Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Harbinger of Trouble ❯ Escape: Enter Malik ( Chapter 6 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, but he only wishes his characters were as awesome as Sith.

 

Carefully, Sami had looked through the remainder of whatever was inside of her bag; whatever had been in there before had probably been destroyed, if Ryou could judge based on her expression. It was a cross of disbelief and absolute frustration. He peeked into the bag and saw a broken pistol, three broken glass bottles, a shattered vial, purple powder, burnt scraps of what had been bandages, scraps of ammunition, and lumps of cold silver. Nothing that would've been worth anything, except for possibly the powder. But Sami looked absolutely furious again. She crossed her arms, leering down at them as though she were trying to set them on fire with but a look. And, considering her power, Ryou felt that might've actually been the case.

 

“…wonderful,” she growled, shoving the bag away, “We might be able to blind them with the dust.” Ryou looked at her cautiously. Then he looked back at the bag. It didn't look entirely hopeless; he was sure she could've salvaged something if she had more materials to work with.

 

“Can you make anything?” he asked her. She looked up at him flatly again, as though he were the biggest idiot in the world for asking her that.

 

“You're asking a lot of questions when I told you to shut your mouth,” she stated flatly, uncrossing her arms as she held the broken pistol, “At the very least, I want to repair this.” Ryou tilted his head. He couldn't use a gun, and she did still have a knife on her, as well as a sword. Why would she need a gun?

 

“Is it for me?” he asked, and realized that was a bad thing to ask. She glared and shook her head. Then she looked down at the pistol. She couldn't remember where she had gotten it, but she had had it for as long as she could remember. No, she wouldn't give that to anyone else.

 

“No. My mother gave this to me. She said some man had dropped it on her doorstep one day, with a note saying it was mine,” she replied, putting it down, “It's for my use only.” That made little sense to Ryou. But he didn't ask about it any further. It wasn't actually his business. But that did make him wonder what he'd do for weapons and supplies; they had none right then.

 

“Then what do I use?” he asked her. She hummed gently, tapping her chin. That was going to be a hard thing to think of, because so little weaponry were actually available to them. Finally, though, she snapped her fingers.

 

“There should be a metallic rod keeping the curtains hanging in the next room. Go and get them,” she ordered. Ryou nodded, and left the room to do so. He came back ten minutes later with a crude iron rod, nearing four feet in diameter. Sami took it, whacked it against the wall twice, each time causing a hole to appear, and then grinned. She took a particularly large shard of glass, and using a weak fire spell, molded it into some form of axe blade. Then, she attached it to the top of the rod, jamming the bottom of the shard into a tiny hole in the top. It looked like a very dangerous, rather rag-tag axe, and she handed it to him.

 

“That ought to serve for some time before we need to replace it,” she replied, packing whatever scant things they could salvage from the junk pile and putting it into her bag, “If it doesn't, let's hope you're a fist-fighter. Because that's all you'll get until we reach a city with a weapons dealer.” Ryou didn't like the thought of bloodying his fists, but he didn't argue. Sami slid off the bed, slung the bag onto her shoulder, and led Ryou out into the hall. She took the right path, down a route Ryou had never seen. The torches here were blown out completely, and the air was cold and thin. But she kept going, finally stopping at one door. She opened it carefully, and when it slid open, she turned to Ryou, signaled for him to be silent, and then went inside. Ryou stayed and listened carefully. Sami spoke something, but whoever she was speaking to didn't appreciate her words in the least.

 

“I told you to get lost!” the voice cried. Ryou's eyes widened. He knew that voice! He knew that person! Of all the people who could've wound up here, the last person he had ever expected to find was Malik Ishtar. It was just too ironic that Sami would've been trying to befriend him; Malik didn't get along with many people. Unable to control his impulse, Ryou ran into the room.

 

“Malik?” he called, and then froze when he saw the pitiful excuse for a room. It was dark, the window being the only source of wane light. There was nothing but a bed, and a rather musty bed, at that. And Malik looked worse for the wear. His hair was unusually untidy, and his clothing looked dirty. A bruise decorated his left hand. He had to have been there for some time. Sami glanced from him, to Ryou, and then back to Malik again.

 

“You two know each other?” she asked. Ryou nodded, but Malik didn't acknowledge her at first. Then, he gave a curt nod as well.

 

“Yeah. Ryou's a friend of mine,” the boy stated shortly, and snuck a glance at Ryou, “What the hell are you doing here and why are you with her?” he asked, pointing a thumb at Sami, who pretended not to be paying any attention. Ryou just smiled shyly.

