Shadows That Bleed

by YamiYugiPuzzleshipper

Pure-Bloods are said to be myths, not even well-known within stories. "A specialized genetic coding of the moon and the dire," their spoken lore proclaims. They are creatures beyond the power of mortality, gifted by the gods themselves. Known as the Eternal Ones, their existence once extinguished, resurrection foretells a powerful omen.

15. Obligations

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Update schedule: Every other day (no update on June 2nd)

Chapter Warnings: Improper Use of Medication

Okay, so I didn't know how to put this in a warning, so here we go. You (kind of) see hints of Puzzleshipping this chapter, though it's not quite that at the same time? I guess it depends on how you want to see it? Yami starts sleeping in Yugi's room, but they're NOT sharing his bed. And Yugi kind of hints at an attraction to Yami but it's not quite sexual or emotional? I feel that it's more loneliness that makes Yugi feel okay with the actions that happen and dictates Yami's choices to do so, but if you decide to see it another way, then you're free to do so.

Chapter XV: Obligations

Work Log Entry XV: October, 1996

October 16

It has been order to leave the cub alone throughout the next three weeks. It has been deduced that if he is truly blessed with the classification of being a Pure-Blood, he shall find a way on his own to survive.

Scheduled feeding patterns shall be followed as usual but no one is to call him by his project name any longer.

"So, when do you think the second date is going to be?"

Yugi was only half-listening to the conversation on the other end of the phone as he watched the other boy who was still beginning to settle on the couch more comfortably. He had been uncomfortable for what had seemed liked hours and Yugi'd only just managed to redo the bandages on his wrists minutes before. The other had not been keen on him doing so, even growling low in his throat when he was pulling the gauze out of his wounds once more. So Yugi was at the table, leaned backwards in his chair, tipped for that he was surprised he had not fallen yet, with his eyes locked on the other teen who was simply struggling to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.

"The second date?" he echoed, eyes still caught on this other boy, head tilted to the side, curious and wondering. What was it that made him so uncomfortable? Yugi had changed his bandages before, though this time they had been water-logged from his shower earlier, and now he looked incredibly irritable.

But then he supposed, it could have been the fact that the phone had gone off. He'd reacted pretty badly to the ringing, jumping several feet into the air and snarling so loudly that Yugi had thought something had gotten into the house. It could have also been the fact that he knew he was watching him so closely and maybe that unnerved him somehow.

"With Anzu, remember?" his mom snorted in his ear, making him blink and frown as he turned his head away. Had he and Anzu gone on a date…? His brows furrowed for a moment. He would have remembered if—oh no.

"Y-yeah," he said weakly, swallowing a groan of despair.

He'd forgotten all about her.

He had been so caught up in his own needs to help this wolf, in his desire to keep him safe, make him healthy again. He had forgotten about their rescheduled date for the day before, and he did not blame her for not even bothering to call and remind him or text and ask where he was. He'd stood her up in favor of helping this red-eyed stranger who shared his disease…

"Are you all right? You sound a little sick…"

"No, I'm fine. I just…I forgot that we didn't schedule a second one yet," he lied between his teeth, rolling his eyes upwards towards the ceiling and feeling sick. "We were going to do that soon, but she was busy with dance rehearsals and I didn't want to interrupt. I'll talk to her tonight though. I mean…we have this entire month to go out and do things…"

Except he knew that was not what would happen.

"Oh good. I'm sure the two of you will find plenty to do over the break. And then, when you're official, we can celebrate."

Official? Yugi liked the ring of that but he also doubted its certainty.

His body ached and his heart hurt for a moment, but he could do nothing more than bite his tongue for a moment to think of a response. Slowly he turned his head back towards the werewolf who was still moving around to get more comfortable. He had circled around and paced twice before plopping down for what seemed like the tenth time within the hour.

"Celebrate?" he questioned after a moment, though his voice came out strained with discomfort and a feeling of sickness which touched his insides painfully. He did not want to talk anymore.

"Of course! It's not every day that your childhood sweetheart becomes your girlfriend, Yugi! It's cause for a celebration."

Cause for a celebration? He nearly barked out a laugh, infuriated for a brief second. The idea of dating Anzu was a case for celebration—in the midst of all the crap his life had become? There was nothing worthy of celebration in his life right now.

It did not matter that he and Anzu might become official. What mattered was the fact that he had no idea what was going on around him anymore. What was one meant to do when their life was practically thrown from its axis and cast into such disarray that no one could ever hope to fix it?

He bit his lip. He'd adapt. He had to adapt…

"I guess so," Yugi said without commitment. The wolf got up again, dusting himself off as if he were even uncomfortable with the invisible crumbs that might cover his skin, and then paced back and forth once more. He plopped down on the opposite end of the couch. His eyes flickered towards him, locking with his for the smallest of seconds, and then turned to the screen once more. There was nothing playing that either of them seemed to care for, though Yugi's only reference was the fact that the other wolf would curl his lip when he wished to dismiss a certain program.

"We definitely should celebrate, Yugi."

"We'll do it eventually."

"Good."

If we even last that long, anyways, he thought with a dismissive roll of his eyes towards the ceiling. It would not surprise him if she called it quits before a second date ever even happened. Yugi himself might have done the same in her place. It seemed insane to ask his best friend to go to such measures just for him.

"You should call her."

"I planned on it." Yugi paused, frowning faintly, and reached up to run a hand through his hair as he watched the other boy for a long minute. "When do you guys plan on coming back?"

"We're extending time here," she sighed quietly, and he could tell she was frowning and that she wanted more than anything to be back with him. It was clear that she did not want to have to be far from him, even if she was helping out so tremendously with the wounded dog. "I don't have a date for when we'll be back. We're helping out with the physical therapy now too."

"Underwater treadmill?"

"There's a possibility that he'll need it, yes. But for now we're starting him out with some basic swimming. We'll raise him up to that point if it becomes necessary."

"Okay."

"Listen, you know where the money is and you can get whatever it is you need from the store. You know how to cook and clean up after yourself…" She trailed off for a long moment and Yugi watched again as the wolf got to his feet, paced several times, and then took a seat in the center of the couch.

Yes, he knew how to buy groceries, how to cook for himself, but he would rather not have a repeat of that morning. He didn't want the other to hurt himself again. Frozen dinners would be how he would do things for a little while—at least until Yugi was sure the other would not attempt something like that again. "

It shouldn't go on for too much longer."

"It's fine. He needs help, so take care of him. I can survive without supervision for a few more days."

"You're still taking your medication, right?"

Yugi flinched and the wolf jerked. His head snapped and his lips curled. His eyes flashed and his shoulders rose. Yugi shook his head faintly at him, mouthing an apology, but the other merely stared. His shoulders gradually fell away and his face became expressionless. But his eyes were still burning with aggression borne of tension even as he tilted his head in silent curiosity.

"Yeah," Yugi mumbled as he tore his eyes open from the other's expression and bit his lip uncomfortably. "I'm still taking it. No reason to worry about it, Mom. I promise I won't end up as bad as I did that time before."

Yugi saw him perk up now, at attention and curious. He sat up with his head tilted, his eyes sharp and blazing. He was questioning him, begging for attention almost, and Yugi shrugged faintly as they looked at each other. Yugi shook his head again. Maybe he would explain to him later, or perhaps he wouldn't.

He probably wouldn't. He would definitely prefer not to.

"Good." There was a soft rustling on the other end and he wondered if she was putting some paperwork away or looking through some research of some kind. Maybe she was looking over the schedule for this wounded canine. Either way, he knew it was paper of some kind she was moving around. "Okay, we're about to start therapy with him again. I'll have to call you back tonight."

"Okay. I'll talk to you then." He hung up before she could say she loved him. The thought of repeating those words made him feel sick to his stomach at the moment. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his phone screen against his forehead and breathing out a deep, uneven sigh. "Damn it."

He did not want to have to call Anzu with the news that he knew lay on his tongue already. He knew already that the words were nothing that he wished to say. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her. There were so many things that he wanted to, and that was hardly one of them…

Still, he pulled his phone away, then unlocked it and scrolled through it to find Anzu's number. Yugi hesitated for a moment, ignoring the way the lycanthrope sitting on his couch was studying him so intently, and then pressed the dial button. It took a moment for the phone to ring, something that made him shiver, and he got to his feet to walk around the kitchen table.

He considered slipping outside to talk to her, but what would have been the purpose? The lycanthrope had no idea what he was talking about nor doing. In reality he was unsure when he understood to be doing, but he knew that it was probably something of a mystery to him at the moment.

And why would he care for the conversation he was having? Really, when it came down to it, he thought that he was worrying for no other reason than a distraction. And besides that, even if he had walked outside, who was to say that the wolf would not still hear him? It was possible that his senses were heightened to such a point, was it not?

