RESPONSES
Ksaturn
Mena: Heya! Welcome back! (waves)
Toli: Yami and Tea falling in love? No. Especially after the chapter after this (Chapter 11). It will be IMPOSSIBLE then for them to fall in love. I hope that doesn't disappoint you or something, but no, no Yami/Tea!
Mena: But there's plenty of gore!
Toli: (rolls eyes) (sarcasm) And yeah, that's a GREAT replacement.
Silver Moon Phoenix
Mena: Hi, all...(stops and does head count) four of you! Wow. Four! That's a lot of people. And all because you all like the story? Awww, how sweet!
Toli: Yep, that's one of the reasons this is AU. A few more are: Tea's a slayer, Yami's a vampire, Yugi's a half-vampire, vampires exist, Tea is meaner than in the real series, Tea uses a gun, Joey has a crush on Tea, Duke is a slayer, Mai is a slayer, slayers exist--you get it.
Mena: Isn't AU fun? Anyhow, thanks for the review from all four of you!
Phoenix727
Mena: Hi guys! (waves)
Toli: Oooh, sledgehammer. I need to upgrade my choice of weapons from a frying pan...
Mena: Haha, Short and Low! Good one! Anyway, we're glad you enjoy all or stories, let me say for both of us, we're honored that you bothered to tell us so!
Toli: It's a great honor to get cool compliment like those!...And now we sound REEEEALLY hokey...
Mena: Don't blame me about the evil Yami, by the way, blame Toli. She was going to make the villain someone else, but that was BEFORE she watched the episode where Yami used the Seal of Orichalcos. Wasn't that episode awful? Anyway, Toli saw how evil Yami could be and decided to make one of those bad-guy-you-love-to-hate villains. Amazing what ideas TV can plant in your head!
kameeko
Mena: Yay for fluff!
Toli: Sister, the fluff is OVER. It's about to get horrible in here!
Mena: Oh...
Toli: Anyway, glad you didn't skip Chapter 7. I skip lemons too. I just can't read those. How do people sit down and just write something like that is what confuses me. Hmm. Maybe I'm too young to understand...
Mena: We ARE only 16. But still, I don't think I'd get it if I was 40.
Toli: Hmm, yeah. Anyway! What was I saying? Oyeah! Thanks for reviewing!
Masami, Mistress Of Fire
Toli: (evil grin) Cinco, quatro, tres, dos, uno...
Mena: Damie-chan! (grabs Damion in a glomp) I'm so happy you love my piccy!
Toli: Yeah, you know, somebody sent me your chain letter, Masami. I sent it to my mom, my friends, and my sisters...
Mena: And I sent it to the judge's wife!
Toli: O.O WHAT?! YOU MEAN YOU KNOW THE JUDGE'S WIFE AND YOU COULDN'T TELL HER TO TELL HER HUSBAND THAT HE WAS IN GRAVE DANGER??!
Mena: Well...it just said send it...not deliver a message or anything...
Toli: (slaps hand to forehead)
Mena: Well, we gotta go and update the story! Bye, Damie-chan! (kisses Damion's cheek)
kristen89
Mena: Yes...isn't it nice when something nice happens to Yugi in the midst of chaos?
Toli: (arms crossed) Too bad it won't stay that way.
Mena: (sighs) Too bad...
Toli: Anyway, we checked out three of your fics, and we liked them! We hope you continue them. And thanks for the review!
Mena: Sister, we said Friday. It's still Thursday.
Toli: (indignant) What's wrong with a speedy update?
Mena: Nothing! I'm for it! I'm just sayin'...
Toli: Yeah, well, you don't know what you're sayin'. Let's just move onto the story. We're too lazy to do the disclaimer!
Warning: A few graphic descriptions in this chapter.
TEN: Secrets Of The Vampires 2
THE NEXT NIGHT/MORNING
Tea sat on the edge of the building's roof, crossed legs dangling above the street six stories away. The sun was coming up. She didn't feel like going home yet, however. Her night hadn't been the best of them all. Sure, she had single-handedly killed twenty-three bloodsuckers, breaking her own record, but other things were on her mind. Like the safety of her friends. She wanted to find Yami and tear off all his limbs. How dare he drag Joey and Serenity into this! Who did he think he was?
