Authoress Notes: Hey all! I've come back with the seventeenth chapter of Dark Desires! Just to warn you, this chapter is really long (well, at least in my view). But it's really exciting! So, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and thank you for the wonderful reviews that you have all given me! (hugs everyone) I honestly couldn't have done it without your guys support!

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Never have, never will. If I did, Atem would act darker like this one, and wouldn't leave!

Pairings: AtemxAnzu, SethxShizuka, JounouchixMai, and others.

Warnings: OOC-ness, strong language, mature themes, sexual themes… Get my drift?

Genre: Action/adventure, romance, angst and… I dunno.

Plot:

((AU Dark fic)) In a world where vampires are gods, humans are low, and slaves are treated as dirt, Anzu is a pleasure slave, serving years in bed. Atem is a high-ranked vampire, in need of… entertainment. Could love between a lowly pleasure slave that lost the ability to love and an arrogant, cold vampire exist in such a world where status is everything, and your image determines how you're treated? Now with the mention of Bakura, necromancers, sorcerers, and the three God Orbs, could things become more complicated?

Dark Desires

By: xKuroSeraphimx

((start chapter))

Chapter 17: Devil Inside Part One

He groaned softly, turning slightly to the other side, attempting to get more sleep that his body needed, wanting to go back into the world of dreams and escape the ache his body was feeling.

"Oh! Looks like he's coming to!" said a familiar female voice that seemed to have come from his left.

… Anzu…?

Then he heard an all too familiar arrogant grunt that came from the same side. Then the male spoke, "About time he woke up."

…Atem?

"He's a human now, Atem. Can you blame him for taking so long to recover, even with the healer's help?" Anzu asked in a rather annoyed tone.

Another male grunt.

… What's going… on? … Wait a second… What about Bahamut? And the Red-Eyes Black Dragon…?

"Aren't you aware that it's the day the sun rises? He has to go out there to transform back into a vampire. The sun is going to come up any time soon." A sigh, and a faint sound of someone scratching themselves. "… And it's a vulnerable time for us vampires. Not to mention it's starting to get really foggy out there, so, any attempt that Hikaru had to transform back to a vampire is going to be a hard one without getting burned."

The day the sun rises…? Wait…

The man in the bed made a sound that announced he was fully going to wake, his breath hitching in his throat. Slowly, he rose up in the bed, hissing that the ache his body was feeling grew now that he was awake. He rubbed his silver eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out of them, and turned to face Anzu who sat on a chair next to the bed he laid on and Atem who stood behind her, his arms crossed as he looked down on him with a slight frown on his face.

"Anzu…? Atem?" Hikaru looked around. "I'm… We're back home?" he asked in a rough voice after waking from a rather long sleep.

Anzu nodded. "Yeah… Something happened a few days before you woke up. You had healers help you, but since you're in a human body, you needed to rest longer." She replied softly.

"… A few days…" the raven-haired man murmured softly. "How long was I asleep?"

Atem shifted in his position slightly. "On the day that the Red-Eyes Black Dragon attacked and you vanquished it, you slept up to four days straight. I didn't realize that you were badly damaged by the Red-Eyes; so, I thought you would wake up sooner, but…" he sighed, shaking his head. "A lot of things happened while you were asleep, but now, the sun is about to rise soon and you were supposed to go out there to transform back into a vampire."

Hikaru stared at them for a few moments before nodding his head. "Yeah, that's right! I have to… go outside. I can't stay in this human body for long." He made an attempt to move, but the ache in his left side jolted, and he groaned again, leaning his head on his knees, a trickle of sweat running down his cheek.

"You shouldn't move after you have just woken up, Hikaru," Anzu said, slightly alarmed and concerned about his reactions. "Isis said that you need a few minutes to rest after you wake up so that your body could adjust to the healing that had taken place. Just lie down there for a few moments longer."

Hikaru let out a soft growl for not being able to move without his body protesting the sudden movements he was doing. Slowly, he raised his head and eased back a little, a frown on his face.