 

“It's a long story, but I'm going to escape with her,” he replied gently, “Malik, I'd like you to come. I think she can get us out of here.” Malik's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Sami seriously. He hadn't trusted her, for a reason Ryou didn't know, but if Ryou trusted her, she couldn't be totally insane. Or maybe she could. Ryou did live with Bakura, and Bakura was insane. He sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Fine. I'll come,” he decided reluctantly, “But if we die, I'm blaming her. Ryou, she's crazy. She nearly killed me when she first met me.” All Ryou could do was laugh. He didn't have the heart to tell Malik she did the same damn thing to him as well. Nor did he have the heart to say Bakura shared this opinion of her. Sami finally reacted, but not to what was said. She strode to the bed, and looked down at it.

 

“Well, if you both think I'm criminally insane, then I'll leave by myself,” she stated simply, putting her hands on the edge of the bed, “I don't need to listen to this at all.” With one move, she flipped the bed onto the rack of the wall, revealing a manhole right in the ground. That must've been the entrance into a sewer. She picked up the manhole and proceeded to heave it into the air, not even flinching as it crashed into a wall. Ryou was sure such an act of strength should've broken a decent chunk of the stone out, but it didn't do anything. Quickly, she turned to Ryou.

 

“This tunnel should lead into the sewers, and if I can navigate them, we should be dumped out somewhere along the Domino-Algon road,” she told him calmly, “From there, we're going to Algon first to see if there's any supplies we can get. We'll need to buy some food, and a good sleep would be nice. After that, I'll escort you to Domino, and hopefully I can get back to hunting this Mystic down.” Ryou nodded. That seemed a quick, easy plan to follow. Except that he had never heard of Algon before. He tilted his head, silently wondering why Sami would stop there; there had to have been something other than supplies, because she sounded upset at the mention of the city. He was curious about that.

 

“What's in Algon?” he asked. Sami's eyes narrowed gently, and he guessed she didn't particularly want to speak about the matter. But, she answered him nonetheless.

 

“That's where I lived before I ended up here,” she replied calmly, “I don't really want to go back, but I'll explain later if you want. Let's just get going and get the hell out of Dodge.” Ryou nodded, and Sami drew out her knife, jumping into the hole, followed by Ryou, and then Malik. All of them landed on hard, cold dirt. That relieved Sami somewhat; she half expected to land in sewage. But to Ryou, where they were looked like a tunnel more than a sewer. He didn't even smell anything putrid or rotten. Holding out her hand, Sami urged Malik to hand her the Millennium Rod. Ryou was surprised that she knew what it was, for she used the light it provided to look carefully around where they were standing. The walls were made of rock and dirt as well, bringing a smell of fresh earth toward them. Tree roots poked out down one path, but what caused her hesitancy afterwards was a large, thick spider web. She shivered.

 

“I hate spiders,” she admitted, using her dagger to destroy the intricate web. Ryou didn't appreciate that she just ruined a spider's home, but Malik just laughed.

 

“Me too,” he replied. He and Sami exchanged small smiles before she led them down another tunnel, hacking any webs she came across. They moved slowly, carefully, using the light from the rod to the best of their advantage. The tunnel continued to go straight, something that made Ryou wonder if they were truly in a sewer. But before he could ask, Sami had stopped. She stopped so abruptly that Malik slammed right into her, smacking his nose into her shoulder. Ryou frowned, trying to see above them both, but all he saw was darkness.

 

“What's wrong?” he asked her, as Malik rubbed his nose, making sure it wasn't bloody. Sami's lips thinned, her eyes narrowing as she held the rod out farther. She listened for something, but Ryou couldn't hear anything.

 

“There are guards down here,” she whispered, “How the hell did they know we were coming this way?” Malik looked ahead from behind her shoulder, and saw a distant speck of light flickering. It was a torch. That wasn't a good sign; even if it wasn't a guard, it was something. He glanced at her.

 

“It doesn't matter. We have to run,” he said just as quietly, but he and Sami both knew that the only way out was back up into his cell. So, running was a poor option. But the only other alternative was to kill whoever was up ahead. And, that decision was already made for them, because whoever was up ahead finally saw them. It was indeed a guard, by the light reflecting off of his chain armor. He pointed to them.

 

“Get them! They're trying to escape!”

 

“We have a breach! Get Lord Katsaiga!” Sami growled, and ran ahead. She planted her dagger right into the chest of one unsuspecting guard, black blood streaming down him and splashing onto the floor. Ryou and Malik watched in awe at the speed of which she moved. No normal woman her age would've been so quick to dispatch the guards, but Ryou remembered she was a Chesier; there was a good chance she'd been in combat before.