If his own eyes could take in details of cracks in the asphalt at night then Yugi thought the wolf might be able to hear him even with the distance. The windows were drafty in the living room. He might not even have to move to be able to hear him speaking to him.

"Anzu…"

"Oh, hi, Yugi."

He cringed. She sounded upset, not the least bit happy hearing his voice. He didn't blame her. He looked at his nails, biting his lip, and then drew his middle finger to his mouth. His eyes flickered towards the ceiling.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday. I…T-things got…so out of hand recently…" He breathed out weakly. "I should have called you, but I…"

"Yugi, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm…yeah, I'm…fine." He nearly rolled his eyes at himself. He was anything but fine. Yugi's eyes shot to the werewolf on the couch who was now lying down and blinking at the program on the television in front of him. He looked almost exhausted, as if he might drop to sleep at any moment. And Yugi almost wished he could do the same. "I just…I'm so sorry, Anzu."

"What happened, Yugi?"

"I…I lost track of him. And I got busy. I was…there's something that has come up." He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head faintly. "I shouldn't beat around the bush. So I won't. Anzu, I can't date you right now. Right now things are just too hard and it…it won't work out. I have obligations that I can't put aside…"

Obligations…

Was that what the wolf was?

Yugi glanced at him sideways, tilting his head, and wondered at his choice of words. Was he an obligation? He considered it, wondered about it, and for a moment he truly did feel that the word was right. He was taking care of him, helping to heal him, and he felt that his needs were more important than his personal life.

But it was only going to be for a short time, wouldn't it? Yugi doubted he would need it much longer. He considered that it might be faster than his own recovery, if he was in the same situation.

There was a long silence, one that made him move his phone away and look at the screen as it lit up for his acknowledgment. No, she had not hung up.

"Anzu…?"

"I'm just…" She sighed quietly and he could hear her shaking her head. "I'm just trying to understand this some."

There wasn't much to understand. There was just a load of trust that she had to place in him that he would figure it out.

"You know I would never do this to you if it wasn't important. I would have shown up yesterday, or called you if it wasn't so…if it wasn't such a big thing. I'm sorry, Anzu. I just…" Yugi frowned and nibbled his lip, watching the red-eyed lycanthrope who tilted his head to the side and stared curiously. Had he sensed the change of power within this kitchen? Did he know of the tension he had just created for himself? The one that was centered so fully around him? "I don't…I don't know how to explain it and it's not something that I can just ignore…"

"It's okay. I just…" She trailed off and he ran a hand through his hair. The silence was going to kill him. "It's okay. Just, when you figure all of this out, then we can try again?"

Yugi nearly stumbled and fell over the back of the chair he'd been sitting in before. His mouth fell open, eyes nearly bugging out of his head. The wolf on the couch stiffened. His lips drew back and his eyes grew nervous, darting around the room.

"I—I—y-yeah," he managed, nearly choking on the words. He thought for a moment to tell her that he did not want to have to put it out there that she could do so much better than him. "O-okay."

From the couch the wolf watching him as he breathed out a weak farewell after an excuse was made to get off the phone. He was not truly listening, but rather picking up on the tones in the room. And something like an overjoyed relief was creeping over the blue-violet-eyed teen. Yugi looked almost as if he might collapse with his happiness, his knees weak and unstable, and the thought made him stiffen. What could be so relieving as to make one weak with satisfaction? He had never truly known such a sensation beyond changing and traveling in his wolf pelt, and so the concept of this happening now threw him.

He was not going to change, he knew. The moon was not near and his body seemed far too relaxed for it. Besides, he could smell the regular levels of perspiration and calmness that came with the human's more neutral stance. And that was what he held now.

So he watched Yugi as he took a seat, laughing softly, but did not bother to do more. Instead, when the other boy ran his hands through his hair and put his phone down, he turned to the scene playing in front of him. He tucked his hands in his lap, uncomfortable yet again, and then got to his feet a minute later to pace and then sit again.

"You just keep pacing all the time," Yugi grumbled after a moment, blinking before looking up at him. The wolf turned his head to stare at him with a slight frown of confusion. "Do you want me to give you more medication? Do you want to sleep?"

He hesitated, at first thrown by the statement, and was surprised that it did not sound harsh or even slightly annoyed. But he seemed far more curious and somehow childishly fascinated. The wolf pressed the soles of his feet into the floor for a moment, then nodded and waited. Yugi gave him a miniscule smile, nodding in response, and got to his feet to head into the other room to retrieve the medication. He heard the pills rattling long before he detected the other boy making his way back to him and wondered curiously what it was that he had done with them.

But when he came back over, he recognized that the sound was not the same. These pills were heavier, let out a sharper and louder thud than the ones that he had heard before. He realized, moments later, that the blue-violet-eyed teen had taken something from another bottle, a different set of pills. And when he spoke again, handing it over with the statement, "Here, I'll make you another shake" he realized that he could smell it faintly on Yugi's breath. It was not surprising to him, but it did make him frown minutely.

He had not seen Yugi take pills before, though he supposed it made sense that he might be taking some due to the sheer abundance of them in the house.

Yugi blinked at him, then licked his lips and turned away after a moment.

He wondered what the medication Yugi had taken was for. It did not smell like the ones he had been allowing him to take, so he knew they were not for sleep. Or, at least, he supposed that they were not for the dreamless sleep that he was always granted. He still did not know what it was that made the other boy require the medication but he also guessed that it did not truly matter.

---

That night, the small teen found himself wide awake. He blinked drearily, confused, hesitant, and listened as hard as he could to be able to pick up on whatever noise it was that had woken him. But he realized as well, that despite himself, he was not awake because of a sound.

He listened harder, straining his eyes now as well to catch the source of it from where the light touched the bottom of his door. He blinked stupidly, peering through his lashes, and struggled to think straight. There was a movement in the crack of his door, like feet shuffling across the floor in front of it. He heard the weak rustling of clothing, the soft touch of quiet and gentle breathing.

He frowned faintly, tilting his head, and then blinked again. The gap beneath the door grew completely dark, as if something were in front of it, blocking it. He waited a few minutes, wondering if perhaps the sight might change. But not once did anything move or a streak of light greet him in any way. He frowned more noticeably, biting his lip, and then narrowed his eyes as he got slowly to his feet.

He was disoriented as he crept forward, nearly stumbling over his own two feet in his groggy state. He thought to call out, but it occurred to him that he did not have a name for the other inhabitant of his house.

He gripped the doorknob as tightly as possible, turning it slowly and gently to pull the door open gently. He blinked at the darkness that greeted him, the faint trickle of white and silver light that came from the waning moon in the window. He blinked slowly, frowning, and then trailed his eyes towards the thing that had been blocking it from his door frame.

Resting there, curled up on the floor in front of him, facing the other way, was the red-eyed lycanthrope. He was fast asleep, breathing in and out evenly, his frame relaxed where he lay on the carpet floor. Yugi blinked at him stupidly, nibbling his bottom lip, and then exhaled deeply.

He did not know what to say about this nor what to make of it. But it was a kind of progress, wasn't it? He knew it had to be considered that kind of thing. It was something.

But when he woke up again and got ready for the day, the other wolf had found his way back to the couch. But for the first time since Yugi had seen, he looked extremely young and happy, docile and friendly, he was completely relaxed.

But, somehow, it seemed to break Yugi's heart all the same. Something about it all made his heart hurt.

But he supposed what he did not know about the wolf was truly a blessing.

There was so much he could theorize about that might never even scratch the surface of his problems. And that alone was enough to make him stay quiet and not push him for any answers.

"Here," he announced twenty minutes later, laying the plate in front of him at the end of the living room's coffee table when he saw that he had woken. He was just barely sitting up, scrubbing a hand through his long hair, when Yugi placed the protein shake beside the plate and plopped down to sit in his grandfather's recliner again. Beside the mug was the bottle of pills he had been allowing him to take for the last two days.

The wolf blinked at him stupidly for a moment, then launched himself into his meal as Yugi had thought he might. He was already growing more familiar with the way that he wolfed down his food as he did, scarcely seeming to even take the time to properly chew it. He watched him lazily, as he did for the next week and a half. For the duration of that time, Yugi had spent the nights with his bedroom door open for the other in case he wanted inside of it. He had come to the conclusion that he was not a threat, that he hardly seemed likely to harm him for whatever reason, and so had decided the door could remain open.

Yugi had gotten used to seeing him asleep on the floor in the front of his room, almost as if he were guarding him. He never went inside, but he would lie there, feet away from the end of his bed, and never once would he so much as seem as if he might move away or creep into his room.

