Yami lay there with Yugi curled up next to him; he still had him in his arms comforting him even in his sleep. He very gently rubbed Yugi's lower back through the soft robe and towel slowly lulling himself to sleep as well when the thought occurred to him, they were both going to need blood soon.

Suddenly a piercing scream resounded from behind the door; Yami looked up covering Yugi's head slightly so he wouldn't wake up,

"Y-Y-Yami! Helllp!" he heard Ryou screech from the other side as a dull thud accompanied by a loud crack resounding from the door.

"Pharaoh! If you wish to keep this fledgeling alive let me in!" Bakura roared, Yami ignored his threat, he now realized the two were related.

He continued to hear more bangs and scratches at the door, and Yugi began to stir again, cracking an eye open to look at Yami tiredly.

"'Ami?" he croaked stretching out from his curled position only to shut his eyes again and stop moving. Yami laid his hand on Yugi's back again to show he was still there,

"Shh, Yugi, sleep, you are safe," Yami said, running his other hand along the back of his head.

"Yami! I mean it hel-" Ryou's cry was cut short by a loud snap, and Yugi's eye's snapped open looking at Yami for help.

"'Ami, Ryou," he said his eyes shining with worry.

"Shhh, Yugi, I'll go see for you," Yami said rising from the bed, grabbing the staff resting against the edge. He stalked slowly towards the door and rested his hand on the surface; the shadows guarding it immediately wrapped around his hand then dispersed recognizing their master.

"Show me the other side," Yami whispered to them as the shadows curled playfully around his fingers, they twined up his arm and to his head covering his eyes. He was immediately met with a view of the hall way.

Bakura was standing over the limp fledgeling; Ryou's jaw was hanging open, obviously dislocated, his head rolled to one side, his eyes were still scratched up slightly, and his wounds from the claws were half healed over. Bakura had just kicked him in the gut, eliciting a gargled screech, his whip-like tail curled up into a tight spiral like a chameleons tail, his hind legs bent trying to get into a more curled position.

Yami pulled away, he didn't really like Ryou, but the poor thing didn't deserve to be tortured like that. He returned to the bed and uncovered Yugi, who turned his head sharply around to see who it was, still afraid of his back being exposed to anyone.

"It's just me," Yami said reassuring him of who he was. He very gently picked Yugi up; the little vampire hissed and scrunched his eyes shut as he was forced from his curled position. Yami leaned the little one's head against shoulder, supporting his legs with one arm, and his back with the other, he cradled his little koi in his arms nuzzling the little one's forehead to get him to relax.

"Yami?" Yugi questioned, wondering why Yami had moved him away from the soft comfortable bed, as Yami walked towards the bathroom with the bundle of Yugi; he carefully laid him down in the bathtub in the deepest section of the tub.

"Stay still Yugi, don't make a sound," Yami told him climbing out of the tub and silently darting back, returning with a few pillows from the bed, and tucking them in around him.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Yugi asked tiredly as Yami hid him from view, if anyone walked in all they would see in the tub was a mass of towel.

"I'm defending our home," Yami said simply walking towards the door.

"Remember, don't make a sound no matter how bad it sounds," Yami said, closing the door to Yugi's whimpered yes. Yami picked up the staff again, and with a single word he dismissed the shadows on the door.

"Come and get me Bakura!" he roared at the door; as if knowing the shadows were gone the evil thief broke in the door slinging in the mutilated body of Ryou first. The fledgeling looked even worse than he had mere moments ago, the almost dead fledgeling landed at Yami's feet the only motions he made were the fierce unconscious whipping of his tail and the ragged fast paced breathing that made his chest heave up and down haphazardly.

"Why are you after me?" Yami questioned his gaze shifting to the white haired vampire.

"You all ready know the reason," Bakura hissed his pupils contracting at the sight of his staff in Yami's hands. He lunged at Yami with a hiss of anger,

"No, I do not," Yami said sidestepping him and whacking him with the blunt end of the staff before jumping away. Bakura spun around grabbing the staff and following Yami.

"Yes. You. Do!" he shouted grappling with Yami both facing each other as piercing ruby locked with reddish mahogany.

