Good god, Cadelle is a bitch. Oh well, we needed someone to hate and I
haven't gotten around to putting Tea in the story yet. *Cha-ching!*
Entering now is a new character! I hope you like them; they'll be in this
story a lot.
----
Cadelle walked beside Ryou, her sharp sapphire eyes darting down alleys and up toward the sky. She took confident strides and silent breathes, gliding like a ghost down the street. She, like Ryou, held a stake in her hand. Ryou glanced her way, "Do you sense one, Cadelle?" Cadelle gave a slight nod, "Close by." Ryou tightened his grip on his stake, preparing for a possible kill.
Cadelle peered into a dark building, slowly moving her gaze up to the night sky, "I believe there's two. Somewhere high. The roof perhaps." Ryou marveled at her ability to sense Vampires, it was a skill that he lacked and relied on her for. Cadelle tested a window, finding it unlocked. She pushed it open and entered the building finding herself in a secretary's office. She waited until Ryou was safely inside before seeking a staircase.
Up on the rooftop, a teenage male sat with his legs over the edge of the building with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Behind him were two elegant wings of black which remained flared and bathed in moonlight. His hair was much the same color as the moon tonight, silver and faint grey. It fell past his shoulders and cascaded down his back like the tail of a comet. His eyes were a deep red within which a constant swirl swam, creating a dark sparkle.
Beside this boy sat another one of similar age but lower intelligence in his features. This boy had wings, yet they were small and incapable of flight as they were attached to the undersides of his arms. His whole body appeared lanky and scrawny and his eyes were nothing special. They were dull dirt brown which complimented his hair of the same tone. This lesser and underdeveloped Vampire had a scowl on his face that wouldn't seem to leave, "They're scouring the city and killing us faster. Why aren't you doing anything?"
The red eyed fiend shrugged, removing his cigarette from his mouth and exhaling a thin stream of smoke which dissipated into invisible strands of grey and clear, "Let the weakest die then." He dropped his cigarette off the building, closing his eyes momentarily as the remainder of the cig hit the ground. The immature Vampire huffed, "Kaiser, you can't just ignore this!" Kaiser appeared to be apathetic, "There is nothing I can do." Now annoyed, the other bared his fangs, "That's a load of bull! You're indestructible! You're supposed to be a leader!" "Don't raise your voice and bare your teeth at me, Sykes. You'll regret it later, I promise," Kaiser said calmly.
Cadelle walked out onto the room, stealthily approaching Sykes and Kaiser from behind. Ryou followed beside her, targeting Kaiser while Cadelle branched off toward Sykes. "You're always making threats, Kaiser. We're all still waiting to see you do something about going through with them," Sykes hissed. Cadelle struck, reaching around the left side of the pre-occupied vampire and plunging her stake deep into his heart. Sykes screamed in pain before his body fell to a pile of ashes which was gently cleared from the roof by wind.
Ryou struck Kaiser at much the same time, but the Vampire was too fast. He grabbed Ryou's wrist and stood, turning to face him, "Very slow..." Ryou gasped and tried to pull away. Kaiser let him go with a smirk, watching him stumble backward and nearly fall down. Cadelle sneered, "Filthy swine, now you die!" She charged at Kaiser who didn't even try and stop her. She rose up and stabbed him in the chest. After a second or so, when his body hadn't disintegrated, she drew back, wrenching her stake free from Kaiser's body. For once, she appeared to be shocked.
Kaiser sighed lightly and stepped down from the ledge around the perimeter of the building, "And you call yourselves hunters..." Ryou watched dark red blood leak from Kaiser's open wound and wondered about the pain the Vampire was feeling, if any at all, "It didn't work." Ryou mumbled to himself. Cadelle drew in a hissing breath as she tried to spot any weakness on Kaiser. Kaiser arched an eyebrow at Ryou and twitched a nostril, "You reek of Vampire... Either you've slaughtered a good deal tonight or just had a brief meeting. Come to think of it, I'll have to visit some newer recruits later tonight. The newest one is something you absolutely must see. Beautiful really, blonde hair and violet- Well what am I doing here talking to my enemies? I really hate to leave you, but I must."
Cadelle was really becoming sick of the arrogant tone in the Vampire's voice and she glared. Kaiser smiled at her expression, "I'll be off now. Good luck in trying to kill the likes of me. You'll truly need it." Kaiser jumped atop the ledge once more and literally walked off the building. Ryou and Cadelle went to investigate only to find the silhouette of one fast moving pair of wings down near an alley.
