Zypher: Thank you all for reviewing. Please enjoy this chapter. Veeshan, take care of those god dang lawsuits. Do they really think the can sneak in?

-Veeshan shook her head and ran in the direction of the lawsuits-

The Demon of Oz

Chapter 3

They continued to walk on the Crimson Brick Road, Ryou and Diamond keeping an eye out for any shadow guards or knights. They heard laughter and Ryou and Diamond got their weapons ready. "Oh, do fear us, next to the Dragon Tamers Seto and Ruby and the Stealth Killers Marik and Toben, we are two to not take lightly." A cold voice said. "Show yourself!" Ryou said and two figure jumped out from a portal of shadows.

They looked almost identical to Ryou and Diamond except for the Ryou look-alike had demonic features and crimson-brown eyes and the Diamond look-alike had black fur and maniacal red eyes. There was a black cross-slash mark that was over the Ryou look-alike face and the black sphinx had a blood red scar that marred his face from the top of his left eye and down into the black shirt that he wore.

"So, care to have a little fight with us?" Crimson said, venom lacing his words as he glanced over to Diamond. "Who are you first?" Diamond asked, her insanity level as well as Ryou's rising to dangerous heights. "We're two of the Shadow Captains. Bakura of the Black and Crimson of the Blood. We don't take mercy and we like to bathe in our victim's blood as we kill. You should remember us from before." Bakura said.

Diamond growled, feeling her resolve slipping. "Yugi, go hide, we'll take care of this." Diamond said, gripping harder to the bloodstained dagger. Yugi nodded and went to get out of sight of Ryou and Diamond and watched. "So, a battle is what you want," Diamond said slowly, red blending over the dark blue of her eyes. "Well you have just found one!" Diamond roared and jumped at Crimson who blocked the attack.

Ryou brought out his axe and charged for Bakura, swinging the axe but it was blocked by a blood red broadsword. He grinned at him and pushed him back and slashed at him making a cut along his chest but it wasn't much since most of his chest was metal. Ryou growled. "You will pay for that!" Ryou said and ran at him again.

Bakura continued to block with his sword, drawing blood whenever Ryou leaves himself open. But as for Crimson, he was having more problems. He had some slashes in his shirt but Diamond never drew blood but from her attacks, it looks like that was her goal.

Yugi watched quietly, wishing he could help in some way but he knew that with Diamond and Ryou like this, that would be impossible for they may attack him.

Soon enough, the battle came to a stand still, all four of them having marks and blood coating their forms. Bakura smirked, licking the blood off his sword and sheathed it again. "Well, that was nice but we must go. We will come back but it will be for you two." Bakura said as black wings sprouted from his back and he flew off.

Crimson grinned at Diamond who was breathing hard, her eyes changing back to dark blue as his own blood coated wings appeared and he followed behind Bakura. Yugi came from his hiding spot and called on the power of the staff but Ryou help his hand up. "No, don't worry about it, we're ok." Ryou said.

"I'm glad they didn't kill you but it seemed they wanted more than to just battle you and Diamond." Yugi said as they continued on their way. "I believe so Yugi but let's not worry about that for when they show back up again, we'll kill them first." Diamond said. Yugi was still afraid of them but he was getting used to the fact that they killed for a living.

Soon, they came across an abandoned farm that had dead fields and a post where there was a bloody scarecrow with platinum-blond hair and lavender eyes that look almost real. "I feel something bad about this farm." Yugi said, walking closer over to Diamond. "Well, it may be abandoned, but since the next town is far, we should stay here for the night." Diamond said and Ryou agreed.

Yugi didn't but he was getting tired so he agreed as well. They left to head into the barn but they never saw the scarecrow move on it's own, a scythe being placed into its hands by another thing that was hidden in the shadows. "Intruders." The thing hissed and the scarecrow nodded, peeling himself off from the post he was hanging from and followed them silently.