"Your war! Your war killed my village," he hissed bending his elbow and twisting the staff around, out of Yami's hands.

"Your soldiers killed my village, laughing in our faces as they slaughtered my family," He hissed.

"And then I remember you, you, the high pharaoh, rode through lighting the fire, burning everything in your trail you murdered them all! I remember your eyes showing in the fire light, you loved watching us burn!" he accused, he quickly leapt at Yami the spined end of his staff exposed. He swept the staff back and forth trying to hit Yami, but too blinded by his rage to land any blows. Bakura finally jumped away back towards Ryou; he looked down at the small fledgeling before grabbing him by the neck and hoisting him up next to the staff; Ryou began to try to squirm out of his hands Bakura's eyes narrowed and evil smirk running across his face

"you know what I can do to you don't you?" he said holding up the staff/flute

"or can you smell your brothers' flesh in this item" he said and Yami watched as Bakura stabbed the spines right into Ryou's heart. the fledgling shrieked a deafening sound that even rivaled the sound of nails on a chalk board Bakura didn't even seem fazed by the noise but it didn't die Ryou was writhing in agony as Bakura drove the spines into his heart the staff, hitting blood, began to grow instantly changing so as not to outweigh one end the spines punctured through Ryou's back as they grew the fledgeling was shrieking at the top of his lungs trying to escape the burning pain of his own blood being burned and drained directly from his heart. then Yami heard something it was a faint thunk coming from the bathroom he had his back to it was Yugi the screaming was probably scaring him out of his wits; Yami suddenly dove at Bakura wrenching Ryou away from him and sharply jerking the staff out of him but he continued to convulse on the floor flopping around like a dying fish Bakura took his staff back jumping over Yami and towards the door to the bathroom

"lover, behind door number one" he said grinning like a maniac he wrenched the door open and darted in he saw Yugi immediately in the tub uncovered and grabbed him picking him up

"YAMI!" said vampire shot to his feet

"Yugi!" Bakura was standing in the doorway with a wide smirk upon his face as he pressed the spines into Yugi's neck the little one was crying Bakura ran towards the large covered windows breaking it quickly

"Come and get him if you dare" Bakura hissed darting off through the window, Yugi crying his name, and in a flash of light he was gone.

Yami couldn't believe it his love, his koi was gone! His brain didn't want to accept it and then it happened, he broke down, hard, his legs felt weak and he simply crumpled in on himself crying like he hadn't done in decades, he was gone, his little Yugi was gone. The only sounds left were the sounds of Ryou choking, dying, due to the holes in his heart and Yami's sobbing. Yami quickly turned tears still streaming down his face,

"You!" he spat at Ryou pouncing on the dying fledgeling, hands wrapping securely around his neck.

"Its your fault!" he cried, now literally choking him with his bare hands.

"HE WAS AFTER YOU!" he sobbed tears pouring down his face.

"He was after you-u-u-u!" he cried shaking him, trying to throttle the fledgeling and not finding the strength to do it. He heard faint footsteps behind him,

"Yami what are you doing?" Jou shouted running to Yami, trying to pull the much older, stronger, vampire off Ryou. Yami hissed angrily at him; he wanted his koi back he wanted Yugi back, and this creature was the reason he was gone. Jou managed to pry Yami's fingers off Ryou's neck, but Yami was lost to him; all Yami saw was Ryou and that was who he wanted dead right now.

"SETO HELP!" Jou screamed, not sure where his own lover was, he was almost sure he could stop Yami though.

The next thing to come through the door was definitely not Seto; it was something better, Marik and Malik, both dragons, had been awaken by the deafening screams coming from the room. Jou pleaded with his eyes, and the fact that Yami was fighting him to get back to an almost dead fledgeling, for them to help.

Marik immediately plodded over and, with a very small sorry, lifted a paw and smacked Yami away, sending the older distraught vampire flying and skidding into the carpet, but Yami didn't stay down; he acted as though the swat hadn't even affected him. It was Malik's turn he followed his brother only he was less willing to hold back; he picked Yami up in his teeth, not closing his mouth but just holding him he tossed his head around shaking Yami easily and, no doubt making puncture marks in his stomach and making the crazed snarling stop, tossed his head back with his ears almost touching his shoulders he pushed Yami out of his mouth with his tongue, rolling him out onto his back.

