Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. The Darkworld is mine though and can only be used with permission *nod nod*
;_; You guys are so nice - spoiling me with your commentary . Well, guess I'm obligated to give you replies then ^-^
Responses to reviews:
Yugi-chan: Tenku ^_^ Shenya: ^-^ Well, Bakura is, as Sam-chan quotes, the "angst king". We wouldn't expect no less from him~ Tenshimagic: Did I update soon enough? ;P. Hmm.. a piccie of Bakura. Good idea.. lily22: I bow down to your psychic-ness! And of course I'd notice my name in your fic, in whatever context it was ^_~ Sakiku: tenku! Though I can't claim to have created the idea of an "other world" in fanfictioning, I'd like to at least claim the Darkworld for this fandom XD Myst Lady: yeah! You have to post that Yu-gi-oh/CCS crossover! ;_; My library doesn't have any LJ Smith books. The only one I have is "Witchlight" (my fave of all of 'em) Alecto Perdita: Yay! Contest fic! Contest fic! *grins* o.O;; "The Art of the Novel". sounds like something from my English class. AnimeGoddess: Thank you! I'll try and update ASAP, but it depends on my creativity flow and school homework factor ^^;; Angel/DemonGaurdian: o.O;; I. inspired you? *stops and ponders over the absolute paradox of the statement* ^-^ I should be honoured then! petite-hikarie: XD. I see what you mean by changing writing style. I prefer long, flowing sentences to exaggerate my meaning while you like the short, succinct way. Cynthia Chen: Ni hao! Yeah - Bakura's going to stay in wolf form cause that's what he is! ^-^ Tenku for reading this *grins* Sailor Comet: ^-^ Glad you liked my puppies *hands Sam-chan a puppy* o.O;;; GYAHH!!! *Zoo runs out of the room screaming as the puppy latches onto her hand and wont let go* Yami-kun: I'm very partial to long chapters ne? Here's an idea - copy and save this fic into your computer, read half of it, and then come back and read the other half later! ^-^ Jadej.j: What's next? We'll, you have to read ne? *sly grin* Fiery Charizard: *whams writer's block away with Magical Girl wand* There! Now there's no excuse not to write the contest fic! (Scarlet Fangs is. erm. being started?) YumeTakato: I think the greatest weakness for my fics is my slowness in updating -_-;; I hope you'll be patient with me~ --NC--: NC-SAN!!! *gomplies* Of course the fics wont be judged until after the contest closes, but you can read them on my site (see my user bio page)
And that is all ^_^. Now onto the fic!
Warnings: Swearing, possibly the first signs of shounen-ai. Yes, I know, I'm slow ^^;;
~*~ Flashback ~*~
***************************************
There is a separate world that lies like a shadow inside our own. Those that are a part of it come out only at night-time. They dominate, betray, attack, and love within their self-maintained society.
The only restriction is that their world cannot be discovered by humans
because the humans would do anything to destroy them
for they are against the will
of God
*****************************************
He wrenched the door open and burst outside into the chill night air. The artificial light poured out from behind him as he shoved his exhausted legs forward. Sooner or later _they_ would find out that he had escaped. He had to run as far as possible.
He crossed several empty yards and a lone strip of gravel road. Never once did he stop his relentless trek, his breathing laboured and noisy. Strange wires and circular electrodes stuck to his nude body, tangling with his mess of half-cropped blond hair. Sweat and a jelly-like liquid covered his fair skin, permeating the air with a sickly aroma.
His chocolate brown eyes scanned his surroundings. A choked noise like a high-pitched whine escaped his throat and his lips moved as if attempting to speak.
The needle-ends of the various electrodes were still stuck firmly into his flesh. Without a moment's hesitation, the blonde-haired youth grabbed a set of electrodes and pulled, a mass of wires reluctantly parting with his arm and leaving several gouges in his otherwise perfect skin. He watched in fascination as ruby blood began to fill the holes, sluggishly dribbling and collecting at his elbow. The blonde absently wiped his arm, his palm collecting a handful of blood.
Again and again he pulled out the wires, tossing them carelessly to the dirt. There were no trees or shrubbery to conceal his solitary figure from the moonlight. It bathed his skin in silver, making the blonde-haired youth appear like a martyr, prepared in a sacrificial dressing of blood.
Yet, there were some not-quite human features on his boyish face. The moonlight saw the differences.
A set of canines flashed as the youth's lips formed a toothy smile. His large brown eyes were actually starbursts of gold blended with mahogany. The pupils consistently dilated and contracted as if able to pierce the landscape beyond the weak glow of moonlight. Even his ears were slightly pointed, larger and wider than even elvish ears.
The youth stopped, head straying back and forth, eyes alert. He stood in this position for less than three seconds before he began to pace, never taking more than five steps before turning around and pacing the other direction.
His facial expressions harboured both anxiety and relief. He had finally escaped _them_. The blonde-haired youth shuddered involuntarily and sought to remember no more. He had escaped now. His foolishness, his blind mistake would be left along with the electrodes spilt on the ground and the dungeon far, far behind him.
A small tremour travelled down the youth's spine as he realized what his escape really meant. He was out in the open air, not confined, standing on his two legs, chin tilted up and confident. His golden-blonde hair swayed gently in the wind, taut muscles obeying only his will.
He was truly free.
The blond cleared his throat again, a series of hoarse chokes. He heaved in a lungful of air to summon a long-neglected voice.
"I'm free." The sound was a whisper at best.
Furrowing his eyebrows, the blond inhaled as much air as possible, and mustered all the strength from his lungs.
"I'm free!"
He listened in satisfaction as the roar echoed over the desolate landscape, his own ears ringing. With an impish grin, he thrust both his arms into the air, leaping, pivoting, laughing madly under the moonlight.
"I did it! I'm free! I'm free!"
His deep alto voice released peals of exuberated laugher. The blonde forced his protesting muscles to continue moving, to celebrate his moment of triumph. He gazed upwards at the flickering half-moon and gave a small, delightful howl, canine in nature.
The blonde barely noticed it. It seemed natural in his body, for what he was, for what he had become. He simply laughed and laughed and let the night currents carry him relentlessly to wherever his mind desired.
Yet, someone else took notice. Chrome glinted off its large body. With a flicker of its sheath-like wings, the creature rolled onto his hind legs and craned its neck towards the noise. Its bright sapphire eyes immediately locked onto the reckless figure of the blond, the figure dancing undaunted in the moonlight only several meters from it.
Its serpentine tail lashed against the cold dirt ground in annoyance. The creature gave the blonde-haired youth one last disapproving glare before fading into the half-shadows where it hid.
**************************************************
He was tired and a bit cold. Yet, the one sensation that permeated everything else was the gaping maw in his abdomen. He was starving.
The blonde-haired youth scanned his surroundings for anything edible. A small creek trickled over the parched dirt, and he immediately knelt on his knees and shoved his mouth against the trickle of water, greedily lapping up the cool silver liquid.
Kneeling upwards, the youth let a handful of water collect in his cupped palm. He slapped the liquid against his arm, vigorously washing the caked blood. It stung his skin and only made a larger mess. The blonde wrinkled his nose in disgust.
But what mattered most was the hunger. He needed something to eat!
Without thinking, the blonde-haired youth grabbed a handful of dried grass and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed it twice, letting it roll only seconds against his tastebuds before vehemently spitting it out. It was disgusting!
His arm was stinging again, he was still hungry, and his mouth was infested with a horrendous aftertaste. The blonde-haired youth whimpered in discontent and curled his tall frame into a ball. Perhaps if he slept, the dissatisfaction would wear off. Even this discomfort was thousands of times better than what he had to endure.
Something kicked him rudely on the side. The youth's exhausted eyes snapped open, one hand moving to the suddenly bruised area. He growled, muscles tightening as he prepared to fend himself from the intruder.
The other figure was tall, even taller than the blonde. There was something almost alluring in the figure's cropped, dark-brown hair and icy cobalt-blue eyes. The only difference was that this figure appeared all too human. He wore black shirt and jeans, and his thin frame was protected by a flowing white jacket.
"I know you can talk and understand me," the cobalt-eyed figure said. His voice was cold and slightly disdainful. He gave a sigh as the blonde bristled in defence, and defensively crossed his arms. "Unless you haven't noticed, you're walking naked in a flat field under the moonlight. If you don't want to get caught, I suggest that you follow me." Movements as abrupt as his words, the chestnut-haired youth pivoted and began to walk away.
The blonde did not move. He stared at the other figure, watching the long, swaying folds of the youth's overcoat.
The figure stopped and turned around, a flicker of annoyance passing through his cobalt eyes. He noticed the blonde still staring almost helplessly at him and proceeded to angrily trek back. "Here."
The blonde's eyes widened as he felt something heavy and cloth-like smother his face. He pulled the material off his head, his fingers involuntarily tingling at the smooth fabric-texture. It was the other's large, white coat.
"Put it on." The colbalt-eyed figure's impatience covered up any sympathy he might have had for the blonde. "The last thing I want is people staring at us."
Nodding mutely, the blond-haired youth grasped the large folds of the jacket and slipped his arm into one of the sleeve-holes. He did the same with the other, only to notice that the large collar of the jacket was covering well over half his face. He whimpered pathetically.
The chestnut-haired youth gave a choked snort, the first signs of another emotion other than impatience. He quickly smothered up his amusement. "Idiot. You're wearing the coat backwards."
Blushing madly, the blonde proceeded to untangle himself, only to get one of his elbows caught in the material. He briefly wondered how pathetic he looked now, and how frustrated the other might get. Struggling only made it worse.
"Here!" The tall, blue-eyed figure gave a large sigh of annoyance. "I'll help you!"
The blonde stood motionless as the other advanced. He felt a tug on the jacket and then the cold imprint of the other's fingers on his bare skin. Slowly, the jacket-sleeve loosened and unravelled as the cobalt-eyed youth slipped it off the blonde and proceeded to redo the sleeves.
"Here. Put your right arm in this hole."
The blonde listened to the other's command, and briefly pondered which arm was his right. After much internal debate, he selected a random arm and pulled it inside the open sleeve. The other's fingers brushed against his warm skin yet again, causing his entire arm to tingle.
"Okay. Now the other arm."
He briefly wondered why this strange blue-eyed youth had so much patience with him. After years of abuse and mistreatment with _them_, even such cold courtesy was foreign to him. But then, the blond sensed that the other was perhaps not as cold as he portrayed himself to be.
"There. Now just zip up the jacket and we'll go."
The blonde looked at the other stupidly.
"Fine!" The brown-haired youth scowled, wondering why on earth he bothered to help this strange blonde. Reasoning told him that he needed this golden-haired youth for a loftier purpose. That would come later. "Just stand still. I'll zip it up for you."
Watching the other fumble with the jacket, the blonde could not help but notice the heat building up on his cheeks. He tried to turn his head away as the blue-eyed youth leaned ever too closely to him and proceeded to pull the zipper-end up. The other's firm hands jerked the end of the jacket firmly at the top, skin resting momentarily against the blonde's chin.
