Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Harbinger of Trouble ❯ Radical's Grand Demise ( Chapter 15 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he still doesn't think Yami should do roller disco.

 

Ryou didn't know how long he stayed in the spot, watching the bleak sky as he waited for something to happen. He'd lost count of how many seconds had past, and eventually gave up trying. Here, time flowed so differently. He didn't know if a minute had passed, or if a week had gone by. But he did know it was beginning to annoy him. He sighed, wondering what he should be doing. He should be looking for his friends. That much, he was sure of. Finally, he forced himself to move. Sitting around wouldn't do anything for him. He stepped forward; the grass crunched like glass underneath his feet, causing him to wince in surprise. It sounded unnaturally loud.

 

`Ryou, watch what you're doing!' came a grumpy voice from inside of his mind, `I'm trying to think!' Ryou blinked, at first unable to recognize the voice. Then, he understood who it was. Bakura had been with him after all! He was relieved.

 

“Bakura! You're all right!” Ryou exclaimed, as the old spirit appeared next to him, rubbing his ear irritably, “I thought the portal killed you! I'm so glad!” He couldn't help himself. As much as he told himself that he'd have to do this alone, he tackled Bakura over. The old thief just grunted, ruffling the boy's hair as a stiff smile spread across his face.

 

“Missed me, eh?” he asked, finally grinning, “Can't say I blame you, really.” Ryou just snorted, and let go of him. He was happy to see Bakura, but it only reminded him that he had to find everyone else. Noticing the bag that had been behind him, Ryou dragged it over and opened it up. And then he blinked. He didn't remember carrying potions and explosives with him before, and wondered if the landing had hurt him so badly that he just couldn't remember. There was a cell-phone there, though. Ryou did have one of those. He picked it up and decided to call Yugi. Hopefully, the boy had his own phone, too.

 

`We're sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable. Please hang up and try again.' Then again, maybe Yugi didn't have his phone. Ryou breathed deeply. He'd just have to hope Yugi was all right. Next, he tried Malik's number. He wanted to call Sami, but he didn't even know if she had a phone. He'd have to hope for her, as well. Unfortunately, Malik's number didn't appear to work, either. Now, Ryou was worried. What if something had happened?

 

“…Ryou? You okay?” Bakura asked slowly, when he saw Ryou's skin going white. Ryou didn't know how to answer. He didn't know just how to explain that he was pretty sure everyone else was dead. He finally decided the truth was the best way to go.

 

“I can't reach anyone else,” he said, trying to remain as calm as he could. But he knew panic was coming through his voice. Bakura just raised an eyebrow. To him, that wasn't really much of a problem. Signals were always screwed up in Domino. He wasn't expecting them to work in another world.

 

“Don't worry so much,” the old thief reassured, shrugging as he dragged the bag over to him, “I don't think they're dead.” He began sorting through just what was inside; like Ryou, he didn't recognize the contents. But he didn't say anything. He found a can of dog food, and too hungry to question, he began trying to open it up. He didn't even notice the glare Ryou threw his way.

 

“Thanks. I really needed to be reminded of that,” Ryou huffed, and turned away. Bakura just snorted, and gave the thumbs up as he held the can in his left hand.

 

“I do my best!” he said mockingly, and then added, “Look, Ryou, I really don't think you need to worry. Yugi, you might need to be concerned with, but Malik's much stronger than you. And Sami's not human. I think they're okay.” He wanted that to comfort Ryou, but he didn't seem to have done anything close to it. He just went back to the can in his hand, screaming `ARGH!' when his nail finally snapped off. How could one stupid can be so much trouble!?

 

“I still… can't shake this feeling off,” Ryou said distantly, and turned when he heard a loud thud. Bakura was currently banging the can on his head, trying to get the damned thing open. But it didn't help him. All he managed to do was get some of the contents to leak into his hair. Watching in slight disbelief, Ryou finally asked, “Why are you trying to open up a can of dog food?”