Yami was just crying now, but due to Malik's none but suttle attempts he stopped trying to kill Ryou and began to just full out mourn for Yugi wanting to hold his small koi again. Jou immediately picked up Ryou and rushed for the kitchen, Malik and Marik plodding along behind with Yami still draped over Malik's back.

As soon as they reached the kitchen Jou set Ryou down and went to fetch the biggest bottle of blood they had while Marik changed into his human form and ran to get some bandages. Yami was still crying looking, for all the world, like he had lost it. Malik finally sat down, forcing Yami to roll off his back and onto the cool tile floor; then he did something he had never seen Malik do he changed into a human.

He still looked slightly like Marik only his hair was spiky and fuzzy and his eyes lacked the kind shine to them and he was still slightly taller. He sat the mourning vampire up against a counter, the cries coming from him were driving him crazy and he finally smacked him.

"Yami. Get a friking grip," he growled glaring at him, the slap had left a big red mark on the side of Yami's face and had also made him shut up, but now it turned him on Malik. Yami reached up and quickly grabbed the front of Malik's shirt jerking him down to eye level. Yami's eyes flashed he had taken what Malik said completely the wrong way.

"I'm not forgetting him yet!" Yami hissed at him, baring his long fangs at him his eyes contracting in anger.

"What the hell?" that was all it took the next second Malik was sprawled on the floor beneath Yami, pinned. Malik growled right back at him, changing, and easily pinning Yami sitting on his legs and pinning his arms, but Yami was still willing to fight arching and hissing trying to get free even though it was hopeless. Malik finally had enough of it, and reared back ready to come slamming down on him like his brother had done to Seto, but he missed on purpose, coming down with either paw planted next to his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he said snapping his jaws shut inches from Yami's face.

"He's gone," Yami whimpered scared down into a stupor.

Jou was sitting there tending to Ryou as he listened as he listened to Yami and Malik, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Yugi's gone," Yami cried, curling up on himself again.

"Yami are you sure he isn't just in another room?" Jou said unaware of what happened, and thoroughly convinced Yami had done this to Ryou.

"That lying rat's father took him!" Yami snapped, his moods changing like the weather, he definitely would have been on Ryou if Malik hadn't been sitting on his legs. Jou was almost scared of Yami, for the second time in his life, he had never seen Yami act like this before over a person, indeed it was Yugi, but still Yami was acting like he had lost his mind (1) . Jou finally got Ryou all bandaged up and forced him to drink the entire bottle of blood.

"I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-so-so-sorry," Ryou whispered weakly, leaning back limply, Marik had to push him back forwards so he could finish bandaging the weak fledgeling's back.

"Don't give me that! Sorry won't stop him from raping Yugi or beating him or killing him!" Yami shouted at him from the floor.

"Yami stop it, trying to kill Ryou won't bring him back any faster if at all," Jou said standing and marching over to him.

"I want him back, Jou, you don't understand what it feels like," Yami said looking up at him from his position on the floor.

"Yes, I do..." Jou sighed,

"I feel the same way whenever Seto leaves," Jou told him trying to get the frantic vampire to calm down.

"Now pull yourself together, and think about what you are trying to do," Jou said shooing Malik off of him and grabbing his shoulders, staring him in the eyes.

"I'm trying to kill the betrayer," Yami hissed breaking the eye contact to glare out of the corner of his eyes at Ryou.

"No, you aren't, you are trying to kill the only thing that could tell you where Yugi is; look at him," Jou said when Yami wouldn't stop glaring out of the corner of his eye, he grabbed Yami's jaw and forced his head to turn and face Ryou. The poor thing was lying limp against the chair with Marik tending to him, probably realizing that the half healed cuts and Ryou's eyes were probably his fault.

"He's almost dead Yami, if he can heal some of those wounds quickly he might survive; I have never known you to try to kill anything do you want the first thing, besides a fish or bird, that you kill since I've known you to be a vampire child!" Jou said keeping Yami staring at him.

