'Ello! I have a few things I would like to state right now. 1) It has been decided. Yes, this will be Prideshipping! I'd thought I should make that clear to everyone, since it was brought up in a review. 2) THE RATING WILL EVENTUALLY LEVEL UP TO "M"! If that bothers you… turn back while the getting is good, yeah? 3) Any reviews that I feel I must reply to, I will do so via PM. I don't want to clog up my chapters with author's notes that do nothing but reply to reviews. SO, if you ask a question via review, it will probably be answered via PM.
NUFF SAID. Let's get on to the chapter.
Chapter Six: Poisoned Chalice
The little woman had been so easy to hunt. She fell into his arms like some broken marionette, and her blood had been made bold by alcohol.
Rex licked her neck clean and cast her to the side. She was still alive. Hopefully she wouldn't remember anything tomorrow. He lifted the edge of his hat up and adjusted his two-toned hair.
A well-deserved snack break, he thought with a smarmy grin. He stalked from the alleyway. The brash lights of the seedy bar he'd just prowled washed sickly onto him. He'd just have to go back down the streets a couple of blocks to continue his thankless work.
A throat cleared behind him. He whirled.
He saw, even with his vampiric vision, only the sharp silhouette of the man before him. Hair spiked up like a crown, hands slipped confidently into the pockets of tight pants.
Shit.
Cover blown.
"Raptor," a deep voice intoned. Crimson eyes blinked slowly.
He shuddered. He should have known. Wherever shadows cast, the Lord of Darkness followed, or so it was said.
Yami… the boogieman of the Underworld.
"Uh…" he stumbled.
"Surprised to see me? You shouldn't be. You were not exactly subtle in your surveillance of my abode."
Rex chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. The aftereffects of his feeding started to take their toll; each movement was stiff. "Just… following orders."
"Whose orders, Jiangshe?" The crimson eyes glowed faintly. "Who requires you to supervise me? Is it Pegasus? He is your master, is he not?" The shadows fluttered, the lights flickered.
Rex leaned against the wall. Dammit. He thought he'd get to his post before the paralysis set in. "I may work under Pegasus now, but he is not my master."
A hum. The sound rippled through the darkness itself, like a languid fingertip disturbing a pond. Rex shuddered.
"Paradius." It was not a question, nor a statement. It was a confirmation thought aloud. "What is it that you seek?"
Rex's body tensed horribly. So strained he could barely part his lips to speak through clenched teeth. "I… I don't know. Just following orders."
"Ah, Jiangshe paralysis," Yami purred. "No matter how much you need it, it seems the blood does not cooperate with you, hmm? Too bad the myths are not true. You cannot just hop your stiffness away." Suddenly, he rushed upon Rex. Shadows flared and snarled, and, like wicked lightning, Yami shoved Rex hard against the wall. Crimson eyes streaked against black, and a clawed, sable hand wrapped around a tensed throat. Rex drowned in the darkness. "You tell your superiors that I do not take too kindly to being stalked. Leave me be or suffer the consequences."
With a loud bang! the alley door to the bar slammed open. Rex fell, much like a chopped tree, to the ground.
Swift as he came, Yami was gone.
"Check."
"Hn."
"Check."
"Hn."
"... Checkmate."
Yami's pieces were spread across the board in a delicate trap, one so insidious Kaiba had not noticed until he was tangled in its snare.
"How the fuck did you just do that?" he snarled.
Yami chuckled. "With great wisdom and finesse."
"No one has ever beaten me in chess." Kaiba slammed a fist on the table.
Yami lounged regally in his chair, his chin on his knuckles and a smug grin on his lips. "I have been playing chess since long before your great-great-great-grandparents' great-great-great-grandparents were even conceived."
"Shut the fuck up. You were probably using your damn shadow tricks, you sneaky bastard!"
Yami chuckled again. "I suppose my 'shadow tricks' don't exist unless it suits your cause, Kaiba?"
Kaiba hissed. "Go fuck yourself."
"I do say, your soreness is most charming," Yami purred, his voice thick with amusement.
"I will flip this damn table if you don't shut up."
"Truly, you wear defeat like a crown, Kaiba. It suits you."
Kaiba bolted up from his seat. The table rocked. Yami steadied it with a gentle nudge of his toe. "It was just a fluke! I will get you next time, Yami!" He stalked off.
Yami chuckled.
Kaiba glared over his shoulder as he left the room.
"You will not be able to avoid me, Kaiba," he called.
"I sure as hell can try!"
