Finally! I got my new laptop! My daddy is so awesome. ^.^ Now I can edit my book, though that means less time on this story. *shrug* oh well. I'll still do everything I can to update at least once a week.

Please, let me know what you think. It helps me to get better. :) And if this story isn't your style, try some of my other one's. They are faster paced and of different genres than this one. Oh, and as always, please excuse the little typos and whatnot here and there. Husband still horrified of the blood sucking godfather. He's way too trusting.

And enjoy those freaking snacks, dang it!

Pika, ya'all

Chapter 4: Temptress and a Questionable Diet

(and some stalkers beating up Batman)

It was hard holding her tongue and keeping her distance. Angie thought that if she allowed herself within hearing distance of the twins and Joey she could pretend she was with them, but she found it only made it harder to keep her promise. The more she learned about them, the more she liked them-the more she could see them as friends. She could still pretend.

After a week she was sick of pretending. Pretending to fly in her room surrounded by paintings instead of the outside, pretending she had friends, pretending she wasn't her. She found herself growing so angry that when she went to her room to exercise she flapped so hard that the wind blew her mattress up into the wall and sent the screwed on light fixture flying.

Cain came up when he heard the glass shatter and found her breathing hard, sweaty, and standing over the fixture as though seeing it broken satisfied her to no end. She didn't care if he saw her ugly grey wings out.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're angry. I don't see this very often."

"I'm sorry for breaking it." she gestured at the broken globe on the floor.

"Don't say sorry to me. You're going to be picking it up and lighting your room with a bare bulb. What are you so angry at?"

"School." she said, unable to come up with a better lie on the spot.

"Your beloved school? Really?"

"One of the teachers said something not right," she blustered, "I didn't agree with them."

"Ah," he nodded, as though a large daemon who made his living off of writing about human news and suck blood knew all about annoying high school teachers. "Well, clean that up before you do anything else. I wouldn't want you to get cut. Your blood pressure is low enough."

"Yes, Cain."

She cleaned it up and went to shower off all the sweat that had soaked through her back. Only then did her anger finally melt away to exhaustion. Why was the world so unsafe for the different? Why couldn't she be free to go out and live like everyone else.

When she went downstairs to wish Cain a good night, he warned her once more about the killer.

"Four more bodies of youth were found in this area," he said, frowning, "and when they went to the boy's apartment they found it emptied out and his upstairs neighbors dead as well. If he is not caught soon, I am going to have to ask you to stop going to school."

This, if nothing else, got her attention. "No!"

He scowled. "Do not say 'no' to me. It is so."

"But-isn't there any clues? I mean, what's the likelyhood he'd go after someone like me?"

"Very high," he said.

"How do you know that?"

"I just do, don't question me, Angelynn. They've asked the other students at your school to do the same that I'm asking you. If he isn't found, school will be canceled anyways."

#$%^&*&^%$#

Joey was possessed, Yugi and Yami decided. Jim, in attempts to cover up the fight between him and their mom as well as to get her to come back, went ahead and bought them the materials for the carport and they finished it over the weekend (not without several smashed and cut fingers and everyone's part). After school on Monday and Tuesday they deep cleaned the garage, helped mom move out the boxes, and got an old scrap of carpet from a neighbor for the grease stain. Today they moved in Joey's drums. Once they brought in the music stands, Yugi's keyboard, and Yami's guitar, they were officially in business.

But while Yami and Yugi cheered, Joey just gazed at the wall stupidly.

"Did you guys know she's asked me out?"

"Already?" asked Yami, exchanging a skeptical look with Yugi.

"Yeah. Can you imagine it? Me, with Mai, the most beautiful girl alive."

Usually this would make the twins snicker, but they had heard it so much over the past week that they just groaned.

"Joey, I don't think she likes you," said Yugi, "I mean-"

"Of course she likes me! She freaking digs me!" snapped Joey, breaking his revere to glare at Yugi. Yami gave him a look that said, 'you should have known better to not say that, whether it's true or not.' Yugi ignored him.

