Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Time Master! ❯ A new spin on Necrophilia! ( Chapter 19 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he wants to know how Ryou manages to kill so many Mystic lords without actually dying. I tell him it's because Ryou is also a zombie.

 

Ryou, along with Sith, Shimbou, and everyone else, stood in the desert as they waited for Gilden to speak, and yet, he said nothing as the minutes slowly crawled by. Still, they waited silently as the sand swirled in the wind Gilden created. He continued his silence, until Sith finally spoke, becoming enraged with the disruption he caused, and the silence he gave as a result. She held her sword.

 

“If you intend to speak, then speak, Gilden,” she growled, “I may have just regained my memories, but I know enough to remember how to dispatch you again.” Ryou glanced at her, sensing that there was something she didn't want him to know, but whatever it was couldn't be read. At least, not by him. Gilden simply sighed, shaking his head.

 

“You were never a good listener when it came to me,” he told her, “I'm surprised that changed when you met Atemu. In fact, we all were surprised by it. Bahamut himself wasn't sure you were a good choice for this world.” Ryou blinked, realizing that whatever Gilden actually meant to say was for Sith only. Sith, of course, looked ready to blow.

 

“In the end, he was right, wasn't he?” she retorted, smiling bitterly, “I wasn't… a good choice at all. I severed this world with one move. But that's what you get for choosing me, I suppose. When you think about it… I'm not exactly a hero now, am I?” Ryou frowned as Sith spoke, and heard Gilden say “no, you aren't…” as he looked down at the sand beneath his feet. Finally, Ryou spoke up as well.

 

“Sith, what's going on?” he asked her, and she looked at him critically, “I don't get it. What is this man saying? We all know you're really old, but how long have you been here? Didn't you… warp through time?” Sith's lips thinned, and Gilden actually laughed. Everyone looked to him, and only when he finally controlled himself was he able to speak.

 

“Warp through time!? Did she tell you she did that?” he asked, and laughed, “Ryou, not even Bahamut can do that. Sith didn't warp through time at all. She simply went to another world. When Bahamut caught up to her, he made her come back here and fix the damage she did. The problem was, though, that she lost her memory of what she actually did here. If we use too much of our power, sometimes it damages our memories and makes us forget what we've done or were doing. Sith here tried to run away from what happened, but even she knew eventually it'd come back and haunt her.” Ryou frowned again, looking at Sith. He scanned her mind, and found she actually didn't know any of this, but he felt her anger immediately. Her eyes flashed.

 

“That is enough!” she yelled, and all eyes fell on her this time, “No more of this, Gilden! Why are you telling us this? Don't you understand this won't help us?” Her wings stiffened angrily, until she felt Ryou tug on one of her wings.

 

“Sith, stop. I want to hear this,” Ryou said gently, “I want to know what you did after you left Egypt and how all of this happened.”

 

“Besides, I'm giving him a fresh perspective, Lady Sith,” Gilden added, crossing his arms, “After all, he's your husband, isn't he? I think he deserves to know what you did.” Sith growled, but said nothing as Gilden continued, “She did come back, but had no recollection of what to do. When Sceppiro cast a spell to warp back time, that wasn't a lie. He turned himself and Sith into children to make it easier for her, to give her some time to remember. He had no idea she'd make a new life out of it.”

 

“What choice did she have?” Malik asked, throwing his arms up, “She was a little kid! You're telling me you wanted a little kid to fix a cataclysm!?” Sith snorted, but said nothing. Gilden looked at Malik critically.

 

“We expected her to remember as she aged back to her original form,” Gilden explained, “We never… expected what happened. Bahamut didn't count on the Mystics finding her again. He didn't think they would be able to; she left this world for over three thousand years, and Nesce was utterly destroyed by then. And yet, we found her. Or, they did. I'm not on their side.” Ryou looked at Sith, sensing the tension she felt, and the need to get very sick, but she kept it in. He patted her shoulder comfortingly.

