Sakakku

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Chapter 24

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Ryou was talking with Malik through the window when Kaya entered the room. Yesterday, she'd refused to acknowledge any thanks; and when she entered now she gave him a scornful look before proceeding to ignore him.

"That's Kaya?" Malik whispered, lowering his voice. "Move aside, I've never seen her." Ryou obediently shifted his head, and Malik pressed against the invisible boundary. "She looks like Geoff," Malik said softly, studying what of her face he could see. (Ryou, who had met Geoff the night before, during his long talk with Malik, had also noticed this) "Except her hair is so different." Ryou stole a glance at the multi-colored hair; the brown and red and gold and grey. "She's awfully pretty," Malik continued, and Ryou started. He took a longer glance at Kaya; she was. Her features were soft and her brown eyes were deep. But… "But she looks so sad," Malik finished, echoing Ryou's thoughts. "I wonder if…" his voice broke off. "Close the window," he hissed. Ryou quickly lifted a fist and hit the window; it dissolved into blackness. But he soon hit it again and the picture cleared; he could now see Malik although no one in the other room could see him.

Malik had moved a few feet down the wall and appeared to be sitting and thinking quietly when the door opened. Geoff walked in and quickly began speaking to Malik. He appeared to be disturbed about something and was waving his arms around excitedly.

Ryou waited a few minutes to make sure no Rare Hunters were following Geoff in, then reopened the window. Within a second, Malik and Geoff were right there, looking at him with barely-controlled anxiety.

"Yami's here!" Malik hissed.

"Yami's here? Where?" Ryou blinked.

"In this city! Outside the palace!" Malik drew in a shaky breath. "Geoff's going to help me escape. I'm going to try to meet up with Yami and the others."

"Are you serious?" Ryou asked in a hushed whisper.

"I can get him out," Geoff told him seriously.

Kaya, who had jerked a little when Malik mentioned Geoff, heard his voice. "Geoff?" she asked, breaking away from the wall and hurrying over. Ryou scooted over to make room for her, but she halted a few feet away from the window and flushed. He wondered what could have happened during their last meeting.

"Kaya!" Geoff sounded glad to see her. "Kaya, listen. Get Ryou out of that room and bring him to Malik's door. We'll meet you halfway. Then if you want, you can stay out of the way while I bring them outside. But you need to hurry."

"But…" Kaya's voice trailed off. The window had dissolved without Ryou touching it. She moved forward to touch the wall; it was gone altogether. She supposed Geoff was covering his tracks.

Ryou was looking down; his hair covered his eyes from her sight. He probably didn't think that she'd help him.

She hesitated, thinking of Geoff. He was risking so much to help Malik. Why? Why did he have to put his own life in danger?

Kaya crossed over and stood impatiently at the door. "Well?" she asked when Ryou didn't move. "What are you waiting for? You can't cross unless you're holding my hand."

He looked up at her, eyes large. She bit her lip and refocused her attention at the door, holding out her hand. Without a word, he moved up and grasped her palm; Kaya opened the door easily, without the pain that Ryou had experienced when he went near the knob, and they stepped through.

It was literally stepping through shadows- but it felt like wading through death. Ryou felt shivers go up his spine, and squeezed Kaya's hand before letting go on the opposite side. "Thank you," he said, in a soft whisper, gazing around. All this had been only two feet away from him but he'd never seen it.

"Come on," she whispered, sounding annoyed with him. "Malik's door is only a few feet down this hall- oh!" She skipped back, nearly crashing into him, and Ryou stumbled. "Sssh!" she said, but she no longer sounded angry. Her eyes danced nervously. "There's a Rare Hunter in between your doorways!"

Ryou's eyes widened. "Did he see us?" he whispered, sound barely passing his lips.

"No," she whispered. "I think he's dozing." Cautiously, the two of them edged forward and stuck their heads around the corner.