"But she's moving way too fast, and frankly she doesn't seem the kind of girl who'd, well, go for a guy like you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" said Joey.

"She's hot, you're not." said Yami bluntly.

"Now that's just insulting."

"We're your friends, Joe, it's our job." said Yugi.

"You're just jealous."

Yami snorted and didn't even bother to respond to that. He turned to his music and went to picking at his guitar, going over the chords.

Yugi bit his lip, then said, "Joey, I think she might be using you. I mean, where did she ask you out to?"

"Copperback."

"Copperback?" Yami stopped momentarily to stare at his friend. "Joey, do you know the rep that place has?"

"'Course! It's only the hottest dance club in this area of town!"

"Not that. It's a rave den, for druggies, or whatever stupid fad word they call it. If you go there you'll just get in trouble."

"Not to mention it's in the worst part of town." said Yugi timidly.

"Don't care. It's where Mai wants to go, so I'll go." Joey smiled to himself and started a beat on his drums rather dreamily. "I wonder if she'll want to get dirty."

Both the twins made an act of kicking Joey's drums, looking nauseous, and calling him a pervert. Joey, in turn, called them girls and pointed out that should they become famous they'll all have women hanging off of them anyways. The twins didn't respond to that. Privately, they were thinking how they had no interest in 'getting dirty' with just anyone that came along. Watching their mother's marriages fail over and over made one a bit paranoid about their own future relationships, and 'getting dirty' just complicated said relationships.

"Can we just stop talking about how Joey's being played and start some music?" said Yami, and before Joey could protest Yugi flicked on the metronome and slammed his fingers into the keys.

"Turn that damn beat-clicker off, I'm the drummer!"

"Then be the freaking drummer!"

And they launched into one of their songs. At first it was a mess of ametuer noises crashing together like a bad old washer machine as they read the music Yugi had given them and tried to figure out how it all went together. By the time they had reached the end of the song, though, all three were yelling the lyrics, laughing, and finally on the same beat.

But as Yugi thought of Joey's love possession, he couldn't help thinking about the green-eyed girl who never came close enough to talk, but which he had noticed still hovered in-sight. What had they done? Perhaps he would finally find the guts tomorrow to go up and talk to her, because even if he found out she really did hate them, at least then he would know.

! #$%^&%$# $

"You'd think since that daemon couldn't fly we would have found him by now."

"He's on a killing spree."

"I can see that."

"We're not doing very good at our job. What would father say?"

"Nothing. He would've taken care of it by now."

"Maybe we can use this vogue daemon…"

"Orphus, there's nothing useful about a daemon."

"But don't you see? If she's in this area, that daemon is going to be naturally drawn to her smell. She's like a gourmet five star meal walking around."

"That's sounds more like a problem then a plan."

"That's why we need to find him first and keep track of him. Maybe he can lead us to her."

"That's a horrible idea, Orphus. How many humans will he have killed before he finds her?"

"Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't found her yet."

"Only a matter of time."
"It's official, then. Our baby sister is going to become breakfast for a daemon."

"Not while I'm alive!"

"Then go, Max, fly. You to, Jake."

"But there's no clouds! Someone will see us!"

"Then someone sees us."

# $%^&*^%$#$%^&

The sun. She leaned back, tilted her chin up till her head was rest on her shoulders, and soaked it in. Yugi and Joey had moved to the doorway of the courtyard, for some reason, and she only pretended to not notice every time Yugi caught a glance of her. He probably was still wondering why she had gone from friendly to anti-social. She didn't care. She was happy they had moved outside. Now she could soak in sun and listen to them at the same time.

If only she could wear lighter clothes. This black was horribly hot and sucked up the sun like the ugly shadow of a color it was.

"Joe, just don't. Don't go."

"You're just jealous."

"I'm suppose to be pseudo-gay, remember?"

"But you're not, so you're jealous."

"She's using you, Joey. You don't even talk when you're around her, so don't give me that 'it's my personality' crap."

"Fine. It's my masculine aura."

"Augh!"