 

“Then it's not entirely her fault. No one tried to help her. No one bothered to explain what she had to do,” Ryou said gently, and Sith looked at him, “I think… Bahamut was wrong to make her come back. So far… she's had nothing but struggle. No happiness, no fun, just this constant goose chase for one mistake. I don't think that's fair.” That silenced the entire argument as Gilden looked down at Ryou in disbelief for what he said. Sith's eyes watered as her smile started to return, and Ryou grinned softly. He knew that made her feel less threatened by Gilden, and that's what he was aiming for.

 

“But… Ryou, that meant it was wrong for you to marry her,” Anzu reminded him, frowning, “Are you saying that we didn't matter?”

 

“I'm saying that what Bahamut wanted for her was wrong,” Ryou told her calmly, somehow finding the ability to smile in such a bad situation as Sith sniffled, hugging him, “Everyone makes mistakes, but why would he force her to fix this? Maybe our world was meant to be severed. Maybe, in a way, Sith actually helped us. If she hadn't, Rath might've done more damage to our world. We might not have even existed. I don't think… he saw that part. I think all the Espers cared about was that Sith brought them shame with what she did.” Gilden's eyes narrowed as Ryou said the last part. That might have been true enough, but coming from a human, it sounded… arrogant. But, he knew where Ryou came from. He sighed.

 

“True or not, Ryou, you don't understand the entire story. It's not just this world she's severed,” Gilden told him, trying to remain gentle, “By slicing Rath in half, she's warped every fabric of our power in every world. That's literally thousands of worlds she's damaged in some way. Bahamut had no choice unless we wanted the entire universe to collapse.” Ryou growled, but not angrily. He could feel Sith shivering again, and knew she felt responsible for it, but that wasn't his point. But before he could speak, Yugi managed to take his place.

 

“What happened that could cause the entire universe to fall?” he asked innocently.

 

“Sith and Rath are just about as powerful as Bahamut is. That's why Sith's been sealed so many times. She could literally crush this world if she wanted to,” Gilden explained calmly, frowning, “Now, imagine two attacks of the same velocity colliding together. That was pretty much what happened. Rath and Sith hit at the same time, and it destroyed every fabric of our magic in this world while severely damaging many others in other worlds.”

 

“Does this mean Sith's… bad?” Miho asked, looking at Sith sadly. She hadn't known the woman for too long, but Anzu had told her enough for her to think of Sith as some form of hero, at least by word of mouth. Sith side-glanced at her, but Gilden simply smiled, shaking his head.

 

“Not… entirely. She's more of a neutral Esper than defined by good or bad,” Gilden explained, and a smirk began to creep on his face, “Some Espers don't like being defined too much. Sith is one of them, and no matter what anyone has said, she bases herself entirely on the situation. When she's good, she's a great ally. But when she's bad, she's really bad. It depends on how you want to see it. If you want her to be good, she's good.” Sith snorted at that response, and everyone looked at her. She took off her glasses.

 

“I'm not a hero, either way,” Sith told them all, “But Gilden's right. As time goes on, I can remember a lot of what I did, things that I couldn't understand before. Oh, if you all saw what I see right now, inside of my mind, you would never expect the terror that came from me. I… can see now why the other Espers are afraid. The question is, do you all want to see?” She laughed again, as everyone looked at each other, wondering what to say to that, “We've been through a loop, and it's all come out in bits or entirely too quickly, but this one is the absolute truth. It'll show what I actually am; no more bits and pieces after this. Will you… see it?” Ryou blinked, thinking carefully on it. He was used to Sith's life and identity coming out in tiny bits as he walked along, but this sounded absolute. And, he wanted that. From Katsaiga, to Amber, to Falnika, and then to Rath herself, everything he learned about Sith just felt so jumbled. Even down to her actual past, which wasn't exactly what he expected, when he learned she actually did know Atemu. It wasn't as he thought; she was already old when she had met him, if what Gilden said of world-hopping was correct. Finally, he nodded. He wanted to know.

 

“Sith, show me,” Ryou replied, “Show me what you see. Show me what you are. Let's sort this out… before we fight Rath.” Sith nodded, and Gilden smiled.