Diamond was suspended from a banister of the barn with her tail, sleeping silently but keep her ears open for anything that would plan to attack them. Yugi was asleep quietly and so was Ryou even though he was to protect Yugi from anything but he was too tired, drained from the insanity rage that consumed him during his battle with Bakura.

The door opened with a squeak and Diamond's eyes opened, looking down to see two shadowed figures entering and growled. "Who are you?" she whispered. The scarecrow human looked up to her. "I'm Malik, the Bone Scarecrow and my little killing friend here is Topaz, the Devil Bargest of the abandoned farm. You have trespassed on our land and we are here to kill." Malik explained, lavender eyes glowing with hatred.

Diamond growled and unfurled her bloodied wings and let go of the banister, gliding down and landed in front of them. She took out her dagger and glared at them. "Well , you have to go through me first in order to get them and trust me, I'm not easy to battle." Diamond said and without warning, leaped at Malik and swiped her dagger downwards which ripped the tattered shirt Malik wore and blood spilled from the wound.

'He's not an actual scarecrow, he's one of the presumed shadow knights. I have to be careful or he could tell that the savior is here to the Shadow Kings.' Diamond said as she prepared to block an attack from the Death Scythe as he called it.

Yami watched the battle with rapt attention, scanning the Cheshire sphinx's fighting skills. 'She is good, her power is what could have caused her to break from our spell before. She would've made a great Shadow Captain.' Yami thought as he picked up a goblet filled with a thick, red liquid and he sipped some before placing it back down.

'Blood of the innocent. Simply delicious.' Yami thought and smirked slightly, showing bloody canines. As he continued to watch, a growl came from the halls and a girl was pushed inside. He grinned and got up, looking over to Wolfe who blocked the door to keep her from escaping.

"Good job Wolfe. You have picked out a nice one." Yami said. The girl shivered in fright of the Shadow King. "Yes, you have really picked out one of great beauty." Aqua said, stepping out from the shadows. "I'll shall do anything to please you both." Wolfe said in a dark tone before Yami dismissed him and he left once more as Yami and Aqua had their way with the girl.

Back at the barn, Diamond as well as Malik and Topaz were tired but the continued to fight. Once Ryou woke up from the commotion, he jumped in so it would be even. Malik backed up a bit and sighed. "That's enough Topaz. They have proven their worth here." Malik said and the zombie-like sphinx nodded.

Ryou looked to them before he placed the axe on his back once more. "So, what happen to you two?" Ryou asked. "Well, a while back, we were dancers from a far away land and we came here to see Bright Haven but once we saw it become the Shadow Kingdom we were to leave. But before we had the chance, the Shadow King saw us and said we were worthy to stay in the castle and we would have declined if it wasn't for the spell he placed upon us." Malik started.

"Soon, we became the castle dancers and we were happy there but we missed our home very much and we planned to leave but a Shadow Captain named Marik caught us and use a spell to transform us into what you see now and wiped our mind of what we are and where our home was. We were told to guard this farm as punishment but the Shadow King gave us a worse punishment which was to do Marik and Toben's bidding when needed." Topaz finished.

"Now that's uncalled for. I bet you two want revenge for that, am I right?" Ryou asked and they nodded. "We were glad enough that we was able to remember who we were after a few years of guarding this farm like mindless zombies and we would do anything to take Marik and Toben down as well as the Shadow King." Malik said.

"Well, with your fighting skills, you are welcome to join us. We are on our way to take the savoir to the Kings to see if they are willing to take him back home." Diamond said. They nodded and soon, they fell asleep once more, unaware of the dangers that they would soon face as they go.

Zypher: Well, that the end of this chapter. Please review. Veeshan, you can leave for now.

Veeshan: Thank you. I will come back if you need me.

Zypher: Tunare, why don't you come and help out for a bit.

-Tunare steps in with her two panthers-

Tunare: I would be glad to. Innoruuk isn't here is he?

Zypher: No, he got sent out to learn some courtesy.

Tunare: Now that would take him a long while to learn. I have a feeling he will come in here and say it's pure torture one of these chapters.

Zypher: I know, that's what make it so fun.