She chuckled. This was one of the few times she got to listen to Joey talking to Yugi about this girl, Mai, who she had seen a few times. She was quite pretty. When she walked past her once, though, she had smelt so strange. She couldn't quite place the scent.

"It's against the rules if you go, you know."

"What!? Since when has there been a rule against dating hot girls?'

"It has nothing to do with girls, you idiot. It has to do with that serial killer that's going around killing kids. They want everyone to go home right after school, no buts."

Joey blew it off. "Aw, come on. What's the likelyhood that mister happy knives is going to find me? Besides, I'll be with Mai walking there and a bunch of others at the club."

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Yugi's sweet, handsome face grow darker with his increasing, thin lipped frown. His eyebrows went low over his eyes till he almost looked just like his sharper twin.

"I would think, Joey, that after seeing some of his victims yourself this would be more real to you."

That made Joey pale and falter. He didn't answer for some time, and his sad attempts to eat his lunch failed. Angie agreed with Yugi full heartedly and imagine herself telling him so, expressing the concerns of her the in the end she found herself just growing angry again. She really should stop indulging herself in these fantasies. They weren't healthy.

The bell rang and she tucked her empty tupperware into her book bag and made her way down the hall, careful to keep far enough from Yugi and Joey to make it look like a fluke, still listening. Joey made a few more weak tries at convincing Yugi it'd only be a dream come true to go with Mai after school to this Copperback place (whatever that was), but Yugi said nothing. She found her stomach clenching nervously for Joey's sake. What if he didn't take Yugi's word? What if he did leave after school?

Then that wasn't her business. If Joey wanted to go on a date, he was probably right. The likelyhood of the killer find him was miniscule.

She had been so deep in her thoughts and Joey's and Yugi's conversation that she walked into someone. The jolt sent her stumbling back, nearly tripping on the end of her invisibility shawl, and she panicked. But at the last moment the girl she had crashed into grabbed her.

"Woa, there,"

Angie straightened out and came eye to eye with no other than Joey's blond beauty: Mai.

Mai smiled at her, and in that moment something hit her so quickly and solidly, she nearly had her breath knocked from her. She had never been so close to Mai before, and she was no professional when it came to mortals, but…

"Are you really 16?" she blurted before she could think about it.

And that scent. That familiar, sickly scent wafting about her. She had to force down the need to cough.

Mai took a deep breath herself and her smile turned into something wicked, her eyes closed.

"And are you really human?"she said, and Angie had never heard anyone make a sound more like a purr than she.

Her surroundings blurred as her fear took over. The kids brushing past them faded. The sounds of their footsteps and chatter vanished in the thudding of her heart.

She felt sick.

"Tell you what, little birdie," said Mai, "you believe what you want and play nice and I won't take off that nice shawl of yours when you aren't looking. Sound all right?"

When had this gone from bumping into someone to being threatened. Angie rushed for words to explain herself.

"Why would I do anything mean to you?" Angie asked. "I mean, if you're not 16, big whoop, but what are you doing in a high school?"

"Just enjoying the experience. Now run along before I get thirsty."

Thirsty? Feeling beyond confused, she stumbled her way into the art classroom, head spinning with that strange sickly aroma around Mai. There was something really off here. Why would she stop her? And why had she called her a 'birdie'? Sure she looked like an ugly pigeon, but Mai had never seen her wings. How had she known?

What was Mai?

She pulled out the abstract there were finishing this week, but didn't pay attention to what her hands were doing. She almost didn't hear the twins in the corner next to her talking more about their friend Joey.

"What do we do?" asked Yugi.

"Nothing much we can do but let him get hurt and learn for himself. I'm about ninety-five percent sure Mai doesn't have a speck of affection for him." said Yami.

"But not that, what about that murderer who has been killing off kids? He's suppose to be close by!"

"What's the chance, really?"

"There's always a chance! We did find those bodies, didn't we?"

"You're being paranoid, Yugi. Just sit back and be ready to laugh and hand the boy tissues when he comes back all butthurt."

