Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Time Master! ❯ All Aboard the Albatross ( Chapter 25 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Mario, Final Fantasy, or any of the crossovers here. Everyone who does own their respected characters, really can't believe Sith managed to invite them all.

 

One word. All it had taken was one word to send the entire palace into chaos. Not the maddening, roaring chaos that was expected during an onslaught or an escape, but a silent, nerve-racking one, one that happened only when the worst possible situation happened. And, this was the worst situation for the council. Sith by far was affected the most; Bahamut's death meant that she might very well get worse than an exile. Ryou placed a hand on her shoulder as Mello helped her to her seat. Her skin had gone white, and she was shaking as Ryou placed her in the seat. He turned to Mello, who also looked quite pale with the news.

 

“Will she be okay?” he asked the blonde man, his voice shaking. Mello looked at Sith for a long moment, his lips thinning as he tried to determine that. He had never seen her look so terrified in her life, even when facing death. He took a deep breath.

 

“Hard to say,” Mello replied slowly, “Theoretically, she'll be fine, but emotionally, she's probably a wreck.” Ryou didn't like that one bit. He picked Sith's hand up. Even with the glove on, it felt ice cold. She looked over at him, but her eyes looked so distant. He couldn't be sure if she was even looking at him.

 

“Sith… it'll be all right,” Ryou assured her gently, “I'm sure… it's not bad.”

 

“He's dying,” she whispered, barely hearing him, “He's finally dying… what does this mean, Ryou?” Her eyes watered, and Ryou could tell she was trying to focus, but the news was just shocking. Less than an hour ago, they were excited to get the election over with… and now, it was turned upside-down. Katt was trying her best to calm the rest of the participants down, but Ryou knew it was his job to see to Sith. But, it was also his job to make sure everyone else in his world was safe, too. He looked up at Mello again.

 

“Can you please watch her? I need to talk to someone,” he stated. Mello nodded, and Ryou left Sith, heading right for Bakura. The old spirit was talking hurriedly with Yami and Ishtar, neither of whom seemed particularly happy with the news Lerena had given them. When Ryou approached, Yami motioned for Bakura, and the thief turned to face the boy. He frowned, seeing how pale Ryou had become.

 

“Don't die on us,” Bakura joked, but he sounded too serious for the joke to be anything but rude, “How's Sith holding up?” Ryou's expression turned grim, and Bakura no longer needed an answer. But, because he asked, Ryou was polite enough to answer.

 

“Not well. She nearly collapsed, I think,” Ryou replied, “I've got Mello watching her. Bakura, what's happening? Is Bahamut really dying? Is it even possible?”

 

“Oh, it's quite possible,” the thief told him, crossing his arms, “Espers live a long time, but no one is immortal. Not even the God of Espers himself. Hell, we could die a second time pretty damn easily, ourselves. But we're not sure if he's dying. A lot of magic is shifting around, and it's hard to tell what's what.” That didn't sound too good, but that did mean there was a chance Bahamut was actually well. But even so, Ryou knew the chance was slim. If he told Sith, it might do more harm to her than good. And Nesce didn't need two dead Espers.

 

“So what do we do now?” Ryou asked, and when Bakura perked a brow, he continued, “Do we stay here or should we take Sith back with us?” Bakura bit his lip. In all honesty, he didn't know how inter-world conventions like this worked. But he did want to take Sith back to Domino City. He looked over at her. Mello had gotten her to the point where she was drinking water. That was good, for now. She hadn't gone completely into shock.

 

“Think she's up to travel?” the old thief asked Yami. Yami took a look at Sith himself. Then, he looked around the room. Panic had definitely overcome most of Sith's guests. Elves were whispering and murmuring as gnomes, werewolves, and vampires looked out the windows, toward where the city of Aeroglyph laid in the distance. Humans simply tried to keep quiet. Only the Espers seemed to try to remain relatively calm; unfortunately, seeing their possible queen nearly faint shook their bravado. The pharaoh shook his head.

 

“It's not a smart move unless we want to cause a lot of commotion,” he replied, tapping his chin, “Right now, Nesce is in enough of an upheaval. Removing the only person to be crowned queen might send the whole universe into chaos. We're not dealing with just our world anymore. We're dealing with possibly thousands of them at once.” Ryou's mouth dropped. Thousands of worlds! He had learned there were only nine planets in the galaxy when he was younger, but obviously, someone had miscounted if this many worlds actually existed. It was no wonder Nesce had intertwined so badly into his own world; literally, Nesce was where all worldly conventions were held. Sith's responsibility would be insane. No, moving her would be the worst idea for all involved, especially her.