Ryou choked as he felt Cadelle's icy gaze on him, "Your friend is a monster. Not just any monster, but one of THOSE!" She pointed in the direction Kaiser had fled. "Cadelle. I didn't know!" Ryou protested. "What kind of idiot are you, befriending a Vampire..." Cadelle shot her dagger- like words at Ryou without an ounce of mercy. Ryou looked angry now, "Stop it! I'm sick of hearing you insult him all the time!" Cadelle sneered, "You never minded my Vampire bashing before. Why is this new?" Ryou frowned, "I..." When he thought about it, there really was no difference. He wasn't sure if it was true that all people changed after being bitten, but Cadelle made him wonder, "I don't know..."
Cadelle huffed, "It's because he's your 'friend' and that makes you bias. Look what that beast has done to you. Soon you'll start defending all Vampires. Hell, you'll let yourself become one of them. I should go to the Clan right now and-""NO! Please! Cadelle. You wouldn't, would you? I'd never support Vampirism; believe me!"
Cadelle gave Ryou a cold stare as if disgusted by him. In her mind she could imagine those ugly bat wings on his back and two blood coated fangs sticking dumbly out of his mouth, "Fine. But don't talk to me anymore. We'll be silent with our rounds from now on." Cadelle turned and walked toward the staircase. Ryou hung his head and followed her, dejected and broken emotionally.
Marik stretched out on the roof of Malik's home with his arms folded behind his head and his wings splayed out over the rooftop, covering quite a bit of it. From the ground, he appeared to be an innocent stargazer. Only closer inspection would reveal his true nature. Marik sighed, half content and half starved. He heard a noise nearby and jerked himself into a seated position. He soon found the source of the noise. It was a stray cat sitting on a fence and damn did he hate them!
Creeping to the edge of the roof, Marik crouched down, deciding to scare the stray off with a loud noise that would surely send its fur bristling. He opened his mouth to make a short yelling noise. His eyes widened at the sound which came out instead. The air around the cat's body wavered slightly as a powerful inhuman screech rattled its frail body.
The cat in turn fell from the fence and scurried away, wailing. Marik clamped a hand over his mouth in full embarrassment. He saw a light turn on in the house across the street and scrambled to get off the roof. He fell into the backyard, thankfully landing on some grass. A slight groan was all he managed before getting up and dusting himself off. He heard a dog barking next door and blushed faintly. That screeching must have carried throughout the entire neighborhood if not further. Oh no! And Malik had school tomorrow. Hopefully he wasn't awake?
Marik entered the house through the back door, making sure he was quiet. He crept down the hall to Malik's room, seeing the door open. Peering around the door frame, he spied Malik sleeping peacefully on his bed. Thankfully his Hikari's ability to sleep through a train wreck had come in handy. Emitting a relieved sigh, he headed for his own room. Once in there, he too left his door open. It was only a few strides toward the mirror and he took them carefully. He examined his features within the glass, noticing how pale he looked. His jaw was loose and he wasn't even standing straight. He knew he'd need to eat sometime, and hopefully soon.
Moving to sit on his bed, he knew that sometime wouldn't be until tomorrow. The hunger continued to ravage him like some animal. He supposed that a Vampire's metabolism was sped up and therefore starvation was a true threat. After folding and refolding his wings many times, Marik finally found a suitable way to get himself into bed.
Most of his body stayed beneath his blanket while his wings stuck out above it, hanging over the sides of the bed. He lay on his stomach and folded his arms beneath his pillow, trying to fall asleep. Odion, having heard Marik enter the house, passed by his room and smirked slightly when he saw the position he was in. Shaking his head, he closed Marik's door, walking back down the hall to his own bedroom.
The next day came quicker than expected and Marik had to force himself to wake up. Sitting up, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Cracking an eye open, he noticed two things. His teeth actually fit inside his mouth now and a great weight was missing from his back. He smiled drowsily and opened his other eye, looking at the clock on his bedside table. He frowned slightly; his Hikari was at school by now and Odion was off to work.
How boring! He had the house all to himself with nothing to do. Dragging himself out of bed, Marik changed outfits and exited his room entering the living room only to flop down on the couch restlessly. He wasn't a dog; you couldn't just chain him up to a bike rack and expect him to be entertained by ants walking around on the ground. Emitting a groan of boredom, Marik considered just going back to sleep. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
Wondering who it could be, Marik stood and walked to the door, pulling it open, "What do you want?" The person at the door smiled, pushing a bit of silver hair back over his shoulder, "You made a lot of noise last night." Marik inwardly rolled his eyes. He thought this was some angered neighbor, "Hm, yea. I was playing some loud music. Sorry if I woke you, goodbye." He began to close the door after emitting a sentence in monotone.
