'Reality is just a figment of our ever tormented minds. But it is the realization of this figment that makes it reality.'

Confusing, no?

Disclaimer: There is no disclaimer. It's all in your head.

-Show Me How It Ends-

Stage Six: Realization

"How can you ask that of me?" Seto asked, frankly disturbed.

Matthew looked at him skeptically. Walking up next to Seto, he placed a hand firmly on the brunet's shoulder, pushing him down into a chair.

"You are overwhelmed. Take the night to think it over, alright?" Matthew turned away heading towards the door. Once he was beyond Seto's hearing, he mumbled "In time you will come to accept what you are to me."

Seto waited until Matthew's footsteps died away. 'There is no way in hell that I am going to be some slave to that vampiric filth! If he thinks that I am just going to be some toy for his sick amusement, he has another thing coming!'

Seto paced around the room, looking for anything to give him a clue where he was. He paused before a wall. Glancing casually at the white sheet covering what was underneath. He reached up and pulled the sheet away, revealing a large bookcase. He traced his fingers along the spines of many of the ancient leather-bound volumes.

'Practices of the Occult…Vampire Subjugation…Prophecies of the Ancient Texts…Blah, blah, blah…' Finally, the brunet's hand stopped on a title that interested him. "Vampiric Change: Fledglings of Darkness." Seto hesitantly pulled the book from the shelf, nearly dropping it when he saw the author's name.

Vlad Dracula. (1)

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Excuse me?" Jou sputtered, looking around frantically for some kind of camera.

The police chief glanced up from his report.

"I said, 'what was your relationship with Seto Kaiba?'"

Jou laughed nervously, "Oh, heh, I thought you said 'were you in a relationship with Seto Kaiba?' Thanks for clarifying. We were close friends. My sister and his brother were friends, so we decided to suck up our pride and get to know each other."

The man froze. "Suck up your pride? Did you two dislike each other?"

Jou smiled sadly, reflecting on all of the past arguments and fights that he and Seto had gotten into.

"Yeah, we hated each other."

"Really," The chief ran over the possibilities in his mind. This kid had been in gangs, his best friend was the shooter. He had past issues with Kaiba. Could he be related to Seto Kaiba's death? "Well, thank you Mr. Jounouchi for your time. I'll get back to you as soon as we know anything."

The man turned to leave, pulling out his cell phone. When he was out of earshot, he dialed and waited for the person he was calling to pick up.

"Lieutenant, I need you to search Jounouchi Katsuya's apartment."

"I hate cops." The hooded man said.

Honda followed closely behind him, remaining strangely silent.

"You know, every time something is going off without a hitch, they find some way to fuck it up. What do you think Hiroto? Should we fight back? Or should we make the victim the assailant?"

Honda stopped walking. Pondering his options as he fingered the gun in his hands.

"Let's make Jou suffer."

Ring…Ring…Ring…Ri-

"Hello?"

"Sir, we found the murder weapon at his apartment. It has Hiroto Honda's 'prints on it, but there is no mistake that he was there recently."

"What is Jounouchi's status?"

A shuffling of papers could be heard.

"He should be released this afternoon, Sir."

He hesitated. Wondering if he was doing the right thing.

"The minute those release forms are signed, I want him in handcuffs."

TBC

Oooo, what's gonna happen now?

(1) The man who inspired Bram Stroker's Dracula was a guy named Vlad Tepes, a notoriously violent and bloody ruler of Walachia, part of present day Romania. He was known for impaling his enemy's through the heart with wooden stakes and bathing in the blood of the slain after particularly grueling battles. He signed his letters 'Vlad Dracula', which can be loosely translated as 'Vlad, son of the Devil'.

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