The moment of warmth ended, and the brown-haired youth turned away. He began walking away in silence.
The blonde stood dumbfounded before dashing madly to catch up with the other. "W-wait! Where are we going?" The coat was a bit too large for him, restricting his motion and causing him to stumble several times.
"Somewhere safe." The blue-eyed figure did not stop and wait for the other. "We'll find a place to talk away from anyone watching."
**********************************************
The blue-eyed individual waited for his guest to settle. He sat on one of the many table chairs, arms crossed, chest taut. His cobalt eyes darted towards the blonde, now greedily scarfing down yet another slice of bread.
At last the now-satiated golden-haired youth came and took a seat beside the other. The blonde sat still for a few moments before nervously clearing his throat, demanding the other's attention.
The other remained impassive.
"E-excuse me." The blonde realized that he was stuttering and tried again. "Thank you for giving me food. But why are you helping me? A-and who are you?"
Slowly, the piercing cobalt eyes turned towards the blonde. "Seto Kaiba. That's my alias. As for why I am helping you, it comes without question that I demand something in return. Something you escaped from, essentially."
The golden-haired youth's face fell. "No!" His shoulders began to shake involuntarily. "I-I can't! I can't!" He began to scream hysterically, mouth twisting into a horrendous grimace, hands covering his face.
The other ignored the blonde's sobs. His voice was as smooth and cold as before. "I'm not asking any of that right now. All I want is for you to tell me who you are."
Gradually, the blonde's muffled cries subdued. He looked up through his mess of golden-yellow bangs, bloodshot chocolate eyes surprised. "M-my name? It was -" He frowned. "It _is_ Jounochi. My name is Jounochi Katsuya."
Seto shrugged. "Fair enough. Now tell me about your past. Who you are and what has happened."
"Everything?" Jounochi's voice was an incredulous tremour.
"Just starting from when the incident happened."
The blonde shook his head despairingly. "I can't! I don't want to remember!"
"Jounochi." Seto addressed the boy coldly. "You _will_ tell me everything that happened to you. If you fail to, I will not hesitate to bring you back to what you escaped from."
The blonde looked at the other in horror and then despair. "No! You can't do it!" The other's firm blue eyes told otherwise. "You can't bring me back! You can't!" With a desperate cry, Jounochi lunged towards Seto and grabbed the other's bare neck, squeezing as hard as his firm hands allowed him. He wouldn't go back! No one could make him!
Seto remained unperturbed, the flesh of his cold ivory neck not yielding one bit. He waited patiently for the blonde to calm down before he disarmed Jounochi with a single thrust of his arm, pushing the golden- haired boy forcefully backwards. His steel blue eyes glared at the other. "Don't do that again."
Jounochi was stunned. Even back with _them_, he had been considered violent, temperamental. Yet, his strength was nothing compared to Seto's. Had he escaped only to find himself in a more dangerous situation?
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." The blue-eyed figure displayed no empathy. "Now get yourself together and start talking. Tell me what happened."
Numbly, Jounochi picked himself up from the cold tiled ground, straightened up his overturned chair, and quietly took a seat. Images, nightmares, a billion whirling pungent sensations began to collect in his thoughts, jabbering and screaming at once. He pushed them down, took a deep breath, and began.
"It was two months ago. My sister, Shizuka, was losing her sight. The doctors said that if they did not get enough money for the operation, if she did not have her operation soon, she would go blind.
"The problem was that I was poor. My mom died a long time ago, and my father had disappeared off the face of the planet, for all I knew. All I had were my friends, and I didn't want to ask them for money.
"It was around that time that I saw an advertisement. How I saw it and the events leading up to it I can't remember. All I remember is that the advertisement wanted a healthy, young male individual for about five hours a week, and they would pay a handsome sum for whoever was interested. It seemed that the gods had answered my prayers, that I had been deliberately given the job."
Jounochi gave a shuddering sigh.
"I took it. I remember meeting with the boss of the corporation in a clean concrete building. I had taken a bus, and then a taxi that cost me a lot more money than I could afford. But I told myself it was worth it. I would get this job, and then I could pay for my sister's operation.
"They were all strange, shadowy characters; the boss and his staff. I ignored it, and told them my qualifications, why I believed I would be suitable.
"And then they told me something unusual.
"'Like any job, you might get hurt,' the boss had said. 'I want to make sure that you are aware of the potential dangers of this position, and that anything that could happen to you is not our responsibility.'
"He had been so persuasive and confident that I accepted. I needed the job after all."
"Go on." Seto pressed the blonde to continue.
"It was okay at first. I wasn't expecting to do something like that for a job, but as I said, I found it okay. I would go into a large, neon- light filled room, and they would ask me questions. Most of them were related to my health or physical well-being.
"It got worse afterwards. I learnt that five hours could be a very long time.
"They started doing blood tests, sometimes scraping a bit of my skin for culture, or so they told me. They made me run until I collapsed, or jump, or try and twist my limbs with some flexibility I could not endure.
"I did this for over a month. I kept up with their requests, and would go home exhausted on Saturday nights. It was always a Saturday that I went to do this. I kept on doing it because I had signed their contract, I could not back away, and my sister needed the money. Besides, it was just a bit of strenuous exercise. Nothing I couldn't handle, I told myself."
There was a moment of silence. Jounochi's eyes were distant, his mind collecting his thoughts.
"I was staying up late one Saturday night doing their tests. Suddenly, the boss came in, and he began talking with one of the lab technicians. He said there had been a 'change of plans' and I could hear a heated debate between the two breaking out.
"And then the boss sauntered over to me. How I hated his perfect smiling confident face, his perfect silver hair, the way it veiled over one of his eyes. Never in my life had I detested anyone like I did him.
The boss gave me a very false smile.
"'I'm going to give you some needle shots', he told me, as if I was a child* and he was stating the simplest thing in the world. 'There will be some after-effects, like dizziness, but they will wear off. Nothing in them will harm you permanently.'
"I was scared. The blood tests had been okay, but now he was asking to have something foreign injected into me.
"'You do want the money for your sister's operation, right?' and I nodded.
"The boss just smiled in his blank, eerie manner and said, 'I'll give you as much money as you want, even more than you need, if you stay here for one week. Just one week and all the money is yours.'
"I weighed it out. One week didn't seem that bad. It was only a short period of time. I told him I would do it. I had to be strong for my sister.
"He said I couldn't back out once I had accepted, and I nodded. I was so stupid; I had no clue what they were about to do. "
"And then came the experiments."
Seto inhaled sharply, causing Jounochi to pause and look strangely at him. The other's calm blue eyes spoke nothing of his sudden change in demeanour. The blonde suppressed another shudder and continued.
"They took me to this room and hooked me onto a long, flat bed, like the dentist's chairs, and strapped me firmly onto it. Every day, they would inject long needles into my skin. I was vaguely aware of several tubes and wires already protruding from me, hooked up to different machines. I could hear a sharp beeping on one side, and though I couldn't turn my head, I knew it was measuring my heart rate."
His fists began to shake uncontrollably, and the blonde looked away from the other's inquiring gaze, lashes fluttering madly to blink away the tears.
"They enjoyed it, all of them. Stabbing me with needles again and again, until I cried out, and then, when the pain got intolerable, they would shove a mask over my face and drug me. I would stay in a drugged, semi-conscious state, aware of voices, but they sounded far and distant. Even the pain seemed far and distant. And when the effects wore off, the first thing that hit me was the sweat covering my body, the cream from the electrodes stuck to my skin, the millions of wire around me. I felt so hot, and nauseous, and the room continued to spin around and around. I think my voice went hoarse several times as I screamed for help and begged them to release me, and that this was all been a big mistake. They ignored me and continued.
"But you see, _he_ had lied. He had told me it was one week, but I don't know how many countless hours I stayed unconscious, then awake and feverish, and then numbly unconscious again. It had to have been almost two weeks1"
"Tell me," Seto suddenly interrupted. "Before they strapped you into the room, what did the laboratory look like?"
Jounochi's eyes glazed over. Flashes of bright neon lights and echoing, harsh voices rang in his skull. He blinked rapidly several times, trying to chase the gruesome spectres of memory away. "Long. It had a long, winding hallway. I remember walking through it and wondering when I would get to the end of it. Everything about the place was neat and plastic, and lit up in extremely bright white light. There were doors every five steps, and larger steel doors blockaded the hallway every three doors or so. I-I remember thinking that there must be security people monitoring the steel doors to make them open."
The blue-eyed figure said nothing for a while. He mused and contemplated silently.
"In one of my more lucid fits of consciousness, I decided that I had had enough of this, and I ran away, pushing past the scientists. It was incredible, how weak they suddenly were and how fast I was running, and suddenly, I was out the door."
The blonde gave a small sigh, the rest of the ordeal finally off his chest. "You found me afterwards."
"That's enough." Seto gave a nod of dismissal. "Go into my room and find something else to wear. Preferably something light and not too heavy."
"W-why?" Jounochi stuttered. "Where are we-"
"- I'm going there. And you're going to help me find where they put you."
"I'm not going back!" The blonde's voice was a shrill ultimatum. "Why would you or _anyone_ deliberately go back?" Jounochi clenched his fists and raised them. "You'll have to kill me to make me go back."
Seto barely batted an eyelash. "Don't be theatrical. Obviously, you didn't want money bad enough, or I would offer you that too. It just happens that someone I know is inside and I'm not willing to give up on him. Not like how you gave up on your sister."
The comment stung. Enraged, the blonde snarled, hurling his figure at the other. Seto simply grabbed him by the shoulder with one hand and twisted him helplessly to the side. Jounochi was left hurt on the floor. Again.
"Stay here and calm yourself, inu 2." The blue-eyed figure stood up and slowly made his way towards one of the many rooms inside his underground dwelling. It was a rather large abode, even for someone his size, boasting considerable space with a cavernous, primitive quality. The modern furniture seemed out of place beside the crude bare walls. "And I wouldn't try escaping if I were you. Not unless you can fly."
And with that, he shut the door behind him.
Silence.
It took a few moments before Jounochi began to think clearly again. The first thing he tried was the room Seto had entered.
The blonde slammed the door open, bursting inside. A blast of cool air hit his face. Confused, Jounochi looked up, and saw a spectacular windowless skylight above him. The pale night sky, almost in the reaches of morning, glittered back down on him.
And Seto was nowhere to be seen.
******************************************************
Yuugi's eyes were wide with awe. He held tightly onto the ruby-eyed nighthunter's neck, trusting the other's arms. He rested his head against the other's chest. Yami held the boy firmly. He made another daring, powerful leap, soaring above the starlit sky.
"Amazing." Yuugi marvelled at another dizzying leap and descent. "Almost like you really are flying."
Yami grinned. For a moment, sadness crossed his features but he quickly masked it. "Yes, a lot of people have thought that."
"Can you really fly?" The small boy thought back to the tales of ancient vampires, ones that could take to the sky, wingless, soaring endlessly among the night clouds.