"I'm glad you like to think of it as music," the other said suddenly, "Most people just call it screeching. Marik paused and opened the door fully once again. He gave the teen a peculiar look, "Who are you?" The teen's eyes flashed, "My name is Kaiser. May I come in? I'd like to talk to you."
Yugi sat boredly in Biology, listening to the instructor drone on and on about punett squares and blood types. He looked over at Joey who was snoring soundly behind his pile of books. Ryou sat behind Yugi, looking like the living dead. He had bags under his eyes and appeared to be sleep deprived as his head kept traveling downward and he had to jerk it up.
Malik's desk was beside Ryou's. He was one of the few kids in class who was actually paying attention today. That was strange, considering Malik usually got by on meager grades alone. But today he was feverishly taking notes and paying attention to the fullest. He was taking such accurate notes that he even caught the teacher's mannerisms within them. He paused and shook his tired writing hand, ceasing his note-taking altogether. After that, he folded his arms on his desk and put his head down with an audible sigh.
Yugi noticed the odd behavior but dared not to talk during class. He looked at the clock and brightened up at the welcome sight of the class period being just about over. After the bell rang, everyone filed out. Yugi eventually found Ryou and Malik again at an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Yugi moved to sit by them seeing them talking to each other from afar, "Hey, guys." Malik glanced at Yugi and muttered a hello before folding his arms and looking down at the table.
Ryou smiled slightly, 'Hey, Yugi." Yugi looked worriedly at Malik, "Is he ok?" Ryou looked at Malik and then back to Yugi, "He's worried about his Yami. And himself..." Yugi looked confused, "Why?" Ryou hesitated a moment, "Two days ago, Marik was bitten by a Vampire, Yugi; a very powerful one." He saw the look on Yugi's face, "I'm not lying; I'm dead serious." The mention of the word dead summoned a small noise from Malik which sounded strangely like a whimper. Yugi nodded slowly, "So this means Marik's one too huh?" Ryou nodded, "People might try to kill him for that reason. And if they succeed..." Ryou looked over at Malik with a saddened expression.
Kaiser sat on the back porch with Marik, admiring the scenery. Marik, still skeptical of Kaiser, questioned him, "Allow me to try and understand. You say you are a Vampire; like me. And that you want me to start attacking humans? I'll be killed." Kaiser smiled, "Don't worry, nobody has the means by which to kill you. We aren't like the others, but we need the others to be like us. Our breed is more advanced."
Marik shook his head, "Even so, I've made promises not to." Kaiser sighed, "Look at yourself; you're withering away as we speak. You could remedy that so easily. And I know you want to. It's pulling at you isn't it?" Marik now thought on this for a minute. It did seem as if the instinct was starting to take him over, "I can't... I have reasons not to." Kaiser rolled his eyes, "Is death a good enough reason to have you start caring for your own well-being? If you truly wish to protect those that you care about, then you'll keep yourself alive long enough to do so. Right?"
Marik nodded slowly. "Besides, you can target the useless humans that don't deserve to live in the first place. Those types of people shouldn't be hard to find. And you won't be killing them. Only giving them a second chance at becoming something great," Kaiser added. The more Marik thought about it, the less it seemed like something terrible and the more it sounded acceptable. Little did he know that he was slowly losing his will to the hunger that dwelled within him. Kaiser gave a sweet smile to ensure his point, ~ Foolish... He'll be a monster when I'm through with him. A perfect way to spread my breed. ~
"When do you turn, by the way?" Kaiser asked casually as if it were a normal thing. Marik sighed, "Six thirty." Kaiser looked pleased, "Early. That's good. Marik shrugged. "I'll meet you here tonight at around six forty-five. That is, if you're still willing?" Marik grinned, "Count me in." Kaiser nodded approvingly, ~ Hook, line, and sinker... ~
Only hours after Kaiser's departure did Malik return home. He instantly scoured the house to find Marik, being followed by Ryou, and Yugi who'd decided to tag along. "Marik? Where are you!" Malik darted down the hall, leaving Yugi and Ryou standing in the living room. Malik found Marik in his room, studying the ceiling, "There you are!" Malik nearly pounced Marik as he sat up and instantly checked him for any injuries, "You're not hurt are you?" Marik quirked a brow, "You worry too much. I'm fine."
Malik tried to drag Marik to his feet, "Come on, Ryou and Yugi are here to see you." Marik got up and tilted his head, "To see me or because you made them come here?" Malik ignored the question as he led Marik back out to the living room. Yugi shifted uneasily in the presence of the psychotic Egyptian and tried to smile, "Hi, Marik." "What's this about?" Marik asked with confusion in his voice, "And why are you here, Yugi?" Yugi shied back a bit, "Um... I heard about what happened. I wanted to help."
