A/N: WARNING: REALLY long flashback in this chapter. But I promise you, it's essential to the plot of this story...or else I wouldn't have thrown it in. Hope you'll like this chapter. ^_^ Read on!!
A Deadly Embrace
Chapter Five: Stakes Go Higher (Part Two)
The torment of the redheaded slayer had just begun when Rebecca was shoved unceremoniously into the darkest chamber of all. Black shadows surrounded her, a small light source (the closed balcony) provided her with only a faint glimpse at the objects around her.
A dresser, a chest of drawers, another door that probably led to the bathroom, and two king size canopy beds...there was most likely more there but not anything significant to be viewed.
Heh, welcome to vampire high life. she remarked in her mind.
A brilliant flash of light from the doorway reminded her that she wasn't up against just any vampire this time. No, rather than face off one-on-one with a skilled killer, she had two bloodthirsty item holders to contend with. Not even your thoughts are safe in here.
She glared at the older vampire, "Thanks for reminding me, Yami."
"This is going to be so cool Yami," the younger vampire exclaimed, slamming the door shut behind himself.
"Oh how darling," Rebecca's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "you get to spend your first big lesson torturing me with that upside-down pyramid on a chain."
"It will be most enlightening for you Yugi," Yami advanced towards the blonde with his lighter half following eagerly beside him, "teaching this slayer respect for our Millennium Puzzles."
The slayer crossed her arms and stared at the two impassively, "Don't expect me to feel honored that I get to be your moving target."
"Oh our puzzles don't require you to do a single thing." Yugi assured her with a wicked gleam in his violet eyes. "In fact, there's really nothing you can do to avoid being overcome by their powers."
"You make them sound like Pandora's box." the emerald eyed teen yawned. "I'm the top slayer boys, you'll have to do better than some mind-reading geometric figures to impress me."
"Mind-reading is the least of their powers." Yami's puzzle began to glow as he spoke. "Just wait and see what the Millennium Puzzle can do to one's soul."
In a sudden panic at the thought of having her soul ripped away Rebecca bolted backwards, but just as the younger vampire had informed her---running did no good.
"Millennium Puzzle," Yami ordered his item, "strip away the barriers of this slayers mind. Reveal all to me!"
The golden glow consumed the whole room. All shadowed walls and dismal corners were illuminated and then hidden again by the blinding light.
Shielding her eyes the blonde staggered backwards until she felt herself bump up against a piece of furniture. And then, just like her surroundings, her mind went blank. There were no thoughts, no memories, no--well--nothing!
"What's happening Yami?" Yugi questioned.
The older vampire held his Puzzle tightly in his grasp, "Her mental defenses have fallen. Now that she has no control over her mind we can enter her soul room and explore her darkest, most guarded secrets."
"And what will become of her?" the young one persisted.
"She will still exist Yugi, just physically frozen and mentally helpless." Yami answered, "Now take your Puzzle and concentrate on reading her mind, discovering her secrets, obtaining knowledge that can be quite useful when seeking to dominate one's adversary."
Nodding Yugi took his Millennium Puzzle in his hands and narrowed his eyes in deep thought while staring down the dumbfounded slayer. Slowly he felt himself slip away, out of the physical world, and into her mind.
There were several chambers there, but not like those in the mansion. One long hallway stretched down between a seemingly endless set of walls. There was a red carpet in the center of the hall and golden sconces lined the purple wallpaper with a black wave pattern.
"Keep walking Yugi," Yami addressed his lighter half as they both stood (materializing) in the hall. "You must not dawdle in the mental recesses of another. The complexity will only distract you from your main objective."
"It's almost...regal." the younger vampire commented as he and his comrade started wandering down the long corridor.
"Yes," Yami agreed, "either she's as good as she thinks she is, or this is the mental dwelling of an exceptionally conceited mortal."
"Probably both." Yugi laughed.
Yami grinned at his counterpart just as an angry voice rang out from a great distance ahead of them. "HEY! And just who said that you could wander through my mind like this?!"
"Is that---Rebecca??" Yugi gasped.