Suddenly, the vampire lost his step, misjudging his leap. He began to plummet downwards, still holding onto the small boy. Yuugi gasped and shut his eyes closed, feeling his heart twist in panic.
"You can look up now."
Reluctantly, the small boy forced his eyes open. He gave a surprised squeak as he saw buildings the size of toy cars quickly decreasing in size. "Yami. We're-"
A pair of pure ebony wings arched gracefully from the vampire's back. It seemed almost effortless; the way the ruby-eyed nighunter twisted them downwards and upwards in great leathery wing-beats. Yami grinned almost mischievously. "I like how you thought I was going to fall."
Surprise, then indignation crept into Yuugi's expression, flushing his cheeks rouge. "You- you purposely did that!"
"Pretty clever of me, wasn't it?"
The sight, or rather sound, of the vampire preening, combined with how closely Yami was holding him was too much for the boy. "You can't just- that's not-" Yuugi spluttered, unable to find the right words.
"I just did." The ruby-eyed vampire pressed his lips gently against the boy's bare neck, careful not to let his fangs touch the soft skin. "It's okay, little one. Just look around, look at how large and beautiful the moon is. I wanted to show you all of it."
It disappointed Yuugi slightly how the vampire addressed him always as 'little one'. The comment suggested inferiority, and would have been slightly demeaning, had it not been Yami saying it. The boy said nothing more and simply gazed at the skies and the clouds they passed effortlessly by. He stared in child-like fascination at the gigantic luminescent face of the moon. The very intensity and perfection of the yellow-white sphere silenced any whispers of awe.
And then, all too quickly, they were back on the earthbound rooftops.
"It's almost daybreak," Yami whispered into the boy's ears, holding Yuugi firmly. "We should be heading back home now." Yuugi nodded.
The vampire suddenly stiffened, his rhythmic leaps slowing to stop. His head turned to one side.
"Something wrong?" Even half-dreaming, Yuugi could sense the tension.
Yami frowned, expression hidden by the shadows. "There's someone." His voice trailed off. "Listen, Yuugi. I just realized that I have something to deal with right now. I'm going to get someone else to escort you back home. Is that okay?"
Yuugi hesitated. He knew the 'someone else' would be another vampire, someone who could potentially leave him a bloodless carcass. The boy forced the fear away. Yami was the Pharaoh of the vampires, the one he should fear the most. So if he was safe with Yami, wouldn't he be safe with the others? The boy nodded, not trusting his voice.
The ruby-eyed nighthunter set Yuugi gently on the rooftop platform. Almost immediately, another figure leapt into view beside Yami. The two talked for brief seconds before the second figure walked towards Yuugi.
"It's all right, little master." The newly arrived vampire beckoned to the small boy. "My name is Mahaado, and I'll bring you back home."
Yuugi nodded, letting the vampire's powerful arms sweep him away. Somehow, it didn't feel the same.
*****************************************
Yami watched Yuugi and Mahaado leave before turning around to address the figure half-hidden under the shadows. He gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Seto."
"Yami," the other said, his blue eyes flat and cold. There was a moment of stiff silence between the two.
Seto broke the tension. "Remember how you promised me a favour?"
The Pharaoh of the nighthunters gave a curt nod. "Of course. I keep my promises."
"Then I ask this favour now." Seto paused before continuing. "I'll tell you what I require of you first, though I don't plan until tomorrow night to do it."
****************************************************
Jounochi was beyond frustration now. He angrily kicked the wall, feet grinding against the strange dirt grooves before giving up. Why couldn't he just go back home? A part of him told him that he had failed to rescue his sister from blindness. It whispered to him that he was a freak now, a strange thing warped by endless tests and experiments. Whatever _they_ had done to him, it had altered his thinking, making it less rational and more aggressive, almost feral.
The blonde felt his ears, his canines, and the sleek fur running along the back of his hands. No, not human now. He didn't know what he had become.
It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was not going back, not going to finish whatever corrupted scheme the scientists had planned for him. Jounochi missed everyone profoundly; his sister, his friends, even his school. If only he could escape Seto, he could relive his life again. No one would notice the small differences, he convinced himself - they would be easy to hide.
After chasing his thoughts around in circles, Jounochi succumbed to his exhaustion, crawled to a nearby couch and closed his eyes.
He slept through a good portion of the night and the next day before Seto returned. The blonde stirred awake his groggy senses, ready to leap past Seto and into freedom-
- only to see that someone else was behind the blue-eyed figure.
'Perhaps', the blonde reasoned to himself, 'now is not exactly the most brilliant time to escape'
"So, the inu is still here."
Jounochi growled slightly at Seto's stinging comment. He glared balefully at the blue-eyed figure before looking at the other standing behind Seto.
The blonde's jaw nearly dropped. "Y-Yuugi?" His voice came out in a small squeak. Immediately, Jounochi regretted the words. Under the glow of the lamplight, this figure could hardly be mistaken for the blonde's friend. True, there were some startling similarities, but the differences were just as profound.
The guest behind Seto seemed just as surprised by Jounochi's comment. He regarded the blonde curiously and looked as if he wanted to say something. Seto spoke before he had the chance.
"I brought someone else along for the trip," the blue-eyed figure drawled. He locked gazes with Jounochi. "I'd advise you to listen to what I have to say, because. Yami here is quite temperamental with those he doesn't like."
At Jounochi's confused look, Yami gave a wry grin, predatory fangs protruding beneath his upper lip. "I'm a vampire, Jounochi." His startling ruby eyes flashed almost amusedly at Jounochi's apprehension and fear.
"And a damn strong one."
Yami shot a mock-glare at the Seto's undertone. "And _who_ was it that helped me, oh great Seto?"
For some reason, the blonde didn't mind this Yami. There was something offhand and casual about the ruby-eyed figure's posture that made him more open and friendly in contrast to Seto's undeniably cold and stoic character. And for all that Yami claimed to be, Jounochi could simply not imagine him as a vampire. True, it would be awesome if they were real, but the concept of a real vampire was almost as laughable as having Tooth Fairies or Santa Claus going down the chimney, albeit a bit more gothic. Jounochi decided that the fake fangs were for the purpose of fooling people like him.
Jounouchi winced as the fur on his hand reminded him of its presence. Who was he to comment on what was real, when he himself was a freak of humanity?
Yami took a seat beside the blonde. There was something suppressed in the ruby-eyed figure's expression. Jounochi could have sworn that Yami wanted to tell him something.
Seto remained standing. "I told Yami of our little plan." he explained to Jounouchi. "You mentioned that someone else needs to take care of the controls while we go through the doors. Yami will cover our backs and use the security cameras to keep us out of trouble while you lead me to where they took you."
So Jounochi really was going back. Back to Hell, or Inferno, or whatever it was. Was there no way to escape from this nightmare?
"But what if someone catches you?" Jounochi blurted out. He knew it was more a concern of his own well-being than Yami's.
The ruby-eyed figure's lips curved into a smug smirk. "Don't worry about me, Jounochi. You and Seto will be dealing with the hard part. All I need to do is make sure you get in. And trust me, I'm _very_ hard to catch when I put my mind to it."
*****************************************************
Seto glared at Jounochi. "Stop fidgeting. It's not going to help."
The blonde was trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't help it. Just moments ago, when he had again laid eyes on the laboratory building, his feet had refused to carry him further. He tried to reassure himself and tell himself it was okay, and that he would be safe but - dammit! - there was no denying how scared he was.
He was terrified beyond belief. The nightmares plagued his mind, hissing and taunting him. The needles glinted in the light, the scientists stared and murmured at him, the heart monitor beeped sharply.
There was a muffled shout. Jounochi poked his head out of his hiding place behind a large piece of shrubbery and saw Yami's shadowy outline slamming someone into the ground. The ruby-eyed figure was outnumbered by almost ten security guards. Jounochi felt a flash of concern and turned towards Seto, imploring the blue-eyed figure to help. Seto ignored Jounochi's silent request.
There was a loud crack as one of the guards pulled out his gun and began to fire. Yami quickly leapt into the air, flipping backwards acrobatically before landing behind another guard, picking the sentry up from the ground and using him as shield. Using the other guards' hesitation, the ruby-eyed figure slammed his arm into the nearest guard, downing him, before raising his free fist to shove it forcefully into another. Again and again Yami attacked, hoisting his shield-intended guard before him as if he weighed no more than a pencil. The other sentries were still afraid of firing their guns.
Jounochi watched Yami's relentless onslaught in fascination as the ruby-eyed figure nimbly dodged the remaining guards' attacks and knocked them unconscious. Yami then thrust the guard he had used as a shield onto the ground, pressing his heel against the figure's throat, watching almost gleefully as the guard choked.
A bang interrupted the Yami's antics. The ruby-eyed figure glared dangerously at the single sentry standing behind him. A deepening blossom of red was collecting on Yami's shoulder, dribbling down his cloak and clothing onto the cold dirt ground. The ruby-eyed figure snarled and leapt towards the standing guard in a flutter of black cloak. The gun flew into the air and clattered harmlessly onto the ground with a single swipe. And then, for some reason, Yami leant close to the stricken guard and clasped his head against the guard's neck.
Only when Yami had removed his head from the embrace, wiping the remaining dribbles of blood from his lips, did Jounochi realize what the ruby-eyed figure had done. The blonde's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Yami had not been joking when had he called himself a vampire.
"Let's go," Seto hissed at Jounochi, ignoring the blonde's mortified stare. "Show me the way inside."
Jounochi felt himself obey, though his mind wailed and his legs quivered like jelly. He was going back, back into Hell, escorted by this blue-eyed figure and his demon companion.
His trembling hands found the doorknob, jerking slightly as the door opened without any resistance. A pungent aroma of artificial cleanliness and sickly-sweet formaldehyde [3] tickled his nostrils. The humming whirr of neon-bright lights and whitewashed walls pressed on either side of him.
If Seto was not behind him, Jounochi would have fled or burst out crying. He really was back in Hell again.
***************************************************
What seemed like eons had passed and the pair still trod in silence. The hairs on the back of Jounochi's neck prickled as he took one reluctant footstep after another. Occasionally, he would stop, path suddenly barricaded by a stainless steel door; though it was only seconds before the barrier hissed open and yielded another length of hallway.
The blonde could sense it. He was getting close now - too close for comfort.
Hiss. Click. Another steel door opened. The blonde's mind screamed into the awful silence.
Jounochi stopped. "It's here." He trembled as his voice echoed eerily through the vacant strip of hallway.
Seto nodded. There was a spark of longing in his deep blue eyes. "Is there anything else beyond that door?" He pointed to the entrance to his right, a slightly thicker and tougher-looking barricade compared to the others.
Jounochi shook his head. "I-I don't know. They brought me to this door. That's all I remember."
The blue-eyed figure said nothing. He moved towards where Jounochi had stopped and put his hand on the doorknob. It was locked.
Seto appeared more bemused than frustrated. He seemed to space out for a few seconds, eyes glancing blankly at empty air, before refocusing and hardening. "Yami can't unlock it either."
