~*A Loveless Affair*~
Yami walked about in the forest grounds. He hadn't followed Tea and Mai home like he normally would. He stopped in the middle of the tracks looking up the afternoon sky.
"I knew you would show m'love."
Yami's eyes slowly glanced behind seeing Chibi-Usa standing right behind him. "Good eve to you Chibi-Usa."
"Have you thought of our deal?" she made her way in front of him.
"We had no deal," he clenched his fist, fighting the gnawing urge to show his true self. "You only offered to blackmail me if I did not date you and if I continue seeing the young stranger you've met yesterday."
"I'm surprised you remember." She smiled. "Like I said, you will go out with me."
Yami's lips curled to a grin. "Child, you wouldn't even dare imagine what happened to the last girl I've dated."
"Is that a threat?" Chibi-Usa looked up at Yami.
"I could be something far more than the eye was meant to see."
Chibi-Usa took the opportunity to grin at that fact. "But until then," and at that point, she pulled Yami towards her, kissing him on the lips in a way two lovers would do. Closing her eyes, drinking in the deadly kiss, she felt his tongue slowly slipping inside her mouth but quickly pulled out. Yami pushed Chibi-Usa as hard as he could.
"There child," he glared down at her, his voice strained. "Satisfied?"
"Not exactly," she replied slyly. "I ask for a date, not a kiss."
"Don't you dare test me."
"I can be very manipulative," she smiled, brushing past him. "Don't you forget that."
Meanwhile, back in Reverend Kaiba's house, Yugi sat on Hotaru's rocking chair, watching her stir. Hotaru opened her eyes looking up at Yugi, smiling weakly. "Yugi…" she called out weakly. "What are you doing here?" she then looked around. "Where's your brother?"
"I'm not sure where Yami is." He took her hand, feeling her forehead. "Take it easy Hotaru. You're burning up."
"I know. The wound caused me to lose some blood." Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped a young man in his early twenties wearing a turban on his head. All he had on was a brown jacked and dirty work pants.
"Shadi…" Hotaru's eyes slowly looked up at the young man, smiling like a child.
"Child," Shadi smiled, placing down a cup of lemon tea, feeling her forehead. "My, you're burning up. No matter, this tea should bring the fever down. Drink while it's hot." He then turned to Yugi. "Yugi, your brother is waiting for you downstairs. Visit the next day when Reverend Kaiba goes off to his services."
"All right." Yugi looked down at Hotaru. "Well, Hotaru…"
"You'll come back tomorrow morn right?" Hotaru looked up at Yugi, holding his wrist. "Please promise me you'll come back."
"Hotaru," Yugi was surprised at how she reacted. "I'll come back tomorrow. I promise." He looked into her eyes for a moment. "Just calm down."
She looked at him for what seemed like hours before leaning towards him, kissing him on the cheek. Yugi's face flushed, smiling nervously, before getting up, heading towards the door.
"Ah, two lovers." Shadi smiled. "You two are meant for one another."
"How do you know?" Yugi looked up at Shadi, leaning against the doorway.
Shadi laughed. "It's fate m'boy. It's fate." He watched Yugi leave before turning back to Hotaru. "Child, there is someone who wants to apologize. Okay Ryou, you can come in."
A white-haired man who looked a few years younger than Shadi stepped in Hotaru's room, shuffling towards his bed, ruffling his fingers through his hair. His eyes widened as he saw Hotaru, a low growl escaped his lips, his fingers shaking.
Hotaru looked up at Ryou, her eyes widened with fear, her fingers clutched to the blanket tightly. "The…the…it's the demon."
Ryou's face twitched madly. "Fresh blood…need young blood…can't take it anymore…" he suddenly leaped towards Hotaru. The young girl screamed but Shadi grabbed Ryou by the collar of his shirt, yanking him back.
"What do you think you're doing Shadi?" Ryou glared at him.
"You wanna let the master see another bite mark? Ishizu already hypnotized the child to tell everyone a stupid rat bit her. But the child knows better."
"What was that Shadi?" Hotaru looked up at both Shadi and Ryou curiously.
"Huh?" Shadi looked down at Hotaru. He took out a dagger slicing his wrist, holding it up to Ryou. Ryou jerked the bleeding wrist, placing his lips over Shadi's wrist, drinking in his blood. Shadi let out a small moan before answering Hotaru. "Tis nothing child. We only discuss of your father."
"What's wrong with Ryou? Why is he like that?"
"Well," Shadi started to say but glanced at Ryou, yanking his wrist from him. "That's enough Ryou. You trying to kill me or something?"
Ryou sneered at Shadi for a moment. "Depends. It's a rare thing for me to show compassion to my prey."
"You seemed to show some compassion to the child when you spared her from death."
"I spared the little one for my own reasons." Ryou slowly turned around, heading towards the door.
"You mean to tell me Ryou's a vampire?" Hotaru sat up slowly on the bed. Ryou stopped, turning his gaze to her before slowly making his way back to her bed, staring at her for a long time.
"Aye, I am a vampire," he said in a low voice. Suddenly, his hands wrapped around her neck. "Let that only remain in your fragile head. If lips speak of this, I guarantee that I will drain you dead. Do you want that?" his grip on her neck grew tighter, choking her.
Hotaru's eyes looked up to Shadi, uttering his name, hoping he would stop Ryou from killing her. But his eyes showed no compassion as he just stood there.