So when Yugi woke in the middle of the night to pee and returned to find the doorway empty, he nearly panicked. It was an immediate thought that something had attacked him and Yugi had not known. But then he realized he would have heard it. He did not live on the set of a horror movie, even if most of his life seemed here taken such drastic turns in a mirror direction.

Besides that, he was recovering well. If there had been a threat in the house, Yugi was sure the werewolf would have been able to get out of it without too much trouble. He was sure he would have seen blood everywhere, would have heard their struggles. So, Yugi realized, as he crept forward a few steps listening with strained ears, that there was no such thing that could have happened. But where had the other boy gone?

Yugi made his way slowly into the living room, at first checking for him to see if he was perhaps lying on the couch, and then froze in place. A soft, gentle thudding came from the opposite direction. He spun around, bristling with fear. His eyes were wide, terrified, his stomach twisting. He opened and closed his mouth once. He trembled weakly. And his eyes sought through the darkness almost blindly.

Yugi was panting with confusion, desperation, fearful of it all. He crept forward again, slow and inching in his movements, and the sound occurred once more. He blinked, stupefied, and frowned as he continued. It was painstakingly hard for him to keep moving forward. His fear made him almost desire nothing more than to turn tail and slip inside of his room with the door locked again.

But what greeted him in the kitchen was nothing he ever would have imagined.

Standing in the middle of the room, near the table, using one of the chairs to prop himself up by the elbow, was the other boy. In his right hand was a spoon, and in the left was a small jar.

Yugi strained his eyes, struggling for the ability to read the label in such low light. If not for the streetlamp he would have been almost completely blind. The moon was almost completely gone from the sky again. He shook his head at the thought, for a moment wondering about the Change which he knew would come soon enough.

There was no amount of time he could be given that would truly prepare him for the disgusting ordeal. There was nothing that could see him properly prepared for all of the pain or the puking. There was nothing that could save him from the entire thing. And he was sure he would hate the full moon for the rest of his life because of it.

"What are you doing?" Yugi snorted, finally able to read the jar's label and laughing out loud when he saw the shocked look on the other's face. He was eating a spoonful of peanut butter, red eyes wide and glittering, the utensil sticking from his mouth as his brows pulled together slightly in momentary confusion. "How much of it's left?"

The other boy blinked and looked into the jar, then frowned faintly and tipped the contents towards Yugi for his observation. He strained his eyes, the muscles of them aching as he struggled to see the insides of the plastic container. It took him a moment to see the smooth grooves where the spoon back scraped numerously throughout the inside to gather his midnight snack. He was struggling for what felt like hours before his eyes and adjusted themselves slowly but surely and the darkness began to grow bearable. There was almost nothing there but the very bottom, where the small design of grooves was the only thing with spread to scoop from.

Yugi smiled in amusement, then shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I could have sworn that jar was full not three days ago," he snarled, raising a brow at him in challenge of his words. The other boy gave him a sheepish look, blinking wide eyes with his lips drawn into a brief smile that made Yugi snicker softly. "Well, go ahead and finish it off. Then lay back down. I'll get more tomorrow."

He would have to get it sometime in the afternoon. He doubted he would be able to skip his morning schedule with the other boy. He didn't want to let him get hurt by playing with the stove again or somehow upset his routine by failing to give him his protein shake in the morning. Or somehow throw his immune system off by the effect of giving him his medication later. He had no idea what the medication might do to him if that happened at some point.

Withdrawal symptoms were always bad, regardless of what it was. He still remembered his mother freaking out so avidly after coming home when he had neglected to take it with his grandfather's encouragement. He reached up to rub at his eyes, shaking his head slightly, and turned on his heel. If this wolf never met his family, he might be the luckiest person alive.

He was smiling, snickering softly still, as he made his way back to his bed. The wolf remained in the kitchen for what felt like hours. Yugi kept himself completely beneath the blankets, blinking at the wall in boredom, his breathing even and soft. It took him a minute to realize, upon thinking to roll over in his slight impatience, that the other had already returned. In fact, he could hear the soft lull of his even breathing and the steady thumping of his heart in his ears, both noises musical as he sat up and blinked in surprise.

How had he managed to creep up on him like that? Yugi hadn't even sensed him. And what was the use of being a werewolf if you could not even sense when someone else was coming up behind or around you? What kind of stupid senses were these? First he got practically immobilized from it all then he barely seemed able to pick up even the usual noises from the house. He shook his head, flustered, but then blinked.

The lycanthrope was lying on his side, facing away from him. His side rose and fell easily. His arms and legs were folded into something like his own sleeping position. Yugi could hear him easily now. His breaths were like little wisps of noise, not even a full whistle, and his heart sounded in what seemed like longer twists of the muscle. The sound seemed to echo where the edges met with the next heartbeat, as if there were a chorus like that of a song.

Yugi blinked in surprise at this, but decided now was not the time to think too hard about it. He needed to figure out things for himself before he did anything that even remotely involved the other. And, even then, Yugi did not think he had the courage to ask if he could help him with his tests. There would be no bloodletting for the other in front of him.

Yugi shook his head, then shifted position. The movement was enough to make the sheets scrape in his ears. He cringed and the wolf at the door seemed to stop breathing for a moment. His heart seemed to speed for only a moment. It was as if he were on the border of waking, swift and efficient, but had yet to do so. For a split second Yugi felt almost sick to his stomach. What would he do if he did awaken? Would he tell him to go back to sleep? And if he did, would he? The wolf seemed already to have a stubborn side that the smaller boy was fining nearly impossible to shake.

He frowned, biting his lip, but shrugged it off. The wolf's breathing came back in its soothing lull of gentle noise and his heart twisted in its louder booms of sound. Yugi licked his lips after a moment, moving more slowly. It felt like hours for his feet to touch the ground. The mattress creaked softly. The wolf ceased movement for a moment. He could see his sides frozen in place, and his heart had kicked up a notch. Then, slowly, he drew in a breath, one that was too deep to be sleepy.

The smaller boy remained frozen in place, feet on the ground, leaning away from the bed's frame. In a painstaking manner his guest exhaled a deep breath, moved to bunch his shoulders up slightly, and snorted loudly. It came to Yugi, watching his form as he began to fall back asleep, that he had scented the air. He had been testing for anything he did not recognize in the house. And that was the only thing that kept him from jumping up or spinning on him or heading back to the couch.

Yugi shook his head, holding his own breath, and swallowed hard. This was going to be increasingly hard to do, he realized. The wolf clearly had much better senses and reflexes than he did himself. It was obvious in everything he did. Yugi bit his lip, flustered, and shook his head faintly.

As he pulled the sheets away and crept forward a step towards his dresser, he kept his eyes on the canine. He did not move safe for his breathing, and his heart sounded regular again, but he could not help but watch. It was a wonder that he could remain where he was, sleeping, when it was obvious he could hear his each and every movement.

He shook it off again, then continued to drag his feet towards his dresser. It took Yugi what felt like an eternity to reach it. The chair that sat in front of him had a blanket nestled into it, seated in the cent of the cushion. He had put it there in case the wolf began to make a habit of sleeping at his door. The room got drafty at times, especially with one of the vents placed directly over his head. If it came on, it would be no surprise that he might wander off for the couch again.

Yugi grabbed it as quickly as he could, watching him still. It was a soft fleece, light but warm, and he doubted that the other boy might even notice if he covered him with it. Then again, if his sense of touch was as good as his others, then Yugi had no doubt that he would. But he was also covered in clothing, so maybe not? But a layer of blanket covering clothes—wouldn't he still feel that?

Yugi nearly groaned at himself in frustration. If he woke up, he woke up. If he didn't, then he didn't. There was no reason for him to play this game of cat-and-mouse with his own thoughts. He shook his head faintly, then nibbled his lip and crept forward again. The wolf remained asleep, though Yugi considered this a lighter doze than what he had woken from formerly. It was obvious from the way that he continuously seemed on the verge of waking that he was not resting as deeply as he might normally.

But the wolf did not wake as he came to his side. Or, at least, his heart did not seem to speed up and his breathing remained even. In the darkness Yugi barely caught it, but he realized his spine had tightened slightly. It was in his shoulders between the blades, and it made his jacket fold in a strange downward line. He frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes. Was he still awake then? Maybe he had been feigning his attempt at sleep to calm him down? But shouldn't his heart have picked up when he got closer?

A twitch made his lashes flicker faintly. But that was not what caught Yugi's attention. He remained as he was, wondering if he might be able to see it again. He fiddled with the blanket in his fingers, scraping a nail over the comfortable material, and stared curiously. His heart was beginning to pound with a growing excitement. He licked his lips to keep from shivering with anticipation. Something about it all was so exhilarating that he could not think to look away nor pull back.

