A/N - Long chapter this time folks. Seriously I thought the stupid thing would never end. Big Thank You to Dukie for editing it for me. She knows how much I hate doing it and will get very lazy when it comes to editing, lol.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Enjoy!

The wind blew through the trees, causing Bakura to shiver. He hated the cold and would have to head further south soon to keep warm.

For the past six days Bakura had been searching for Seto and Atemu with no clue where to look. Things were easier this time for the fire demon. Before when he began his hunt for the cat demon, Atemu had been traveling alone with no known goal for Bakura to trace. This time, however, Bakura knew that Atemu was with the demon hunter Seto Kaiba. The demon hunter was much easier to track down than one rogue demon. Everywhere Bakura went, many people were more than willing to tell him stories of the famous hunter. The current news was that the hunter wanted revenge for the death of his little brother.

"Hmm… where would they go?" Bakura wondered to himself. "Kitten is helping him so it would be somewhere Kitten knows…hmm…I wonder if the kitty finally went home…."

Bakura thought about his options. Every so often the fire demon would head home to check on his younger brother and to see if anyone had any new information on Atemu. No one had seen the cat demon but Bakura knew it would only be a matter of time before Atemu returned there. It would make sense for Atemu to finally return to Chale Jao if he was helping a demon hunter find a demon.

A growl crossed Bakura lips as he realized he was going to have to halt his plans to head to the warmer south so that he could return to his home in hopes of catching Atemu there. Bakura knew that Chale Jao would be covered in snow by now, which was something the fire demon always hated. That would be one more thing Atemu would have to pay for when Bakura finally found him.

Atemu snuggled closer to the warm naked body next to him. Atemu was peaceful and did not feel like getting up so he remained still, hoping he could get more sleep. Unfortunately Yami would not get what he wanted.

The cat demon groaned as the body next to him rolled away. Keeping his eye clenched shut, Atemu could hear the rustle of clothing as the demon hunter dressed.

"I know you're awake. Get up! We need to be leaving soon!"

Blinking open his crimson eyes, Yami sleepily stared up at Seto, who was standing over him ready to go. With a small sigh Atemu shoved the blanket off his body so that Seto could roll it back up and put it with the rest of his equipment. Standing up, Atemu quickly dressed and was about to turn into a cat when Seto stopped him.

"About last night…you know it was just sex right? Nothing further will ever develop between us."

"I understand," Atemu replied, but he had no intentions of giving up that easily. He knew that Seto would need time to come around. They didn't have a lot of time, as Seto was a mortal man and wouldn't be around in 501 years for the demon's next mating ritual; but Yami knew in his heart that Seto would be ready when it came time for them to mate and be eternal partners in life and in death.

"Good. I just wanted to make that clear," Seto informed the small cat demon before changing the subject. "How far away from Chale Jao are we?"

"Only a few more days," Atemu promised, getting down to business and pushing the thoughts of him and Seto being mated out of his head for the time being. "Sometime today we should reach a river. We follow along that river until we reach a waterfall where Bakura and I spent a great amount of time together as children. After that we will reach Chale Jao in no time."

"Good," Seto replied, with a simple nod of his head.

Ryou bent down in the snow and scooped up a handful of the white fluffy substance. Holding the snow in the palm of his hand, Ryou summoned a gust of wind, blowing the snow everywhere. A satisfied smile appeared on Ryou's face as he watched the snow first fly through the air and then drift downwards. As Ryou's eyes traveled back to the forest floor while he continued watching the snow, he froze when he eyed two strange individuals walking along the riverbed. The two individuals stared at him and Ryou knew he had been caught using his powers by outsiders.

Nervously, the wind demon forced a smile as he waved at the newcomers praying to the Goddess they hadn't seen much. "Hello."

"You look like Bakura," the short one with spiky hair stated as he continued to stare at Ryou.

