I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

Six Months Later

Starlyte walked through the wind, it was biting and the feel of it caused a shiver to crawl up her spine and rest at the base of her neck. It would not leave her and she cast her eyes around. Yep, she was being followed. Probably one of those Rare Hunters her brother told her about. But she only saw one guy, so that couldn't be right. Rare Hunters traveled in groups, like a pack of wolves in winter. She shrugged, trying to give the guy the impression she hadn't seen him.

She let her long black and silver hair fall around her shoulders. The color had no contrast against the leather ensemble she wore. She walked on, the chill at the base of her neck didn't leave, and she heard footsteps behind her. She had been right; it was only one guy. She sped her pace up, her thought whirring around in her head, following the line of 'let him think he's got me.' She heard the footsteps break into a run and she forced herself to keep the same pace. She'd show this guy who was the victim. She hadn't fed in days.

A hand fell onto her shoulder and she turned around; her hand grabbed the wrist connected to the hand and bent the limb backwards and pressed upwards. The movement forced the guy against a wall, his arm held in an awkward position at his back. She saw a mop of blond hair and pressed the arm up harder.

"Ow, ow, ow, I give! Lemme go! Lemme go, Star!" the accent was pronounced and as the voice struck a chord in her brain, she reluctantly let go. She'd really wanted to feed. Joey Wheeler turned around, rubbing his shoulder and ginning like an imbecile.

"What do you want? And why were you following me?" she glared down at him, but her eyes held a light, laughing look to them. A smile threatened to appear as Joey hooked his arm trough hers.

"Draggin' ya 'round so Yuug and the guys can speak wid ya. An' we're doin' this 'cause we haven't seen ya for 'bout two months." She let herself be pulled along beside Joey. She didn't bother looking where he was leading her; she knew it to be the Kame Game Shop.

Over the last few months, she and the group: Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Bakura, had become . . . close. She'd been sought out by them after her brother's retirement became public. They were curious about many things, and she'd done her best to satisfy their questions while still staying true to her vow to her brother.

Kaiba was constantly on her mind as well. She couldn't look in the mirror without thinking about him. The mark on her shoulder was faded, and you could only see it if you knew what to look for. The fact that he was holding a tournament in but a week made thinking about him ever more constant. Her employees, the card producers, were hounding her continually about approaching Kaiba for some of his ideas.

Of course, she'd adamantly refused. If she even saw him on the television, she would break down, if she were alone. It was hard to know how intimate what they'd done really was. She forced back her thoughts and gripped Joey's arm tighter. He blushed a deep scarlet and she flashed him a coy smile. He knew she was just playing because she'd been the one he'd gone to when he'd needed advice about his own love life; he'd claimed Téa was too close a friend to talk like he needed too.

Starlyte sidestepped the waiting embrace of Tristan who was waiting for her at the entrance to the Kame Game Shop. He was worse than Joey sometimes. She walked in, and spotted Yugi. She leaned down and embraced the shorter boy. As she straightened up, she was swamped with hugs, questions, and one kind grip of her hand from Mr. Mutou. The old man had always seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Okay, okay, gimme some room." Starlyte pulled from the cage of limbs and patted down her clothing. "It's good to see you again as well. Just don't kill me with all the excitement." She gave a light smile, and they led her to another room.

She was still astounded but how homey this place felt all the time. She fell onto one of the two couches and lifted her head so Yugi could sit down. She laid back down and felt a rag being placed on her face. Blinking open her eyes, she stared up at a pair of worried, violet orbs.

They all knew her secret, and they'd become used to her habit of putting off feeding for as long as possible. She smiled weakly up at Yugi; she knew they didn't care about her nature, as long as she wasn't caught or that she didn't kill someone innocent.

"Don't ask, and I'll eat for sustenance when I leave. I promise." The look in those kind and violet eyes softened and his form relaxed. Starlyte closed her eyes; she liked her visits here, it was peaceful. She listened to the chatter, occasionally inputting her own opinion. Then, the conversation eventually turned toward the upcoming Battle City Tournament.

"Star, aren't you going to join? You're really good . . ." Yugi stopped as she opened her eyes and fixed him with a glare. Her eyes had lost that friendly look, and burning with the same fire as when they'd first met.

"No. I'm not going to join." She sat up, stood, and went to help Mr. Mutou. Her words had been final, and the others didn't bother to follow her.

It was true, they had gotten used to her, but those mood swings were always unexpected and always seemed to happen when they started talking about Kaiba or KaibaCorp. Suspicions were sown and they were still trying to find out why. But neither Kaiba nor Starlyte would talk about what they asked. Knowing she'd come back in a few minutes, they continued their conversation, intent upon getting Kaiba out as fast as they could talk.

