To King of Doors: I'm so glad that you liked it! I thought chapter three was kind of boring compared to the last two, but rest assured that chapter four is going to answer (or at least kind of answer) your question. Yami is quite a little possessive devil ain't he? Thanks for reviewing~!
Chapter 4: Begin the End of Innocence (4,853 Words)
Yuugi practically skipped down the sidewalk as he went to meet up with his friends before school started. He smiled as he thought of the weight that seemed to lift from his shoulders upon telling Ryou about the vampire attack and, more importantly, about Yami. He honestly didn't think the attack affected him that badly, but he was poorly mistaken. He briefly wondered what he would do should Yami appear before his friends but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. Yami wasn't stupid, and he had to trust that Yami wouldn't do that. He remembered his final conversation with Ryou the night before once they had finally finished that dreaded project.
Ryou stepped outside of the game shop and turned back to Yuugi with a polite smile. "Thanks for the help, Yuugi. I couldn't have done it without you."
Yuugi simply shook his head and replied, "Anytime, Ryou. I know you would have done the same if our positions were switched."
"If only this were about History," Ryou said with a laugh. Yuugi was positively awful at any kind of History, and it was his worst grade in school.
Yuugi laughed as well, but then he became serious. "Hey, Ryou?"
"What is it?" Ryou tilted his head to the side in genuine interest. A black motorcycle edged in gold paint pulled up to the curb. Melvin's wild blond hair could be seen underneath the helmet that was shaped like Anubis' head. The powerful engine's growl pierced through the night., and Yuugi was sure that no one outside of two feet of them would be able to hear his next statement. Yet he leaned closer towards his friend just to be sure.
"You can't tell anyone about the vampires attacking me or about Yami."
Yuugi's tone left no room for argument, so Ryou merely nodded. "Don't worry, Yuugi. No one will find out until you're ready to tell them. Your secret is safe with me." With one last smile and a wave goodbye, Ryou jumped with practiced ease onto the bike behind Melvin. His pale arms attached a second Anubis helmet to his head before wrapping around the older man's torso. They shot off down the road as if the Devil himself was chasing them. Knowing Melvin, Yuugi's speculations were probably not far off.
Yuugi smiled at the memory before returning his attention to the path in front of him. The sun shone brightly from the Eastern sky, and the puffy white clouds drifted by as the high atmospheric winds pushed them along towards the horizon. Yuugi was enjoying his surroundings when the scraping of claws caught his attention.
He stopped moving and looked around. The street was deserted because of the early hour, and Yuugi didn't see any animals. It was only when he returned his attention forward did he see a gigantic dog standing before him. His light violet eyes widened in surprise, and he stiffened. No, he mentally corrected himself, That's a wolf. He took a wary step back when the wolf stepped forward.
Its pelt was a stormy grey with lighter brown streaks going through the hair. The claws that adorned its huge paws were sharper than what Yuugi thought was natural, and its fangs were easily noticeable as they stuck a good two inches from its upper lip. It perked its ears forward when Yuugi moved away from it and snorted as if the idea of hurting him was absurd. In a smooth motion, it turned around so its backside was facing Yuugi. It flicked its abnormally long tail in a gesture that clearly said, 'Follow me.'
Yuugi blinked at the wolf with bewilderment and bemusement, and when the wolf stepped forward, Yuugi followed. He was curious about where the wolf wanted him to go, and he still had a good hour before he had to be to the school. After many blocks, the wolf suddenly darted into an alley. Yuugi hurried to follow but stopped when he was that the wolf was gone. A lone warehouse stood at the end of the short alleyway.
His eyes scanned the empty lot the warehouse sat on. Nothing was there except the surrounding buildings and the dirt ground. Weeds didn't even grow in the plain soil. He curiously wondered where the gigantic wolf ran off to as he approached the warehouse cautiously. He kept one eye watching behind him. He didn't want to be jumped by any gangs, wandering vampires, or the wolf.
As he walked closer, he could hear voices echoing off the wooden walls of the shabby warehouse. Yuugi picked out five voices in total after hovering outside the door that was slightly ajar. Two of them sounded eerily familiar, and it took Yuugi a couple of seconds to recognize who those voices belonged to. Griffin and Gilfred, he thought. He shivered upon remembering what they had almost done to him a couple nights ago. He was surprised to be hearing their voices again, for he thought Yami had killed them. He then remembered what Yami had said upon their first meeting:
"Why don't I take you home to your family before these numskulls reawaken from the dead?"