"Oh? You know my brother?" Ryou inquired with a surprised look on his face, though he immediately relaxed, since he knew that if the pair were friends with his older brother then they probably knew he was a fire demon.

"Yes… I'm Yami and this is Seto," the tri-haired one replied. "I grew up in Chale Jao with Bakura."

"I'm Ryou. I should really be heading home too. I can feel the winds changing so there will be a storm tonight," Ryou told him. "Mind if I travel with you? It will be nice to have some company for a change."

Yami silently nodded his head, causing Ryou to beam brightly. Because of his quiet nature and the fact his brother was a known psycho, Ryou had no friends to hang out with. Glad for some company, Ryou began leading them along the river trail to the village.

"We shouldn't trust him," Seto whispered to the cat demon as they walked a safe distance behind the wind demon. "The brother of that fire demon can't be trusted."

"I disagree," Atemu whispered back with a shake of his tri-colored head. Atemu loved Seto but he knew his future mate really had to stop being judgmental of all demons they came across. "He seems different then Bakura. He seems almost sad. And he was scared when he first saw us, you could tell even though he acted like he wasn't. Bakura doesn't know how to be afraid."

"If you say so," Seto muttered.

"Is everything okay?" Ryou asked, turning back to look at them. With his white hair and clothing, Ryou easily blended in with the snow covered forest.

"I'm curious to know how old you are," Atemu said changing the subject so the young wind demon wouldn't grow suspicious.

"16."

"So you haven't made the quest to the pool yet?"

"Bakura won't let me even if I could," Ryou replied with a small shake of his head and sigh. "He's really overprotective. Last time he was here he told me to wait a few years and then he would assist me by taking me there. He claims it's too dangerous fro me to go by myself. Bakura said something bad happened when he went. That his best friend tried to kill him!"

"Imagine that," Seto grumbled, giving Yami a rude look. Yami, however, ignored the demon hunter. Instead he was curious about the recent happenings of his hometown.

"Who's on the Elder Council?" he inquired of Ryou, still thinking about what Seto had told him earlier about an elder telling the demon hunter to take care of his son.

"Elders Akunumkanon, Shimon and Livia," Ryou promptly answered, leaving Yami to frown. That was impossible. Those were the same elders that had been around when Yami had been a demon child.

"Is something wrong?" Seto quietly asked Yami, with a slight look of concern on his face.

"It's nothing," Yami replied, with a small shake of his head. "Something I was hoping for turned out to be false."

Seto's concerned eyes remained on Yami as they continued to walk. After 15 minutes of walking along the snow-covered path, the trio reached the outskirts of the demon village.

"Home…" Atemu trailed off as he stared at Chale Jao. Running forward through the snow, hurrying too fast, Yami stumbled and fell face first into the fluffy cold substance.

"Hello Atemu." Looking up, the cat demon found the elder Akunumkanon standing over him.

"Elder Akunumkanon," Atemu said as he crawled to his knees and hung his head in shame. Around them the other villagers paused in what they were doing to stare at the return of the tri-haired cat demon who had turned on them so long ago.

"Come along Atemu, the Elder's Council wishes to speak to you."

Akunumkanon turned around, walking away as Yami slowly stood in order to follow the other demon.

"I'm coming too!" Seto's voice rang out, surprising the villagers who had been watching. Both Atemu and Akunumkanon paused in their steps as they turned their heads to look back at the demon hunter.

"Very well but you must wait outside. Non-demons are not permitted into our sacred halls."

"That's fine."

"I see…" Akunumkanon's deep voice rumbled throughout the main chambers of the Elder's meeting place. "Are you positive?"

"Yes." Atemu was kneeling before the three elders. He had told them his story and now he was awaiting his punishment for looking into the pool twice and for trying to kill Bakura.

A fire from the fireplace flickered next to them making it the only sound in the room while Atemu waited for Akunumkanon to continue on with the meeting.

"Very well…although you did break a rule by looking into the Pool of Destiny more then once when it's forbidden; but that is a minor offence."

