Hi guys! I'm really sorry for the long wait. I got busy with everything and kind of lost motivation for a little while. But I'm back with a new chapter! This one's going to have a bit more of Rei and Kaseri than actually Jonouchi and Kaiba, so be prepared for that.
I hope you enjoy!
Warnings
OCs
Empty. She felt, empty. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. It was worse than she had first imagined. She only sought to keep the locket away from him. Just for a little longer. She didn't expect any of this to happen.
Seto groaned softly as she lay on her bed. She had put Liam in the bathtub and chucked about twenty blood bags in with him. When he woke he could drink all those to regrow the organ. Right now she needed to think.
How did she get Katsuya back?
How did she make up for everything they had done?
When Rika said Kitsune had very strong emotions, she never thought it was this strong. She never realised how much he really cared. How much he gave up for them. She had always taken that as a Jonouchi Katsuya trait. She…she didn't realise what this could do…
Even after all the stories he had told her, she still thought that locket was just a piece of jewellery meant to give him power.
And now…
"Now…" Her voice sounded strange. "Now he's gone…"
Gone and become a slave to his own Item. A slave for that woman's use…
Something they could have prevented if they had just given him the damn locket!
Seto closed her eyes. It was her fault. She was the one who told Bakura to get rid of it. She was the one who agreed that Yugi should keep it. Her assumptions had proved correct when she thought Katsuya would never suspect his best friend. She had distracted him from it. Pushed it from his mind. Made sure he didn't think about it.
It was all her fault this had happened.
"What am I supposed to do…?"
He stumbled as he was pushed forward. He was so weak. Physically and mentally. He could barely stand as it was. The added weight of another mind on his was making it harder too. This woman…
He thought he had killed her!
He stared at the dark abyss around him. All too familiar white light wrapped around his limbs. They pulled him to his knees where he was forced to stay. Yet he couldn't even bother fighting.
Everyone had betrayed him.
Yugi, Anzu, Honda, Seto. He didn't know what hurt more. That Seto conspired behind his back, or that Yugi went along with it. He thought they cared more than that…
Seto even knew what the locket meant to him…
How could they do this to him?
Shuddering as more tears fell down his cheeks, Katsuya lowered his head. His ears had lain flat since he was first pulled into the locket. They weren't coming up any time soon. His tails lay limp on the ground. The pain that came with those light tendrils drilling inside him was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
He had let himself care too much. He should have just gone with his instincts and continued being a monster. Continue causing trouble wherever he went. Continue killing humans for the fun of it, instead of his own personal treat.
He should have just continued being Rei.
He shouldn't have attempted making a normal, human life.
He never should have become Jonouchi Katsuya.
The only thing he learnt was the dark truth he had known since the day he came to being.
Humans were selfish, horrible creatures who just deserved to be used and killed at the hands of gods.
"Do you have him?"
He jerked at the loud voice. A man…
Glancing up, he was greeted with the two holes made for viewing. Pain stabbed at his heart at seeing those horrible things again, but he looked through.
A man stood in front of his host. Pale skin…dark hair…emerald green eyes…fang–
Fangs?! A-A–
"Of course," the annoying witch answered in her smug voice. "He never could resist me."
He growled a little at that, but his anger was soon cut short as one of those light tendrils smacked him over the head. Fine then!
Bastard…
"Bring him out."
The witch paused. He did to. Bring him out? But that would mean possessing her body. That would give him an advantage…
"My lord, I don't think you understand–"
"We have thrown out that corpse he was using." Wait what?! They got rid of his body?! "You are the most powerful witch in existence. I'm sure you can force the vermin to take its spiritual form."
V-Vermin?! What the fuck! This guy had no idea who he was talking about, did he?! He didn't even know he could end his life in a second if given control…
"…I can try, but I do not know if it will work completely…"
He blinked as the light tendrils let go. Hesitant to stand, the fox slowly looked up again. He could see the Vampire in the window, but he had no idea who it was. He kind of resembled Liam actually…distant relatives? Maybe?
A sudden jolt in his chest made him gasp. Oh gods…what was she doing…
He closed his eyes in pain. It felt like she was prying his heart from his chest…slowly and painfully drawing it out…until–
He gasped as he reopened his eyes.