"I know you don't like staying in bed for a long time, but Isis said that you should, or she'll get mad. Your body went into a shock at the injury and strain you put on your body, so that's why you slept for a long time." Anzu said, eyeing the bandages around the left side of his upper body. She sighed, hooking a stray lock of chestnut-colored hair behind her ear. "I'll tell the others that you're awake now and bring you something to eat before you go out."

Without waiting for a response, she stood up from the chair and walked out of the room. There were a few moments before Atem and Hikaru stared back at each other with a puzzled expression on the raven-haired man's face.

"What's all that about?" Hikaru asked curiously.

Atem shook his head, raking a hand through his tri-colored hair. "You should know. She was really worried about you when you wouldn't wake up after so long. Everyone was. So, the little angel's happy that you're finally awake, but she won't admit it that she is." He replied calmly.

Hikaru nodded slowly, realization finally coming to him before he turned his head away. He gripped the sheets in his hands, suddenly feeling a little worried. Something wasn't right, he thought, in the room. What was it…?

He turned to face Atem who was looking back at him, with a blank stare on his face. Hikaru cleared his throat and said, "… You seem different." He said all of a sudden.

Atem made a sound that would've been mistaken for laughter. "Oh really? Well, you know it's the day the sun rises again, and—"

"That's not what I meant, Atem," Hikaru cut in, sitting a little straighter. "You… you seem to have changed a bit. Something's changed within you."

"You always can see right through me, can you, Hikaru?" Atem asked in a soft, caressing voice, a small smile tugging at his lips, and something malevolent glinting in his crimson-colored eyes.

Hikaru snorted, suppressing a shudder at the cold atmosphere around the room. "I'm not a vampire right now, but I know that something happened to you physically… possibly mentally. Did Akito have something to do with it?" he asked quietly.

A sadistic smirk replaced the smile on Atem's face. "You could say that," he crooned softly. "I never did expect Akito to remove my Limiter for some reason… But I'm rather thankful."

Hikaru's silver eyes widen in surprise. "Your Limiter…? No… He couldn't have…"

The tri-haired vampire held out his left hand and flexed and suddenly, black markings appeared on his hand like tribal tattoos. Hikaru looked up and tried to swallow his heart back down as he stared at Atem's face that was lined with the same intricate black lines and circles, the glint in Atem's eyes radiating with brutal violence.

"Oh, but he did," Atem said, stroking Hikaru's face with a lover's touch. "But he seemed to amplify my latent powers ten folds so that I could better protect my woman, Hikaru…" he said Hikaru's name with such disgust that made the raven-haired man wonder if Atem was contemplating whether to kill him without remorse and pain, or slowly and painfully. Atem laughed. "Oh no, Hikaru. I wouldn't do that. Anzu cares for you deeply, so, I won't kill you… if I don't feel like it." He added with a cruel smile.

Hikaru glared at him, despite his whole body screaming to run, run, run. "… You hate me…" he said slowly, knowing what this cold rage coming from Atem meant.

The smile on Atem's face twitched slightly. "Hate is too strong a word, Hikaru… I just… I just want to set things straight so I wouldn't have to paint this whole house red."

"If you're worried about Anzu caring for me than she does to you, don't. I'm not trying to steal her away from you, Atem." Hikaru said, surprising himself that his voice was so calm despite the situation he was in.

"And what makes you think that I would imply that on you?" Atem asked quietly.

Hikaru nodded. "This whole conversation." He replied simply.

Atem let out a laugh that sent chills down Hikaru's spine. After a couple of seconds, the vampire stared back at him with that same cold and cruel smile.

"Too perspective for your own good," Atem muttered, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Hikaru. I won't kill you when you're vulnerable. I would rather fight you head on, that's more honorable than doing an act of a coward's." After he said that, the markings slowly were sucked in some point on his neck.

The door knocked and Anzu, Jounouchi, Shizuka, Seto, and Mai walked in, Anzu holding a tray with a steaming bowl of soup on top. Atem moved away for Anzu to place the tray carefully in front of Hikaru who eyed the food cautiously.