"What about what I did to Bakura?"

"You were protecting your mate. That is perfectly legal in our culture. Besides, whatever you do in the outside world does not matter to us."

"So that's it?"

"Yes," Akunumkanon said, with a wave of his hand. "This was an incident that happened a long time ago even for us. As long as you're in this village Bakura will be forbidden to touch you. Beware though because he can still attain revenge on you outside of Chale Jao."

"Thank you Great Ones," Atemu replied as he bowed his head before quickly getting to his feet. The cat demon was about to turn around and leave when Akunumkanon's voice stopped him.

"Wait a moment Atemu. I want to speak to you privately for a few minutes."

Surprised, Atemu nodded his head while the other two elders left the room. "What is it Sir?"

"Come sit by me," Akunumkanon said patting the wooden floor next to him. Stepping up, Atemu joined the elder on the stage and sat cross-legged on the floor next to Akunumkanon.

"What is it Elder Akunumkanon?" Atemu asked again, wanting to get their conversation over with so he could rejoin Seto.

"I wanted to speak to you about your future mate, the demon hunter."

"Seto has his reasons to dislike demons!" Atemu quickly protested, worried that he would be shunned again by the demon community for his choice in a mate. "He's made so much progress in the short time I've known him. It will not be a problem to turn him when the time comes!"

"Just remember the hunter has many personal inner demons. You only have a year to work with him."

"I understand, but I don't think the goddess would have allowed me to alienate myself from the other demons if Seto and I were not meant to be together!"

"But she also might be punishing you for looking into the pool twice," Akunumkanon quietly warned. "I don't want to see you hurt, Atemu. And I want you to know I'm here for you if never need to talk."

"I understand. You've always been so kind to me."

"You deserved it."

"No I didn't," Atemu replied with a small laugh and a shake of his head. "I was nothing but trouble as a child."

"I blame myself for that. You needed adult supervision that Shimon couldn't provide. He was often far too strict with you, which caused you to rebel."

"Shimon did his best," Atemu argued, not liking where the conversation was headed. He would always think highly of Shimon for what he did for him. "He took me in when no one else did. It wasn't you who abandoned me."

"You know Atemu…the reason why you got off so easily with your actions was my wife was shown something when she looked into the Pool of Destiny that both she and I have always regretted doing. Although we didn't try to kill anyone, we did do something just as bad."

"What?"

"We gave up our child, as it was what my wife saw us doing."

"…I see…" Atemu said, putting two and two together. He looked down at the floor so he wouldn't have to look at Akunumkanon. "Why did you not tell me before?"

"Because you were too young before and then gone for so long. I know that's not a very good excuse but that's what happened."

"You were the one who told Seto to look after me. Why?"

"Yes that was I. It was what I saw in the Pool of Destiny when I looked. I saw the two you of together. For the longest time I didn't know what it meant. Then I had you and watched you group up. There was little doubt in my mind that you were one of the people from my vision. When the demon hunter arrived here a while ago I recognized him immediately as the other one from my vision."

Atemu looked up again. "Why do I feel as if my entire life was determined long before I was born?"

"Because it was. It was not a coincidence that you possess two powers. It was not a coincidence that you were seen in so many visions of the future. You were meant for great things. But what those things are I do not know yet."

"What if all this was not for me though?" Atemu wondered, his mind thinking of Seto waiting for him outside. "What if I'm only supposed to help the one who is meant for great things?"

Seto's arms were crossed over his chest as he stood with his back up against the building where Yami was inside. He suspiciously eyed all those around him who went about their daily business. His hand was close to the hilt of his sword, ready to use it if someone bothered him.

Seto wondered what could be taking the cat demon so long. He suspected Yami had originally had to tell them his side of the story that happened 3000 years ago, but then two of the elders had left an hour ago leaving Yami still inside.

"Hey."