 

“Die,” she said, putting her hands to one guard's neck and snapping it to the side. Ryou winced as he heard a crunch of the neck, and saw Sami drop the guard, who crumpled into a heap on the floor. But for all the death she was committing, what she failed to see was that guards were coming up behind them, as well. Malik kicked the closest one away, and dragged Ryou to where Sami stood, backing up against her.

 

“I really hope you have a good plan, Sam,” he grumbled, “We're going to die if you don't.” But, Sami always had a good plan. Besides, the only way to go was forward. She dragged her friends down the tunnel, taking a left when the road forked. Ryou wondered how she knew where the hell she was going, but he didn't question her.

 

“Whatever you do… don't scream,” she replied, and grabbed each of their wrists in her hand. She jumped a long chasm, and Ryou didn't think her grip should've been strong enough to crack their wrists, but he was terrified she'd break their hands off. She was impossibly strong. They flew across the wide chasm, and came crashing into the ground, Sami turning their landing into a roll as they fell out of the tunnel. The world opened up before them, verdant grass spreading out toward a dusty dirt path, with forests off in the far distance. But, their relief was short-lived, for right behind them came another figure, dressed in an ornate blue gown, with red hair rippling down her back. Her skin was quite pale, and on her head sat a tiara. Ryou gulped. That had to be the Mystic Sami was going to kill. She appeared almost amused as she looked down upon them.

 

“Nice work, lady Sith,” she said, and the name caused Sami's mouth to drop, “I didn't honestly expect you to escape. Most pleasing. But it saddens me. I was hoping I could explain the situation before you made it so I'd have to kill you.” Her voice was amazingly gentle, but Sami seemed disturbed to see her. She gripped the pommel of her sword.

 

“You'll explain nothing before I lop that head off,” she growled, “And, you've gotten my name wrong.” The woman raised a concerned brow, but merely smiled the inconvenience away. Ryou glanced between both women. He had expected an encounter, but he didn't think Sami actually knew this Mystic personally. It made him wonder just what she was trying to do. But, the woman spoke again.

 

“If only you knew…” she said sadly, and then sighed, “Now then, what say we continue this game of hide and seek?” Sami didn't know what that meant, but she wasn't stupid. And neither was Ryou. Whoever this woman was, she enjoyed seeing them escape. But why? Why was she so happen when she had kidnapped them all in the first place? Sami's ears lowered.

 

“You're going to continue chasing us,” Sami stated flatly, but Katsaiga shook her head, pointing a long finger toward Ryou, “Why him!?” Ryou blinked, silently wondering the same thing. It didn't make too much sense to him; he was only human. And he didn't know a damn about magic until Sami showed up. The woman just smiled.

 

“Because we want revenge, Sith,” she replied calmly, “And Ryou is the means to get it. If you had stayed, I could have helped you understand, but you've chosen to run. And so, I must stop you before you escape yet again, and take him with you.” Ryou was thoroughly confused by what was being said, but Sami seemed all the more irritated by it. She lifted a hand, glaring furiously at the woman.

 

“Then take an early hint and die,” she growled, and shot a large blast of searing fire at the woman. Her dress caught fire, and she screamed as she fell to the ground. But, Sami ignored it. She grabbed Ryou's wrist and ran into the plains, with Malik following closely behind. The burning woman was left alone. As they ran, Ryou turned to her, smiling widely.

 

“You won! You killed her!” he exclaimed, but she shook her head. No, nothing was quite that simple, and if she had, she wouldn't be running away with him.

 

“Don't be foolish,” she warned, “She's far from dead. We have to keep going before she gets back up and follows. Once we get to Algon, we'll run straight to Domino. I'll keep you both away from her, and I'll kill her when I know you're both safe.” Ryou noticed a sense of panic in Sami's voice. He had never known people to live through being set aflame, but she was still terrified the woman would. Malik, however, seemed less sympathetic to her feelings. He stopped, raising a skeptical brow as he placed one hand on his hip.

 

“Wait, you're actually thinking of still going after her?” he asked flatly, and snorted, “Sami, that wench abducted us! And now she's toying with you! Why don't you just leave her alone!?” Sami turned to look at him, her mouth set in a deep frown. Whatever her reason, Malik knew there wouldn't be much convincing her to do otherwise.

 

“Because if I just `leave her alone,' we're all going to die,” she said darkly, her tone sending shivers up Malik's spine, “Do you honestly think she's the only one of her kind? Don't be an idiot, Malik. I know how these Mystics work. They're going to overwhelm this world, if they haven't yet. It's best if I take them down now, as opposed to later. The sooner she's dead, the better off.” Ryou looked at Malik, who seemed thoroughly spooked with Sami's answer. Quickly, he touched the ring and consulted Bakura on the matter, and the spirit confirmed that she'd spoken of this to him once before. There was no reason for her to be lying to them.