Then Jounouchi smiled that same goofball smile at him. "Glad to that you're back among the living, eh Hikaru?" he asked rather joyously, putting his hands in his pockets.

Shizuka nodded her head. "We're all glad that you're okay, Hikaru. We were rather worried that you wouldn't wake up for four days straight." She added.

"I just came in here to because Shizuka dragged me here," Seto snorted when Shizuka glared at him. "But they were really worried about you," he said, inclining his head to the women.

"And I made that soup, by the way," Mai stated somewhat proudly, crossing her arms. "Better be thankful that I was generous enough not to poison you because you worried us as if hell had frozen over." She said with a wink.

Hikaru grunted, staring down at the steaming bowl of soup. "Thanks everyone…" he muttered before shrugging and picking up the spoon.

It took everything in him not to gag at the taste.

((scene change))

The flames surrounded and danced between the metal rubble, from a bird's eye view, it would have looked like a small sea of flames. Smoke floated around the area, nearly choking anyone that had taken in the air, the smell and fumes of it.

But among the smell of burning remnants of a building, the scent of fresh blood was most prominent.

A woman sat against a cracked wall, her body a mess of blood and dirt. She moaned softly, the pain her body was feeling was staggering. The most critical wound on her was an injury on her on the left side of her stomach that was bleeding so fast that if she didn't heal herself now, she'd surely die of blood loss.

She raised her hand and placed it on the wound and a faint glow began emitting from her hand. She was weak, but it would be enough healing to have her body stand up and run from the place.

That is, if she could run.

Suddenly she heard a faint giggle around her. She jerked her head up, trying to find where the sound came from, but she only found crumbling walls and flames. Then the woman heard the sound again and she looked ahead.

Among the flames in front of her, a small, disfigured silhouette was coming to her. Then the flames parted for some reason and the silhouette now stood a few steps away from her.

She looked up and gasped. Azure eyes met glowing blood red orbs; the pupils long and thin like reptiles. The woman shuddered when the little girl's lips tugged into a feral and cold smile.

"… Y-You…" the woman said, sitting up straight as she could against the wall behind her. She closed one eye when the wound that she was healing sent a jolt of pain through her body.

"Does it hurt, Isis?" the little girl asked in a high, soft voice. "Does it?"

Isis shuddered again at the tone of her voice, suddenly feeling the atmosphere around her go cold despite the crackling flames. She swallowed her hear down, trying to calm herself and said, "… Y-Yes…"

She let out a small scream when the young girl pressed a foot down on her hand that was healing her wound, stopping the healing.

"Is that so?" the young girl asked in that same cold and cruel voice. "Well, it's not compared to the pain you and your co-workers gave me. I should kill you right now, just to end your misery."

Isis let out a ragged breath when the girl pressed harder. Then she felt hot breath next to her ear, a small, clawed like hand clamp around her neck. "But then I ask myself, should I kill you swiftly? Or… painfully? I have places to go, but I want to give you so much pain that wouldn't match mine, but still would leave you crippled. Hmm, so hard to choose, no?" the girl asked calmly, deadly, as if she was having a normal conversation with a friend and not deciding out loud whether or not to kill that friend.

"Please… P-Please, A—"

"Or maybe I should drag you with me, and have you watch me kill your beloved little brother and adopted brother?" the young girl asked, cutting Isis off. Isis gasped when she mentioned her brother. "Oh yes, I know that you have a family, Isis. A family that you would never wish harm to come to them."

"NO!" Isis cried when the little girl drew away from her. "No, please no! Not my family! They have nothing to do with it!" Seeing the smirk on the blood red-eyed girl widen as she said that made Isis shiver with fear and anxiety. "It's me you want! Don't kill them! Not Malik and Rishid! I'll---"

The young girl threw her head back and laughed, a high, cold and cruel laugh. After a few moments, the girl stared back at her with wide eyes that glinted with mad amusement.