"No but I still want to," Yami said gazing longingly at the almost naked fledgeling.

"Yami, think about it, if you don't kill him, but help him heal, you can ask him where Yugi is, and go bring him back all the faster," Jou said trying to speak sense into the murderous vampire.

"Jou, I think that's the smartest thing you've said since I met you," Yami said dazedly

"Now let me go," he added swatting Jou's hand away from his mouth and standing up.

He began to walk towards Ryou that murderous look still in his eyes; Ryou saw it and, weak as he was, let out a terrified squawk barely able to move anything but his tail which was lashing around showing his fear.

"I won't kill him, but can I at least heal him while he's awake, I can make it painful when he's awake," Yami growled his gaze not leaving Ryou. The poor fledgeling went nuts trying to get away from Yami, he was letting out one after another terrified squawks and finally managed to get a hold on the chair leg with his tail. pushing himself off the chair sending him sprawling on the floor, Ryou quickly began crawling like a lizard clumsily across the floor towards the wall of the kitchen scared. Marik caught him by the tail, though, as he crawled past him and pulled Ryou back. The little one looked back at Yami, the vampire was right over him.

"N-N-N-NO!" he cried curling up on the floor; his eyes suddenly rolled back and his head dropped to the floor panting he was still twitching, though, in exceedingly weakening attempts to escape Yami's grasp.

"P-p-p-please d-d-don't hurt m-m-me," Ryou rasped out a small trickle of blood coming over his lower lip.

Jou jumped to get more blood for Ryou, he was bleeding internally but that didn't effect him, it was the fact that the blood was getting out into his body instead of to where it needed to go and his moving around was making his punctured heart pump it out even faster, and soak the bandages in the process.

With Marik watching him carefully, Yami rolled Ryou onto his back and hoisted him back up into the chair Ryou looked at him his eyes glazed over, but the fear still present, as his chest heaved up and down for air. Yami pulled up a chair and sat, still glaring at the helpless form in front of him. Marik changed and sat as well hoping to comfort Ryou with his presence, he nuzzled the back of his head to keep it from rolling back, and offered his fore arm for the little fledgeling to grip as Yami began to work. Yami called up shadows slowly mumbling, Ryou began to see the thin tentacles of blackish purple taking shape and tensed he didn't want to die yet he rolled over slightly exposing his shoulder but guarding his chest and Marik saw a look of agitation cross Yami's face.

"Ryou lay back he's not going to kill," he whispered barely audible to him.

Ryou hesitantly turned back over and Yami resumed his work each of the tentacles seemed to be attached to his fingers and acted as he thought of where each went. They all prodded underneath the bandages over his heart and Marik instantly felt Ryou's fingers curl into his thick fore arm scales as the little one gasped and hissed.

Yami slowly worked all of them through the large wound into his body smirking as the little one began to tense in pain he carefully prodded around inside pushing bones back into place and slightly fusing them into the right place or prodding open wounds shut and healing those; all the while reveling in the fact that what he was doing was causing Ryou visible pain.

Marik whispered to him offering his slight comfort of something to grip onto. When Yami was done inside, he extracted the shadows and partially healed the wounds from the staff spines.

"Y-Y-Yami s-stop...p-p-pleeease," Ryou cried, shutting his eyes and pressing back against Marik's nose, Yami simply ignored him and quickly finished, dispersing the shadows. He reach out and lightly patted the side of Ryou's face with the back of his hand to get him to look up at him.

"You're done, now tell me where Yugi is," Yami commanded.

(1) Okay this is like a temporary insanity type thing for Yami in vampires like him he made a very deep bond with Yugi and sealed it with so many promises of safety and love that when he was forcibly taken away from him... well put it this way Yami was suffering from Yugi "withdrawal" symptoms.

Gruzzee: oh dear what have I done?

Cazi: well from the looks of things I'd say Yugi got kidnapped, Ryou almost died, and Yami just about killed someone, I think that about covers it...

Gruzzee: Cazi shut up I feel bad enough as it is -- sigh -- oh well please R&R and come back for more sorry if this chapter was bad I wrote it while I was sick and slightly fogged out by medicine.