KT: It's time for another installment, brought to you by my warped imagination. Sorry it took so long, but hey, I didn't realize how exhausting your first job can be.
Taku: (has bandage over nose) (nasal) Let's just move on.
Juni: Maruka thanks pyromaniacgrl, Dark Angel Of Fire Ice, Ryou's Twin Sister, Hell, Koseta, Girltoy, Yana5, Yami Neferbre, ailisa d. frieson, Mizu, marikslildevil, (blank space), xamosy, LilAznSp0nge, alxworshiper, Atemu Yugi Lover34, Yugi's Little MoonAngel, RexsGurl, i love athrun, aura-chan the neko-jin, and Ravenwing for reviewing and hugs sakura-dream, Yami Neferbre marikslildevil, Hikari's-dark-side-08, HP Girl 28, alxworshiper, and Yugi's Little MoonAngel for putting her on your favorites list.
KT: Thank you, Jun-kun. Now here's the chapter.
8: Return Of The Slayer pt1
Yami sat leisurely on the branch, one leg dangling over the edge. In his lap, Yugi was sleeping peacefully, with Yami's arms wrapped around him. The sun had just come up, but Yami was using his shadows to protect himself from the deadly light.
It was truly amazing. Yami had never thought that Yugi was even capable of loving him. But he did. And Yami loved him back. Now that their feelings were out in the open, Yami planned to never let Yugi out of his sight again.
Yami found himself chuckling lightly. It was almost funny. Yugi had somehow dragged out a side of Yami that he thought been abolished decades ago. Had he been told even five years ago that he would be sitting here now, holding a human, a human that he loved, in his arms, he would have laughed so hard he'd be paralyzed. But it was all true, and he was glad it was. He couldn't imagine how he had coped without Yugi before.
The sleeping figure in Yami's arms started to stir. Yami looked down as Yugi yawned and cracked open sleep-clouded amethyst eyes. "Good morning, love," Yami greeted with a smile.
Yugi smiled sleepily up at him. "Morning." He stretched in Yami's lap, and then rubbed his eyes, removing the last traces of sleepiness from his system. When he was fully awake, Yami took him back down to solid ground.
"I'm off to take a bath," Yugi said, turning and heading in the direction of the river.
"Happy bathing," Yami called after him.
Yugi made it to the river in record time. He found the towel and soap right where he had left it, along with the clothes he had hung up to dry. He smiled. Now that he had confessed his love to both himself and to Yami, it seemed as though an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He no longer saw Yami as a bloodthirsty vampire; instead he saw him as the one he loved. And the best part was, Yami loved him too.
Walking to the water, Yugi looked down at his reflection. He could see it pretty well, since his eyes had adjusted miraculously to the darkness, and there were a few streaks of sunlight shining through the trees. Yugi took off his clothes and, dropping them on the bank, stepped into the cold water with the bar of soap in his hands. He found the rock seat underwater and sat on it, enjoying simply sitting in the water.
After relaxing for a few seconds, Yugi got down to the task of bathing. He climbed out of the river ten minutes later, dried himself off, and dressed in the black shirt and pants Yami had given him yesterday. He left everything where he had found it and started on the path back to the clearing, intent on finding Yami.
"Did you have a nice bath, runt?"
Yugi stiffened, hearing the cold yet undeniably familiar voice.
"Yami must want you to be clean before he steals your innocence. How thoughtful of him."
The words were spoken with obvious contempt. Yugi's eyes flicked upwards to search the treetops over his head. "Why don't you show yourself?" he challenged.
"Gladly." A branch high up in a tree to Yugi's left shook briefly, as if something had jumped off of it. Moments later, a dark figure landed on one knee on the ground, head bent. He raised his eyes, and Yugi saw the cold ice blue.
A sneer formed on his lips. "Did you miss me?" Seto Kaiba asked in a mocking voice, straightening to his full height.
Yugi took a wary step back. "I was hoping to never see you again," he admitted.
"Well, that's sweet, but unfortunately, I'm the gift that refuses to stop giving," Seto said, a smirk on his face. "I've come back to finish what I started, and currently things are going according to plan."
"What?" Yugi said in fear and disbelief. Then, suddenly, he felt something cold wrap around his ankle. Yugi looked down to see a dark tendril tightly curled around his ankle. He gasped and tried to shake it off.
Seto chuckled evilly. "It's so easy to distract ignorant humans," he said with a pleased tone to his voice.
