Lamb

by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue

[Entry for 'Zoo's 2nd Yuugiou Fanfiction Contest] Yami no Malik x Seto Kaiba ... Constrained and held back: Because the lamb will never be able to lie down with the lion and not fear for its life.

~Lamb~

By: Neko-chan

Rating: R

Category: Yaoi/Romance (Lime) ... [Yami no Malik/Seto Kaiba]

Thank You: Props go to Pluie for helping me with the sexual tension between Yami no Malik and Kaiba. I was stuck and didn't know how far to progress--let's just say that Pluie was a HUGE help in analyzing the scene, the lime, and the emotional undercurrents. Sankyuu, Pluie~ Specific thanks to Unintentional Nightmare for first getting me interested in Dangershipping (Yami no Malik/Seto Kaiba); Alana for being an amazing person in general and being so congenial when I got her interested in Dangershipping (especially since anyone else would have throttled me until I was black and blue~); and Ninetails, who has helped fuel my Yami no Malik obsession while also being the adorable Uke-chan that I 333 to death. D This fic is, of course, dedicated to my Uke-chan, Alana, and Unintentional Nightmare. (And yes, Uke-chan, here is your Seductive~Slut!Yami no Malik. XDXDXD;;)

Note: It's sometimes strange what pops into your mind while listening to a CD and thinking about various anime characters—halfway asleep, you being to think about their attitudes, their personalities, their relationships with one another and how these three things correlate with other aspects of humanity. Lust, hatred, belief, anger; in many cases, characters show points about ourselves that we rarely, if ever, want to face. I never truly expected to write something like this, but... *shrugs* As the saying goes, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." (Or, you could always also say: "When life gives you lemons... keep 'em! 'Cause I mean, hey—they're free lemons!" XD) The idea behind this story is strange and complex, driven mostly by imagery and the characters' emotions. Even being the writer hasn't exempted me from the confusion that this story generates. And yet—I hope you still enjoyed reading it. =^^=

DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! (Yuugiou) belongs to Takahashi Kazuki. All characters mentioned rightfully belong to Takahashi Kazuki. No copyright infringement is intended. However: Plot, situation, and storyline belong to stated author (Neko-chan).

* * *

* * *

Once upon a time, many centuries and millennia ago, an angel descended upon the world. It had been sent by Kami and all of His brothers and sisters to judge mankind.

Impassive crimson-violet eyes missed nothing and took everything in as it observed the comings and goings of mankind. Shattered pieces of glass hid within his gaze, razor sharp in all of their intensity and cold fury.

He waited and waited, broken gaze calm and patient, expecting something--anything--to change his opinion of what mankind had shown to him thus far over the long and never ending centuries. But everything remained the same and the angel was not moved from his position. Finally, after many millennia of living in Almost-Eden, he finally decided to return home. The Archangel, Hanketsu, had rendered his judgment.

Almost-Eden would fade away and mankind would die.

And yet... he stayed in Almost-Eden a few centuries longer, delaying the inevitable, hoping that he would meet one human that would change his mind. He waited and waited--and his decision remained the same. No human being stepped forward and challenged his judgment of humanity's worth. Nothing had changed.

On the day that he was to return back to the Heavens, a small boy with tri-colored hair and large, violet eyes stopped him. "Do you believe in miracles?" the child softly asked him, staring up at the Archangel with clear eyes. Long moments passed with the two staring at each; neither moved. The boy expected an answer and waited patiently for one to be given.

"I no longer know," Hanketsu replied tersely. "I used to, but I am beginning to change that particular belief. In all of my long years living amongst mankind and residing in Almost-Eden, I have seen nothing that would make me believe in miracles. There are no such things, child."

The boy blinked and looked down at his clasped fingers, his face falling in disappointment as he did so. "Oh." Several heartbeats, each an eternity long, passed before the child sighed and looked up, staring up at Hanketsu with a blank expression fitted upon his face. The child's face had become as empty as a porcelain doll's; it was now a mask, blank and artificial.

"Did you know that my 'Tousan had given me a lamb before he went away on his journey? 'Kaasan and I waited a long, long time for 'Tousan to come back from his trip. But… 'Tousan never came back. Instead, my 'Kaasan got a letter that said that he was gone forever. 'Kaasan cried for days afterwards. I didn't--I know that I'll see my 'Tousan again... someday. But it makes me sad, though. I don't want to tell 'Kaasan, 'cause then she'll just cry some more. I don't want my 'Kaasan to cry anymore."

