"Bakura Ryou, age seventeen. You are hereby ordered to accompany us Ministry of Magic workers to the Domino City School of Wizardry. Failure to comply will result in us to bring you in by force."
A fiendish grin and a glint of an eye under a lock of snow-white hair. "I don't think so, mortal."
And there was screaming. And a lot of screaming. And then cue more screaming. And more screaming just for kicks.
Bakura walked past the group of sobbing Ministry Workers, a huge grin on his face. "My work here, is done." And with that, he was gone.
When Someone Won't Take No For An Answer
written by Shaun Garin
Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling.
Day 1 : How To Say No...
"Another letter for you, Yugi."
"Thanks Grandpa," said Yugi as he looked at the thick parchment envelope and tossed it behind him. It passed through the other Yugi's head and the spirit of the Pharoah looked behind at the constantly growing pile of letters making up Yugi's letters.
"Who was it, aibou?" the other Yugi asked, sitting down and folding his arms.
Yugi shrugged as he shrugged on his school jacket. "Looks like some place with some weird animals on the crest with a H in the middle. Honestly, can't they take no for an answer?"
"Obviously they do not think the same way," remarked the other Yugi as he looked down at the letters. As immaterial as he was, he could not rummage through the waste bin to see who was the latest recipient of the letter. "It is a week before we have to meet up with Shaadi's assistant at the museum. I am sure that they will stop pestering us once we meet up with him."
"Hopefully," said Yugi. "It's good that we have time to spend before we head there. I don't know myself how this is going to turn out."
"Give it time," the other Yugi reassured Yugi. "Win or loose, neither of us will give up."
"Yeah, you're right." Yugi opened the door and the other Yugi vanished. "Later Grandpa!"
Ryou stifled a yawn as the class broke for their ten minute break. Yugi looked over at the somewhat red-eyed young man and asked, "Couldn't sleep?"
"Had to deal with some pesky Ministry officials," replied Ryou. "They couldn't take no for an answer."
"I wonder why they're so insistent on bringing us into a magic school," said Yugi, casting a glance down at Seto who was tapping at his laptop. "Has Kaiba-kun been approached as well?"
"Apparently yes, according to the large dent in his metal briefcase and the pile of broken wands inside it," remarked Ryou mischievously as he indicated the briefcase. Sure enough, despite the amount of punishment that the case took regularly knowing Seto's lifestyle, it sported a nice dent in the side that was oddly shaped like a head. "These wizards don't seem to work with normal Japanese government or otherwise Kaiba-kun would have been approached by officers of the law rather than men armed with sticks."
"I haven't delt with wizards directly yet," said Yugi as he set out his books for the next class. "They're sending me letters constantly though."
Ryou nodded as he reached into his pack and took out a chocolate covered Rice Ball. Unwrapping it, he smirked and said, "Bakura took care of those in a gleeful little bonfire. Feels good in the fall chill."
"If I didn't know any better, you're getting a bit evil there Ryou-kun," remarked Yugi dryly.
Ryou was about to respond when the bell rang, signifying the next class.
Jounouchi turned the corner of the school when he stopped short at the ball of dark energy that permeated the area. "Hmm... wonder who's involved?" he said, poking at the ball. He was not surprised when his hand emerged from the depths pointing at him.
"Jounouchi what's going on?" asked Anzu as she came up behind him. "Someone is in a Shadow Game?"
"Yeah. Looks serious this time around mainly because of the whole poke and see your finger poking you." Jounouchi demonstrated and Anzu sighed.
"Great. So either Ryou or Yugi are in there." The girl rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. "Lets wait this out."
Sure enough, moments later the shadows dissipated and a man dressed in an official looking set of robes fell to the ground, drooling at the mouth and babbling something about the Gerbils coming to get him. the other Yugi smirked before relinquishing control to Yugi. "Hi," he chirped as he stepped over the frothing man.
"So what's so bad that this guy needed a Punishment Game?" asked Jounouchi.
"He wouldn't take no for an answer," replied Yugi. "He's from that Magical Ministry that's been trying to get me and Ryou to attend their school. I think this is the first in a long string of wizards."
"More magic. Just what we don't need." sighed Jounouchi. Suddenly, there was a resounding clang in the courtyard and the sound of someone dropping to the ground.
