Juni: See? What did we tell you.
KT: (tied to desk chair) (grumbling)
Taku: She hasn't even had a bathroom break.
KT: (squirms) I gotta go!
Juni: Update, and we'll untie you.
KT: Oh fine, you hostage-holders. Thanks to Magestar, ladywolfTerri, Angel's Charm, Queen Raiden, FYI, Yana5, kkwyDragonflame, Masami Mistress Of Fire, Yami Nefebre, Abby-WCD, Dark Angel Of Fire Ice, MikosWish, ilikeyaoi, xamosy, Zaleone, Blue Autumn Sky, Shire, Crazyb1tch85, frogger666, kingleby, KeraJeir,Wolf and Dragon, Jade, chibikuro rose-sama, Innocent Rain, and Yugi's Little MoonAngel for reviewing, double thanks to Magestar and FYI for the warning about reviews (I will keep in mind!) and triple thanks to to everyone who added me to your favorites list. (there's too many now; I can't remember who was already there. But read my bio; you're listed there!)
Juni: And now the lengthy continuation, since several people were unhappy with the shortness last time.


(last time)

"My fighting skills are fine," Seto snapped. "And they'll be better than yours will ever be."

"Then prove it, bastard," Yami shot back, staring him in the eye. "If you're so great, you wouldn't have to resort to using my 'weakness' as you call it. You would storm in my forest and kill me. But you obviously don't have what it takes to defeat me in battle; otherwise this would be a very different scenario."

Seto actually seemed unnerved by Yami's words. "I could take you on any day," he said slowly. After a moment, he lowered his gun. "And I'll prove it to you right now. You'll wish you hadn't chosen death this way, bloodsucker."

Yami smirked. "We'll see."

Yugi looked from one to the other.

Was this a part of Yami's plan?


10: To The Death

Yami and Seto glared at each other from opposite sides of the rooftop. Seto had taken his gun and tossed it for the fight. A light breeze blew by, bringing to Yami's nose the strong scent of Yugi's blood. He forced himself not to look at Yugi, lest he get distracted.

"I hope you're ready, leech," Seto said.

"Don't insult me, asshole. I'm always ready," Yami shot back.

Yugi felt himself getting confused. They were mortal enemies, yet they found the time to swap witty banter like friendly rivals. His thoughts were cut short by the throbbing pain in his neck. I hope I didn't slice anything vital, he thought, trying not to move around.

Seto smirked. "Fine then. Let your last fight commence."

"I was about to say the same thing."

They both walked up calmly to each other, like they weren't about to try and kill one another. About five feet away from one another, Yugi noticed something black crawling along the ground after Yami. He felt fear rise in his throat as the moving shadows rose up and formed several sharp points, all aimed at Yami's back. Bracing himself, he used his tongue to push the rope out of his mouth and down his chin to hang around his neck. The pain rose in the appropriate places, but he hadmore important things on his mind.

"Yami, look out!" Yugi yelled.

Yami took a split second glance over his shoulder and dodged as the deadly shadows hurled themselves through the area where he had just been. Seto saw him move right and jumped into action, coming towards Yami to attack him. His eager fist raised and swiped at Yami's face, but the vampire dodged by ducking.

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief.

"I hope that wasn't your best idea," Yami said as he dodged another of Seto's punches.

"Unfortunately for you, no," Seto replied. He raised one hand, and shadows appeared at his feet and swirled up his body to his arm, where they formed a dagger he clenched in his hand. With his newfound weapon, Seto sliced at Yami.

Yami dodged the attack in the nick of time, barely missing having a chunk of his flesh hacked off. Seto swiped at him several more times, not giving him a chance to recover and attack himself. Yami jumped back to avoid another swing of the dagger, and tripped and fell.

"Clumsiness isn't one of your best traits," Seto said, bringing the dagger down. At the last second, Yami rolled out of the way and got to his feet. Seto jumped at him again, but a sudden flash of pain across his chest made him hesitate for a brief second, long enough for Yami to dodge the dagger.