With a little shrug, the blue-eyed figure grabbed the metal door handle and wrenched it as forcefully as possible. There was a horrible shriek of protesting metal as the entire door bent and twisted against its hinges. Seto gave the handle one more vicious tug. The door shuddered violently and caved inwards.
Seto looked at the door and blinked nonchalantly. He walked over the caved-in door and into the shadows. The lights immediately turned on the moment at his entrance.
Jounochi let his jaw hang open for one more second before gathering up his wits and followed the other.
**************************************************
The room was as clean and immaculate as before. Jounochi couldn't take his eyes off the smooth counter, the now-silent heart machine, the many wires erupting from a bubbling brew near the front of the hospital bed.
~*~
He screamed in agony as another needle was forced into his skin. Already, he could feel its effects, trying to sedate his thrashing body.
"Let me go!" he roared, face covered in sweat, still struggling though each of his limbs were lead weights. "I don't want to do this any more! Free me!"
The boss simply laughed. "But Jounochi. You _promised_ me."
~*~
The blonde quickly ran over to Seto. Jounochi sought to control his shallow, frightened gasps. Cold sweat dribbled down his face.
The blue-eyed figure neared the next door. It yielded easily in to a gentle twist.
Jounochi had never gone further than this room. He had always stayed here, strapped and restrained. The blonde trembled, torn between his fear of being caught and the fear of being alone. He conceded to following Seto, whimpering as quietly as possible.
There was nothing in this room. Jounochi tailed Seto as the other strode over to inspect each corner of the room. The entire space was bare of furniture and equipment. There was only the artificial light glowing overhead.
The door suddenly clicked shut.
Seto whirled around, glaring accusingly at Jounochi. The blonde looked just as appalled.
"_I_ closed the door, Seto Kaiba."
Jounochi immediately recognized the voice. The mocking, alluring tone. He involuntarily bristled, enraged brown eyes locking onto the figure as his fists clenched in rage.
"Oh, hello Jounochi," the boss smiled falsely. "Didn't I say we would meet again? You didn't even come back to get your money."
Jounochi snarled and leapt towards the silver-haired man. He was immediately restrained by Seto. The blue-eyed figure gave Jounochi a brief shake of his head.
"What do you want, Sorcerer?" Seto's challenged the other's confident stare with a glare of his own.
The silver-haired man laughed. "Sorcerer! That's what everyone calls me now. Just the 'Sorceror'." He gave a twisted smile. "I do have a name you know. I _would_ like to be called Pegasus. Well, Pegasus J. Crawford, but Pegasus will do."
"Don't tell me what to do, _Sorcerer_," Seto hissed, releasing Jounochi and ignoring the blonde completely. "I want him back!"
Pegasus grinned triumphantly. "I'm afraid I can't give him back. You see, the moment I do, you will most likely kill me. I find it much easier with you not knowing where he is." He paused, unveiled eye glinting dangerously. "And don't think that your nighthunter friend can help you. Your brother is hidden from the cameras."
Seto gave a low growl but stayed motionless. He couldn't harm Pegasus without losing his brother. Stalemate.
But Jounochi was not so restrained. The blonde-haired youth roared and grabbed the Sorcerer with his hands, locking him in a bear hug. Pegasus faltered under the sudden attack, but retaliated with a powerful kick to the blonde's shin. Jounochi winced at the pain but refused to back away. He turned towards the stunned Seto.
"Seto! I know where your brother is!" Indeed, there was only one place that was hidden from cameras. "Remember how you asked if there was anything beyond that barrier? When we were looking at this door? It's there, Seto. Break it open, if you can."
~*~ He was drugged and half-conscious again.
"The kid's a bastard." The scientist guarding him glared hatefully at the blonde. "He almost bit my fingers off, glove and all."
The other snorted. "Frankly, I don't see why we don't just send him down _there_ with that other miserable freak."
"Wouldn't work." The first scientist shook his head. "The boss wants to see the progress on this one. First time we experimented on a human, you see. As secure as it is down there, they've got no cameras."
Someone else walked in. "Hey Steve. It's time to shift guards with me. You get to go look after the brat. You know where it is right?"
Steve sighed. "Yeah, I know. The big doors to the left of here. The code's-"
Jounochi fell unconscious. ~*~
Sensing the other's determination and confidence, Seto nodded and quickly fled. The door clicked shut behind him.
Jounochi released his hold on Pegasus and glared at him. The blonde cracked his knuckles and gave a feral grin. "Come on, _boss_. It's just you and me."
**************************************************
Yami sensed immediately that something was wrong. The cameras were off-access to where both Jounochi stood and the gate Seto had blasted through. Yes, blasted, since there were no other ways to get inside.
Yami did not fear for Seto: he knew what the blue-eyed figure was capable of. Who he doubted was Jounochi. Pegasus alone with anyone was dangerous.
Abandoning his position, the ruby-eyed nighthunter sped down the hallways. Without hesitation, he passed by the jaws of the steel doors that he had locked open.
He immediately spotted Seto's handiwork. It had been twisted right off the hinges. The larger door, the big iron barrier to the right had been melted open. The thick metal still sizzled and hissed with an acrid aroma.
Help Jounochi, deal with Seto later - if the other even needed his help. Yami rushed into the room, past the equipment and silent machinery, and burst open the single door at the other end. The ruby-eyed nighthunter scanned the sight.
Jounochi was sprawled on the ground, barely conscious. His body sported several gashed wounds. Trembling and growling, the blonde glared at his opponent.
Pegasus looked amused. His single eye taunted the blonde, figure deceptively relaxed. Yami was not fooled. He had tested the Sorcerer's strength.
Pegasus noticed the ruby-eyed nighthunter. The silver-haired man tore his eye away from the helpless Jounochi and directed it toward the vampire. He smiled. "Well, if it isn't the Pharaoh. Fancy seeing you here."
Yami growled. "You knew I was here, Sorcerer."
"Please, none of that." The silver-haired man kept his smile. "I really do prefer the name Pegasus. It has a nice ring to it."
The ruby-eyed nighthunter ignored the request. His eyes flickered towards Jounochi and then back to Pegasus. "Let him go, Sorcerer."
"Whatever do you mean?" Pegasus feigned a surprised look. "I'm not even near Jounochi."
Fed up with the sorcerer's antics, Yami snarled and charged in a blur towards the silver-haired man. His hands grappled with air.
As fast as the vampire moved, Pegasus was faster.
The Sorcerer had vanished.
*******************************************
Jounochi groaned. He had thought he had had the advantage, but the tables had quickly turned, making him realize that Pegasus had been toying with him.
The blonde had tried to attack, but Pegasus was always faster. The way the silver-haired man moved and attacked, it seemed like Pegasus was indeed what Seto had called him - a sorcerer.
Seto had never been wrong. It didn't seem like he was this time either.
It was too late for him to fix his mistake. The numerous cuts and lashes on his body stung horribly, and he wanted nothing else but to lapse into unconsciousness from the pain. But he couldn't let Pegasus win. He continued to glare, baring his teeth to appear as menacing as possible.
A good thing Yami had come when he did. Jounochi didn't know how much longer he could have kept up the façade. The loss of blood was making him dizzy and exhausted, and he fought to keep his eyes open, to suck in every trembling mouthful of air.
The ruby-eyed vampire neared Jounochi. The blonde could feel Yami experimentally prod him before lifting him up. A jolt of pain travelled up the blonde's arm but he ignored it. Yami carried Jounochi like a potato sack slung over one shoulder, moving effortlessly out of the desecrated room into the hallway. He took a hesitant look at the gaping maw to the left of him before heading in the other direction.
Jounochi felt Yami pause. The blonde lifted his exhausted lids and saw that the hallway barricade was shut. But it didn't make sense. How did Yami get in? Not unless-
"Hello, Pharaoh." A booming voice echoed over an invisible loudspeaker. "You carelessly left the control center unguarded so I thought I might add some entertainment." The sorcerer's voice dissolved into harsh, maniacal barks. "You have exactly sixty seconds to leave the building. If you don't - boom!" More hollow laughter ensued, followed by a mechanical click and then silence.
Yami snarled angrily. He scanned the other various doors, hoisting Jounochi into a more secure position before making his move.
Jounochi felt the vampire glare at the barricade and sensed an incredible power building within the ruby-eyed figure. He chanced a blink, and quite suddenly, the barricade was not there anymore. It had been melted into a mess of hissing chrome sludge. The blonde was too numb to express anything but stared in awe.
Again and again, Yami performed the same trick. It took roughly five seconds to melt down each barrier, and much longer for the vampire to replenish whatever power or magic he had used.
Another barrier hissed and melted. Behind it was a single door - the exit to freedom. Jounochi felt Yami falter and stumble, most likely drained from expending so much energy. The blonde prayed that Yami wouldn't drop him.
Gathering energy for a last desperate lunge, the ruby-eyed vampire slammed his figure against the door and burst outside. The tendrils of cool night air greeted them. A muffled silence, different from the buzzing artificial lights of the laboratory hovered in the darkness.
Gasping and hobbling tiredly, Yami took a few more steps until he was safe enough from the building. He then gently set Jounochi on the ground and collapsed himself.
The entire building exploded barely a second later. A gigantic inferno of fire and smoke erupted, consuming the whitewashed complex whole, bathing it in ruby and yellow flames. Glass crackled and shattered under the heat, accompanied by the shuddering of the laboratory foundations.
Jounochi's eyes suddenly shot wide open. He struggled to stand, still staggering from the pain and loss of blood like a drunkard. His head roared loudly, but he pushed it back. "Seto! Seto's in there!"
As if on cue, a gigantic creature burst from the ceiling of the burning laboratory, large wings carrying it away from the scalding flames. Its chrome-white body glistened under the moonlight, outlining the lithe serpentine figure. A human stood on the creature's back, a small boy no older than ten.
Yami looked bemusedly at Jounochi. The blonde stared at the gigantic beast with large white wings and chrome-plated body. For a second, the creature pivoted its triangular head and stared directly at Jounochi with its steely cobalt-blue eyes. Then, with another sweep of its wings, it ascended high into the night sky, figure engulfed by the darkness.
Jounochi gaped. "That's.?"
The vampire said nothing. He didn't need to.
******************************************************
End notes:
[1] Just to clear something up. Jou was there in the movie night in the first chapter, but that was over two weeks ago. Remember I put those little time interval stars near the end saying *two weeks later*?
Why hasn't anyone noticed Jou's disappearance? Ahh.. but Pegasus isn't one to leave jobs half-done. Jou could just be 'on vacation' for all that they knew.
[2] "Inu" in Japanese means "dog". Figured that if I'm going to make references, I might as well make them consistently XD.