 

“That was my point,” he said approvingly, and to Sith, “Shall we work together just once more to clarify what this world will be dealing with?”

 

“We've little choice, and I do not want them chopping my past up any farther,” Sith replied grimly, and they closed their eyes, “Ryou, you may… not like what you see, but it is the truth.” She and Gilden both mumbled something, and a bright light appeared between them, slowly growing wider until it was the size of a small television. In its center, a picture began to form, blurry at first until seconds later, when it cleared up. The picture showed Sith, but she was no longer in their world. She was in a large city, but it was nothing like Domino; it was much more packed. Her eyes grew red, and then Ryou saw it: she morphed into the terrifying panther-beast he saw back during their third terrible encounter with Falnika. Roaring, she leapt into the air, attempting to slice off what looked like a young man's hand, but she fell back as he blasted her with magic of his own.

 

“Dude, I remember that!” Jou exclaimed, pointing, “That was insane!”

 

“There is more,” Sith said sternly, and as her projection slowly got up, whatever world she was in was shivering in an earthquake. Sith roared again, glaring up at whatever she was attacking. Ryou could tell whoever it was looked down at her with a smug grin.

 

`WIPE THAT GRIN OFF OF YOUR FACE,' Sith said inside of the projection, `YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO MESS WITH POWERS YOU COULD NEVER CONTROL.'

 

`It's a shame that the Espers felt a need to put a stop to me, but not even they can raise a hand to me,' the man said, `Tell me, Sith. Your friends are all dead. One managed to live, but he's not in a position to stop me. Not even your improved form will stop me. Tell me, what do you plan to do? Will Bahamut let you leave before I kill you too?'

 

`An Esper's mission is to put an end to all cataclysmic magic that isn't supposed to fall in human hands. I've done nothing but my job,' Sith replied, reverting back, though her eyes didn't stop glowing, `You know… the last world I was in, I utterly destroyed. But I don't make the same mistake twice. You aren't a threat to me; my attack won't shift whatever you've left here. Be lucky.' The man in the projection laughed, holding up a hand.

 

`Espers shouldn't have mixed up with other worlds at all,' he told her, `If you had simply minded your own business, you wouldn't have had to see your friends die. For as much power as an Esper has, it didn't work out for you, now, did it? I still won, Sith. And once you're taken out, you can't stop my plan. None of the Espers can.' Ryou blinked as he watched on. Whatever Sith was going to do, he felt her power rise rapidly and to the point of breaking any human scale, and many non-human ones.

 

`Then I am sorry for you,' Sith said calmly, and a shriek came through the air, a shriek so high-pitched and merciless, everyone was forced to cover their ears. That shriek was joined with a roar, and Ryou's eyes shot open. That was no roar from an Esper. That roar, so mighty and furious, was from a dragon. He looked into the projection, but Sith was gone. All he saw was a huge, silver dragon leaping into the air, its gold spikes gleaming as purple dashes adorned its sides. But, he knew who it was; it was definitely Sith he was looking at. Her wings remained purple, and on her face sat a very small pair of red glasses, cracked with the power she exuded. She swiped at the man, but her aim wasn't to kill; no, she took something from his hands, and flew upwards. Then, abruptly, the projection ended as Sith herself knelt down, holding her head in pain.

 

“Sith, are you okay!?” Anzu asked frantically, as she and Katt went to help Sith stand. Sith's eyes narrowed, and she shook her head, trying to clear it. But, she wasn't all right. Ryou felt it. Something she saw caused her pain.

 

“I stopped only a fraction of that world's cataclysm,” she whispered, “It wasn't enough. At least, not from us. Something else… took him out after I left to seal what I took from him.”

 

“What did you take?” Jou asked, “And why didn't you tell us you could turn into a dragon!? We could've smote the first Mystic into the dust!” Sith laughed. That much was true, but turning into a dragon took so much power, and was so rare, it wouldn't have mattered if they knew or not. Ryou held onto her as she finally stood.

 

“What I took isn't important,” Sith replied, “It was a short period when I wasn't on the run from them. But… that is what you're dealing with. Espers have, and pick up, many forms throughout their lifetime. What you saw is what I am, Ryou. Take a good look at the Esper you saw.”