Yami nodded, "We must be nearing her soul room."
Sure enough, there she stood, hands on her hips and glaring daggers at the two vampires. Yami noted that she was standing before the only door in the hall. "Step aside Slayer, and let us pass."
"Hmph, yeah right!" Rebecca snapped, "You may have frozen my body so that you could trespass in my mind but you still have my SOUL to contend with!"
"And that too can be easily taken care of." Yami spoke as he held his Puzzle before his face.
"Don't point that thing at me!" Rebecca demanded, "You will leave my mind at once you parasites! Don't think that all us mortals are pushovers. I've made a living out of sending creeps like you back where you belong."
"And where is that?" Yami inquired scornfully.
"Where do you think, Demon?" Rebecca practically hissed her response. How could these heartless creatures not know from whence they originated? They knew perfectly well what they were and what unspeakable things they did to make themselves so.
"Is that all you mortals think we are?" Yugi scowled, "Maybe it's you who are the real demons? Trespassing in OUR world!"
"Like you really would've thought that before this older bloodsucker 'turned' you." Rebecca retorted.
"No," Yugi admitted, "I probably would've thought just like you. That vampires are nothing but nocturnal monsters. But really now, what's the difference between my kind and the human race?"
"What the heck are you talking about?" the emerald eyed teen demanded.
Yami smiled, his apprentice was intend quite intelligent. It took other vampires years (even millennia) to learn what his lighter half knew already.
"You humans are far too quick to judge others based upon differences." Yugi went on with his explanation, "So vampires drink the blood of humans? It's not like you don't feed off of other creatures...at least we have the option of not killing our meals."
"And how often do you spare them?" Rebecca countered.
"How often do they deserve it?" Yugi shot back, "You like the day, we thrive during the night. While you skin is rich with warmth and kissed by the sun, ours is pale and chilled by the frigid night air. Your eyes beam with joy when you're happy, ours glow with fire when we're enraged. We're not so different Slayer. And yet--like you said--you make a living out of staking us."
"Did you barge in here just so that you could get on your little soapbox and rant to me?" Rebecca asked in irritation, "I was warned about all your lies from day one of my training. I know your tricks. You'll try and win my sympathy, coax me over to your side, and then I'll drop my guard and wind up a shriveled corpse on the floor!"
"With an attitude like that," Yami spoke up, "is it really such a surprise that we prefer to drain the life of all our victims?"
The ancient vampire tried to brush past the blonde but had his hand jerked away from the handle to her soul room as she planted herself between the nocturnal monsters and their goal.
"Your kind is an infestation on this planet." Yami's eyes took on a reddish tint, "And slayers more than anything are the parasites of this Earth. Seeking out vampires who know this world far better, and then slaughtering them. The other humans are useful as meals and potential night dwellers. But slayers are a menace which powerful vampires are destined to eradicate! My newer self and I have been chosen by the Millennium Puzzle to cleanse the mortal realm of those who feel that they are superior to their nocturnal brethren. And any who boast of being the most renowned of vampire slayers shall fall victim to the powers which destiny has given their predominate prey!"
"And you accused ME of being full of myself?!" Rebecca snapped. The Puzzle around the older vampire's neck was activated and Rebecca found herself pinned to the wall to the left of the doorframe. Now the entry was wide open, taking hold of the handle once more, Yami forced his way inside of her soul room.
Yugi studied the struggling girl warily before entering himself. No sooner had he stepped across the threshold then Rebecca was released. Her fists slammed against the door as it swung shut in front of her. "NO!!!"
The soul room of the young huntress was even more impressive than the passageway leading up to it. A large chandelier hung in the center of the room, its crystals sent tiny specks of white light dancing around the chamber. Cherry wood furniture lined the walls along with elegant picture frames, each revealing a treasured memory or life changing moment in time. The first was most intriguing to the vampires...
"Look Yami!" Yugi exclaimed, "These must be the slayer's parents."
