

 

“And here's flaw number one: I'm right here,” Sith growled, slamming Kefka's head into the wall again, “Here's number two: you've pissed me off.” Again, another slam. Ryou winced. A normal human skull should've cracked open by now, his brain smearing across the wall. But Kefka might not have been human; Sith certainly wasn't. She snarled and said, “Now let them go.”

 

“And what… if I refuse!?” he coughed, his head spinning and ringing from the blows he just received. Sith grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. Her eyes were blazing with fury. Ryou didn't need her to remove her glasses to know they were red.

 

“Wrong answer, jackass,” she spat, and threw him into the wall this time. Kefka screamed, blowing through it and landing in the next room, spraying stone and dust in his wake. Malik could barely believe it. Such a display of strength! Just how long was Sith there?!

 

“Sith!” Yugi exclaimed, and ran over to her, “Sith, we've been worried sick! Are you all right!? Were you hurt!? Where is he!?” Sith chuckled, and gave Yugi a firm pat on the back.

 

“I'm fine. As you can see, I was waiting for him to bring you here,” she replied calmly, frowning when Ryou walked over, “I knew as soon as he approached us that he'd double-cross you. I'm just glad I was here.”

 

“About that…” Ryou began slowly, and shifted his feet a bit as he looked down, “How did you get here?” Sith tilted her head, wondering why Ryou seemed so hesitant to know. Rightfully, he should've been glad to know she was even alive. She knew she was glad he was okay. What was wrong?

 

“The blonde man took me here,” she explained with a raised brow, “When I woke up, I was in the infirmary in the east wing. He told me that I'd be safe if I stayed here, and then he said Kefka was going to bring you all here. I decided to stay and wait until he came; as you can see, I made the right choice.” Malik laughed. That was an understatement. Sith very well may have just saved their asses. But Ryou didn't look too pleased. He glanced around the room. No one else was there anymore. The guards fled long before Sith's disposal of their master.

 

“So where's Mello now!?” he demanded, and this time Sith's eyes widened.

 

“W-what!?” she asked, as Bakura screamed, “Ryou!!” But Ryou didn't listen to Bakura. His eyes narrowed as he studied Sith. Now she looked scared.

 

“You know. The blonde man? The man who kidnapped you? The man you won't let die!?” Ryou asked, and advanced, “Your past LOVER!?” Sith backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. Her eyes watered; she didn't know whether it was in terror or sorrow. And she didn't care. Ryou was beyond furious with her, and for once, she had a feeling she might not calm him down.

 

“Ryou, what are you talking about!?” she asked him, and it was clear she had no idea what he was saying. But Ryou didn't listen to that. At this point, knowing that Mello had told her what would happen was enough for her to know all about him, in Ryou's mind.

 

“Don't act as though you have no idea!” Ryou yelled, “He's always around, Sith! He knows your know, he knows where we live, and he knows you! That's why you're so unhappy! You don't care about me or our wedding! You're in love with him!” Malik saw that Sith was on the verge of a terror attack. Ryou was actually frightening her. She shook her head violently.

  

“Ryou, I…”

 

“YOU LOVE HIM AND YOU'RE USING ME TO HIDE IT!” Ryou finally screamed, “THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO DAMNED UNHAPPY OVER THE WEDDING! BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT MARRYING HIM!” He took several deep breaths now, his voice growing raw from yelling so viciously. But he glared at Sith. And he said, “Why don't you just admit it and destroy us already!?”

 

“Ryou, that's enough!” Malik snapped, and stepped between him and Sith, “Back off now.”

 

“But…” Ryou looked from Malik to Sith. And he realized now that he had gone way too far. Sith had turned white, and she was shaking mercilessly. For once, she looked thin and frail, as though her age finally caught up to her. She slumped to the floor; but when Ryou tried to help her, she pushed him away. And when she finally looked up at him, her glasses fell off and her eyes were red, wide, and eerily empty. He staggered back. He had never seen this expression before.

 

“Sith, I… I'm sorry…”

 

“I will not be joining you,” she said, first to Ryou, and then to all of them, “Get out. Now.”

 

“S-Sith!?” Yugi cried, as Malik said, “Sith… please…”

 

“Vector is across the ocean from here,” she told them all, getting up and starting toward the door, “There is a man in the basement who can get the mechanism for this castle running. Talk to him, and get this castle across the ocean to Kohligen. Then, get out of this castle and never come back.” She threw open the double doors leading back into the entrance hall, and gestured for them to leave. There was nothing dramatic or extravagant to her motion; she pointed toward the stairs leading into the basement, and her mouth hardened into a grimace. Malik nodded, and walked through. Before passing her, he looked at her once more.