Then, very slowly, Yugi caught sight of it again. The lashes had parted, if only faintly. But it looked as if the eye were still closed, the slit was so minimal. For a moment he thought he was still looking at his lashes. And then he noticed a thin sliver of red. It was so dark as to appear brown in the dim light. But the black he had been staring into gave off a reflective sheen of gentle silver. He blinked and realization came to him.

The wolf was watching him.

He blinked, then blushed faintly. He had been awake the entire time. He must have been listening to him as he moved across the floor. Yugi frowned, biting his lip, and then gave him a weak smile. "I just wanted to give this to you," he muttered, showing him the blanket and for a moment feeling mesmerized by the way the threads caught the silver moonlight and glistened like dewdrops. The wolf beneath him blinked his eyes open, angling his head to look at it completely. And, as Yugi looked at the display of light the fleece gave off, the wolf sniffed softly at the thin material and slowly reached a hand up to touch it.

Yugi almost missed the action, so entranced by the blanket was he. He tilted his head for a moment, blinking, and his eyes drifted to where he saw a faint gleam at the bottom of the blanket. The wolf's nail, even in this form, possessed the smooth keratin layer that the canines did, and it reflected the light harshly. He watched, startled, as the wolf ran his fingers more noticeably along the bottom, then drifted his palm along the knot of fabric that rested in his hands. When he seemed satisfied with it, Yugi found himself gaping.

The fabric had been snatched out of his hands. And the wolf had pulled it completely over himself, snuggling with it. Yugi blinked stupidly twice, then snorted in amusement when he found he was still watching him from the corner of his eye.

---

"You're so weird," Yugi announced, smirking when the wolf snorted and ignored him. He watched him as he settled more comfortably, but the tension in his shoulders was still apparent even beneath the blanket. He thought for a moment that maybe it was the floor. But then he realized, with a flustered edge of emotion, that it was his presence instead. The wolf was not going to object to it, seeing as this was Yugi's territory, but he was nervous because of it. It occurred to him that they had not been this close aside form a couple of bandage changes. The wolf was unused to his close proximity. He was trying not to let it show but he could not unwind his muscles and so he remained almost frozen beneath him.

Yugi gave him a strained smile, frowning immediately afterwards when he realized the other would not respond, and spun on his heel to make his way towards the bed once more. When he glanced over his shoulder the wolf had grown relaxed again, his breathing soft and even though not as wispy as it had not been before. He was not asleep, was simply waiting for him to begin resting before he himself did.

As he settled himself to stare at the wall and the light flickered gently where the clouds drifted over the moon in a shallow pool of mist, Yugi's eyes began to feel heavy, itchy. His lids blinked once, softening them of their persistent and growing ache, and then closed them completely. The light was playing faintly behind his eyes, stretching and growing in the form of first blue undertones and then light yellow like miniscule forks of lightning. Each pattern began to fade and disperse, as if reality itself were fragmenting, and the heaviness of his body began to escape him.

New shadows and dark patches began to form about him, with the smallest patches of color to light the area around him in a distorted manner. For a long moment nothing seemed to exist but for the faint touches of light, then things began to materialize around him. It seemed agonizing how drifting the place around him seemed to be, as if he might tug himself from this dream's grasp at any moment rather than melt into its soft cradling touch.

A gentle wind began to tug at the air around him, whispering something of a lullaby in his ears even as it carried the smell of sickly wood rot and new earthly growth. A leaf fluttered and fell in the edges of his vision and Yugi turned his head, startled by its existence, eyes wide as he watched it twirl and spiral in a lonely dance to the ground. The grass was small, the blades short but thick, and they seemed almost swallow his feet where he glanced down at them.

He drew in a small breath, scenting the woods for a moment, and the softest gurgle of noise met his ears. He tilted his head, curious, and the areas around him, formerly like a dark blanket to encompass his senses in the most gossamer of ways, began to twitch and take form. The shadows split into tall silhouettes, stately pines with long and thin branches that stretched into the most splendorous of white-speckled stars that glittered a million hues before his raised eyes. The soft starlight spread throughout each gap between them, painting the bark a glistening shade of white with what seemed like golden edges where the pieces were beginning to peel.

The turn of Yugi's head allowed him to spot the river now. It was a slim trickle of water, expanding curiously into a more rapid flow only inches form where he stood facing it. The surface was dancing with light, silver and white, and the gurgle was so soft as to be almost nonexistent. He tilted his head again, glancing briefly at the tree branches once more, and then looked back to the water. His ears flicked, drawing in what seemed like nothing more than a gentle but unearthly whistle where the wind began to stroke the trees again. Curiously he crept forward, though not in the least bit thirsty, and stood a little taller as he approached the water. Where it should have been impossible to find a clear image safe his shadow, this river gave him a picture almost as vivid as his own mirror might have. The water seemed almost not to move at all, with only the slimmest of shadows there announce that this assumption was incorrect. Where the moon and stars touched its surface, it seemed to glitter with something almost enchanting but where his face merged and took shape amongst it all, he felt his heart pounding.

This was not the face that he had expected to greet him. His mouth was pulled outwards and forwards. His ears were angled awkwardly. His cheeks were fully. His eyes were narrower. His neck was thicker. His shoulders were broader. His expression was one of wondrous shock.

He blinked, then tilted his head. The eyes peering back at him glittered, but appeared almost uniform in color. Only tentative strokes of something like dusky royal blue graced the violet glow there. His pupils were nonexistent. His nose twitched and bead of sweat fell from it. The contours of it glistened with perspiration. His lips pulled back and his teeth glittered fiercely, though painted silver and cobalt beneath his own shadow. His cheeks pressed outwards and the shape of them was so stretched that they seemed enormous for a moment. His gums were a dark pink, like the flesh of a ripe plum. When he shifted, his reflection wavered only briefly, then grew absolute in its definition once more.

Yugi flattened his ears against his skull, reaching a leg out to disturb the image. The water splashed and a chill crept painfully through his limbs. He jerked his paw away, then glanced up when he thought he heard the soft noise of another nearby.

He sprang backwards, fur bristling in momentary confusion and shock. From the shadows a shape seemed to melt into form, shifting forward as if made of the darkness itself. He blinked and a glittering sheen of dull, rustic red stared back at him, pinpricks of color in the shadow of a large face and black fur. The nose wrinkled as it drew in a breath, and the contours of it were slicked with perspiration as well, dripping along the part of its immense jaws. The mouth opened minutely, showing off glittering enamel that made his heart pound. Their ears flicked back and forth, and the other wolf stopped feet away from him at the other bank of the river. They stared at one another, eyes glittering with the dulled shade of color, and for a moment neither moved. There was no tension to make his in the darker-furred newcomer, and it took him what felt like hours to recognize the face before him.

But such a rationalization passed. And with it the dream swept from beneath him as well. His senses began to return to him, a weight greeting his limbs as if he were somehow coming to his own body rather than merely reawakening. His eyelids were so heavy that he had to struggle to remember that he could part them. His head was spinning faintly. His eyes burned. He drew in a weak breath.

Then he twitched a finger as if to make sure it was still attached. The light from the window was pale and golden, warm and thick where it came in through the glass. Yugi frowned as a think pasty taste made his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth, then blinked slowly. The color his walls made his corneas burn for a brief moment. The way they sunlight hit the surface made his stomach ache minutely. Then he blinked, rolling over to face away from the window. The movement caused his head to spin.

He reached up to press his palms into his temples but fell short. He had jerked into an upright position. And his eyes were squeezed into slits. The floor looked fuzzy and strange. But the image that lay in the center of the doorway was not.

The wolf was crouched there. The blanket was pulled tightly around his shoulders. He was cross-legged. He was yawning tiredly. His eyelids were drooping. His eyes seemed dull, almost lifeless for a moment. His wrists flashed pale white with the gauze wrapped there. He remembered vaguely that he would have to change them. But what caught his attention was the fact that he was facing him. He was watching him through his long lashes. And he seemed not the least bit tense now that he was awake as well. He did not seem to be even slightly put off by the fact that he was staring at him so openly in response. And he did not seem as if he might turn away at any point.

Yugi tilted his head to the side but the wolf did not respond to the silent inquiry. Rather, he tipped his head a little further and opened his jaws wider. The yawn that came out was loud and seemed to last forever before abruptly ending with a resounding click. The small teen frowned first, then smiled faintly as he muttered, "Have you been up long?"

The shake of his head was immediate. The wolf shrugged his shoulders a second later, then rolled them as he settled down comfortably once more. The sight struck him as strange enough to make his mouth open in a small "o" shape. Yugi sat up a little further, surprised when the other did not so much as blink. The thought was startling that he could possibly have gained such rest overnight. Surely giving him a blanket could not have bestowed such a secure feeling. It seemed so amazing to him that it was impossible. He couldn't see himself being uncomfortable upon waking after someone gave him a blanket for the night that he might sit in plain sight and not flee for another room.

