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.

17. Names

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

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

Chapter Warnings: Improper Use of Medication, Blood, Werewolf Hunting/Ambush

Okay, guys, so the names in the story have a VERY important meaning. They actually foreshadow QUITE a few things, just not as directly as you might think. Although, if you want to take a couple of guesses at what exactly each of them might lead to, I'm open to any theories~ I'd love to hear them. And, yes, each of these names are directly translated in the text via Yugi or Yami's mono or dialogues.

Now, as for Yami's name, if you pay VERY close attention as the story goes along, you'll understand WHY he chose this name. Because it's NOT simply his fur color like Yugi thinks it is. It's a red heron of a kind of thing, but I'm telling you because it's not as simple as that and Yugi doesn't understand that until much later when it becomes more constant how Yami uses his own name.

I should honestly be able to say with confidence that I'll be on top of the next chunk of chapters. If I'm not, it's because something came up and it was unavoidable and I had to put the update aside to deal with it. Let's hope nothing comes up.

Part II

Chapter XVII: Names

Work Log Entry XVII: December, 1996

December 18

The status of PB-A 26 remains unchanged and the boss is growing impatient.

December 19

He has managed to survive and has once again grown stable.

He cannot move around as much as others his age might, but he does manage to stretch his limbs and walk every now and then.

We have still not been permitted to call PB-A 26 by his project name as of yet.

"So, we need to figure out a name for you," Yugi announced as he took a seat in front of him and put his elbow on the table, chin in his hand. He was still tired, Yugi could tell, as his red eyes were partially hooded and he looked sleep-deprived. Yugi supposed after his reaction to the wolf's voice the day before, the other teen had not been nearly as relaxed upon lying beside him.

He had woken tense as well, growling when he had moved a little too much. The wolf had sprung onto his hands and knees, eyes flashing like lit embers, teeth bared and shoulders raised. He had looked, for a moment, ready to bite into his throat. But then the moment had passed. Abruptly a small sense of clarity had cleared his eyes enough to make him blink and tilt his head in mystification towards his own reaction.

Now the wolf sat across from him with an expression that seemed mostly like apparent boredom as far as Yugi was concerned.

"How about…um…Kono?" Yugi asked, raising a brow and watching him with something of a distracted smile. The smaller boy waggled his brows after a moment but the look of bewilderment did not leave the other's face. Rather, his elegant-looking brow slowly rose and his lips pulled into a grimace that was blocked partially by his long fingers. "No? You don't want to be known for your dexterity and skill as a fighter?"

The wolf shook his head immediately. Lazily, he looked at the small list Yugi had compiled, but he was unable to read it upside down. And the other teen made it visibly clear that he would not allow him to simply read them himself in the way that he snatched it up and looked it over with pursed lips.

"Michiya?"

Pathway? The wolf wrinkled his nose, then snorted loudly. Yugi blinked at him, peering from beneath his long lashes, and grinned at him widely.

"No to that too then. How about…Daichi?"

The lycanthrope doubted very much that any part of him constituted as wise. He shook his head again.

"Ronin?"

The name intrigued him for all of a second. Then it occurred to his scrambling brain what meaning it possessed and he frowned at Yugi fully, removing his hand to lay his arms on the table in a pseudo-folded position. He shook his head. He was without a master, but he was far from any kind of samurai.

"Ryo?"

He cringed at the very name, growling softly as he shook his head sharply.

"So, no excellence for you," he snorted, shaking his head slightly and looking down at the sheet again. "Satoshi?"

The wolf shook his head again. He was clear-minded, yes, but that was hardly a name that suited him.

"Shome?"

He frowned more visibly. What truth was there to reach for?

"My gods, you're a difficult one. Hmm…how about…Takeo?"

He grimaced.

"Apparently someone doesn't want anything to do with being a warrior." Yugi pursed his lips, drumming his fingers. "At this rate, I don't think you'll like any of these names. So, how about…you just pick something and we'll go from there? Do you know anything that you could maybe write down or something and then we can go with that?"

The red-eyed lycanthrope stared at him for a long time. His head tilted to the side, his mouth pulled into a slight line. He furrowed his brows the smallest bit. He looked at him almost as if he could not entirely consider the aspect of speaking again. Then, very slowly, he settled back into his chair.