Seto carefully felt his chest and found five deep slash marks through both his shirt and his skin. He glared at his opponent, noticing the blood dripping off of Yami's claws. "So, you got the first strike," he observed. "That doesn't mean much, however."

Yami took a step back and surveyed the slayer. "It means enough," he said to Seto. He held up his right hand, in which a second dagger made of shadows was clenched. "You're just avoiding the fact that in every battle where I got the first strike, you lost miserably."

"If you're so eager to use shadows," Seto said, ignoring his comment, "then how about I turn up the heat?"

At his words, a mist of shadows swirled around his feet, and then rose into the air. Seto pointed at Yami, and the shadows turned into a rain of sharp daggers and sailed at Yami. The vampire dodged all but one, which struck his wrist and caused him to drop his own dagger. Before he could recover, Seto was on him. A leg shot out and kicked Yami directly in the stomach, sending him flying into another metal pillar. His back slammed against it and he slid to the ground.

Yami rose to his feet, a little more slowly than usual. Seto charged at him, grabbed him around the collar, and threw him. Yami went sailing and hit the ground, finally rolling to a stop near the edge of the building. He slowly got to his feet, obviously in pain.

Oh no! Yugi thought fearfully. Kaiba's going to kill him! I have to do something!

"Am I getting to you, Yami?" Seto taunted. "I told you that you would regret this."

"I never regret anything," Yami shot back. A smile formed on his face. "And you've just given me a wonderful idea."

Seto was about to retort when something curled around his ankle and tugged hard, sending him down face first onto the ground. He rose up on his elbows and whirled to see what had him. One of Yami's shadows had grabbed him around the ankle in order to trip him. Seto turned back to Yami to see a dark blur racing at him. Acting on instinct, he stood up quickly and dodged, just in time for Yami's attack to miss.

The shadows on his ankle pulled again, causing Seto to lose his balance. Yami took advantage of the situation and hurled a new dagger straight at the slayer, slicing through his shoulder. Blood poured out of the wound and down Seto's right arm.

"How dare you!" Seto exclaimed.

"You never used to get this testy when I kicked your ass," Yami said, holding out his hand and materializing another dagger, longer than the first.

Seto created another dagger as well and stabbed it into the shadow holding his ankle, causing the restraint to dissipate. Then he lunged at Yami, intent on slicing his head off. Yami blocked his attack with his own dagger and then jumped away.

I thought those injuries I gave him would have slowed him down, Seto thought as he tried to formulate a plan. Instead, I'm the one who's slowing down more! I have to do something or else I'm going to lose, and I can't have that.

Yami watched Seto curiously. What the hell is he waiting for? Don't tell me those little scratches are rendering the weakling immobile. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Seto lunging at him, a dagger in each hand. Yami blocked one dagger with his own, making both dissipate. He grabbed the hand with the other dagger and managed to sidestep. He kicked Seto in the back, propelling him forward into another steel pillar.

Seto stood and turned towards Yami. He glared. Yami heard a clatter behind him and jumped just as some of Seto's shadows tried to grab him.

"You'll have to be faster than that," Yami taunted as he flew through midair. He landed just in time to dodge more of Seto's shadows sailing towards him.

"I'm going to kill you!" Seto yelled, running forward, his dagger in his left hand. He threw it at Yami but missed. The dagger stabbed into the metal pillar Yugi was tied to, just above the boy's head, making him flinch.

A thought processed in Seto's mind. I know just how to win this fight, he thought, a smirk appearing on his face.

Yami dodged the last of Seto's current attack and then created another dagger, which he threw at the slayer. Seto dodged it and sent a wave of shadow daggers flying at Yami. The vampire easily evaded them all. He's truly lost some of his past skill, Yami thought.

A strangled cry caused Yami to whirl to his right. One of Seto's shadows was wrapped around Yugi's neck, cutting off the boy's air supply and aggravating the injuries he had received from the rope.

"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed, running to save the boy. Something suddenly slammed into his right side, and he felt a searing pain seemingly split his arm in half. Burdened by the new pain, Yami faltered in his run and ended up stumbling and falling. He caught himself with his good arm, and turned to glare at a smirking Seto.