But then…Yugi was the one who had led a wolf into his home after only running into him twice before. He was the one that had tried to lead him there once before and only succeeded when the other had shown up on his doorstep. And was he not the one who had irresponsibly placed himself at his mercy several times simply because he did not know enough about his new disease?

Wasn't he the one who had always prided himself in having a level head about this kind of thing? Yugi had always said he would never allow himself to even give someone dangerous the slightest clue as to where he lived, in case they might get the idea to attack him or his family. And he was, doing the exact opposite of everything he had always pledged himself to.

Yugi shuddered and the movement caused the other's head to tilt. His red eyes had grown wide in surprise of the reaction and the sleepiness was completely gone from his posture. He was alert, blinking at him and inquiring silently what was wrong.

Yugi blinked, then frowned faintly and shook his head. How was he meant to explain to the wolf that he was merely upset with himself for the fact that he had no idea how it was that he could possibly have turned his back on his own ideals as far as dangerous situations went? If he had not, however, the wolf could have been far from there, possibly hiding in the woods nursing his wounds. He might have even died from infection some way or another because of them. Or maybe not. Did werewolves get infections?

Maybe that was another thing he would have to look into soon.

---

He jerked violently, eyes snapping open. The covers tangled more effectively around his skin. The moonlight that was drizzling through the window was blinding like a bright flash of lightning. His heart was racing. His lungs were tight, constrictive. His mouth was dry. His jaw ached. His stomach pulsed with pain. He blinked in a daze. His ears were pounding.

A wet thud and swish of blood made his skull feel thick and cottony. He reached up to cover his face. His stomach lulled as he struggled to sit up. The sheets were tangled around him like manacles. His heart continued to pound. His ribs ached as they stretched with his breath. His tongue was plastered to the roof of his mouth again. His belly ached. His throat burned. Dizziness swept at the edges of his senses.

He paused. His breath was quick and shallow.

But he could not hear it any longer. Something else had edges its way into his senses. He swallowed a breath, holding it in his lungs. His ribs ached with the commitment, but he did not exhale. A single, soft wisp of noise crept into his ears again. He blinked, head turning every which way in his confusion.

A panic shot through his veins. His blood was lit on fire.

The wolf was not there in the doorway.

The doorway was empty.

Yugi let out his breath in a weak whimper-like noise. His hand came up for his teeth to bite into his thumb. His body was wracked with tremors for a moment. He pressed his tongue harder against his palate. A harsh shiver of fear made his blood slow. He clenched his eyes shut.

There was something horrifying in the acknowledgment of his absence. Where had he gone? What had happened? Was he okay? Was he dying?

That soft whispering tone came to his ears again. He blinked his eyes open. He was frozen in place beneath his blankets. His frame quaked violently. He choked on a breath. He bit into his hand a little harder.

His head tilted to the side.

Yugi listened furiously for another hint of noise. It crept through the darkness again to his ears. It tickled his senses. He swallowed thickly, then blinked slowly. The night terror was still clinging to his skin like a sheen of sweat, but the other noise was quickly becoming almost like a song. It was nothing more than a gentle hum at the ends, so subtle that it was almost inaudible. It was almost ironic in its simplicity, almost nonexistent.

But the time which passed around him made it clear. The silence beyond the gentle buzz of the fridge and the tick of the clock in the bathroom gave it a deafening edge. There was a soft rhythm to the noise, an ebb and flow that he compared almost to the cadence of a tide at the beach. At times it felt as if it might draw upon him to encompass his being, somehow almost magic. But others it seemed almost to disappear completely.

When it drew to a higher note, it made it impossible for his jumbled thoughts to move further. The night terror could not sink its claws back into his self-control if he could not remember it. And the little noise made it impossible to.

Everything fell into pieces, fragments, beneath it.

It took Yugi what felt like hours to pinpoint what must have been its source. A curiosity had finally overcome him to find it swiftly. As he crept across the cover of the bed and leaned over the footboard, his mouth nearly fell open.

The form on the floor was tucked comfortably into a ball. The jacket was bunched beneath its head. The blanket was pulled over its lithe frame. In the darkness as the clouds drifted in a thick fog to cover the moon, he could barely make out his profile. But he knew from the way that his sides rose so evenly and slowly that he was not awake. But he also realized that his reaction could not have gone unnoticed. He knew the wolf had to have woken in something of a soft daze.

Yugi smiled softly in relief, in comfort. His breathing was enough to shatter the remnants of any fear in his body. He drifted somewhat closer, leaning forward and tipping his head to the side. His soft breath came in short puffs, warm and gentle, and he smiled wider. He was satisfied with the way the noise made his ribs feel warm and almost molten with pleasure.

But then Yugi froze. His eyes widened. He jerked backwards, stunned. He blinked, then peered at the other boy again. Oh gods, what was going on? Was he truly leaning over and listening to his visitor's breathing with his ears angled towards him like this? Was that something of a wolf instinct? Did they draw comfort from each other's breathing in the wild?

Or was it something to do with his night terrors?

Perhaps it had been an inkling within his own nightmares that had allowed him to draw such comfort?

Or maybe it was just the fact that he had needed something and that was what he had heard first.

Maybe it was simplicity at its finest that had drawn this into reality.

He shook his head but watched the taller form on the floor at the foot of the bed for a moment, and then turned away again to settle back against his pillows. The sheets were sticky with sweat when he lay there comfortably once more but he could not find it in him to change them. Rather than bother to try to force himself to his feet and find his way into the linen closet to pick out a new set of sheets, he closed his eyes tightly.

The other boy's heartbeat was soft and gentle in his ears. And his breath filled whatever vacancy of noise his room might have possessed.

---

Yugi kept his face tucked neatly against the pillow. His eyes were closed into the thinnest of slits. In the dark the room looked incredibly small, dwarfed even. He blinked, fighting back a yawn. A wariness was targeting his limbs. His body was beginning to feel heavy. He moved his shoulders to draw upwards. His blinked again, then narrowed his eyes.

A noise, soft and gentle, crept into his hearing. He blinked tiredly once more, then quickly narrowed them into slits. A small sense of excitement burst into his limbs. His heart began to pound faintly. He fought away a smile, a grin of absolute satisfactory pleasure.

As if beckoned by his thoughts, the other teen had begun to make his way towards his room. He paused in the doorway glanced at him, clearly sensing his excitement rather than his usual restfulness. For a moment he did not move and seemed as if he might make himself settle for the doorway once more. He shifted his foot uncomfortably back and forth across the strip of carpet there. Then he glanced at Yugi with a hesitant frown before making his way uncertainly towards the foot of the bed again.

For a moment he hesitated a little longer. Then he made up his mind and lay down. He rolled onto his side, bunching his limbs, and pulled the blanket over his body. He lay there comfortably, yawning softly, and then ignored the way that the smaller boy gave him a wide grin and settled back again.

For the next two nights he kept up this routine. The days were of the usual meals—pancakes for him and the combination of that and a protein shake for the other—and mundane television after. The routine was of the most simplistic nature. Neither one of them thought much of it either way.

It was the night that seemed more complex for the newcomer than it did him.

Yugi had found rather quickly that if he waited up, the other knew about it. He made it clear because he'd hesitate, look at him for a moment, and then finally take his newest spot in his room. Once it had felt as if it had lasted for what felt like minutes on end. Then the next he merely glanced at him and settled back again. Between the two times not once had the small teen allowed him to crept into his room without being awake to see it.

Since the first night, Yugi had found that focusing on his heartbeat kept any night terrors to come in to come in the back of his mind. He had found that if he listened to his breathing in the darkness, it soothed any frayed nerves he might have, his simplicity and the reality that it represented did well to calm him. It encompassed him in the gentlest of security blankets. He wanted nothing more than to thank him.

But how did you explain to someone that their presence was the most comforting aspect of your life at the time?

And how did you do that to someone who you barely knew and had virtually no knowledge of in the first place?

Regardless of that, he did not think he knew how to say that even to one of his friends.

He didn't even think he could ever manage to say such a thing to Anzu if it ever came to it.

Yugi blinked wide eyes as he watched the other came into the room again. Unlike the previous two nights he did not pause. Instead he merely glanced at him, tilting his head, and offered something of a tight smile before moving to lie down in front of the bed again. He did not yawn or circle as he might have before, simply plopped down. His head looked almost too large for his neck when it tipped unceremoniously as he crossed his legs in his seated position.

Yugi took a moment to remember that the other had not taken his usual nap after breakfast. He'd taken his medication, had watched the television with him, but he had not passed out as he usually did. It occurred to Yugi that maybe he was beginning to metabolize it all more slowly. Maybe he had built up a tolerance to it. Or he had simply been able to remain awake all day and only now cared to sleep. It would not have surprised him if his body was adapting so quickly and his sleep patterns were changing with this new development.