Yugi frowned slightly, pushing the paper and pencil towards him. The wolf watched him, eyes lowered to the table, and his gaze seemed to make his fingers burn. Yugi snatched his hand away almost immediately, and the other boy merely stared at the two utensils he had meant to give him. For what felt like hours he remained as he was. Then, very slowly, with a tremor that shook his face, the wolf made a sound.

It was rough, gravelly, and at first incomprehensible. It came in rough crests of sound for the briefest of moments. Then it slowly leveled itself out.

"Ya…mi."

He startled visibly but the other did not bother to raise his eyes from the table. He traced a pattern along the surface of the tablecloth, nail sharp enough to make the ends fray where he dug it in momentarily. That hideous noise came from his throat again, then leveled as it had before. But it was so guttural that it made his insides quiver.

"Ya-mi. Yami."

He paused, shoulders rising briefly, as if he needed to prepare himself completely. His eyes narrowed into slits, his lips curled back briefly, and his voice came in another hideous gurgle of noise. Then, as if some strange harmony had swept to the edges of the word, it curled upwards and floated on a mesmerizing note that sounded almost baritone in pitch.

"Yami."

Yugi blinked wide eyes, startled by the very idea that he would speak. But he was so excited as well that the delight was hard to quell. He trembled briefly with the exuberance that flooded in his veins, then nodded as his mouth curled into the widest of smiles.

"Yeah, okay! Yami works!"

Yugi's own excitement was not shared by the other wolf. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at him from beneath his lashes. He did not make another noise, simply turned away. His nails drummed on the surface of the table once more. He looked exhausted from the very effort he had put in to make himself use his voice. Yugi wanted for a moment to thank him for doing it, then for the fact that he had not stretched the entire event out longer than necessary. But his voice died in his throat. And his happiness began to dissipate rather rapidly.

The wolf seemed miserable as he slumped his shoulders and stared at the tablecloth as if it might hold answers for him. He appeared almost as if he might want to do nothing more than lay down somewhere and curl up into a ball. He seemed almost to have died before his eyes for a brief moment. But then he let out a loud sigh, turned his head, and began picking at his nails as if he had never thought to speak in the first place.

The moment did not go unnoticed but the smaller boy had enough grace and manners to leave it as it was. "Okay, Yami," Yugi murmured, trying the name out. The wolf did not respond for a few seconds, then blinked and looked at him as if he had already forgotten. Yugi burst out laughing at the puzzled look and then shook his head. "That's going to take us both a little while to get used to, huh?"

The other boy shrugged slightly, but turned his attention back to his nails. His eyes seemed unusually dark for a moment as he looked at the long beds of keratin and eventually snapped his head around to look at the smaller teen again. The expression on his face was clearly displeased with Yugi's attention, as if he thought it better to snarl at him than to let him continue watching him.

Yugi held his hands up, slightly surprised by the aggression that made his eyes look like pools of spilled blood. He shook his head, grumbling, "I was just going to ask if you wanted anything else to eat."

The wolf watched him for a long moment. His expression was almost murderous, but it faded with a blink, and he slowly shook his head in response to Yugi's statement. He turned back around, picking at a nail, and then got to his feet. He pointed past him at the living room—which Yugi was thinking of dubbing his room at this rate—and moved towards the couch.

"Okay, well, you know how to use the remote. I'm going to go grab something from the market. I'll be back in a little while."

Yami was still seated on the couch cushions when an intense and furious wave of restlessness began to eat at his insides with such power as to make him sway. His balance twisted and flipped on its side for a moment, dancing like a leaf within the grasp of a heavy wind. His temples began to pound, with such pain as to make his legs feel weak for a moment. He sat up more fully, reaching up to press his fingers into his temples to help ease his pain.

It was almost amazing to him that now would be the time that his body lashed out at him. Pancakes and protein shakes were great for a human, but not for a wolf. His temples throbbed and pushed back on his fingers harshly. He kept his eyes squeezed shut to make the dizziness leave him somewhat. He would have to hunt for food, make his body begin to balance itself out again. Otherwise, he worried that his body might trigger the Change somehow against his will.