"That is a very considerate desire."

The violet-eyed child frowned thoughtfully. "No, it isn't. At least, not really. It hurts me to see her cry. I don't want her to cry because she's so sad when she cries. And I don't want to hurt anymore, either."

The angel was puzzled--the human child was different from all the others. Yes, he was selfish creature. But he was also selfish for his mother's sake, not truly for his own--though the child would probably not realize that fact for a very long time from now. "Why do you not want your mother to be sad, to cry? You said that she would be sad over something that has happened. What is it that has happened?"

"I don't want her to cry because... because I lost the one thing that 'Tousan had given to me before he had gone away. I was taking Yuki down to the watering hole and we were attacked by a lion. Yuki died." The boy looked up, eyes earnest. "Which is why I wanted to ask you if you believed in miracles. Do you think... maybe.... One day, even if it's a long time from now, do you think that it's possible that the lamb would be able to fall asleep next to the lion and not worry or fear for its life? And do you think that it's possible that the lion would ever chose to protect the lamb instead of killing it?"

Crimson eyes widened. "I... I do not know."

"But that's the power of miracles, isn't it? To make the impossible possible. Miracles change everything. They tip the scales, giving the weak and suppressed strength when they previously had none."

Hanketsu gazed down at the small figure for a long moment, his expression thoughtful and pensive, softly contemplating. "Child, what is your name?" he finally asked, slightly cat-like eyes narrowing minutely as he continued to stare at the human child before him.

The boy dimpled, smiling brightly up at the otherworldly being, violet eyes darkening as some unrecognizable emotion welled up in them. "My name is... Hikari. My name is Hikari, Yami."

~ ~ ~

"I seem'd to move among a world of ghosts,
And feel myself the shadows of a dream."
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson

~ ~ ~

"I love the Darkness, very much so..."

My footsteps echo against the metal floorboards beneath me, clanging harshly and filling the hallway with their clashing and clattering sound. I enjoy listening to the thundering noise that they create as I make my way through this flying machine, this 'Battle Ship.'

My footsteps proceed me and alert others to my presence. I can feel their fear-filled gazes as I walk by, watching me, dreading me and my power that I hold within my grasp. They wonder if they will end up like Rishid; they wonder what fate awaits them in the shadows of this long, long night. Their eyes are wide--I can see white all around their irises. Their eyes glisten with unshed tears caused by fear and horror.

Cry, you pathetic little bugs. Weep over the death that you know is coming.

They hope that I won't hear them--hear the heart that thunders in their chest; hear their gasping, panting breath. They whimper as I make my way past, praying silently to anyone that would listen that I won't take notice of them. They want me to ignore them.

I can smell their terror.

It's so intoxicating, heady and addicting, smelling faintly of opium and jasmine incense. It smells so very, very delicious. I want to drink it up, wrap myself in layers upon layers of it. I want to soak it in, consume it all until there is nothing left.

There was nothing left of Otousan when I was finally through with him.

The Sennen Rod's blade trails by my side, shrieking and squealing and screaming and wailing in the dark, dark, dark, dark night as its edge comes into contact with the metal wall. I press down harder, enjoying the sound and the thick-corded tension that travels up my arm, raising the small golden hairs with the kinetic energy that it generates. I can feel my blood-violet eyes slowly close shut, gaze half-lidded and nearly drunk with the fear and cries that rend the air.

It's such a soothing sound, chaotic in nature but beautiful in its own strange way. It's such a hopeless, sad sound, wailing and crying out in a banshee's scream that slices through the night. Such a beautiful, beautiful sound. Music can reside in even the harshest of sounds, calling attention to its own unique beauty.

Such a gorgeous night.

Terror follows in my wake.

I'm hunting.

~ ~ ~

"Hunting you. I can smell you - ALIVE.

Your heart pounding in my head."

--'Haunted' - Evanescence

~ ~ ~

"Kaiba..."