Shooting his head sideways, a small smile crossed Seto's lips before the frown returned as he watched Yami hop down the snow covered steps.

"So what's going on?"

"Well everything is fine between me and the Elders now. Even Bakura will be in trouble if he tries to harm us here."

"That's good to know. At least we won't have to worry about him for a while. But there's something else. I can see it in your eyes."

"Oh… I found out Elder Akunumkanon is my real father…."

"Congratulations. That must be a heavy load off your mind."

Seto surprised Yami with his words. "I guess," he replied, with a small shrug of his shoulders. "I haven't thought about them since I was a child. Finding them was my life's goal back then. Now…all I feel is nothing when it comes to them. All along they were here but let me be alone."

"You're being too hard on them. I'm sure they had their reasons."

"They did." Yami absentmindedly nodded his head. "But I'm beginning to think their reasons were more wrong than right."

Seto remained quiet waiting for the cat demon to continue. Throughout the trip he had begun to think of Yami as a friend. Plus the cat demon was his only ally in the village full of demons.

"Twice now someone has followed what the Pool of Destiny has shown them. My parents gave me away and I almost killed Bakura. Neither of these were honorable paths we followed. I'm beginning to think we got something wrong somewhere."

"Yami, by now you should know me well. I can be patient when I need to be, even if it means my brother's killer will live for another few years. Death comes quickly for those who rush into things. I think you should be patient too; in the end what you believe will pull through for you."

"Thanks Seto," Yami replied giving the demon hunter a bright smile. He was discovering that Seto was always full of surprises and he could feel the demon hunter warming up to him.

"So it's true!" an annoying, whiney voice sneered.

"Claudius…" Yami growled, instantly recognizing the voice. Turning his head away from Seto, Yami immediately found the earth demon.

"You're back I see. And with a human demon hunter no less, one who now knows that this is a demon village thanks to you."

"Back off Claudius! You were running for your life the last time you tried messing with me! "

"Can't use your powers in the village Atemu. You're a little shrimp who no way can stand up to me in a fair fight."

"I can," Seto declared, pulling his sword free and stepping in front of Yami, blocking the cat demon from Claudius' view. The tip of Seto's blade touched Claudius' chest so that only the layer of leather clothing the earth demon wore protected him from the cold metal. "Want to try taking me on?"

"Such a violent human," Claudius hissed as he turned away and began walking away. "Oh yes, and stay away from my student. He's already going to be punished for his actions this afternoon."

"What are you talking about?" Yami yelled, demanding to know what Claudius was talking about. He didn't trust the earth demon one bit. Yami stepped out from behind Seto so he could see what was happening again.

"Why Ryou of course! The naughty boy needs a punishment for talking to you two earlier today." Claudius' laughter rang throughout the village as he disappeared from Yami and Seto's sight.

"Impossible! Bakura and Claudius hate each other. No way would Bakura ever allow Claudius to teach his little brother if he's as over protective as Ryou said he was."

"Maybe Claudius was lying to make you angry," Seto suggested with a shrug of his shoulders and lowered his sword. As far as Seto was concerned he wasn't involved. "Either way it's not our problem."

"But you heard Claudius! He's going to punish Ryou!"

"I repeat, it's not our problem. We're here to find the demon who killed my brother."

"Would you say that if we were human?"

Seto sighed as he looked into Yami's angry crimson eyes, although he knew the anger wasn't directed at him. "Fine. Let's go ask around if it's true. But then we start questioning them about that demon."

"Alright. I know just the person to ask, too," Yami replied, looking much happier already, and Seto wondered when he had started to allow Yami's happiness to become important to him.

"Who?"

"My old teacher. Mahaado."

"Great; we spend weeks trying to get to this village only to leave again, walking through piles of snow to try and find some demon when there were plenty of demons back at the village who probably knew."