 

“A dragon,” Ryou whispered in awe, “You… you can become a dragon Esper. Sith, that's awesome. But… how?”

 

“I really wish I knew,” Sith replied, looking down, “I don't remember where I got that form, or how to trigger it. I know my panther form is triggered with Anger, but the dragon… I've rarely used it. Gilden, do you know?” She looked over at Gilden as he slowly opened his eyes, but he shook his head, his wings flapping as he slowly rose into the air.

 

“No, Sith. I didn't know you could become a dragon, myself,” he told her, “I was certain that after Rath cast Death on you…” Ryou's eyes widened, and Gilden suddenly stopped as silence fell between everyone assembled. He realized the terrible mistake he made, and Sith looked at him with a mixture of horror and fury. But, only for a second. Then, her calm returned. She turned around, and glanced down at her sword, its purple glow dull for the moment.

 

“…let's go, Ryou,” she said, “I believe Gilden is done, and you know enough about me to guess the rest. Whatever Gilden was about to say, I doubt he'll finish, and we can't stay here forever.” Ryou frowned as she walked forward, stopping only to say, “Come on, everyone. Scapples isn't too far away.” For a moment, everyone hesitated, but slowly they began to follow Sith. No one said a word, though Anzu and Katt both ran to stay by Sith's sides. Ryou, however, was the only one who didn't follow. He looked back at Gilden, who watched Sith carefully and intently. Whatever he was trying to say, he did want to finish. But, for whatever reason, Sith didn't want to let him. Ryou bit his lip, and then turned back to Gilden.

 

“What happened to her?” Ryou asked him, “I need to know. What happened? Is that why she lived through everything so far? Even… Ultima?” Gilden looked at him critically, and then slowly nodded. Ryou sniffled a bit.

 

“…yes, Ryou. Rath cast Death on Sith. It… backfired,” Gilden told him sadly, “Sith… survived. She is… as you think. She is undead.” Ryou frowned. That would have explained so much to him if he only knew back then. Then again, he might have actually run away from her if he knew she was a zombie. Was that why she told him not to joke about the undead? Was she… ashamed of it?

 

“Are there others?” he asked. Gilden sighed, and then nodded as Ryou next asked, “Katt too?”

 

“There are others, but I don't know what Sceppiro actually is,” Gilden told him, “He may be, but changing his gender may have offset that. As to the others… Anyone who joined Sith in that battle and survived would be a zombie as well. But, Ryou, there is one thing you need to remember: Even now, nothing changed. Sith is no different. You simply understand now why everyone is afraid of her and why she has never died despite coming amazingly close to it.” Ryou looked down. That may have been true, but Sith was undead. He could deal with her being non-human, but she was undead. He sighed.

 

“What do I do? No one else knows,” Ryou said quietly, looking up in the sky, “Sith… what will happen to her? Will she ever be able to successfully die?”

 

“It's best that no one but you knows, Ryou. It'll make the rest of your journey easier,” Gilden said sternly, his eyes glinting with red, “As to Sith… we're not sure. The other undead Espers remained in hiding, and she's the first case we've known about. She might be able to die if she were sent to Oblivion, but I don't think you should try that either.”

 

“Then what must be done!?” Ryou cried, “Sith's in pain. She can never die, sir. I can't… let her go through that. I need to know what happens. She… aged when I went to the future. Are you saying that isn't going to happen?”

 

“…it won't,” Gilden replied, “Ryou, that future was killed when you told Sith what happened. As to her aging, I'd guess either you went to an entirely alternate reality, or she did something to merit mortality again. But I'd drop it unless you want to be disappointed. That reality exists no more; it never has. There's… a reason we don't want futures to be read. You nearly destroyed your own reality with that machine of yours.” Ryou frowned as Gilden spoke, and looked up as the Mystic himself started to ascend back into the air. Ryou had never considered that Malik sent them to a different reality. That… actually made a little sense. But then… was everything else an alternate, too? He didn't know, but at that moment, all he focused on was what Gilden told him: Sith was undead because of Rath, and was forced back here to end their score. He sighed.

