Chapter One
Rain fell heavily over the streets of Domino City and faint sounds of thunder and wind were blended in with the naturally busy noises of Domino. In Domino City Cemetary, Yugi Muto stood in the rain in front of his deceased grandfather's gravestone with his canine companion, Little Ann, standing beside him and with his drenched bangs hung over his eyes. Ann, a four-year-old Irish Setter with firey red fur and brown eyes, gave out a long howl that she'd been holding in and Yugi closed his violet eyes to keep himself from howling along with her. Yugi was 23, 5' 8", well muscle-toned, had grown more blonde bangs while his eyes had slightly slanted and his eyelashes grew, had watched as his facial shape triangled itself over the years and heard his own voice deepen, and was now completly alone. The hang had split up just five years ago, Tea going to the United States and never calling, Joey moving in with Mai and pursuing his education, and Tristan falling off the face of the earth.
"...Just you and me now, Ann..." Yugi said faintly.
Little Ann looked up at Yugi in response and comfortly nudged his hand, wagging her tail as she saw Yugi give a slight smile. He then gave out a slow sigh and slid his right hand out of his black trench coat pocket, holding the end of Ann's leash that wasn't hooked to her dark pink collar in his right hand, then slowly walked with her away from the tombstone that bared his grandfather's name. Yugi slowed to a stop seeing Seto Kaiba, the last person he expected to see after losing five years of contact, waiting at the gate entrance to the cemetary and the two locked eyes for a moment silently. Kaiba seemed to not have changed at all, besides the gentler look in his eyes, and Yugi also noticed a tint of compassion in Kaiba's blue eyes. He was still 6' 1" with broad shoulders and a well muscular figure, and had an adult-like matured face with brown hair that was still cut short.
"...Kaiba..." Yugi said softly to break the silence.
"...I heard about your grandfather, but...I...I was late..." Kaiba said with his arms casually crossed.
"...At least you came...no one else did..." Yugi mumbled in reply.
Kaiba sighed softly, "I know...look, the storm's going to get worse so...I'll drive you home.
"Kaiba, you don't-"
"I insist." the billionair interupted.
Yugi blinked and stared at him for awhile in silence, then nodded reluctantly and walked with Ann over to Kaiba's limo that was parked right outside the gate. Kaiba followed behind and only passed Yugi to open the back right side door for him. The younger male unhooked Ann from her leash and gently helped her into the vehicle before he then lowered inside and sat by the window. In the leather seat across from him was nineteen-year-old Mokuba Kaiba, 5' 6" with broad shoulders like his older sibling, a fine leanly muscular build with his black hair now running down betwen his shoulder blades, and his facial features more mature. The younger Kaiba held out a towel without a word and Yugi gently took it with a thankful nod before drying his hair while Kaiba moved into the vehicle beside him.
Kaiba closed the car door, then looked at Yugi, "You still live in the game shop?"
"Until the government kicks me out..." Yugi replied with a faint chuckle, though Kaiba slowly frowned at his response.
After Atem's departure to the afterlife, Yugi and the gang became distant in the months that follwed before finally splitting up and going their seperate ways. Two years afterward, Solomon Muto's health began to decline and the game shop was suffering heavily and finally closed down just weeks after Solomon was admitted to the hospital after a severe heart attack. With the old man's heart weakening, Solomon remained in hospital care while Yugi spent most of his time at his side with Ann, bought as a puppy at seven-weeks-old, hidden in his backpack and fed/watered when the nurses left the room. Three long years of fighting and many medications and piling medical conditions was all it took for Solomon to finally flat-line and Yugi to finally become broken. Kaiba was at reach, but Yugi didn't want to be a bother.
"...Driver...drive to the game shop..." Kaiba said softly.
The driver obediantly nodded without a word and put the limo in gear before driving onto the road. The drive to what remained of the game shop was silent and Yugi stroked Ann's head all the way to his home while it lay comfortaly in his lap. The car slowed to a stop in front of the game shop, the windows looking as if they'd been painted black fro mthe inside and a large sign reading "OUT OF BUISNESS" was pasted to the glass shop door. Yugi stared at it for a long while and a sinking feeling developed in his chest as he opened the door on his side of the limo. Little Ann shuffled out of the vehicle with Yugi, following right behind, and he gently closed the door before walking around as Kaiba got out on his side.