 

“Well, why do you have a fucking can of dog food, anyway!?” the old spirit snapped back, and screamed as the can finally exploded on him, “I GIVE UP, DAMN IT!” All Ryou could do was laugh; Bakura was covered in a mess of slimy, smelly dog food. Then, he realized something very important that he didn't quite see before. Why did he have dog food? He didn't have a dog. But Sami did. And it was then that he understood what was going on: he had Sami's bag.

 

“…we had her bag all along!” Ryou exclaimed, laughing, “Well, gee, that explains nearly everything!” Bakura, however, didn't share in the amusement. Because of Sami's stuff, he was now covered in dog food. Angrily, he wiped it all off, eye twitching as water ran down his face. It smelled of gravy.

 

“Goody gumdrops,” he mumbled, “Why not call your stupid phone and see which idiot has it!?” Ryou wished Bakura would stop ranting, but he ultimately agreed. It was a good idea. He opened up Sami's phone, making a note to look at her number to see what it was, and then dialed his own phone. Yugi was the one to pick up. Ryou explained quickly what had happened, hoping Yugi understood. He did.

 

“So I have your stuff?” he repeated, and laughed heartily, “Isn't that just my luck! Yami was freaking out when he saw the cell phone I had wasn't the one he gave me. But then… Ryou, who has my stuff!? Oh god, I hope it's not Malik! I don't want him looking through my deck!” Ryou just snorted. There was plenty reason to be scared of that. Malik might've been a friend, but he was also a bit of a thief when he wanted something. Kaiba never did find the new blueprint for his duel disk that Malik happened to take. `Accidentally,' Malik had said. Yugi had a right to be nervous.

 

“Sami probably has it, if we're lucky,” Ryou replied, hoping that would calm Yugi down. Then, a pang of worry hit Ryou as he asked, “Have you heard from her? Or from Malik, for that matter?”

 

“I heard from Malik,” Yugi replied slowly, “But not from Sami. Why? Are you worried?” Ryou went silent. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to know Malik was okay; he was worried about Sami now. Anything could've happened, and because she didn't know any of their numbers, she wouldn't call them. She could very well be dead now, and they wouldn't know until they found her. He forced the thought away. He had to focus on right then.

 

“I'm glad you and Malik are all right,” he said calmly, “Yugi, I'm going to come get you guys. Bakura's with me. Try not to leave wherever you are. We'll be there soon, okay?” Yugi agreed to do his best, and Ryou hung up the phone. He explained the conversation to Bakura, and the old thief decided that finding them was best. They could kill Radical Retro Specter later. He stood up, wiping the rest of the dog food off of his chest, and crossed his arms.

 

“Let's go get them then,” he said sternly. Ryou nodded, picking up Sami's bag and slinging it on his shoulder. He was comforted to know that Yugi and Malik were fine. Not perfect, but they were alive. Sami, however, continued to hang like a black cloud in his mind. He wouldn't know how she was until he found her. He prayed he found her first.

 

---

 

Malik didn't know where he ended up, but once he woke up, his riddle had been a series of insane events that, if time could dictate, would never have happened. He had woken up with Yami inside of a cage constructed of bone, behind three hulking figures who continued to grunt and snort as they stirred a large pot. Malik knew what that meant; they'd have been cooked alive. When he alerted Yami of this, Yami had proceeded to Mind Crush the three figures, as well as the front of the cage, allowing them to escape. Their troubles weren't over, though. That was only one half of their riddle.

 

Now, Malik was driving a large vehicle down a very large mountain. The path was rugged, rocky, and dangerous to be on, but Malik had no choice. As soon as they stepped out of the cave, dinosaurs were pursuing them. Malik didn't want to know why; he just wanted to get the hell away from them. Strangely enough, the vehicle was waiting idly for them. They didn't hesitate to take it. And now, they were going down at a very dangerous speed. The speedometer was way past its limit. What truly amazed Yami was that Malik didn't seem to care.