He ground his teeth together, then got to his feet. He knew that Yugi kept something for pain in the bathroom cabinet behind the mirror. He had seen him pull the bottle out more than once. Though he had not taken any, he remembered reading the label in the split second that it was exposed to him.

He weakly shuffled his way to the bathroom, ignoring the way his own footsteps sounded incredibly loud within his ears. The pulsing began to grow worse, the very embodiment of a physical warning. He opened his eyes only when he realized that the door was shut.

The doorknob was incredibly cold, like a physical form of winter air. His skin tingled, tickled by the touch. The metal grew warmer almost instantly as he twisted his wrist. His long fingers tapped the wood. It grated painfully in his ears. He growled softly, the low rumble soothing some of the ache in his head. The carpet gave way to the tiled flooring almost immediately and he nearly groaned with approval. It was so cold against his feet and he was so strangely feverish at the moment.

His body was trying to force some of the more unnatural parts of his meal out. He needed to go hunting sooner rather than later. He nodded slightly to himself, hand snatching open the cabinet. It nearly collided with the wall before he caught it by the tips of his fingers. He shook his head again, the pain beginning to leave him with his slower movements. He looked the bottles over rapidly, mind sorting through them swiftly and without hesitation. He snatched the white bottle furthest to the right, looking it over for a moment.

Then he unscrewed the cap and threw the aspirin tablets into his mouth. He thought to crack them between his teeth for a split second. But instead, nearly gagging with his involuntary reflex to cough them up, forced himself to swallow them down. It was so much harder to do such a thing as a human. As a wolf, chewing was something that was almost nonexistent. With humans, they could puke up anything that wasn't completely pulverized between their molars.

He looked the label over, wondering if two more would do anything to him, then placed the cap on and twisted it shut. There was no reason for him to speculate or worry. Besides the fact that his body would probably simply sweat the pills out if he overdosed, taking only the necessary parts to help alleviate pain, he did not have to wonder about it. It was hard enough swallowing the pills with a cup of water. And even then it was almost impossible for him.

By Lupa, everything seemed so much simpler as a canine than as a human. He rolled his eyes upwards and then groaned, covering them with his fingers. The lights were seared into his corneas as he hissed in pain. He could have cursed himself for his own stupidity. He should have known better. Everything would continue to hurt, then fade, then come back as soon as the medication had been metabolized.

Yami shook his head again, then crept along to the kitchen once more, and made his way into the living room again. He curled up, a blanket tossed over his head, and waited for the medication to truly begin to set in as he kept his eyes shut. He was so far gone in hoping that the medication might become useful that he failed to hear it when the other came around.

Yugi was humming when he put the food on the table ten minutes later, though he had changed his shopping plans at the last second. Rather than frozen food, he had found himself grabbing salmon, a couple of chicken breasts and some vegetables. It had been a drastic redirection from his initial idea of grabbing junk food instead for their dinner. But his gut had churned with hunger and the first thing that had come to mind was the vending machine pastries, then a pink-fleshed fish with glistening gray and silver scales. It was a good thing that his mother had always required his help for cooking salmon on those occasions she had decided to make it. It also helped that his grandfather was not a slacker in teaching him how to prepare various meals whenever she was away and he wanted to cook.

Between the two of them he knew how to make a few restaurant course meals and he was sure the other boy would not turn his nose up at it. He continued humming as he put the chicken and vegetables away. He was in the mood more for salmon than anything else, even though it was really only lunch time. Lazily, he made his way towards the stove to turn on the burner, pausing for a brief moment. His head turned, eyes widening in confusion and then called out, "Yami?"

When there was no response after the third time, he figured it was because the wolf was still not used to his name, despite choosing it himself. He blinked, frowning, and moved the handle away to make sure he would not send the skillet flying with his movement towards the living room.

Yami?" he muttered, raising a brow and frowning in confusion as he made his way to the couch. Yami was inhaling too shortly and sharply to be asleep. And he was obviously still there because Yugi was staring at him. So what exactly was wrong with him?

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out.

