Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Harbinger of Trouble ❯ It's not that bad... is it? ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Technically, this is my first fanfiction idea. I'm simply tweaking it years after writing it. Why? I don't know. But I don't own YGO. And, yes, I'm using my own character. Sue me.

 

It was a dark, inky night as Ryou Bakura sat in his room, looking out the window. It was late, but that didn't matter much to him. He was used to staying up late, and he needed some time to think. Unfortunately, it always seemed that the best time for that was inevitably very late at night. That day had been a terrible day for the pale boy as he sat on the sill of his window. He was once again terrorized by the fan clubs that sprouted up at school, he had been chased by squirrels as he tried to cut through the park on his way him, and someone stole his book bag, either for kicks or to actually take something, he didn't know then. Not to mention, his father had just left for a business trip that day. The last was something he was used to, but he always hated what it entailed: that he was alone. Well, technically, he did have the spirit, Bakura, but he hardly counted as company. Bakura was only good for one thing: Annoying Ryou. And just as Ryou thought that, he felt a stir from the ring on his neck.

 

“It can't be that bad, can it?” Bakura asked, appearing in the room. He had heard every thought Ryou had, and subsequently disapproved of every one of them, as well. Ryou nearly jumped, not expecting to hear Bakura, or even to see him appear in the room. Bakura rarely seemed to care about what problems Ryou had most days. Grumpily, Ryou turned to face him, frowning.

 

“I'd love to see you deal with crazy girls, demonic squirrels, and bullies trying to take your things,” he grumbled angrily. Bakura arched an eyebrow, half-amused with Ryou's impatience, and then shrugged, sitting on the bed. If Ryou didn't want to explain, he certainly wouldn't force the boy. He tried to pick up a doll, but when he couldn't, he snorted. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to, but it never stopped him from at least trying. Finally, though, he looked at the clock and sighed.

 

“I'm going to bed,” Bakura said, “It's one in the morning. You should get some sleep, too.” Ryou didn't move. Bakura sighed and vanished again, leaving the boy to look outside in the rain. He felt empty. Walking to his desk, he picked up his cup and tried to drink, finding it empty as well. He tossed the cup about, as Bakura had obviously finished his beverage for him. He was about to go get another drink when the air suddenly felt very cold. It sent shivers up his spine. The window burst open, and Ryou immediately tried to shut it, but the wind was too much. Every time he closed it, it blew right back open. Finally, the window shattered, and Ryou fell back as it did so, trying to shield himself from the cascading glass as it sprayed in all directions. He heard his door break down, and as he glanced over to it, he saw that at least ten vampires appeared. Their skin was ghastly white, and sheet thin on their bodies, their eyes glowering red. He could tell what they were, simply because they had fangs protruding from their mouths. He wanted to scream, but that wouldn't help him now. He had to fight.

 

“How did you get here!?” he asked, scrambling up as one of them lunged for him. He rolled out of the way, knowing he wouldn't get any answers. No, he would need to try and fight, something he doubted he'd do successfully. He needed Bakura's help for this. He jumped over his bed, where the ring laid, having snapped off when he was flung through the air, landing on the other side of it.

 

“Get back!” Ryou yelled, grabbing the ring, but it made no difference. The vampire simply snatched it and threw it out the window. Ryou screamed this time. He couldn't call for help now, which he sorely needed. Diving out of the way once more, he immediately got a baseball bat from his closet, but when he hit another vampire with said bat, it splintered to pieces. The vampire in question was unharmed. Another vampire picked him up by his collar and shook him, making Ryou feel not only dizzy, but weakened as well. Then he was thrown into the dresser, as he heard himself scream again. He became aware that blood was trickling down his back, and now he feared the worst. Ryou tried to open his eyes, to see if they were advancing, but he felt too weak. He was losing too much blood, and he knew… he knew that any moment, they'd get to him, either to bite him or kill him. Finally, he passed out, unable to hold on, and the vampires picked him up. One of them looked down at him, and grinned.

 

“We have… the boy… in question,” it hissed, “Let's… go back. She will be pleased…” With that, they carried him off into the windy, stormy night, without so much as a look back on the destruction of his room.

 

Ryou slept for what felt like many, many days after that. When he finally regained consciousness, he found that he couldn't move, nor did he want to. The pain was too much to bear. But when he heard shuffling outside of his room, he forced himself to become alert. The shuffling grew louder until it was in his room, and it stopped. He smelled something, but couldn't place what it was. Not that it surprised him; he couldn't place anything that had happened to him at all. Not only did his body feel like lead, his mind felt even worse so. Still, he was aware that someone was in his room, and though he didn't see them, he could hear. That was enough for him at that point.