 

“What the hell are you doing!? Slow down! We're going to crash!” Yami yelled over the roar of a T-rex, “Where in hell did you learn to drive!?” Unfortunately, if he actually thought yelling was helping Malik, he was wrong. It was simply making it more difficult to concentrate on the road. Malik looked back for just a moment as they soared over a large rock in the road.

 

“Your mother!” Malik screamed back angrily, “Sorry for trying to save our damn asses! Now shut up and pretend to help me!” Yami just rolled his eyes. He couldn't see why Malik was getting so angry with him. The car swerved suddenly, narrowly avoiding the smash of a giant tail in front of them. Yami was thrown into the next seat. He wanted to scream at Malik, but the boy was doing his best. It wasn't his fault they were dealing with a species that was supposed to be extinct. Unfortunately, Malik's panic didn't recede. The aftershock of such a crash caused him to lose control of the vehicle. It sped right off the path, and into the thick forest, which was sitting on a very steep hill. The vehicle rumbled onward, until it drove straight off a cliff. And there was nothing they could do. Except to watch as the ground came hurtling closer toward them.

 

“Oh my Ra, I don't want to die!” Malik screamed loudly. He shut his eyes. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to watch it. He waited for the moment of impact, but it never came. Slowly, he opened his eye. The car wasn't moving. Shifting, he looked out his window. It had landed in a patch of trees, a miracle Malik could only think of as Ra's response to his terror. But, the car was still broken despite the landing. The engine was puffing out smoke, and to make matters worse, Yami wasn't there. Malik looked around for any sign of the pharaoh, but none existed. Until he heard a weak call from somewhere outside the car.

 

“Malik?” it was Yami's voice. Malik's eyes widened, and he immediately pried the windshield away; it had shattered in the crash, but the tumbling debris of rocks and dirt kept it from cascading all over the place. It took but a second, and he shot his hand through the pile, waving it when he felt cool air hit his fingers. Yami grabbed his hand and helped him crawl out of the pile. He immediately sighed, as the spirit let go of him, and as they sat on top of the packed dirt.

 

“I can't believe we actually lived through that,” he said, awe-struck with their circumstances. Yami nodded, but he was more focused on finding a way out of there. An ocean sat to the west. He wasn't sure how to cross it, but it'd keep them away from the dinosaurs. He looked around the ruins of what used to be the car, and some of the forest above for any tools. A canoe sat, with two oars poking out of the dirt next to it. That was awfully convenient, but Yami just shrugged it away. It'd help them get away from here. That was all that mattered.

 

“Yami, what are you doing?” Malik asked, as he watched the old spirit drag the canoe out of the dirt, hefting it to their left as it splashed into the ocean far below, “Are you sure that's even seaworthy? It might have holes in it.” Yami would've believed him, except the canoe was still standing. Without answering, Yami jumped straight off the compact ledge they had created with the crash, and landed in the boat below. Then, he looked up when he realized Malik hadn't followed.

 

“Come on. We're going to find them with this,” he stated. Malik just sighed. He didn't want to go canoeing, and he certainly didn't want to crack his neck getting into one. But, he followed. His friends were more important than his neck. He just hoped they found someone. If they didn't, he hoped there'd be another person to blame. It took all his control not to just punch Yami for what had happened. Or to push him into the water, as the canoe slowly set off down the passage, with them using the oars to guide it along.

 

---

 

“Ishtar? Are you out here?” Yugi called, coming out from behind a dark curtain, thick with dust that sprayed around as he moved the sheet. He hadn't known just where he'd been taken to, but he understood it was a large building. He had spent the better half of the hour looking through it, trying to find any sign of anyone else. Ishtar was with him, but he had sent the spirit away to find a way out of this place. And, he had regretted it instantly. Darkness was scary enough. Being in a new world, with no one but Ryou's bag, was unbearable. And learning that at least one of them could've been dead, or at least unable to contact the others, had sent shivers of terror up Yugi's spine.