The whisper traveled through the air; softly, ever so softly, it twisted and turned its way through the cabins within the Battle Ship. It breathed upon the sleeping figures lying on the beds, tucked away from the night phantoms that haunted this flying ship. They shivered and burrowed deeper beneath the covers--but they could never be able to run away from that which they feared the most. Darkness.

"Kaiba..."

The CEO tossed and moaned in his sleep, kicking off the blankets that covered him. Sweat broke out upon his brow and his movements became more frantic, more terrified. His room chilled and he threw up his arms as if to ward off a blow... and screamed.

"Ahhh, Kaiba…"

*

There was Darkness all around him.

Everywhere he looked, a solid wall of smothering night stared back at him, ready to strangle him if he took a step closer. He shivered slightly and crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to warm himself in this never ending oblivion.

Blue eyes widened marginally when a mocking chuckle trailed from the clouds of obsidian, slimy and slippery and cruel. "Who's there?!" Seto Kaiba yelled, straightening to face the enemy that hid itself. "I know that you're there! Show yourself!"

"Kaiba..." the voice replied from the Darkness.

Kaiba frowned, fear and surprise dissipating to form annoyance and anger. "Show yourself, I said. This is my dream and I am the master of it. I commanded you to show yourself--now do so."

Red-violet eyes appeared, bobbing this way and that in the Darkness. "Ah, Kaiba..." the voice repeated, the eyes crinkling in malicious amusement. "Are you so sure of that? Are you so sure that this is a dream? Are you so sure that you are the master here?"

Seto Kaiba took a step backwards, blue eyes narrowing as he watched the violet eyes make their way closer to him. "Who are you?" he snapped, patience with the unknown person finally wearing thin. "I told you to show yourself!"

"You are not master here, Kaiba. You cannot tell me what to do and what not to do. That power belongs solely to me now."

The black fog cleared just a little bit and tanned skin, sun-kissed by a brilliant Egyptian sun, formed from the tendrils of Darkness that still clung to the newly appeared figure. Rising like tarnished sunbursts above the burgundy eyes, spiky blonde hair shot off in every direction, shimmering like old gold in the twilight of the abyss where Kaiba found himself in.

"This is my world, Seto Kaiba. This is not your dream. You're in a nightmare now. My nightmare."

The brunette took another step back, face paling marginally as Yami no Malik continued to come ever closer, a slight smirk playing about his lips. "You're… You're the darker personality of Malik. What are you doing here? You don't belong here--this is my dream, Yami no Malik. You aren't welcome here and I order you to leave!"

The smirk deepened and the bronzed man stepped close enough that his and Kaiba's bodies brushed against one another. Seto Kaiba started in surprise and shock and made as to step back once again. Yami no Malik was too quick for him, darting forward and latching onto the brunette's hands, intertwining their fingers when Kaiba's hands were fully constricted.

"I told you, Kaiba. You're not master here," Yami no Malik whispered, breathing softly in Kaiba's ear. His smile took on a razor sharp quality and he dug his fingernails into the back of Kaiba's hands, leaving small crescent moon-shaped wounds that quickly filled with blood. Seto made a small protesting noise at the pain and attempted to step away again--but the darker personality of Malik just tightened his hold, nails digging further into Kaiba's hands until the CEO stopped moving. "You're in a nightmare. My nightmare. My world, Kaiba. And I am master here."

"Leave," Kaiba hissed, wincing as Yami no Malik increased the pain in reply to his order. He tried to jerk his hands from the Egyptian's grasp, but their hands were too tightly intertwined for him to escape. "Leave, NOW!"

Yami no Malik growled low in his throat, lowering his head to murmur against Seto's throat, lips brushing lightly against peach-tinted skin. "I can't. This is my world and there is no escape from it. And… I don't even think you want to escape from here, my pretty little lamb."

Kaiba stilled, eyes contemplating and thoughtful. Whispering, he asked: "What do you mean?"

The Egyptian chuckled and kissed the CEO's fluttering pulse, the vein throbbing just beneath his open mouth and tongue. "Ahhh, Kaiba. Humans are so trusting and naïve. Haven't you ever wondered why you sometimes wake from a dream--a nightmare--that leaves you with a racing heart, fear-sweat covering your brow, and yet… and yet, you're oh so painfully aroused and you don't know why?" Blood-violet eyes darkened, the pupil dilating to completely cover up the colored chips of amethyst that were his irises. "You're being seduced by the Darkness, Kaiba."