The three boys sat on the couch and Marik sat in a chair, looking thoughtfully at Ryou who seemed very concerned, "Ryou is there something you're not telling me?" Ryou sighed, "Marik, it doesn't matter what precautions you take now. You're already on the Clan's wanted list." Marik blinked, "What? Why!" Now agitated, Marik leaned forward a bit. Ryou cringed at his tone, "Cadelle met a Vampire who mentioned you. Now she's gone and told everyone so you aren't safe anymore."
"Great," Marik muttered darkly, "This puts us in a great place now doesn't it? If I stay here for the rest of my days I'll starve to death and Malik will die. But if I go out? The same result." Marik shook his head and leaned back into his chair, "I'm sorry, Hikari." Malik was surprised at the level of kindness his Yami was allowing, "It's not your fault." Ryou and Yugi were quite shocked as well, but they soon recovered. "If you're very careful, you can try to hunt animals. But that'll be hard. We don't have many suitable ones around here. That's all the advice I can offer to you," Ryou said sadly.
Marik nodded, "That'll do I guess. Thank you, Ryou." Marik had already considered this option and discarded it even though he never voiced it. They had very few wild animals around as it was and he could contract rabies or some other feral disease. It was just too risky. "Ryou, how much do you know about Vampire bites?" Yugi asked suddenly. Ryou blinked, "Well um. They can change the bitten person into a Vampire most of the time." Yugi brightened a little, "Most of the time? So that means not everybody bitten gets changed?"
"Where are you going with this, Yugi?" Malik asked. Yugi smiled a little, "Well, if we can figure out what kind of bite it takes not to change somebody, then maybe Marik can use our blood without any problems." Marik was touched, the boy obviously had too much kindness in him, "I'm not biting any of you three. Cancel that idea right now." Something in the back of Marik's mind told him to accept the offer. And that little voice was getting louder.
"No, it's ok. You're going to have to go with this idea, Marik. Good thinking, Yugi." Ryou said, now a bit happier than before. Marik frowned, "Don't rejoice just yet. I'm going to have to think about this. And besides, you still have research to do." "That's true," Ryou admitted, "But it won't take me too long." Malik was close to cheering, "Good! When can we start?"
In time, all four of them were at Ryou's apartment, reading books. Marik turned a page, scanning it, "You know, for such an important fact, Vampire bites are hard to find..." They'd been researching for quite a bit and Ryou was beginning to doubt that they'd ever find it. Yugi stopped searching his book, "Got it." Ryou brightened and walked over to Yugi alongside Malik, "Really?" Yugi nodded. Marik glanced out the window, "Hm. What time is it, Ryou?" Ryou took a moment to glance at his watch, "About six twenty-seven, why?"
Marik suddenly remembered Kaiser's offer, "There's somewhere I have to be, I'm sorry." Ryou blinked, "But don't you want to hear how this works?" "Erm. No, I'll see you tomorrow," Marik said quickly as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Malik chased him, "Hey, don't worry. If it's about the changing, Yugi won't mind." Marik walked down the hall waving Malik off, "Don't worry, I'm not ashamed, I just need to do something. I'll meet you at home later." Malik sighed and headed back into the apartment.
Marik was just outside of the apartment building when the changes began. He quickly removed his shirt after finding a place to hide until he was finished. He didn't want to risk losing another shirt. His wings slid out into the cold air as natural as could be and he felt his fangs pressing against his bottom lip. He gritted his teeth as a familiar pain seared through his body. Making haste to get into the sky, Marik headed home, not caring that the scars on his back were in plain view.
He saw Kaiser standing idly in the back yard with his own wings spread just as he had told Marik earlier. Marik made his landing, tossing his useless shirt onto the back porch, "I'm here." Kaiser turned and smiled, his red eyes glistening, "Oh, good. I thought you changed your mind for a minute there." Marik walked over to Kaiser and looked him over a bit before moving to stand in front of him. Kaiser caught sight of the markings on Marik's back, but made no note of them verbally, "I'll need to teach you how to bite properly. First off. If you're going to change your victim, make sure you bite them here..." He tapped the side of his neck just two inches above his shoulder, "Then drain them until their heart rate slows down to almost nothing. But if you go any further, you'll kill them."
Marik nodded slightly. "That's all you need to know since we aren't going to bite just for fun. We're aiming to change. I assume you know how to sneak up on people?" Marik nodded again, "I've had practice." Kaiser smiled, "Good. Now follow me, we have a lot to do tonight." Marik followed Kaiser who leapt upward and rose into the sky, powerfully flapping his wings. The two off them headed toward the main part of the city like two shadows of impending darkness.
