...Wow... My email box had about 45 repeats of the same four comments
on this story. x-x Whoever it was that thought I was doing an M-pregnancy
story. Well uh. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no... I'm
having...interesting thoughts now. x-x Scary thoughts...of a pregnant Yami
Marik. Wow, those kinds of thoughts actually make your brain hurt. I'm
going to give myself a lobotomy if I'm not careful. XD Moving right along;
I hope you're all able to follow the storyline. If not, drop me a message
at: TraumaKagato@aol.com
----
There was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and Malik's attention was drawn to it, "Just stay here." He got up, "Stay here and... And don't move. Whatever you do." He gave a worried look to Marik before leaving him alone to go greet Odion. He met with Odion as he came in the front door, "Odion!" Odion was startled, "Huh! What is it?" Malik looked very disturbed and uneasy, "Marik's a Vampire!" Odion calmed down a little and chuckled, "No he's not. He's probably trying to play games with your head again." Odion tried to reassure Malik.
Marik gritted his teeth as his intense hunger began to bother him again. He ran his tongue over his fangs. They felt so sharp and he knew what they were for. He continued to twitch and feel as if he should be moving fast and hunting. These urges were getting stronger as he waited for Malik to return. His ears were highly sensitive to sound now. He heard Malik squawking to Odion about his condition and stiffened slightly as he heard the two approaching his room. He reminded himself that he knew and trusted these two people and therefore calmed down.
Odion remained calm while Malik led him to Marik's room, "I'm telling you, he's only playing games with you." As Odion peered into the room, his jaw dropped. Malik gave Marik a fearful look, "Are you so sure he's only playing now?" Marik looked toward Odion, and a slightly gleam to his crimson eyes. The sun was going to be gone completely within a half hour and by that point; bad things were bound to happen. Odion carefully entered the room and examined Marik from a distance, "This is a problem. We don't exactly...Have access to the blood you'll need."
Odion almost didn't believe his own words. He was a skeptic of such supernatural things as Vampires and this hit him like blow to the face. They'd have to cure Marik somehow. There was no way they'd be safe with a vampiric Yami in the household. "I know," Marik replied with a metallic harshness in his voice. He twitched slightly, "Could you not stand so close? I'd hate to end up biting you against my own will..." Odion obediently replied to the request by back stepping about three feet. "I'll have to find access to it then. Unless you don't mind me dying within a few days?"
Malik shook his head, "We can't let you go out and do that." Marik gave him a dejected look, "So you do hate me after all..." Malik quickly remedied what he had said, "No! No, I don't mean that at all! I just...You can't go killing people!" Odion nodded, "He's right you know. It would be wrong." Marik huffed, "You humans kill every day for food. Why is this any different?" Odion frowned, "There is a great difference between human life and animal life." "There's no difference. Why do you think so highly of yourself? Killing is killing you know. It's not something that only we are capable of. And who's to say we can't kill one another?" Marik retorted.
"The law, that's what," Odion said sternly. Marik gave a quiet hiss, "Ra damn the law. What do you want me to do then?" Odion appeared clueless. Malik thought a moment, "Would biting me help any?" Odion was shocked, "Master Malik!" Marik shook his head, "No. I don't want to risk changing you too. I'll find some other source" Odion was ready to protest. "Despite whether or not your brother gives his consent," Marik said while cutting Odion off. Odion gave an angered grunt, "You're trying my patience here. Do not disobey my rules. They're laid down for a reason."
"Well, sorry for caring when my life matters," Marik mocked. His stomach growled noisily and he looked aside, muttering obscenities. Odion sighed, "Have you tried eating anything?" Marik frowned, "Mm-hm. I regurgitated it all. Want some details?" he said sarcastically. Odion grimaced, "No, that's alright." Malik folded his arms, "I guess we're kind of stuck. Unless of course..." Marik perked up and looked at Malik, "What?" "Ryou's into Vampires and all sorts of weird things like that. Maybe he'd know what to do." "Oh yes, I receive such solace in being called weird... But back to the topic at hand; Ryou is unavailable. Don't you remember?"