"NO!" Kaiba screamed suddenly, bucking away from Yami no Malik. The muscles in his arms corded and his face contorted with strain, but he was finally able to gather enough strength to shove the dark figure away from him. Yami no Malik fell to the floor, staring up at Kaiba as a bemused expression darted across his face like quicksilver, his arms and legs askew and akimbo upon the ground. "You're lying, you bastard. I don't care what you say or how many times you say it--I will not be seduced by the Darkness. I refuse to be turned into something that looks like you."

Yami no Malik purred in response, eyelids lowering dangerously as he continued to gaze up at the CEO of Kaiba Corporation. He smirked and arched up, khaki pants tightening to display the outline of the Yami's long, slim legs. Seto turned away, refusing to watch.

The Egyptian's smile deepened until it resembled his usual smirk. He straightened with a grace that spoke in volumes what his outward appearance did not completely hint at--that there was something utterly not human about the bronzed man; something unearthly, ethereal and corporeal in nature.

The Darkness surrounding the two figures began to throb, pulsing in time with Yami no Malik's heartbeat. Small tendrils unwound themselves from the throbbing mass to slowly edge closer to the dark Egyptian. He looked down at the small tentacles and raised an arm, offering up a hand to the pieces of obsidian. They retracted and then shot forward, twining themselves around Yami no Malik's hand and fingers.

He stared down at the tendrils, eyes glowing, and purred softly as the Darkness pulsed once again… and then melted into his flesh, becoming one with him. The obsidian fog that surrounded them continued to throb in time to his heartbeat as Yami no Malik turned his attention back to the brunette, burgundy eyes still glowing eerily with an inner demonic light.

"You're being rather stupid, Kaiba. Haven't you realized yet that you're all being seduced? There is no escape from the night phantoms that haunt your dreams, seeping into your consciousness until they become a part of you. That's when the nightmares begin. It's such a slow process, but you'll all succumb to me in the end. You'll all become the sacrificial lambs upon my altar of Darkness. Your blood will herald in a new world. My world. My beautiful world, filled only with Darkness and Oblivion."

"That isn't possible, Yami no Malik. You can't seduce people through their dreams," Kaiba snapped angrily, blue eyes narrowed in challenge as he watched the Egyptian make his way closer.

Yami no Malik's body blurred for a moment and he disappeared, fading into the shadows.

Pulse. Pulse. Pulse….

"But you forget yourself, Kaiba. I didn't say dreams--I said nightmares," a cruel voice hissed in his ear. A warm body pressed against his back and Kaiba stiffened in surprise. The dark voice continued, mocking amusement lacing its tone while rose petal soft lips brushed against his throbbing pulse. It was a harsh reminder of the kiss that had been pressed there just a short time earlier. "I'll show you just how possible it is for a person to be seduced through his nightmares."

Teeth bit down and Kaiba cried out in pain, head snapping back. Blood began to flow from the wounds, though it was quickly lapped up by a rough pink tongue. The brunette moaned softly as the pain continued, never ceasing, never stopping--just an endless river and consciousness of pain and anger and fury at his helplessness.

That feeling of helplessness, of vulnerability, was the one thing that was able to bring him out of the trance Yami no Malik had created through Kaiba's pain. Cerulean blue eyes snapped open and Seto gasped for breath, fists clenching tightly as different emotions filled up inside of him.

"Get… away… from me!" the CEO managed to snarl, straining against Yami no Malik's grip on his body. The Egyptian just smiled, teeth digging deeper into Kaiba's neck, making the blood flow all the quicker down the brunette's skin. "N-NO! NO!!!"

Yami no Malik chortled and finally stepped away from Seto, his expression sadistic and amused at the pain that throbbed from Kaiba's neck, making its way down his body. The blonde Egyptian licked his lips, expertly cleaning the blood from his skin, and then crossed his arms over his chest, still smiling congenially at the CEO.

"Ah, Kaiba…. When will you finally realize that there is no escaping your nightmares? No matter how fast you run, no matter where you hide, nothing that you do to stand up against your phantoms will be of any help--they'll still manage to track you down and drag you under. There is no escaping me. There is no escaping your fate, Kaiba."

