I have a very bad cold and am running a bit of a fever, so I've basically taken over the computer for the day. Anyway, here's the next chapter of Dead & Dying. Since FFN is being a pain, I will reply to the super awesome people () who reviewed chapter three and this chapter in the next update.
"speech"
thoughts
/shadows talking/
Rino, Auru, and the plot are mine. Yu-Gi-Oh, unfortunately, is not. The shouenen-ai/yaoi warning is still in effect. A little reminder from the last chapter, and then on with the fic.
Last time…
"There," said Yami. He rolled over, away from me, and to all appearances, fell asleep.
I touched my neck. I couldn't feel anything. I went into the bathroom and leaned towards the mirror, twisting so I could see the side of my neck.
There was nothing there.
Dead & Dying
Fourth
Yami's View
I let myself slip into oblivion. Kami-sama, why did I have to bite him? I wasn't even thirsty.
But his blood was the best you've ever tasted.
I couldn't deny it.
And you want more.
But I was full. I couldn't have drunk any more even if I'd wanted to.
Still doesn't change the fact that you can't wait to sink your fangs into him again.
I tried to stop arguing with myself. My body felt unbearably hot. It was rebelling against the excess of warm life that I'd drunk.
And even now, I was very, very aware of how Yugi had fit in my arms.
Yugi's View
In the past, after I cut myself, a peaceful calm had settled over my mind. It usually didn't last more than a couple hours, though. This, though, this feeling that Yami had given me, was different. The normally choppy lake of my life was now as smooth as glass. I was not even worried that Yami had somehow taken my only knife, and that I might not get to cut myself for days.
I knelt down next to my trunk and snapped open the clasps that held it closed. I snuck a glance at Yami out of the corner of my eyes. He was fast asleep or, at least, doing a very good job of looking like it.
A twinge of some emotion made me bite my lip. Was it regret? Concern?
Were vampires really immortal? Or was Yami dying?
Yami rolled over. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief and pushed open the lid of my trunk.
I wasn't stupid enough to have packed a knife or a razor blade, or even scissors. The first thing that met my eyes when I opened the trunk was a white piece of paper with "NOTICE OF SEARCH" emblazoned in red across the top. So they'd searched my trunk and duffels. I crumpled up the paper and tossed it towards the basket in the corner. I missed.
I got up, annoyed, and put the wad of paper in the basket where it belonged. The next hour was spent unpacking my things and organizing them.
Yami still showed no signs of life. I bit my lip again. Should I go get someone?
Yeah, my roommate just drank my blood, and now he looks like he's passed out.
That would go over real well.
Wait! Auru knew that Yami was vampire—he'd said something about "feeding last night" during breakfast!
But just as quickly, that idea died. There were at least fifty rooms in the boys' dormitory alone.
So? Someone has to know which room belongs to Auru.
I put my hand on the doorknob, and instantly withdrew it. Purple-black shadows were curling around my hand, responding to the warmth.
/Yami?/
Uh…no….
/Yugi!/ A strange feeling of being recognized and inspected welled up from the shadows entwined through my fingers. /Auru?/ The shadows seemed to sense my thoughts, and the ones wrapped around my hand drew me back to the door.
/one zero five room/ The shadows gave me a confused impression of a door, along with the instinctive feeling that it was to my right.
I opened the door quickly and shook the shadows off my hand. Their freezing cold touch—I remembered something like it—
When Yami healed your neck.
The shadows are Yami's?
I suppose.
I stepped out into the hall, thankfully finding it deserted. I shut the door to my room behind me and turned to my right.
Room 105 was on the other side of the hall, just two doors down. I nearly went back to my room upon reaching out to the door handle, because more shadows, different this time, sensed my warmth and reached out.
/Auru? Rino?/ They asked a wordless question, pulling me back towards the door.
Auru, I answered. I'm looking for Auru.
The shadows slithered away from my hand and under the crack in the door. They returned a moment later. /Inside, inside./ They pulled my hand to the door handle again.
I twisted the doorknob, pushed the door open, and looked inside.
Auru had his arms wrapped around Rino, who was sitting in his lap. They were locked at the lips, Rino's fingers tangled in Auru's hair.
I blushed very red and made to close the door.
"Yami-kun?" Auru broke off the kiss and looked towards the door.
"No—it's Yugi," I stammered.
"Oh, Yugi-kun!" Rino and Auru disentangled themselves.
"Sorry about that," said Auru. "The shadows won't let anyone else but Yami open the door. And he usually doesn't leave his room during the day."
"Oh," I managed to squeak out.
"What's the matter?" Rino asked.
I tried to block the rather embarrassing picture of Auru and Rino out of my mind and force it to concentrate on the reason why I came in the first place. "Yami-kun is—well—he bit me." Auru became very serious all of sudden. "I asked him to," I said quickly. Auru's and Rino's eyes widened. "And now—he hasn't moved at all in an hour. He looks like he's—."
"Dead?" Auru filled in.
I nodded.
Rino looked at Auru, his glance asking a question.
"Baka," Auru muttered. "Yami-kun drank too much. How that ever happened, I'm not sure I want to know. Usually, vampires go for weeks without feeding twice."
"Is he going to be alright?" Concern threaded through my voice.
"He'll be fine," said Rino soothingly. "Just give him another hour and he'll wake up."
Now my concern seemed silly. My face, if that was even possible, got redder. "Sorry to bother you."
"Not a problem," said Auru. "Actually, it was better that you came. Since Yami-kun bit you at your request, he can't kill you now, or make you a vampire."
"What?"
Rino elaborated. "You asked Yami-kun to bite you, correct?" I nodded. I had, sort of. "You willingly gave up part of your life to support his. Usually, vampires have to steal life from others. Since you gave it, Yami-kun is bound by the shadows' law not to kill you. It would be physically impossible for him."
"Oh." That made sense, in a twisted, illogical kind of way.
"He can drink from you until the brink of death, though," put in Auru. "Don't provoke him."
"I won't," I promised. Provoking Yami was about the last thing I was going to do.
His arms around you—
His fangs inside you—
Oh, Kami-sama…
Rino smiled at me and broke me out of my destructive train of thought. "Anything else?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Okay," said Auru. His eyes slid over to Rino and he grinned mischeivously. "Rino and I might not be at lunch or dinner, but don't worry."
"Alright," I said. I stepped outside and pushed on the door. It was partially shut when I heard Rino moan.
Auru's voice was low and demanding. "Shirt. Off. Now."
I shut the door very quickly. Apparently, my interruption was already forgotten.
Next update: next week, as I'm going away for Thanksgiving break TT
REVIEWERS:I'm taking suggestions for plot direction, since I'm running a bit low on ideas.Just mentioning character names, random suggestions,or what"scenes" you liked will help. Thanks so much for your dedication to the story!
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