But he looked exhausted. So was it possible that he had stayed up despite the medication and decided now was when he might sleep? But Yugi could not understand why he would choose to do that. It made no sense. He knew it was safe for him to rest as he needed to. And if he felt threatened he could easily change into a wolf and attack Yugi if he felt it necessary. So he did not understand why he would ever hesitate to do so if he felt tired.

Had he stayed up all day to be able to come into his room without feeling so nervous? Because he had strode in there and given him that weak smile as if he were making the room partially his now. Which meant…what exactly? Yugi didn't know whether to consider that a good thing or a bad one. There were millions of different ways that could be interpreted, ranging form wolf to human or some odd combination in the werewolf section. He had no idea what he might do with it all.

But then again, maybe there wasn't anything that Yugi needed to do. When it came down to it, maybe he should just let it happen as it was. Maybe the other was just getting used to everything. Or maybe he was using him as his safety net as he was at times. Perhaps at night he was haunted by the same dream that had caused him to claw his arms open the first time and he had found that Yugi helped counteract that somehow.

He blinked as the wolf drifted off into his rest. His breathing was slow, even, and the jacket under his head seemed barely to have been occupied before he had fallen to sleep. It was obvious that he was exhausted even in his resting state, but the small teen did nothing more than watch him.

What else was there to do?

Wake him and ask if he was okay?

Yugi was fairly certain that should he do that his companion might never be comfortable enough to sleep around him again. He might frighten him from such a possibility and never see the end of a new skittishness to claim his mindset. And if he never settled back down again, then how would this all turn out? Would he turn his teeth on him in an act of desperation? Or would he simply cower from him and eventually turn to flee during the night at some point?

Neither thought was even remotely appealing to him.

The werewolf in front of him was too mild in mannerisms and harbored too gentle a disposition to even be looked at as a threat. Or…at least Yugi thought he would—if he were not a lycanthrope. If he were simply a person, it would never come to mind to think of him as more of a threat than a small child whose innocence was always on blatant display.

Yugi looked towards the window for a split second, then turned back. He was still fast asleep, his heartbeat lulling at his senses to follow him into a similar slumber. Yugi shook his head slightly, then closed his eyes and pulled the sheets up to his neck to become more comfortable.

---

"So, do you guys have a certain date you expect to be back? You never did say," he muttered into the phone the next day. He was leaning back in his chair again, listening to his mom grumble to his grandpa about something or other stupid enough to get her attention. He knew from experience that he was trying to distract her to keep her from saying something to him that might upset him. But Yugi hardly cared as he reached up to run a hand through his hair. If he was able to, he would tell him to shut up so that he could speak to her without her attention being so divided.

But his own was caught similarly between two different things.

The wolf was seated across the table from him. His elbows were propped against the table. His chin was in his palms. He looked both interested in his conversation and clearly bored all at once. He did not even seem to be truly listening in. He was simply watching him, taking note of his voice. Yugi felt that he knew such a tactic rather well. When his mother and grandfather fought, that was one of the things he would do.

He'd drown out their words for the most part, but listen to their tones so that he could act as a peacemaker the moment things began to get out of hand. He rolled his eyes at the phone as his grandpa grumbled something and his mom snapped at him in annoyance. The wolf in front of him quirked a brow when he focused on him again and he gave him a small, lopsided smile.

"They're crazy," Yugi mouthed, winking at the other boy who blinked and then sat up a little with a clearly surprised expression marring his features. He grinned a little wider, more than a little relieved to see such attentive focus in his dark eyes. He was definitely growing stronger, his eyes a true indicator of such a statement. Within the last few days he had been there, though his weight gain seemed almost unnoticeable, it was obvious that there was a gleam to his gaze that had not been there the first night. Now they sparkled like rubies in sunlight and had such depths s to put the ocean to shame.

"We don't really have a date in mind. It's not going to be much longer, though, I promise."

Yugi frowned at the statement, blinking and narrowing his eyes. The wolf in front of him shifted awkwardly in his seat, tilting his head to the side curiously. "You can take as much time as you need," he murmured, trying to make his voice sound even though a small bit of frustration bubbled up inside of him for a moment. He did not need her to watch him like a helpless child. He knew she had not meant it that way, but he could not help but feel reproachful towards her phrasing. "I don't mind it. Nothing is wrong over here. Besides, the dog needs you."

There was a long moment of silence, then Kasumi sighed and he could already picture the frustration that would make her lips thin. "Did you go shopping yet?" she asked and he knew she was trying to keep her voice from growing tight and affecting her tone.

"Not yet. I'm going in an hour," Yugi stated, rolling his eyes to the side. They'd run out of pancake mix. He would have to stock up on that—and get some more protein powders. "I didn't want to go yesterday because I just didn't want to leave the house."

He could almost see the words "You shouldn't just lounge around the house when there are other things you could be doing" forming on her tongue. He rolled his eyes upwards, hoping for the sake of his own sanity that she would not say it as she had so many times before when he didn't want to do his homework growing up.

"All right."

He raised a brow. Had she actually just relented to him?

That was a surprise.

The wolf was staring at him from across the table, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed faintly. His relaxed pose had grown the smallest bit tenser, shoulders a millimeter higher than they had been before. He looked uneasy, as if he had grown to realize something that Yugi himself might be oblivious to.

Had he heard something in their voices?

Was he upset with his dismissal of presence in front of him?

"Anyways, I think I'll let you go. The dog probably needs your help by now, right?" he murmured, tilting his head at the other boy and furrowing his brows in confusion. The lycanthrope blinked, pursing his lips, and then shook his head minutely. "I'll call you later, before I go to bed."

There was a moment of silence. Then, with a somewhat frosty edge to her voice, she muttered, "All right. I'll talk to you then."

She hung up without another word. Yugi rolled his eyes and placed his phone on the table. Of course she would get offended over him dismissing her like that. He had known that before he'd even said it. But it was worth it if it got him off the phone before she would start talking about if he was taking his medication or what he might get for dinner. He didn't think she would really approve of the fact that they had gone through three boxes of pancake mix in just as many days. She would not be impressed and then he'd have to listen to a health lecture—which, on top of all the things going on with him, he thought he needed the least.

Yugi looked at the boy in front of him, curious for a moment as the other studied him silently in response. "Do you ever get the feeling that sometimes things around you are just…really messed up?"

The other boy took only a moment, watching him, and then gave him something of a ghost of a smile. It seemed almost timid, maybe a little relaxed, but also incredibly strained. His head dipped only slightly but the message was clear enough to Yugi.

"All right, I'm going to get some things from the market," he announced, getting to his feet and giving him a small smile. The other boy blinked, eyes widening faintly, but frowned as his head tilted to the side. If Yugi had not known any better, he would have thought he was silently asking him to make sure he did no forget the pancakes. "I won't be gone too long. And you could come with me if you want?"

Yugi had already offered him that same thing an hour before when they had first woken up. He had barely managed to scrape together enough dough for two pancakes for the other boy who had been sorely disappointed with the results of his struggles. He had explained, the other wolf had frowned a little more, and then both of them had fallen silent until Yugi had answered his phone to talk to his mom.

So he was not at all surprised when the werewolf shook his head slowly again in response to his question. Yugi gave him another small smile, nodding, and turned away to look at the phone for a moment.

"I'll be right back."

It took him about ten minutes to get to the market. On the average day it would have taken a couple of minutes longer. But Yugi had been walking faster than usual, with something of a desire to run or at least jog instead. He had wanted to get there and grab his groceries and then hurry back to the house. He had not even given the other boy his protein shake or even managed to do much more than give him those measly pancakes and try to tell him that he didn't have to look so upset that he had to leave.

He was kind of worried about that. It didn't make sense in the first place that he would have grown so upset with him for leaving. He was okay to be on his own, wasn't he?

After they had cleaned his bandages and redone his sutures, he had seemed fine. He had not even hesitated when Yugi had brought the first-aid kit out for him to see. He'd held his arms out for him to inspect, ready and waiting, and had not even blinked when he'd started to snip the stitches and work through the task of cleaning the wound.

Yugi frowned as he scanned the dairy section for skim milk. The chill of the small area made his stomach twist faintly, cooling his heated skin. The air outside had been similar in its light touch. But it was the rest of the store that was heated too warmly for him. It set his skin aflame and his veins burned under his skin. And his forehead seemed as if it might burst forth with perspiration at any moment. He shook his head faintly and then grabbed the jug nearest him.