Yami threw his head back and laughed heartily. "You certainly can!" Kaiba grumbled a few more words Yami pretended not to hear. A fond smile still curling his lips, he gathered up the ornate, hand-carved pieces and deftly placed them back into their velvet-lined box. The chess board, finely-tanned leather, served as the lid.
The past days went by more smoothly than Yami had first assumed. Kaiba was adaptive as any, more than any, and he fell into their routine with robotic fluidity. He fed with little fret, though he would stretch the times between out of sheer stubborn resistance to request anything of Yami. Surely, no man would be quite as successful as Seto Kaiba if he couldn't contort himself to whatever the raging tempest of life decided to hurl at him.
It was promising.
Perhaps it was time to put Kaiba to the test…
He stood, replaced the box back on its shelf, and sat behind his desk. He passed a hand over a drawer. The lock clicked. He pulled out the laptop. The glowing, crisp images and text never ceased to amaze him.
With a few clicks, he opened a fresh email.
Subject: A Favor
Hello, old friend.
I have a favor to ask of you. I would say it could be dangerous, but I will not let any harm fall to you. If you are interested, please respond promptly.
Wishing you peace in the twilight,
- Yugi
Kaiba's stomach ached. He glared down at the book in his hands. The words blurred together. He wasn't really reading it. He couldn't stop reeling over his loss. That chuckle rang through his head. His fingers tightened on the book's spine.
He had been perusing the backmost shelves in Yami's study when he had found them.
Stacks, stacks, stacks of games. Board games, card games, all manner between. Some were new, some old, some downright ancient (bronze age ancient). Yami was quite the collector. Many of them remained seemingly untouched. After all, he didn't seem to have may visitors with which to play.
Kaiba found the chess board, and eagerly challenged Yami to a game. He'd thought for sure he would win. Why wouldn't he? Kaiba always won. The only one who ever came close was Mokuba. But Mokuba had learned chess through trial-by-fire; all his skills he gained from facing Seto across the board.
Kaiba ground his molars together. A growl rumbled in his chest. When was it too soon to challenge Yami to another game?
His head throbbed. He tilted back against the chair and closed his eyes.
The length between… meals… was growing longer. (Good. That way he could deal with Yami's smug face less.) But they still weren't anywhere near his satisfaction.
He could smell it on Yami sometimes. Fresh blood. Human blood. That crimson aroma made him wild with hunger upon each encounter. Kaiba swore he could taste it from Yami when he fed during such occasions.
The thoughts twisted the figurative knife. His gums ached, and he licked his teeth to feel the lengthening fangs.
He rubbed his forehead. He wasn't going to be able to resist his hunger as he usually did. Not with how… riled he was.
He stood. He followed Yami's scent, rock and incense, and burst into another room, a lounge. Yami was settled into the cradle of a flared Victorian settee, a book held in one hand, the other arm crossed behind his head.
"Feeding from your wrist is awkward. For both of us."
Yami lowered his book a tad bit. Violet eyes stared at Kaiba over the edge. The amusement shining in them made Kaiba snarl. "I suppose."
"Why not your neck?"
Yami set his book onto his lap. "The flow there is stronger. Harder to handle. And… biting the neck of a another vampire has implications of intimacy that I was sure you wouldn't want."
"What?"
"Close friends, comrades, lovers, even."
Despite himself, Kaiba felt cold flood his cheeks in a blush.
"You can try it, if you wish," Yami murmured. His deft fingers undid the top buttons of his shirt. "It would be a telling test of your restraint." Kaiba could only watch Yami come closer. Those dark veins decorated that pale flesh like marble. There were scars on that body, but his neck was pristine.
Yami came close. The dusty warmth of incense washed Kaiba's senses. Kaiba stood, frozen. He couldn't tell if it were hesitation or some other thing that kept him pinned in place.
Yami's arm looped around his neck and lightly tugged him down. Slender fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his skull.
"Go ahead. Follow your instincts, Seto." The deep whisper fanned, cool, against his collarbone, tickled his nerves.
Blue locked with purple. Kaiba moved, ducked a little lower. Yami's lithe arms embraced him. His own hand touched the back of Yami's head, the nape of his neck. His hair was surprising coarse and stiff there. But Kaiba's long fingers easily threaded through it. With a gentle grip, he titled Yami's head to the side. Kaiba nuzzled the flesh he bared.
Intimate. It definitely made sense. The wrist was impersonal.
This was the exact opposite.