The blanket was tossed back. Teeth chomped shut a mere millimeter from Yugi'ss fingers. Wild red eyes peered at him. A snarl made the air static. Yugi could not help the startled, horrified yelp that left him. He was frozen in place, however. Transfixed, he could only breathe raggedly and stare blankly. The wolf blinked up at him, snarling a little lower in his throat. Then he blinked again and his eyes narrowed into slits. Awkwardly, fumbling, the wolf moved to sit back. His shoulders fell. His mouth relaxed. His snarls ceased. His head tilted to the side.

The smaller boy struggled to breathe properly. His body was wracked with tremors. His heart lurched and pounded. His mouth seemed to dry out. He choked on his breath. His pulse made his throat constrict. For a moment, he remained completely frozen.

Then Yugi felt his panic leave him. It was like a wave receding from the shore. His blood heated with frustration. He scowled at Yami, brows pulling downward, eyes flashing faintly. He glared at him, voice coming out irritable but not too sharp.

"Crap, don't do that again," he snapped firmly, reaching a hand up to run through his bangs in his shaken frustration. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You don't need to do that. I wasn't going to hurt you."

Yami frowned at him visibly, then looked down at the table in front of him. His shoulders slumped faintly and he looked visibly ashamed of himself and his reaction. He shook his head slightly to look at Yugi from beneath his lashes. His eyes were wide, full of apology, and the shade of them was a deep and striking maroon color that made his insides twist minutely. Yugi's breath escaped his lungs for a brief moment but he shook his surprise aside and swallowed thickly.

"Let's just…you know, make a deal or something not to let that happen again, okay?" he announced, feeling almost uncomfortable for even suggesting it. He did not think the wolf had meant to react so harshly. And he doubted that Yami had any control of such a reaction if he was scared.

He felt stupid for even speaking now, but he could not shake the idea that the other was just as ashamed he was. If he pretended that they could control it, then didn't that do something for them both? Wasn't it comforting for them both if they assumed that they had some kind of say in their reactions to each other? But the lycanthrope was not responding to him beyond watching him with that same crestfallen expression that made his entire body seem so much smaller.

"Understand, Yami?"

The wolf blinked in surprise at his words, as if he had not expected him to simply leave it at that. But something in his eyes seemed almost hesitant, and for the briefest of seconds Yugi thought maybe he looked as if he might lash out at him. He guessed that made sense, considering it was his home—his territory—and the only other interloper in it had nearly attacked him. As a werewolf Yugi guessed he could understand Yami being fearful that he might take some kind of action against him.

Very slowly his houseguest lowered his head and nodded again. There was something small, lingering, in his eyes, that Yugi could not name and feared for a moment to even attempt to fathom. He was almost terrified to consider it as more than some kind of passing shadow that made his gaze a little darker than usual. He swallowed hard, feeling sick for the briefest of moments, and then looked away from him immediately.

"So, I was thinking that—even though it's early—since I'm starving, it might be fun to make salmon."

Yami's head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise, and then his entire face lit up with something akin absolute relief. His gaze was alight with exuberance, his lips pulled into one of the most beautiful wide smiles he had ever seen. He looked as if, quite abruptly, his entire life had become great and luminous.

"Well, it's good to know that you like salmon."
Yami nodded eagerly and licked his lips.

Yugi could not help but smile in response to the happiness that made Yami's face so bright. And a thought came to him from somewhere in the back of his mind. He tilted his head, expression falling only slightly, and looked him over for a moment.

Why had he chosen Yami as his name? Yami meant "darkness" in Japanese. And the other boy had made it obvious that he knew the language. So why was it that he had chosen a name that seemed so opposite of him at this moment?

Was it his fur color? He supposed it could have been. He could have very simply named himself because he knew that his coat was dark. If he had been going for physical appearance rather than personality, then it made even more sense as to why he had rejected those other suggestions. He could have been any of those names he had suggested before, but not even once had he shown even the smallest hint of satisfaction towards them.

"Okay, so I'm going to start on lunch and then I guess you can choose what we have for dinner tonight, okay?"

Yugi glanced over at the couch for a moment, almost surprised to find that Yami was sitting up rather than lying down. Instead of falling asleep as he normally would, the red-eyed lycanthrope had slowed his progression of eating as well as the amount of food, and his naps were longer in coming. For the last three hours he had watched him as he blinked and studied the screen, turning only once or twice to glance at him before focusing once more on the television. The actions had been lazy rather than lethargic as they had been before. He did not care enough to make a show of being awake, however. Rather, he would let Yugi figure it out and then silently glance at him as if to say he was kind of surprised too.

