Shadows of Demons

Pan: Not very Anzu-friendly now... not bashing her or anything (despite the fact that the only good thing I ever remember her doing is having a go at Kaiba, and she only got to do that because she stopped Yami from winning by
shouting at Yugi to make him stop... stupid girl...) just not Anzu-
friendly.

Warning: Anzus were harmed in the making of this fic. And Yami somewhat for
that matter. Poor guy. I am so evil.

By the way, I upped this fic to an R... heh... and, to the person who wanted more graphic yaoi... I'll do my best, just not this chapter, k? It's amazingly difficult, but I often find shonen-ai and yaoi fics to be better written than others, I don't know what it is. Then again, a lot of other
types of fics are good. *shrugs* each one to his own, I suppose.

To repeat myself: I'm NOT bashing Anzu in anyway. Just causing her some physical and mental pain. She was the only character who would actually fit this role. Jonouchi and Honda wouldn't react in the same way. By the way, I
may kill off Anzu... haven't decided yet. What do you think?

~

A month passed uneventfully. Everyone pretty much forgot that Yami had been gone, even if only for a couple of hours. Everyone except Yami himself. As the moon reached it's peak, then gradually began to disappear into nothing, he grew quieter, spending a lot more time shut away in his room. A couple of days before the new moon, the only person he had spoken to was Bakura,
and not even Yugi had seen the Pharaoh since then.

~

"Yami, you have to be careful. Yugi's getting worried. Worried and suspicious." Bakura warned, sitting in the chair that was next to Yami's
desk. "I know, I know..." Yami replied from his bed. "It's just... Anzu will come to stay tomorrow. She's staying for an entire week; right across
the two days when it's a bad idea for anyone to be near me." Bakura
shrugged. "I don't know what you could do. I would have said you could leave for the two days, but since you agreed to Anzu staying, it would be difficult to explain." he said. "And Ryou will find it peculiar if I come
stay with you too." Yami got to his feet. "Twenty-four hours over two nights. I can cope. If I'm in my room before it gets dark, I'll be fine,
because I can leave the lights on. Alright."

~

Yugi opened the door. "Hi Anzu! Come in!" The brown haired girl walked in, carrying a bag with her. "It's great of you to let me stay, Yugi!" she said smiling. At that moment, Yami walked quietly down the stairs. "Yami!" Yugi ran up to his older aibou. "Are you alright? I've been worried." he said.
"I'm fine." Yami replied quietly. "Hi Anzu." "Ohayo, Yami!" Anzu smiled
brightly. She frowned slightly when Yami fell silent, and looked at the
ground.

"Um... come on, Anzu, I'll take you upstairs. Since the spare room is now Yami's room, you can have mine. I'll sleep downstairs." Yugi took her bag,
and led her up the stairs. Anzu nodded, and trotted after him, saying a
brief "See you later" to Yami.

/I'll talk to you later, ok?/

//Yes, aibou.//

~

Night soon fell. Yami disappeared into his room as soon as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Yugi didn't ask any questions; if Yami wanted to be
alone, Yugi knew by now to let him. The boy did, however, begin to grow
more concerned about the ex-Pharaoh. Yami had never really been this
secretive towards Yugi; they shared everything, other than that which happened before Yugi knew Yami existed. Questions flew through his troubled mind; what was wrong with Yami? What were the strange marks on his arm? Why would he not speak to Yugi much? The queries overwhelmed Yugi's mind, but they would have to wait until morning, because the one who was asking them
had fallen fast asleep.

~

Guilt coursed through Yami's mind as he tried to sleep. The lights which he had purposefully left on made the inside of his eyelids glow an annoying orange. But he didn't dare turn them off. Yami turned, attempting to find a
more comfortable position.

'Why must I keep these secrets from Yugi?'

He screwed his eyes up tighter, pulling the covers up about his head.
Discovering that this was way too hot, he threw them off, and attempted
sleeping on his front, rather than his side.

'I don't want to keep secrets. He should be allowed to know.'

Yami sighed, flipping onto his back, as sleeping on his front caused his pillow to threaten to suffocate him. He opened his eyes, spending a few
dull minutes staring at the ceiling.

'But how do you tell someone so close something like this? That once a
month, another side of me could try to kill him? I just can't...'

Growling deep in his throat, he snapped his eyes shut, and lay on his side again. Annoying thoughts attempted to keep him awake all night, but they
would have to wait, because the one thinking them was asleep.

~

Anzu yawned, sitting up. Sighing, she got out of bed, and made a quiet trip towards the bathroom. She paused outside Yami's door. From underneath it, a
line of light shone, electric light. Anzu frowned, knowing it was very late. She knocked gently on the door. "Yami?" she whispered. There was no reply. She knocked again, slightly louder, but there was still no response. Shrugging, she opened the door slowly. She could see Yami's sleeping form on the bed, and deciding that the ex-Pharaoh had simply forgotten to turn the lights out, she felt for the switch on the wall, and flicked it off,
closing the door behind her as she returned to her borrowed room.