 

“So Sith is a zombie,” he whispered, “It… I can't believe it, though. She seems… so real. She can walk in sunlight; she can still feel emotion. How could she be undead, and why didn't she tell me? How long did she know? Was this trip even worth anything?”

 

“It was worth every cent if you care about my sister,” Katt replied, and Ryou turned around, wondering just how Katt ended up behind him. He saw her leaving with Sith. Her frown worsened, “Ryou, I knew everything. I chose not to tell her. I wanted her… to know that this wasn't her fault. But I didn't think he'd come and just blurt it all out.” Ryou looked down at the sand. He never even considered Katt, either, and now he realized he was a fool to discount her. He always felt she was weaker than Sith, but in actuality, he now knew that wasn't the case.

 

“Please tell me we can help her,” he growled, glaring at Katt, “Please tell me that there's nothing else to shock me.”

 

“You've learned everything about my sister,” Katt assured him, “It took longer than they wanted, but you know everything now. All we can do is see what happens when we kill Rath and end a battle that shouldn't have started.” She went to walk forward, but Ryou didn't move. That was Sith's entire purpose; there was no time for a life of her own. She had one mission, and that was to put an end to the Mystics. She had been working since before she even met Ryou, and he understood why she never wanted to get too close: The end was coming for her. After this, she might not even be around anymore.

 

“…I don't want her to leave,” Ryou said suddenly, and Katt stopped, “Katt, this isn't fair. I know they're going to take her away from this world once Rath is killed. That was their whole plan, wasn't it? That's why the Espers were so harsh. They had no intention of letting either of you stay, did they?” He let out the fear that haunted him for so long in his next sentence, “They used us for this battle, didn't they?” Katt looked at him, and stared at him harder than Ryou ever saw her doing before. Then, she snorted, and turned toward where Sith had gone, which of whom was completely out of sight at that point.

 

“Sith always said that humans made morbidly good puppets,” she replied gently, “But she doesn't like playing games, Ryou. Yes, they used you. They used us all. They even used Sith, and trust me, she's definitely going to exchange words with Bahamut if she ever sees him again. But… Ryou, she hates their game. I think… if there's a way to stay here, she would find it. Even if it was only for you.” She smiled as she glanced back at Ryou, “Even beyond her very scope of thinking, she cares more about you than she does about everything else. If you ever need something to believe in, Ryou, believe in that. She would never leave you if she didn't need to.” Then, Katt finally walked away. Ryou shivered. That was a strong resolve, and he knew it was the truth. Trying to keep calm, he realized he hated Espers just as much as he hated Mystics now; there was no difference between them at all. Why did Katt have to split them apart?

 

“Sith… Katt… none of this makes much sense… but this isn't… I'll make sure you both don't leave, even if I have to fight Bahamut himself,” Ryou said, “…whatever he did to make you both come back here… I'm glad he did it.” He smiled weakly, and then ran off after Katt before she ran too far ahead. Scapples was only a stone's throw away at that point, but as Ryou reached the city, he saw that his friends had stopped, all looking down a street for something he couldn't yet see. Blinking, he asked, “What's going on?”

 

“Sith told us to wait here,” Jou told him, “She said there was something she needed to…” Jou didn't actually finish, as right then, a scream of utter agony pierced the air, followed by three loud snaps. Ryou blinked, and then gave the street a flat look. Whatever happened, he knew it was entirely Sith's doing. He saw her come back a moment later, and snorted as he heard her mumbling.

 

“Who did you break in half this time?” he asked her flatly, and she finally looked up, somewhat surprised to see him there. Her nose wrinkled.

 

“Just a Mystic that was going to blow my brains out with a gun,” Sith replied, “Rath's been here. There are Mystics all over the place.” Ryuuzaki looked over at her quizzically as Yami's eyes widened with worry.

 

“Are you sure?” Ryuuzaki asked. Sith nodded as Forte came up behind her.