 

“What can we do then?” Ryou asked, and Yami turned to him, “Look, I don't know anything but this other-worldly stuff Sith is dealing with. It's as new to me as it is to you, but we have to help her, don't we? She's still our friend, and she's still my wife!” Yami let out a sigh. As difficult as it was to figure out how to control a room full of terrified patrons, he did agree. Sith did deserve their help, especially after watching over them all for years now.

 

“All right. We'd better help her,” Ishtar finally said, taking out the Millennium Rod, “Not sure what we can do, but we'd better do something. I don't want this screwing our world over any more than it has.” Ryou didn't particularly appreciate what Ishtar was saying, but he didn't object. The only problem was that Sith might not want to do anything yet. She might still be too shocked. And Ryou would have to ignore that. He didn't want to do that, but he forced himself to walk to where she and Mello were, Mello currently trying to get her to drink some more water to clear her head. She turned and smiled weakly at Ryou's approach.

 

“How is she holding up?” Ryou asked Mello, stopping just before them. The blonde man nodded, but he wasn't grinning at all. He looked very concerned with something, but whatever it was, Ryou couldn't tell. He found himself wishing his magic hadn't fled with Rath. Sith patted his arm, and he looked down at her. He should've remembered she'd hear his thought. And without his magic, his thoughts would be louder to her.

 

“Don't be upset, Ryou. You were never meant to have magic,” she told him, and when he tried to protest, she said, “You were meant to be a conduit, yes, but never to wield magic yourself. That may be a reason why what happened in your world happened.” Ryou's shoulders fell slightly. That didn't make any sense. He had been sure that Sith had been the cause for the Mystics appearing in his world. Even she said she must've been the reason. What changed her mind again?

 

“But I thought you caused the split in my world,” Ryou reminded her solemnly, and Mello looked down at her, this time his smile showing through. He seemed amused that she had caused such destruction.

 

“Again? Damn, what's with you and destroying worlds?” Mello asked her, and Ryou's eyes widened, “Kira's still looking for you and your brother, you know.” Ryou heard Katt snort, and Sith tried failingly to keep her grin down. Mello didn't appear to notice either of them as he waited for her answer, and it took her a minute to control herself before she started laughing at him.

 

“I'm not surprised,” she replied, “Anyway, Ryou, there are a lot of reasons why what happened in your world happened, but I'm beginning to understand how you fit into it. I may have been the one who caused your world such devastation, but what I could never figure out was why Rath came after you. Before I met you, you had no magic, correct?” Ryou nodded. As far as he knew, he had never used magic until Sith came into his life.

 

“Not that I know of, unless my mother was a magician,” Ryou told her, and quickly added, “She wasn't.” Surprisingly, Sith's smile went sly. She was hoping for that answer.

 

“Exactly. But somehow, you were able to handle the power pouring off of non-humans and use it in a way that, while we couldn't see, we could sense somehow,” she explained, “That's what initially brought you to their attention. Rath wasn't lying when she said Nesce's magic was fading; clearly, if there are Espers dying here, then something's quite wrong. But what I couldn't figure out before was how on earth it happened with you.”

 

“How'd it happen!?” Ryou asked her, “Sith, you need to tell me! I've been wondering forever!” Sith just chuckled, and Ryou noticed Mello was smiling warmly at him, as he sat on a chair to listen. Did they both know something about it?

 

“In every world, there's a certain limit of magic allotted to it at any given time,” she explained calmly, “Whenever that capacity is exceeded, the magic needs to find the best source that could be held to store itself into. Because you're so versed into the occult, some of the magic sought itself in you. It must've felt… that you'd be the best choice to use it.”

 

“And then that bitch found him and went right after him to get that magic back, right?” Mello finished. Sith nodded.

 

“Correct. When Rath found out, she'd planned to use you against me,” Sith replied, “Ryou, I might not have known what her plans were, but I did go to look for you. I… did not tell the entire truth about my memories. I forgot most of them. But one thing remained in me: a deep-seated hatred for Rath, and her identity. I knew who she was and what she wanted, I just didn't know why. But that is why I've stayed with you. Once I found you, I couldn't bring myself to leave. Not once I understood that you had magic you couldn't use. And especially not once I learnt that you used it, albeit once.” Ryou frowned at that. That meant that she had only stayed for his power. Or so, he assumed it to be. He wanted to trust Sith on this, but memories of the other Espers came to his mind as she spoke. He didn't want to remember them again.

 

“So you stayed for my power,” he replied flatly. But Sith shook her head.