 

“What do you think? Should we go, too?” he whispered to Malik, who nodded. In turn, he told Sami that they planned to tag along with her, and while she didn't appear to appreciate the decision, she didn't object. She merely pointed across the vast plain, off toward the horizon, where the sky was beginning to darken. Ryou raised a brow; it wasn't late in the day. It shouldn't have been so dark over there. But before he could comment, Sami was already speaking again.

 

“Algon is toward the northwest of here,” she began, “We're going there for a supply run, and only that. I'd rather not stay too long, but if it can't be avoided, it won't be. Just don't try to find a reason to stay.” Ryou was pretty confused with that answer. He wanted to know what could've possibly been in Algon to make her so tense on the subject. She had mentioned living there, and he wondered if something bad had happened to her there. He could only guess, and he highly doubted she'd actually tell them. She struck him as someone who liked to be vague. Or maybe she just didn't mean to be. Either way, the explanation puzzled him.

 

“Sami…” he began, hoping she'd answer at least this question, “Just how long have you been fighting this woman?” She turned to him, and for a moment, he swore she looked many years older. But just for a moment. That moment faded, but her expression looked so stern, so absolute, that he had no choice but to believe her answer.

 

“Years,” she said. Ryou had no ground to argue, but Malik's mouth dropped.

 

“Years!?” he blurted out, eyes widened to the point of looking ready to pop, “How the hell can it be years!? You've only been in that castle for a few weeks!” Unfortunately, that logic didn't really seem to affect Sami that much. Her eyes just narrowed at him carefully, as though finding holes in each of his words. Her frown lessened only a fraction of what it'd once been.

 

“And that much is true,” she replied easily, yet there was a sense of wariness to her, “But I never said this started when I was captured. I only said it's been going on ever since then. Pay attention to my words. They'd tell you a lot if you listened.” Ryou didn't like that insult, and neither did Malik. They both glared at her, one angrily, the other coldly. But Sami just seemed to shrug it off. It must not have bothered her much. Ryou had to admit that she was good at being calm. Unfortunately, Malik wasn't feeling so generous.

 

“What kind of crap answer is that!?” he demanded, “Look, you, I'm getting tired of guessing what the hell you're trying to tell us! Why can't you just spit it out!? Don't you trust us?” Ryou was expecting Sami to get just the slightest bit of irritation, but she just snorted in amusement. Her sly smile reappeared, and she took off her glasses, revealing steel green eyes. Ryou blinked. Something about them seemed so cold, so bitter for a woman her age. But her smile seemed to dispel that coldness.

 

“No,” she replied simply, and Ryou felt he should've just laughed, “I don't particularly trust anyone.” That was a pretty ironic reaction to have, since she was pretty much forcing them to trust her. Malik clearly was getting tired of her. His eye twitched.

 

“You don't particularly like making sense, either,” he mumbled. Sami just snorted again, crossing her arms. Her glasses clicked in her hands. She seemed to be enjoying this thoroughly.

 

“It's all perspective and perception,” she replied calmly, casually, “I might not make sense to you, but did you ever consider that might be because I'm seeing things in a different way than you?” That only seemed to confuse both Ryou and Malik more. Sighing, she continued, “To you, I'm going after that woman, and getting in way over my head, and you don't see the entire story, because before now, neither of you were part of my life. But, if you had known me, had seen the things I've seen, you'd understand why I'd do something as crazy as this.”

 

“Then why don't you tell us?” Malik asked, trying to keep a decent level of patience in his voice before he just exploded on her. Ryou didn't need to see someone die, even though he knew that if Malik tried to kill Sami, he'd end up with a sword through his chest. Or a knife. Or a bullet, or whatever the hell Sami wielded. Ryou didn't care to know which one it would've been. Sami just turned sharply to him again, this time a malice in her eyes Ryou hadn't seen before. Now, Malik was obviously annoying her.

 

“Because I don't like talking to stupid children,” she said angrily, and then stormed away. Whatever they were planning to ask her, Ryou now felt they wouldn't get any answers. At least, not right away, and not from her. No, the answers would come from Algon. And that's where they should've been heading.

 

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

 

After escaping the castle, and meeting the woman responsible for their abduction, Ryou, Sami, and Malik now must make their way to Algon, where it's clear Sami just doesn't want to go. What's there that's causing such hesitancy for her, and can she safely escort Ryou and Malik home? Or will they end up joining her in the battle? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!