"Do you want to take another look at your wrists?" he asked quietly, raising a brow and tilting his head. The other boy paused, blinking widened red eyes, and his lips quirked faintly at the corner in confusion. The smaller teen opened his mouth to speak again, but Yami reached over to grab the pen and pad on the table, jotting something down before handing it over to him.

I do not think it is necessary.

Yugi tilted his head. Yami was oddly formal whenever he wrote down an answer. It was almost as if he were revering to him, or placing himself at a lower rank somewhere beneath him. He supposed maybe it was for the best in his mind, seeing as the wolf pack dynamic did seem to oddly rule this lycanthrope's behavior at times. But it still unnerved him a little.

"Okay."

Was it him or did the wolf look extremely relieved that he had said that? It looked almost as if the tension had drifted through his muscles and dissipated altogether with that single word. It seemed almost unnatural that that might be the truth of the situation, as Yugi remembered just how hard it had been just to reach this point with the wolf as it was. The fact that Yami had woken up ready to bite him was enough of a reminder of that as well. He was relaxed now, but he was not always, and sometimes he could not retain that posture for long.

At times Yami would give him little glances, pleading with him to give him just the smallest inkling of reassurance that he was fine to do so. Other times he would react harshly to something or other and then look at him with a keen expression asking for explanation or just to gauge his reaction. That always seemed enough to make Yami relax when Yugi was not alarmed himself.

His own calm state always seemed to make him comfortable enough to withdraw his fear or confusion. It was just enough to make Yami settle back, though slightly uncomfortable, and rest against the cushions until his body was all but slack with relaxation. Yugi smiled faintly when he looked at the boy now as he tilted his head in consideration. Yami was not completely paying attention to him, but he knew those red eyes were still somehow focused on him in his peripheral. "Are you sure?"

The werewolf blinked, then looked over and nodded at him. His red eyes were curious, glinting with something like confusion at his inquiry, and he saw the smallest flicker of suspicion based there as well. Very slowly he began to write on the pad, watching him from beneath his lashes, and then passed it back over to him.

Why do you ask?

Yugi felt his cheeks heat faintly and his lips pulled slightly into a frown. "I just…I worry sometimes," he murmured, ducking his head slightly to hide the small hint of a blush that dusted his cheeks. "I mean, it's not like you will tell me if you're in pain or something."

The wolf stared at him, then reached forward and took the pad again, the sound of the cardboard scraping against the table making Yugi's ears ache for a brief moment. He blinked, frowning, and then began to scribble once more.

There was no elegance in his response, as if he had failed to care after the second time he had written, and his red eyes were narrowed faintly with displeasure. He handed it over to Yugi again, holding the pen in his fingers and then hesitantly lowering it to the table's surface awkwardly.

He had no idea what he was meant to do with it each time he finished writing. It seemed a burden to put it on the table only to have to lift it again should Yugi decide to truly question him or draw him into a long discussion of some sort. But it felt uncomfortable in between his fingers.

"You cheeky bastard," Yugi teased, looking at him and raising a brow. "How do you know that you'll actually start bleeding again just because you're hurt?"

Yami didn't. But he figured it was better than saying that he did not plan to ever truly expose to Yugi that he was hurting. Pain was a weakness amongst wolves, and it was met by opportunistic hunters who would kill mercilessly. When werewolves brandished their fangs against each other, it was usually a very definite struggle to the death. Usually the only time was during border skirmishes and those were almost always extremely deadly.

So to say that he would bother with actually putting into words—written or otherwise—his pain was a thing that would never come to pass. He would not bother to speak a single word of protest or discomfort. Not around another wolf. Preferably he would not do it around any creature—ever.

So he simply shook his head, shrugging. It was well-practiced and so smooth that Yugi actually chuckled in amusement. He tilted his head, watching him, and raised his brow further in laughter.

"You're a dork."

Yami tilted his head, curious at such a statement, but smiled nonetheless at the teasing apparent in his tone and manner. Should it have been an insult, he knew that such laughter would not have been painted upon his features. And the air would have been tense, angry. His own senses would have flickered with ferocity, his body tensing with growing strength. So he remained relaxed, smiling at him easily, and simply watched him.