----
Cadelle walked beside Ryou, her sharp sapphire eyes darting down alleys and up toward the sky. She took confident strides and silent breathes, gliding like a ghost down the street. She, like Ryou, held a stake in her hand. Ryou glanced her way, "Do you sense one, Cadelle?" Cadelle gave a slight nod, "Close by." Ryou tightened his grip on his stake, preparing for a possible kill.
Cadelle peered into a dark building, slowly moving her gaze up to the night sky, "I believe there's two. Somewhere high. The roof perhaps." Ryou marveled at her ability to sense Vampires, it was a skill that he lacked and relied on her for. Cadelle tested a window, finding it unlocked. She pushed it open and entered the building finding herself in a secretary's office. She waited until Ryou was safely inside before seeking a staircase.
Up on the rooftop, a teenage male sat with his legs over the edge of the building with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Behind him were two elegant wings of black which remained flared and bathed in moonlight. His hair was much the same color as the moon tonight, silver and faint grey. It fell past his shoulders and cascaded down his back like the tail of a comet. His eyes were a deep red within which a constant swirl swam, creating a dark sparkle.
Beside this boy sat another one of similar age but lower intelligence in his features. This boy had wings, yet they were small and incapable of flight as they were attached to the undersides of his arms. His whole body appeared lanky and scrawny and his eyes were nothing special. They were dull dirt brown which complimented his hair of the same tone. This lesser and underdeveloped Vampire had a scowl on his face that wouldn't seem to leave, "They're scouring the city and killing us faster. Why aren't you doing anything?"
The red eyed fiend shrugged, removing his cigarette from his mouth and exhaling a thin stream of smoke which dissipated into invisible strands of grey and clear, "Let the weakest die then." He dropped his cigarette off the building, closing his eyes momentarily as the remainder of the cig hit the ground. The immature Vampire huffed, "Kaiser, you can't just ignore this!" Kaiser appeared to be apathetic, "There is nothing I can do." Now annoyed, the other bared his fangs, "That's a load of bull! You're indestructible! You're supposed to be a leader!" "Don't raise your voice and bare your teeth at me, Sykes. You'll regret it later, I promise," Kaiser said calmly.
Cadelle walked out onto the room, stealthily approaching Sykes and Kaiser from behind. Ryou followed beside her, targeting Kaiser while Cadelle branched off toward Sykes. "You're always making threats, Kaiser. We're all still waiting to see you do something about going through with them," Sykes hissed. Cadelle struck, reaching around the left side of the pre-occupied vampire and plunging her stake deep into his heart. Sykes screamed in pain before his body fell to a pile of ashes which was gently cleared from the roof by wind.
Ryou struck Kaiser at much the same time, but the Vampire was too fast. He grabbed Ryou's wrist and stood, turning to face him, "Very slow..." Ryou gasped and tried to pull away. Kaiser let him go with a smirk, watching him stumble backward and nearly fall down. Cadelle sneered, "Filthy swine, now you die!" She charged at Kaiser who didn't even try and stop her. She rose up and stabbed him in the chest. After a second or so, when his body hadn't disintegrated, she drew back, wrenching her stake free from Kaiser's body. For once, she appeared to be shocked.
Kaiser sighed lightly and stepped down from the ledge around the perimeter of the building, "And you call yourselves hunters..." Ryou watched dark red blood leak from Kaiser's open wound and wondered about the pain the Vampire was feeling, if any at all, "It didn't work." Ryou mumbled to himself. Cadelle drew in a hissing breath as she tried to spot any weakness on Kaiser. Kaiser arched an eyebrow at Ryou and twitched a nostril, "You reek of Vampire... Either you've slaughtered a good deal tonight or just had a brief meeting. Come to think of it, I'll have to visit some newer recruits later tonight. The newest one is something you absolutely must see. Beautiful really, blonde hair and violet- Well what am I doing here talking to my enemies? I really hate to leave you, but I must."
Cadelle was really becoming sick of the arrogant tone in the Vampire's voice and she glared. Kaiser smiled at her expression, "I'll be off now. Good luck in trying to kill the likes of me. You'll truly need it." Kaiser jumped atop the ledge once more and literally walked off the building. Ryou and Cadelle went to investigate only to find the silhouette of one fast moving pair of wings down near an alley.