"Relax," Yami said with a roll of his eyes, reassuring the demon hunter. "Those other demons will be suspicious of me still because of what I did and may not be willing to sell out Claudius to me. Besides Mahaado always trains in the same spot and those demons who we did ask said he was out training his latest student."

While Seto and Yami continued to talk they were unaware they were being watched by unseen eyes. As they walked along the snowy path, Yami was caught off guard as a river otter slid down a huge bank of snow and crashed into the cat demon's legs. For the second time that day, Yami toppled to the ground and landed in snow.

"Ah ha! Fear the wrath of the river otters!"

To Yami's surprise a young tanned girl with wild brunette hair triumphantly stood over him.

"Very good Mana," came Mahaado's frustrated sigh as he walked out from where he had been hiding in the woods. "But instead of celebrating, you should make sure your enemy is actually out cold before your victory dance. You also might want to get it straight who's an enemy and who's an ally." Bending over, Mahaado helped Yami to his feet. "Hello Atemu. Sorry about Mana. She's worse than you were."

"Oh so you're the legendary Atemu!" Mana happily grinned, clapping her hands together. "I grew up on stories about all the mischief you and Bakura caused when you were my age."

"I'm flattered," Yami dryly replied as he went to stand by Seto, partly for protection from the girl. He then turned his attention back to his former teacher. "We need to talk. I have a question about Ryou."

"What about him?"

"Is it true Claudius is Ryou's teacher?"

Mahaado heavily sighed as he avoided the look the cat demon was giving him. Mana's head shot back and forth between the two demons as she wondered what was going on. Seto meanwhile silently stood at Yami's side, staying out of everything. "It's true."

"Why? Everyone knows Claudius and Bakura hate each other."

"Everyone also knows that Bakura is a psychopath. No one would train Ryou for they feared what Bakura would do to them if he became upset with their training style. Claudius was the only one who volunteered."

"Does Bakura know?"

"Of course not! Bakura never stays long enough when he visits to find out and no one is going to tell him when he's here."

"This isn't right. Bakura should know."

"I agree but I'm not an elemental demon. There's little I can do."

"If Bakura knew he would stay and train Ryou himself!"

"Again, I agree."

"Then why didn't you tell him?"

"Because Bakura would never listen to anyone who had close ties with you. He would scowl at both Shimon and I whenever he saw us. Look, I don't like it either Atemu. Ryou is a sweet kid and I've seen with my own eyes the way Claudius treats Ryou. He yells, beats him and always tells Ryou that's he's a loser and that he's stupid."

"Thank you for your honesty," Yami replied with a bow of his head. "It's good to see you again Mahaado."

"You too Atemu. You should visit more often."

"Eventually I will." Turning around Yami began walking back to Chale Jao with Seto silently following him.

"Bye!" Mana called after the pair but neither of them paid attention to her. For long moments they continued to walk in the silence until Seto finally broke it by speaking.

"So now what is your plan?"

"I don't know," Yami replied with a sigh of frustration. "I feel like I'm backed into a corner. I've only just gotten back and already I'm becoming involved in a situation that doesn't concern me."

"If you don't stick up for the little guy then who will?"

Yami sighed again as Seto's words sunk in. He supposed at one time Seto had been the little guy and if someone had stuck up for him and Mokuba then the younger Kaiba brother would have still been alive today.

"You're right. I just need time to rethink my strategy. I guess if things become too difficult I could always ask my father to intervene." Referring to Akunumkanon as his father was still weird to Yami but he was becoming more used to the idea. "Claudius wouldn't know yet about my background. I have a feeling only the Elders and myself know about it."

"Good. That's the determination that I like to see from you."

A smile crossed Yami's mouth and he look up at Seto to find the demon hunter grinning as well. Yami just knew that things would work out between them.

With the land deep into the winter season, night came early to the small village. Both Seto and Yami spent the evening at Akunumkanon's home so that Yami could get to know his parents a little more. His mother had been deeply worried when Yami did not return 3000 years ago and both she and his father were anxious to here of his tales. Shimon was there as well, as he was the only form of a parent that Yami had known for so long. Seto also was curious to listen to Yami's stories, finding himself once again intrigued by the cat demon.