 

“Sith… I'm so sorry this happened. I had no idea… he'd do this,” Malik said sincerely. Sith shook again. She wanted to believe Malik. Hell, she did believe him. But she shook her head. She didn't deserve what just happened.

 

“Falnika knows nothing of this device. You'll be relatively safe from harm,” she told him as if he hadn't spoken at all, “Get to Vector. I'll bring the blo… I'll bring Mello with me, and we'll kill her there.” Malik couldn't nod or even look at her. For once, he was fully on her side now. Yugi walked by and looked up at her as well. She did not look like the hearty, wiseass woman he had known. She looked hardened, haggard.

 

“We'll never see you again, will we?” he asked her. Her body stiffened. And she glared pointedly at Ryou.

 

“It would depend on if I still wish to marry him,” Sith told Yugi bluntly, “Right now, I do not.” Yugi sighed. She wasn't likely to change her mind, and he couldn't really blame her. Ryou flew off the handle, and she took all of it. And she didn't fight back. A normal person would've hit Ryou, might've even broken his nose. He was lucky Sith wasn't entirely normal. Yugi walked away.

 

“Sith…” Malik began, but knew that there was no point in trying to convince her to stay. Ryou had said way too much that hurt her as it was. He took a deep breath and said, “Come on, Ryou. Let's go.” Ryou nodded, and risked a glance at Sith as he passed. She didn't even appear to see him right then. He walked away, knowing he had made a very serious mistake. When he had passed the doorway, he heard it slam behind him, and knew Sith had locked them all out; there was no heading back to reason with her. And as soon as Malik heard, he spun and faced Ryou directly as Yugi went down the staircase.

 

“What the hell were you thinking back there, Ryou!?” Malik demanded at once, not even bothering to be gentle, “Her past lover. Did you have to bring that up? Did you even think? …no, of course you didn't. Don't even bother trying to answer that one. I hope to hell you understood what you just did. Without Sith, we're as good as dead.” Ryou grumbled as he stared at Malik. He didn't particularly want to deal with that, but when he said that, Malik snorted and said, “I didn't want to deal with Sith leaving us and you forced us there anyway.”

 

“What did you want me to do!?” Ryou cried, “She's my fiancée!”

 

“She was,” Malik corrected sternly, and his face went gaunt, “She sure isn't going to marry you now.” Ryou's mouth dropped open. He wanted to argue, to say she was being stubborn as usual. But he knew he was alone in this battle. He didn't know why he was alone, but it was clear everyone sided with Sith. He hated that. She practically cheated on him. But Malik didn't give him time to argue. He passed by and glanced back only momentarily.

 

“Sith said Tzen is close to Vector. With any luck, we can catch a boat in Kohligen, or we'll end up right near the city,” Malik said grimly, “I don't know what we'll do once we get there, but we're getting there and you're not going to hold us back, Ryou. Now let's move.” Then he also went down the stairs. He didn't wait for Ryou to follow him.

 

The passage was dim, with only a few torches to give off some light. But the basement was small. Or so it looked. But Malik couldn't see very far ahead, and he certainly didn't see Yugi there. He stopped suddenly, and looked up. Everyone was watching silently, either too shaken to speak or too worried to guide him. He frowned. Damn it, Ryou really messed the team up. He said, “Any ideas, people?”

 

“If you're asking about what to do when you reach Tzen, I'd say upgrading your armor,” Yami suggested quietly, and frowned, “If Sith won't be coming back, you'll need every defense point you can buy.” Malik nodded, and his eyes narrowed as he looked away. He severely wished Sith had come; he never thought he'd actually miss having her around. But seeing such hatred… he was sure she meant what she said. He sighed.

 

“Falnika's definitely going to be in Vector as of right now,” Malik pointed out, “We need everything we can get. I wish Sith would change her mind, but I'll need to just accept she won't. Ryou did a very stupid thing, and I'll have to improvise.

 

“The main problem is, we're so low-level,” Malik continued, his lips thinning, “We'll need potions, and tinctures, and all sorts of augmenting items just to stand a chance…” As he talked, he walked down the stairs, and he only assumed someone was making a mental note of what he was saying. Lost in the thought of becoming the leader, he no longer seemed to care if anyone else took him relatively seriously; he had to fill Sith's role now. Unfortunately, he was so lost in thought that he slammed into someone. Upon looking up, he saw it was an old man, dressed in a blue engineer's suit. The man stared down at Malik.

