From Dusk 'Til Dawn

Chapter 10

Playmate

Malik groaned in frustration. Why did Kaiba always give him the lousy missions? Picking up the CEO's brother from the airport did not seem like the kind of a job that was suitable to the future savior of the world.

Mokuba smiling brightly while he sat between Malik and Ryou at the backseat of a limo. He had been abroad for a few months and today he would be united with his brother again, a fact that had him floating in happiness. Malik could not understand how someone like Kaiba could wake such happy feelings in anyone.

The limousine was currently stopped, waiting in a crossroad for the traffic light to change to green. Waiting was one thing Malik hated even more than degrading babysitting missions, even though Ryou had called this a body guard mission.

That was when they heard the scream. It was a horrible screeching sound that completely out of this world. It was frightening, it was powerful, it was scary.

Mokuba immediately kicked the door on Ryou's side open and darted out.

"Hey!" Malik shouted out and rushed after the boy. "Come back here!"

"Wait!" he heard Ryou shout behind him as the albino also took off after them.

Malik followed Mokuba to an alleyway and almost ran into the boy. He peered over the kid's spiky hair to see that the alley was completely covered in ash.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked and shouted out in pain when Mokuba stepped on his foot.

"Children present", he said in monotone and stepped forward.

'He really is a Kaiba...' Malik thought and stepped ahead of the boy. "I'm going first", he said outloud. "I'm the body guard here."

"Fine", Mokuba said and glared at him. "Go right ahead."

That was when Ryou finally came to the scene. He observed the damage done to the alley and commented: "A pyrochinenic erruption?" Malik shook his head.

"Don't think so", he said. "Way too much damage."

That was when they noticed the body.

A blond-haired teenaged boy was lying on the ground on his stomach, his hair covering his face. The trio crept closer.

"Do you think he's the one that screamed?" Ryou asked. Malik shrugged.

"Dunno. But if he is, then he's one dangerous bas-" He glanced at Mokuba. "...fellow."

Mokuba knelt down next to the unconcious boy and felt his neck.

"I can feel a pulse", he said. "It's quite strong and even. And he's burning hot."

Ryou also knelt down to examine the blond on the ground. Malik followed suite. The stranger seemed to be breathing steadily, so he was in no immediate danger.

"Ok", Malik said, stood up and dusted his hands off. "I say we head back to HQ." Both Mokuba and Ryou turned to glare at him.

"We can't leave him here", Mokuba protested.

"He might die!" Ryou argued.

"He's alive."

"Yes, at the moment", Ryou admitted. "But he's in grave danger lying on vampire territory unconcious."

"I'll take him home as a pet", Mokuba said suddenly.

"WHAT?" came from two mouths at the same time.

"If Malik won't save him just because he's in danger then he'll help him because he is mine." At that the boy pulled a collar from his pocket.

"I've always wished for a puppy", he said mournfully. "But this one will do." With that the collar was clipped into place around the unconcious boy's neck. Ryou actually dared to snicker a bit.

"This is madness!" Malik screeched at the other two boys. "You can't take a person as a pet!"

"He clearly doesn't have a home", Mokuba said. "He's so thin and and the tan screams that he's lived outside."

"That is all true", Ryou admitted. "Alright then. I say we take him with us."

"Kaiba will never agree to this!"

"I know how to handle 'niisama."

Ryou turned the blond on the ground to his back and seized him from below his arms.

"You take his legs", he advised Malik. Malik took hold of the legs than they started carrying the boy to the car while Mokuba happily bounced next to them. The whole time Malik mumbled about the world becoming insane and evil hell spawns.

&&&&&&&

"Well?" Kaiba asked Ryou. "What's wrong with him?" The brunet had not been pleased to find out that his brother's guards had allowed a straying from their path but he had not objected to them bringing a stranger with them nearly as much. Actually, Kaiba had seemed very interested in the blond boy ever since he had first layed eyes on him.

"I think it's just exhaustion", Ryou said truthfully. "And he also seems to be quite famished." He frowned a bit, signaling that there was something more, something he found unusual.

"He has incredibly high body temperature", the albino said to his boss. "Exactly forty degrees celcius."

"He doesn't look sick", Kaiba commented. "Why is this?"

"I'm not sure", Ryou admitted. "I think that it might be his normal body temperature."

"What is he exactly?"

"That I can't say."

Kaiba thought for a moment.

"That's why we have Hakuba", he then said with a smirk. "Malik." He turned to Malik and Mokuba, who were standing by the door of the room.

"Yeah?" Malik questioned.

"Fetch Hakuba-kun for me."

"Right away, sir." Malik was gone in a flash.

"You're going to request an aura readout from Hakuba-kun?" Ryou asked Kaiba. It was logical, that was one of the reasons Hakuba had been recruited, after all.

Kaiba nodded his head in confirmation and commented: "That's why he's here." The icy blue eyes locked on the unconcious form on the bed. Ryou felt uneasy when he saw the preculiar glint in them.

&&&&&&&

Seto was starting to grow very impatient when Malik finally arrived with Hakuba in tow.

"It's about time", the CEO growled icyly. He glared right into Malik's bright violet eyes, causing the blond to glance away when he was unable to meet his gaze.

Seto turned his attention to the paler blond and snapped: "I want a readout on this person's aura immediately."