 

“I'm here,” came the flustered reply, “I'm clearing the damn hall out. Tell me you reached someone.” It was a forceful demand. Yugi was glad that he had been able to speak to both Ryou and Malik. He didn't want to know Ishtar's reaction if he hadn't.

 

“Yeah. I talked to Ryou and Malik,” Yugi replied, and then more slowly, he added, “But no one's heard from Sami yet. Ryou's getting worried.” Personally, Ishtar didn't blame him. As much as Sami was annoying, sometimes just outright bitchy, she was the reason Malik and Ryou were alive. He kicked the corpse of a dead bat away, having fried it with a blast of magic. Silently, he wondered if he could even sense Sami's magic. He hadn't yet.

 

“Not surprising,” he commented casually, “I don't think she's dead, though. We have that going for us, at least.” Ishtar decided to leave out the part where he couldn't sense her magic anywhere. There wasn't much use worrying Yugi. He could do that all on his own.

 

“…you think she's hurt, though?” the boy asked quietly, almost afraid. Ishtar blinked. He hadn't considered that, but if no one reached her, and it seemed clear she was making no move for them, then something really might've happened to her. At the very least, she must've been in a position where she couldn't call. She wasn't a rude person. She'd call if she had a way to.

 

“I… I don't know,” he said, and there was an edge of panic to his voice he didn't like, “But we're not staying here. I don't care what Ryou said. We're moving.” Yugi wanted to protest, but Ishtar was already walking down the dark hall, into a large chamber that looked like a theatre room. He stormed past the rows of seats, ignoring the doors as they creaked on their hinges. He walked out the front door, into the dim light of the fading afternoon. Yugi followed him quickly, taking two steps to keep Ishtar's brisk pace.

 

“Who're we going to go to first?” Yugi asked. Ishtar didn't need to think long for the answer. As much as he wanted to see Malik, and speak to Bakura, both of them were with another person. Sami, as far as they all knew, was alone. And that wasn't good for her. If Radical Retro were going to kill them off, she might've been the easiest target. He walked down the street, Yugi running to keep up.

 

“Sami. We've got to make sure that woman's alive,” he said sternly, “She's the only one who knows what the hell we're dealing with. Let's find her first.” Yugi didn't argue. He just hoped she was okay, wherever she happened to be.

 

---

 

It took some time, but Sami finally felt able to open her eyes. She knew she'd been unconscious for some time, but how long wasn't known to her. And, she found she didn't really care. She was alive, and that was all that mattered to her. Blinking slowly, she looked around the room. She was encased in some form of crystal cage, thick and cold. The room spread out before her resembled a laboratory. She briefly remembered her nightmare. Then she shook her head. This wasn't the same thing. Squinting her eyes, she looked for a way out. There was a door in the far distance, but she'd have to get out of that blasted cage before she could do anything about it.

 

“…Ryou?” she called quietly, “Yugi?” She wasn't surprised when she didn't get a response. She tapped the glass. Indeed, it was thick. Her nail tapped off with a tiny `clink.' She doubted she could shatter it unless she used some very potent force. And, for right now, she didn't want to risk the expenditure. She still had to know where she was.

 

“…hello?” she called again. Though she knew none of her friends were there, she had a feeling someone else… something else, had to be. And, she was right. Radical Retro Specter came in purposefully, and looked into the cage carefully. Sami noted a look of frustration in his eyes. Something had happened since he left them.

 

“Sorry for the delay, my dear. Had to get off the phone with them, you see,” he told her, “Appears we `ave a little mix-up, we do.” Sami tilted her head. Radical Retro had spoken to her briefly, so briefly, beforehand. And she had heard him out. But believing him was another story. She wanted some answers.

 

“What sort of mix-up?” she asked warily. If he didn't answer her, she could always try to kill him. A soft smile played across her face as she recited silently the many ways she learned on how to kill a man. But, Radical Retro wasn't on anyone's side. He told her directly.