 

“Are you awake yet?” came a voice Ryou couldn't recognize. It wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't very gentle either, “You've been asleep for a while. Come on, you need to get up.” It sounded a bit older than himself, but it was a young voice nonetheless. The voice left a minute later, though, obviously uninterested in waking him further. Ryou forced himself to sit up, and looked around. Whoever had been there before, wasn't there anymore. Nothing looked like his room, and for the moment, he couldn't remember just how he had gotten there, as he took a good look at everything. But, as he sat there, examining the dark room, he remembered vaguely the attack that he'd gone through.

 

“Where am I?” Ryou whispered to himself, his head still swimming, “This isn't my room…” He got off of the bed. The room was dark, lit only by two candles. The curtains were thick, and by the smell of it, musty. The hall was no better as he walked out. The torches added more light, but not enough, and some of them looked crooked, as though trying to be forcefully removed. He ignored them, and continued on as a loud bell rung through the hall. It felt as though his bones would shatter if it rung again. Covering his ears, he ran to the dining hall. He nearly tripped on something, but didn't care to see what it was. He wanted to get out, and the sight he saw made him want it all the more as he entered what he was sure was the dining hall. He nearly screamed, but seeing as he didn't want to attract any attention from what he now stared at, he kept his silence.

 

“W-what!? What are those things?” he asked, shivering as he looked at the room's occupants. The people in the room all smelled horribly of carrion, and their skin was a mixture of grays, greens, and white. Their clothes were tattered, and their hair was greasy to the point of it slipping off of their heads. He could only find one word for them as he screamed, “ZOMBIES!” Despite his scream, no one appeared to have noticed. He nearly screamed again, but just then, a hand clasped his mouth shut forcefully, resulting in another muffled scream.

 

“Shut it up or you'll get us in trouble,” hissed the same voice from before, and Ryou distinctly heard that it was feminine, “Come with me.” Unable to fight, Ryou was dragged to a table and seated immediately. He saw his pursuer, and gazed with confusion. A young woman, with piercing green eyes and long black hair looked back at him, but what intrigued him were her purple bat wings, her cat ears, and a long tail wrapping around her leg. He blinked, at first unable to grasp that she was a non-human.

 

“What are…” Ryou tried to ask, but she stopped him with one finger and shoved a plate of food to him. He stared at it blankly, wondering if it was actually safe for him to even eat. When he didn't move, the woman sighed and shook her head.

 

“Eat,” she said sternly, and when he did, she continued, “My name is… Sami. I'm… here to help you, so if you want to get out, you would do best to listen to me.” Ryou nodded, eating his food. Whoever this woman actually was, he didn't feel it was particularly safe to question her, at least not just yet. Something about her scared him, but she said no more until he finished. Likewise, he didn't question what it was, either, as he ate forkful after forkful of the food. It turned out to be edible, but incredibly bland. Either way, he was grateful to have something in his stomach. It must've easily been days since he had last eaten, something he made note to ask about. When he finished, he looked up at the woman again, who simply watched him in silence. He smiled weakly.

 

“I'm Ryou Bakura,” he said quietly, and for the first time, Sami smiled. She held out a hand, which he shook, and then she nodded.

 

“A pleasure,” she said calmly, “I'm… quite surprised to find someone like you here.” Ryou looked up at her as he took another bite of his food. Her tone seemed kind enough, but there was an undertone he didn't want to trust. Perhaps it was because she wasn't human, but he couldn't be sure. He had never met a non-human.

 

“Someone like me?” Ryou asked, frowning slightly, “What do you mean?” Sami tilted her head carefully as she examined him, and her eyes softened just a little bit.

 

“Never mind,” for some reason, she felt that was a suitable answer, “The point is, I would never have expected to find you in a place like this. And now that I have, well… let's just say I've decided to help you.” Ryou's lips thinned. He truly had no idea what the hell this woman was talking about, but for now, he went with it. She seemed trustworthy enough. Another moment passed as he ate a small serving of what he hoped was spinach. It was tasteless.

 

“So… Sami, eh?” he asked, trying to start some form of conversation. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to go for it, and he quickly asked, “That's not a common name, is it?” She gave a curt nod.

 

“It's not my real name,” she replied, “Just one I've taken for a while. Use it.” Ryou's eyebrow rose. For someone he just met, she was awfully comfortable with pushing him around. He didn't like it much.

 

“Then what's your real name, Sami?” he asked, his voice just a few degrees too cold. Sami's smile faded. Obviously, he said something he really shouldn't have, but there wasn't much use in taking it back. He barely knew her to begin with. And, in her mind, she'd rather keep it that way.