They must have reawakened, Yuugi thought gloomily. He shook away his thoughts to gain better clarity of the conversation. An unknown voice was speaking. It was deep and commanded attention. It reminded Yuugi of Yami, but he knew that wasn't him. Whoever was speaking was definitely male.
"You guys are a bunch of weaklings. Y'all can't even take out one mere human!"
A second voice sounded somewhere near the first. It was a little higher pitched but still distinctively male. He seemed hesitant to speak, but Yuugi might have been imagining it. "Yeah, I heard he wasn't even five-foot tall! Couldn't have been more than twelve years old!" Yuugi blanched at that particular statement. He was proudly five-four, fifteen years old, and no longer the shortest among all his friends!
A third unknown voice, still male, said, "Can we just kill them already? Lord Yami won't be pleased if we're late for tonight's meeting. Besides, we'll have to clean ourselves of their scent, so our dearest lord won't suspect anything." His tone was impatient, and Yuugi didn't like how he said 'our dearest lord.'
It's as if they don't like or respect Yami, but what's that about him being a Lord? Yuugi thought. He let out a small breath as he bravely shifted his position, so he could peek through the crack in the door. He saw Gilfred lying in a bloodied heap on the concrete with Griffin sitting up in much the same condition behind him. Three armoured figures stood before them and had them trapped with their backs to the wall.
The three vampires, or that's what Yuugi assumed they were, each held wooden stakes in their hands. Blood already coated the sharp wooden surfaces, and Yuugi could see that underneath the cloaks were various other weapons. They must be some kind of vampire guard, Yuugi thought. He tried to remember how the legend went when killing a vampire, but his memory chose then to fail him. Did you have to rip off their heads or drive a wooden stake into their hearts? Maybe you have to rip out their hearts? Yuugi mused.
The second voice spoke, "Yeah, let's just get this over with."
Then the first unknown voice said, "Alright, I hear you both! These cowards don't deserve to live anyway." The vampire who stood in the middle, who Yuugi assumed to be the owner of the first voice and the higher ranking vampire of the three, spat onto the hunched forms of Griffin and Gilfred. They flinched away pathetically.
Yuugi's eyes narrowed as he got a feeling of déjà vu. He felt as if he'd seen this kind of scene before. Then it struck him. He had! Joey and Tristan were in very much the exact same position only two years ago! Even after all the bullying and pushing around they did to Yuugi, he still stood up for them against Ushio and his cronies. He wondered if he could change Griffin and Gilfred's hearts as he did Joey and Tristan's. Should I try? He wondered briefly before coming to a decision. Of course, I should try!
Gathering his quickly fleeting courage, he pushed open the door and sprinted into the warehouse. The three vampires looked startled as Yuugi's smaller frame skidded to a halt in front of Gilfred and Griffin. He threw his arms out and shouted, "No! I won't let you hurt my friends!"
He could feel Griffin and Gilfred's bloody red eyes staring at him from behind in disbelief, but he forced himself to continue looking forward. He knew they weren't the threat at the moment. The three armoured vampires before him were. Their red eyes burned with anger when Yuugi's words registered in their minds, and their fangs could easily be seen as they hissed their displeasure at being interrupted.
The middle one spoke then. His voice was overflowing with rage and a hint of hatred as he yelled, "Then you'll have to die as well!"
Yuugi shifted into a defensive position and braced himself for whatever attack might be coming. He didn't care if he got hurt at that point. He only wanted to gain enough ground, so Gilfred and Griffin might make a run for it. He knew their enhanced abilities would lead them both to safety, and he tried desperately to drive the thought of him fighting three fully armoured vampires at full strength alone. Hell, even one weak vampire would be a challenge!
"N-No…" Griffin stuttered gravelly from behind. Yuugi heard the sound of feet shuffling against concrete and felt a clawed hand grab his right shoulder. He couldn't help but stiffen.
Gilfred's snake-like voice then came from his left. "We won't let you hurt him."
Griffin, who Yuugi suddenly realised look very similar to Joey, gave him a sideways look as he spoke with questionable confidence. "He is our friend?" Yuugi nodded at him and smiled. Griffin gave a fanged grin in reply and repeated the line with the utmost confidence and strength he could muster. "He is our friend," he declared bravely. Yuugi noticed that he was putting most of his weight onto Yuugi's little frame and knew that if there was going to be any fighting, there wasn't going to be much of it. Both vampires oozed blood from the many nasty wounds that they had. This would be a quick one-sided battle.