A few feet passed the sleeping Rare Hunter, Geoff and Malik were doing the same thing. The four of them exchanged helpless glances. Malik took a few steps forward, but the Rare Hunter shifted and grumbled. Geoff caught Malik's arm, shaking his head firmly.

'We'll go around,' Kaya mouthed, pointing down the hallway to illustrate her point. 'Meet you there.'

Geoff nodded reluctantly, and they locked gazes before Kaya turned her head and scurried away. Ryou followed her quickly. "Where are we going?" he whispered when he thought they were far enough from the Rare Hunter.

Kaya's eyes were always darting around, looking for other Rare Hunters. "We're trying to find another hallway," she whispered. "One that connects to wherever Geoff and Malik are so we… so you can go with them."

"Oh," Ryou said, biting his lips. "Th-thank you, Kaya." She stopped walking abruptly, and once again he nearly crashed into her.

"You're welcome," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

He knew what she meant: "It's okay."

Her eyes glistened, but she quickly moved forward again. The two of them made their way down the hallway, growing more and more nervous.

"There are no other hallways!" Ryou said, looking around. "Shouldn't there have been at least one side passage by now?"

"I've never been in this end of the palace," Kaya admitted. "I don't know what's down here… oh. No."

Ryou heard it too: footsteps. He clenched his teeth. "There's nowhere to hide!"

"We could try one of the doors," Kaya said quickly, looking around. There may not have been any side passages, but there were plenty of doors. She crossed over and put her hand on a knob, tugging.

"It's locked."

"I'll try this door," Ryou said, dashing over to the one across the hall. He tried it: "It's locked too."

They moved down the hallway trying doors at light-speed, the footsteps growing louder. Due to the echoes, they'd heard them while the person was still relatively far away, but they were moving closer all the time.

The doors were all locked, and the two were growing frantic. "Ryou, do you think I should just break one down?" Kaya asked.

"Yes," he agreed after a moment of consideration. They were out of options and out of time. "Can you open it quietly?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, already focusing her magic on the door. "That's odd…" she mused. "This one has a magic lock too. I wonder if they all do."

Ryou started to respond, but the door slid smoothly open. The two of them ducked in, and as Ryou pulled the door closed as quickly as he could while still being quiet, he caught a glimpse of the person they'd heard. It was a Rare Hunter; he saw a flash of the trademark purple coat.

"Thank goodness," he heaved, sliding a lock in place and sliding down against the door to settle on the floor. "That was close, Kaya, I actually saw the Rare Hunter."

"Did he see you?" she asked, scanning the room.

"No." Ryou, too, glanced around. "Are we in somebody's chambers?" he asked doubtfully.

"I… think so," Kaya said doubtfully. The room was huge, and fairly sparse. A giant four-poster bed sat in the corner. There were couches along one wall, and a giant table in the middle covered in papers and old scrolls and… weapons. "But who would be living here…" her voice trailed away, and she and Ryou turned to look at each other in unison.

"Oh dear," Ryou said weakly. Across the room, a door opened and his yami stepped through.

"Kaya?" Bakura growled, catching sight of the standing girl first. "What in Ra's name are you doing in here? You-" he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Ryou, still sitting meekly at the foot of the door. He made the connection fast; Kaya wouldn't have been able to bluff their way out of it. So she didn't try.

"Run!" she yelped, lunging for the lock. Ryou scrambled to his feet, and as soon as he was out of the way, Kaya swung open the door. The two of them dashed through, forgetting about the Rare Hunter until they were on the other side.

"Aah!" Ryou said, colliding with him. He and the Rare Hunter went tumbling to the floor. Kaya whirled around and pressed her hands to the door, trying to lock it solidly. The wood quavered, and Ryou knew Bakura was trying to force his way out. But at the moment, his main concern was with the Rare Hunter.

The Hunter had had the hood pulled low over his eyes and tied tightly, and Ryou used that to his advantage. He went to smack the Rare Hunter, but the man had better reflexes, and caught his fist. "Ouch!" he yelped.

