So... how were the vampires? I've decided I'm gonna base this setting mostly off of London... I think. How's that sound? And at the end, I know there's a bit of a cliffhanger (okay, it's a cliffhanger) but hey, it'll be fine. Right..? Right. Enjoy!
He leaned over the sidewalk, staring silently at the storefront. "What a curious antique store," Yugi murmured. He smiled as he recalled the first time he had entered - those had been his exact words. He stepped up onto the sidewalk, off the street. The child strolled down towards the large glass windows that were empty of displays, for Mr. Jounouchi always cleaned it at closing.
As the child left the pool of yellow light emitted from the street lamps, he smirked. Reaching out a hand, it passed through the glass, gripping the edge firmly as he clambered through, careful not to make too much noise. He whistled loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room. "Now," he said carelessly, "I wonder what this key was for?" The child looked around.
He ignored most of the items - for he had been there before, and recognized them - and instead started searching through the cardboard boxes that were labeled FRAGILE. "Oh!" he exclaimed, holding up a porcelain figurine. It was of a cat sitting upwards. "Pretty!" Snickering he put it down, going back through the boxes. A mess of things gathered around him, until he stopped.
Sitting back, he studied the three things with keyholes before him - a small box made of wood with an iron lock, an iron chest with a metal lock, and a small box made of gold with a gold lock. He tried the wooden one first, but the key was too large for that one. Putting the key aside, Yugi took out two thin pieces of metal and proceeded to pick the lock, opening the box.
Inside was a comb resting on a velvet cushion. "This is probably expensive," the child mused. He hesitated, then closed the box before turning to the golden one. To his delight, the key worked on that one. He opened it, but inside there were only oddly-shaped blocks - also made of gold. He ran his hand over them, frowning. "What are these supposed to be?" he complained.
The child set it aside, pulling out his lockpicks to work on the third box. After all, he may as well see what was in it. The chest lid lifted to reveal silks of vibrant colors. Yugi rolled his eyes, closing it. He left the key in the golden box's lock while taking the blocks with him, not bothering to clean up. Mr. Jounouchi would be furious, but the night was wasting away.
"A settled debt is never unearthed," he sang, walking along the deserted sidewalks, windows dark and the world bathed in yellow light. His boots clopped on the cement, loud in the silence. "From the grave it is buried in… cold is that promise, an oath broken, a vow abandoned. Why do we bother to go on..?" He heard a soft footstep behind him and turned.
"Mai," he greeted. The blonde smirked at him, her lips dyed red. "Yugi," she responded. "Would you like to join us?" The child scoffed, glancing at her blood-stained attire. "Not tonight Mai. Would you happen to know what this is?" He pulled out the golden blocks, showing them to her. She leaned over them, uninterested. "Not a clue. Get some blacksmith to melt them down."
Yugi sighed, tucking them away disappointedly. "That's what I thought." The vampire inclined her head, turning away. Then she seemed to collapse into herself, melting into the shadows on the street. Yugi stared after her for a moment before turning away, beginning to run. He ran through several streets before he returned to the orphanage he lived at.
"Home sweet home," he muttered, climbing up the side. He reached the window of the room he shared with three other boys, and peered in. All three were asleep, so he eased his hand through one glass pane and unlocked the window, slipping in silently to close it. Then he went to bed, squeezing his eyes shut. The blocks lay in a pocket, heavy and cold.
Yugi jerked awake as the door slammed open. In an instant, he had leapt up above the doorway, balancing on the frame as the woman walked in. "Wake up!" she said firmly. Then she spotted Yugi's bed, which he had just vacated. Sighing irritably, she went over to straighten it. Then she paused. "I fixed this yesterday…" Yugi held his breath, but a boy pointed at him.
"He's over there," he ratted the child out. Cursing under his breath, he exhaled before smiling as the lady turned to him. "Miss," he said cheerfully. "Good morning, so nice to see you. What's for breakfast?" The woman stabbed a finger in his direction. "You get down here now," she demanded. Yugi tilted his head, grinning. "Why?" he asked innocently as possible.
Exasperated, the woman shook her head. "Hurry it up," she told the other occupants of the room before leaving, ignoring Yugi completely. Snickering, the child stared hopefully at the boys. One shrugged. "Go ahead," he said tiredly, gesturing to the window. Yugi climbed down and unlocked it, climbing down the side of the building, going as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, it had rained in the brief amount of time he had slept, and was raining even now. His hands and feet slipped, and he fell, landing with a sickening thud. Yugi swore angrily, knowing no one was going to notice - and no one was going to care, even if they did. Despite the pain he stood, moving to get out of the rain. He took shelter in a roofed alley.
Inspecting himself, he found that besides the aching bruises, small scrapes on his hands, he was fine. It still hurt though, so he brushed off some of the mud, sitting for a short while on the concrete to rest. Bored, he took out the golden blocks to inspect them. "Huh," he said aloud, noticing something. The child placed two pieces together, admiring how they fit neatly.
Then, piece by piece, he discovered that it seemed to be a complicated puzzle. A few times he had to rearrange them, but he managed to have them all fit. All that was left was a piece with an eye engraved on it. He placed it in the correct spot, thinking how odd the object formed was. It was like an upside-down spire with edges. The puzzle was complete as he looked at it.
There was a loop on where the bottom usually would be, so he used some string from his frayed sleeves to make a cord of sorts, the result being a necklace. He held it uneasily. It felt wrong, somehow, but he shrugged off the feeling. After all - it might be worth more this way. If only he could find Mai. Mr. Jounouchi would probably know, but the store owner would kill him.
"I wish I had someone more reliable," the child sighed aloud.