And then it hit her where she recognized Mai's smell.

Cain's steaks.

Her marker hovered over her canvas. Why would someone who knew about her real form smell like Cain's hog steaks? Did she eat them too? Big whoop if she did. And yet the smell still burned her nose. Why hadn't any of the others students noticed her smell? Joey only praised her in every whit.

Forgetting her promised silence, she dropped her marker and went to the twins. They looked just as surprised as she felt to see her standing her, but her heart was still pounding.

"What does Mai smell like to you?" she blurted out.

Yami and Yugi stared at her.

"What does she-excuse me?" said Yami.

Angie felt her face heating up. "I mean, does she smell nice or bad to you?"

"She uses perfume, I guess. Smells all right." said Yugi.

Yami snorted. "Joey says she smells like jasmine and fresh rain, the dog."

Angie felt the chill all over her again. Why would Mai smell so awful to her and good to everyone one else.

The killers in this area and has been killing off youth.

Mai isn't 16 years old.

She knows who I am.

"Angie, are you okay?" asked Yugi, slipping off his stool. "You look like you're going to pass out again.

"Somethings wrong. Mai-Joey-"

Yugi didn't ask how she knew that, though Yami looked like he was about to try.

"Have you seen something, Angie?"

She moved to explain, to explain everything, in hopes that maybe the mortals might be able to tell her what this awful sensation of foreboding in her chest was all about, but a tingle along her neck and the quieting of the classroom told her they were being watched. She looked over her shoulder to confirm it and backed away.

"Mai isn't what she seems." she whispered. "Don't let Joey go."

"But how do you know this?" said Yami.

"How is she not what she seems?" asked Yugi.

But she just shook her head and went back to her seat and attempted to continue her painting, but her mind was racing: why would she smell like Cain's meat? Why was she here? Why did she feel the need to threaten her? Why was she playing with Joey, if she was playing at all? Yugi and Yami were right, it didn't seem likely that the dark-eyed, meat smelling woman she had crashed into in the hall had already fallen for someone like Joey.

The bell rang, and she slipped out before Yugi and Yami could detain her for more questions. She tried to reason her anxiety aside, but instead went looking for Joey.

!# $%^%&^*&&^%$#

"Joey, when did you say you were heading to the club with Mai tonight?"

Joey gave Yugi a dead-panned look and continued walking to the main gates, where Yami waited in his grey honda civic almost as old as him. Now and then it would squeak as though protesting at being made to work this long.

"No, Yug. I know what you're doing."

"Being curious?"

"Being a stalker."

Yugi made to look offended, though his friend couldn't be more right. "You wish. Yami and I just wanted to get a practice in sometime this afternoon."

"Right." said Joey. He tugged open one of the few working doors and slid in to the other side as Yugi got into the front seat. Though the car had holes in the seat and the fabric was dropping off of the ceiling, it was meticulously clean. Yami was weird like that.

"So, you coming to practice?" asked Yami.

"You're in on it?" Joey scowled. "I'm not telling you when my date is."

"Jeeze, why are you so defensive?"

"That Angie girl asked me earlier for you, and I know you must have told her something awful to get her to break her silent treatment. I saw her face."

Yami and Yugi exchanged glances. Then, Yami winked at his twin where Joey couldn't see and made a sign of sighing.

"Fine, we'll just have to use the metronome to fill in for you." he said.

"What!? Hell no, I'm not some damn beat-clicker! You can't practice a single note without me, I'll be there! You can practice whenever I show up."

Yugi did his best not to smirk. Bulls-eye. Count on his brother to make such a clever, strategic move. Now if Joey didn't tell them what time his date was, he'd still have to leave practice in time to get ready and go, giving the two at least an idea of when they can hope to follow.

He'd hate them, but it was for his own good.

! #W$%^&%$#

Almost the instant she came home she went into the shower to wash off the layers of itchy makeup and hair dye that refused to stick, for some reason. She let her mind wander as usual as the hot water poured down her back. It felt safe here. Here, she didn't have to lie, pretend, or worry about meat smelling girls or how Yugi and Yami had driven away before she could have told them what time Joey was leaving. Now there was no one to follow him and keep him safe. But the white noise of water pattering against her skin blurred out her anxiety. It was just her here. Her, and water.