The man under the Rare Hunter cloak blinked. There was no mistaking that British accent. "…Ryou?"

Ryou blinked, freezing. There was no mistaking that Brooklyn accent. "…Joey?"

"Ryou!" Joey said happily, releasing his fist and jumping to his feet. "I can't believe it!"

"Joey! What are you doing here?!" Ryou scrambled up as well and flew at his friend. "I'm so glad to see you!"

The door, and the wall around it, exploded. Joey, acting out of reflex, dived for his deck.

A sheet of black covered Ryou, and for a few panicked seconds he thought he was dead. Then he heard Joey breathing heavily beside him, and realized he'd activated a trap card.

Bits of stone rained on the box they were in for a while. When the sound died away, Joey cautiously touched his deck again. The box disappeared, leaving Ryou and Joey standing in the middle of a pile of stone rubble. Part of the wall was missing and Bakura was standing where it used to be. His body was glowing a deep black and he seemed unharmed. Just as the Fairy Box Joey tucked back into his deck had saved the two boys, the magic of his Millennium Items had left Bakura unhurt.

But… what had saved Kaya? Ryou quickly spun around to where she'd been standing last. She was sprawled on her side. Her robes were caked in dust and bits of stone lay around her. A particularly large piece was trapping her leg. Another piece, about the size of Ryou's fist, was lying next to her head. The stone, the floor around it, and Kaya's head were all soaked in blood.

He didn't want to look at her face. He didn't have to.

"My…" Joey began, but stopped and shook his head. He looked at the dead girl a moment. He had no idea who she was, but Ryou had known her, judging by the tears welling up in those large brown eyes. "Ryou," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He stole a glance at Bakura; the black light had faded. Bakura was now simply standing there, gazing with glazed eyes at the rubble.

Joey Wheeler never ran from a fight. But this wasn't the right time.

"Ryou," he said again, more urgently, grasping the boy's arm. "Listen, we need to leave! Before your yami snaps out of it!"

Ryou peered up at him, as if lost, then looked at Bakura again. His eyes widened. "He's fighting it!"

"What?" Joey asked, clueless.

"Joey, leave," Ryou said urgently. "Bakura hasn't seen you, I don't think."

"Well, then, let's go!"

"No," Ryou said quietly, prodding Joey in the back. "There's something wrong with Bakura."

"Well, I knew that," Joey snorted.

"He's fighting something within himself," Ryou said. "Some great evil."

Joey looked at Ryou a moment. "If I have to drag you out, buddy, I will."

"No!" Ryou protested, shying away from Joey's arm. "Trust me, Joey! I have to help him! Do it- do it for the world," he pleaded. "Trust me."

Joey squeezed his eyes shut. "Ryou…"

"Go!"

Without looking back, Joey dashed down the hallway; the way Ryou and Kaya had come. Ryou watched him go, fleeting thoughts of the Rare Hunters entering his mind, but Bakura groaned. He focused his attention on his yami: "Bakura, are you okay?" he asked gently. He rushed over as Bakura began to sag. He wasn't the strongest person, but he managed to help Bakura sit on the floor. Soothingly, as a mother would do to a child, Ryou began to stroke his yami's hair. "Come on," he whispered, watching Bakura's face convulse. "Fight it. I believe in you."

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Notes: It is officially impossible for me to write Ryou and Bakura interaction sanely. (Bakura is fighting the black magic of the God cards, which as you know has completely clouded his judgment.)

By the way, about the fact that it looked like I was hinting at Ryou/Kaya: When someone dies, their life is usually glossed over (I could cite a historical example but have no wish to be murdered in my sleep). Although had Kaya lived, she and Ryou wouldn't have shown anything other than platonic interest in each other, now that she's dead it becomes an abstract possibility, perfect for the romanticizing among us. If you don't pick up on what I mean, that's okay. XD