[3] A scientific argument made by PH-san. The only time I smelt that stuff was when we got to look at preserved insects. All I remember was that it smelt really pungent, and most pungent things for me smell sweet *sweatdrops*
This chapter absolutely exhausted me. It took almost four hours and a lot of more creativity than I could spare ^^;;; Well, hoped you liked it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. The Darkworld is mine though and can only be used with permission *nod nod*
;_; You guys are so nice - spoiling me with your commentary . Well, guess I'm obligated to give you replies then ^-^
Responses to reviews:
Yugi-chan: Tenku ^_^ Shenya: ^-^ Well, Bakura is, as Sam-chan quotes, the "angst king". We wouldn't expect no less from him~ Tenshimagic: Did I update soon enough? ;P. Hmm.. a piccie of Bakura. Good idea.. lily22: I bow down to your psychic-ness! And of course I'd notice my name in your fic, in whatever context it was ^_~ Sakiku: tenku! Though I can't claim to have created the idea of an "other world" in fanfictioning, I'd like to at least claim the Darkworld for this fandom XD Myst Lady: yeah! You have to post that Yu-gi-oh/CCS crossover! ;_; My library doesn't have any LJ Smith books. The only one I have is "Witchlight" (my fave of all of 'em) Alecto Perdita: Yay! Contest fic! Contest fic! *grins* o.O;; "The Art of the Novel". sounds like something from my English class. AnimeGoddess: Thank you! I'll try and update ASAP, but it depends on my creativity flow and school homework factor ^^;; Angel/DemonGaurdian: o.O;; I. inspired you? *stops and ponders over the absolute paradox of the statement* ^-^ I should be honoured then! petite-hikarie: XD. I see what you mean by changing writing style. I prefer long, flowing sentences to exaggerate my meaning while you like the short, succinct way. Cynthia Chen: Ni hao! Yeah - Bakura's going to stay in wolf form cause that's what he is! ^-^ Tenku for reading this *grins* Sailor Comet: ^-^ Glad you liked my puppies *hands Sam-chan a puppy* o.O;;; GYAHH!!! *Zoo runs out of the room screaming as the puppy latches onto her hand and wont let go* Yami-kun: I'm very partial to long chapters ne? Here's an idea - copy and save this fic into your computer, read half of it, and then come back and read the other half later! ^-^ Jadej.j: What's next? We'll, you have to read ne? *sly grin* Fiery Charizard: *whams writer's block away with Magical Girl wand* There! Now there's no excuse not to write the contest fic! (Scarlet Fangs is. erm. being started?) YumeTakato: I think the greatest weakness for my fics is my slowness in updating -_-;; I hope you'll be patient with me~ --NC--: NC-SAN!!! *gomplies* Of course the fics wont be judged until after the contest closes, but you can read them on my site (see my user bio page)
And that is all ^_^. Now onto the fic!
Warnings: Swearing, possibly the first signs of shounen-ai. Yes, I know, I'm slow ^^;;
~*~ Flashback ~*~
***************************************
There is a separate world that lies like a shadow inside our own. Those that are a part of it come out only at night-time. They dominate, betray, attack, and love within their self-maintained society.
The only restriction is that their world cannot be discovered by humans
because the humans would do anything to destroy them
for they are against the will
of God
*****************************************
He wrenched the door open and burst outside into the chill night air. The artificial light poured out from behind him as he shoved his exhausted legs forward. Sooner or later _they_ would find out that he had escaped. He had to run as far as possible.
He crossed several empty yards and a lone strip of gravel road. Never once did he stop his relentless trek, his breathing laboured and noisy. Strange wires and circular electrodes stuck to his nude body, tangling with his mess of half-cropped blond hair. Sweat and a jelly-like liquid covered his fair skin, permeating the air with a sickly aroma.
His chocolate brown eyes scanned his surroundings. A choked noise like a high-pitched whine escaped his throat and his lips moved as if attempting to speak.
The needle-ends of the various electrodes were still stuck firmly into his flesh. Without a moment's hesitation, the blonde-haired youth grabbed a set of electrodes and pulled, a mass of wires reluctantly parting with his arm and leaving several gouges in his otherwise perfect skin. He watched in fascination as ruby blood began to fill the holes, sluggishly dribbling and collecting at his elbow. The blonde absently wiped his arm, his palm collecting a handful of blood.
Again and again he pulled out the wires, tossing them carelessly to the dirt. There were no trees or shrubbery to conceal his solitary figure from the moonlight. It bathed his skin in silver, making the blonde-haired youth appear like a martyr, prepared in a sacrificial dressing of blood.
Yet, there were some not-quite human features on his boyish face. The moonlight saw the differences.
A set of canines flashed as the youth's lips formed a toothy smile. His large brown eyes were actually starbursts of gold blended with mahogany. The pupils consistently dilated and contracted as if able to pierce the landscape beyond the weak glow of moonlight. Even his ears were slightly pointed, larger and wider than even elvish ears.
The youth stopped, head straying back and forth, eyes alert. He stood in this position for less than three seconds before he began to pace, never taking more than five steps before turning around and pacing the other direction.
His facial expressions harboured both anxiety and relief. He had finally escaped _them_. The blonde-haired youth shuddered involuntarily and sought to remember no more. He had escaped now. His foolishness, his blind mistake would be left along with the electrodes spilt on the ground and the dungeon far, far behind him.
A small tremour travelled down the youth's spine as he realized what his escape really meant. He was out in the open air, not confined, standing on his two legs, chin tilted up and confident. His golden-blonde hair swayed gently in the wind, taut muscles obeying only his will.
He was truly free.
The blond cleared his throat again, a series of hoarse chokes. He heaved in a lungful of air to summon a long-neglected voice.
"I'm free." The sound was a whisper at best.
Furrowing his eyebrows, the blond inhaled as much air as possible, and mustered all the strength from his lungs.
"I'm free!"
He listened in satisfaction as the roar echoed over the desolate landscape, his own ears ringing. With an impish grin, he thrust both his arms into the air, leaping, pivoting, laughing madly under the moonlight.
"I did it! I'm free! I'm free!"
His deep alto voice released peals of exuberated laugher. The blonde forced his protesting muscles to continue moving, to celebrate his moment of triumph. He gazed upwards at the flickering half-moon and gave a small, delightful howl, canine in nature.
The blonde barely noticed it. It seemed natural in his body, for what he was, for what he had become. He simply laughed and laughed and let the night currents carry him relentlessly to wherever his mind desired.
Yet, someone else took notice. Chrome glinted off its large body. With a flicker of its sheath-like wings, the creature rolled onto his hind legs and craned its neck towards the noise. Its bright sapphire eyes immediately locked onto the reckless figure of the blond, the figure dancing undaunted in the moonlight only several meters from it.
Its serpentine tail lashed against the cold dirt ground in annoyance. The creature gave the blonde-haired youth one last disapproving glare before fading into the half-shadows where it hid.
**************************************************
He was tired and a bit cold. Yet, the one sensation that permeated everything else was the gaping maw in his abdomen. He was starving.
The blonde-haired youth scanned his surroundings for anything edible. A small creek trickled over the parched dirt, and he immediately knelt on his knees and shoved his mouth against the trickle of water, greedily lapping up the cool silver liquid.
Kneeling upwards, the youth let a handful of water collect in his cupped palm. He slapped the liquid against his arm, vigorously washing the caked blood. It stung his skin and only made a larger mess. The blonde wrinkled his nose in disgust.
But what mattered most was the hunger. He needed something to eat!
Without thinking, the blonde-haired youth grabbed a handful of dried grass and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed it twice, letting it roll only seconds against his tastebuds before vehemently spitting it out. It was disgusting!
His arm was stinging again, he was still hungry, and his mouth was infested with a horrendous aftertaste. The blonde-haired youth whimpered in discontent and curled his tall frame into a ball. Perhaps if he slept, the dissatisfaction would wear off. Even this discomfort was thousands of times better than what he had to endure.
Something kicked him rudely on the side. The youth's exhausted eyes snapped open, one hand moving to the suddenly bruised area. He growled, muscles tightening as he prepared to fend himself from the intruder.
The other figure was tall, even taller than the blonde. There was something almost alluring in the figure's cropped, dark-brown hair and icy cobalt-blue eyes. The only difference was that this figure appeared all too human. He wore black shirt and jeans, and his thin frame was protected by a flowing white jacket.
"I know you can talk and understand me," the cobalt-eyed figure said. His voice was cold and slightly disdainful. He gave a sigh as the blonde bristled in defence, and defensively crossed his arms. "Unless you haven't noticed, you're walking naked in a flat field under the moonlight. If you don't want to get caught, I suggest that you follow me." Movements as abrupt as his words, the chestnut-haired youth pivoted and began to walk away.
The blonde did not move. He stared at the other figure, watching the long, swaying folds of the youth's overcoat.
The figure stopped and turned around, a flicker of annoyance passing through his cobalt eyes. He noticed the blonde still staring almost helplessly at him and proceeded to angrily trek back. "Here."
The blonde's eyes widened as he felt something heavy and cloth-like smother his face. He pulled the material off his head, his fingers involuntarily tingling at the smooth fabric-texture. It was the other's large, white coat.
"Put it on." The colbalt-eyed figure's impatience covered up any sympathy he might have had for the blonde. "The last thing I want is people staring at us."
Nodding mutely, the blond-haired youth grasped the large folds of the jacket and slipped his arm into one of the sleeve-holes. He did the same with the other, only to notice that the large collar of the jacket was covering well over half his face. He whimpered pathetically.
The chestnut-haired youth gave a choked snort, the first signs of another emotion other than impatience. He quickly smothered up his amusement. "Idiot. You're wearing the coat backwards."
Blushing madly, the blonde proceeded to untangle himself, only to get one of his elbows caught in the material. He briefly wondered how pathetic he looked now, and how frustrated the other might get. Struggling only made it worse.
"Here!" The tall, blue-eyed figure gave a large sigh of annoyance. "I'll help you!"
The blonde stood motionless as the other advanced. He felt a tug on the jacket and then the cold imprint of the other's fingers on his bare skin. Slowly, the jacket-sleeve loosened and unravelled as the cobalt-eyed youth slipped it off the blonde and proceeded to redo the sleeves.
"Here. Put your right arm in this hole."
The blonde listened to the other's command, and briefly pondered which arm was his right. After much internal debate, he selected a random arm and pulled it inside the open sleeve. The other's fingers brushed against his warm skin yet again, causing his entire arm to tingle.
"Okay. Now the other arm."
He briefly wondered why this strange blue-eyed youth had so much patience with him. After years of abuse and mistreatment with _them_, even such cold courtesy was foreign to him. But then, the blond sensed that the other was perhaps not as cold as he portrayed himself to be.
"There. Now just zip up the jacket and we'll go."
The blonde looked at the other stupidly.
"Fine!" The brown-haired youth scowled, wondering why on earth he bothered to help this strange blonde. Reasoning told him that he needed this golden-haired youth for a loftier purpose. That would come later. "Just stand still. I'll zip it up for you."
Watching the other fumble with the jacket, the blonde could not help but notice the heat building up on his cheeks. He tried to turn his head away as the blue-eyed youth leaned ever too closely to him and proceeded to pull the zipper-end up. The other's firm hands jerked the end of the jacket firmly at the top, skin resting momentarily against the blonde's chin.