The floor. H-He…he was touching concrete ground! And-and…his hands…
Sitting back from his doubled over position, Katsuya stared at his translucent hands. White…he was white in colour save for small golden wisps. He slowly looked behind. His tails were the same translucent being.
He…he was a spirit…
"See?" His head whipped forward again. Ears fell flat at the leering Vampire above him. "It wasn't that hard…"
Oh gods…he was…he was stuck in spiritual form! Stuck as a semi-solid being…between two very powerful supernatural creatures…without any of his own power…
This couldn't end well…
"So you're Rei…" He swallowed as those emerald eyes glowed and a dark grin followed. "You look quite pathetic like this…"
He glared, a small growl escaping his throat.
"Well maybe if you'd let me have a body, we'd see who was truly pathetic…"
The Vampire rose an eyebrow at this, laughing just a little.
"Now that's something we're going to need to stamp out…" Rrrggh…so going to kill you… "Ravenna." He felt the witch's attention snap forward. "Force him into fox form."
W-Wait! Not that! He would be even weaker if she–
A cry caught in his throat as pain flew through his barely solid form. He held his head, the pain hurting his ears more than anything as a high pitch screech echoed. It wasn't his own, but he could hear it and it hurt.
He froze as his body began to shrink. He could feel his fingers turning to paws. His arms and legs breaking out of human proportions and bending animalistically. His back lengthening and his face too. All until he was crouched, ears flat still as he stared up at the much bigger Vampire.
He hadn't been a fox in so many years…now he couldn't even talk. His fox form only allowed Japanese and whatever language foxes spoke in. No English, as this man had been speaking.
"And here we have the most powerful Kitsune in the world?" The Vampire laughed. He honestly couldn't growl as fear settled in his stomach. He was trapped…Ravenna had grown much stronger over the many years he thought her dead. He had practically no chance at all with the way his magic weakened over those same years… "I wonder…"
The fox yelped a little as he was somehow picked up by the scruff of his neck. Since he was so weak, and Ravenna had so much control, he really only took the form of a juvenile fox kit. His tails were considerably smaller and so was he himself. So as he was lifted, his instincts went into panic at the much bigger person in front of him.
"Spirit or not, you're solid enough to touch." The Vampire started walking, still holding him painfully. He attempted to fight with his tails but the witch prevented him with a wave of her hand. D-Damn… "Now let's see how much magic is actually crammed into this tiny little form."
H-Hey! He wasn't that small…
The Vampire threw him onto some sort of stone surface. The rough texture did nothing due to him not being physical, but the thought still hurt all the same. As he made to get up, metal of some kind broke from the stone surface.
He growled a little as he was immediately pulled to his stomach. Chains and locks closed around his ankles. A muzzle rose and locked his snout in place too. He couldn't move at all.
He flinched as someone grabbed his tails. His fur stood on end as they were each sucked into some sort of tube–
Ack!
He gasped, eyes widening. H-his power…his magic…he could feel it all…
…draining…
"This machine," Ravenna explained as he steadily became sedated and drowsy, "will drain your magic. Your essence and your life force." N-No… "It will take some time…a very long time, actually, but once it is done you will cease to exist." He didn't want to die… "Being the First, you should last a thousand years give or take." Ravenna shrugged, a nasty grin on her face as she came into view. "Let's call this payback for the way you shredded my soul…"
So he did kill her…
Then how was she back…?
Already feeling tired from the draining, the two before him seemed to decide it wasn't worth talking to him anymore. They turned to each other.
"Are you sure this will work, my lord?" Ravenna asked. "From what I saw, that Vampire girl didn't seem to care too much about him."
They were talking about Seto? Why?!
"She will come one way or another." The Vampire grinned, revealing those long fangs. "I have a few tricks of my own yet to be played." His eyes darkened. "I will get Kaseri back by my side, just as you have got your fox by yours."
Ravenna smiled. She grasped his locket, which was hanging around her neck.
"Yes, I owe you for bringing me back." W-Wait how?! "Is there anything else you would like me to do," her eyes darkened, "Lord Verrac."
Katsuya's eyes widened.
Verrac grinned.
"Not yet…"
"Kaiba-san, we don't know what happened, but we found Jonouchi Katsuya comatose in a back alley." She listened to the message without even a breath. Katsuya's…body… "He seems to be fine, save for the fact he is unconscious. We felt we should contact you before taking him to the hospital. Would you prefer to have him at your manor?"