"That was a low trick, you snake," he hissed at the slayer as his own blood pooled on the ground.

"You're simply mad because you don't have the same kind of advantage as I do," Seto said.

Yami stood to his feet, letting his injured and bloody arm hang. He cast a glance over to Yugi, who was struggling to escape the shadow's grip, with nothing to help him. He was failing miserably.

Seto laughed evilly. "Give it up, leech. This fight is mine!"

I've got to stop him, Yami thought with a sense of panic. He rushed at Seto, holding his dagger high, while in his mind he commanded several of his shadows to prepare for an ambush. As he expected, Seto easily blocked his attack, and with what seemed like little effort, tossed Yami to the ground. Seto tried to stab him, but Yami rolled away. He got to his feet, fighting off the pain.

Seto didn't give him a chance to recover and attacked again. Yami had to dodge as quickly as he could, and even then there were several close calls. He felt his breath start to get short. I have to do something, or neither I nor Yugi will survive this fight.

"What's the matter, Yami?" Seto taunted, clearly enjoying his position of power. "Is the fight finally taking its toll on you? You should have known better than to make jokes at my fighting skills. They'll be the death of you."

"This isn't over," Yami snarled, trying to stall for time to catch his breath."

"I'd say it just about is," Seto replied smugly. He raised a hand, and the shadows around Yugi's neck tightened, trying to bring about his death even sooner. Yugi's weak struggling did nothing but make the pain worse.

"Yugi! No!" Yami yelled.

Seto burst into satisfied laughter. "I knew it! As long as this runt is still alive, I'll hold power over you, Yami. I hold his very life in my hands, and because of it, you'll soon die."

Yami suddenly realized that something was coming behind him, and he dodged just as another of Seto's sharpened shadows sailed his way. They missed him, and he remained standing. He took off at a run towards Seto and jumped him before the slayer could prepare to attack or defend.

Anger nearly clouding his vision, Yami switched his dagger to his bad hand and punched Seto in the face with his good one. Behind him, he heard Yugi erupt into a coughing fit, as Seto's distraction had kept him from ordering his shadows to choke the life out of the boy.

Yami punched Seto again, knocking them both to the ground. He switched his dagger to his good hand again and, raising it as high as he could, brought it down with all his strength in the general direction of Seto's face. He hit the slayer's neck instead, sending blood and a second strangled cry flying upwards.

"That's where you're wrong, you bastard," Yami seethed. "The only reason you're dying right now is because you hurt my Yugi, and you made me angry."

Seto seemed to be trying to speak, but all he was doing was gargling the blood that rose up his throat.

"You will not hurt Yugi again!" Yami yelled in his face. A lone shadow of Yami's rose up over the vampire's shoulder, its end a very sharp point. Yami glared at Seto, and the shadow rose up and stabbed the slayer in the face.

Silence fell. Yami released the slayer's collar and let his lifeless body drop onto the ground. His thoughts immediately turned to Yugi, and he whirled and ran to the boy's side. Yugi had fallen unconscious, with blood still running down his neck. Yami sliced through the ropes binding the boy with his claws and gathered Yugi's unconscious form into his arms.

Yugi's eyelids fluttered open partway. "Ya...mi...what..."

Yami shushed him. "Don't talk," he said in a low voice. "I'll take you back to the forest."

Yugi weakly gripped the front of Yami's shirt and rested his head on the vampire's shoulder. Yami, making sure the boy was securely in his arms, jumped off the building and rapidly headed for the safety of his dark forest as the sky began to lighten.


KT: Okay! I did it! Now UNTIE ME!
Juni: (unties KT)
KT: Whew! (stands up) I gotta GO! (takes off)
Taku: (is laughing) Let's do that again next time.
Juni: (glares) Oh, shut up, Taku.
NOTE: To any Dark World fans reading, the next chapter should be up soon, but I am having severe Writer's Block. I promise to deliver, though.