The moment of warmth ended, and the brown-haired youth turned away. He began walking away in silence.
The blonde stood dumbfounded before dashing madly to catch up with the other. "W-wait! Where are we going?" The coat was a bit too large for him, restricting his motion and causing him to stumble several times.
"Somewhere safe." The blue-eyed figure did not stop and wait for the other. "We'll find a place to talk away from anyone watching."
**********************************************
The blue-eyed individual waited for his guest to settle. He sat on one of the many table chairs, arms crossed, chest taut. His cobalt eyes darted towards the blonde, now greedily scarfing down yet another slice of bread.
At last the now-satiated golden-haired youth came and took a seat beside the other. The blonde sat still for a few moments before nervously clearing his throat, demanding the other's attention.
The other remained impassive.
"E-excuse me." The blonde realized that he was stuttering and tried again. "Thank you for giving me food. But why are you helping me? A-and who are you?"
Slowly, the piercing cobalt eyes turned towards the blonde. "Seto Kaiba. That's my alias. As for why I am helping you, it comes without question that I demand something in return. Something you escaped from, essentially."
The golden-haired youth's face fell. "No!" His shoulders began to shake involuntarily. "I-I can't! I can't!" He began to scream hysterically, mouth twisting into a horrendous grimace, hands covering his face.
The other ignored the blonde's sobs. His voice was as smooth and cold as before. "I'm not asking any of that right now. All I want is for you to tell me who you are."
Gradually, the blonde's muffled cries subdued. He looked up through his mess of golden-yellow bangs, bloodshot chocolate eyes surprised. "M-my name? It was -" He frowned. "It _is_ Jounochi. My name is Jounochi Katsuya."
Seto shrugged. "Fair enough. Now tell me about your past. Who you are and what has happened."
"Everything?" Jounochi's voice was an incredulous tremour.
"Just starting from when the incident happened."
The blonde shook his head despairingly. "I can't! I don't want to remember!"
"Jounochi." Seto addressed the boy coldly. "You _will_ tell me everything that happened to you. If you fail to, I will not hesitate to bring you back to what you escaped from."
The blonde looked at the other in horror and then despair. "No! You can't do it!" The other's firm blue eyes told otherwise. "You can't bring me back! You can't!" With a desperate cry, Jounochi lunged towards Seto and grabbed the other's bare neck, squeezing as hard as his firm hands allowed him. He wouldn't go back! No one could make him!
Seto remained unperturbed, the flesh of his cold ivory neck not yielding one bit. He waited patiently for the blonde to calm down before he disarmed Jounochi with a single thrust of his arm, pushing the golden- haired boy forcefully backwards. His steel blue eyes glared at the other. "Don't do that again."
Jounochi was stunned. Even back with _them_, he had been considered violent, temperamental. Yet, his strength was nothing compared to Seto's. Had he escaped only to find himself in a more dangerous situation?
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." The blue-eyed figure displayed no empathy. "Now get yourself together and start talking. Tell me what happened."
Numbly, Jounochi picked himself up from the cold tiled ground, straightened up his overturned chair, and quietly took a seat. Images, nightmares, a billion whirling pungent sensations began to collect in his thoughts, jabbering and screaming at once. He pushed them down, took a deep breath, and began.
"It was two months ago. My sister, Shizuka, was losing her sight. The doctors said that if they did not get enough money for the operation, if she did not have her operation soon, she would go blind.
"The problem was that I was poor. My mom died a long time ago, and my father had disappeared off the face of the planet, for all I knew. All I had were my friends, and I didn't want to ask them for money.
"It was around that time that I saw an advertisement. How I saw it and the events leading up to it I can't remember. All I remember is that the advertisement wanted a healthy, young male individual for about five hours a week, and they would pay a handsome sum for whoever was interested. It seemed that the gods had answered my prayers, that I had been deliberately given the job."
Jounochi gave a shuddering sigh.
"I took it. I remember meeting with the boss of the corporation in a clean concrete building. I had taken a bus, and then a taxi that cost me a lot more money than I could afford. But I told myself it was worth it. I would get this job, and then I could pay for my sister's operation.
"They were all strange, shadowy characters; the boss and his staff. I ignored it, and told them my qualifications, why I believed I would be suitable.
"And then they told me something unusual.
"'Like any job, you might get hurt,' the boss had said. 'I want to make sure that you are aware of the potential dangers of this position, and that anything that could happen to you is not our responsibility.'
"He had been so persuasive and confident that I accepted. I needed the job after all."
"Go on." Seto pressed the blonde to continue.
"It was okay at first. I wasn't expecting to do something like that for a job, but as I said, I found it okay. I would go into a large, neon- light filled room, and they would ask me questions. Most of them were related to my health or physical well-being.
"It got worse afterwards. I learnt that five hours could be a very long time.
"They started doing blood tests, sometimes scraping a bit of my skin for culture, or so they told me. They made me run until I collapsed, or jump, or try and twist my limbs with some flexibility I could not endure.
"I did this for over a month. I kept up with their requests, and would go home exhausted on Saturday nights. It was always a Saturday that I went to do this. I kept on doing it because I had signed their contract, I could not back away, and my sister needed the money. Besides, it was just a bit of strenuous exercise. Nothing I couldn't handle, I told myself."
There was a moment of silence. Jounochi's eyes were distant, his mind collecting his thoughts.
"I was staying up late one Saturday night doing their tests. Suddenly, the boss came in, and he began talking with one of the lab technicians. He said there had been a 'change of plans' and I could hear a heated debate between the two breaking out.
"And then the boss sauntered over to me. How I hated his perfect smiling confident face, his perfect silver hair, the way it veiled over one of his eyes. Never in my life had I detested anyone like I did him.
The boss gave me a very false smile.
"'I'm going to give you some needle shots', he told me, as if I was a child* and he was stating the simplest thing in the world. 'There will be some after-effects, like dizziness, but they will wear off. Nothing in them will harm you permanently.'
"I was scared. The blood tests had been okay, but now he was asking to have something foreign injected into me.
"'You do want the money for your sister's operation, right?' and I nodded.
"The boss just smiled in his blank, eerie manner and said, 'I'll give you as much money as you want, even more than you need, if you stay here for one week. Just one week and all the money is yours.'
"I weighed it out. One week didn't seem that bad. It was only a short period of time. I told him I would do it. I had to be strong for my sister.
"He said I couldn't back out once I had accepted, and I nodded. I was so stupid; I had no clue what they were about to do. "
"And then came the experiments."
Seto inhaled sharply, causing Jounochi to pause and look strangely at him. The other's calm blue eyes spoke nothing of his sudden change in demeanour. The blonde suppressed another shudder and continued.
"They took me to this room and hooked me onto a long, flat bed, like the dentist's chairs, and strapped me firmly onto it. Every day, they would inject long needles into my skin. I was vaguely aware of several tubes and wires already protruding from me, hooked up to different machines. I could hear a sharp beeping on one side, and though I couldn't turn my head, I knew it was measuring my heart rate."
His fists began to shake uncontrollably, and the blonde looked away from the other's inquiring gaze, lashes fluttering madly to blink away the tears.
"They enjoyed it, all of them. Stabbing me with needles again and again, until I cried out, and then, when the pain got intolerable, they would shove a mask over my face and drug me. I would stay in a drugged, semi-conscious state, aware of voices, but they sounded far and distant. Even the pain seemed far and distant. And when the effects wore off, the first thing that hit me was the sweat covering my body, the cream from the electrodes stuck to my skin, the millions of wire around me. I felt so hot, and nauseous, and the room continued to spin around and around. I think my voice went hoarse several times as I screamed for help and begged them to release me, and that this was all been a big mistake. They ignored me and continued.
"But you see, _he_ had lied. He had told me it was one week, but I don't know how many countless hours I stayed unconscious, then awake and feverish, and then numbly unconscious again. It had to have been almost two weeks1"
"Tell me," Seto suddenly interrupted. "Before they strapped you into the room, what did the laboratory look like?"
Jounochi's eyes glazed over. Flashes of bright neon lights and echoing, harsh voices rang in his skull. He blinked rapidly several times, trying to chase the gruesome spectres of memory away. "Long. It had a long, winding hallway. I remember walking through it and wondering when I would get to the end of it. Everything about the place was neat and plastic, and lit up in extremely bright white light. There were doors every five steps, and larger steel doors blockaded the hallway every three doors or so. I-I remember thinking that there must be security people monitoring the steel doors to make them open."
The blue-eyed figure said nothing for a while. He mused and contemplated silently.
"In one of my more lucid fits of consciousness, I decided that I had had enough of this, and I ran away, pushing past the scientists. It was incredible, how weak they suddenly were and how fast I was running, and suddenly, I was out the door."
The blonde gave a small sigh, the rest of the ordeal finally off his chest. "You found me afterwards."
"That's enough." Seto gave a nod of dismissal. "Go into my room and find something else to wear. Preferably something light and not too heavy."
"W-why?" Jounochi stuttered. "Where are we-"
"- I'm going there. And you're going to help me find where they put you."
"I'm not going back!" The blonde's voice was a shrill ultimatum. "Why would you or _anyone_ deliberately go back?" Jounochi clenched his fists and raised them. "You'll have to kill me to make me go back."
Seto barely batted an eyelash. "Don't be theatrical. Obviously, you didn't want money bad enough, or I would offer you that too. It just happens that someone I know is inside and I'm not willing to give up on him. Not like how you gave up on your sister."
The comment stung. Enraged, the blonde snarled, hurling his figure at the other. Seto simply grabbed him by the shoulder with one hand and twisted him helplessly to the side. Jounochi was left hurt on the floor. Again.
"Stay here and calm yourself, inu 2." The blue-eyed figure stood up and slowly made his way towards one of the many rooms inside his underground dwelling. It was a rather large abode, even for someone his size, boasting considerable space with a cavernous, primitive quality. The modern furniture seemed out of place beside the crude bare walls. "And I wouldn't try escaping if I were you. Not unless you can fly."
And with that, he shut the door behind him.
Silence.
It took a few moments before Jounochi began to think clearly again. The first thing he tried was the room Seto had entered.
The blonde slammed the door open, bursting inside. A blast of cool air hit his face. Confused, Jounochi looked up, and saw a spectacular windowless skylight above him. The pale night sky, almost in the reaches of morning, glittered back down on him.
And Seto was nowhere to be seen.
******************************************************
Yuugi's eyes were wide with awe. He held tightly onto the ruby-eyed nighthunter's neck, trusting the other's arms. He rested his head against the other's chest. Yami held the boy firmly. He made another daring, powerful leap, soaring above the starlit sky.
"Amazing." Yuugi marvelled at another dizzying leap and descent. "Almost like you really are flying."
Yami grinned. For a moment, sadness crossed his features but he quickly masked it. "Yes, a lot of people have thought that."
"Can you really fly?" The small boy thought back to the tales of ancient vampires, ones that could take to the sky, wingless, soaring endlessly among the night clouds.