 

“Either that or they're really gifted humans,” she replied, frowning slightly, “Forte is sure they're Mystics, and I don't doubt his information. The problem is, I don't know if we can get into Nesce anymore. With all of these Mystics running around, we're going to have to battle our way in, and I'm not sure I want to actually try that.” Ryou had to agree; with only two certified magicians on their side, and only a few of the Millennium guardians, their magic was rather limited unless Gilden came back. But Ryou didn't think that'd happen. Jou, however, seemed much more confident of their abilities as he held up his fists.

 

“Then I say we go and take out the trash!” he said proudly, a wide grin growing, “Come on, Sith! We're all badass, I think we can take them!” Sith snorted, and then simply laughed, shaking her head. She admired Jou's spirit, but she didn't dare to make that sort of estimation. She smiled calmly.

 

“I appreciate the spirit, Jou, but don't get in over your head yet,” Sith informed him, “We need to save our resources for Rath. Her little underlings won't be worth it unless they're also Mystic Lords. And with the exception of Gilden, we took most of them out already.”

 

“Then what do we do?” Anzu asked her, “We can't wait here, can we?” Sith looked down. That was true, they couldn't simply wait there. But for now, there wasn't much else they could do. With Mystics already storming Scapples, heading into the ruins would've been suicide. It brought back memories of her other worldly battles. Inside, it made her smile.

 

“…I think we need information,” Sith replied simply, crossing her arms as she looked down again, “We need to know who's actually here. This is a big battle, possibly the very end of what's been plaguing Ryou. If we go in right now, we could get ambushed. We need to do this slowly.” Yami nodded in agreement, but Ryou looked away. If that was true, and this whole tiring ordeal was coming to an end, would that actually force Sith to leave? He didn't know, but as he prepared to ask that, Sith turned to Basch and said, “You said you were a soldier. Tell me, sir, how you would deal with this. Reconnaissance, perhaps?” Basch stroked his chin, and then nodded.

 

“That would be best, Lady Sith,” he replied, “If information is what's needed, we should send only the brightest among us.” Sith's eyes narrowed and a sweat drop rolled down her head. That wasn't a long list, and it seemed to consist of only herself, Yami, or Kaiba, all three of whom never appeared to be able to work together. She glanced at Katt, but Katt simply shrugged, having no idea what she should say. Sith sighed.

 

“I think we might be doomed then,” she grumbled, “Okay, a recon mission isn't the best idea. We're going to need some help, then. Does anyone know… if Gilden is still around?” She looked to Ryou, knowing fully that he had stayed back to speak with the Mystic, and Ryou's faced paled. Gilden had left. Which meant that Sith's plan was blowing up again.

 

“He left, Sith,” Ryou told her gently, “After he told me… everything else about you.” Sith frowned, as he sent her a flash of the conversation. She nodded, but didn't object to it. Sighing, she looked at everyone else, but right as she was about to speak, someone landed behind her.

 

“Actually, I've been watching what's been happening,” Gilden said, crossing his arms, “I have to say, Sith, you're handling Rath's storm better than I thought.”

 

“Where did you go to?” Sith demanded sternly, glancing at the man, “Don't tell me you told her we're here.” Gilden simply snorted as he patted Ryou on the shoulder, Ryou himself glaring flatly at the Mystic.

 

“Of course not. You know I'm not on her side,” Gilden said, smirking, “I know Sceppiro's little spell rattled that brain of yours with amnesia, but you should be able to remember that clearly, right?” Sith glared at him furiously, and Ryou shook his head. That was a rather poor shot, but it did make Sith upset.

 

“Look, if you're not going to actually help us, then go away,” Ryou said, and Sith actually glanced at him in surprise, making him smile, “Otherwise, just tell us why you're here before one of us… most likely Sith… kills you.” Sith snorted, and Gilden simply blinked, not used to being talk to like that from a human. But, he simply shrugged.

 

“Fine, fine. I was just talking to Bahamut about your little worries, Ryou,” Gilden said calmly, “He's not sure he'll make Sith leave once this is through, so you have some time before your little darling there leaves you forever.” Sith raised an eyebrow as Ryou blushed, not wanting her to have heard that.