Malik shrugged, "You scared Bakura badly enough to make him leave. I'm pretty sure you could get him to let us talk to Ryou." Marik fanned out his wings and this time they did hit the ceiling, "How am I suppose to hide these on the way there?" Marik asked quietly. "It's getting dark, nobody will notice," Malik said soundly. Marik made a face. "Ok, I guess you're right. It'll be hard to miss those. They're huge," Malik admitted.
Marik stood, "Oh, who cares. Let's just go. I'll make up some sound excuse or another if questioned." Marik moved toward Malik and it made Odion uneasy. Marik smirked, "I'm not going to attack him, calm down." Malik nodded to Odion, "I can take it from here. You don't need to come with us." Odion protested, "But, master Malik..." Malik shook his head, "No, he's me, remember? I can control myself." Marik chuckled quietly and followed Malik out of the room.
Malik turned on the light in the garage and walked over to his bike, "If you scratch it, I'll kill you..." Malik was still sore over losing his previous bike to Marik and Bakura and so he wasn't about to lose this one. For this reason, Marik wasn't allowed to use the bike, let alone touch it. This was quite the exception. Marik nodded, "I'll be careful." Malik put on his helmet and hopped onto the bike, turning it around. Marik sat behind Malik and slipped his arms around Malik's waist. He folded his wings to the best of his ability and took on a serious tone, "Let's go."
Malik rolled his eyes at the tone of voice Marik was using, "This isn't some kind of professional mission. Don't act stupid." "Lighten up Hikari," Marik said with a grin. Malik shook his head and folded up the kickstand of his motorcycle, hitting the gas pedal and roaring out of the garage and down the driveway. As soon as they hit pavement, he turned sharply to the right and headed off toward Ryou's apartment building.
As the light in the sky faded gradually, the two became less uneasy about being seen. In fact, by the time they arrived at Ryou's building, they practically strode inside as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Malik knocked on Ryou's door and waited, "Hm. He shouldn't be asleep this early..." Marik folded his arms and wondered down the hall a little ways, looking at a painting which was hung on the wall. Ryou opened his apartment door, peering out at Malik. He gave a soft sigh, "Look, if you're here to yell at me about earlier, I'm sorry..."
Malik shook his head, "No, no, no, it's ok! But um. I'm here for another reason." Marik headed back up the hall, arriving beside Malik, "Hello, Ryou." Ryou choked, "Bloody hell!" He swung the door open fully, "Get in here quick!" Marik and Malik obeyed and headed inside. Ryou slammed the door shut and locked it, "It's a wonder you weren't killed on the way here, Marik!" Marik appeared confused, "Hm? You don't seem surprised." Ryou nodded, "Yes, I know. This is more common than you think. It just hasn't happened to the people that I know. Until now..."
Malik gawked, "You mean this whole city has..." Ryou sighed, "A Vampire problem, yes." He examined Marik briefly, "Well, there's some good news here. For one, the sun isn't going to burn you alive. That's an old myth. And you won't look like this permanently." Ryou headed over to a bookshelf and looked over it briefly before pulling out a book and sifting through its page, "There's entire books on Vampires and how to deal with them. I guess I'm a little obsessed." Malik blinked, "Why?" Ryou looked up from the book and bit his lower lip, "No offense to you, Marik... But I hunt Vampires."
Malik blinked, "How did this escape our conversations before?!" Marik fell silent and gravitated toward the door. Ryou shut his book and set it on a nearby chair before stepping toward the fleeing Marik, "Hold on a minute there. Trust me; you don't want to leave now." Marik sneered, "Why not? You don't like having to chase your prey before you kill it?" "No, a fellow Vampire hunter is coming to see me tonight. Unfortunate, I know, but I didn't plan it this way." Ryou explained as Marik moved away from the door once more.
Malik looked between the two with unease, "A Vampire hunter? As in one who doesn't know Marik and will attack him?" Ryou nodded sadly, "Yea... Look, she won't be here for too long. She only said she needed to talk to me about something. You two could hide out in my room for the time being. But you'll have to be quiet."
Marik perked up, "She? I'm not afraid of some girl. I'll stay out here." "Trust me, she isn't just some girl. Her name's Cadelle and she's killed more Vampires than anyone else in our branch of the Clan. Erm, the Clan's our guild," said Ryou as he took his book into his hand again, "Here, let's head into the room, I'll try and figure out what type of Vampire you are, Marik. It should help."