 

“Seems that the Mystic woman, Katsaiga, her name was… seems she had asked for my help, but it looks like `er daughter got the order confused,” he told her, almost amused with the anecdote, “'Er daughter sent you all `ere, and forgot to tell me this. Looks like I'm supposed to deal with you, but according to Katsaiga, that ceased to be.” That made no sense to Sami. She could understand if Radical was supposed to kill her. But why was that order revoked? What was Katsaiga's actual plan?

 

“…intriguing,” she replied flatly, “And of my friends? Where are they?” She hadn't truly expected Radical Retro to answer her, but to her surprise, he did. He smiled warmly, tapping his cane.

 

“They're alive,” he replied, and then somberly added, “But not all is well, dear. Seems that twit `o yours got into some trouble with me pets.” Sami didn't need him to tell her who this `twit' was. She knew it was Ryou. Only he was able to get himself into mortal danger, and not be able to get himself out.

 

“What trouble?” she asked grimly. Radical Retro shrugged, and tapped his cane to the ground again. Three mirrors appeared, each depicting how her friends were doing. Yami and Malik, she was relieved to see, were rowing down the ocean peacefully. Yugi and Ishtar were walking down a dark street, very much like Algon. Ryou, however, was in trouble. He and Bakura had run into the dinosaurs Malik wanted to avoid. And while Bakura was doing okay in destroying them, Ryou wasn't armed. Sami's eye twitched. Sometimes, she really did think he was a twit.

 

“Call them off,” she demanded firmly. But Radical Retro just shook his head. He was slightly amazed with her lack of terror at such a sight, but not even that would help Ryou.

 

“Dear, there's not a damn I can do,” he replied, shrugging, “Dinosaurs are the worst pets to own. They don't listen to me!” Sami was in no mood to banter. If she could reach out, strangle him, and pop his head off, she would.

 

“Do it or I'll kill you,” she growled, “Don't think I can't try.” Radical Retro's face paled. He knew she could do so. Katsaiga warned him of what she was capable of. But there was nothing he could do. He just wasn't fast enough.

 

“Dear, I can't!” he pleaded, “They won't listen! I'm not fast enough to go and…” A gunshot behind him caused Radical Retro to turn around sharply, and shriek when he saw his crystals shatter from the sound. Sami blinked, and looked around to try to see what had disturbed them. But for now, she couldn't. All she could see was that something was terrifying Radical Retro. He backed up, his skin white.

 

“Stop it! You're going to destroy my world!” he screamed, and then Sami saw what had caused the shot. It was the man from before, the man in her nightmare. In the light, his skin was ivory, his hair golden. He held a gun directly pointed to Radical Retro.

 

“Then let her go,” he growled, and for a second, cast a glance Sami's way. Then he looked back at Radical Retro. The poor man was scared out of his wits. He couldn't move. Not again this terrifying man, with a gun practically shoved into his throat. Radical didn't react fast enough. Sami screamed as the gunshot went, as the blood splattered upwards, splashing the crystal cage. Radical Retro fell over, dead on impact. She watched with horror as the man picked up Radical's cane and unlocked her cage. He helped her out; she was too paralyzed to move.

 

“You all right, Sith?” he asked. She barely registered that he was speaking to her as she looked down at Radical Retro's dead form. Only when he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him, did she notice.

 

“…why?” she whispered, “Why are you here? Who are you?”

 

“Don't try to ask so many questions. Just try to relax,” he told her, instead of answering her questions, “Your… your friends need you. Are you all right?” Sami didn't answer him, either. Instead, she pushed him aside and stormed out. Ryou was still in danger, if not then dead. Whoever this man was, he'd have to wait. Or so, she thought. Silently, the man followed her. He looked back just once to the corpse he just made. It didn't stir. He made sure of that as he hammered another bullet into its heart. Then, he turned around again, and followed Sami.

 

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

 

And so, after a short trip into a new world, Radical Retro Specter is dead. And Ryou might be, too. But why did the mysterious man from before kill him, and why is he helping Sami out? What does he know that he won't tell her? And what was Katsaiga planning, if Radical wasn't supposed to kill them all? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!