"Ahaha… Oh, Isis, so amusing to see you crumble… So amusing that," the girl giggled softly for another second. "I'll let you live, for now."

Isis's eyes widen at what she said. Let her live? WHY? Then the girl spoke, "But I must warn you that if I ever see your face again, I'll kill you. But then again," she shrugged. "I could change my mind at that time as well. But it's so fun toying with your emotions. So now,"

The girl reached a bloody hand towards Isis and…

((scene change))

"Sister? Sis?" Malik shook her awake with a start. "Sis? Having a bad dream? You were moaning and saying incoherent stuff, but…"

Isis shook her head, straightening herself on the stone bench that sat against the fountain in the garden.

"It… It's nothing, Malik. Just a bad dream… Really, Malik, don't worry. I'm just… tired, that's all…" she said as Malik looked at her with a suspicious expression on his face.

Malik frowned at her, not believing what she said, before he sighed and combed his hand through his dirty blonde locks. "Oh… Well, okay… But I just came here to tell you that Hikaru has finally woken up."

"He has?" Isis asked, with a hopeful expression on her face.

The male Egyptian healer nodded. "Yeah, just a few minutes ago. He's about to leave to turn back into a vampire. But with the fog and all…" he sighed. "Not even Atem and the other vampires would go out, even though the fog is covering the sun right now, they're not risking it. It could just come out of nowhere."

Isis sat on the bench, deep in thought. For some reason, she felt that something really bad was going to happen soon. Something that would change things and how the people thought in this house.

Her mind couldn't find what was the problem.

((scene change))

Hikaru adjusted the collar of his usual white trench coat to the way he wanted it. He stood before the doors that led to the outside and was unusually hesitant to go out for some odd reason. He shook off the negative feeling that he sensed. Nothing was going to happen, he thought, so why was he…?

The raven-haired man was grateful that everyone worried about him, but… Sweet Jesus! The soup was B.A.D! It was so hard not to gag and hurt Mai's feelings, but the taste seemed like a mix of foul things put together! Now that he was in a human form and his taste buds alive, Mai definitely has no sense in taste whatsoever.

'Poison would've been better…' he thought dryly, rolling his eyes.

He let out an exasperated sigh and said, "I know what you're going to do, so don't, Anzu." He turned to face Anzu who looked like she was going to scare him, her arms raised and her mouth formed to scream. She instantly pouted and drew away from him, her sapphire eyes glinting with amusement even though she didn't get to pull her prank.

Hikaru cocked up an eyebrow at her. "Since when did you start to do pranks, little one?" he asked curiously in a croon.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Ever since I came here, I've been feeling…" the brunette stretched slightly. "Let's see… Happy?"

"That's good to hear," he paused. "Despite the recent events that have taken place…" he muttered.

The chestnut-haired woman scratched her head. "Yeah… But right now, we should just focus on the present!" she paused, then said, "I'm going with you."

He glared at her. "Why? Anzu, don't you realize it? Akito is coming for you soon and he could do it anytime. You're safe here with everyone around, and—"

"But you're human right now and wouldn't have decent protection if Akito went against you, Hikaru," she pointed out simply. Hikaru narrowed his eyes at her. "Besides, you should have more faith in me! I can take care of myself!"

He opened his mouth to say something but then it came out in an exasperated groan. He ran his hand through his ebony locks, cursing softly under his breath. When Anzu made a decision, no point trying to talk her out of it, especially if it concerned her friend's welfare. Damn, damn, damn!

"Anzu…" He growled. "Atem will kill me if anything happened to you…"

Anzu shook her head. "No, I won't let him. Because I know that you'll be there to protect me when I need protection, no?" she winked.

Hikaru began muttering many curse words and profanities in many languages that he had learned in a rapid pace that Anzu's sapphire eyes widen slightly at his colorful choice of words since she understood some of them. Then he stopped, letting out an exasperated sigh and opened his silver eyes at her.