The three boys entered Ryou's bedroom. The Vampire stood by the window and looked out. Malik sat on Ryou's bed and Ryou remained near the doorway. He took the time to open his book and start looking through it. He glanced to Marik for reference every now and again before shaking his head at the inaccurate picture on the page, "Hm. No, no, no..." Appearing confused, Ryou leaned against the doorframe, "That's odd. None of the common Vampire types meet your description properly..." Marik listened slightly, more trained on the outdoors. He wanted so badly to go out there and hunt something; anything.
"Omnipotent...Cruor avidity?" Ryou mumbled to himself. He looked at the image on the page and eyed its wings. He looked toward Marik and blinked, "I think I've found it." Marik shrugged, "Good, what am I?" Ryou swallowed, "Could you turn around?" Ryou asked shyly. Marik turned and arched an eyebrow. Ryou walked over to him and looked at his eyes to make sure they were the color he had first thought. He then drew his gaze to the book, "Red eyes and... Say, Marik, could you open a wing for me? I want to be sure." Marik gave an agitated grunt but he stretched a single wing outward for Ryou's viewing pleasure.
Ryou looked surprised, "Ok, maybe I didn't find it. You're not listed. Hm, that's bad. It means there's a new breed and it could be dangerous. I'll need to find out the weaknesses so Cadelle and I can-"He caught the look Marik was giving him and instantly shut up, "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't talk about you like that..." There was a knock at Ryou's apartment door and he stood straight, nearly dropping his book, "Quiet, both of you, this won't take long." Ryou darted from the room and shut the bedroom door, going to see who was at his apartment door.
Malik huffed slightly but then fell silent. He folded his arms and looked over at Marik who had folded his wing once more and was looking out the window, "What's out there?" He whispered. "Be quiet," Marik replied harshly. Marik briefly turned his head to look at the bedroom door. Malik watched him twitch an ear. The eerie aura Marik was generating started to get to him and he looked away.
Cadelle strode into Ryou's apartment after he opened the door, not even offering a smile as she moved to sit on Ryou's couch, "We have a problem." Ryou shut the door and moved to sit in a chair across from Cadelle, "Oh?" Cadelle nodded solemnly, causing her ponytail to bob slightly, "The situation's gotten worse. Not only are there more Vamps than normal, but there's a new kind. Dirty animals... We're working on new ways to get rid of them, so it's a good thing that they're rare. Things won't stay that way though. They'll spread themselves, like a disease," Cadelle spoke with much distaste in her voice.
Ryou resisted the urge to defend a particular Vampire and only nodded. Cadelle continued, "I want to do our rounds tonight. You'll be fine with this won't you? I'll need you, Ryou." Ryou nodded, "Yes, of course. At what time?" "As soon as possible. And..." Cadelle said suspiciously. Ryou tilted his head. Cadelle narrowed her eyes slightly, "You have an odd scent about you. You haven't encountered one of those new Vampires have you?" Ryou panicked on the inside, struggling to maintain his calm, "No. Not unless I passed one on the street and didn't notice." He shrugged.
"Hm. Get your things, we can leave right away," Cadelle replied emotionlessly. Ryou sighed, Cadelle never reacted normally to anything he said or did. Nevertheless, he stood up and went down the hall leading past his bedroom to a trunk where he kept his supplies. Unfortunately, he heard Cadelle following him. He prayed that Marik and Malik would be deathly silent. At this distance, Cadelle could hear them with ease. He opened up the trunk and snatched a belt which was equipped with three holsters on either side. He applied it to himself and holstered stakes along the belt. Next he pulled a black pendant off of a hook on the wall and slipped it around his neck.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Cadelle looking toward his bedroom door. Had Marik made a noise?! No, not that he could hear... His worries became reality as Cadelle asked him a question, "You weren't lying to me before when you said you hadn't met a Vampire?" Ryou broke into a cold sweat. He placed a packet of something into his pocket and shut the trunk, standing quickly, "No!" Cadelle lifted an eyebrow at his sudden answer, "What's the matter with you? You're acting strangely."