"Yugi..." Kaiba said, stopping Yugi in his tracks in his way to make it to the front door.
Yugi stared forward silently for a few moments, the silently walked towards Kaiba before making eye contact once he was standing in front of the brunette billionair. Kaiba stared back at him and only broke the eye contact to un-button his leather coat. He then tossed it carelessly into the limo and un-buttoned the button holding the right sleeve of his button-up light blue shirt closed. Yugi watched him do so in confusion and widened his eyes slightly as he watched Kaiba pull his sleeve up, Yugi being able to see Kaiba's veins in his arm. The older male held out his arm silently and Yugi swallowed hard as he quickly shood his head without a word.
Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment before re-opening them and he held his wrist by Yugi's face without touching his cheek. The younger ex-duelist looked at the wrist for a moment before pleadingly looking up at the billionair, but to no avail, and he closed his eyes, then re-opened them as his irses turned a bloody red. Yugi looked around to make sure there were no witnesses and took a hold of Kaiba's wrist gently while turning his head toward it silently. Kaiba didn't flinch as Yugi's fangs pierced into his skin and closed his eyes calmly as Yugi hungrily fed from his wrist silently. Yugi only released Kaiba's wrist once he had his fill and he looked up to see that the taller male was abit paler than normal and he looked down shamefully.
"S-Sorry..." Yugi mumbled as he released Kaiba's wrist from his hand.
"Not the worst thing that's ever happened to me..." Kaiba replied as he shakily fixed his shirt sleeve.
"How did you know...?" Yugi asked softly while he wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
"You really didn't think Pegasus was the one sending you boxes of blood bags did you? I was at the hospital after you wee attacked...but, you were unconscious and I heard what the doctor said...about that lab subject that escaped from the outskirts of Tokyo." Kaiba replied.
Yugi looked down at the ground silently and said nothing in response. Kaiba sighed softly and ruffled Yugi's hair in a friendly way, which forced a slight smile from Yugi and Kaiba gave out a slight chuckle with an almost unseen smile. When Kaiba moved his hand off of Yugi's head, Yugi looked up to see Kaiba looking down at him more concernly as Yugi's eyes shifted back to dark violet and both looked up as a bolt of lightening broke the eye contact and booming thunder soon followed. Kaiba looked back at where Yugi had been standing and blinked seeing the younger male had vanished along with Ann, then he sighed and lowered into his limo. Yugi watched from his bedroom window, a small portion of window was missed by the black paint, as Kaiba's limo soon drove off and he then lowered into his desk chair before turning towards Ann he began drying her fur off with a towel.
After she was fully dried, Ann got up on her master's bed and laid on the mattress facing Yugi. He sat in his chair with his head slightly lowered and stayed still for a few moments, then he looked over toward the underside of his bed. Ann whined faintly and jumped off the bed to scurry under the bed. She emerged a few seconds later from under the bed while pushing the golden Millenium Puzzle box out from under the bed and carefully scooted it over between Yugi's boots. Yugi smiled and scratched her head gently as he picked up the box and set it on his leg. Little Ann sat before her master and watched as Yugi carefully removed the lid to look at the items inside.
His deck was inside, along with photos of him and his friends, but the one item he couldn't look at was a group photo of himself, Kaiba, Mokuba, Joey, Tristan, Tea, the Ishtar siblings, Rebecca, Professor Hawkins, Solomon Muto, Mai Valentine, and Pegasus in front of the new Kaiba Corp. building. His former friends didn't know, but it stabbed Yugi in the heart to stare at this photo and it always reminded him of how alone he was on the outside. Inside, he had Ann...and, now, the Kaiba brothers. Pegasus would lend a hand, if needed. Yugi also still had what remained of Atem, and this remainder was why Yugi refrained from looking into mirrors...before his transformation.
"...What would Atem think of me now...?" Yugi verbally asked the question that now haunted him.
Ann only responded with a comforting lick to his hand.