Yami regarded the mental picture with undivided attention. "The caption beneath reads 'Mr. & Mrs. Hawkins, cherished parents and compassionate souls. Lost to blood poisoning after a poor transfusion in 1992.', I suspect that their need for the transfusion was due to either vampire of disease."
"That would explain such a young mortal's grudge against vampires." Yugi remarked.
"Nearly all of Rebecca's memories read so solemnly." Yami noted as they came to a stop before another picture several frames down, "This must be her first kill, 'In life, Francis J. Kenner, antiques dealer...in nocturnal life, The Crypt Fugitive, notorious vampire of Aplington Falls.', not a bad start."
"No wonder she's consider the top slayer." Yugi let his eyes wander the room while Rebecca continued to yell and pound her fists against the door from outside. A small glimmer of gold from a box beneath the chandelier caught his eye.
Making his way over to it he examined the odd etchings on the lid. "It almost looks like...hieroglyphics." He cautiously lifted the lid and peered inside. "HEY YAMI! YOU'D BETTER COME LOOK AT THIS!!"
His darker half was by his side in an instant, "What is it Yugi?"
"No," Yugi held out the box and let the ancient vampire view its odd contents.
Yami's amethyst eyes grew wide with shock, "It-it's the Millennium Puzzle! Fully disassembled!! B-but how can this be?!"
"Yami-" Yugi shook a bit with visible fear, "-what can this mean?"
Yami stared blankly at his unnerved companion, "I-I don't know Yugi. Discovering the Millennium Puzzle like this in the slayer's soul room could mean many things. It could be a sign that she's the mortal capable of bringing about our doom. Or-"
"Or??" Yugi urged.
"-or she could be one of the mortals who bridges the gap between our kinds forever." Yami recalled the ancient prophecies. It had been over five millennia ago when he'd first become a part of the vampire race, but he recalled the prophecies as if it had all occurred just yesterday...
*Flashback*
Pharaoh Yami awoke with a throbbing pain in the base of his neck. He could feel his breath grow short and raspy, his skin turn cold, and his heart harden to the world. Once he was strong enough to move he dared to open his eyes and view his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was retreating to his bed chambers after witnessing a helpless servant being beaten within an inch of his life before getting drug off to await execution.
He'd begged his father prior to the incident to reconsider the man's punishment but the Pharaoh would not yield. He coldly informed his son that the worthless slaves should learn their place and if they refused to accept it---they would pay for such defiance with their lives!
Yami couldn't believe it, but he supposed that the cruelty shone that day explained why his father had been assassinated later that day. Many had attempted to kill his father before but none had ever been successful...until now.
It really didn't bother Yami that the murderer would come after him too, the people knew full well that he was not the merciless man that his father was. Quite the contrary, the world had never known as understanding a royal as young Yami was. But why, why did things have to be this way? Why did his father have to die? Why was death necessary to end the killing? Why couldn't everyone in the world be seen as equals? In the same light, without constant judgments being passed upon them?
Yami had fallen asleep (the new pharaoh of Egypt) desiring such a world, after all the horrors that the young teen had beheld, he was convinced that absolute equality was a cause worth killing for.
And now he was here. Injured and bleeding, eyes adjusting to the darkness, searching frantically for some familiar sight.
"Ah Pharaoh Yami," an eccentric chuckle rung in his ears, "welcome back to the living...loosely speaking that is."
Yami sat up and scanned the pitch black building, "Wh-where am I? What is the meaning of this?!"
An even deeper laugh answered him as a grim figure stepped out of the shadows. "Welcome my pharaoh, to the Shadow Realm!"
Yami's eyes widened, the place of horrible monsters and unspeakable torment was now his prison! "Who are you?! Why have you brought me here?!?"
The first creature came forth, "We are the instigators of nightmares and the immortal terrors of the human realm." his light blond hair cast dark shadows over his tanned face, given him a ghastly appearance, "And we've brought you here to be inducted into our world of eternal night!"
"What?!" Yami was petrified now, "Why would you do this to me??"
"Because Pharaoh," the white haired captor drew closer, "you too long for a world where outcasts are nonexistent. Where no one is confined to a cast. Where all in existence reign supreme, without being ordered about like dogs or masking their true identities."