The thought gave him pause. But the coolness against his nose and lips, the scent, Yami's scent, the scent he associated with the comfort of feeding, had an irresistible allure. His lips parted. His tongue flicked out to trace a dark vein. A tremble rippled through Yami. He sighed a little and moved closer. Their chests brushed.
Kaiba's other hand raised to grip Yami's waist, to still him. Lean muscle beneath his palm.
The faces of his fangs brushed against skin. He adjusted.
He bit down.
Yami's breath caught, his hand tightened in Kaiba's hair.
The flow was stronger. The blood pooled, bitter and cool in his mouth. He could feel Yami breathing. His fangs tingled with each inhale, each exhale. He swallowed, then sucked. Yami arched against him, clawed a little at his back. Kaiba's hands tightened, and he tugged on Yami, closer, better access. A soft huff left Yami's lungs.
The flow was too much. Kaiba's knees wobbled. He sank slowly, held Yami tight to him. He could go no lower at such a pace, so his knees thumped hard against the floor. Kaiba growled and clenched his jaw a moment. Yami gasped.
Suddenly, the blood spiked warm, hot. Yami tugged the hair clenched in his hands, and Kaiba willingly disengaged. With a trembling breath, his tongue traced the little lines of dark blood back to the closing puncture wounds.
Yes, hot. He hadn't been imagining it.
His hand slowly petted Yami's heaving waist. Yami was gasping, panting.
Yami's slender legs were straddling his.
Kaiba pulled back hastily. Yami crawled backwards. Despite his heavy breathing, he was composed.
"What the hell was that?" Kaiba growled.
"A vampire's bite can have many effects," Yami said, breathy. "One of them can be pleasurable."
Kaiba's face flashed cold. "That doesn't answer my question."
"Just like a human's, a vampire's body temperature increases during arousal, though to a much greater degree. It's to mimic life when… engaged so as not to rouse suspicion from human partners."
"You were aroused?"
"You bit me rather hard, Seto."
"Well, I didn't know any better!" Kaiba hissed.
"It's fine. You are still learning." Yami leaned back on his palms, his head tilted back. He was still catching his breath.
Kaiba dared to finally look at him again. That pale neck, the defined collarbones. The dip of the sternum between pectoral muscles. All peeking from that partially parted black shirt.
He hastily looked away.
Yami hummed, took a deep breath, rolled his head forward. "I have something to tell you."
"What?" Kaiba snapped.
"We will have a human guest tomorrow night."
"Why?"
"I want to test your restraint around humans."
Kaiba remained silent. He'd been able to pull away from Yami on his own (even when feeding from his neck), but a human…
"You will not be feeding from her. Just spending time in her presence."
"Her?"
"Yes. She is a friend of mine. She should be about your age."
A young, beautiful human woman. Kaiba's lip curled into a snarl, but he quickly hid it. Sharp words bubbled in the back of his mind. He swallowed. Yami's taste lingered in his mouth. "I'm surprised you even have friends."
Yami chuckled. "Ah, the pot calling the kettle black."
"At least I have my brother."
"I feel as though your position as his caretaker makes him obligated to tolerate you."
"And you aren't?"
"Mmm, I am, but I am much too fond of you to label it as simple 'tolerance.'" Kaiba growled and looked away. Yami laughed. "I suppose you are still sore about our game earlier. Or, I should say, your defeat."
"It will be the only one, Yami."
"So you say. Are you a man of your word, Seto Kaiba?"
He smirked. "I always am."
Pegasus had his hands neatly entwined on his lap. "Rex Raptor reported back. Yami knows we are watching."
Heterochromatic eyes blinked. "Does he know why?"
"I don't know. It seems as though he doesn't. It brings into question whether or not he truly has it. We don't know for certain. We could be wasting precious time and resources, for all we know."
"Oh, I can assure you 'Yami' has the Pendant," a rough voice interjected. The two turned to the man sprawled on the couch. His wild white hair spilled over the armrest. A large golden ring dangled from his necklace. "It has never left his possession since its creation."
"And how do you know this? How do we know we can even trust you?" Pegasus hissed.
The man sat up, swung his legs back over the sofa, and put his elbows on his knees. "Look, I am the only way you are going to get all seven items. I am the only way you will be able to complete the ritual… And I am the only way you will be able to get rid of this 'Yami' of which you speak. You will listen to every word that passes my lips, or you can kiss your last hope goodbye."
He turned, a savage smirk on his face. "Isn't that right, Dartz?"
END PART
Seto's way of apologizing…
WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER!
Cracks me up… everytime I proof this... I can't even...