Ryou shook his head, "Nah. I just haven't been on rounds lately. It's a bit thrilling to me. Excites me, you know?" Cadelle looked toward the door again, "Something's here, Ryou. Perhaps you don't know it. It won't be safe to just leave the situation. And if those monsters know where you live, you could be in trouble. I can't have that." Cadelle put her hand on the doorknob. Ryou felt defeated as he watched Cadelle swiftly open the door. She stepped into the room and he followed in rapid succession.
He expected to find Malik and Marik there, looking at Cadelle fearfully. Instead, he found no one. Cadelle searched the room; she even opened Ryou's closet. Ryou felt partially uneasy but more so relieved. But then Cadelle felt the cold chill of the night air on her neck. She turned to Ryou's window; it was open. Walking over to it, she peered out and caught sight of the fire escape. Ryou froze; what if both of them were hiding out there?
Cadelle looked down as she heard a motorcycle start up and screech off into the night. She saw only one rider and he didn't seem any less normal than Ryou or herself. Then she heard the clank of someone's foot against metal. She snapped her head upward, seeing a flurry of shadows as something was evading her by escaping up to the roof of the apartment building, "We've got one! Come on, Ryou!" Cadelle exited Ryou's apartment, via the window and ran up the fire escape after the shadowy form which was nearing the roof. Ryou followed her, his eyes wide with worry.
Cadelle reached the roof, drawing a wooden stake from her side. Fanning out its bat-like wings, the fleeing Vampire reached the edge of the apartment building where it stopped. It turned partially, revealing blonde hair and a familiar face. Ryou got to the roof in time to find Cadelle charging the Vampire who revealed itself to be Marik. Cadelle sneered, "Won't you fly away, winged vermin?" Ryou stumbled across the rooftop, "Cadelle! Hang on!" Cadelle huffed, "No, it's ok. I've got him. She walked toward Marik, readying her stake. Marik merely glared and tried to step back but found his foot leaving the rooftop and throwing off his balance.
By the time he was stable again, Cadelle only seven feet from him, drawing back her arm, "Say goodbye, you filthy beast." Marik glanced over his shoulder, down to the ground, judging his height from it; ~ Mere seconds are a short time to learn how to fly... ~ He thought to himself. Ryou panicked as Marik turned and jumped from the apartment roof, "Wait, you don't know how to fly!!!"
Marik let himself freefall for around 3 seconds, watching the ground near him rapidly. At the last moment, he flared his wings and swept them in semi- circles, shutting his eyes. He never felt the ground, instead, he was carried upward. He opened an eye, then both, giving a victorious yell, "Aha!" He rose back up to his previous height, maintaining a fairly stable position in the sky.
Cadelle growled, "Great! Now how are we supposed to get him?!" Marik gave a slight sigh and briefly let his wings pause. He dropped down and leveled out again, this time turning and soaring off away from Ryou and Cadelle. Cadelle glared icy daggers at Ryou and he hung his head, "Cadelle I didn't mean to stop you. You see. He's a friend of mine-""A dirty fucking vampire. You're lucky he didn't bite you. Gullible idiot!" Cadelle cut him off. "No! He isn't like that. He has no idea what he's doing, that's all. He was bit recently and so he came to me for help. He was starving himself instead of going to feed on humans. Doesn't that count for something?"
Cadelle turned away from Ryou, "No, it doesn't. What do you think he's doing now? I'll bet he's out killing somebody right now. And you helped him get away. He'll murder too many people before we get close to him again. That was our only chance!" Ryou was torn between defending Marik or defending his beliefs, "Well. I mean... How do you know? He was nice enough when he was human. And would you hate me too if I suddenly got bitten?"
Cadelle snorted, "They change when they're bitten. They're heartless bastards who wouldn't think twice about killing their friends. Especially that one. Did you see that look it gave me? It wanted to tear my throat out. And it'd laugh while doing so. And no, I wouldn't hate you; I'd only hate the monster you'd have become."