The pharaoh raised an eyebrow at the seemingly madman. "And you are?"
"Just call me Yami Bakura," the figure chuckled, "I am the keeper of the Millennium Ring."
"You possess a Millennium Item?" Yami gasped, "But how?!"
A smug smirk appeared on Yami Bakura's face, "As a mortal my trade lied in robbing the tombs of pharaohs much like yourself. While the job alone is quite thrilling I found the challenge of stealing the coveted Millennium Items from your father's tomb to be most enticing." his smile turned to a furious frown, "And once caught for stealing the unused trinkets of an already rich and powerful man, I was sentenced to death by your father."
Yami vaguely remembered the incident the tomb robber spoke of, his father's tomb was still under construction when the Millennium Items had been placed in a secret chamber there for safe keeping. The pharaoh had been enraged to find that a thief had snuck past the guards and nearly escaped with HIS items. He recalled that his father wouldn't even interrogate the prisoner before he ordered his execution.
"Yami Bakura," the young pharaoh spoke, "I am sorry for the harsh actions of my father. No magical item, no matter how powerful, is ever worth a human life."
"My my," the tomb robber snickered, "aren't we the humanitarian? You're certainly nothing like that ruthless father of yours boy."
"Remember me?" the blond spoke as the pharaoh got to his feet. "I should think that after the scene you put on before your father mine would be a hard face to forget."
Recognition swept over Yami, "You are the guardian of the tomb that my father was to be buried in. You were in charge of its safety when Yami Bakura stole the items!"
"Correct," the man confirmed, "my name is Marik Ishtar. But don't think that I bare Yami Bakura any ill will, he was doing his job as I was doing mine. Many tombs have been plundered in the past, it was only a matter of time before your father's was pillaged---and the Pharaoh knew it! Yet he prematurely had the sacred Millennium Items placed inside and then had the audacity to punish ME when they were stolen due to his paranoia and greed!!"
The young ruler's gaze lit upon another item which the guardian was holding, "You have the Millennium Rod?! But how?"
"To better ensure that his precious treasures would be guarded for all time your father placed a curse upon the original tomb keeper, Shadi. He would live eternally in darkness, keeping watch over the items. But the curse forced Shadi to survive by draining the life force of mortals. Not long after the items were first placed inside your father's tomb it became apparent that Shadi's predicament made it nearly impossible for him continue his duties without interference from vengeful allies left behind by his victims. A way was even devised by which he could be destroyed."
Yami listened intently to what Marik told him. He had a very uneasy feeling that it would explain why he felt so indescribably different now. Why he felt trapped between the world of the living and the world beyond.
"But before his enemies could perform the deed, Shadi took the precaution of passing on his duty (and his curse) by means of 'turning' another to his lifestyle." Marik fell silent for a moment and pointed to two small puncture scars on his neck, "After Shadi was destroyed by means of a wooden stake through the heart, his secluded duties fell to me."
"And all of this happened before my father was ever assassinated and placed inside his tomb," the young pharaoh commented in amazement.
"Yes," Yami Bakura folded his arms over his chest and took it upon himself to finish the tale, "but as you already know, I stole the items so Marik was sentenced to die with me for failing the pharaoh. But while awaiting our execution the tomb keeper offered to 'turn' me in exchange for helping him to rid the world of men like your father forever."
"You made a pact in the dungeon?" Yami couldn't believe how much corruption had been going on around him while he remained completely oblivious to everything.
"A pact that you are now a part of my pharaoh," Yami Bakura grinned wickedly, "a third Millennium Item, the Millennium Necklace, has the power to see the future. The wearer of this item was the sister to Marik, Isis Ishtar. She observed a vision of the day when vampires and the rest of humanity were one in the same. Roaming the same soil during all hours of the day and night! Living amongst each other! Equal in all respects!!"
"Unfortunately," Marik's sinister voice took on a tone of remorse, "the same 'slayers' who destroyed Shadi also took it upon themselves to take my sister from me. My gift of the Millennium Necklace made others see her as a 'vampire sympathizer'."