Her thoughts wandered back to what that little vampire had told her. "My master is Yami, the leader of our sect, ruler over all vampires. He says that you must convince his younger brother to become a vampire, and then you must turn yourself in to him all within twenty-four hours or he will kill them both and let us divide them up amongst ourselves. Not only that, if you try to deviate in any way from the terms of this deal, my master will unleash every vampire under his reign on the day of darkness." She knew she had to save them at any cost, since they were innocent, but the demands were harsh. She knew that Yami wanted to kill her; he had said so himself. She practically lived for killing vampires after dark, to avenge her parents and now her aunt. And she knew she herself was one of the best. It would be hard to give that up, but necessary if it would save her friends.
The worst part was that she had to go find Yugi and actually speak to him. She wasn't sure if she wouldn't be able to kill him on sight. She hated him. He had played her for an idiot and she had fallen right into his trap. At least now she knew that it was impossible to trust any vampire, no matter whether or not they were half-human. But what could she do with that information? If things went as Yami planned, by this time tomorrow, she would be a corpse and the vampires' biggest obstacle would be gone. What could she do? Maybe there was a way to save her friends without holding up her own part of the deal. She just didn't know. All she knew was, if she was going to have a chance to help Joey and Serenity, she needed to know where to find them.
"Where else?" Tea said aloud. "The S.V.H., of course, since no slayer knows where that is. But where is that?"
Suddenly, the sun's light darkened. Tea looked up to find the sky covered by storm clouds. Distant thunder could be heard.
"Of course," she said. "The weather was predicted to be a thunderstorm today." That meant it would be dark all day, and wouldn't let up until well after night. Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant. Vampires weren't restricted to nighttime hours; they could come out whenever they felt like as long as it was dark. She knew this from experience. She had had this problem last year with a long rainstorm.
"So," Tea said, standing up, "this must be what that girl meant. This must be that day of darkness. I've got a whole day to investigate." She smiled grimly. It seemed a good excuse to cut school.
Yami sat on the shore, at the edge of the water. Beside him sat Serenity, knees pulled up to her chest, arms resting on her knees, face buried in her arms. He had an arm around her shoulder, but it was only to ensure her she could not get away if she tried. She didn't bother of course, which pleased Yami to no end. Everything was going according to plan, and soon Tea the slayer would be dead. I've been hunting you down for four years, Yami thought. And now the hunt will be over at last.
He heard a faint sound that sounded like metal scraping against metal and winced. They were still hungry. Well, don't worry, my friends, Yami thought with an evil smile, you'll have another to add to your meal soon enough.
"Master."
Yami turned his head and saw Rebecca standing behind him, a black globe in her hands. "The humans have been sent to the waters, master," she said in an emotionless voice, "including the friend of the slayer that you requested."
"Good," Yami said. He felt Serenity stiffen under his arm at Rebecca's words. "Go and tell the vampires of Ambit that I expect to meet them soon concerning the night of destruction."
Rebecca nodded and bowed. "Yes, Master Yami." She backed into the misty shadows of Ambit.
Yami stood up and offered Serenity a hand. She took it, not really having a choice, and he helped her stand up. She looked up at him with angry eyes. "You won't get away with this," she told him.
"Yes I shall," he responded with a smile that revealed his fangs. He turned, still holding her by the wrist. "Come. I have many things to do, and I'm not letting you out of my sight until they're done."
"What are you going to do to Tea?" Serenity asked fearfully.
Yami smirked. "That's the best part of my plan, Serenity Wheeler."
Her senses alerted her. She could smell fresh blood nearby. She had been eager to go out in search of food ever since the sky darkened. According to the human weather forecasts, it was supposed to be dark all day. And they were always right about the weather. She walked along, in no hurry. She had already eaten plenty during the night, but another snack before a nap back in her home in Ambit wouldn't hurt anyone.
Her red eyes gleamed at the sight of a woman exiting a store building. She was locking up. Her back was turned to the street, and her attention was focused on locking the door properly, which she seemed to be having a hard time doing. Perfect for sneaking upon, the vampire thought, trying to control herself. She wanted to enjoy this.
Walking steadily and quietly, the vampire snuck up behind the young woman. She was obviously getting frustrated. She wanted to be safe at home before the thunderstorm could kick up, and in her hurry she was putting all the wrong keys into the lock. She was so busy getting mad that she didn't notice the figure behind her until an arm went around her neck.