Eventually the candlelight burned away, indicating it was time for bed. At first Yami was concerned where they would sleep. Chale Jao did have a small inn but the new turn of events made Yami wonder if he should stay at his parents' place. Yami's fears however were soon defeated when Shimon suggested to both him and Seto that it was time to head home.

The Elder had given Yami a wink as the cat demon and Seto retreated to Yami's old bedroom. The bedroom was a nice size. As an Elder, Shimon had a nice sized home even though he was the only one who lived there most of the time. The bed however was an entirely different story. The bed, which was normally meant for one person, would only fit the two if them if they cuddled close together. Naturally this made Yami very happy.

"Maybe I should find somewhere else to sleep."

"No, it's okay," Yami reassured him as he grabbed Seto's hand and began tugging him towards the bed. "There's more than enough room for both of us."

Yami tried giving Seto an innocent smile but it came across as something more of a wild grin, leaving the demon hunter to suspiciously eye the cat demon. Nevertheless, against his better judgment, Seto decided to trust Yami anyway.

The pair stripped naked at Yami's insistence. They then climbed into the bed together with Yami laying half on top of the demon hunter.

"Good night Seto," Yami whispered while flashing Seto one more smile.

"Night," came Seto's grumble of a reply as he both closed his eyes, needing some sleep. In the dark room, Yami watched as his love fell into a peaceful slumber.

The wind howled outside keeping Yami awake. Next to him Seto remained asleep unaffected by the storm that was happening outside.

Yami was glad that the demon hunter was able to sleep so well. Often when they were sleeping out in the wilderness Yami would stay up watching Seto toss and turn in his sleep. Yami thought it fitting that Seto found comfort in a village of demons; it was as if the demon hunter was already at ease with his future kin. Yami was glad, as he hoped one day to settle down in Chale Jao with Seto by his side. He wanted to live in peace with his mate; but peace would not come that night for the cat demon.

Rolling out of bed, the bell around Yami's neck jingled as he stood and dressed. Placing a hand over the bell to halt the sound, Yami quietly walked over to the window and peered outside.

Shimon's home was near the edge of the village and even through the mass of falling snow Yami could make out the tall trees that stood some meters away.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Yami begun turning away when out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a flicker of a light.

With a frown on his face, Yami once again turned back to the window but saw nothing. Nevertheless he knew he saw something moments ago.

Yami debated about what he should do. He could sense something was up and if that light was from a traveler they could be in need of help if they were stuck in the storm.

"If you don't stick up for the little guy then who will?"

Seto's voice came back to Yami as he heavily sighed. He couldn't ignore the situation.

Yami hurried through the home, racing to the front door. He knew he had to find out what that light had been.

The cold wind whipped around Yami's body as he stepped outside, sinking up to his knees in the freshly fallen snow.

Ignoring the rules of the village, Yami transformed into a cat and lightly bounded on top of the snow as he hurried towards where he saw the light. As he reached the trees he saw more light, so he sped up the pace.

"Die bastards!" Bakura yelled in frustration as he used his fire powers to melt the snow in front of him, clearing a path that he could walk along as he headed towards Chale Jao.

Bakura was not pleased. He had arrived out of his fire portal to find the place in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Bakura?"

"Kitten!" Bakura hissed recognizing the voice. The fire demon whipped his head around searching for the cat demon but finding nothing in the dark night. With a frustrated growl, Bakura began throwing flames in every direction hoping he would hit Yami.

"Stop it! I need to talk to you about something!"

"Why don't you come out so we can talk?" Bakura suggested, holding a fireball in the palm of his hand. Bakura had no plans on talking but he wanted to draw the cat demon out in the open so he would get a clear shot.

"It's about Ryou."