 

“No. I stayed for many reasons, but your power wasn't among them,” she stated firmly, her voice echoing a strength he had never heard before, “Ryou, know this, and know this well. A person's strength isn't decided by the magic they own or the knowledge they possess. It's judged by how they love and what they do. I chose to stay, not only because it was the right thing, but because I love you, all of you. I had decided, when you and your friends decided that my cause was worth it, that I owed it to you to see that you were safely out of harm's way.” Ryou couldn't help but smile. He'd always known she'd cared about them all, but something in her voice always reassured him, even if he thought he hadn't needed it. Somehow, it reminded him of his own mother, if only because she had always been able to assure Ryou, too.

 

“So… if you knew all along about Rath, why did you seem so surprised when we saw all the other Mystics?” Ryou asked, wondering how much of what happened Sith actually knew, “You seemed shocked, anyway.” Sith just grinned, leaning back in her seat. Either the answer amused her, or Ryou's future reaction was playing in her mind. It was hard to tell with her.

 

“I didn't say I remembered everything,” Sith replied easily, “Katsaiga is the kindest of the four of them, and it was her who initially tried to keep the war from spilling over into so many different worlds. I remembered her because it was she who informed me of Rath's betrayal, long ago. But Amber had played no part in that battle, and Falnika, I wanted to block out for all of eternity. She is the one who's hurt me the most. And Rath… is my cousin. Family can never truly be forgotten.” Ryou sighed heavily. He never wanted to admit Rath was part of Sith's blood, but she did have a point. To this day, he could never forget his own mother, or his sister. And he doubted he ever would. He simply nodded.

 

“Anything else I should know?” he asked, his voice carrying just a hint of teasing to it. Sith shook her head.

 

“No. I've pretty much told you everything,” she replied, “Except for whatever happened in the past, when I wasn't involved in your world. But those are stories for later times. Right now, we need to get to Aeroglyph.” Ryou's eyes widened just a little bit. That was something he hadn't entirely expected; while he had guessed they'd have to go somewhere, he didn't expect Sith to suggest Aeroglyph so quickly. He looked at Mello, but the blonde man seemed eager to get going, whether he knew he was going or not. Sith stood up, and on her mark, everyone turned to her at once. Ryou flinched. He would never get used to that, if this happened to become part of his life, as well. She just smiled at him before addressing the crowd.

 

“Friends and councilmen, we've hit upon a tragedy that, until quite recently, hasn't come to pass for nearly three thousand years. Bahamut is in trouble, if he hasn't died already, so we must make haste,” she told them all sternly, “I plan to head to Aeroglyph immediately. Those who wish to join, board the Albatross. Those who wish to stay, do so.” Needless to say, the room went into a frenzy of mixed conversations as people from all over Oblivion debated on what they planned to do. Ryou, thankfully, knew what he was doing: he was joining Sith, and he was surprised to find he was happy that Mello would be joining as well. As was Yami, and Bakura. Forte, who had remained hidden in the back, suddenly rushed to Sith's side, absolutely bent on making sure his `mother' wouldn't be smothered by such a crowd. Though he couldn't see her, Ryou had a feeling Katt was also coming, and that meant Malik would be there as well. In the end, only a dozen people were going after all. Everyone else thought it best to remain in St. Roris to keep the news from overwhelming the entire world, or from spilling into another world itself. Sith had agreed to it, and before the next hour struck, her small army was already heading for the airship she had mentioned. They had stormed out of the hall, and went through a spiral staircase that wound downward, into the basements of the palace.

 

“I've… never been to this part of Nesce, Sith. Just where are we?” Mello asked her, as they passed a burly Esper guard, who saluted upon seeing Sith. Ryou's eyes widened. Mello had actually been in Nesce before!? He couldn't help but feel just a little jealous of that fact.

 

“You've been here before?” he ended up asking, failing to keep that little bit of envy out of his voice. Mello nodded, though Ryou couldn't tell if he was grinning or not in the dim light.

 

“Yeah, long time ago. At least, according to Nesce's sense of time,” the man replied, and when Ryou's curiosity grew, Mello continued, “It's complicated, but some worlds work much different with time than others. In my world, it's only been about a year since Sith left. But obviously, it's been much longer outside of that world, because you both are married, and Sith went through an entire childhood since leaving my world.” He looked up at the ceiling as he explained that, and he clearly thought he was confusing Ryou, because he simply ended with, “Anyway, yeah, I've been to Nesce. A few times, actually.” Ryou's lips thinned. He didn't like that Mello was allowed to go to Nesce, where he was kept away from it. He turned to Sith just a bit too quickly for her not to notice his irritation.

 

“Why was he allowed here?” the boy asked bitterly. Sith almost chuckled at the jealousy, but that would've just pissed him off. She waved the question away just a bit too easily for his comfort.