~

Meanwhile, in Yami's darker room, it's occupant suddenly sat bolt upright
in bed. His eyes were eerily blank, as a pair of demonic, blood stained wings tore themselves out of Yami's back. He smirked evilly as YoukaiYami's
blood-tainted eyes took the place of the softer crimson ones, and the darkened Eye of Ra glowed from his forehead. Youkai shifted off of the bed,
and stretched his arms and wings as he stood up.

"Finally..." he muttered. "One of these mortals was stupid enough to turn out the damned lights." He walked towards the door. "And poor helpless Yami can't do a bloody thing about it." He opened the door, after checking there was no light beyond it. "But who do I go after first? Anzu... that's what Yami is trying to make me NOT do... sorry, oh pathetic lighter one, your
pleas fall on deaf ears!"

His footsteps sounded softly on the carpeted landing floor. His wings were held tight against his back, so as not to catch anything as he walked. He
ran his tongue lightly over pointed fangs as he reached Anzu's door,
turning the door handle and pushing it open without a sound.

The drapes fluttered slightly in the cool night air coming in through the open window. Anzu was curled up between the warm covers on the bed. Youkai laughed quietly. "Sleep seems to award you such an illusion of safety..." he murmured. "Shame when you're not safe from creatures of the night." He
walked over to, and stood by her bed, looking down onto the slumbering girl. "But I am not incubus, merely a murderer... one who brings pain..." A
dark knife formed in his hand, like the one that Yugi had used to kill
Yami. "Goodnight, Anzu..." He raised the knife over her.

He evidently spoke too loudly, as Anzu suddenly awoke, and stared into the dark, glowing eyes for a second, before releasing an mind-piercing scream. His hand slipped, making the blade strike the girl on the arm. Blood seeped
out of it, staining her night-clothes, as she continued to scream.

"How could I be so foolish..." Youkai muttered, snatching up the knife and fleeing back to Yami's room before Yugi came up to find out what was going on. "Never did I think that Yami would be this useful to me..." he said,
shutting the door, and flipping the lightswitch.

~

Yami inhaled sharply as the marks in his arm burned. He silently cursed both Youkai and himself, before opening the door again. By this time, Yugi
was running along the landing, and the light was on.

"Anzu? Anzu, what's wrong?" Yugi ran through the open door. Anzu looked at him with wide, scared eyes. "Anzu?" Yugi walked towards her, flipping the light on. "What happened?" The brunette girl was shaking visibly. "Demon... something evil..." she said. "B-but it l-looked l-like..." Yami cut her off
by entering the room, and asking "What's going on?" Anzu screamed, and
delved beneath the covers.

"Yami, did you see or hear anything?" Yugi asked, facing the ex-Pharaoh. "N- not until she screamed... I was asleep..." Yami replied, half-truthfully. Yugi smiled. "Alright then. You can go back to bed if you want." he said.
Yami shook his head. "No, I won't be able to sleep again now."

Yugi went closer to Anzu. "Anzu-chan, it was only a nightmare... just a bad dream." he said reassuringly. "Come on." Anzu peeked out from her covers. "Then explain my arm!" she said bravely, holding out her arm to show the
wound. Yugi frowned. "You probably just caught it on something. There's
been nothing here. If there had been, Yami would have sensed something. Especially if it was evil." he told her. Anzu shook her head. "N-not if it
was Y-Yami himself..." she said quietly. Yugi frowned. "Don't be silly,
Anzu, why would Yami want to hurt you?" he said, confused, and glancing behind him. Yami shook his head, telling Yugi that he would not hurt Anzu.
Which was the truth.

Yugi pulled a few tissues from a box by the bed with which to stop the flow of blood. Yami's eyes wandered around the room, face stony in an attempt to not reveal any guilty expressions. Anzu's eyes were fixed on him the whole
time.

Tears ran down Anzu's face in her fright and confusion. "I-I'm s-sorry, Yami." she said. "I'm s-so s-silly to think that a d-dream was real." Yami smiled, a little uneasy. "It's OK, Anzu. If you want me in the night, just
shout. Alright?" he offered. Anzu's tears dried, and she blushed. "Alright." Yugi rolled his eyes, catching up with Yami as he left the room.

~

"You ARE telling the truth, aren't you?" Yugi said, once out of Anzu's
hearing. "You didn't see, hear or sense anything, right?" Yami cast his eyes downwards. "I did NOT see anything, I did NOT hear anything, I did NOT sense anything, and that I swear by Ra. OK?" he said, emphasising the 'I' in every statement. After all, it wasn't really him. Yugi nodded. "Fine. Good night!" The small boy went off downstairs. Yami went into his room and
shut the door.

"I'm not lying, Yugi..." he whispered softly. "I'm just not telling you
everything."

~

Pan: Well? What do you think? If you thought it was awful, let me know, because there's one more night with a new moon this month... heh heh heh...