Suddenly, the vampire lost his step, misjudging his leap. He began to plummet downwards, still holding onto the small boy. Yuugi gasped and shut his eyes closed, feeling his heart twist in panic.
"You can look up now."
Reluctantly, the small boy forced his eyes open. He gave a surprised squeak as he saw buildings the size of toy cars quickly decreasing in size. "Yami. We're-"
A pair of pure ebony wings arched gracefully from the vampire's back. It seemed almost effortless; the way the ruby-eyed nighunter twisted them downwards and upwards in great leathery wing-beats. Yami grinned almost mischievously. "I like how you thought I was going to fall."
Surprise, then indignation crept into Yuugi's expression, flushing his cheeks rouge. "You- you purposely did that!"
"Pretty clever of me, wasn't it?"
The sight, or rather sound, of the vampire preening, combined with how closely Yami was holding him was too much for the boy. "You can't just- that's not-" Yuugi spluttered, unable to find the right words.
"I just did." The ruby-eyed vampire pressed his lips gently against the boy's bare neck, careful not to let his fangs touch the soft skin. "It's okay, little one. Just look around, look at how large and beautiful the moon is. I wanted to show you all of it."
It disappointed Yuugi slightly how the vampire addressed him always as 'little one'. The comment suggested inferiority, and would have been slightly demeaning, had it not been Yami saying it. The boy said nothing more and simply gazed at the skies and the clouds they passed effortlessly by. He stared in child-like fascination at the gigantic luminescent face of the moon. The very intensity and perfection of the yellow-white sphere silenced any whispers of awe.
And then, all too quickly, they were back on the earthbound rooftops.
"It's almost daybreak," Yami whispered into the boy's ears, holding Yuugi firmly. "We should be heading back home now." Yuugi nodded.
The vampire suddenly stiffened, his rhythmic leaps slowing to stop. His head turned to one side.
"Something wrong?" Even half-dreaming, Yuugi could sense the tension.
Yami frowned, expression hidden by the shadows. "There's someone." His voice trailed off. "Listen, Yuugi. I just realized that I have something to deal with right now. I'm going to get someone else to escort you back home. Is that okay?"
Yuugi hesitated. He knew the 'someone else' would be another vampire, someone who could potentially leave him a bloodless carcass. The boy forced the fear away. Yami was the Pharaoh of the vampires, the one he should fear the most. So if he was safe with Yami, wouldn't he be safe with the others? The boy nodded, not trusting his voice.
The ruby-eyed nighthunter set Yuugi gently on the rooftop platform. Almost immediately, another figure leapt into view beside Yami. The two talked for brief seconds before the second figure walked towards Yuugi.
"It's all right, little master." The newly arrived vampire beckoned to the small boy. "My name is Mahaado, and I'll bring you back home."
Yuugi nodded, letting the vampire's powerful arms sweep him away. Somehow, it didn't feel the same.
*****************************************
Yami watched Yuugi and Mahaado leave before turning around to address the figure half-hidden under the shadows. He gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Seto."
"Yami," the other said, his blue eyes flat and cold. There was a moment of stiff silence between the two.
Seto broke the tension. "Remember how you promised me a favour?"
The Pharaoh of the nighthunters gave a curt nod. "Of course. I keep my promises."
"Then I ask this favour now." Seto paused before continuing. "I'll tell you what I require of you first, though I don't plan until tomorrow night to do it."
****************************************************
Jounochi was beyond frustration now. He angrily kicked the wall, feet grinding against the strange dirt grooves before giving up. Why couldn't he just go back home? A part of him told him that he had failed to rescue his sister from blindness. It whispered to him that he was a freak now, a strange thing warped by endless tests and experiments. Whatever _they_ had done to him, it had altered his thinking, making it less rational and more aggressive, almost feral.
The blonde felt his ears, his canines, and the sleek fur running along the back of his hands. No, not human now. He didn't know what he had become.
It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was not going back, not going to finish whatever corrupted scheme the scientists had planned for him. Jounochi missed everyone profoundly; his sister, his friends, even his school. If only he could escape Seto, he could relive his life again. No one would notice the small differences, he convinced himself - they would be easy to hide.
After chasing his thoughts around in circles, Jounochi succumbed to his exhaustion, crawled to a nearby couch and closed his eyes.
He slept through a good portion of the night and the next day before Seto returned. The blonde stirred awake his groggy senses, ready to leap past Seto and into freedom-
- only to see that someone else was behind the blue-eyed figure.
'Perhaps', the blonde reasoned to himself, 'now is not exactly the most brilliant time to escape'
"So, the inu is still here."
Jounochi growled slightly at Seto's stinging comment. He glared balefully at the blue-eyed figure before looking at the other standing behind Seto.
The blonde's jaw nearly dropped. "Y-Yuugi?" His voice came out in a small squeak. Immediately, Jounochi regretted the words. Under the glow of the lamplight, this figure could hardly be mistaken for the blonde's friend. True, there were some startling similarities, but the differences were just as profound.
The guest behind Seto seemed just as surprised by Jounochi's comment. He regarded the blonde curiously and looked as if he wanted to say something. Seto spoke before he had the chance.
"I brought someone else along for the trip," the blue-eyed figure drawled. He locked gazes with Jounochi. "I'd advise you to listen to what I have to say, because. Yami here is quite temperamental with those he doesn't like."
At Jounochi's confused look, Yami gave a wry grin, predatory fangs protruding beneath his upper lip. "I'm a vampire, Jounochi." His startling ruby eyes flashed almost amusedly at Jounochi's apprehension and fear.
"And a damn strong one."
Yami shot a mock-glare at the Seto's undertone. "And _who_ was it that helped me, oh great Seto?"
For some reason, the blonde didn't mind this Yami. There was something offhand and casual about the ruby-eyed figure's posture that made him more open and friendly in contrast to Seto's undeniably cold and stoic character. And for all that Yami claimed to be, Jounochi could simply not imagine him as a vampire. True, it would be awesome if they were real, but the concept of a real vampire was almost as laughable as having Tooth Fairies or Santa Claus going down the chimney, albeit a bit more gothic. Jounochi decided that the fake fangs were for the purpose of fooling people like him.
Jounouchi winced as the fur on his hand reminded him of its presence. Who was he to comment on what was real, when he himself was a freak of humanity?
Yami took a seat beside the blonde. There was something suppressed in the ruby-eyed figure's expression. Jounochi could have sworn that Yami wanted to tell him something.
Seto remained standing. "I told Yami of our little plan." he explained to Jounouchi. "You mentioned that someone else needs to take care of the controls while we go through the doors. Yami will cover our backs and use the security cameras to keep us out of trouble while you lead me to where they took you."
So Jounochi really was going back. Back to Hell, or Inferno, or whatever it was. Was there no way to escape from this nightmare?
"But what if someone catches you?" Jounochi blurted out. He knew it was more a concern of his own well-being than Yami's.
The ruby-eyed figure's lips curved into a smug smirk. "Don't worry about me, Jounochi. You and Seto will be dealing with the hard part. All I need to do is make sure you get in. And trust me, I'm _very_ hard to catch when I put my mind to it."
*****************************************************
Seto glared at Jounochi. "Stop fidgeting. It's not going to help."
The blonde was trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't help it. Just moments ago, when he had again laid eyes on the laboratory building, his feet had refused to carry him further. He tried to reassure himself and tell himself it was okay, and that he would be safe but - dammit! - there was no denying how scared he was.
He was terrified beyond belief. The nightmares plagued his mind, hissing and taunting him. The needles glinted in the light, the scientists stared and murmured at him, the heart monitor beeped sharply.
There was a muffled shout. Jounochi poked his head out of his hiding place behind a large piece of shrubbery and saw Yami's shadowy outline slamming someone into the ground. The ruby-eyed figure was outnumbered by almost ten security guards. Jounochi felt a flash of concern and turned towards Seto, imploring the blue-eyed figure to help. Seto ignored Jounochi's silent request.
There was a loud crack as one of the guards pulled out his gun and began to fire. Yami quickly leapt into the air, flipping backwards acrobatically before landing behind another guard, picking the sentry up from the ground and using him as shield. Using the other guards' hesitation, the ruby-eyed figure slammed his arm into the nearest guard, downing him, before raising his free fist to shove it forcefully into another. Again and again Yami attacked, hoisting his shield-intended guard before him as if he weighed no more than a pencil. The other sentries were still afraid of firing their guns.
Jounochi watched Yami's relentless onslaught in fascination as the ruby-eyed figure nimbly dodged the remaining guards' attacks and knocked them unconscious. Yami then thrust the guard he had used as a shield onto the ground, pressing his heel against the figure's throat, watching almost gleefully as the guard choked.
A bang interrupted the Yami's antics. The ruby-eyed figure glared dangerously at the single sentry standing behind him. A deepening blossom of red was collecting on Yami's shoulder, dribbling down his cloak and clothing onto the cold dirt ground. The ruby-eyed figure snarled and leapt towards the standing guard in a flutter of black cloak. The gun flew into the air and clattered harmlessly onto the ground with a single swipe. And then, for some reason, Yami leant close to the stricken guard and clasped his head against the guard's neck.
Only when Yami had removed his head from the embrace, wiping the remaining dribbles of blood from his lips, did Jounochi realize what the ruby-eyed figure had done. The blonde's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Yami had not been joking when had he called himself a vampire.
"Let's go," Seto hissed at Jounochi, ignoring the blonde's mortified stare. "Show me the way inside."
Jounochi felt himself obey, though his mind wailed and his legs quivered like jelly. He was going back, back into Hell, escorted by this blue-eyed figure and his demon companion.
His trembling hands found the doorknob, jerking slightly as the door opened without any resistance. A pungent aroma of artificial cleanliness and sickly-sweet formaldehyde [3] tickled his nostrils. The humming whirr of neon-bright lights and whitewashed walls pressed on either side of him.
If Seto was not behind him, Jounochi would have fled or burst out crying. He really was back in Hell again.
***************************************************
What seemed like eons had passed and the pair still trod in silence. The hairs on the back of Jounochi's neck prickled as he took one reluctant footstep after another. Occasionally, he would stop, path suddenly barricaded by a stainless steel door; though it was only seconds before the barrier hissed open and yielded another length of hallway.
The blonde could sense it. He was getting close now - too close for comfort.
Hiss. Click. Another steel door opened. The blonde's mind screamed into the awful silence.
Jounochi stopped. "It's here." He trembled as his voice echoed eerily through the vacant strip of hallway.
Seto nodded. There was a spark of longing in his deep blue eyes. "Is there anything else beyond that door?" He pointed to the entrance to his right, a slightly thicker and tougher-looking barricade compared to the others.
Jounochi shook his head. "I-I don't know. They brought me to this door. That's all I remember."
The blue-eyed figure said nothing. He moved towards where Jounochi had stopped and put his hand on the doorknob. It was locked.
Seto appeared more bemused than frustrated. He seemed to space out for a few seconds, eyes glancing blankly at empty air, before refocusing and hardening. "Yami can't unlock it either."