 

“Ryou, I wasn't lying when I said Nesce had been in your world for the past three thousand years,” she told him, her voice much more serious than her wave had been, “Do you honestly think I hadn't tried to revive my kingdom within that gap of time?” Ryou looked down at the ground. He had often wondered why Sith knew where a lot of places surrounding Domino City had been, even if she hadn't lived there until she met up with Ryou. Now he knew. She'd been in his own time before, but it had been before he'd been born. But then…

 

“Sith, I thought you said you hadn't come back to this world since you ran away!” Bakura cried, thoroughly confused with her, “What the fuck is going on? Were you here or weren't you!?” Sith seemed particularly amused with Bakura's outburst, and Mello couldn't help but laugh.

 

“I never said I never came here again. I merely said I was forced to come here once Bahamut caught up to me,” Sith reminded him kindly, and Ryou was absolutely sure Bakura's head would explode with that answer, “Give me some credit here, all of you. A lot of things, I never said.”

 

“You never said you'd lie to us all the time, either,” Bakura grumbled, and Ryou silently agreed. Sith had promised not to keep any more secrets, but obviously, she was lying about that, too. When he told her this, she actually laughed at him.

 

“Ryou, I haven't kept secrets from you,” she replied, and when he glared, she said, “You've never asked me about any of this. If one wishes to learn, Ryou, one must ask. It's basic logic.” Ryou was certain his own head would explode with that one. Sith might've been right, but that just wasn't fair! And Mello was still laughing! Right then, Ryou didn't know who he wanted to punch more: Sith, for finding loopholes with everything and exploiting them, or Mello for laughing at him for it.

 

“So you're basically saying we're stupid?” Malik asked her, but she didn't respond. She merely grinned again. And Malik caught it, which Ryou was sure it was meant to be caught. Malik immediately called, “Sith!?” Not to his surprise, Mello took the opportunity to answer for her.

 

“Well, is your IQ over 150?” he asked, and when Malik didn't answer, he said, “To me, you're an idiot. And unfortunately for me, I'm pretty sure Sith's smarter than I am.” Ryou's eye twitched. He really didn't like Mello calling them all a bunch of idiots. Now he could see why Sith left him. He was unusually annoying.

 

“Yeah, well, I'd like to see you duel Kaiba!” Bakura snapped, and when Mello looked over at him, confused, the old thief cackled and said, “He's smarter than everyone! Even me, and that's really smart.” Ryou simply rolled his eyes. Bakura was many things, but overly intelligent wasn't one he'd call the old spirit. Rude, annoying, offensive, and manipulative were welcome, but intelligent never struck a cord. And shockingly, Mello seemed to already understand this. His grin grew wide as he leaned closer to the deranged thief.

 

“If you're the smartest man here, then defeating Light Yagami's moronic twin should be a damn snap,” the blonde stated, and Sith snorted. Ryou didn't know who Light Yagami was, so he didn't understand the joke. But obviously, there had to be some resemblance between the two. Bakura glared at Mello, and the two stared at each other. In all honesty, the showdown seemed almost ironic to Ryou. Considering her past, Ryou felt he should be battling Mello. To see Bakura picking fights with him was almost laughable. Mainly because Bakura would lose.

 

“All right, wiseass. If you're so damn smart, name one thing I did wrong!” the thief declared, his psychotic grin reaching full width, “In fact, I dare all of you to find fault!” That was a fatal mistake in a game of wits. Even if only Yami could perfectly recall the events of the past, at the very least, Ryou, Malik, and Sith all knew what Bakura had attempted. And it was Sith who pointed out the one mistake that had led, and would lead again, to Bakura's downfall, however small it was.

 

“…Zork was a pretty dumb idea, if you ask me,” she replied flatly, and Bakura's mouth dropped. Yami couldn't help but laugh. Sith had been one of his knights, and one of his friends, and once again, she pulled through for him. He hadn't asked her to answer, but the fact that she had was just hysterical. Ryou snorted in amusement, and Mello seemed intrigued with whatever was happening. He hadn't known about Zork, but he could guess at just how stupidly the thief's plan had turned out. The only one who wasn't either laughing or watching was Bakura himself as he closed his mouth and pointed an accusing finger at Sith.

 

“…YOU!” he growled, eye twitching, “I knew it! I should've known that once you regained yourself, you'd just kick my ass with it! I should've just banished your past when we met her!” Sith just perked an amused brow, silently daring Bakura to even try it. Ryou prayed Bakura wouldn't do anything. He knew that even before her discovery, Sith was already more powerful than Bakura. It would've been foolish to try fighting her before. Now, it was just suicide. Mello just snorted, looking away.