"Vampire?" Yami questioned.
"Yes Yami," the tomb robber replied with a fang revealing grin, "the people have given us that name because we thrive by feeding off of their blood. We are their deepest nocturnal fears, we own the night and manipulate the humans with our otherworldly gifts. And now Pharaoh, we've shared with you our gifts in the hopes that you will join our quest."
"We wish to achieve the future that my sister foresaw for us." Marik continued, "And to do that we must await the arrival of our future counterparts. They shall possess replicas of our Millennium Items. Once we 'turn' them we can begin to seek out the mortals which we shall use to unite the two species and vampires shall finally take their place in the world---no longer as hated bloodsuckers, but as the undeniable brethren of humanity that we are!!"
"Y-you've 'turned' me?" Yami couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You mean I am one of you now?? You're both insane! I won't be confined to living off the destruction of others!"
The two figures stared at the pharaoh gravely now, "I'm afraid you've already agreed to aid us little Yami," Marik explained, "You wished for a world where all were equal and none could be judged or ranked. Well now your destiny is to help us construct that world."
"The very mortals who despise us as well as each other will soon help us achieve our ultimate goals!" Yami Bakura sounded equally as delusional as he raved about this upcoming revolution, "By banishing the souls of these condemnatory humans to the Shadow Realm we increase the power of our Millennium Items. Now take yours and embrace the fate that you were meant for."
Marik proceeded to place a box with hieroglyphs on the lid into Yami's hands. "The Millennium Puzzle," he announced, "you must assemble it and use its power to see to it that the wretched fates we and those before us have suffered are finally condemned to the past."
Yami opened the box and looked down skeptically at its contents. "And if I refuse?"
Marik's brow furrowed, "If you refuse...all of humanity and the vampire race shall suffer at the hands of people like your father and the slayers for all time. Overall, you'll be doing more good than harm by accepting your new role."
Yami considered the offer. The vampires' words made sense, in a morbidly dramatic way. He finally had a chance to repay the world for all the torment that people like his father had put them through. Could he really just pass it up? And now that he WAS a vampire, wouldn't he need to feed off of humans anyway? From the smell of things it became apparent that the two figures before him had recently fed themselves. Their guards had probably been drained dry allowing them to escape the dungeon. These vampires were seemingly unstoppable...and they had the Millennium Items as well!
"Alright," Yami relented and began piecing together the puzzle as if it were the simplest task on Earth, "since I must now feed to survive, I choose to contribute back to this world while doing so."
"Wise choice Pharaoh," Yami Bakura sneered, "and now the first organized legion of vampires is ready to strike out against the heartless minions of the world."
"We shall spill the blood of our tormentors, hunt down those who wish to slay us, and let NOTHING stand in the way of our goal!" Marik cackled.
"Our group should have a name by which the mortals may refer to us in whispered fear." the tomb robber remarked.
Sliding the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle into place Pharaoh Yami hooked the item onto a chain around his neck and turned to the other night dwellers. "What about...The Scarlet Clan?"
*End Flashback*
Yugi quivered slightly as the link between Yami and himself replayed the distant memories in his mind. "So that's why we carry the Millennium Items...heck, it's why we exist too!"
"Yes," Yami nodded and closed the lid on the all-too-familiar box, "I don't know which of my assumptions is correct Yugi. But until we know for sure just what significance this replica holds---we can't kill the slayer."
"But Yami," Yugi insisted, "she's a slayer! One of the people who killed the first of our kind, Shadi!! How can a vampire slaughterer like her be one of the mortals Isis foretold would bring about the new future?!"
"I know it doesn't make sense now Yugi," Yami tried to order his thoughts, (not easy to do with Rebecca screaming outside, demanding to be let in), "but perhaps since it was the slayers who caused the rift between our species, it is the slayers who must now unite us?"
Sighing Yugi relented, "So now what do we do?"