"You promise me if things get sticky, you run back here, okay?" he asked, his voice deep and serious.

He didn't like the fact that Anzu took several seconds to think it out before nodding her head. If only he could read her mind again.

His mind worked on a way to try and trick her out of going with him, but found his mind wouldn't work properly for some reason. Something inside him was actually grateful that Anzu wanted to come with him, and that something inside was strongly sure that he would protect her, no matter what.

He grunted, turning to the door and opening it.

'… I'm not feeling anything for her… am I…?' he thought quietly to himself.

((scene change))

Anzu and Hikaru walked down a pathway lined with trees after entering a park. It was really foggy, and Anzu had to hold onto Hikaru's wrist so she wouldn't get lost. Thankfully, the brunette didn't notice the startled expression the raven-haired man had on when she unexpectedly latched her hand on his wrist.

'I'm just nervous… Yeah, that's right. I'm nervous, this damn fog's in the way…' he thought, reassured himself that that was it.

But really, the fog was very thick, which made Hikaru wonder if it was actually mist in the park. He couldn't hear anything besides his and Anzu's feet walk on the dirt road, see nothing but fog ahead of them. Unknowingly, his hand wrapped itself around his sword, playing with the hilt a bit.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Something's wrong… It shouldn't be so foggy and misty nowadays… And something's pervading this place with their presence…'

Not to mention it was really cold that when Anzu shivered, he wondered if she shivered out of the cold, or something else…

She chuckled nervously for a moment. "Heh, this fog is so thick, the sun's rays won't come out and touch you, but I think that it will disperse sooner than we thought—"

Hikaru's eyes widened as he heard the faint whistle of the wind being sliced and his eyes caught for a split second a dagger hurtling toward Anzu. He pushed her out of the way, the dagger lightly nicking his cheek as they fell down.

"Hikaru! What—"

She was startled when Hikaru pushed himself upright, drew his sword and whirled around, looking for any sign of where the intruder might have come from, his silver eyes scanning the area through the thick fog.

"Show yourself, intruder!" Hikaru shouted to the air around him. "Where are you!"

His response was another dagger thrown at him. He sidestepped the weapon to avoid it, growling softly, his hand on the hilt of his Tsukikage sword tightening to the point where it cracked. Then he saw a figure approaching them and glared dangerously at the doppelganger, Bakura, who had on a mad smirk on his face, his cold, lavender eyes glinting through the thick fog.

"Bakura," Hikaru seethed quietly, turning his position into a fighting stance. Anzu stood up behind him, peering over him to see the doppelganger a few feet away from them.

"Well, hello, Hikaru… Anzu," he added slyly, his lavender-colored eyes trailing to the brunette that stood behind the tall raven-haired man. "Never expected to see the two of you out here in this… fog. Might be dangerous for you, if you know what I mean?" he chuckled darkly for a few moments.

Hikaru hissed at him. "Liar… Planned this all along, hadn't you? When Atem and the others wouldn't dare risk going out, even if there were a thick fog covering the sun's rays. What do you want, now?"

Bakura shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just out here for a stroll when I spotted you two walking here. Thought I might want to entertain myself with you guys…."

It took only a few seconds before Hikaru blocked the side swing of a sword. He was pushed back into Anzu. They looked up to see a rider on a black horse, pull the horse to a stop and turn, its beady red eyes peering at them through the darkness around its face, the atmosphere around them lowering a few degrees. Hikaru cursed and reached a hand to Anzu but then the fog began swirling wildly and he and the brunette closed his eyes.

It lasted for several seconds before the raven-haired man opened his eyes and was knocked down when he felt the back of a sword hit him in the face. He staggered slightly and blocked the dark sword that swung to his neck. He ducked when he heard the whistle of wind behind him and found another rider spring past him.

"Damn!" he shouted when he looked around and found six black riders around him, their swords raised, beady red eyes staring intently at him.