"What was that?" asked Anzu, surprised.
Yugi smirked, a very the other Yugi expression. "That was Kaiba-kun dropping another wizard who tried to take him in by force."
"Metal Briefcase, 1, Wizards, 0," quipped Jounouchi as Kaiba marched into view while in process of snapping a handful of sticks in his hands. "Hey Kaiba! You finished with those Wizard Goons?"
Seto's eyes narrowed but he snorted. "I have no time to attend a school of theirs. And there's nothing I despise more than people trying to force their views down my throat."
"That makes three of us," declared Ryou as he marched into view. He was stuffing a knife down his pants pocket and trying to look innocent. "Bakura had to take care of another. He disappeared with a loud CRACK before we could remove anything precious."
"Just as well," replied Seto, folding his arms. "I took care of a man when he tried to take me in by force at my mansion. Last I saw, I removed his forefinger and stick via butcher knife and he came back the next day with a new finger and a new stick. That's where I got the dent in my briefcase."
"Can't you three reason with these people?" asked Anzu curiously as she toed the drooling man at her feet. "Killing them seems extreme."
"We're not killing them," replied Bakura, having taken control. The thief seemed very pleased with the fact. "Maim, torture, break those silly sticks of theirs to keep them helpless and a good old fashioned Shadow Game complete with driving people insane. But we haven't killed them yet. Besides, they can apparently re-grow limbs if removed."
Jounouchi threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. "You three are a bunch of complete sadists."
"Why thank you," said Bakura honestly as he relinquished control.
"Anzu is right though," said Yugi after a moment's thought. "We need to nip this at the source."
"Find their headquarters and burn, pillage and sack the whole area?" asked Seto sarcastically.
"Sounds like a plan," said Bakura sinisterly as he reasserted control before Ryou could say anything. "Pharaoh?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, my aibou has a point, and so do you, Kaiba," said the other Yugi having taken control. "We need to find these people and stop them at the source. Only then will they stop harassing us."
"Ah, and I thought you didn't have any guts to do something like that, Pharaoh," replied Bakura mockingly. Flashing violet eyes met the dark brown orbs of the thief but there was no reply of insults.
"We should get in contact with Malik," said the other Yugi as an afterthought. "He may too have been harassed by their ministry."
Seto harrumphed as he folded his arms. "I will be going back to class and avoid all of this nonsense. But if they threaten myself or Mokuba, you know my cell number, Mutou." Then Seto stalked off.
Bakura shrugged as he let Ryou take control as with the other Yugi to Yugi. Then the group headed inside for the next class.
"This is unacceptable," said a withered man dressed in a set of robes. Other men and women around the table nodded in agreement. "We all know the dangers of untrained magic. We have to get these unregistered wizards into a real school before they expose our world to the muggles."
"Minister Musashi is quite right," said a paunchy man dressed in pinstripe green robes and a bowler hat. "We must prevent these rogue wizards from performing their craft in front of normal people. Obliviators are working overtime without any rest."
Other mutters of accent were heard around the table. A fat German man spoke up in his thick accent. "What we have here is a failure to communicate," he said sagely. "When letters have failed, we have relied on people asking nicely. And then we sent in Aurors to take them in. Even that failed. I think we cannot get the point stressed enough."
"Quite right," said a man dressed in the warm clothing of Russia. "How is everything with the Ishitar boy?"
The Egyptian man shook his head. "No good. Malik Ishitar is surrounded by very powerful magic of their own doing, plus he has a group of loyal followers from his former GHOULS group that had not deserted after his defeat at the hands of Mutou Yugi. We have a crack team of aurors trying to break the protective charms that hides his location from us but it is slow going. It is very old and complex magic."
"I see." Minister Fudge folded his hands. "How many schools have sent their offers?"
"All available schools," said the minister from America. "Although many of them are reluctant to bring in a group of highly powerful individuals except for mainly Hogwarts."
"Albus Dumbledore is a rather eccentric man, spreading lies about the return of You-Know-Who." There was a collective shudder around the table.
"Well, we keep trying. Bring them in by force since normal overtures are not working." The Japanese man nodded to everyone and they filed out of the room. After a moment, he called out, "You can come out now Sugoroku."
Sugoroku Mutou walked out, the same smirk that was normally found on the other Yugi's face on his. "You're getting better," he said.