She filled her walk-in shower with wings.

When she finally came downstairs, wiping at her face with makeup remover, Cain was waiting for her with his illusionary coat draped over his arm. He nodded to her on meeting her eyes.

"I have to go out. You know the rules."

"Where are you going?"

"To search out some news. I'll be back by dawn, as usual."

She nodded. Though Cain usually ordered their food via mail order, occasionally he would take special trips out. Sadly, there wasn't much difference in the rules and her life with Cain here or gone, besides one less steak to cook. He slipped his coat on, had her check to make sure no sign of hidden wings showed, then left after giving her a brief pat on the head.

She wanted to soak in the warmth of his hand, but then he was gone, and where it had been was colder than before. She dabbed off the last of her make up, threw away the cotton balls, and went to the kitchen to dig around in the kitchen. Her meals usually took at least an hour to make, so she liked starting early. As she flipped through what vegetables they had, she pulled out a rutabaga considered it. She could make a small stew out of this that took about two hours. She looked at the clock. It was almost four now, so that meant it'd be done at six.

Joey's date with Mai was at six. There was no one….but she shook that thought out of her mind furiously. Joey could take care of himself. There was nothing but her suspicions to say Mai was dangerous. But Yugi and Yami said themselves there was no way she could even like him after such a short time, but they could've just been teasing. Boys did that, didn't they? Though they hadn't sounded like that.

Her mind became so muddled she left the rutabega on the counter and searched for more vegetables. She set the vegetables along the counter and looked back at the clock. After four. If she made this, she wouldn't be able to-but she didn't have any choice. Cain would know if she left the apartment, wouldn't he? Besides, he only made those rules with her best interest at heart. He wanted her to be safe. She should be wise.

She took a knife and set it on the rutabaga, but didn't cut. Her hand was trembling. What if she went to school tomorrow and Joey wasn't there? No one else knew. Joey said he was tired of stalkers and wouldn't tell anyone. She was the only one. What would she do then, with that knowledge?

These were for her safety.

But Joey's safety was in jeopardy too. And though she hadn't talked to him for over a week, she had listened to him, and to her he was her friend, pretend or not.

She put away the knife and the vegetables, heart skipping nervously in her chest. She grabbed a granola bar and went upstairs to rev up her computer. In Mapquest she punched in Copperback, Domino, as well as her address and waited for the directions with sweating fingers. When they did, she looked at the distance, printed out a map, and went around her room for a head wrap. When Cain use to take her to the park at nights he would have her wrap up her hair so none of it's whiteness showed. With quick hands she tied it up again as well as her wings in her own illusionary shawl. Then, pocketing a few dollars for the bus, she looked at the clock again. It was almost five. It should take Joey about an hour to get there. She should get there then too.

Downstairs, she paused for a terrifying second with her hand on the doorknob. Was she sure she wanted to do this? Hadn't she broken enough promises by not telling Cain about her fainting incident? But Yugi was right, no one noticed her now, so it wasn't necessarily lying. But while she could justify that, what she was about to do she knew she wouldn't be able to justify. What if Joey wasn't in trouble? What if she went just to watch a perfect human girl and guy make goo goo eyes at each other?

Steeling herself, she twisted the doorknob and, for the first time, left the apartment without Cain's permission.

#$%^&*^%$#%^&

When the sun goes down, Marik comes out to play.

Skipping in excitement, he closed the basement apartment behind him. It was the same apartment he had commandeered on first injuring his wing, and since then he had replaced their distasteful naked human poster with artwork of his own: an abstract square filled with tastefully placed human bones of his previous meals. Along with the now sparkling clean apartment and a window successfully tinfoiled up, he almost felt like he could make this place a permanent home-especially since he had already eaten the landlord, who had come to clean out the place after his tenants bodies were found in the dump.