Yes, she had replied. Yes, she wanted his body. If his soul was gone, someone had to keep the body until it ground into dust like he said.
And that is what she did. As she currently sat by the bed designated to her partner, she stared at his nearly dead form.
The skin was grey. Completely grey. Lips grey too. Its hair was dull and no longer gold. It didn't even look silky anymore. No breath entered those lungs and there was no sign of life.
"Of course not," she muttered bitterly. "Why would there be?"
With a sigh, she lowered her head to her hands. What was she supposed to do? Katsuya said his body would turn to dust in a days time from his soul's removal. How long had the body been a corpse? How long did they have left? At this rate he was just going to have to find a new body.
But she liked this one…
"…Kaseri…"
She startled and looked up. Liam smiled softly from the doorway. He had healed nicely overnight, but he was still on and off. It would take some time for him to function fully again. His eyes still glowed.
"What do you want, Liam?" she whispered, voice betraying her want of no emotion.
Liam hesitated, before sighing. He stepped aside.
Seto's eyes widened.
What…
Kage and Umi gave partial smiles, but it was obvious everything was tense. The Void Kitsune sent a half look her way.
"Hey…" he whispered. "Sorry about…yesterday…" He sighed and looked at her properly. "We're here to help."
"Help?" she echoed. "Help how? We have no way of getting him back, nor do we have any idea how to get him back." She glared. "What can you possibly do?"
Kage's eyes narrowed a little, but Umi was the one who spoke. She stepped past the other Kitsune and towards the bed. Seto grew defensive, but the woman only stood on the other side of Katsuya's dying body.
"I can slow the process," she whispered, eyes on the grey form. "If you would allow me," she continued in that soft whisper, "I can freeze his body in a special liquid. It will preserve the body for at least a hundred years max."
She…she could do that?
"…will that work?" she asked, betraying herself again.
Umi paused, before nodding. She looked at Seto now.
"I'm sure it will."
…if there was a chance…a small chance…
"…alright…" She stood. "You can use the bath in one of the bathrooms."
Umi smiled but it didn't meet her eyes.
"That should work."
As the Kitsune went about delicately moving the corpse, Seto turned to Kage. He still wouldn't meet her eyes.
"You do understand what you have done, right?" he whispered.
Seto remained silent. She knew. She knew she had possibly severed the only happiness in her life after a hundred years. May have destroyed his only happiness in just as long too.
"I do…" she whispered. "And I want to fix it."
Kage glanced at her. His eyes were black.
"If you want to fix this, then you better start aiding Rei instead of preventing him." She stiffened a little at the hostile tone to his words. "Rei didn't want that locket for his own power." But…the other him did… "It may have seemed that way," Kage continued. Seto idly noted that Liam had left with Umi, "but Rei is just crazy. He comes across as lustful and horrible, but at heart he has good motives." Kage's eyes softened a little. "He wanted the locket to free us. To fulfill the promise he made sixteen thousand years ago…"
She scowled despite the meaning behind the words. It was just that one word.
"Promise," she muttered, crossing her arms. "That's all you Kitsune talk about. Promises." She glared at the wall. "When will you realise humans don't keep their word?"
Kage stiffened. He seemed to tether on the edge of frustration, before he took a breath. He turned to leave, but not without whispering, "I believe Rei has just received that rude awakening…"
Somehow, those words seemed to shoot a stake through her heart…
He woke to a loud thump and rattling of the altar stone thing he was stuck on. The fox slowly opened his eyes. He felt so weak…so tired…
The smell of blood soon reached his muzzled snout. He swallowed and looked down at whatever had struck his resting place.
A…person…
The girl was shaking and trembling. Cowering almost. Under…
Oh…the Vampire.
He glanced up at the tall being. The monster was smirking as his green eyes fell on the both of them. The girl pressed closer to the 'wall'. He wasn't sure how stable this thing was…
"Now…" Verrac looked at the girl instead, "who has Kaseri decided to be?"
Wait…he didn't know who Seto was? He only knew…he only knew she was around! And that they were involved…but how couldn't he know who if he knew that much?