"As are you," said the Minister. "I suppose you came to tell me hands off on your grandson?"
"I would, but it wouldn't stop that group of cattle called Ministers," replied Sugoroku. "I just came to warn you that you may want to be out of the building by nine thirty. From an old friend to an old friend."
The Minister sighed. "Thank you for the warning." He looked at Sugoroku and quirked an eyebrow. "I know the power of your grandson and the people he surrounded himself with. They are all formidable in their own right. I cannot make a difference as it is a majority vote, but I am sure that they will come around once these young men and women sack the Ministry."
"It should be a sight to behold," replied Sugoroku. "I suggest taping it."
The man chuckled and sipped his tea. When he turned to bid the old game store keeper goodbye, Sugoroku was gone.
"Torches?"
"Check."
"Flares?"
"Check."
"Lighter fluid?"
"Check."
"Banner?"
"Check."
The other Yugi looked up and quirked an eyebrow. "Just exactly WHY do we need the banner, Bakura?"
The thief smirked. "There's no sense in leaving the place ransacked without the trademark 'Bakura was here!' banner. Otherwise, someone else may take credit."
The other Yugi shrugged, not deeming to think of how the Tomb Robber's mind worked. "Matches?"
"Check."
"Firebombs?"
"Check."
"Anti-magic crystal?"
"Check."
"Where DID you get an anti-magic crystal anyhow?" asked the other Yugi after a moment.
"You'd be surprised what's being sold in jewellery stores," replied Bakura.
Seto fought the urge to snicker at the interplay between the two and said, "Could you both hurry up? It's almost nine and we need to get downtown soon."
"Are you sure you know where this place is?" asked Honda for the umpteenth time as he checked the equipment that he held. "I'm sure that us 'muggles' would like not to burn and sack a building that'll get us 10 to 20 instead of getting away scott free."
"Honda's right," replied Jounouchi as he checked the firebombs that he had constructed out of his dad's used beer bottles. "I may be up for a challenge, but I'm definitely not ready to go to prison."
"From what I got out of the last person who tried to bring us in, these wizards are too arrogant to ask the normal people for help," replied Seto as he checked his equipment as well. "I'm sure we can get away with this without any officials that we actually care about getting in the way."
"I'm just glad we left Anzu out of this," said the other Yugi as he packed in a firebomb. "She'd have a fit, wizards or no."
"So what's the plan?" asked Honda.
"The plan is to get in, grab everything pertaining to our existence and light a merry little bonfire in the middle of their ministry," replied Bakura, an evil glint of glee twinkling in his eyes.
"Everything is about fire for you huh?" replied Honda dryly.
"If you are going to burn, you have to burn RIGHT," shot back Bakura as he packed away a jar of curious blue powder into the bag.
"Here we are," said Bakura, gesturing to an alleyway with a phone booth standing next to a non-descript building. "C'mon, we haven't gotten all day."
The five crammed into the Phone Booth and Jounouchi grunted as he squeezed in. "A tight fit huh?"
"Now what?" asked Seto.
Bakura reached down and tapped four numbers and manoeuvred the handset off the machine. There was a ring and then a click. Then, a magically amplified voice sounded. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic of Japan. Please state who you are and what your purpose is here."
A simultaneous blink before Honda called out, "Jounouchi Katsuya, Hiroto Honda, Kaiba Seto, Bakura Ryou and Mutou Yugi on a Search, Pillage and Sacking Mission."
"Honda!" Yugi hissed in warning.
"Thank you. Please take your badges and wait for the lift to descend." There was a CHU-CHUNK sound as five badges spat themselves out of the coin slot and then the bottom of the Elevator sunk into the ground carrying the five.
With a giant heave, the five were able to move again as the elevator spaced out magically. Yugi looked at Bakura who was fastening his badge to his chest and raised an eyebrow. "You're going to wear that?"
"No sense breaking too many rules," replied Bakura as he affixed the badge reading Search, Pillage and Sacking Mission onto his chest.
"When in Rome I suppose," replied Jounouchi as he set his own pin on.
"These Wizards are sure of themselves," said Seto as the lift halted on the Records floor and the doors opened to reveal an empty hallway. "Huh. No one in sight."
"That's perfectly fine with us," replied Yugi. "Makes our job easier."