He found that Anzu wasn't anywhere he couldn't see. He cursed in his head, worry filling him and the sudden anxiety along with it. Not when he was vulnerable! He needed to have the sun out, but with the fog covering it…

They charged all at once. Hikaru's silver eyes darted back and forth as they came to him. He counted three backwards before he blocked several sword strokes but wasn't fast enough to defend against two swipes at his left shoulder and his stomach. The grip on the hilt of his sword wavered, but didn't let go as the pain he felt on his left shoulder awaken and double with pain from the sword wound he had gotten. He saw that one rider charged at him again. He ducked and took the opportunity to grab a handful of the rider's cloak and pull down. The horse neighed, going on its hind legs as the black-cloaked figure held onto the reins, trying not to fall off. Hikaru dug his feet into the ground, feeling himself shift away from his spot. A small smile curved as the rider let go of the reins and fell on the ground with a loud thud. He was about to plunge Tsukikage into the rider's face but he let an agonized scream as another rider slashed at his back, pain shooting through his body two times the pain the wound on his shoulder gave him.

Hikaru plunged his sword down on the ground, preventing him from his legs to fully buckle, his breathing ragged and erratic. He looked up to see the riders forming another circle; the one he pulled down faced him, shifting into a stance. The black rider ran to him, Hikaru had seconds to pull out his sword from the ground and block his enemy's sword. His shoulder screamed in pain at the strain, but he pushed back, the rider pushing back in turn. With a roar, Hikaru pushed him off and brought his sword down, but his enemy side stepped to avoid his sword and brought his own towards Hikaru's neck, attempting to sever his head. Hikaru staggered back, dodging the fatal blow. He fell on his back, groaning when the pain on his back stung through his body, the rider walking toward him.

'Dammit! They're too strong for me in this human body! I'm outnumbered and…' he glared at his enemy, and the riders on their horses that formed a tight circle around them. '… I have to find Anzu… But where is she…!'

Anzu looked around, her sapphire eyes scanning the foggy area around her to find Hikaru who wasn't with her when she opened her eyes. She walked a bit until she heard a faint scream from afar, somewhere to her left.

"Hikaru!" she shouted, and began running to where the sound came from until she saw a blur come to her and found Bakura in front of her, his hand raised with the dagger above his head. She stopped just in time to avoid the weapon being plunged into her head. She saw him smile, his lavender eyes glinting madly when he began slicing her here and there, the speed in his swipes was beyond her speed to block and when she fell, her arms and upper body was nearly coated with her blood.

Bakura chuckled darkly, licking the blade of his dagger maliciously. "I'm going to enjoy toying with you in front of Atem. Hearing your screams of pain will cripple him to his knees, so it would be easy for me to kill him…." He murmured softly, taking out another dagger from his red cloak.

She shuddered at his words and quickly stood up when he raised both arms and drove the daggers to her chest. She rolled out of the way, causing the doppelganger to miss as she stood up. But he quickly took one dagger out of the ground and flung it at the left side of her stomach, hitting dead on, blood spraying on the grass as Anzu took a few steps back, feeling the wind being knocked out of her and pain shooting through every nerve in her body. Blood flowed from her mouth and the wound that the dagger had inflicted upon her. Bakura finally got his other weapon out and swung at her and without thinking, Anzu roughly took the dagger out, hissing at the pain that shot out at her body and blocked Bakura. He merely smirked at her and she didn't have time to defend against his knees hitting her stomach. She bent over, letting go of the dagger, but Bakura grabbed a handful of her chestnut-colored hair and pulled her head back and punched her face with the back of his dagger knocking her to the side, but the force he put into the blow had her rolling several feet away from him. He laughed when she stopped as she tried to get up, but ended in coughing up blood.

He laughed again. 'Really? Is this all that wench can do? She's completely and utterly weak! What did that bastard Akito see in her anyway? And what are his plans with this woman, huh?' he thought, but then smiled. 'Let's see what she really 'can' do…'

He reached into his red cloak and pulled out dozens daggers, the handles expertly in between his fingers like a performer on stage ready to perform a knife trick with them, licking his lips in anticipation, the fog picking up in front of him to hide him from the brunette's view if she looked up.

