Chapter Nine: The Sun Sets in the West

Dusk fell on the five travelers as they entered the Dark Woods surrounding the Land of the Winkies, ruled by the Wiz of the West.

Jou spotted a sign on the side of the road and stopped to read it.

"'Wizard's Castle: 1 Mile.' I'm not good with measurements as I don't have a brain, but we must be getting close."

Yami pointed to a scribbled note in red under it. "'I'd turn back if I were you.' I'll agree with your assumption, Jou."

"Do you think we'll meet any…guests…on our way to the castle?" Ryou whispered.

"You mean guards?" asked Mokuba.

Ryou shook his head. "No…I mean more…creepy guests…"

"Ghosts?" snorted Kaiba, "There are no such thing."

"Oh yes, there are," Yami corrected fretfully, "There are…and knowing the Wiz, they're probably very scary."

"There are no such thing as ghosts," Kaiba growled, "C'mon, we've…AHH!"

The CEO suddenly found himself being lifted up into the air like a puppet by an invisible puppeteer, before being dropped sharply on the ground.

"Kaiba!" Jou helped him up, "Are you okay?"

Kaiba rubbed his head. "Define 'okay.'"

"Uh…" Jou thought a moment, "Not in pain?"

"It's an expression, Jou," Kaiba smiled weakly, "It means I'm okay, but I don't feel it."

"Oh," Jou blushed, "Okay."

"AHH!" Yami leaped into Kaiba's arms, his claws digging into his trenchcoat and his eyes wide with terror.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Kaiba shouted, dropping the large cat back onto the ground.

"THAT! IN THE TREE!"

Kaiba looked up to see a strange raven-like bird with shining red eyes.

Kaiba frowned, before drawing a card from his Duel Monster deck and chucking it at the bird.

The card landed straight in the bird's head, making its robotic head split in half.

"It's a machine," Kaiba muttered, "Its eyes light up, that's all."

Yami peered at the little robot for a moment in surprise, before laughing.

"HA! Stupid bird…looks like it couldn't handle a King of the Forest! Who's the lion up there? Uh-huh, uh-huh, who's the lion…"

The rest of the group sweatdropped.


Gozaburo chuckled at the antics of the group on his computer screen.

"Fools…do they really think I'm the one being hunted? I'm the only hunter around here, and today, they're the main course…"

He clinked his magic staff on the marble floor. "It's time to capture those fools!"

A strange man with long white hair, sharp brown eyes and black wings appeared out of the shadows in front of Gozaburo's chair, and behind him came other winged people. The man nearest to him had an Egyptian tan, white-blond hair and lavender eyes, behind the Egyptian was a guy had long purple hair and deep blue eyes, and in the very back was a girl with blond hair and bright green eyes.

"You want us to pay them a visit?" asked the white-haired one evilly; he seemed like the leader of the group.

"Do," Gozaburo said coldly, "Take the Egyptian Armada into the Dark Woods and bring Seto Kaiba and his little brother to me…you can do what you like with the others, but I want both boys unharmed. And be careful with the silver shoes!"

"Gotcha," White-Hair smirked, "Boys in one piece, anything you please with others. This should be fun."

"Don't just stand there, you moron!" Gozaburo snapped, "Get them!"

"Fine," White-Hair rolled his eyes, "Egyptian Armada…let's fly!"

And the Egyptian Armada took off with one flap of their wings.


"Yami, stop prancing around like that, you look like an idiot," Jou said at last.

Yami stopped, looking a little annoyed.

"Jealous," he growled.

"I am not!" snapped Jou.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Uh, guys?" Ryou tried to intervene, "I don't think now is-"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Guys…" Ryou whispered.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"GUYS, SHUT THE HELL UP AND RUN!" Ryou yelled.

The others turned, and indeed agreed with Ryou.

Flying down from the darkening sky were four figures with wings…winged people dressed in purple…and they were coming straight for them.

"GET THE RUNT, MARIK!" a white-haired one that looked like the leader shouted, "THE ELDER'S MINE!"

A tanned one (presumably "Marik") came flying down at Mokuba, who tried to run, but wasn't fast enough.

Then Yami ran along next to Mokuba.

"Jump on!" he shouted.

Mokuba jumped onto the running lion's back, and Yami sped up and dodged trees, trying to get Marik off their tail, but he just kept gaining…

Another winged man with purple hair and blue eyes suddenly came in front of them, and swung Yami around by his tail, throwing both Yami and Mokuba into a large tree.

"YAMI!" Mokuba tried to wake up the motionless Yami.

"Thanks, Mahaado," Marik thanked the other warrior, before seizing Mokuba with one hand and starting to fly away.

"SETO! SETO, HELP!" Mokuba screamed, kicking and trying to escape from Marik's grip.

"MOKUBA!" Kaiba shouted, "MOKUBA!"

The leader then went after Kaiba, who tried to fight him, but every punch and kick he threw was blocked, before the leader seized his leg, breaking it, and threw him against a tree.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Jou ran over toward White-Hair, but a blond-haired girl tackled him onto the ground.

The leader smirked, grabbing Kaiba's collar.

"You're coming with me, loser," he growled.

Then from out nowhere, Ryou leapt onto White-Hair, punching every piece of him his tin hands could find. Then the leader gained control, and seized both of Ryou's punching hands.

"Heya there, cutie," White-Hair greeted with an evil smirk.

Ryou growled in fury, before flipping over so he was on top.

"Leave me and my friends alone!" he hissed.

White-Hair flipped him over again.

"I wouldn't be doing my job," he said coolly, "You're cute, but orders are orders…see you around, cutie…"

Bakura swung Ryou by his wrists and threw him into the ground, before grabbing Kaiba by his trenchcoat and taking off into the sky.

"Mana, we gotta go now!" shouted Mahaado.

The blond girl nodded, before taking flight with the rest of the Egyptian Armada.

Jou was in pieces on the ground, but he could still see the two Kaiba brothers fly off into the distant sunset and hear Mokuba's terrified screams.

Tears fell down his cheeks. "No…"