"I dunno if it's easier or harder to rob places like this, Honda," said Jounouchi as he cleared out the whole room of prophesies and books pertaining to anything Egyptian. "There's no alarms, no magical alarms that Bakura was able to discern... hell, we're home free!"
"Yeah, although it doesn't feel right stealing and then setting fire to the place," replied Honda.
"It's to keep them off our back," said Jounouchi. "What happens when they pull a Malik and use our friends against each other?"
"Guh," replied Honda as he finished shoving the books into his backpack. "That's all of them."
"Right." The pair jogged out into the main room where the others were waiting. Bakura was drawing a long ring of blue powder around the room and then set to work setting a crystal out of the way. "Took you two long enough," said Seto, folding his arms.
"It was a bit tough going, with all of those rabid prophesies in the way," replied Jounouchi in a snarky tone. "Lets get this over with."
"I'm done in here," said Bakura as he stood up. In the middle of the room was a pile of explosive materials and a long fuse trailed to the elevator being held open by Yugi. "Lets go, mortals."
As the five left, Bakura tossed out a lit match and the fuse caught fire.
Albus Dumbledore yawned and opened his morning paper. Raising an eyebrow at the headlines, he stifled a chuckle. The picture showed a group of panicking office wizards trying to put out a fire that was burning brilliant blue to no avail. The headline read, "Japanese Ministry of Magic Burning!"
A knock at his door made the elderly man look up. "Come in."
The door opened to reveal a rather flustered Minerva McGonagall who was waving the same paper in panic. "Albus," she said worriedly, "This is terrible."
"Really? And I thought that it was the Japanese Ministry who had the problem," replied Albus, a merry twinkle in his eyes.
Minerva huffed. "Really Albus, you should know better than to support the hooligans who did this. And you didn't see page two. Egyptian Ministry of Magic suffering from the same fate!"
Albus turned the page and found the flames licking the inside of the mostly sand and clay ministry building. "At least there is less to burn," he said.
"How can you be so calm?" asked Minerva incredulously. "This is a disaster. Voldemort could..."
"Voldemort is NOT behind these events," replied Albus evenly, stopping Minerva in mid tirade. "This is the work of those young men and women whom the Confederation of Wizards are trying to bring in for using magic in muggle areas."
"You mean, those children whom you yourself sent a letter of greeting to and got no reply from? THOSE children?"
"Those YOUNG MEN and WOMEN," corrected Albus. "I was young once and I know exactly what they feel like. Unlike most of the Magical Society, I have every confidence that these young men and women can control their magic without any formal training."
"And might I remind you of the magical disturbances just two weeks ago when that Kaiba Corporation held their Battle City Tournament? To think that such strong and powerful magic is in the hands of young teens."
"Those teens overwhelmed and defeated an evil that would throw the whole world into chaos," said Albus getting up from his chair. "Do not worry Minerva. If they do come here, then I know what they are capable of, AND I have every intention of not getting in their way. Even if they burn down Hogwarts."
"ALBUS!"
"I have made up my mind," said Albus as he stroked awake Fawkes. "These are not evil children. If they were, the world would be under their heel by now. They know what they are doing and the powers that they are dealing with. And a building can be rebuilt, materials restructured. And they mean no ill intent. After all, it was the Confederation who provoked them by going after them with Aurors."
"I hope you're right, Albus. I certainly hope that you are right."
"Ah, nothing like sitting around the house and watching the TV." said Bakura contentedly.
"Although it ain't a TV," said Jounouchi as he munched on some popcorn.
"Close enough, mortal," replied Bakura flippantly as he adjusted the volume with some odd pink crystal. The screaming of people and panicked orders could be heard over the rather large round crystal.
"Blue Fire?" The other Yugi turned to Bakura, eyebrow cocked at the Tomb Robber. "I can't believe you still remember the mixture for Blue Fire."
"Care to enlighten us?" asked Honda as he snagged a handful of popcorn.
"Blue Fire was used to light the way for builders of the cities and pyramids. It would burn for twenty days and twenty nights. Long enough to get quite a bit of the area done without having to relight it. And Bakura just lit up the Ministry with it."
"It's entertaining Pharoah," remarked Bakura casually as he tweaked the crystal in his hand. "You should try some arson."
"I would like to be known as the King of Games, not the King of Burning Down the House." was the other Yugi's short reply.