 

“You sure had an interesting life in their world, Sith,” he commented, and Ryou noticed that he sounded distant as he spoke. Bakura stopped arguing, and everyone slowly stared at Mello. He didn't appear to notice, though, for he kept walking. Link and Gustave, who'd taken to guarding the front of the team, merely watched his retreating back. Ryou glanced to Sith as everyone else shrugged and began to follow as well, not quite understanding what Mello had meant. She seemed especially concerned. Ryou's brow creased. He wanted to be angry and tell her not to listen to the blonde, but he found himself feeling bad for the man. He forced his look away from her.

 

“Think he's okay?” Ryou asked her. Sith's eyes softened a little, and she let out a heavy sigh. Calmly, she laid a hand on Ryou's shoulder.

 

“I'm not sure. But let's go. We need to attend to Bahamut,” she replied. Ryou nodded, and silently, they took up the rear of the group. Mello had already gone far ahead by the time they reached the hall that held Sith's airship. Everyone stopped just short of the ramp that led onto the ship, and parted to let Sith through. She walked, but Ryou noticed she was hesitant. She looked around the large dock, but Mello was nowhere in sight. Ryou bit his lip, and joined her as she walked up the ramp. Everyone boarded after her, and after giving Forte command of the ship, Sith retired into the large cabin that was there. Everyone else remained on deck as the ship left the palace's port, and watched as Nesce soon sprawled out underneath them. They saw a large pack of cat-like creatures heading northwest, and Ryou used that distraction to slip away, following where Sith had gone.

 

When he entered the cabin, he came to the living room first. It was a large room, half divided into a kitchen, the other half being kept for entertaining guests on the ship. But neither Sith nor Mello were in either room. Ryou walked on, coming to a hallway that spanned down the rest of the long ship. Doors dotted both sides of the hall, and all of them were closed. Shoes making unusually loud noises on the carpet, Ryou walked down the hall, keeping his ears open for Sith's voice. He couldn't help but feel that he was being very clumsy as he wandered the hall. He was sure his steps would give him away, but nothing stirred. He stopped momentarily to take a deep breath, careful not to make a sound, and continued on. He heard just a trace of a voice, and recognized it to be Mello's. The man was speaking to someone, and when the second voice spoke, he found it was Sith's. Ryou ran swiftly toward the door where the voices were loudest. He put his hand on the knob, and then hesitated. Why was he following his wife like this? He trusted her. He trusted Mello. So why was he getting so upset? He put his ear to the door and listened.

 

“Don't be sorry, Mello,” he heard Sith say, “You have a right to be upset. Just please, don't just leave.” Ryou blinked quickly, wondering what they could've been talking about. Whatever it was, it seemed serious. Especially if Mello was actually considering leaving.

 

“Ryou doesn't deserve that,” Mello replied grimly, “He's a good guy. I just… damn it, Sith… it all got so screwed up when you left. We… could've used you.” Ryou looked down. Mello sounded pretty upset, though Ryou didn't blame him. Sith wasn't a welcome person in most worlds, it seemed. If she had to run, there was only one reason, one Mello either didn't know about or just didn't care about: Rath had probably found her. Or Bahamut. Or even both. Wanting to explain this, Ryou opened the door. Sith turned, and both she and Mello were shocked to see him; they had thought he was still outside, with everyone else.

 

“Ryou!?” they both called. Ryou nodded, smiling weakly as he walked inside, closing the door. He sat down next to Mello, and across from Sith. For a long moment, all three of them were silent. The tension felt thick, something Ryou wasn't surprised with. Tension was always thick during times like these.

 

“Are you both okay?” he finally asked, glancing from one to the other. Sith looked away, but Mello nodded.

 

“We're both fine,” he replied calmly, though sadly, “I'm sorry, guys. It's just… Ryou, before Sith came here… you guessed it right when you thought she and I had something. We did. For a little while.” Sith glared furiously at Mello, but Ryou just smiled again. He seemed rather… relieved by the news. Sith was perturbed by it. She tilted her head curiously, but he just patted her hand.

 

“I'm not surprised,” he replied gently, “I thought there was something. When I heard him joke so openly about it, I thought it was true. I'm glad to know I was right.” Mello seemed perplexed about Ryou's reaction, but Sith was absolutely panicked. She mistook his calmness toward it for sadness. She grabbed his hands, her eyes widening fearfully behind her glasses. Ryou didn't need his power to know she was terrified of something.

 

“Ryou, it was nothing serious!” she exclaimed quickly, “I promise, it's not as…”

 

“Sith, relax,” he said gently, smiling, “I never said I was mad. Just… not surprised.” He chuckled, but Sith wasn't amused. Neither was Mello. He stopped, and taking a deep breath, he said, “Why not tell me about it?” Mello actually laughed, but Sith looked disturbed by the question. Obviously, she felt it was none of his business, but likewise, he felt the opposite.