Of course, the police had come, but he saw it coming and had found another place to relax in while they did their...whatever they did. He heard mortal crime fighters hunted down murderers using DNA, but it made him laugh to think of anyone trying to track him down using a DNA match. It wasn't like he was human himself. That is how it worked, right? They took one human's DNA and saw whether or not it matched with that which was found? Oh, whatever.

The night, though sickly scented with the fumes of cars and human refuse, welcomed him with cool touches. The first breath of darkness always filled him with the sense that the night was a woman, and she was hot. Dark skin, bright eyes, and straight and thin as a whistle.

He made his way down the street, making sure to take the allies as to hide his wings. Show them something just a bit out of the ordinary and humans completely lost it, which was fine by him, unless he was hungry. Hard to catch a meal in a stampede. Along the way he kept his nose peeled for something delicious. He caught the rancid smell of a few homeless and avoided them. Tonight he wanted to treat himself with something other than fast food. Something...fresh and healthy. Something young, untouched by those stupid poisons humans used for recreation, and virgin. The thought made his mouth water.

He planned on being out all night, making it a sort of game to hunt out just the right treat, but an aromic, intoxicating scent came to him after only an hour and he knew in an instant he was done searching.

Screw humans. He smelled birdie.

This one smelt different than the three brothers: fresher, younger. This peaked his interest. Could it be there were more than three birds in this city? Life was really looking up for him: nice apartment, stupid humans, and now rare hidden birdie delectables.

Wiping saliva off his chin, he grinned till his fangs slipped past his lips and followed his nose.

! #$YUI*&^%$#%

Angie didn't feel afraid. Cain had always taught her that night time was their natural habitat and their cover. Though here in the city the stars were swallowed up in light pollution and the moon glowed yellow with haze. She found, staring up as she walked from the bus stop, that she preferred the clear warm light of the sun. While the moon bathed everything in a clean silver, the sun brought out the colors of the world with near neon brilliancy.

Thus, she wasn't aware of the slouched figure in an alley she passed, dripping spittle onto the sidewalk at the smell of her. Due to the fact Copperback had been built out of the way and tucked into a slow traffic part of the city, like a hidden treasure, only a few people were out this evening, and vanishing quickly into the club five blocks away.

She looked around, trying to pick out Joey's thick blond hair and lanky swagger. Hopefully it wouldn't cost too much to go into the club and watch for him from a distance, that is, if Mai hadn't made her move already.

"Does my nose deceive me?"

A shock spiked through her muscles and she whirled around. Right behind her was a frightening man, with cinnamon skin lined with purple veins and bright, white eyes. His platinum blond hair shrouded his head and shoulders like a lion's mane.

But it was the leathery wings on his back that caught her attention.

"You're a daemon?"

"Good job, you know your shapes, little birdie."

The smell hit her next: Cain's steak. It was far more vile and rancid than Mai's scent, however, and she couldn't stop herself from smacking her hands over her nose.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, "And why aren't you hiding your wings?"

"Such strange questions from dinner," he scratched his chin with a long, but meticulous clean nail. On a second look she realized it was a claw. She had only seen Cain's claws once or twice in her life, when she had been an especially bad girl. But his statement confused her.

"What do you mean dinner? Don't you know I'm a daemon too?"

The daemon started. Then he flung back his head and roared with laughter. She pouted, though her heart had begun to pound in a instinctual fear she couldn't understand.

"Look, I may not look like it-"

"Oh, shut up." he snarled, turning from amused to feral faster than lightning. "There's no way you can trick me. I can smell you from a mile away, little birdie, no matter how well you hide your feathers. And it's quite…" and suddenly he was right next to her, claws against her neck and through her hair, rancid meat breath in her face, "delectable."

She stumbled back, but his claws caught on her hair, jerking her as well as a scream out of her throat. One great big leathery wing filled the sky above her and familiar fangs sank into her arm.

Panicstricken, she kicked and screamed at him, yanking his fangs from her arm with a flare of pain. He growled and snached for her, but she wriggled away-

-to see none other than Yugi running for her from an old grey car, his brother unsticking himself from his steering wheel after probably slamming the brakes.