It only occurred to Yugi when he saw that small light in his eyes and the way his smile was not at its fullest—or at least the brightest he had ever gained from him; he was sure he could grin much better than he normally did—that Yami did not understand. It was in the crinkle around the edge of his drawn lips, to the right, where it seemed to falter. It was in the smallest hint of brighter red near his pupils, flickering where the rest was darker from the lingering touches of black. And the tilt of his head was small, but it was noticeable, especially when he was paying Yugi such rapt attention.

"It's just another way of saying that you're silly," Yugi said after a moment, fighting away the hint of hesitation that crept through him. He knew well enough the other ways the word was used but telling him what he meant it to be was more important than mentioning the others, right?

Yami blinked, then nodded at him, smiling a little wider, more easily. He reached for the pad, began to write a symbol across it that was just as sloppy as the third, and then handed it back.

"So, I'm a dork, too, huh, Yami?" he snorted, smiling and rolling his eyes. "I guess that works out well enough. Two dorks instead of just one, right?"

It was amusing when the other shrugged leisurely and turned to the television again, but there was still a small edge of disappointment that crept over Yugi. In his growing excitement of holding conversation with him, he had hoped against himself that Yami might speak again.

It had been startling to hear him do so two days in a row, and his silence seemed to cut through him faintly. It was somehow smothering to know that he would not open his mouth again, though he could should he have thought to. The fact that Yami did not truly consider it was something that made him feel slightly disheartened.

But he supposed his own reactions of looking as if he were a mystical creature granting him wishes probably did nothing to make Yami desire to do so again. He knew he had to have looked at him with all of the awe he had felt in his gut before when he had first spoken because that had not changed in the least. It hit him with the same punch both times, curling his stomach in knots and leaving him excited for a continuation of conversations.

But Yami did not speak. He did not open his mouth. He merely shrugged or nodded or wrote an answer. And he would look at him, considering, watching, studying him, before he would do any of them. He would not give his voice, as it was something that the wolf seemed clearly uncomfortable with sharing.

So he would nudge but he would not push.

And Yami would give him a little indulging smile before he would answer a question, but his voice would still remain his little secret.

---

"Yami, can I talk to you about something?" Yugi asked slowly, swallowing hard and taking the seat in front of the other with a small frown of discomfort. The other boy paused from picking at his nails, the tension in his shoulders growing as his head turned and his eyes widened in confusion. Yami looked as if he thought Yugi might spring over the table and demand answers from him. And his expression was one of extreme caution but such avid confusion that it made his heart rattle in his chest for a moment.

"It's nothing bad…"

His voice was meant to be reassuring but it sounded small, more like a question. It sounded more shaken than anything else. The tone made the wolf pause, blinking, and his red eyes grew wider. The tension grew a little more pronounced as he sat up straighter and turned to face him completely. Yami looked exhausted, however, watching him, and Yugi frowned as they stared at each other.

"I promise," he tried again.

Yami frowned at him more noticeably and then nodded slowly, hesitating before very cautiously leaning forward to put his arms on the table and look at him more clearly. It was obvious that Yami seemed ready to flee, to leap to his feet and make a run for it at any moment. Yet he held himself there, unnerved but not so much as to be unable to remain.

Yugi drew in a deep breath, then frowned a little as he settled a bit more into his seat. His teeth tugged at his bottom lip for a moment and closed his eyes. "I wanted to ask you something about being a werewolf."

The wolf froze. Yugi felt it in the air. There was rigidity that cloaked the room. It pressed on him like a weight. His eyes snapped open. Yami was completely tense. His eyes were flashing. There was a whirlwind crossing his gaze. Bursts of red in different shades painted his irises. His fingers clenched at the cloth beneath. His nails tore at the threads. His knuckles had grown white. His chest failed to expand with a breath. He stared at him, blank in expression. It was if the simple request had broken him somehow. He was a statue, immobilized. He seemed almost as if he had been paralyzed.

Yugi hated it.

But he hated it more that it was he who had caused it.