The fireball began fading in Bakura's hand. He didn't expect that. "What about him?"

"Are we going to talk?"

"Fine, fine." Bakura waved out the fire in his hand and waited for the cat demon to show himself.

Yami gracefully dropped down from the three he had been hiding in, lightly landing on his feet in front of Bakura. Earlier, when he had been running towards the light, he had recognized the fire demon as soon as he got close enough, and scurried up the nearest tree, knowing he would have to take Bakura by surprise.

"Talk."

"Claudius is teaching Ryou," Yami said, getting down to business. When dealing with Bakura, Yami knew not the make the fire demon wait, especially when he wanted to kill you.

"Not going to fall for that," Bakura replied as he began reforming the fireball in his hand.

"Why would I lie? Why would I confront you when you had no clue I was here? I could have stayed hidden until you passed."

The wind whipped around the two demons as they stared each other down; the trees offering them little shelter from the storm.

"You have a point," Bakura finally muttered quietly and the fireball once again disappeared. "Why would Claudius agree to teach Ryou?"

"Power. He wants to hurt you through Ryou. I talked to Mahaado about it, and he told me what Claudius does to Ryou. Claudius told me himself he would be punishing Ryou for talking to me this afternoon."

"You better be telling the truth, Kitten."

"I am. Check on Ryou if you don't believe me."

"Don't think I won't!"

Satisfied his job was done, Yami transformed into a leopard and scampered off before Bakura could turn his fire attacks on him again.

Bakura meanwhile was tired of the cold, wet snow so he decided to go against the rules of the village. Using his powers Bakura summoned a ring of fire around himself and disappeared into the flames.

Moments passed before Bakura once again reappeared, this time in front of his parent's home. Transporting directly into the home was far too dangerous, as the flames would light the wooden home on fire, so the fire demon had to settle for appearing outside it.

Wasting no time, Bakura kicked opened the door and stalked through the building towards Ryou's room in the back of the one-floored home.

"Wake up!" he declared, kicking open Ryou's door as well. A torch of fire was held in Bakura's left hand, lighting up the room so he could see his younger brother lying in his bed.

"Kura? Ryou sleepily asked as he sat up. In the fire's light Bakura could easily see the black eye Ryou was sporting.

"That bastard!" Bakura hissed as he turned around and stormed away, not allowing Ryou to say anything else.

Heading back outside into the cold snow and howling winds, Bakura quickly made his way across the village to Claudius' home.

Rage erupted throughout Bakura as he eyed the house. The fire demon summoned a huge wall of fire around the perimeter of the building; all four walls quickly becoming engulfed in flames.

Claudius' screams were heard from inside the building while the other villagers began to investigate the blaze. Amidst the chaos Bakura easily slipped away unnoticed. With only Atemu and Ryou seeing him that night, no one would blame him for the crime.

From Shimon's living room Yami watched the fire. The Elder had already left to inspect what had happened, leaving Yami alone and Seto still asleep in Yami's room.

"What's going on?"

The cat demon turned his head to watch Seto enter the room. The demon hunter had only taken time to pull on his tight black leather pants before rushing out to find what all the commotion was about. Yami was practically drooling at the sight of the demon hunter's bare chest, hair tousled from sleep and piercing blue eyes that were already wide awake and alert.

"Nothing. Just a fire."

"You did something didn't you."

"Ryou won't be bothered anymore."

"Good. Plus that means there's one less demon in the world that I have to kill."

"I hope you don't really mean that," Yami replied as Seto walked over to stand beside him. Standing side by side, the two partners continued watching the fire as a water demon unsuccessfully tried to put out the flames.

"I do," Seto confirmed. "He deserved to die. All he has ever done was cause sorrow to people."

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Although I would have liked to have seen the look on his face when he found out who my father was."

"You can dream about it."

Placing an arm around Yami's shoulders, Seto guided the cat demon back to his bedroom where they both settled down for some more sleep.