Ryou wanted to remind her of the horrible things she had said about all Vampires like Marik which would explain his temperamental attitude but just didn't have any fight in him, "I'm sorry. Perhaps you don't want to do rounds with me tonight anymore..." Cadelle turned around to face Ryou, "No, we're still doing our rounds. But if we happen to see that sick freak again, you're going to let me kill it." Ryou felt his heart fall and his reply was silence. The two of them left the rooftop, disturbed, angered, and mentally torn.
----
There was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and Malik's attention was drawn to it, "Just stay here." He got up, "Stay here and... And don't move. Whatever you do." He gave a worried look to Marik before leaving him alone to go greet Odion. He met with Odion as he came in the front door, "Odion!" Odion was startled, "Huh! What is it?" Malik looked very disturbed and uneasy, "Marik's a Vampire!" Odion calmed down a little and chuckled, "No he's not. He's probably trying to play games with your head again." Odion tried to reassure Malik.
Marik gritted his teeth as his intense hunger began to bother him again. He ran his tongue over his fangs. They felt so sharp and he knew what they were for. He continued to twitch and feel as if he should be moving fast and hunting. These urges were getting stronger as he waited for Malik to return. His ears were highly sensitive to sound now. He heard Malik squawking to Odion about his condition and stiffened slightly as he heard the two approaching his room. He reminded himself that he knew and trusted these two people and therefore calmed down.
Odion remained calm while Malik led him to Marik's room, "I'm telling you, he's only playing games with you." As Odion peered into the room, his jaw dropped. Malik gave Marik a fearful look, "Are you so sure he's only playing now?" Marik looked toward Odion, and a slightly gleam to his crimson eyes. The sun was going to be gone completely within a half hour and by that point; bad things were bound to happen. Odion carefully entered the room and examined Marik from a distance, "This is a problem. We don't exactly...Have access to the blood you'll need."
Odion almost didn't believe his own words. He was a skeptic of such supernatural things as Vampires and this hit him like blow to the face. They'd have to cure Marik somehow. There was no way they'd be safe with a vampiric Yami in the household. "I know," Marik replied with a metallic harshness in his voice. He twitched slightly, "Could you not stand so close? I'd hate to end up biting you against my own will..." Odion obediently replied to the request by back stepping about three feet. "I'll have to find access to it then. Unless you don't mind me dying within a few days?"
Malik shook his head, "We can't let you go out and do that." Marik gave him a dejected look, "So you do hate me after all..." Malik quickly remedied what he had said, "No! No, I don't mean that at all! I just...You can't go killing people!" Odion nodded, "He's right you know. It would be wrong." Marik huffed, "You humans kill every day for food. Why is this any different?" Odion frowned, "There is a great difference between human life and animal life." "There's no difference. Why do you think so highly of yourself? Killing is killing you know. It's not something that only we are capable of. And who's to say we can't kill one another?" Marik retorted.
"The law, that's what," Odion said sternly. Marik gave a quiet hiss, "Ra damn the law. What do you want me to do then?" Odion appeared clueless. Malik thought a moment, "Would biting me help any?" Odion was shocked, "Master Malik!" Marik shook his head, "No. I don't want to risk changing you too. I'll find some other source" Odion was ready to protest. "Despite whether or not your brother gives his consent," Marik said while cutting Odion off. Odion gave an angered grunt, "You're trying my patience here. Do not disobey my rules. They're laid down for a reason."
"Well, sorry for caring when my life matters," Marik mocked. His stomach growled noisily and he looked aside, muttering obscenities. Odion sighed, "Have you tried eating anything?" Marik frowned, "Mm-hm. I regurgitated it all. Want some details?" he said sarcastically. Odion grimaced, "No, that's alright." Malik folded his arms, "I guess we're kind of stuck. Unless of course..." Marik perked up and looked at Malik, "What?" "Ryou's into Vampires and all sorts of weird things like that. Maybe he'd know what to do." "Oh yes, I receive such solace in being called weird... But back to the topic at hand; Ryou is unavailable. Don't you remember?"
Malik shrugged, "You scared Bakura badly enough to make him leave. I'm pretty sure you could get him to let us talk to Ryou." Marik fanned out his wings and this time they did hit the ceiling, "How am I suppose to hide these on the way there?" Marik asked quietly. "It's getting dark, nobody will notice," Malik said soundly. Marik made a face. "Ok, I guess you're right. It'll be hard to miss those. They're huge," Malik admitted.