"Bastard," Kaiba bit out, clamping a hand over the wound on his neck to stop the blood flow. He gritted his teeth and growled silently to himself, cursing his opponent with every foul word he knew. His other hand balled into a fist, frustration and fury rising within him to form a sphere of cast iron that resided within his chest.

The Egyptian tilted his head to one side, uttering a noncommittal murmur as he did so. Several long heartbeats passed before he finally raised a slim eyebrow, the amused expression once again returning to his face. Kaiba glared back, hand still over his neck in an attempt to stop the blood flow. It was then that Yami no Malik's right arm tensed and then shot forward, backhanding Kaiba and knocking the brunette to the floor.

"How dare you defy me. You are the lamb, the sacrifice to my Darkness, Kaiba," Yami no Malik began, voice soft and malicious. Chains snaked out from the obsidian fog and latched onto Seto, twisting and twining their way around his limbs, eventually managing to slam his arms and legs to the ground. They tightened until he could no longer move--he was pinned to the floor and finally at the complete mercy of Malik's darker personality. The ball of iron that surrounded his feelings and his heart began to crack, and a frisson of true fear managed to worm its way in.

"Kaiba…." Yami no Malik breathed, falling to his hands and knees. Blood-violet eyes widened in excitement and he slowly made his way closer to the CEO. His body was cat-like, sinuous and sleek, as it moved on all fours across the ground to where Seto lay. His smile widened as he straddled the captive man, his facial expression mocking and cruel. "You cannot escape me and the phantoms that haunt you. And, the truth is, you do not want to. "

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU BASTARD!"

"No," was the whispered response before lips met, meshed, and formed into one. Kaiba opened his mouth to utter a sound of protest, but Yami no Malik swallowed it up, delving into the brunette's mouth and exploring it with teeth and tongue. He deepened the kiss, legs tightening around Kaiba's waist as he did so.

Tongues brushed against one another; Yami no Malik traced the contour of Kaiba's teeth, purring as he ran his tongue over a small chip on one of the brunette's canines. He finally came up for air after several long moments, eyes shining with an emotion that Seto could not recognize. "Give up…. It's futile now, lamb. You can never be rid of me, Kaiba. Never."

"I am nothing like you; I never will be. Leave me be!"

Yami no Malik chuckled softly as Kaiba strained and pulled against the chains in an attempt to break them. "Hmmm…. I think not. I'm not yet done having my bit of fun," the blonde murmured against the corner of the CEO's mouth, tongue flicking out to trace the outline of Kaiba's lips. Seto snarled and lunged forward; in reply to the act of defiance, Yami no Malik slammed Kaiba against the ground, teeth bared in fury.

"You've already lost, you pathetic little lamb! Why can't you seem to realize that already?! Give up! You've already been seduced by the very thing that you hate the most!"

"I… refuse to give in to… something… like you!" was Kaiba's gritted response, wincing at the pain that throbbed from the back of his skull to wend its way down his body.

The blonde paused for a moment, staring down at Seto with heavy-lidded, dangerous eyes.

His head came down until his lips brushed against Kaiba's ear, a silky caress full of sin and forbidden desires. The Egyptian's voice was coy and sweet--a deceptive promise of gentleness and kindness. "It doesn't matter if you don't want to give in, Kaiba," he whispered softly. "You've already lost; you've already been seduced by the Darkness. You cannot stop what is happening here."

Yami no Malik purred softly and slowly made his way downward, his tongue making its wet pathway down Seto's body. Kaiba tried to shift away from the blonde, but the chains restricted him and held him firmly in place. There was no escape.

The Egyptian uttered a dark chuckle as his lips traced over Kaiba's collarbone; the CEO closed his eyes in response, refusing to watch what was being done to him. Yami no Malik's hand slipped up underneath the bottom of his sleep shirt and traced the top of his pants before making its way upward. The brunette shivered in response and his eyelids clenched further shut.

"Would you like to know why I chose to come to you first, Kaiba?" was the whispered question as white teeth gently nibbled the edge of the brunette's collarbone.

"No," was the hoarse reply. Yami no Malik's bronzed finger found the CEO's nipple just then and his body arched up into the touch without him wanting it to. The dark man purred in contentment at this response, eyelids falling lower to obscure the emotions that welled up within blood-violet irises.