 

“Make me leave?” she asked, and then laughed, “Gilden, I highly doubt Bahamut would make me do anything if I didn't want to. You yourself said even he fears me. Trust me, I don't plan on going anywhere, so unless you came to help us stop Rath, I'd run. I don't enjoy seeing you here.” Gilden bit his lip. Ryou felt that what was said did actually dampen the man's spirit, but he was stubborn. He simply held up his hands in surrender, his grin never disappearing.

 

“Heh, your violent fits of rage haven't changed. They're the stuff of absolute legend back in ESB headquarters,” Gilden said, seeming genuinely happy despite being threatened, “Just relax. I actually came to help you kick her ass. Despite how rude some of us can be, we're all happy you finally found a decent home. And though I personally don't like it, I'll see what I can do once this is over. Ryou was right.” Sith snorted again, glancing at Ryou proudly.

 

“Ryou is usually right,” she replied, and then became much more serious, “But that is another story for a different time. Gilden, we can't get into Nesce. Rath set up all of these guards. Tell me, is there anything we can do?” Gilden looked critically at Sith, the latter of whom blinked, wondering what he was planning. When he grinned, she stepped back, raising a distrusting brow, and even Ryou stepped in front of her, wondering just what Gilden was actually trying to tell her. Finally, when he saw how anxious everyone was becoming, he sighed again.

 

“You humans need to relax. I'm not going to hurt her,” he stated, “I'm trying to think. Cyd's airship is already in Nesce, so we can't go asking him for help unless he wants to die. That means we either sneak in or… we do something else. And, unfortunately, with such a huge group, sneaking in isn't possible.”

 

“Then what's the other option?” Bakura asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. For, despite Sith's urging, this was still taking a long time to accomplish. Gilden's smirk continued.

 

“How would you all like to ride on a dragon?” he asked, and Sith stepped away again, gasping. He laughed when he heard the mere shock in her voice, and Ryou gave her an odd glance. Her wings shook, and quickly, she shook her head.

 

“Are you insane, Gilden!? How dare you even suggest that!” she cried in exasperation, “I can't just turn into a dragon on a whim! I don't even remember how!” She looked at everyone pleadingly, but with the exception of Yami, they all looked excited on the prospect of a dragon.

 

“Aww, come on, Sith! Can't you try?” Miho asked, as Shimbou said, “Dude, I've never ridden a dragon before!” Everyone else generally gave the impression that they too wanted to see a dragon, and Sith's eye twitched. She should've known Gilden would pull a stunt like this.

 

“No, no, no, no, no!” she cried, “No dragon! No dragon!!” Katt laughed at seeing Sith becoming so flustered. Never once had she ever let them rile her so much. Gilden simply snorted, turning to Katt.

 

“I think she's being really stubborn, Sceppiro,” he said smugly, “Should we help her?” Katt nodded, grinning.

 

“If it'll kick our cousin in the ass, I won't stop you,” she replied, and they both walked over, picking Sith up as she screamed, “PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!” In all honesty, Ryou felt bad for Sith. She was, after all, being forced into another situation she really rather avoided. But, her outbursts were rather endearing to him. Finally, though, Katt had to put a stop to her.

 

“Sith, will you just shut up and let us help you!?” she snapped, and Sith glared at her, wings ruffling angrily beneath her shirt, “I know you're pissed off, but come on! We need your dragon form to smear Rath along the walls! So shut up and let us do this!” Sith growled angrily, and as Katt set her down again, she crossed her arms and turned away, absolutely outraged with both her sister and Gilden. How dare they put such an idea into Ryou's head! She could have burned them for it, but ultimately, she knew this was really the best way. She simply sighed.

 

“If you both turn me into something that's not a dragon, I'm eating you once I do become one!”

 

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

 

And so, with the final bits of exposition on Sith, and the terror of realizing he married an actual zombie, Ryou now stands before the last check point before heading to Nesce. But even with Gilden's help, can Sith turn into her most terrifying form and wipe out whatever resistance they have? And, will she be forced to leave once it's all said and done? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!