Marik stood, "Oh, who cares. Let's just go. I'll make up some sound excuse or another if questioned." Marik moved toward Malik and it made Odion uneasy. Marik smirked, "I'm not going to attack him, calm down." Malik nodded to Odion, "I can take it from here. You don't need to come with us." Odion protested, "But, master Malik..." Malik shook his head, "No, he's me, remember? I can control myself." Marik chuckled quietly and followed Malik out of the room.
Malik turned on the light in the garage and walked over to his bike, "If you scratch it, I'll kill you..." Malik was still sore over losing his previous bike to Marik and Bakura and so he wasn't about to lose this one. For this reason, Marik wasn't allowed to use the bike, let alone touch it. This was quite the exception. Marik nodded, "I'll be careful." Malik put on his helmet and hopped onto the bike, turning it around. Marik sat behind Malik and slipped his arms around Malik's waist. He folded his wings to the best of his ability and took on a serious tone, "Let's go."
Malik rolled his eyes at the tone of voice Marik was using, "This isn't some kind of professional mission. Don't act stupid." "Lighten up Hikari," Marik said with a grin. Malik shook his head and folded up the kickstand of his motorcycle, hitting the gas pedal and roaring out of the garage and down the driveway. As soon as they hit pavement, he turned sharply to the right and headed off toward Ryou's apartment building.
As the light in the sky faded gradually, the two became less uneasy about being seen. In fact, by the time they arrived at Ryou's building, they practically strode inside as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Malik knocked on Ryou's door and waited, "Hm. He shouldn't be asleep this early..." Marik folded his arms and wondered down the hall a little ways, looking at a painting which was hung on the wall. Ryou opened his apartment door, peering out at Malik. He gave a soft sigh, "Look, if you're here to yell at me about earlier, I'm sorry..."
Malik shook his head, "No, no, no, it's ok! But um. I'm here for another reason." Marik headed back up the hall, arriving beside Malik, "Hello, Ryou." Ryou choked, "Bloody hell!" He swung the door open fully, "Get in here quick!" Marik and Malik obeyed and headed inside. Ryou slammed the door shut and locked it, "It's a wonder you weren't killed on the way here, Marik!" Marik appeared confused, "Hm? You don't seem surprised." Ryou nodded, "Yes, I know. This is more common than you think. It just hasn't happened to the people that I know. Until now..."
Malik gawked, "You mean this whole city has..." Ryou sighed, "A Vampire problem, yes." He examined Marik briefly, "Well, there's some good news here. For one, the sun isn't going to burn you alive. That's an old myth. And you won't look like this permanently." Ryou headed over to a bookshelf and looked over it briefly before pulling out a book and sifting through its page, "There's entire books on Vampires and how to deal with them. I guess I'm a little obsessed." Malik blinked, "Why?" Ryou looked up from the book and bit his lower lip, "No offense to you, Marik... But I hunt Vampires."
Malik blinked, "How did this escape our conversations before?!" Marik fell silent and gravitated toward the door. Ryou shut his book and set it on a nearby chair before stepping toward the fleeing Marik, "Hold on a minute there. Trust me; you don't want to leave now." Marik sneered, "Why not? You don't like having to chase your prey before you kill it?" "No, a fellow Vampire hunter is coming to see me tonight. Unfortunate, I know, but I didn't plan it this way." Ryou explained as Marik moved away from the door once more.
Malik looked between the two with unease, "A Vampire hunter? As in one who doesn't know Marik and will attack him?" Ryou nodded sadly, "Yea... Look, she won't be here for too long. She only said she needed to talk to me about something. You two could hide out in my room for the time being. But you'll have to be quiet."
Marik perked up, "She? I'm not afraid of some girl. I'll stay out here." "Trust me, she isn't just some girl. Her name's Cadelle and she's killed more Vampires than anyone else in our branch of the Clan. Erm, the Clan's our guild," said Ryou as he took his book into his hand again, "Here, let's head into the room, I'll try and figure out what type of Vampire you are, Marik. It should help."