A second and third dark tendril wrapped around his other ankle and his left arm. Yugi twisted vainly to try and escape their grip. They felt light as feathers, yet their grip was strong. Yugi couldn't figure out what they were.
"Give it up, kid," Seto said. "My shadows are unrelenting, and you can't escape their hold."
"What do you want from me?" Yugi cried, still struggling to escape.
Seto came closer. "You are the key component in finally bringing Yami to his knees," he said, sounding quite delighted about it. "So you are going to help me trap him."
"I'd never help you! Especially to hurt Yami!" Yugi shouted.
"Well, I never said you'd do it willingly, now did I?"
Yugi tried to back away, but the shadows restraining him refused to let him budge an inch. He pulled in every direction but couldn't shake free. A damp cloth was suddenly pressed over his mouth and nose. He realized what his current predicament was and tried even harder to pull himself away.
"Once I lure Yami to the predestined spot I'll be able to get rid of him once and for all," Seto said with relish in his tone. Already his voice was fading to Yugi, and the surroundings becoming blurrier.
No...got to get...away... Yugi's thoughts were slowing down. His muscles seemed to stop responding to the panicked messages his brain was sending to them.
Yugi's eyes were closing. Darkness was forcing its way into his mind and taking over. Yami...help...
He fell into pitch black.
Yami knew something was wrong the second a breeze kicked up, bringing with it the familiar stench of Seto's mixed blood. He whirled, crimson eyes cutting through the darkness. He's back. His legs instantly set him into motion, leaping up into the trees and springing from branch to branch. He felt fear at Seto being somewhere in his forest, when he wasn't there to protect Yugi. Who knows what that bastard might do to him if I don't get there in time, he thought
His senses alerted him that the slayer was suddenly on the move...towards him. So, he's coming to meet me. He quickened his pace, hoping Yugi hadn't crossed paths with Kaiba.
A distant gunshot echoed, and Yami saw a branch over his head suddenly break and begin to fall, bringing down the deadly streams of sunlight it had been blocking. He dodged, but wasn't fast enough as a ray of light struck his hand.
Pain clawed at his hand all the way up to his wrist. He faltered in his speedy pace and found himself sailing to the ground far below. Reacting quickly, he twisted his body in mid-air so that he landed safely on one knee. He glanced over at his hand and hissed as he saw that the skin and veins had darkened from contact with the sun, and his veins were bulging. There was a stinging pain encompassing his entire left hand.
Then, he suddenly realized that the slayer's scent was nearby. His eyes snapped up to a figure standing on a branch high above him. "Lofty bastard," were the first words from his mouth.
"Lowly bloodsucker," Kaiba said in return. Yami noticed a strangely-shaped bundle over the slayer's shoulder, and then his eyes widened with horror when his lethargic nose finally picked up the second, even more familiar scent.
Seto smirked when he saw Yami's reaction. "So you finally noticed, leech?" he sneered. "I'm surprised that this weak human is so important to you."
"You dirty crossbreed." Yami's voice came out as a snarl. "Let him go now."
"And give up the only hold I have over you?" Kaiba said, seeming to enjoy torturing Yami. "I think not. But if you want him back so badly..." He tilted his head so he could look down his nose at Yami. "I'll offer you a deal. Meet me where we first made each other's acquaintance, on the rooftop, at 5:00 tomorrow morning. I'll happily set little Yugi free...if you trade yourself in return."
"What?" Yami spat.
"And if you don't come," Kaiba went on, clearly enjoying the moment, "then I'll be throwing this little punk over the edge of the building and watching him go splat on the asphalt below."
Yami's eyes narrowed, seething. "If you spill one drop of blood from Yugi's body, I swear I will tear your head off and stick it so far up your ass you won't be able to get it back out."
"Nice threats coming from the one who doesn't have the upper hand," Kaiba said. "Remember. 5:00 sharp tomorrow morning. Or else." He pointed his gun upwards and fired, bringing several branches down. Then he leapt out into the sunlight, ensuring that Yami couldn't follow him.
Yami remained on one knee, trying to control his breathing, the pain in his hand no longer important. Don't worry, Yugi, he said to himself, I promise I'll save you. Even if I have to die in the process.
I won't let that bastard win...
Taku: (nasal) Is somebody getting carried away with cliffhangers? Yes she is.
KT: Quit with the baby talk.
Juni: You know you're on several peoples' hit lists by now.
KT: I know. It's all a part of the risks of being a good authoress. See you all next time