Yami stared at the door as it shook with ever blow the enraged teen delivered from the other side, "Now we must retire to the darkness before the sun rises. It is our way, the curse of being what we are in a world that mortals dominate...for now."
"YAMI? YUGI?? YOU PARASITES ARE IN BIG TROUBLE ONCE I GET IN THERE! DO YOU HEAR ME?! BIG TROUBLE!!!" the shrill cries of the emerald-eyed huntress penetrated the thick door to the soul room.
The vampires winced at the high pitched sound. "What are we going to do with her in the meantime?" Yugi managed to ask.
Glaring at the door Yami responded by yanking it open and hissing at the slayer behind it (her hands on her hips and her own glare just as threatening), "We shall take our leave of your mind now mortal. But do not think that our 'testing' is over. You're in deeper now than you could have ever imagined."
"Ooo...I'm so scared!" Rebecca huffed, "Now get out before you clutter my mind!"
Growling Yami stomped out into the hall with Yugi on his heels. Their Millennium Puzzles glowed brightly and consumed their figures. The vacant expressions left the faces of the three beings as the glow faded and they once again rejoined the physical world.
Instantly Rebecca resumed her yelling, "YOU TWO CREEPS ARE REALLY IN FOR IT NOW! AT FIRST I WAS JUST GONNA STAKE YA AND BE DONE WITH IT BUT OH NO---YOU'RE NOT GOING QUICK AND EASY NOW!!"
Yugi glanced at his counterpart, Like I was saying---what are we going to do with her in the meantime?
Yami contemplated the matter as Rebecca slid her hand behind herself along the dresser top. Ah ha! Just what I need!! she brought her other hand behind her back as well and broke the tip off of what she was holding.
The elder vampire decided that their best course of action would be to tie the annoying female to one of the bedposts for the day. Once the sun set they would be able to arrange a more suitable restraint for the slayer...like a metal cage.
He advanced quickly on the teen with arms ready to grab her should she try and dart past. Yugi was told telepathically to grab the ropes that held back the curtains to the canopy beds.
When he saw the slayer lean back farther against the dresser he assumed that she was drawing back in fear---big mistake.
Yugi spun around fearfully when he heard the sound of flesh being stabbed. The dreaded noise of a stake sinking through a heart lingered in the back of the mind of all vampires, no matter how recently they'd been 'turned'. "YAMI?!"
The younger vampire was horrified to see that the blonde slayer had broken the end of a hairbrush (HIS hairbrush) and used it as a stake. And now she had the makeshift weapon lunged straight into his mentor's chest!!
Yami watched in disbelief as Rebecca wriggled the stake deeper between his ribs.
With a sly grin she looked him in the eyes, "Yeah I know, I'm a genius!"
A fiery crimson color engulfed the magenta irises of the ancient vampire. With a scream of rage he seized the hand of the slayer which held the stake in place. Crushing her hand in his grasp he let his fangs emerge from his mouth and glisten before her distressed face.
I don't get it, she worried, why isn't he a pile of dust now?!
Slowly, he forced her hand to withdraw the wooden stake from his chest. A dark red stream of blood dripped from its tip and trickled from the wound. Placing his free hand just above the injury he seethed through clenched teeth, "Stakes go higher."
H-HIS HEART! Rebecca panicked, she was as good as dead now, I-I DIDN'T PIERCE HIS HEART!!!
Yugi cautiously approached his comrade and offered him a cloth to stop the blood flow. Yami waved the material away and instead instructed Yugi to bite his own wrist.
"What?" the younger vampire was baffled.
"Just do it!" Yami's cold voice boomed.
Rebecca trembled, Yami still had her hand in his grip and refused to let go of her or the stake. I MISSED! HOW COULD I MISS?! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST!!
Yugi brought his wrist to his mouth and sank his fangs down into the vein. He drew back after a few drops of his own blood entered his mouth. He'd much rather drain Rebecca again. "Here Yami, it's done."
Yami took Yugi's wrist and brought it to Rebecca's mouth, "Now mortal, DRINK!"
Rebecca brought her other hand up to pull his away but the strength of the enraged creature was too great. "DRINK!" he commanded.