The three boys entered Ryou's bedroom. The Vampire stood by the window and looked out. Malik sat on Ryou's bed and Ryou remained near the doorway. He took the time to open his book and start looking through it. He glanced to Marik for reference every now and again before shaking his head at the inaccurate picture on the page, "Hm. No, no, no..." Appearing confused, Ryou leaned against the doorframe, "That's odd. None of the common Vampire types meet your description properly..." Marik listened slightly, more trained on the outdoors. He wanted so badly to go out there and hunt something; anything.
"Omnipotent...Cruor avidity?" Ryou mumbled to himself. He looked at the image on the page and eyed its wings. He looked toward Marik and blinked, "I think I've found it." Marik shrugged, "Good, what am I?" Ryou swallowed, "Could you turn around?" Ryou asked shyly. Marik turned and arched an eyebrow. Ryou walked over to him and looked at his eyes to make sure they were the color he had first thought. He then drew his gaze to the book, "Red eyes and... Say, Marik, could you open a wing for me? I want to be sure." Marik gave an agitated grunt but he stretched a single wing outward for Ryou's viewing pleasure.
Ryou looked surprised, "Ok, maybe I didn't find it. You're not listed. Hm, that's bad. It means there's a new breed and it could be dangerous. I'll need to find out the weaknesses so Cadelle and I can-"He caught the look Marik was giving him and instantly shut up, "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't talk about you like that..." There was a knock at Ryou's apartment door and he stood straight, nearly dropping his book, "Quiet, both of you, this won't take long." Ryou darted from the room and shut the bedroom door, going to see who was at his apartment door.
Malik huffed slightly but then fell silent. He folded his arms and looked over at Marik who had folded his wing once more and was looking out the window, "What's out there?" He whispered. "Be quiet," Marik replied harshly. Marik briefly turned his head to look at the bedroom door. Malik watched him twitch an ear. The eerie aura Marik was generating started to get to him and he looked away.
Cadelle strode into Ryou's apartment after he opened the door, not even offering a smile as she moved to sit on Ryou's couch, "We have a problem." Ryou shut the door and moved to sit in a chair across from Cadelle, "Oh?" Cadelle nodded solemnly, causing her ponytail to bob slightly, "The situation's gotten worse. Not only are there more Vamps than normal, but there's a new kind. Dirty animals... We're working on new ways to get rid of them, so it's a good thing that they're rare. Things won't stay that way though. They'll spread themselves, like a disease," Cadelle spoke with much distaste in her voice.
Ryou resisted the urge to defend a particular Vampire and only nodded. Cadelle continued, "I want to do our rounds tonight. You'll be fine with this won't you? I'll need you, Ryou." Ryou nodded, "Yes, of course. At what time?" "As soon as possible. And..." Cadelle said suspiciously. Ryou tilted his head. Cadelle narrowed her eyes slightly, "You have an odd scent about you. You haven't encountered one of those new Vampires have you?" Ryou panicked on the inside, struggling to maintain his calm, "No. Not unless I passed one on the street and didn't notice." He shrugged.
"Hm. Get your things, we can leave right away," Cadelle replied emotionlessly. Ryou sighed, Cadelle never reacted normally to anything he said or did. Nevertheless, he stood up and went down the hall leading past his bedroom to a trunk where he kept his supplies. Unfortunately, he heard Cadelle following him. He prayed that Marik and Malik would be deathly silent. At this distance, Cadelle could hear them with ease. He opened up the trunk and snatched a belt which was equipped with three holsters on either side. He applied it to himself and holstered stakes along the belt. Next he pulled a black pendant off of a hook on the wall and slipped it around his neck.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Cadelle looking toward his bedroom door. Had Marik made a noise?! No, not that he could hear... His worries became reality as Cadelle asked him a question, "You weren't lying to me before when you said you hadn't met a Vampire?" Ryou broke into a cold sweat. He placed a packet of something into his pocket and shut the trunk, standing quickly, "No!" Cadelle lifted an eyebrow at his sudden answer, "What's the matter with you? You're acting strangely."
Ryou shook his head, "Nah. I just haven't been on rounds lately. It's a bit thrilling to me. Excites me, you know?" Cadelle looked toward the door again, "Something's here, Ryou. Perhaps you don't know it. It won't be safe to just leave the situation. And if those monsters know where you live, you could be in trouble. I can't have that." Cadelle put her hand on the doorknob. Ryou felt defeated as he watched Cadelle swiftly open the door. She stepped into the room and he followed in rapid succession.