Anzu looked up and couldn't find him anywhere. She tried to stand up but her knees buckled and she fell. She cursed softly at her weakness, blood trickling from her forehead to her chin. If only she was stronger, she thought, now knowing the blood earrings she had on glinted slightly.

Hikaru fell to the ground, coughing up blood. He moved up from his elbows, despite the pain his body was feeling. He stared at the six pairs of beady red eyes, glaring at them. If only he was back into a vampire, these guys wouldn't be so much of a problem. But now…

He turned to his right, the fog slightly cleared thanks to a passing wind and found Bakura standing a few feet away from him, with dozens of daggers between his fingers and saw Anzu kneeling down on the ground. His silver eyes widen when Bakura made a move to throw the daggers towards the brunette who was obviously oblivious to the fact that the doppelganger was a few feet in front of her. Hikaru stood up, groaning softly and ran to Anzu, not caring about the six riders, he just ran to her, right when Bakura threw the daggers at her.

"ANZU!"

Then blood sprayed on the ground around her.

((scene change))

"She's nowhere in the house!" Jounouchi said, entering Atem's room who stood near the window, gazing out at it, his arms crossed. "Damn! Where could Anzu have gone?"

"Maybe she went with Hikaru?" Malik asked, then cringed when Atem's crimson gaze wavered to him from the window.

"Could be possible," Seto said, the CEO leaned against the wall near the balcony. "That woman… Doesn't she know not to go anywhere? Akito could be out there as well."

"And it's the day the sun comes up and we can't go out right now…" Mai said solemnly, bowing her head down.

Atem turned his head away from the group, and to the window that displayed foggy scenery. His hands tightened on his biceps as he stared out the window, his forehead wrinkling into a fierce frown.

'Where the hell could she have gone with Hikaru?' he thought angrily, not noticing the hint of jealousy in the way he thought of it. 'It's too dangerous for her to go out, and since it's the day the sun rises…"

"Dammit…" he muttered softly to himself.

Then, as if some unknown force had jolted them all awake, they all shivered in fear, feeling a terrible, but somewhat familiar presence running through them, causing them to clutch themselves as they shuddered.

"W-What's happening to me…!" Seto asked through gritted teeth, shaking uncontrollably. It was as if a great amount of fear from within him had suddenly awakened at the familiar presence, making him want to curl into a ball and try to hold out. "It's… it's as if…"

Atem looked up, chewing on his lower lip until it bled. He remembered this same feeling before, the one that sang to him, called him to Anzu. But why was it such in a violent torrent of emotions that made them all cringe and recoil in fear? What had happened?

'… Anzu… What is happening to you…?'

((scene change))

Anzu opened her eyes slowly after she had heard her name being called and saw the points of sharp daggers hurling toward her. She had closed her eyes and waited, waited… But no pain, no rush of death came to her. She looked up and saw that Hikaru was in front of her, his sword out in front of him.

A smile immediately tugged at her lips when she saw him. "Hikaru! Oh, Hikaru, I finally found you! I—"

He groaned, startling her. "Heh, didn't I… D-Didn't I tell you Anzu…? That when things got sticky, you would… run back…?"

She was confused at the sound of his voice until he turned sideways. She gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth to prevent the scream that had built up in her throat. The daggers had plunged into his chest and shoulders and one was in his neck. Tsukikage dropped to the floor as he fell backwards until Anzu caught him, her eyes scanning his body, her sapphire-colored eyes not believing what she was seeing.

Blood… So much of it…

He coughed and looked up at her and slowly grinned. Her breath hitched in her throat at his grin, tears brimming her eyes until she shouted, "You… You stupid jerk! WHY! Why did you go in front of me! I told you…! I told you I'd… I'd take of myself! I didn't ask for your HELP!" she screamed at him, shaking him, not believing that he was slipping away from her.