Unless…
Unless Ravenna had only told him they were involved and gone and gotten him herself! Verrac must not know who Jonouchi Katsuya was, much less Kaiba Seto. He must have been relying on Ravenna's information…
Interesting…this was a good thing…
"I-I don't know!" the girl whimpered.
Hold on…this was that Soma girl! Yuriko, right?
"You must know," Verrac hissed while picking the girl up by the collar of her shirt. She gasped. "My Witch says you've had a run in with them." The fox watched almost bored as the Vampire attempted to compel the girl. "Where is the Vampire Kaseri?"
"I-I don't know," she repeated.
While Verrac threw the girl back onto the ground, the Kitsune couldn't help but chuckle. The sound was not misheard.
Glowing eyes turned to him, along with the fearful ones of Yuriko. He just grinned through the muzzle.
"You think you can control her…" he whispered in Japanese despite the Vampire not knowing the language. The girl however stiffened and her eyes grew wide. "Yet you can't even see that her mind belongs to another…"
While Yuriko stared in confusion, Verrac growled and looked at her. She flinched and glanced up while cowering further away.
"What did he say?" he demanded.
Yuriko stuttered and obviously Verrac didn't like that. He grabbed her face and stared directly into her eyes. The fox watching merely smirked.
Not going to work~…
"What did he say?" he repeated while trying to compel.
Yuriko only whimpered and avoided her eyes. Verrac frowned, drawing back in confusion.
"That's…not right…" His eyes narrowed. "You're not on vervain."
"No…" Yuriko looked back at him. "But she is Tricked…"
"…tricked…?" she whispered under her breath.
Verrac heard. His head whipped to him.
"Tricked?" he asked. "What is that?"
The Kitsune couldn't help himself and he laughed again. Stupid Vampire…he wasn't going to compel the girl…she was his servant…
"Yuriko…" She looked at him quickly. "Please tell this idiot that a Trick is the stronger, more powerful version of compulsion?"
Yuriko hesitated. She glanced up at the Vampire again.
"H-He said–"
She promptly shut up under the Vampire's harsh gaze. Sighing, the fox tried again.
"Just tell him," he whispered as comforting as he could. "He won't kill you if you're the only bridge between me and him."
This seemed to ease her somewhat as she whispered, "H-He said Tricks are s-stronger than compulsion."
Verrac frowned.
"Stronger…?" He glared at the fox. "How so?"
He shrugged best he could.
"I'm old. That should be reason enough."
A glance at Yuriko and she whispered, "H-He said he's old."
Verrac's anger only seemed to increase.
"Old is a stupid excuse." But it was true… "Girl." Yuriko jumped. "Why do you obey him?"
Yuriko swallowed. She looked at him and the fox smirked.
"I am her master." Even though surprise showed in her eyes, there was a layer of truth too. "She is Tricked to obey me and only me."
Yuriko whispered, "H-He said–"
"Enough with this."
Katsuya flinched as the Vampire snapped her neck. Oh gods…he just…he just…
Oh no…
Verrac paced a little before growling. He bit his wrist and shoved it in the dead girl's mouth. When he drew back, he glared at the fox.
"She'll wake in a couple minutes." A-As a Vampire! "When she does, you are to use her as your voice."
He rolled his eyes. Why should he do that, huh? He'd just kill her again for stuttering. Maybe he should take away her fear…but keep her complacent…
Yeah…he'd do that…
But seriously? Did he have to kill her?
She didn't know why she was doing this. Why she was even going. This was stupid. She knew who had Katsuya. And the danger had already come.
Yet she still found herself walking to the Raven club for an 8:30 meeting with some anonymous person. Despite everything having happened, that note still nagged at her. Maybe they knew more, like maybe the whereabouts of Katsuya.
Seto sighed as she walked into the club. Now where was she supposed to go…
"Kaiba-san." The Vampire stopped herself from jumping. A woman, a waitress. "If you could come this way?"
Suspicion high, Seto followed the woman to the back of the club. Booths stood along the wall and back rooms down a hallway. She gestured to a booth and left.
Alright…who was the anonymous note…
Pulling back the curtain, Seto promptly froze. Why…
Soma Daichi looked up from the drink he had been nursing. She frowned at his haggard appearance. He looked horrible…
"I actually didn't think you'd come," he muttered in a hollow voice.
Slowly, she sat.
"What happened to you?" she asked without any care.