The keys dropped to the sidewalk in a melodic jingle. The young woman tried to gather breath to emit a scream, but she could barely breathe.
"Don't bother," the vampire said. "You wouldn't get too loud. I could kill you right here, but I like doing it my own special way." Without warning, the vampire leapt several yards into the air with her victim. She abruptly released her hold, and the young woman plunged to the ground, coughing all the way. When the vampire came back down, the young woman was obviously dead, her eyes still wide open in shock, and blood was oozing from a huge cut in her head and making a puddle. The vampire propped up the body and drank her fill. She stood up straight and licked her lips clean.
"Like cracking a nut on a stone," she said triumphantly, dismissing the now useless body.
"How about I crack you?"
The vampire barely had time to look up and find the voice before she heard a gunshot. The bullet entered her flesh and released the ultraviolet poison it held inside, destroying her insides as effectively as acid. Tea stared down at the remains of the murderess and ran east, already tracking another vampire.
"It's dark," Yugi surmised.
Solomon came and looked out the window. "Yes, it is," he said. "I suppose that destroys our plans to go shopping for clothes this afternoon." He returned to cleaning up the floor. Yugi felt guilty for bleeding all over Solomon's floor.
As if reading Yugi's thoughts, Solomon spoke. "You don't need to blame yourself, Yugi. It's not your fault someone tried to shoot you."
Yes it is, Yugi thought, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His fangs were back, and his skin had taken on its white pallor again. It's my fault because I'm a vampire.
Suddenly, the lights went out in the house. Yugi jumped in surprise. He stayed still for a moment to let his eyes adjust, and then he could see straight through the darkness. He heard the boom of thunder in the distance.
"Well," Solomon said, standing up. "It seems as though the power has gone out. Hopefully it will come back on soon; I rather like being able to see where I'm going." He felt his way to the window, the only source of rather minimal light, and stood beside Yugi.
Someone knocked on the door. Solomon turned. "Now who could that be?" He felt his way to the shop's door, unlocked it and opened it. "Why, hello, Tea, what are you doing out at this hour in this storm?"
Tea? Yugi's blood ran cold. Did she know Solomon? He crouched behind the counter as Tea answered the old man. "I was...um...shopping for a new wardrobe. I decided to check on you and make sure you were all right."
"Well, of course I am," Solomon said. "Why don't you come in before you get struck by lightning on the top of your head? While you're here, you can meet someone..."
"We already know each other," Yugi replied, standing up, even though he was pretty sure they couldn't see him. Well, maybe Tea could, with her special vampire-hunting abilities.
Tea squinted through the darkness, and then her eyes flashed. "It's you," she said. She stalked forward until she was inches away from him, looming over his head. "Do you realize that your older brother has kidnapped my friends?"
Yugi gasped. "You mean Serenity and Joey?" he said. "I didn't know that, Tea!"
"You should have!" Tea yelled. "Aren't the two of you in cahoots with each other?!"
"No, we're not!" Yugi cried. "You never gave me a chance to explain before--"
"I didn't need to!" Tea cut in. "Now, listen to me. Part of the only way I can save my friends is if I convince you to become a full-fledged vampire."
Yugi was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Why should I help you? Once they were saved, you'd probably destroy me. You won't even listen to me or let me explain what happened that night--yet you want my unobstructed help. Why would I ever do that for you?"
They stared at each other silently. Solomon didn't interrupt. Finally Yugi said, "I'm going to make a deal with you. I'll go along with whatever plan you obviously have if you give me a chance to tell you what happened that night."
"You won't need to," a voice said out of nowhere. Once again, Tea felt the presence of a vampire, besides Yugi, near her. When it went away, she and Yugi found themselves standing on a cliff jutting over a wild body of water. Tea's weapons were both gone. The sky was dark and cloudy. Yami stood in front of them.
"How...?" Tea began, but Yami cut her off. "There are many things about vampires that humans don't know," he said. He wore a smile that looked particularly more evil than any others. "And since you are about to die, I have no qualms explaining everything."
END CHAPTER
Toli: Yay! It's totally scarified now!
Mena: (huddled in the corner, clutching a blanket) Happy thoughts...happy thoughts...
Toli: (satisfied grin) Yes, now you must be in fear. Coming UP! The entire story behind Yami and Yugi, plus a few other things to freak your mind! See you then!
