Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal
Title: The One You Love Best: Chapter 1: Orders
Romance: Durbe x Nasch
Word Count: chapter: 1,546||story: 1,546
Genre: Romance, Supernatural||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for the 2014 Advent Calendar Challenge, bonus prompt, beloved; written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H, #8, a multichap with exactly four chapters.
Summary: [1/4 chapters, Durbe x Nasch/Nasch x Durbe, Tomoshipping, 2014 Advent Calendar Challenge; Diversity Writing Challenge, au: vampires] There is someone who seeks revenge on Kamishiro Ryouga and their weapon of choice is his long-time boyfriend Durbe.

Durbe wrapped his coat around himself more tightly and pulled the hood over his head in a vain attempt to block the rain from getting to him. Cold and thick, it poured out of the sky like gray death, perhaps a few breaths shy of being sleet or even snow, creating chilly pools that threatened to soak him to the knees if he so much as brushed by them.

Mizael wouldn't like this, he thought randomly as he hurried down the street, hoping that he could catch the bus in time. But Mizael never liked any weather that put his acres of blond hair at risk.

His thoughts slid much more pleasantly over to Ryouga and if he were still awake waiting for him. A glance at his watch told him that he probably was; Ryouga was something of a night owl by choice anyway, and since Durbe was already an hour late, he was probably still there, watching the door and pretending that he wasn't, waiting for Durbe to get there.

It would be pleasant to get home. A hot shower and some dry clothes were already at the top of his list, along with something hot to eat. He so looked forward to Ryouga's cooking. It was worth getting soaked just to have it.

There was someone behind him.

Durbe tensed a fraction; while some people presumed because of his 'fluffy' looks (Ryouga insisted he was fluffy, even when he knew otherwise) that he knew nothing of how to fight. If any of them dared to attack him, even jokingly, he showed them how very wrong they were. So when he heard footsteps moving along behind him, all of his senses flared into alertness.

It wasn't someone he knew, he could guess that right away. Most of the people he knew would be safely indoors at this point, and even more of them would be sound asleep.

He wasn't going to say that he was in any kind of danger, not just yet. This wasn't a bad neighborhood and he could see the lights of the bus stop a short distance ahead. But a faint thread of fear still wormed its way down his spine.

Cautiously he began to slide his hand into his pocket, searching for his cell phone. He always made certain to have it with him, especially if there was any chance that he might have to work late at the bookstore.

No. The voice rang in his mind as clearly as if someone had spoken next to his ear. He froze, straining to pull the cell out, but to no avail. Don't do that. You're not in any danger.

He knew that, but he wanted to call Ryouga anyway, to let him know that he was on the way home.

No. You don't need to.

For all that no one stood there, Durbe could feel hands on his wrists, tugging him somewhere else. There were still a short distance to go before he reached the bus stop, and he found himself going down a street he'd never bothered going down before.

Come with me.

He didn't like this at all but his feet weren't paying attention to him anymore. Instead they followed these strange orders from a strange voice and as much as he wanted to pull away, he couldn't.

Of course you can't. I gave you an order and you will obey me.

Without knowing how or when, Durbe found himself walking beside someone. Or someone walked beside him. They had the same set of footsteps that the person he'd heard before did. He tried to get a look at whoever it was, but his head refused to move.

You'll see me soon enough. We're almost there.

That didn't stop Durbe from trying, anyway. He just couldn't see as much as he wanted. The dim light contributed to that, but he thought he spied a leather jacket. One that clicked at something in the back of his memory.

There wasn't much time for him to think about it, however, as he and his unwanted companion entered a building and Durbe followed the other up a set of rickety stares to a room that held nothing but an oddly sturdy chair, complete with chains.

"Sit down." The voice came from the other, and now Durbe recognized it, even as he obeyed, his body moving without command from his mind.

"Vector!"

Now he could see, and the ginger-haired malcontent smirked at him. "Put your hands down," Vector ordered, and again Durbe's body obeyed without question.

"What did you do to me?" Durbe demanded. Vector did not answer at first, but picked up the chains and wound them tightly about Durbe's wrists and ankles.

"Don't ask so many questions. You wouldn't understand the answers and I don't really want to give them to you anyway. You'll understand what you need to soon enough anyway." Vector stepped back and looked Durbe over, a hungry look in his eyes. "Your precious Ryouga has annoyed me for the last time."

Durbe blinked a few times before he heaved a sigh. "You did notice I'm not him, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. That's why I brought you here. He's too well protected for me to get to him myself. So I'm sending you instead." Vector's smile spoke of madness, as it always did. "You're going to take care of him for me. And you'll enjoy it."

"What makes you think I'd ever hurt him?" Durbe strained at the chains. Wherever Vector had bought them, they were well-made and didn't give at all.

"Because I'm going to tell you to, and in a very few minutes, you're going to do anything that I want you to." Vector licked his lips and Durbe did not want to think he'd just seen fangs there. Sharp incisors, maybe. But not fangs. He didn't want to utterly discount the existence of vampires, but to think that one existed this close to him?

To think that one was eyeing his neck as if he were the main course?

Instead he focused on what Vector said. "I'd never do anything that you wanted!"

"But you already have. You came here because I wanted you to. You sat down because I told you to. And you're going to finish Ryouga because I want you to." Vector stepped toward him, each footfall as loud as a thundercrack to Durbe's mind. "And then you're going to live the rest of eternity knowing that you did this because I wanted you to."

Durbe wished with all of his heart that he had some supernatural power of his own in that moment. Something that would let him break the chains or prevent Vector from biting him. But nothing miraculous happened as Vector's hand, cold as ice, cold as death, pressed his head to the side, and fangs sharp as hate bit into the side of his neck.

He screamed. But Vector muffled it as he overrode everything else Durbe wanted to do that night, and took his fill.

Ryouga paced back and forth. Durbe should've been home two, even three hours earlier. He'd called up the bookstore and found it closed already. Which meant that Durbe should've been on the way home. And yet he wasn't there.

He hated worrying. He hated not being able to do anything. Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. He grabbed his jacket and started out the door. He knew the route Durbe took between the bookstore and home, and even with that including a bus route, he would walk every inch of it just to make certain the other was all right.

Just to make certain, he also grabbed his phone, and started to dial Durbe's number, hoping to get something. He'd tried it once before and there hadn't been any answer. But he tried again.

And again. And again. And still nothing.

Ryouga made it halfway to the bus station before he spied the pale-haired figure moving toward him. He refused to admit that his heart lurched in relief before he hurried over there. "Durbe! What took you so long?"

What happened? Are you all right? Those words hovered at the back of his lips but he didn't let them out, not yet.

Durbe looked at him, or at least turned his head in Ryouga's direction. Ryouga couldn't tell if Durbe was actually looking at him or not. He didn't seem to see him.

"I had to meet someone. It was important. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

His voice sounded slightly off, a little dulled. He was probably exhausted. He certainly looked it. Ryouga shook his head. He'd fret about this later. Right now, he urged Durbe back up to the apartment, thinking thoughts of hot showers and hot meals and getting Durbe into bed for some sleep. The bookstore would have to handle itself the next day without him.

One thought rang through Durbe's mind: Kamishiro Ryouga must die. The master commanded it, and he could no more disobey than he could've stood in the sunlight and not died. He paid no mind to the rain anymore, or to anything but the twin commands of the master and his hunger.

Slowly, he began to move toward Ryouga.

To Be Continued

Note: I was honestly tempted to leave it there. But I decided I could spin it out a little longer.