He opened and closed his mouth twice, then looked away quickly, horrified by the effort of his words. "I…You don't have to answer. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he muttered, a pleading tone creeping into his words. "I would never make you…Yami, I…Never mind. I'll ask…if I can find…Valon…I'll ask Valon…"

Yami remained frozen. His eyes bore into his almost blindly. Then his fingers twitched. His nails clicked against the table. The muscles in his jaw jumped. His eyelids jerked and then blinked. He frowned a little. Very slowly he got to his feet. Yugi watched him, taking in the slightly shaky look of his stance. And then the wolf turned and headed into the living room. Yugi watched him, then turned away. His heart was in his throat.

What had made Yami so upset? What had made him react so badly? He had thought that since they were both infected, he could ask him. He had considered it a terrain that wasn't out of boundaries for them. He reached a hand up to pull at his hair, unnerved. His bangs tugged and for a moment he could not understand why they seemed to jerk. But then he saw his arm was shaking. His entire body was wracked with a small tremor.

He jumped a foot in the air. Something had dropped in front of him. His head snapped around. His entire body shook a little harder.

Yami was standing beside him. His wrist was tilted. His fingers were outstretched. There was a tension in his bones that made him appear colder than usual. He looked unnerved and suspicious. His eyes were narrowed. His jaw ticked again. But he did not look aggressive. It was the angle of which he tilted his head to take Yugi in that made him appear so. But the moment passed.

The taller boy slowly, with hesitant movements, blinked, and then made his way to the other side of the table. He sat down, frowning at him, blinking red eyes that looked distinctly confused, utterly concerned. His shoulders rose slightly the more he stared at him. Very slowly the taller boy frowned, tilting his head, and gestured. His finger pointed and his nail clicked against the table once more a moment later when it fell to the cloth. He looked away after a moment, pulling his arms towards himself almost immediately.

Yugi blinked, then lowered his eyes as well. On the table in front of him sat the notepad. On the paper, written in a shaky text, was the message, What did you want to know?

He frowned more noticeably, almost shaky, and then swallowed hard in discomfort. The red-eyed teen in front of him kept his head down, almost to the point that his bangs shadowed his face completely. His eyes were on the table, he knew, and he was oddly comforted by that fact. It was almost terrifying to consider that he might look at him.

Because now that Yami was truly opening himself up to conversation, it seemed almost impossible to draw his thoughts together enough to speak to him again. So he hesitated, blinking slowly, and looked at the characters on the paper. What did he want to know?

How many questions did he have? And how was he meant to speak of them?

But, more importantly, how many of them could Yami take?

He didn't want to risk this tentative friendship they had formed together just for the sake of his curiosity being sated. So he held his tongue for a moment, struggling to think of the words to say.

Not once did Yami look up.

For the entire five minutes they remained in silence, Yami did not raise his head.

Yugi let out a small whisper of a breath, then sat up a little straighter. "Yami, I…I just wanted to know if…" Do you know what Valon meant when he called me an Angel of Death? But he could not bring himself to say the words. And when the boy raised his head at his name, he nearly trembled with discomfort at the very thought of saying such a thing.

"Do you like it here?"

Yugi found himself blurting the question out and his cheeks burned viciously with embarrassment. His mouth opened and closed and his heart hammered where it had lodged itself in his throat with horror at his own outburst. Had he truly just asked that? He sounded pathetic, his tone terrified and pleading. He nearly sobbed at his own dismay towards asking such a thing.

Yami was frozen in front of him, stunned. Very slowly he blinked, staring at him with a slightly puzzled expression. He opened and closed his mouth, mimicking Yugi in his shock, but no noise left him. His head tipped to the side. His eyes grew owlish. His mouth opened and closed once more. Then he hesitantly reached forward for the notepad.

Yugi ducked his head, stunned and feeling his cheeks burn even more harshly, and stared at the table pathetically. He had just thrown him on the spot. He had just horrified him equally as much as he had himself. Yami was just as stunned as he was. There were no words to describe the utter horror that made his stomach feel as if it were doused in ice. Dear gods, Yugi had probably just made the other wolf think him the most pathetic creature in existence. He had probably pushed Yami to hate his desperation for approval.