"You're no fun, even outside of a duel," remarked Bakura.
A light sounding knock at the door alerted the small group to attention. Even Seto who was tapping away at his laptop without rest looked up. Glances were exchanged and Bakura pulled out a knife while the other Yugi reached for a baseball bat that Jounouchi had provided for him in case of rabid Aurors.
Opening the door, Bakura blinked at the curious sight of an elderly man dressed in colorful robes. "Terribly sorry," he said in accented Japanese. "But do you mind giving me a moment of your time?"
Bakura looked the man over. His senses told him that the elderly man was a rather powerful force to be reckoned with. Not like those idiots down at the Ministry who couldn't find their asses with their hands. "Make one wrong move and I will remove your spleen," said Bakura in the most menacing voice he could muster. Then, the Tomb Robber let him in.
"Pleasant night really," said the elderly man who doffed his pointed wizards cap and removed his shoes. "Most wonderful for a bonfire." His eyes twinkled with grand amusement at the plight and the room relaxed.
"We can kind of guess what you're here for," said Seto in an attempt to sound as disarming as he could. "So get to the point all ready."
"Very well. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England."
"Pass," chorused the room.
"Please, hear me out. I mean no harm and would not force you to come. May I?" Yugi nodded and Dumbledore sat down. After peering into the crystal, he chuckled before taking a handful of popcorn and tossing one into his mouth. "Our world is one of magic. I admit it is not unlike yours, full of people who are sure of themselves. But there is a Dark Wizard who is rising up in the England area of the Wizarding World. The ministry was concerned with your magic and performance in front of muggles - non-wizarding people and decided to try and get you all into a magic school. Fortunately, or unfortunately for them, you declined."
"They didn't give us much of a choice coming at us armed," remarked Jounouchi as he folded his arms.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you're armed too," said Honda, gesturing towards the sleeves of his robe.
"Quite right, but I do not intend to use it." said Dumbledore. "All I ask is that you come to visit Hogwarts. Term has not yet begun and it is rather nice for a vacation this time of the year. Magical Folk can come and go as they please. I am unsure of your friends."
"We've all had experiences with magic," said Yugi as the other Yugi had switched control. "I'm sure we can get around anything that may mislead us to your school."
"Ah, very good." Albus pulled out a rolled piece of parchment and it unfurled to reveal a close up of the Scottish Highlands. A small town blinked on the map with a large castle. "This is a map of the area. Just keep it unfurled at all times when locating the town of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Otherwise, if you decide to fly or drive in, you will miss it completely."
"Hold on. How do we know that we can trust this map?" asked Bakura.
"You have my word. As such, I will leave you with this." Reaching into his robe, Albus pulled out his wand. It was a well used holly wand that seemed to glimmer despite it's age. "I can portkey back but if you decide to come, please come and return the wand within two days and you may stay at the school for as long as you wish. Even until the beginning of term."
Bakura took the slender piece of wood and smirked. "You know I can snap this at any time."
"Yes, but I have no intention of lying to you. And thus, you have no fear from me. Please think about it. You may stay, even if only for a week." Albus then bowed to the others, pulled out a stopwatch and clicked the top. He vanished with a pop.
A long silence. Then, Bakura spun the wand in his hand and stuffed it into his shirt. "Well?"
"ROAD TRIP!" exclaimed Jounouchi and Honda simultaneously.
"I am NOT funding the bill," remarked Seto dryly but he wore something close to a smirk on his face. "And the Blue Eyes White Jet won't hold all of us."
"You have a NORMAL plane, right?" asked Yugi.
Seto sighed as he put away his laptop. "I already sent an email to the office. Kaiba Craft Five will be ready by tomorrow at noon. Better get some sleep." With that, he stalked out of the house with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"I think the mortal has the right idea," said Bakura after a moment and a stifled yawn. "I'm going to sleep rather than steal tonight." With that, he was gone too.
Yugi shrugged as he said, "Well, we might as well crash... huh?"
Jounouchi and Honda were already fast asleep on the couch, having fallen asleep when Albus had left and they made their proclamation. Yugi chuckled before lying down on the couch to keep them company.
And as the lights went out, the warm blue flames flickered in the crystal with the sound muted. In all save for the images of running and screaming wizards, it was a peaceful night.