He skimmed the label, nearly groaning in frustration. All of the bottles seemed to be mixed and misplaced. And some of them seemed to even be completely empty on the shelves. Normally they were much better at stocking than this. Yugi pursed his lips wondering if maybe water would do just as well. It seemed okay, even if it didn't help him to gain weight. He could simply bypass milk altogether. And his mom wouldn't become suspicious considering he really tended to dislike the taste of it.

Slightly flustered, the small teen placed the jug back where he had gotten it, sighing softly and shaking his head as he started to turn away. But a tingling had begun in the center of his spine. And something sharp was biting at the marrow in his bones. He blinked, frowning, and then narrowed his eyes. His heart was beating wildly in his ears, as if the adrenaline had just been waiting beneath the surface of his skin the entire time. His mouth was growing dry with the sudden intensity of his instinct of fight-or-flight.

His head snapped around when a woman moved near him. She paused, startled, and then scowled at him in apparent frustration. He wanted for a moment to apologize, but instead bristled further. Something wasn't right…

When he turned his head the other way, at first he saw nothing. There was an empty aisle behind him, and the one past it looked flooded with people. The one to his right beyond that looked almost as crowded. It seemed almost ominous that they were not in the aisle behind him as well. But he also remembered that mostly teens were the ones to grab the sugary beverages that lined the shelves there. The teas were on either aisle. He wondered if soda might do the trick to help him gain weight—but there seemed to be nothing beneficial in that kind of drink. And the wolf would probably turn his nose up at it if he offered him such a thing.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he nearly missed it when someone came up to his side. He bristled, head turning, and nearly snarled for them to back up. It was primal and instinctive that it nearly made his head swim. But it was far from something he would have wanted to do. Rather, his mouth had opened faintly, but clamped shut immediately.

Standing a couple of feet away, hands in his pockets, shoulders slouched, was Valon. His school uniform had been swapped for a jacket bare of a hood, with the collar of it unzipped and the crease of it unmarred. His arms looked longer in the dark gray material, and the button up shirt beneath it was a reflective black. His jeans were a faded black, with ends that disappeared into a pair of dark gray shoes. His golden eyes were sharper than usual, with a feral quality that made his skin itch. His hair was disheveled, as if he had run his fingers through it multiple times, but the usual spikiness of it had not changed in any way.

"I thought I smelled you," Yugi muttered, voice a mixture of a sneer and nonchalance. His nose wrinkled faintly, but it was not in a mocking way. He seemed genuinely not to like the smell which had greeted it. But his eyes were glittering, dark and yet bright all the same, like the surface of water being touched by moonlight. His stomach tossed as he looked at him. When he spoke again, he swore his canines had gotten a little longer. "You smell…stronger than you used to."

Yugi frowned at him visibly, then glanced around himself slowly. There was no one to watch their interaction. And the redhead that he had seen Valon with previously was nowhere in sight. He turned back, tilting his head, and muttered, "Are you okay?"

"It's the weather," he responded with a bite of frustration but also vivid amusement. "I insult you and you ask if I am okay. You're something else, Yugi."

"I thought you meant I didn't smell as weak…" He shrugged briefly, frowning at the brunet more fully. "You know, like I had grown a little stronger or something. What about the weather?"

"Don't worry about it." He rolled his golden eyes and his jaw jumped with a spasm as he breathed out roughly between his lips. Immediately his head snapped back to look at him again, as if he had forgotten he were there somehow. His gaze was almost glowing, miniscule specks of incandescence that made Yugi freeze in surprise. And, when he stared, he thought he saw within his gaze that horrifying intelligence which had frayed his nerves so many times upon first seeing him as a canine. He seemed, as before, to be looking into his soul and yet through him, harboring a secret of such vastness as to make the world crumble before him. "Are there two of you?"

"Two of me?" Yugi echoed, confused. "What do you mean, two of me? Valon, are you sure you're okay?"

"It's the weather," he repeated without pause, rolling his eyes again. His jaw twitched and clamped again, then the smaller boy flinched when he heard his teeth grounding so heavily. "It doesn't matter. Listen, are there two of you?"

"Two of me?"

"No, not of you. Are there two?"

"Two of what?"

The other boy drew his lips back to bare his teeth and the low growl that came out made him stiffen in surprise. "There's a second wolf. Just like you—another one. Isn't there?" Valon demanded quietly, growling a little louder and narrowing his eyes into slits. Beneath his lashes, the gold of them still shimmered and danced as if with life. "I smell a heavier scent on you—something stronger than your natural one. A second…"

Yugi blinked at him in confusion, then shook his head sharply. "What the hell are you talking about, Valon?" he snapped, feeling his own shoulders rising in frustration. "I don't know what the hell you mean."

"You do!" he accused angrily. "You know exactly what I am asking you. You're simply playing stupid."

"Why would I feign ignorance about something like this? That makes no sense! You said something about finding my alpha—that he was still alive. And now you're not making any sense. What are you talking about with the weather and a second one?"

The werewolf bared his teeth for a moment, then abruptly tossed his head. A hand came up to touch his right temple, his fingers pressing so hard into the skin that he might try to split it. But he shook his head again and his face grew pinched with frustration. "Yugi, it's…" Valon paused and narrowed his eyes into slits, peering at him from beneath his lashes, and then shook his head again. "Listen to me, Yugi, I simply meant to ask…if there was another one. Do you know of another one?"

"Another one of what?"

"Us. Another one of us."

"I…oh…" Yugi paused, opening and closing his mouth twice, and then felt a small sense of guilt bubble up in his stomach. He shook his head slowly, flustered with his own indecision, but pushed forth with a frown. "No, there's no other."

The boy watched him for what felt like hours. His golden eyes darkened. His jaw clenched. And his voice came out furiously as he whispered, "Then I suppose you are simply becoming stronger then. Well, I hope the carnage you bring with you satisfies Lupa. I am sure she will come to love her little angel of death—just as she does the others."

His teeth clicked when he shut his jaw and Yugi flinched, eyes wide and horrified. They stared at each other and Valon scowled at him for a moment longer before turning his head violently away. His eyes flickered back and forth along the doors of the entrance, then shook his head again.

"W-what are you talking about?"

The golden-eyed teen gave him a predatory smile, his canines looking more prominent than he had ever seen them before. "You'll find out. When death follows your every step, Yugi."

"Valon—?"

He shook his head again and stalked past him without a second glance. Yugi watched him go, breath coming out weakly, and shuddered. The other boy nodded once at the register clerk when she glanced at him. Then he vanished out of the sliding doors and hurried down the street.

Yugi nearly groaned under his breath, looking away and swallowing hard. Hearing such a statement was hardly something he had needed. But what had happened? Why had Valon reacted so strangely? What about the weather had he been alluding to?

He shook his head, glancing around. No one else seemed to have noticed their interaction. His stiffened shoulders began to relax. He drew in a deep breath to stabilize himself. It was okay. No one would have any idea that he had been branded as "the angel of death", whatever that truly meant. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then tried to flex his lips into a smile that turned into nothing more than an irritable grimace.

"Fuck," he grumbled, spinning on his heel to make his way into another aisle. Where were the pancake mixes again? He rolled his eyes upwards and hoped that at least his houseguest was having more of what he was doing than he seemed to at the moment.

The other boy was, in fact, doing better than him at the moment. He had figured out how to turn the television on, though that was much more from watching Yugi do so than the seemingly incomprehensible depths of his mind that had brought forth such knowledge. And he was staring at the screen as things flickered across its surface. Laces of voices were shouting about something or other, a protest maybe? But no, their expressions were much happier than that. Perhaps they were cheering?

But what was there to cheer for? All he saw was another person getting up onto the platform that they were all facing. A stage? He tilted his head. Where had that word come from? It seemed strange to him that his mind was working at such speeds to catch him. Usually it was instantly that he was given the answers that he so desired. It came to him, however, that his weakened state must have altered this. Without enough weight and a balanced health to support himself, he was unable to do something so instinctive as to happen without his voluntary recognition of need.

Regardless, he settled back onto the cushions comfortably. His mind raced with explanations and thoughts, trying to catch him up, and for a few minutes he thought his head might burst from such effort. So, after only sparingly glancing at the television but listening more intently to the noise, he grabbed the remote and pressed the button he had formerly to give it life

He shook his head, resting against the pillows there, and waited. When footsteps from the concrete outside made his attention slither away, he sat up. His head tipped to the side. He drew in a deep breath, holding it to heighten his sense of hearing. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had only been there for such a limited amount of time, he knew the sound of the boy as he walked about.

His footsteps were soft, lighter than most humans'. He had a slighter, but still healthy weight to him. And his balance was almost always perfect. The materials of his sneakers were worn down. He could tell by the way they pressed into the ground. But he also knew them because of the fact that his stride was different. It was unique to him, faster than average, with such slightness that it made it almost inaudible.