With a little shrug, the blue-eyed figure grabbed the metal door handle and wrenched it as forcefully as possible. There was a horrible shriek of protesting metal as the entire door bent and twisted against its hinges. Seto gave the handle one more vicious tug. The door shuddered violently and caved inwards.
Seto looked at the door and blinked nonchalantly. He walked over the caved-in door and into the shadows. The lights immediately turned on the moment at his entrance.
Jounochi let his jaw hang open for one more second before gathering up his wits and followed the other.
**************************************************
The room was as clean and immaculate as before. Jounochi couldn't take his eyes off the smooth counter, the now-silent heart machine, the many wires erupting from a bubbling brew near the front of the hospital bed.
~*~
He screamed in agony as another needle was forced into his skin. Already, he could feel its effects, trying to sedate his thrashing body.
"Let me go!" he roared, face covered in sweat, still struggling though each of his limbs were lead weights. "I don't want to do this any more! Free me!"
The boss simply laughed. "But Jounochi. You _promised_ me."
~*~
The blonde quickly ran over to Seto. Jounochi sought to control his shallow, frightened gasps. Cold sweat dribbled down his face.
The blue-eyed figure neared the next door. It yielded easily in to a gentle twist.
Jounochi had never gone further than this room. He had always stayed here, strapped and restrained. The blonde trembled, torn between his fear of being caught and the fear of being alone. He conceded to following Seto, whimpering as quietly as possible.
There was nothing in this room. Jounochi tailed Seto as the other strode over to inspect each corner of the room. The entire space was bare of furniture and equipment. There was only the artificial light glowing overhead.
The door suddenly clicked shut.
Seto whirled around, glaring accusingly at Jounochi. The blonde looked just as appalled.
"_I_ closed the door, Seto Kaiba."
Jounochi immediately recognized the voice. The mocking, alluring tone. He involuntarily bristled, enraged brown eyes locking onto the figure as his fists clenched in rage.
"Oh, hello Jounochi," the boss smiled falsely. "Didn't I say we would meet again? You didn't even come back to get your money."
Jounochi snarled and leapt towards the silver-haired man. He was immediately restrained by Seto. The blue-eyed figure gave Jounochi a brief shake of his head.
"What do you want, Sorcerer?" Seto's challenged the other's confident stare with a glare of his own.
The silver-haired man laughed. "Sorcerer! That's what everyone calls me now. Just the 'Sorceror'." He gave a twisted smile. "I do have a name you know. I _would_ like to be called Pegasus. Well, Pegasus J. Crawford, but Pegasus will do."
"Don't tell me what to do, _Sorcerer_," Seto hissed, releasing Jounochi and ignoring the blonde completely. "I want him back!"
Pegasus grinned triumphantly. "I'm afraid I can't give him back. You see, the moment I do, you will most likely kill me. I find it much easier with you not knowing where he is." He paused, unveiled eye glinting dangerously. "And don't think that your nighthunter friend can help you. Your brother is hidden from the cameras."
Seto gave a low growl but stayed motionless. He couldn't harm Pegasus without losing his brother. Stalemate.
But Jounochi was not so restrained. The blonde-haired youth roared and grabbed the Sorcerer with his hands, locking him in a bear hug. Pegasus faltered under the sudden attack, but retaliated with a powerful kick to the blonde's shin. Jounochi winced at the pain but refused to back away. He turned towards the stunned Seto.
"Seto! I know where your brother is!" Indeed, there was only one place that was hidden from cameras. "Remember how you asked if there was anything beyond that barrier? When we were looking at this door? It's there, Seto. Break it open, if you can."
~*~ He was drugged and half-conscious again.
"The kid's a bastard." The scientist guarding him glared hatefully at the blonde. "He almost bit my fingers off, glove and all."
The other snorted. "Frankly, I don't see why we don't just send him down _there_ with that other miserable freak."
"Wouldn't work." The first scientist shook his head. "The boss wants to see the progress on this one. First time we experimented on a human, you see. As secure as it is down there, they've got no cameras."
Someone else walked in. "Hey Steve. It's time to shift guards with me. You get to go look after the brat. You know where it is right?"
Steve sighed. "Yeah, I know. The big doors to the left of here. The code's-"
Jounochi fell unconscious. ~*~
Sensing the other's determination and confidence, Seto nodded and quickly fled. The door clicked shut behind him.
Jounochi released his hold on Pegasus and glared at him. The blonde cracked his knuckles and gave a feral grin. "Come on, _boss_. It's just you and me."
**************************************************
Yami sensed immediately that something was wrong. The cameras were off-access to where both Jounochi stood and the gate Seto had blasted through. Yes, blasted, since there were no other ways to get inside.
Yami did not fear for Seto: he knew what the blue-eyed figure was capable of. Who he doubted was Jounochi. Pegasus alone with anyone was dangerous.
Abandoning his position, the ruby-eyed nighthunter sped down the hallways. Without hesitation, he passed by the jaws of the steel doors that he had locked open.
He immediately spotted Seto's handiwork. It had been twisted right off the hinges. The larger door, the big iron barrier to the right had been melted open. The thick metal still sizzled and hissed with an acrid aroma.
Help Jounochi, deal with Seto later - if the other even needed his help. Yami rushed into the room, past the equipment and silent machinery, and burst open the single door at the other end. The ruby-eyed nighthunter scanned the sight.
Jounochi was sprawled on the ground, barely conscious. His body sported several gashed wounds. Trembling and growling, the blonde glared at his opponent.
Pegasus looked amused. His single eye taunted the blonde, figure deceptively relaxed. Yami was not fooled. He had tested the Sorcerer's strength.
Pegasus noticed the ruby-eyed nighthunter. The silver-haired man tore his eye away from the helpless Jounochi and directed it toward the vampire. He smiled. "Well, if it isn't the Pharaoh. Fancy seeing you here."
Yami growled. "You knew I was here, Sorcerer."
"Please, none of that." The silver-haired man kept his smile. "I really do prefer the name Pegasus. It has a nice ring to it."
The ruby-eyed nighthunter ignored the request. His eyes flickered towards Jounochi and then back to Pegasus. "Let him go, Sorcerer."
"Whatever do you mean?" Pegasus feigned a surprised look. "I'm not even near Jounochi."
Fed up with the sorcerer's antics, Yami snarled and charged in a blur towards the silver-haired man. His hands grappled with air.
As fast as the vampire moved, Pegasus was faster.
The Sorcerer had vanished.
*******************************************
Jounochi groaned. He had thought he had had the advantage, but the tables had quickly turned, making him realize that Pegasus had been toying with him.
The blonde had tried to attack, but Pegasus was always faster. The way the silver-haired man moved and attacked, it seemed like Pegasus was indeed what Seto had called him - a sorcerer.
Seto had never been wrong. It didn't seem like he was this time either.
It was too late for him to fix his mistake. The numerous cuts and lashes on his body stung horribly, and he wanted nothing else but to lapse into unconsciousness from the pain. But he couldn't let Pegasus win. He continued to glare, baring his teeth to appear as menacing as possible.
A good thing Yami had come when he did. Jounochi didn't know how much longer he could have kept up the façade. The loss of blood was making him dizzy and exhausted, and he fought to keep his eyes open, to suck in every trembling mouthful of air.
The ruby-eyed vampire neared Jounochi. The blonde could feel Yami experimentally prod him before lifting him up. A jolt of pain travelled up the blonde's arm but he ignored it. Yami carried Jounochi like a potato sack slung over one shoulder, moving effortlessly out of the desecrated room into the hallway. He took a hesitant look at the gaping maw to the left of him before heading in the other direction.
Jounochi felt Yami pause. The blonde lifted his exhausted lids and saw that the hallway barricade was shut. But it didn't make sense. How did Yami get in? Not unless-
"Hello, Pharaoh." A booming voice echoed over an invisible loudspeaker. "You carelessly left the control center unguarded so I thought I might add some entertainment." The sorcerer's voice dissolved into harsh, maniacal barks. "You have exactly sixty seconds to leave the building. If you don't - boom!" More hollow laughter ensued, followed by a mechanical click and then silence.
Yami snarled angrily. He scanned the other various doors, hoisting Jounochi into a more secure position before making his move.
Jounochi felt the vampire glare at the barricade and sensed an incredible power building within the ruby-eyed figure. He chanced a blink, and quite suddenly, the barricade was not there anymore. It had been melted into a mess of hissing chrome sludge. The blonde was too numb to express anything but stared in awe.
Again and again, Yami performed the same trick. It took roughly five seconds to melt down each barrier, and much longer for the vampire to replenish whatever power or magic he had used.
Another barrier hissed and melted. Behind it was a single door - the exit to freedom. Jounochi felt Yami falter and stumble, most likely drained from expending so much energy. The blonde prayed that Yami wouldn't drop him.
Gathering energy for a last desperate lunge, the ruby-eyed vampire slammed his figure against the door and burst outside. The tendrils of cool night air greeted them. A muffled silence, different from the buzzing artificial lights of the laboratory hovered in the darkness.
Gasping and hobbling tiredly, Yami took a few more steps until he was safe enough from the building. He then gently set Jounochi on the ground and collapsed himself.
The entire building exploded barely a second later. A gigantic inferno of fire and smoke erupted, consuming the whitewashed complex whole, bathing it in ruby and yellow flames. Glass crackled and shattered under the heat, accompanied by the shuddering of the laboratory foundations.
Jounochi's eyes suddenly shot wide open. He struggled to stand, still staggering from the pain and loss of blood like a drunkard. His head roared loudly, but he pushed it back. "Seto! Seto's in there!"
As if on cue, a gigantic creature burst from the ceiling of the burning laboratory, large wings carrying it away from the scalding flames. Its chrome-white body glistened under the moonlight, outlining the lithe serpentine figure. A human stood on the creature's back, a small boy no older than ten.
Yami looked bemusedly at Jounochi. The blonde stared at the gigantic beast with large white wings and chrome-plated body. For a second, the creature pivoted its triangular head and stared directly at Jounochi with its steely cobalt-blue eyes. Then, with another sweep of its wings, it ascended high into the night sky, figure engulfed by the darkness.
Jounochi gaped. "That's.?"
The vampire said nothing. He didn't need to.
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End notes:
[1] Just to clear something up. Jou was there in the movie night in the first chapter, but that was over two weeks ago. Remember I put those little time interval stars near the end saying *two weeks later*?
Why hasn't anyone noticed Jou's disappearance? Ahh.. but Pegasus isn't one to leave jobs half-done. Jou could just be 'on vacation' for all that they knew.
[2] "Inu" in Japanese means "dog". Figured that if I'm going to make references, I might as well make them consistently XD.
[3] A scientific argument made by PH-san. The only time I smelt that stuff was when we got to look at preserved insects. All I remember was that it smelt really pungent, and most pungent things for me smell sweet *sweatdrops*
This chapter absolutely exhausted me. It took almost four hours and a lot of more creativity than I could spare ^^;;; Well, hoped you liked it!