Ryou choked as he felt Cadelle's icy gaze on him, "Your friend is a monster. Not just any monster, but one of THOSE!" She pointed in the direction Kaiser had fled. "Cadelle. I didn't know!" Ryou protested. "What kind of idiot are you, befriending a Vampire..." Cadelle shot her dagger- like words at Ryou without an ounce of mercy. Ryou looked angry now, "Stop it! I'm sick of hearing you insult him all the time!" Cadelle sneered, "You never minded my Vampire bashing before. Why is this new?" Ryou frowned, "I..." When he thought about it, there really was no difference. He wasn't sure if it was true that all people changed after being bitten, but Cadelle made him wonder, "I don't know..."
Cadelle huffed, "It's because he's your 'friend' and that makes you bias. Look what that beast has done to you. Soon you'll start defending all Vampires. Hell, you'll let yourself become one of them. I should go to the Clan right now and-""NO! Please! Cadelle. You wouldn't, would you? I'd never support Vampirism; believe me!"
Cadelle gave Ryou a cold stare as if disgusted by him. In her mind she could imagine those ugly bat wings on his back and two blood coated fangs sticking dumbly out of his mouth, "Fine. But don't talk to me anymore. We'll be silent with our rounds from now on." Cadelle turned and walked toward the staircase. Ryou hung his head and followed her, dejected and broken emotionally.
Marik stretched out on the roof of Malik's home with his arms folded behind his head and his wings splayed out over the rooftop, covering quite a bit of it. From the ground, he appeared to be an innocent stargazer. Only closer inspection would reveal his true nature. Marik sighed, half content and half starved. He heard a noise nearby and jerked himself into a seated position. He soon found the source of the noise. It was a stray cat sitting on a fence and damn did he hate them!
Creeping to the edge of the roof, Marik crouched down, deciding to scare the stray off with a loud noise that would surely send its fur bristling. He opened his mouth to make a short yelling noise. His eyes widened at the sound which came out instead. The air around the cat's body wavered slightly as a powerful inhuman screech rattled its frail body.
The cat in turn fell from the fence and scurried away, wailing. Marik clamped a hand over his mouth in full embarrassment. He saw a light turn on in the house across the street and scrambled to get off the roof. He fell into the backyard, thankfully landing on some grass. A slight groan was all he managed before getting up and dusting himself off. He heard a dog barking next door and blushed faintly. That screeching must have carried throughout the entire neighborhood if not further. Oh no! And Malik had school tomorrow. Hopefully he wasn't awake?
Marik entered the house through the back door, making sure he was quiet. He crept down the hall to Malik's room, seeing the door open. Peering around the door frame, he spied Malik sleeping peacefully on his bed. Thankfully his Hikari's ability to sleep through a train wreck had come in handy. Emitting a relieved sigh, he headed for his own room. Once in there, he too left his door open. It was only a few strides toward the mirror and he took them carefully. He examined his features within the glass, noticing how pale he looked. His jaw was loose and he wasn't even standing straight. He knew he'd need to eat sometime, and hopefully soon.
Moving to sit on his bed, he knew that sometime wouldn't be until tomorrow. The hunger continued to ravage him like some animal. He supposed that a Vampire's metabolism was sped up and therefore starvation was a true threat. After folding and refolding his wings many times, Marik finally found a suitable way to get himself into bed.
Most of his body stayed beneath his blanket while his wings stuck out above it, hanging over the sides of the bed. He lay on his stomach and folded his arms beneath his pillow, trying to fall asleep. Odion, having heard Marik enter the house, passed by his room and smirked slightly when he saw the position he was in. Shaking his head, he closed Marik's door, walking back down the hall to his own bedroom.
The next day came quicker than expected and Marik had to force himself to wake up. Sitting up, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Cracking an eye open, he noticed two things. His teeth actually fit inside his mouth now and a great weight was missing from his back. He smiled drowsily and opened his other eye, looking at the clock on his bedside table. He frowned slightly; his Hikari was at school by now and Odion was off to work.
How boring! He had the house all to himself with nothing to do. Dragging himself out of bed, Marik changed outfits and exited his room entering the living room only to flop down on the couch restlessly. He wasn't a dog; you couldn't just chain him up to a bike rack and expect him to be entertained by ants walking around on the ground. Emitting a groan of boredom, Marik considered just going back to sleep. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
Wondering who it could be, Marik stood and walked to the door, pulling it open, "What do you want?" The person at the door smiled, pushing a bit of silver hair back over his shoulder, "You made a lot of noise last night." Marik inwardly rolled his eyes. He thought this was some angered neighbor, "Hm, yea. I was playing some loud music. Sorry if I woke you, goodbye." He began to close the door after emitting a sentence in monotone.