"Answer child." Shadi's tone was as serious as Ryou's, looking down at her.
Hotaru's face turned blue as she managed to choke out "All right, all right."
"Okay Ryou, you can let go of her now." Shadi took a glance up at Ryou who obediently pulled away. "By the way, it's your turn to cook dinner for the master and his brother."
"Damn. I thought it's Ishizu's."
"She's done hers last eve." Ryou nodded, leaving the room. Shadi sat on Hotaru's bed with a wet towel in hand. Tilting her head to the side, he placed the rag over the wound. Hotaru winced in pain as the rag touched her wound. He looked down on her for a while, watching her fall asleep. Looking up the door, he saw a familiar person appear.
"Master…" Shadi stood upinstantly seeing Reverend Kaiba enter the room.
"What happened to Hotaru?" Kaiba made his way towards the bed, lifting up the rag seeing the bite mark. "What has bitten her?"
"Twas a rat sir." Shadi lied, placing his hand on her forehead. "I'm afraid the fever hasn't gone down."
"What does she eat?"
"Ishizu gives the child herbal tea and different kinds of soup but these days, the child refuses to eat."
"You may leave Shadi." Kaiba sat on the bed, looking over Hotaru. "Help Ryou with the dinner."
"Yes sir," Shadi left the room. Kaiba looked down at his own sister.
"For a strange girl, you've got strange things. Strange yet interesting."
Yugi, Yami, and Tea sat in Yami's room. Tea had already brought up her backpack. Her cell phone, a video camera, her Japanese textbook and a box that was labeled "Pocky" were all strewn on the floor.
"Where do you get these?" Yugi looked over the cell phone.
"She isn't from around here." Yami eyed Tea.
"I may not know Boston much but I know that these are the things they don't sell."
"It's kinda hard to explain Yugi." Tea looked at the two as they looked over each item.
"Hey," Yugi picked up the box of Pocky, looking over the picture. "This looks like chocolate covered sticks."
"Yeah," Tea smiled, opening the box holding out one of the chocolate sticks to Yugi. "Want one?"
"Sure." Yugi took the chocolate stick, looking it over before taking a bite. "Hey, I like it. It's good."
"Let me try." Yami reached inside the box munching on the stick. "This is quite good."
"Really?" Tea munched on her chocolate stick.
"Though it could create some problems." Yugi reached for another pocky. "If the village finds out about these, you'd be hanged and stoned."
"I don't know." Yami grinned, trying out the video camera. "It could be useful."
"What do you mean?" Yugi and Tea both looked at Yami.
"I might have an idea on how to expose that bitch Chibi-Usa." He smirked.
"Yeah but Yami, she's got a grudge against you. If you don't go out with her, she'd expose your secret."
Yami stood up. "I'm going to take a bath."
"You're going with Chibi-Usa?" Yugi placed the book, cell phone, and video camera in Tea's bag eating the rest of the Pocky.
"Perhaps." Yami grinned. "But first I have to talk to Ishizu."
"You've been seeing Ishizu a lot lately." Yugi looked up at his brother suspiciously. "What gives? Word is that Ishizu is not who she seems to be."
Yami had his back turned, though he smiled. "Ishizu and I have been friends since childhood." He then left the room.
"Something's not right." Yugi held and emotionless expression.
"What do you mean?" Tea looked down at Yugi, sliding her backpack under Yami's bed.
"Yami doesn't visit Ishizu often but a few days before Serenity's death, he's seen her more."
"You think they were going out?"
"Their relationship was limited to friendship. Too much taken back by Serenity," he then looked up at Tea. "Hey Tea. Since Yami's going out, why don't I take you around the markets in the village square?"
"Good idea." Tea smiled as she picked up the bonnet on the floor. "Let's go before the night becomes too dark."
The sun was slowly setting. Yami, with his horse, trotted over to the small cottage. Knocking on her door, minutes slowly ticked on as Shadi answered the door.
"Yami?" Shadi tilted his head to the side, looking out the door and to the reverend's house before looking back at Yami. "Of all times, why at this hour?"
"I'm gonna have to talk to you and get something from Ishizu."
"Ah yes," he nodded. "Ishizu did ask to give you this." Reaching into his pocket, he took out a jar full of herbs.
"Leave it here. I'll come back for it later."
"So what brings you here?"
"I came for a little help." Yami's lips curled into a grin.
"Huh?" Shadi looked at him confusingly before nodding. "Ah, I get it. You meet on of the girls from the circle this eve, no?"
"Aye," Yami nodded in reply. "I plan to cripple that young twit."
"Chibi-Usa?"
Yami nodded.
Shadi laughed, as he seemed to get what Yami was planning to do. "Ah yes. With what you truly are, you look flushed. But to choose a twelve year old? C'mon, of all your victims and of those much older in the village square…"
"I show no mercy to the victims I truly despise."
"Is that so? Just be glad that what you're going to do doesn't leave a trail of evidence. Unlike Ryou that is." He chuckled at that thought for a moment. "So what brings you here to me?"
Yami's lips twisted to a smirk. "Seeing that you practice the Dark Arts…" Yami smirked.
"Ah, to cripple the young child. Or at least take some thought from her and leave her in paralyzing fear."
"Exactly. You know what to do in your part."
Shadi nodded. "Aye, I sure do."
~* To Be Continued*~