She saw tears running down his cheeks, mixing with the blood on his face. "I… I don't know… My body just m-moved on its… own, little… fool…. And…. And…" his expression turned to a glare, but at the same time, it looked strained, as if he couldn't be angry at her at this time. "And… you ask me 'why'? It's… I… I care about you, too much for you to die… now… And, didn't I tell you…? I'd protect you… no matter what…"

"H-Hikaru…. No, don't…" she shook him, shaking her head, saying the word no, no, no over and over again.

He wheezed, his voice cracking and becoming fainter. "I thought… that by promising to protect you… guide you… watch over you… that it would keep me alive, but I guess…" he laughed a bit. "I was wrong…"

She looked up when he raised a hand, as if to touch her face but it only went halfway. "Anzu…." He whispered, voice barely audible. She reached out, but when she did, his hand fell limp on his side, his eyes closed, his breathing stopped.

It was as if she had just been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. Her body shook as she stared at Hikaru's still and limp form. She began shaking him, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "No, no, no, no, no….! Hikaru! You must be lying! Joking! NO! Nooo! No, goddamn you! AGHHH!" she cried into his bloody shirt, gripping it tightly as her body was racked with sobs.

Bakura watched it all with a smirk. One down, another to go, he thought. Good riddance, he snorted. Hikaru was beginning to be a big hindrance to their plans. But no more…

He walked a few steps, the crunching sounds alerting her and she looked up to see him again. Her eyes widen when she saw him, something inside her howling, a funny ringing sound in her ears.

Bakura grunted. "Hmph, good riddance I should say, no? He was beginning to be very annoying to us, always helping you guys out. But oh well," he smiled coldly, seeing Anzu bow her head, silent. "The bastard's dead. And he isn't coming back…"

The grip Anzu had on Hikaru's shirt tightened at his words as she felt something cold and dangerous stirring and awakening within her. Right now, all she saw was Hikaru's dead body in front of her, she saw crimson red all around, and not knowing the sun was coming up.

"Foolish bastard," Bakura went on. "If he hadn't interfered, he wouldn't be dead now, wouldn't he? Saving the life of a lowly slave like you, I don't see what's so special about you that he would give up his life for you."

You…

Bakura took another step towards her. "And Akito… What does he see in you? What are his plans with you anyway? You're nothing from what I can see."

I'll never forgive you…

He smirked, brandishing another dagger. "But that won't matter now. I'll kill you here and we'll get on with the rest of our lives…"

I'll…

The doppelganger raised the dagger and was about to throw it, when a shiver ran down his spine. And then…

Everything happened at once. The air suddenly twisted and turned around him, pushing and pulling him from side to side, front and back, the ground shook and cracked, rocks floating up, twisting around. Bakura dug his heels into the ground and looked up from the dust that was piling up and saw that everything was circling around Anzu and Hikaru's body. He saw a white shield around them that crackled with intense energy and for a few seconds, Bakura thought he saw seven heads of dragons that the dust seemed to form in front of him before it disappeared and among the twisting winds, he distinctly heard a loud roar.

Then it stopped.

Bakura looked up and saw Anzu standing up, still staring at Hikaru's body. But the thing was, the cuts on her were completely healed! And this aura around her… It reeked of raw, untamed and dangerous power that seemed beyond his own strength and saw that the brunette's hands were curled like a claw and had long, red-colored nails. The sun shone now, shining down at her and Hikaru's body, but now, it wasn't needed. She whipped her head at him and he froze in fear, his lavender eyes staring at blood-red eyes, the pupils long and thin. And it was at that moment he knew she wasn't the same woman he had just met a few seconds before.

No, this woman reeked of fresh blood and darkness. The eyes glinting with fierce, unquenched bloodlust.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She roared, the winds rumbling and turning into small storms at her shout.

Blood will now stain this whole area red….

((end chapter))

Well, there's chapter seventeen for you! Did you enjoy it! Well, if you did, click on that button down there to get the next chapter and tell me what you think! See you then, folks! (runs)