Most wolves stepped heavier to the ground until the moment that they needed to hunt or stalk their prey. They each had their own special sound to accompany their walks, but they still moved rather heavily most times. But Yugi kept himself had a light and almost drifting sense of movement, padding with sure footing as slight as to make it seem as if they were not truly there in the first place.

So he sat and almost got to his feet, curious as to the slight heaviness that graced Yugi's steps as he got closer. He swore he heard him pause, though it was so momentary that he might have missed it, before the door began to push open. The hinges creaked and the air seemed to rush inwards for a moment, then the noise dissipated as if it had never existed. He moved slowly, as if laden with his own thoughts, and then began to pull the staircase's door open to make his way up the steps. His movements were just as quick as usual, but seemed somewhat heavier, and he could hear a gentle rustling which crept through the air like whimpers.

He tilted his head to the side, listening a little closer, and got to his feet to make his way towards the kitchen as the other grasped the knob to push the door open. Yugi was breathing with a rougher edge to his lungs, as if stressed. He sounded somewhat shaken, distressed in some way, and the wolf frowned as he furrowed his brow faintly. The boy threw the door open, then froze when he saw him staring at the spot he was standing. For a moment they stared at each other. Then Yugi's mouth drew into a strained line of a smile, weak as his eyes glittered faintly with frustration.

Two of us, huh? Does that mean you're just as cursed as I am? Are you an "angel of death" too, or something worse?

But was there anything worse?

Yugi shook his head, the bitterness at bay as it began to bite at his insides. Feeling flustered and annoyed, the small teen gripped tightly at the brown bag in his hands and began to walk past him without a second glance. He could smell something odd about the smaller teen the moment that he passed and a snarl unexpectedly surged from his throat. The other startled, spinning on him.

His lips drew back. His eyes flashed furiously. His brows furrowed. His eyes wrinkled at the corners. His nose crinkled. His teeth glinted softly with the faux golden of the kitchen light. His shoulders rose drastically. His jaw twitched. His teeth ground together. The column of his throat began to cord. He breathed in roughly, snarling softly now.

Yugi remained frozen for a moment. He could do no more than stare blankly, shocked. The expression that marred the other's features made his stomach clench. His heart began to race in his chest. What could have set him off? He had never reacted in such a way before. He drew in a deep breath, for a moment thinking to try to calm him. And then he exhaled just as quickly. His snarl had lessened. His face had grown more relaxed. But there was a cautious tension that made his eyes glimmer. He looked confused. His head tilted to the side. His brows furrowed furiously. He breathed in again, then leaned a little closer.

Yugi jumped back, nearly dropping the groceries. The jerk of movement made the other bristle further. He chomped his teeth, startled. The smaller boy nearly groaned in frustration. His heart was racing faster. He nearly rolled his eyes. He swallowed hard. The wolf did nothing more than snarl and stare at him in confusion. They blinked at each other.

"Fucking stop doing that," Yugi finally grumbled, huffing in distress. The other boy frowned further, lips twitching in his confusion. His teeth looked shinier than ever. His eyes were wild for a brief moment. Then he blinked and his features became purely concerned and puzzled. He tipped his head to the side and Yugi rolled his eyes. "Don't snarl at me like that, damn it. You make me think I'll suddenly look down and find a knife in my hand. For fuck's sake."

But the words seemed to fall on deaf ears. For a moment the wolf stared at him blankly. Then his nose twitched again. He leaned closer, but Yugi did not jump this time. The smaller teen allowed him to drift closer, until there were only inches between them, and watched him sniff deeply several times. The gleam in his red eyes did not change from their puzzled exasperation at first. Then he jerked back. His nose wrinkled up. He was frozen with a snarl on his face.

Then a loud huff left his mouth. He raised the back of his hand to his nose. A second booming noise left him. Then he grunted in displeasure and looked at him accusingly.

"Hey, I didn't tell you to smell me. That was all your idea. It's not my fault you started sneezing," Yugi teased in amusement, raising a brow and heading for the table. The other boy gave him an annoyed huff and then followed him towards the piece of furniture. As he placed the bag on the table, the boy began to move about to the other side to sit opposite of him.

He raised a brow but did not question him, instead reaching into the bag to begin pulling his groceries out to place on the table. In the corner of his eye he saw the other put his right elbow on the table and prop his chin there as he had earlier. But his other hand was lying almost limply in his lap. His eyes, however, were sharp, confused and concerned, burning into his skin as if he had a million questions but no voice to breathe them with.

Yugi glanced up at him. "You do…I mean, you can…talk, right?" he muttered, frowning and worrying his bottom lip. "I know I asked you that before, but…"

The other boy blinked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. For a moment he seemed almost oblivious to the meaning behind his words. But then he nodded slowly, frowning at him noticeably. His brows furrowed again, questioning him as he narrowed his eyes faintly.

"I just…you're so quiet. I guess I just…got a little worried."

He frowned at him more noticeably, but after a moment he wrinkled his nose, then turned away. There was something sad and disappointed in his eyes, shadowed to the point that his mind might have conjured it up but there was still something almost haunted in his gaze as he looked at him. His nonchalance seemed as if it had been thrown aside briskly in favor of his displeased expression.

"So, I couldn't find skim milk. I guess we'll have to stick with water then, right?" Yugi flashed him a small smile, then turned and started off for the fridge to retrieve a bottle. "And then we'll have some pancakes for breakfast and then I'll give you some more medicine and then you take a nap—just like every other day, yeah?"

He looked as if Yugi had stopped speaking Japanese and instead was somehow channeling a demon. His brows furrowed, his expression twisted with discomfort, and he gave him a bleak smile that made Yugi's stomach clenched with disappointment. Had he made him remember something that he had been determined to forget when he had asked him about his voice?

Maybe there was something in his past connected to it that he simply did not care to dig up ever again. The idea that he might have somehow suffered where his voice was concerned was something that made Yugi's spine tingle but he could not make himself do more than glance at him and then away again just as quickly.

Yugi didn't need to let his thoughts dwell on such ideas that his mind might come up with. Some things were better left alone than dragging out into focus. He could leave them in the shadows and would not mind it one bit.

It was later, as Yugi was seated in his grandfather's lounger and his houseguest was beginning to nod off that something occurred to him. The other boy had never snarled at him so angrily before. Not even when he had been struggling to lick his wound to promote his healing had he grown so furious. As he sat there, blinking at the flashing lights of the screen in front of him, only then did his head turn to the other boy.

He was resting on his side, blanket drawn tightly over his thin frame, head angrily comfortably against the pillow. His eyes were already beginning to droop drastically, nearly shutting away the world around him once more, but his attention was still keen. And he knew it had fallen on him from the way that he blinked slowly but did not raise his eyes from the screen in front of them.

"The murder of Tetsu Ushio is still being investigated. No leads have been found at this time. Police are now officially beginning to turn their attention to the possibility of an animal attack."

Yugi blinked at the words, frowning, but did not look away from the other boy. He did not respond to his staring, however, before opening his mouth in a small yawn and bunching his shoulders up more comfortably. It was unspoken between them, like a mutual law that had somehow come into being despite their differences, that he had no reason to worry. He did not have to feign sleep to avoid his attention. And the small boy did not have to stop short of everything he was doing to check on him as he would have a wounded animal in his care.

And so, studying him, Yugi wondered a little more about what it was that had set the wolf off earlier. It was startling to have seen his anger so vibrant and sharp, aimed directly at him even if it was not so terribly bared. He could have attacked at any moment, lashed out and split his skin or spilled blood. He could have harmed him violently and watched him as he struggled to heal. But he had not done more than chomp his teeth and growl. And he…had he been scared of was it something else entirely?

Had he been startled by whatever scent he had caught on his skin? Or had it been something else? Maybe he had simply been startled when he had moved past him. But he had done that so many times that such an explanation did not make sense.

Yugi frowned, tilting his head. But the other boy offered no answers. Instead his eyes had finally closed for the last time. And he breathed in deeply before beginning to drift into another heavy slumber.

Yugi shuddered as the reporter on the news said something else. And his thoughts circled suddenly to the boy in the market.

Valon—Valon was the only part of the equation that could have disrupted their everyday interactions. It must have been his scent that had caused the other boy to react so terribly. Because nothing else made sense. There was no reason otherwise for him to snarl and snap at him as he had.

The smaller boy shuddered again. But like before, the other did not react. He simply breathed in softly, exhaling gently, and fell further into his sleep as the seconds passed.

Lupa is the goddess, represented by the moon, and considered the mother of the werewolves. Lycanthropes tend to pray to her over her mate, Fenrir. Lupa is the name of the she-wolf in Roman mythology who nursed Remus and Romulus when they were found in a basket in the Tiber River. She is also known as Luperca, which you might see later in the story as well.