"I'm glad you like to think of it as music," the other said suddenly, "Most people just call it screeching. Marik paused and opened the door fully once again. He gave the teen a peculiar look, "Who are you?" The teen's eyes flashed, "My name is Kaiser. May I come in? I'd like to talk to you."
Yugi sat boredly in Biology, listening to the instructor drone on and on about punett squares and blood types. He looked over at Joey who was snoring soundly behind his pile of books. Ryou sat behind Yugi, looking like the living dead. He had bags under his eyes and appeared to be sleep deprived as his head kept traveling downward and he had to jerk it up.
Malik's desk was beside Ryou's. He was one of the few kids in class who was actually paying attention today. That was strange, considering Malik usually got by on meager grades alone. But today he was feverishly taking notes and paying attention to the fullest. He was taking such accurate notes that he even caught the teacher's mannerisms within them. He paused and shook his tired writing hand, ceasing his note-taking altogether. After that, he folded his arms on his desk and put his head down with an audible sigh.
Yugi noticed the odd behavior but dared not to talk during class. He looked at the clock and brightened up at the welcome sight of the class period being just about over. After the bell rang, everyone filed out. Yugi eventually found Ryou and Malik again at an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Yugi moved to sit by them seeing them talking to each other from afar, "Hey, guys." Malik glanced at Yugi and muttered a hello before folding his arms and looking down at the table.
Ryou smiled slightly, 'Hey, Yugi." Yugi looked worriedly at Malik, "Is he ok?" Ryou looked at Malik and then back to Yugi, "He's worried about his Yami. And himself..." Yugi looked confused, "Why?" Ryou hesitated a moment, "Two days ago, Marik was bitten by a Vampire, Yugi; a very powerful one." He saw the look on Yugi's face, "I'm not lying; I'm dead serious." The mention of the word dead summoned a small noise from Malik which sounded strangely like a whimper. Yugi nodded slowly, "So this means Marik's one too huh?" Ryou nodded, "People might try to kill him for that reason. And if they succeed..." Ryou looked over at Malik with a saddened expression.
Kaiser sat on the back porch with Marik, admiring the scenery. Marik, still skeptical of Kaiser, questioned him, "Allow me to try and understand. You say you are a Vampire; like me. And that you want me to start attacking humans? I'll be killed." Kaiser smiled, "Don't worry, nobody has the means by which to kill you. We aren't like the others, but we need the others to be like us. Our breed is more advanced."
Marik shook his head, "Even so, I've made promises not to." Kaiser sighed, "Look at yourself; you're withering away as we speak. You could remedy that so easily. And I know you want to. It's pulling at you isn't it?" Marik now thought on this for a minute. It did seem as if the instinct was starting to take him over, "I can't... I have reasons not to." Kaiser rolled his eyes, "Is death a good enough reason to have you start caring for your own well-being? If you truly wish to protect those that you care about, then you'll keep yourself alive long enough to do so. Right?"
Marik nodded slowly. "Besides, you can target the useless humans that don't deserve to live in the first place. Those types of people shouldn't be hard to find. And you won't be killing them. Only giving them a second chance at becoming something great," Kaiser added. The more Marik thought about it, the less it seemed like something terrible and the more it sounded acceptable. Little did he know that he was slowly losing his will to the hunger that dwelled within him. Kaiser gave a sweet smile to ensure his point, ~ Foolish... He'll be a monster when I'm through with him. A perfect way to spread my breed. ~
"When do you turn, by the way?" Kaiser asked casually as if it were a normal thing. Marik sighed, "Six thirty." Kaiser looked pleased, "Early. That's good. Marik shrugged. "I'll meet you here tonight at around six forty-five. That is, if you're still willing?" Marik grinned, "Count me in." Kaiser nodded approvingly, ~ Hook, line, and sinker... ~
Only hours after Kaiser's departure did Malik return home. He instantly scoured the house to find Marik, being followed by Ryou, and Yugi who'd decided to tag along. "Marik? Where are you!" Malik darted down the hall, leaving Yugi and Ryou standing in the living room. Malik found Marik in his room, studying the ceiling, "There you are!" Malik nearly pounced Marik as he sat up and instantly checked him for any injuries, "You're not hurt are you?" Marik quirked a brow, "You worry too much. I'm fine."
Malik tried to drag Marik to his feet, "Come on, Ryou and Yugi are here to see you." Marik got up and tilted his head, "To see me or because you made them come here?" Malik ignored the question as he led Marik back out to the living room. Yugi shifted uneasily in the presence of the psychotic Egyptian and tried to smile, "Hi, Marik." "What's this about?" Marik asked with confusion in his voice, "And why are you here, Yugi?" Yugi shied back a bit, "Um... I heard about what happened. I wanted to help."