"Oy! Batman!"

The daemon turned from her and hissed at the short Yugi, wing still snarled around her. She used the momentary distraction to rake her nails across it. The daemon yelped and she found herself face first into the pavement.

"Keep coming, little one, you'll make a great appetizer." he hissed.

She unpeeled her face up. "Yugi-!" A boot stomped her face back down. She tasted blood.

"Angie!? Let her go!"

She heard the squeak of sneakers and a battle cry, along with a snarl from the daemon. The boot lifted from her head and she rolled away and to her feet. Little Yugi had his arms around the daemon's neck, a surprising feet considering the fact the daemon was at least a head and half taller than him. But the moment she thought that the daemon swiped at Yugi and brought him crashing to the ground. She rushed to him, but another, much angrier shout beat her to it.

From across the street came Yami, with what-was that a shotgun?

"Touch him and I'll blow your face off!"

The daemon froze, eyes on the shotgun, fangs bared and gleaming in the combine light of the moon and the neon signs of Copperback.

Shotgun end unwavering, Yami eased himself closer to Yugi. He looked as frightening as Angie always knew he could be.

"What kind of stupid freak runs around attacking girls with fake bat wings stuck to his back? Go home and take your meds, unless you like the taste of lead."

Angie felt her stomach fall. "Yami…" He thought they were fake?

But before she could say anything, a chilling smirk broke across the daemon's face.

"Fake? How quaint."

Slowly, the daemon spread his wings. Their tremendous size seemed to fill up the entire alleyway to reach the sky.

Yami's eyes widened and he let the shotgun go slack for the barest of moments, but it was enough. The daemon shot forward.

And so did she, wings instinctually snapping out with a tear of cloth. She yelled and tackled the daemon, using the momentum of her outspread wings to spin about him and push him into the grimy brick side of the nearby building. One of his great wings with purple welts running down it's length thwacked against her own and he screeched in pain. Blood leaked out, and fueled by terror, she fell on it, grabbing the wing and crunching it against the bricks. Screaming the daemon spun around, eyes ablaze with bloodlust.

She bit in. Rancid blood filled her mouth. She recoiled, as did the daemon, still screaming at her.

Her stomach turned. She didn't know something could taste so bad. She thought she was going to be sick.

For a moment the daemon looked as though about to flee, for he turned for the alley. But in a swift movement she barely saw he swiped up Yugi and vanished into the darkness.

Without thinking she followed, calling out his name. Behind her she heard Yami shouting his brother's name as well.

As she ran, it amazed her that she didn't trip on anything. In the dim light of the moon she made out a wall and turned, following a maze of alleys rank with the smell of urine and trash. Her heart pounded in her ears, her head whirled with confusion.

Mai smelt like the daemon. The steak, what was it? The daemon was going to eat Yugi. The daemon was going to eat her.

Cain drank her blood, but she never drank his or ate his food.

They had called her 'birdie.'

She skidded into a dark, silent street, panting. In the distance a dog barked.

Underneath the orange light of a wilting streetlamp stood the daemon, eyes aglow, and little Yugi squirming in his grasp.

"I will eat you," he snarled, "alive and writhing."

And he opened up his great jaws, fangs glistening orange with saliva, and sank his teeth into Yugi's shoulder.

The same time Yugi screamed she leapt forward, wings alight. Her feet left the ground, her hands reached for the daemon's broken wing-

The daemon dropped Yugi and she beat her wings wildly, hitting every part of the daemon she could reach. He retreated, claws protecting his face, scrambling to hide his injured wing from her assault. Adrenaline making her head pound, she kicked hard and the daemon lost his balance into a pile of trash.

She pivoted on the spot and ran to Yugi. Without another thought she grabbed him under the armpits.

"What are-?"

She beat her wings as she never had before, fueling every ounce of adrenaline, fear, and fury into each pound. For the second time in her life her feet left the ground and she fought her way to the stars.