He sneaked a look at Gilfred and saw that he wasn't faring much better. He looked oddly like Tristan, but his hair was longer and spiky all over, not just gathered into one point. Despite his raggedly bloody appearance, the determination that Yuugi once saw in Tristan's brown eyes so many years ago shined brightly in his red orbs. His fangs were bared in defiance against the three vampire guards.
The two groups were about to charge each other when they all heard calm laughter from above. Yuugi's blood ran hot as he recognized the sound. Yami!
Yami leaped down from the banister he had been crouching on and landed gently onto the ground. His dark purple cape fluttered as he did so, and Yuugi noticed that his clothing had changed drastically from before. The leather and skin-tight clothes were gone and had been replaced with an armour set similar to the guards. The only differences were that instead of metal the armour seemed to be lined with tightly woven leather mesh. It would've looked like chainmail if not for the dark color. Yuugi thought that gold and silver might have been woven in as well because it shined softly, but he couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, it looked expensive and beautiful as it hugged closely to Yami's muscled body. A finely carved crown sat between his bangs. It was painted gold, but one could obviously tell that it was originally made of wood. Yuugi wondered why he would wear such a low-priced crown with such stunning armour.
"Prince Yami," Gilfred began gruffly. His weariness was beginning to show through his mask of strength. "W-What are you doing here?" Yuugi felt Griffin remove his hand as Gilfred questioned Yami. Yuugi would have insisted on helping Griffin bear his own weight, but he was to caught up on the fact that Yami was a prince to say anything.
"Now, now, Gilfred," Yami replied smoothly as he gazed gently at him. Apparently, all had been forgiven from a couple nights ago, and Yuugi felt a spark of happiness at the thought. "How would it look if your dearest lord were to overlook such an event like this one?" His dark violet eyes began to glow red as he finished speaking. His eyes slowly filtered over Gilfred and Griffin to finally land on Yuugi. Light violet clashed with bloody red as their eyes met. Yuugi offered a smile, and an arrogant smirk was returned.
Yami turned his gaze to the other three armoured vampires who looked like they might crap their pants at any given moment. Yuugi noticed that the softness that had previously been there was gone. In its place was pure rage, and Yuugi was glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of it. "Lord Yami, you haven't heard what-" The leader of the trio was cut off suddenly despite Yami not saying a word.
A growl could be heard in Yami's now threatening voice as he spoke. The dark light was swirling around his body dangerously. "I allowed you to drink my blood, and all I wanted in return was your loyalty. Breaking such a bond is not only illegal, but it is a crime only punishable by eternal death. I do not care for what you've said or what you've done to Gilfred and Griffin. However," his voice took on an edge that Yuugi hadn't heard before, "No one threatens my little Yuugi."
Before anyone could blink, Yami was standing in front of the leader of the three guards when he had previously been standing a couple meters away. Fear glistened in the guard's eyes before Yami cleanly drove his hand into the other's chest. The armour did nothing to repel the attack, and the guard gasped and choked with shock. Yuugi watched with wide eyes as Yami ripped the unbeating heart from beneath the armour. It was shriveled and blackened. Whether it looked like that because of age or because he was dead, Yuugi didn't know. He was shocked at the action that his brain felt like it was in slow-motion. Griffin and Gilfred hadn't moved from their positions either, but Yuugi quietly suspected that they couldn't move for the same reasons the vampire guards couldn't. Yami's power must have been holding them in place.
The heart was quickly crushed in Yami's gloved hand, and the dust disappeared to nothingness before it could hit the ground. The body went to dust and disappeared right after. The two remaining guards quickly fell to their knees into a kneeling position. As the vampire to the right spoke, Yuugi recognized him as the one who had been the impatient one before. His red eyes had turned to a vibrant blue color, and he removed his helmet to reveal brown locks that looked very much like Seto Kaiba's but longer.
"I deeply apologize, my prince," he said with his head bowed. He had a hand raised with his palm upwards as if asking for forgiveness. "As your second-in-command, I shouldn't have fallen so easily to Dialou's false promises. I take complete responsibility for my own actions and Mikae's."
The vampire to the left then removed his helmet. Short pale blond hair stuck up at odd angles, and his green eyes shone with unshed tears. He kept his head bowed as he furiously tried to blink them away. He wisely stayed quiet throughout the other's apology and offered his own soon after.
Yami hummed as if he were thinking before turning to look at Yuugi. Yuugi's breath caught in his throat at the look Yami was giving him. The anger was gone from his eyes, but they were still a bloody red color. The usual amusement that swarmed in his eyes was nonexistent, and Yuugi felt as if he were about to ask him a very serious question. He would soon find out that he wasn't far off at all.