 

“Ryou, absolutely not!”

 

“Sith… tell me,” he replied sternly, and for once, she seemed to heed him seriously, “I want to know. I want to know what you were like… back then.” Sith blinked. She didn't know why it would matter to him. She was basically the same way she was now. Besides, now wasn't a good time for that. But when she reminded him of that, he merely ignored her and turned to Mello. The blonde was much more likely to answer, which he did.

 

“Well, at first it was just a joke, you know…” Mello began, snorting, “My dumbass friend was the one who started it. He used to make fun of Sith because she's… well, old.” That earned him a glare from Sith, but he just grinned and continued, “I told him there was nothing wrong with older women… and of course, being myself, I hit on her. Worked like a charm!” Ryou snuck a glance at Sith, and almost laughed hysterically. She was rightly outraged with Mello. If she hadn't been so reserved about it, Ryou was sure she'd smack the other half of Mello's face off… if she hadn't been the cause of the first half. Which, thankfully, she wasn't. No, that glory was from Mello himself.

 

“Excuse me!?” she asked, her voice going higher than Ryou thought it should, “I am not that old! And your `charm' was not that charming! I only responded because you would've done something amazingly stupid if I hadn't!” Ryou tried to hide his laughter, wondering just what sort of relationship she could've possibly had with Mello, but Mello just leaned closer, his grin growing smug and arrogant. Two combinations that never worked well with Sith. The many slap marks Bakura had over the years proved just that.

 

“But you still went out with me, babe,” he whispered, and Ryou was sure Sith would lose it. But she didn't. Her eye twitched, but she simply sat back and crossed her arms as Mello turned back to Ryou, continuing his story, “Anyway, after reciting some poetry I managed to read, she was practically falling into my arms!”

 

“I WAS NOT!” she screamed, and in turn, told Ryou what her side of the story was, “Ryou, it went like this: Mello and I met in a bar. Seriously, in a bar. He got himself drunk. I walked him back to wherever the hell he lived, and made sure he didn't die on me. We became friends, and unfortunately for me, that entailed meeting his friend, Matt.

 

“Now, Matt's just as ridiculously moronic as Mello can be sometimes, so bear with me as I tell the truth,” she continued, glaring at Mello as she spoke, who simply grinned widely at her, “One night, we went out to eat. I wasn't about to cook for two young men who can't drag their asses off a computer, and Mello had some money to burn. During that night, Matt got it into his damned head that it would be fun to tease us. It was not fun. I told Mello that I was leaving unless Matt shut his mouth. So, in turn, Mello thought the way to go was to prove Matt wrong.” Ryou had no idea who Matt was, but he didn't need to know to guess the outcome. That was where Mello rendition, however ridiculous he made it seem, came to play. But just for the sake of hearing Sith out, he asked about it anyway.

 

“Then what happened?” he asked. Mello wanted to protest, but Sith silenced him with her index finger. She wasn't in the mood for him. Ryou doubted she ever was.

 

“Then Mello does just as he said and he hits on me,” she replied, “I was tired of hearing them bicker about my age. So, I said yes. And… well, we dated, as any normal couple would.” Ryou just nodded. He couldn't help but find that amusing. That wasn't a way he'd have imagined Sith getting her first date. But, as if to confirm it, Mello proudly stood up, hands on his hips.

 

“It lasted for eight months, too!” he exclaimed, triumphantly. Ryou, who considered the fact that he had been with Sith for close to three years… six if a certain Mystic hadn't screwed with time… didn't think eight little months was something to brag about. He didn't need to remind Mello that Sith obviously left him. He didn't need a bullet replacing his eyeball. Besides, Sith was already looking at him flatly.

 

“Yes, until, of course, you decided that bombing your face off was the way to do things,” she replied blandly, “When I saw you blow up, I was sure… you died. I had no other reasons to be there.” Not only did Ryou's eyes widen at that, but Mello's did as well. Obviously, that was one fact he hadn't known. Ryou looked at Mello, and then at Sith.

 

“He bombed himself!?” Ryou asked, as Mello said, “You left… because you thought I'd died…” Sith nodded, answering both questions.

 

“Yes, my friend. I thought you died,” she replied quietly, “I had no idea what else to think. I left as soon as possible. I didn't think to call anyone and ask where you were.” Mello looked down for a moment, trying to make sense of that. Ryou looked from him, to her again. He could guess what happened next.

 

“Bahamut caught up with you, didn't he?” Ryou asked, and Sith nodded slowly. She folded her hands, watching them for a few seconds before replying again.