Starlyte though, found her way to the kitchen. Knocking on the doorframe, she announced her arrival, not wanting to give the old man a heart attack. She gave a shaky smile and reached out to help with the food, lunch to be more precise. It was about twelve-thirty.

"You blew up in there," Mr. Mutou caught her with a stern look, "You'll have to tell them about it eventually, you know." She nodded with her eyes adverted. She was cowed around him, mainly because he seemed to know things no one else had ever sensed about her.

"Not now, though. Let them find out when I've forgotten . . ."

"You'll never forget what it felt like." She looked up, her neck snapping into place sharply. His comment had struck a nerve, as well as causing her to blush, whether from shame or anger at his knowledge she didn't know.

All these reaction were new to her, and they'd only become more frequent as time passed. She liked this range of feelings; she liked it because it was a unique experience that was so different from her previously regulated life. She had Kai . . .

She closed her eyes; she just couldn't do it. Mr. Mutou was right, she wouldn't forget about what had happened or what she'd felt. She felt herself start to shake, and a warm, lined hand was placed on her shoulder. The contact pulled her from the self-berating reverie she fell into.

"Come now, don't worry right now. Yugi and the others are waiting for you." The old man smiled, the lines deepening around his mouth, and she felt a sudden burst of a feeling similar to that she had for her brother. It felt also like a mellowed version of what she held in her heart for Kaiba.

Pulling away from the comforting hand, she whispered her apologies and left. That thought scared her; it terrified her as much as the thought of losing her brother did. It just wasn't right. How could that have happened?

Starlyte swept her hair behind her, letting it ride on the wind. Her pace was rapid and she refused to slow down until she got home. She refused to pause until she knew what was truly going on in her mind and in her heart.

Walking past an alleyway, she felt a hand grab her. She broke from her thoughts and focused on the man who'd been stupid enough to touch her.

"Hey baby," she dodged his attempt at catching her mouth with his. The stink of alcohol hung in the air, and she gagged at the smell of the rotten teeth that were in his mouth. "C'mon, let's have some fun." He pulled a knife and her only reaction at the shine of the sliver blade was to raise a thin, black eyebrow.

"Fool." Her word cut through the air, and in his drunken-invincible state, he swung his hand at her, trying to knock her silent. It was the hand without the knife. She dodged with little effort, keeping her eyes on the knife. She grabbed tha hand holding the serrated blade, "Stupid. Drunken. Idiot." She bent the hand back, making the knife fall, and drew him toward her. For the briefest second lust stayed on his face, but the sobering act of flashing her fangs instilled the danger he was truly in.

"You want to play? Fine, I'll play." She placed her mouth at the base of his neck, gagging at the soiled and putrid taste of his skin on her tongue. She barred her fangs and spoke, "Stop struggling or this will really hurt." The man only fought her more. His voice failed him and she sunk in.

Yes, she was sadistic; she loved the pain that rushed through her victim when she bit. The blood rushed into her mouth, a flood of life. Swallowing it down, the liquid rushed through her, giving energy to her tired form. It was so sweet, like drinking liquid syrup.

The man's struggles and strangled cries of pain increased the bursts at which the blood flowed and the pleasure that shot through her body. She pulled the last drop from the body and let got of the lifeless form. The body landed on the ground with a loud thump as she wiped her mouth.

Stepping out of the alley, she started back at her pace, uneventful as before. Turning a corner, she rammed hard into someone. She saw a flash of brown before falling backwards and landing on her backside.

Groaning, she stood, rubbing her assaulted derriere. She stared up at the man she'd run into. His features were hidden it shadows; the sun was right behind him. It looked like a comical tryst to block the sun with a high-up hairdo. She tried not to laugh at how funny it looked.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." She pushed her hand towards the figure, a simple gesture of apologies. For a second, the man's hand was hesitant before it took hers. The fingers that wrapped around her felt oddly familiar, but she shrugged it off. How could they? She'd just run into the guy.

"Apology accepted . . . Starlyte." she felt he blood she'd just drank drain away from her face. It couldn't be him, no, it just couldn't! But gods, it was.

Seto Kaiba moved from out of the sunlight, his form was straight and his eyes cold. Swallowing hard, Starlyte looked up into his eyes.

"Kaiba, my, what a . . . pleasant surprise. I actually hadn't expected to see you until the Finals." She sighed mentally as her voice came out clear and smooth. The choking sobs that normally accompanied things dealing with Kaiba were gone, for now.

"Yes, indeed, but you haven't yet entered the tournament."

"I plan on showing up with Yugi. He'd determined to make it."

"I know."

"Well, goodbye, Mr. Kaiba." she turned, a pleased smirk plastered to her face at look of pure surprise that had crossed Kaiba's face. This might not be so bad after all.