"Yuugi, come here," Yami said gently, but the smirk wasn't on his pale lips. Yuugi stepped forward despite the warning bells that sounded with his head. He believed Yami wouldn't hurt him, but after seeing him literally rip out and crush someone's heart it was kind of hard to keep that thought in his head. Yami had extended his gloved hand for Yuugi to take, and he did so hesitantly.
The dark light swarmed in around him at the contact, and he felt the doubt he had leave his mind and body. He could sense something pure within the power that surrounded him and knew then that he would always be safe by Yami's side. It was an emotion Yuugi couldn't quite place, but it was tingly and… warm.
Yami pulled Yuugi to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders possessively. He bent down to inhale the scent from Yuugi's hair before returning his attention back to the two kneeling vampires. Yuugi attempted to fight off the blush that threatened to run rampant over his cheeks at Yami's action, and he was failing miserably.
"These vampires have committed a great sin, little one," Yami began softly and slowly. Yuugi guessed that he knew of his shocked state of mind from his previous actions. If Yuugi could tap into Yami's emotions when touched by the dark light, it stood to reason that Yami could easily read Yuugi's. That's how Yuugi thought it worked at least. "They bonded with another vampire whilst already bonded to me. I thought I should ask you what their punishment should be if they receive any at all."
Yuugi gulped as the request registered in his head. Yami wanted him to deal out a punishment when he barely knew anything about the situation or the two vampires themselves? He would've questioned Yami's sanity if he didn't already know that the vampire prince was quite sane. He glanced back at Griffin and Gilfred. Much to Yuugi's surprise, they were still standing, but he assumed that was only because of Yami's hold over them. He met each of their eyes to see they matched Joey and Tristan's respectfully. They looked at him curiously. They wanted to know what his answer was going to be.
He then looked at both of the kneeling guards. The one to the left, who he now knew as Mikae, was obviously about to cry. Yuugi could guess that he had been in high school when he had died or had been changed based on his looks. Mentally, the vampire didn't seem that old at all. Not like Yami or even Griffin or Gilfred. He didn't seem to really have a say in the entire fiasco.
He looked over to the one kneeling to the right. A scowl was planted onto the brunet vampire's lips as he kneeled. Yuugi could practically see the regret and guilt coming off of him in waves. He had said something about being influenced by false promises, and Yuugi could understand that completely. He'd had many false friends in the past, and it was very easy to get turned away from what you already had in front of you. He took a breath before speaking and took a step away from Yami to place his hand into the brunet's open one. The vampire obviously hadn't been expecting such an action, but he made no move to flinch away from the human's touch. If anything, it sent a jolt of warmth and comfort coursing through him.
"I think you should forgive them, Yami," Yuugi said truthfully and without conviction. He looked up at Yami to finally see the smirk on the prince's lips that he so adored seeing. Yuugi smiled at the sight, and his eyes instantly brightened with happiness.
"Then they shall be pardoned," Yami declared after a moment of tense silence. He quickly pulled Yuugi away from the guard and into an embrace. Yuugi now had his back pressed flush against Yami's hips and torso. He could feel Yami's chin as it brushed against the strands of his hair. "I know they will never betray me again."
The two guards rose, and Mikae could no longer hold back his tears. They flowed freely down his pale cheeks as he nodded his head in thanks to Yami and then Yuugi. "I'll get back to my post then, my prince," he said gratefully and bowed deeply before leaving. His dark red cape billowed out behind him, and sniffles could be heard as he walked away.
"My lord," the brunet began, but Yami cut him off.
"There are no need for any more apologies, Seth," Yami cut in smoothly. "Yuugi and I have already passed judgement. Everything is as it should be."
Seth bowed low, just as Mikae had done a few seconds ago, and said, "Then I too shall get back to my post. When you have finished up here, I'll be expecting you for the meeting tonight. Rest assured that everything will be perfect by the time you return."
"I'll expect nothing less," Yami replied graciously, and Seth disappeared from their sight. The door hit the wooden frame harshly, and Yuugi guessed that Seth had used his vampiric speed to dash off to God knows where. A couple of peacefully seconds went by before a pair of groans accompanied by a pair of thuds echoed about the warehouse. Yuugi gasped as he remembered Griffin and Gilfred. He turned in Yami's grasp to stare at the now collapsed vampires. He went to move towards them, but Yami held him back. "Come on now, you two," Yami berated. "You're scaring Yuugi."