The shirt was easily ripped in two and discarded; the Egyptian made his way lower down Kaiba's body once the obstacle had been dealt with and thrown away.

"I picked you, Kaiba, because you will be such a strong sacrifice to the Darkness. Such a worthy lamb," began the soft croon. "You will fight until the very end, but it won't matter since you had actually lost long ago. It will only be a matter of time before you finally realize just how badly you have lost this game. Ahhh, Kaiba… I picked you first, Kaiba, because I wanted to break you."

His mouth closed over the nipple that his finger had previously caressed, tongue warm as it traced and teased. Seto's eyes closed, teeth gritted as he bit down his cry of pleasure. And yet his body arched up into Yami no Malik's touch once again, a traitor in the end. Goosebumps rose on his arms, prickling uncomfortably.

The iron sphere residing in his chest fully cracked, useless pieces falling away. He had no more defenses. For the first time in his life, Seto Kaiba was helpless and at the full mercy of someone else. And that fact terrified him.

"You were such an easy prize to conquer and win, my little lamb."

The purr of a contented cat filled the dark arena, echoing in the obsidian clouds that surrounded the two men. Crimson-violet eyes glittered in the twilight and Yami no Malik soon made his way lower down Kaiba's body, smirking as the brunette's nipple tightened in the sudden cold that came when his mouth had pulled away.

Mouth and tongue traveled lower, tasting all of the valleys and shadows that made up Kaiba's body. The Egyptian paused when he came to the CEO's belly button, dipping his tongue into the depression and leaving a wet mark, before continuing downward. He stopped again soon after, pillowing his cheek on Seto's upper thigh, staring up at the brunette with expectant cat-like eyes.

"Please…" Kaiba swallowed, his throat dry as he met Yami no Malik's amused gaze. "Please… Please, no. No."

"No?" the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow mockingly as his tongue darted out to flick over the silky pajama material covering Kaiba's groin. The CEO's body jerked and Kaiba bit down onto his lip, drawing blood. But he did not cry out in pleasure--he was able to keep his pride and his dignity.

Yami no Malik chuckled, breath brushing against Seto's lower stomach in warm puffs. The muscles in Kaiba's arms and legs corded with the strain of not responding to the stimulus. His fingernails dug into the palm of his hands, drawing blood that quickly rose to the surface of his flesh and traveled down his forearms. The Egyptian ignored his lamb's inner struggle, the blood that ran oh so freely down his hands and arms, once again returning to his exploration of Kaiba's body.

His tongue traced the edge of the top of the brunette's pajama bottoms, then made its way to Kaiba's hip. An open mouth journeyed across the sharp outline of the bone, leaving a wet trail as it continued on its way. A delicately placed love bite was left at the top of Seto's hip bone, strawberry red against his pale skin.

The Egyptian stopped for the final time at Kaiba's inner thigh, mouth and teeth hovering just above the CEO's femoral artery. His smile deepened and twisted, turning sadistic. Yami no Malik blinked wide, seemingly guiltless eyes and looked up at Seto from beneath soot-black lashes. "Ahhhh… I think that it's time for you to wake up now, my little lamb."

Then Malik's darker personality purred in delight and darted forward, teeth ripping through the silk pajamas to bite into the flesh underneath. Kaiba screamed in agony, head snapping back to slam against the hard ground. Blood flowed freely from his wound, and was just as quickly lapped up by a pink tongue.

The Darkness came rushing in, swallowing the brunette whole. It dragged him under, pulling and tugging at him, demanding that he submit. The brunette screamed again…. And then Seto Kaiba knew no more.

*

Kaiba's eyes slowly opened, eyes blurred with sleep and fatigue. As his gaze focused, the stark white of his bedroom ceiling greeted him, muted lighting playing across the surface to create shadows where there should have been none. He groaned softly and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"A… dream?" There was a long pause before Seto continued. "No. It was a nightmare," was the whisper that quietly filled the spacious room; blue eyes were thoughtful as they stared at the various objects placed meticulously around his cabin. The objects were impersonal, the touches of a professional decorator and not the choice of the man who sometimes resided there. It was an emotionless room, someplace to sleep and spend time in when needed--but not a room to live in.