Hakuba did not react to the harsh tone at all. He simply nodded his head and walked over to the bed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, furrowing his brows in concentration. Soon a suprised look came to the face as the bright blue eyes snapped open and Seto was shot a curious glance.

"Well?" Seto asked impatiently. "What did you feel?"

"He has a very strange aura, Kaiba-san", Hakuba said slowly, apparently trying to figure out a polite way to deliver his information. Hakuba was not the type to be blunt.

"His aura is extremely powerful, even when resting", Hakuba finally concluded.

"What is he?" Seto asked. "Can you determine that?"

Hakuba shook his head and said: "I've only sensed an aura like his once before."

Seto lifted an eyebrow. "Where have you sensed such an aura before?" he asked. "Who's the same as him?"

Hakuba returned Seto's fumingly impatient glare with a blank stare and suddenly Seto knew the answer before Hakuba even spoke it.

"He has the same aura as you, Kaiba-san."

&&&&&&&

"So..." Honda started as soon as Ryou and Malik returned into the room where the rest of them were. "What's up?"

"Kaiba and Hakuba are taking the guy into a vacant room upstairs", Malik said. "I don't get it. Since when has Kaiba lowered himself to any form of physical straining?"

"Kaiba-san is apparently interested in the newcomer", Ryou commented. "You weren't in the room after he ordered you to fetch Hakuba-kun. He had this strange look in his eyes, almost like he was obsessed."

Malik shrugged. "I saw his eyes gleam in a scary manner when Hakuba told him that the two of them had similar auras", he commented off-handedly. "I'm certain that the look he had then is easier to recognize than the one you saw."

"So what are you saying?" Koizumi asked. "Kaiba has his eyes set on the kid you brought in?"

"I wouldn't say it like that", Yami cut in. "Kaiba is a person you must never take for granted. He might be interested, but it might just be the guy's abilities. You didn't hear the story Malik, Ryou and Mokuba told Kaiba. That fellow is definitely powerful."

"But he was staring at that blond", Ryou said carefully. He had really found that most disturbing, the powerful gleaming in the dark blue eyes. Kaiba may not be a person for emotional attachement but he was at least interested, even if it was just physical attraction.

"I agree with Yami", Ishizu commented. "Kaiba-san can't be read like a book. His eyes are difficult to read. They might show more than the rest of his face but they're probably the one thing you should never trust."

"Well, we will just have to wait and see, then", Malik said. "I mean, sooner or later we will find out what Kaiba wants with the guy. The boss will act, he always does."

Ryou would have liked to point out that he was through with this topic. It was none of their business what their employer was planning, unless it was a new operation. Then they would be told what was happening.

"I don't think we should dig into the matter too much", Ryou managed to pipe out. "I mean, he is our employer..."

"You're such a pansy, Ryou", Malik said with no real insult in his voice. "You're saying that just because you don't want to make the boss-man angry."

"Well, I don't exactly want to make him angry myself", Honda commented. "That guy's scary when mad."

"Not to mention he'll probably figure out some nice punishment for 'disrespect towards the employer' or 'handling unauthorized information' or something equally creative", Yami said.

"Sometimes I think he actually gets mad at us just because he likes to name new reasons for punishments so much", Honda growled in aggitation.

"So we're letting this thing slide?" Ryou asked in a hopeful tone. He really did not want to be on Kaiba's bad side more than he absolutely had to.

Koizumi eyed the group with disgust and then grunted: "I guess so."

&&&&&&&

Saguru closed the door behind himself as he walked out of the room that currently had Kaiba and the blond-haired boy inside. If he would have been the type to believe in love at first sight he would think that his employer was actually taken in by the stranger.

Images of brown hair and dark purple eyes invaded Saguru's mind at that moment. The blond shook his head to clear it. He did not believe in love at first sight. There had to be another reason for Kaiba's facination with the unconcious boy.

As Saguru started to walk down the hall, his attempts to convince himself that the world was still sane were crushed each time by the memory of a firm, dominative kiss. A blush crept to Saguru's cheeks when he finally decided that he wanted to experience it again. No matter what.

&&&&&&&

Seto eyed the boy on the bed with as little blinking as he could muster. The face that was currently covered by long blond locks was beautiful, even if somewhat scratched. The boy's body was too slim and the calm look currently decorating the slightly tanned face looked like it was not there often.

The blond had been though a lot, Seto could figure that much out from just looking at him. But he could only wonder what his personality was like. Somehow he did not look like the same calm type he was. But he could not know for sure until the other woke up.

Waking up. That was the thing that Seto waited anxiously for. He wanted to see what the other was like and mostly, what color his eyes were. He was hoping golden, even though it was very unlikely for them to be such an unnatural color.

Hakuba had said that the blond was the same as him. That would mean that he was very powerful. Seto wondered what the other would look like when morphed. He also pondered if his abilities were the reason he looked so roughly-treated.

Seto felt new protectiveness take over him at that thought. The unconcious boy was like him, and had been treated badly because of that. Seto decided that he would protect the other, even if he did not turn out to be the kind of a person he would want close to him the most. The blond could join the Shadow Wyverns. He would have a home here, no matter what.

To be continued...

Ending Notes: There! I did it. Ten chapter up before Christmas! The next ones aren't going to be added as quickly as the ones so far but I'll do the best I can.