He shrugged while whispering, "He took Yuriko." Who? "It's why I'm talking to you. He told me to send you a message if I wanted to see my sister again."
A Vampire by the sound of it…
"What's the message?" she asked.
Soma paused. He played with his straw for a second, before glancing at her.
"He said you're doomed." … "'When I get my hands on your fox,' he said, 'you will have no other option than to come back to my side.'" Soma shuddered a little. "He said 'to meet where we died.'"
Meet where we died?
A cold started to settle in her stomach.
"What was his name?" she whispered, voice a husk to her own ears.
Soma looked at her with a little of his old determination.
"Verrac."
He startled when a sharp gasp sounded below him. Looking down best he could, the fox watched as Soma Yuriko came back to life. Her eyes snapped open and her breaths came in ragged gasps as her eyes darted around the room. She was in Transition. Now she just needed blood and…
Bam! Vampire…
"W-What happened…?" she whispered to him when she deduced Verrac was not around.
No, that Vampire had left shortly after her death. He had not returned since.
"You were killed," he replied nonchalantly. She paled. "Now you're in Transition. So…drink some blood and you won't die."
"I-I don't want to be a Vampire…"
"I don't think you have much of a choice…"
She froze, before slowly looking down. He sighed. At the fore front of his mind, he felt sorry for her, but then again, he really didn't care. She had been human. She was still technically a human. What mattered if another human died? It wasn't like Vampires were much of a threat. It was the Witches he had to worry about.
The whole reason he was in this mess…
"When he comes back," he muttered, forcing her to look back at him, "I want you to speak for me. He can not understand Japanese. Just say exactly what I say. Don't start with 'he said' or any of that. Say my exact words as if I were speaking." She stiffened a little as the Trick came into play. "I would rather you not die every couple of minutes. It would be ever so tiring."
She stared for a second, before nodding and looking down again. Silence quickly followed and he deflated a little.
This was going to be a long boring a thousand years…
She practically stumbled through the front door. Her mind was reeling.
Verrac.
Verrac alive.
Verrac in Japan.
Verrac looking for her.
Her life was practically over. The second he got his hands on her…
She didn't want to go back to that. That horrible hell he had put her through. He would use something against her. Katsuya. He was just going to turn her back into a sex slave. A toy. A doll.
She didn't want that.
She numbly locked the door. She started to make her way upstairs on muscle memory. She only stopped when someone stepped into her path.
Liam paused. He looked over her almost broken form and his eyes widened. Somehow, she felt worse than before. Her heart…it hurt…her throat too. She didn't want this to happen.
She didn't want to feel this…
"I assume you know…?" he whispered while closing the space between them.
A shuddered breath escaped her lips and she looked up at him. Her eyes stun.
"Why?" Her voice was merely a breath. "Why didn't he die?"
Liam hesitated. Slowly, he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I didn't want to tell you," he still whispered while pulling her to his chest in a hug. She fought back tears. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be real. "Verrac can't die. He can only be killed by a special item, and I do not know where that is."
…no…
She closed her eyes and something wet slid down her cheeks. It was all too much. Everything hurt. First Katsuya. Now this. Why? Why had her life suddenly declined in only a couple days? She only wanted a happy life where she and Mokuba could live without worry. Katsuya had been a lucky thing.
And she had just gone and ruined it.
"…Kaseri…" She swallowed and opened her eyes, but did not look at him. He gently pulled her back. Warm hands cupped her cheeks and tilted her head up to meet his eyes, but she didn't want to. "I understand your fear. I've been chasing him for nearly a thousand years now." A-A thousand? "I told you all those years ago I would help you. I would save you from that monster." He brushed away her tears. "I will continue to help you, and I will help you get Katsuya back." She blinked. That…that was the first time he had said his name… "Right now, you need to be strong. You need to fight through this and come up with a plan.
Verrac may be immortal, but he isn't unstoppable."
…isn't…unstoppable…
She sighed. Moving her head, she stepped forward and hugged him again. He tensed.
"I don't want to think…" she whispered. "I want to sleep, and I want you to be with me."
Liam seemed to tense more, but he nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood in the hug a while longer, before she pulled back. Instead, she grabbed his arm and dragged her to her bedroom.
Nothing lovers about this.
She just needed to be with someone.
She was afraid.