A sharp pain sparked from his neck and he winced, a hand coming up to touch his throat and the area near his shoulder. Seto Kaiba blinked when his fingers encountered wetness, his blue eyes widening as he pulled his hand away. His fingers were sticky with a red substance. Blood.

"N-No…."

His body jerked to the side, turning to face the mirror that was located right next to his bed. The CEO's reflection stared back at him from the mirror's cool surface, but that reflection paled as it gazed at the wound upon his shoulder--a wound that held a set of perfectly imprinted teeth marks.

The comforter soon went flying across the room, snapped abruptly and with abandon from its moorings upon Kaiba's bed. Another wound, identical to the one on his neck, was marked on the inside of his thigh, just above his femoral artery.

"N-No! It's impossible! NO!"

Several heartbeats passed before Seto Kaiba began to shiver, tremors wracking his body. Goosebumps marched their way up and down his arms and chest and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying futilely to become warm. The tremors stopped when a dark chuckle wound its way through his room, wrapping him in a blanket of maliciousness and hatred. Sadistic amusement laced its tone, cruel and twisting as it filled his bedroom.

"It's time to become a sacrifice to my Darkness, lamb…."

~ * ~

"Now wake up, my silent girl

Take to flight, like a foolish angel

Sing me your fantasy

Sing, la la la…."

--'fiction' - Yuki Kajiura

~ * ~

"Yami….?" Hanketsu asked, crimson eyes wide as he stared down at the small child that stood before him. The boy smiled back, eyes that were once innocent now dulling with experience and too many disappointments.

"Yes, Yami," the boy responded. He turned away from the angel, staring off into the far distance with contemplative eyes. His smile turned sad and just a tad bit brittle. "After all, doesn't each element always need an opposite counterpart? The Dark needs the Light. And the Light needs the Dark. Kami once told me that before He named me Hikari. He said that I was the brightest Light out of all of His creations. Many years ago, He said that He loved me the best."

Hanketsu took a small step backwards, surprise and shock flitting across his face like quicksilver. "Who are you? How can you speak of Kami in such a way, as if you know Him?" he asked in a hushed voice, eyes widening until white could be seen all around his wine-red irises.

The child spun on his heel, turning so that he once again faced the angel. He dimpled, eyes crinkling in dark amusement. "I do know, Yami. Once upon a time, Kami said that I was His brightest star. He said that I was His most treasured creation, loved above all of the rest. Once upon a time, I was Kami's favorite and was second to none. But then He created Darkness and I was… no more."

"But… then that would mean that you are… that you are…"

"The angel that was once known as Hikari…. And is now known as the Fallen. Yes, Yami," Hikari smiled sadly. Wings slowly came into view, obsidian black and as textured as richly made velvet. "I came to you because I wanted to know if any of His creations still believed in miracles. I wanted to know if it was possible for the lamb to ever lie with the lion and never fear for its life; I wanted to know if it was possible for black wings to eventually lighten until they once again become as white as snow. I realize now, though, that miracles are no longer possible in this world--we all just fade away over time, becoming sacrifices for the Darkness. For Yami."

Still smiling that sad, sweet smile at Hanketsu, he turned again and began to slowly walk away until he was nothing more than a black speck upon the horizon.

"Miracles are still possible; all you have to do is believe in them," Hanketsu murmured to himself before he finally faded away from Almost-Eden, and finally returned to his home high above the world. The only evidence of his existence that was left after his departure was a long, white feather, as soft as goose down.

And Almost-Eden was allowed to continue on.

* * *

"Fallen angels at my feet

Whispered voices at my ear

Death before my eyes

Lying next to me I fear

She beckons me shall I give in

Upon my end shall I begin

Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end"

--'Whisper' - Evanescence

* * *

It was such a perfect, flawless night--perfect for hunting; prowling, cat-quiet feet upon the floor. Moving from shadow to shadow with a grace that few could ever hope to meet. A feline's movements, a hunter of the night. The hunter shimmered, caught in a stray moonbeam, and then was gone.

…

The Lion smiled, purring at all the little Lambs that had lined up to be sacrifices to the Darkness. Burgundy-violet eyes glowed eerily in the twilight of the predawn. The sun finally rose above the horizon, breaking through the charcoal clouds, crimson as blood in the pale blue sky.

And the Lion laughed and laughed and laughed….

~Owari~

.:End:.