 

“Yes. He caught up with me and I was sent here with Sceppiro,” she ended, “Mello, if I had thought you were alive, I'd never have left like that.” Mello just nodded, but couldn't speak. Ryou just patted his back. He didn't know how he should be feeling. He felt bad for Mello; the poor guy didn't even realize why Sith would leave his world. Finding her engaged and with amnesia couldn't have possibly helped him much, either. But at least he didn't stop the wedding. Which made Ryou wonder why he was the one to host it in the first place. When he asked, Mello perked up and laughed, startling both Ryou and Sith.

 

“That was entirely Matt's fault,” he said, grinning again, “We needed an ass-load of money to get through with the next phase of our brilliant plan to catch Kira. Mainly because he blew it on video games, but anyway, when he booked the wedding, he didn't make the connection, because at that time, Sith… well, wasn't Sith back then. When I saw her… I kind of did want to crash the wedding, but I saw she was doing all right. That was enough.” Ryou patted his back again. He did seem to care a lot about Sith. Sith herself just breathed deeply, looking out the window at something. She turned around, and saw both Mello and Ryou smiling. She returned to her seat.

 

“This is why Espers don't like getting involved with humans,” she said slowly, and Ryou tilted his head, “Something bad happens and it gets mixed up like this, eh?” Ryou just chuckled, and Mello laughed again. That was true enough, but even humans on their own mixed up their lives that way. That was how it worked, and if Sith didn't know that, Ryou couldn't do too much to help her with that.

 

“You could've just left both of us, couldn't you?” he joked, “If we're so `mixed up,' right?” Sith smiled thinly and nodded. She didn't actually find that amusing, but she was trying. Mello just snorted and patted her arm.

 

“Doesn't help that we can just jump around worlds and mess shit up, either,” he commented, and both agreed, “Anyway, Ryou, that's the gist of our relationship. A bit of a joke, but a fun ride anyway. And, I totally proved Matt wrong, too!” Ryou couldn't help but snort. Sith had to have been fuming with that! Any girl would've been offended. Silently, she raised her hand, and then smacked Mello over the head, nearly knocking him right off the bed.

 

“It's nice to know I was useful in some way,” she grumbled, and Ryou just laughed, hugging her. He didn't even want to tell Mello how many times she smacked Bakura around in much the same way, for much the same reasons. Mello just shook his head a bit, and grinned confidently again. Ryou remembered vaguely that Sith had called him a `genius' before, but if he had the nerve to still annoy her, obviously he was either really bold, or just a bit stupid. Right then, Ryou didn't know which could've been right.

 

“Hey, babe. Don't get mad just because you happen to be a couple thousand years old,” he said, and Ryou knew he was about to make another dumb remark, “Besides, old women are great! They're good cooks, they don't yell at you, and if you flatter them, they dump shitloads of presents on you!” That was a very dumb remark to make, and Ryou wasn't the least bit surprised when Sith smacked Mello again. But, this time, he fell right over, sliding across the floor and slamming into the wall. Likewise, Sith and Ryou fell off the bed, too, crashing onto the ground. A loud boom was heard outside, and then the ship shook violently. Mello, thoroughly dizzy, sat up slowly, shaking his head to clear it.

 

“Sith, you didn't need to rock the entire ship,” he stated, his eyes trying to adjust to the room, which was spinning, “A simple `shut up' works wonders.” Ryou helped Sith to sit up, straightening her glasses for her as she stared flatly at Mello again. Whatever had happened, she hadn't been the cause of it. She was powerful, but not so much as to make anything rattle like that. No, this was something else. Ryou guessed whatever it was had to be whatever Sith was looking at through the window.

 

“That wasn't me,” she told him, “Either the ship's engine's jammed up, or someone did a horrible job on landing this thing.” Ryou hoped it was the latter, because if the engine did stop, they were seriously screwed. All three of them stood up, Mello picking up the table to try and straighten the room when the door knocked. Sith straightened the end of her dress, and told whoever it was to enter. It was the chubby man with the Italian accent again. His mustache twitched as he ran in.

 

“Lady Sith-a, we have arrived in-a Aeroglyph!” he told her excitedly, and ran out. Sith looked at both Ryou and Mello. That was a very quick ride. Whoever steered the ship went amazingly fast; all three had seen how far away Aeroglyph was to St. Roris. Ryou took her hand, and with Mello behind them, they walked out and into the hall. The crash hadn't affected the hall badly, but the living room was an absolute mess. Chairs, tables, paintings, books, and lamps had been thrown about carelessly, and Ryou was surprised anything had managed to survive such a rumble. Even in a small tremor, something was always bound to break. He led Sith through the path of destruction and toward the deck door, which Mello kicked down impatiently. No one else was on the deck.