The three boys sat on the couch and Marik sat in a chair, looking thoughtfully at Ryou who seemed very concerned, "Ryou is there something you're not telling me?" Ryou sighed, "Marik, it doesn't matter what precautions you take now. You're already on the Clan's wanted list." Marik blinked, "What? Why!" Now agitated, Marik leaned forward a bit. Ryou cringed at his tone, "Cadelle met a Vampire who mentioned you. Now she's gone and told everyone so you aren't safe anymore."
"Great," Marik muttered darkly, "This puts us in a great place now doesn't it? If I stay here for the rest of my days I'll starve to death and Malik will die. But if I go out? The same result." Marik shook his head and leaned back into his chair, "I'm sorry, Hikari." Malik was surprised at the level of kindness his Yami was allowing, "It's not your fault." Ryou and Yugi were quite shocked as well, but they soon recovered. "If you're very careful, you can try to hunt animals. But that'll be hard. We don't have many suitable ones around here. That's all the advice I can offer to you," Ryou said sadly.
Marik nodded, "That'll do I guess. Thank you, Ryou." Marik had already considered this option and discarded it even though he never voiced it. They had very few wild animals around as it was and he could contract rabies or some other feral disease. It was just too risky. "Ryou, how much do you know about Vampire bites?" Yugi asked suddenly. Ryou blinked, "Well um. They can change the bitten person into a Vampire most of the time." Yugi brightened a little, "Most of the time? So that means not everybody bitten gets changed?"
"Where are you going with this, Yugi?" Malik asked. Yugi smiled a little, "Well, if we can figure out what kind of bite it takes not to change somebody, then maybe Marik can use our blood without any problems." Marik was touched, the boy obviously had too much kindness in him, "I'm not biting any of you three. Cancel that idea right now." Something in the back of Marik's mind told him to accept the offer. And that little voice was getting louder.
"No, it's ok. You're going to have to go with this idea, Marik. Good thinking, Yugi." Ryou said, now a bit happier than before. Marik frowned, "Don't rejoice just yet. I'm going to have to think about this. And besides, you still have research to do." "That's true," Ryou admitted, "But it won't take me too long." Malik was close to cheering, "Good! When can we start?"
In time, all four of them were at Ryou's apartment, reading books. Marik turned a page, scanning it, "You know, for such an important fact, Vampire bites are hard to find..." They'd been researching for quite a bit and Ryou was beginning to doubt that they'd ever find it. Yugi stopped searching his book, "Got it." Ryou brightened and walked over to Yugi alongside Malik, "Really?" Yugi nodded. Marik glanced out the window, "Hm. What time is it, Ryou?" Ryou took a moment to glance at his watch, "About six twenty-seven, why?"
Marik suddenly remembered Kaiser's offer, "There's somewhere I have to be, I'm sorry." Ryou blinked, "But don't you want to hear how this works?" "Erm. No, I'll see you tomorrow," Marik said quickly as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Malik chased him, "Hey, don't worry. If it's about the changing, Yugi won't mind." Marik walked down the hall waving Malik off, "Don't worry, I'm not ashamed, I just need to do something. I'll meet you at home later." Malik sighed and headed back into the apartment.
Marik was just outside of the apartment building when the changes began. He quickly removed his shirt after finding a place to hide until he was finished. He didn't want to risk losing another shirt. His wings slid out into the cold air as natural as could be and he felt his fangs pressing against his bottom lip. He gritted his teeth as a familiar pain seared through his body. Making haste to get into the sky, Marik headed home, not caring that the scars on his back were in plain view.
He saw Kaiser standing idly in the back yard with his own wings spread just as he had told Marik earlier. Marik made his landing, tossing his useless shirt onto the back porch, "I'm here." Kaiser turned and smiled, his red eyes glistening, "Oh, good. I thought you changed your mind for a minute there." Marik walked over to Kaiser and looked him over a bit before moving to stand in front of him. Kaiser caught sight of the markings on Marik's back, but made no note of them verbally, "I'll need to teach you how to bite properly. First off. If you're going to change your victim, make sure you bite them here..." He tapped the side of his neck just two inches above his shoulder, "Then drain them until their heart rate slows down to almost nothing. But if you go any further, you'll kill them."
Marik nodded slightly. "That's all you need to know since we aren't going to bite just for fun. We're aiming to change. I assume you know how to sneak up on people?" Marik nodded again, "I've had practice." Kaiser smiled, "Good. Now follow me, we have a lot to do tonight." Marik followed Kaiser who leapt upward and rose into the sky, powerfully flapping his wings. The two off them headed toward the main part of the city like two shadows of impending darkness.