Griffin was the first to apologise, but it wasn't directed at Yami. His gaze was settled on Yuugi, but Yuugi didn't feel off-put by it like he did a few nights ago. "Sorry, Lord Yuugi," he said with a raspy voice.
Gilfred finished off his statement, "We had no intention of frightening you." He had a small, almost goofy, smile on his face, and Yuugi found himself unable to remain mad at the two.
"It's okay," Yuugi replied gently. He brushed off the 'Lord' title. He had no idea where that came from, but he was sure he'd figure it out sooner or later. Hopefully sooner rather than later. "Are you guys going to be alright?" His voice was laced with concern, and it shone in his violet eyes.
"They'll be fine once they have some of my blood, Yuugi," Yami said. He then preceded to remove a glove and held out his hand towards the duo. Yuugi saw Yami's other hand come up to cover his eyes, but not before Yuugi saw Gilfred and Griffin's eyes go red and them practically jumping onto Yami's outstretched hand with fangs extended.
Being without his sight only made Yuugi's hearing better, and he leaned further into Yami's body as he heard blood being sucked from Yami's hand and wrist. The long drags of blood being hungrily taken faded away when Yami protectively tightened his arm around Yuugi's head. He could feel Yami's nose against his scalp as the vampire prince inhaled his scent for the second time that day. Does Yami like the smell of strawberries? Yuugi wondered curiously as he enjoyed the feeling of Yami being so close to him. He himself was loving Yami's smoke and cinnamon scent.
As soon as Gilfred and Griffin began to drink, it was over. They stepped back from the pair, and Yami easily slid his glove back over his quickly healing hand. His hand fell away from Yuugi's eyes to rest lightly on the boy's hip while the other wrapped around his chest. Yuugi smiled at the two fully healed vampires who stood before him. "I'm glad you're all better now," he said with yet another smile. The two laughed sheepishly. Yep, Yuugi thought, They definitely remind me of my best friends.
"We're grateful for your concern," Gilfred replied. "However, why were you out this way, Lord Yuugi? We thought your school was towards the north end of the city."
Brushing off the 'Lord' title again and choosing to ignore the fact that they might have been stalking him to school, Yuugi honestly answered, "I was following this gigantic wolf. It stopped me on my way to school and wanted me to follow it. It had weird light brown streaks running through its fur and had strangely long claws and fangs. Its tail was at least three feet in length."
When Yuugi finished his description, Griffin said, "Our werewolf friend, Anzu, must have led you here. That sounds like something she'd do. Just up and leave us like that to find someone else to do the dirty work for her."
Gilfred nodded in disapproval. His snake-like voice was slow to speak. "We'll have to talk to her about leaving our friends to face danger alone when we see her next."
Griffin gave his friend an incredulous look. "Really man? Lord Yuugi hasn't been our friend but for five minutes and you go on spouting about having a talk to the werewolf's Chief Guard Commander herself about friendship! You're asking for trouble."
The two began to bicker, and Yuugi saw the resemblance more and more as he watched He giggled quietly, and they continued to argue with each other. Upon feeling, and hearing, Yami's own laughter, Yuugi tilted his head back to look up at him. "I do have a few questions, Yami," Yuugi said softly. He wasn't exactly sure how the vampire lord would take it, and he still didn't want to risk antagonising him.
"Ask anything you want, my little one. I'll answer all your questions in due time." His reply was smooth and calm as it usually was, but Yuugi couldn't help but feel like Yami was trying, and succeeding, to hide something from him. Yuugi sighed, closed his eyes, and pushed all the negative thoughts from his mind. He leaned up against Yami, and the vampire didn't hesitate to tighten his already possessive grip around him. Peace washed over Yuugi despite Gilfred and Griffin's argument that had taken a turn towards food.
"So what's this meeting I keep hearing about?" Yuugi asked suddenly only to hear Yami chuckle in amusement.
I'm finally done with this chapter! WHOO~! To be completely honest, I think the worst part was the editing because I really wanted nothing more than to post this damn thing before I headed off for school. That obviously didn't happen 'cuz I posted this once I got home… Anyway, I swear/promise that the next chapter is going to explain a lot of stuff. I actually have a list of shit that needs to be put in there so yeah. No joke, though, I finished editing this in study block today with twenty minutes to spare! Haha~! -does a victory dance and fires off a volley of celebratory cannon fire- Not that I did any homework afterwards lol. I love writing this almost as much as you guys like reading it (or at least I think you enjoy reading this idk). Well, this is the end of a really long ass footnote. Thanks for listening to my rambling, and please make sure to review! It makes my day SOOO much better! :) :) :)