 

“LOOK OUT BELOW!” Mello yelled, as he ran right off the edge of the deck, jumping down to the ground far below. Ryou winced as he heard a crunch, and hoped Mello hadn't broken himself… or anyone else, for that matter. Sith walked to the edge, and picked Ryou up, which embarrassed him greatly; he never liked being carried like a child. He tried to protest, but Sith didn't let him say much of anything before she too jumped off, her wings opening up to slow their fall. They landed gracefully on the ground below, and she immediately let him go. She looked around where they had landed. It was in one of the many courtyards around the large capital. But… no one else was around, save for herself and whomever she had brought along. That bothered her.

 

“Are there any citizens here?” she asked Gustave, who exchanged words with the elf from before. After a brief moment, he looked at her and shook his head.

 

“No. They've all gone to St. Roris to attend the council,” he replied, “The only ones here are Bahamut and Tiamat.” Ryou heard Sith curse. That couldn't have been a good sign for her. Tiamat had helped them nearly two years ago, when a second Mystic had attacked Ryou, but she had warned Sith specifically. Bahamut was no doubt still angry with her, even if he appeared kind to Ryou. For both of them to be here, must have meant Sith was in some serious trouble.

 

“They wouldn't punish her, would they?” Bakura asked Yami, but neither spirit had an answer for that. Only going and seeing them would yield the results. But Sith seemed particularly hesitant about doing so, and no one blamed her. They all must've found out at some point or another what had happened.

 

“Sith, are you okay?” Ryou asked her, when she didn't move or speak for some time. She nodded stiffly, and Ryou turned to see what she was looking at. The palace loomed high above them some distance away, and dark clouds were beginning to cover the sky. It looked as though a storm were coming, casting half of Aeroglyph in darkness, the other half fighting in the waning daylight.

 

“I don't like this,” she said calmly, but there was a subtle level of fear in her voice that Ryou caught, “It's as though the city's becoming entangled in darkness again.”

 

“Do you sense anything bad?” Yami asked her, but to his surprise, she shook her head. Ryou's eyebrows creased with worry, wondering what could've been the problem.

 

“No. That's what worries me,” Sith replied, as the elf drew his sword, “There's nothing here. Even the storm isn't producing any evil waves.” Ryou hummed, wondering what that could've meant. He wasn't sure if Nesce even had natural storms. He turned to the castle in the distance. That was where the problem was. That was probably where Bahamut and Tiamat currently were. And that was where the battle that had caused Sith's exile and Ryou's world to nearly be destroyed. So many bad things had happened in that castle.

 

“Think the dragon's death has anything to do with it?” Malik asked, “Could it be blocking anything out?” Sith focused her gaze on the castle, but she couldn't tell for certain. Something this catastrophic had never occurred before, so she had no experience with it, despite her old age.

 

“I doubt it, but I wouldn't rule it out,” she replied, “It could just be that this world's been through too much evil for anyone to sense anything more. A lot of things have happened here. Many of which led to my race's downfall.” Yami just nodded as he took a look at the castle next. It'd been three thousand years since he'd seen it; it hadn't changed much since then, either. It was still made of crystal, perfect, uncut, unharmed crystal. He glanced at Sith. She continued to stare at it. He nudged her arm carefully, and she snapped out of what he was sure was a deep thought to look at him.

 

“We have to go inside soon, Sith,” he whispered to her. She sighed, and nodded. She knew she had to, but honestly, she didn't really want to see Bahamut. She was still angry with what he forced Katt to do so many years ago, and she knew neither Mello nor Ryou, nor even Yami, were going to be enthusiastic to see him, either. For that matter, no one would've been happy to see him, even if he was healthy. But they had to go. It was respectful, as a final wish to him. She stepped forward, her overcoat billowing slightly as she moved. The cobble beneath her cracked a little bit, and she stepped lighter as she continued on another foot or so. Then she stopped and looked up. The clouds swirled against the top of the castle.

 

“…let's go inside. We might already be too late,” she said grimly, and led them all away from the airship. Even though it was dark, and a storm was brewing, Ryou understood what Sith meant by not sensing anything. Even without his power, he was still able to pick up traces here and there, but in Aeroglyph, there wasn't much of anything. It felt a little too dull for his liking. As they walked down the cobbled path, he silently wondered where all of the other Espers could've possibly been.

 

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

 

And so, after boarding the Albatross and listening to both Mello's and Sith's sides of their relationship, Ryou has now arrived in Aeroglyph. Even though there's a storm, and Bahamut is nearing his death, no one is able to sense how or why, or if it's even real. So, what could possibly be going on inside the castle? Will they walk in on a dead dragon? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!