He expected to find Malik and Marik there, looking at Cadelle fearfully. Instead, he found no one. Cadelle searched the room; she even opened Ryou's closet. Ryou felt partially uneasy but more so relieved. But then Cadelle felt the cold chill of the night air on her neck. She turned to Ryou's window; it was open. Walking over to it, she peered out and caught sight of the fire escape. Ryou froze; what if both of them were hiding out there?
Cadelle looked down as she heard a motorcycle start up and screech off into the night. She saw only one rider and he didn't seem any less normal than Ryou or herself. Then she heard the clank of someone's foot against metal. She snapped her head upward, seeing a flurry of shadows as something was evading her by escaping up to the roof of the apartment building, "We've got one! Come on, Ryou!" Cadelle exited Ryou's apartment, via the window and ran up the fire escape after the shadowy form which was nearing the roof. Ryou followed her, his eyes wide with worry.
Cadelle reached the roof, drawing a wooden stake from her side. Fanning out its bat-like wings, the fleeing Vampire reached the edge of the apartment building where it stopped. It turned partially, revealing blonde hair and a familiar face. Ryou got to the roof in time to find Cadelle charging the Vampire who revealed itself to be Marik. Cadelle sneered, "Won't you fly away, winged vermin?" Ryou stumbled across the rooftop, "Cadelle! Hang on!" Cadelle huffed, "No, it's ok. I've got him. She walked toward Marik, readying her stake. Marik merely glared and tried to step back but found his foot leaving the rooftop and throwing off his balance.
By the time he was stable again, Cadelle only seven feet from him, drawing back her arm, "Say goodbye, you filthy beast." Marik glanced over his shoulder, down to the ground, judging his height from it; ~ Mere seconds are a short time to learn how to fly... ~ He thought to himself. Ryou panicked as Marik turned and jumped from the apartment roof, "Wait, you don't know how to fly!!!"
Marik let himself freefall for around 3 seconds, watching the ground near him rapidly. At the last moment, he flared his wings and swept them in semi- circles, shutting his eyes. He never felt the ground, instead, he was carried upward. He opened an eye, then both, giving a victorious yell, "Aha!" He rose back up to his previous height, maintaining a fairly stable position in the sky.
Cadelle growled, "Great! Now how are we supposed to get him?!" Marik gave a slight sigh and briefly let his wings pause. He dropped down and leveled out again, this time turning and soaring off away from Ryou and Cadelle. Cadelle glared icy daggers at Ryou and he hung his head, "Cadelle I didn't mean to stop you. You see. He's a friend of mine-""A dirty fucking vampire. You're lucky he didn't bite you. Gullible idiot!" Cadelle cut him off. "No! He isn't like that. He has no idea what he's doing, that's all. He was bit recently and so he came to me for help. He was starving himself instead of going to feed on humans. Doesn't that count for something?"
Cadelle turned away from Ryou, "No, it doesn't. What do you think he's doing now? I'll bet he's out killing somebody right now. And you helped him get away. He'll murder too many people before we get close to him again. That was our only chance!" Ryou was torn between defending Marik or defending his beliefs, "Well. I mean... How do you know? He was nice enough when he was human. And would you hate me too if I suddenly got bitten?"
Cadelle snorted, "They change when they're bitten. They're heartless bastards who wouldn't think twice about killing their friends. Especially that one. Did you see that look it gave me? It wanted to tear my throat out. And it'd laugh while doing so. And no, I wouldn't hate you; I'd only hate the monster you'd have become."
Ryou wanted to remind her of the horrible things she had said about all Vampires like Marik which would explain his temperamental attitude but just didn't have any fight in him, "I'm sorry. Perhaps you don't want to do rounds with me tonight anymore..." Cadelle turned around to face Ryou, "No, we're still doing our rounds. But if we happen to see that sick freak again, you're going to let me kill it." Ryou felt his heart fall and his reply was silence. The two of them left the rooftop, disturbed, angered, and mentally torn.