 

“You heading to Tzen, kiddo?” he asked, puffing on a cigarette. Malik nodded as Ryou came down finally. The old man grunted, and then turned and threw up a lever as Yugi came into view; he had been looking down the next staircase leading to a closed door. But then someone else showed up, and Malik turned around. And his eyes bulged. Sith was there. She looked blank, though, as she came down the steps.

 

“Sith?” Malik called, and she looked at him slowly. Had she changed her mind? He couldn't tell. She seemed completely lost as of then. But then her expressions returned. Her lips tightened and her eyes hardened a little. She looked away.

 

“…I came only to see you three off,” she said coldly, and turned away quickly. Malik frowned, but said nothing more. Then, the foundation of the castle shook, sending everyone staggering forward. Malik fell, and Ryou tumbled over, grabbing Sith's arm to steady himself. She promptly shook herself free, and looked down the staircase toward a locked door. Something was wrong.

 

“Why aren't we moving?” Malik asked her, as he stood up.

 

“If we are, it's a damn short ride,” she grunted, but something told Malik she knew far more than that. The old man simply flipped the switch again. But nothing happened; he kicked it next. Again, no response. Finally, he grunted and stormed toward the door, placing his hand on one of the two handles. And promptly, he yanked it away.

 

“What's wrong!?” Yugi asked, when the old man cursed and stormed back up. He shrugged.

 

“Something's jamming that there machine,” the old man wheezed, pointing to the lever, “Unless we get it fixed up, we ain't goin' nowhere.” Sith's eyes narrowed. That was utterly convenient, and she wanted nothing more than to just leave them all there. But she couldn't.

 

“Can you fix it?” she asked, but the old man shook his head and pointed to the door. She didn't need him to explain to know what was wrong; they had to stop the problem. She looked at them, and then walked toward the door. Ryou's eyes widened.

 

“You're… you're coming, dear?” he asked her gently, but her attitude hadn't improved toward him. She turned stiffly and stared at him, her eyes colder than he felt comfortable with. To her, he had no right even calling her `dear,' anymore. He had no right even thinking she would be marrying him any longer.

 

“I'm not doing this for you,” she said angrily, and turned away, “Mello is down there. I won't have him die because you decide not to help him.” Ryou's eyes watered a little. So she hadn't forgiven him yet. But she had to, eventually.

 

“Sith, I'm sorry!” he pleaded helplessly, “Please, please don't be like this! I did a stupid thing! You have to forgive me!”

 

“I don't have to do anything,” was the cool reply, “Including marrying you when you're the possessive one.” Ryou wiped his eyes and saw Sith was glaring at him now, her eyes thin and red again. Without her glasses, she looked horrifyingly cruel. She continued, “I have no memory. I have nothing but Aeon and Mello. And you're trying to kill them! And yet…” Her eyes narrowed angrily, “And yet I'm the bad one.”

 

“Sith, I didn't mean it that way!”

 

“You could have fooled me,” she replied, and turned toward the old man, “We'll be going now. Don't let this castle move before we're back.” The old man nodded, and without a word, Sith stormed to the doors and threw them open. Waves of heat and bursts of steam greeted them; Ryou had the distinct impression that they were going straight to the furnaces of the castle. He found he didn't want to go. But Sith wouldn't be giving him that choice; either he had to go or she'd go by herself. Which meant she'd stay with Mello. Ryou found he couldn't stand that thought, and rushed after her, Malik and Yugi following warily at his pace. The old man just watched until they vanished behind the doors. Then he sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Be careful, kids. What be jamming the machine could be a monster,” he replied, and then shrugged, “Or maybe that scary, blonde boy what came running down here earlier. Don't matter. Just come back soon.” And with that, he puffed his cigarette. This was going to be an excruciatingly boring wait. He just hoped he had enough cigarettes to last him.

 

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

 

After escaping Narshe and heading to Figaro, Ryou finds that indeed, Kefka was against him. Thankfully, Sith returned in time to slam the man's head into the wall, but if anything, she's less than happy to see Ryou. In fact, it appears their planned wedding is in dire peril. With Sith rejoining temporarily, will they be able to free the castle's mechanism? What will happen afterward? And is Mello the cause of it? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!