 

“Not something you should know, young man,” she said sternly, “Not that I could tell you. I don't know it myself. For now, you will use the name I gave you.” Her voice held an authority Ryou didn't want to argue with, so he simply agreed. Silence passed again, and Ryou felt increasingly uncomfortable with this woman. Not because she was threatening, but something else was coming from her, some form of energy Ryou wasn't sure he liked. It was as though she were hiding something from him, as though he should know her. But he couldn't place it. He had never met her before.

 

“…so, how come you approached me?” he asked her, hoping to learn something of her without making it too obvious that he didn't trust her. Her own eyebrows rose, peering over the red glasses on her face. She seemed amused by the question.

 

“Hmm…” she seemed to be wondering what to say, “Why did I approach you… well, again, young man, it's not something you need to know.” Ryou was quickly sick of that answer. No longer wanting to feel nice, he went on the offensive.

 

“You like to tell me I don't need to know anything, don't you!?” he snapped, and this time, he noticed instantly the change in her mood. Her frown worsened, but just for the second it took for it to pass. Her expression smoothed. That also bothered him. By all rights, she should've been offended. Chances are, she probably was.

 

“Relax,” she told him, and her smile slowly returned, “I'm not one to kick you when you're down, kid. But I can't tell you why I approached you. I doubt you'd believe me much anyway, not after what you've been through.” Ryou's exasperation and confusion really must've shown, for she said, “Calm yourself, kid.”

 

“Calm myself!? I'm sorry, but I just met you and you're telling me to be calm!?” Ryou cried in disbelief, “How can I possibly trust you!? And what are you even talking about!? I can't just be calm for the hell of it! Give me a rea…” Ryou nearly screamed when a dagger went his way, slamming into the ground next to him. He looked from the dagger to Sami, and realized that indeed, he really offended her. And, whoever she was, she liked to wield weapons. Sharp, pointy ones, at that. She leaned over, looking him dead in the eye.

 

“I suggest you listen to me if you like having two eyeballs,” she growled, “I have a patience limit, Ryou.” That definitely scared him. He backed away from her, wondering just how skilled she was with a dagger. He found he didn't really want to find out. She leaned back in her seat.

 

“I'm… I'm sorry,” he replied quietly, “Please, don't kill me.” Her face softened, and unexpectedly, she managed a chuckle. It seemed out-of-place.

 

“Don't scream at me again and I won't,” she promised, her mouth going just slightly crooked, “Now, as much as I enjoy chatting, I want you to eat that food.” Again with that bossy attitude! Ryou wasn't even sure if he wanted to eat with her telling him to. But, he did know he was still hungry. So, he picked up his fork again and ate another bite. It was still dry, and now it was getting cold.

 

“Ick…” he said, disgusted. Sami just flat-out laughed.

 

“Tastes like horse shit, doesn't it?” she asked, and her language actually surprised him. She seemed reserved just a moment ago. Then, he thought, he was probably making too much assumption on that. He nodded.

 

“It's definitely not appetizing,” he agreed, a smile also forming on his face. Sami nodded, and crossed her arms, watching. Probably to make sure he actually ate it, but what he couldn't see was why she'd want that. She just said it tasted… well, to be nice, it tasted bad. She seemed amused, nonetheless. And that comforted Ryou. It was much better than when she was angry, at least.

 

“Aye, but you're still going to eat it,” she told him, and his mouth dropped. Who was she to make that decision!? And why was he just letting her!? Well, he certainly had to nip that one in the bud if she actually thought they were going to be friends. No friend of his would order him so.

 

“Why do I have to eat this!? I just got here!” he cried, and Sami just snorted, shaking her head. Either he was truly amusing her greatly, or there was yet another thing she knew that he didn't. Either one meant foolishness on his part.

 

“Wrong, Ryou,” she told him, grinning, “You've been here for nearly a week.” Ryou's eyes widened. A week. A week here, alone, away from his family, away from his friends. Someone must have noticed, but he highly doubted Sami would know this. Still, a week!

 

“…a… a week?” he whispered. Sami nodded again.

 

“A week,” she replied, and pointed to his plate, “Now, eat that or I will shove it down your throat.” Ryou didn't disbelieve that for a second. Keeping quiet, he ate a bit more of the food. Or at least tried to. But it still tasted horrible. But… if it kept Sami from throwing that dagger again, he'd eat anything. And that thought was what kept him eating, with Sami watching all the while.

 

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

 

Well, the pilot is done. And Ryou met what could be the most useful ally he has thus far. But is she trustworthy, and who exactly is she? What does she mean by him having a chance? Find out next time, so click the Review button!