Since her mouth was blocked by Yugi's hand her only means of answering was through thought, No! I won't be 'turned' by you!!
Yami's glowering eyes narrowed as hers were tightly shut, "This won't turn you slayer. I wouldn't give you the gift of being one of us for all the world. You should know that 'turning' a person requires more than mere blood. This is to bind you to my newer self and I...now DRINK or DIE!"
In any other situation Rebecca would've gladly chosen death over being bond to a vampire for life. But now that Dina was at the mercy of these bloodsuckers as well, she couldn't risk BOTH their lives. She had no right. The most important thing was freeing her partner and any surviving victims. Even if it meant forfeiting her physical freedom. With tears streaming down her face she swallowed the blood that Yami squeezed from Yugi's punctures. Now---she was Yugi's.
Gasping for breath she had only a moment to compose herself before Yami wiped fresh blood from his chest wound onto his fingers and shoved them past her lips, "Now this mortal, DRINK or I swear you're friends are mere memories by morning!"
She reluctantly gulped down the second mouthful of blood and cringed as she felt it seep down her throat and mingle with her own blood wherever it found the means. Now---she was Yami's too.
She wanted to choke, to cough up all that she had just consumed. But to do so would be to sign the death warrants of her partner and the other victims within the mansion. She couldn't do that, she didn't have the right. Above all else, a slayer fought for the preservation of humanity and all it stood for. And Felaine had wasted no time in teaching the slayers that to do so meant making great personal sacrifices.
Once Yami released the slayer (after prying the 'stake' from her hand) she fell to the floor on her knees and wept. She'd lost her freedom. She was now a prisoner of her worst enemies. And there was nothing she could do about it...was there?
Yami stormed over to the balcony and tossed the weapon as far into the night as he could. There'd be no more stakings in HIS mansion. Yugi tossed his jacket at the foot of his bed and sat down to pull off his shoes. The sun would be up in a matter of minutes. It was bedtime for all nocturnal predators.
The oldest vampire was still out on the balcony, this left a window of opportunity open for Rebecca--that is--IF she was willing to take it. Bringing her gaze up slightly she saw the unattended door. The pile of ropes at Yugi's feet would soon be used to tie her up unless she managed to make a break for it now. What've I got to lose? she told herself before bolting for the exit.
Yanking the door will all her force she felt the latch on the other side jolt up and down. Once it jolted up again she threw herself against the door and stumbled out into the hall.
Yami and Yugi were an inch away when she slammed the door shut with her foot and pressed herself up against it.
"OPEN THIS DOOR!" Yami screamed.
"What goes around comes around!" the slayer exclaimed spinning around rapidly and pushing the latch down into place.
She wasted no time in making a mad dash down the hall. If she could just find her partner they'd be able to find a way out of all this. There was strength in numbers, and two slayers working together stood a better chance against a clan of ruthless vampires than one running frantically through their lair.
She'd just rounded a corner to the hall that led to the winding staircase when she spotted another person rushing towards her. The dimly lit hallway didn't give her much of a clue as to who it was but her instincts told her to keep running. Whoever or whatever was coming at her, anything was better than facing those two spiky-haired terrors.
The redhead couldn't believe her eyes as the other figure reached the staircase precisely when she arrived. "Rebecca? Is that you?!"
The blonde's eyes widened and filled with tears, "Dina??"
A quick embrace assured the two friends that they weren't being cruelly tormented by a dream. The furious cries of their captors however, reminded them that they were still trapped in an all too real nightmare!
Exchanging anxious glances the two fled down the stairs at full speed and desperately scrambled for the door.
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*Ah yes, I have left you with yet another cliffhanger. MWUHAHAHA!!! So how'd everyone like this chapter? Thanks again for all the feedback! ^_^ Keep the reviews comin'! I apologize for any mistakes (I'm sure there's a few), I finished this kind of late and I've gotta rest for work tomorrow. Next chapter: Can the slayers escape their possessive tormentors? What about the other victims? And is there any truth to the vision Isis saw?*