Very slowly, though in his shock he had failed to notice it had been withdrawn in the first place, the notepad was placed in front of his eyes. The chair scooted faintly, a slick shuffling noise against the linoleum almost like mice on an exercise disc. He breathed out roughly, terrified, and hoped for a moment that he could simply flip the page and hand it back to him, tell Yami that he didn't mean to ask. But his eyes drifted immediately. He could not shake the impulse to look.

And the words that greeted him there shocked him for a moment.

Do you enjoy my being here?

Yugi stared, gaping for a moment, and then felt his cheeks heat further. "Yes, of course I…" He hesitated, his eyes flickering up to peer at the other from beneath his lashes. He could not fathom him asking such a question. But then, he supposed, neither could Yami ever have guessed he might have blurted out such a statement before. So he blinked, startled, and opened and closed his mouth again. "I do, Yami…I…I enjoy you being here—a lot. It's…kind of lonely…o-otherwise. Um…"

Yami blinked at him slowly. His red eyes were considerate. His head was tilted to the side. His bangs outlined his face beautifully. His lips were twitching, though Yugi could not tell which direction they might fall. It could be a grimace or a smile. It could be a sloppy schoolboy grin of laughter or a perturbed frown for all he knew. Very slowly, Yami reached out again, his long fingers steady as he pulled the pad away from him.

The smaller teen twitched in shi seat. He shuffled his weight awkwardly. His heart was still racing. His stomach was twisting painfully. He could not fathom what he might say. If he said he despised it here, what was he meant to do? There was no solution that he knew to come up with. So he stared, frozen, horrified that he had even brought this conversation to light, and blinked stupidly.

The other boy very slowly began to write on the paper, pausing to consider his words, then erased and rewrote. He looked puzzled, confused, and his eyes were narrow as he worked on his articulation. It was slow, unusual, with faint distress and awkwardness, that he began to form the words on the paper.

Yami was not fast with his reply, instead taking his time, erasing a few more times. But the characters that formed on the paper were visibly neater where he could see them from their upside down position. Yugi stared, watching him, and his heart hammered impossible harder.

Yami pushed the paper back to him, lowering his eyes to the table. He sat back in his chair, tucking his hands in his lap. He was tired, exhausted almost, and seemed even smaller than ever as he allowed Yugi to begin to read his words.

I enjoy your company as well. Thank you for allowing me to stay here with you.

The smaller teen was frozen, stunned, staring at the words without the knowledge of how to respond. It was gratifying to know that his efforts were appreciated. It was almost stunning to see the length of which they were. Yami had paused and rewritten, thought it out, struggled with his response. He had lowered his head in the same submissive embarrassment that Yugi himself had moments before.

Awkwardly, licking his lips, the blue-violet-eyed boy blinked and looked down for a moment. His heart was still in his throat. But the words were registering in his head a little more. And his face split into a wide grin as he read them and reread a third time. He nearly trembled with elation.

"Good!" Yugi spat out, voice a croak with his excitement. He opened and closed his mouth once, a tremor coursing though him. It was stunning to him. It was gratifying. It was…a little terrifying, actually. He laughed awkwardly. His eyes flickered up from beneath his lashes.

Yami was staring at him. His eyes were wide. His expression was mystified. He looked confused by his tone. But his excitement had forced his lips to pull into a soft smile. He nodded a little and Yugi felt his cheeks grow slightly warmed with his blush.

He hesitated, then looked down. He supposed it was good to know that he did truly approve of it all. The fact that he was happy said a lot.

He lowered his eyes, licking his lips again, and pushed the paper towards him. For a moment he could not draw enough air into his lungs nor completely think clearly enough to form a question. There were a lot more things that he knew he needed to truly ask him. And none of them had been that one.

"That…wasn't the question I meant to ask…"

Yami snorted, a noise that was somewhere between laughter and dismissal. His brows rose, his eyes shining with amusement, and Yugi couldn't help the snicker that escaped him. He tipped his head to the side, smirking, and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," he grumbled, smirk falling only a moment later when he looked at him again. The other boy's expression grew sober again in reaction to his. Yami's smaller stature grew a little larger as he sat up straighter. His eyes narrowed, his head still tilted. He frowned at him minutely.

For a moment he still could not find the words he needed. Then, hesitantly, he swallowed and forced the air out of his lungs.

"I wanted to ask you if you knew how you became infected actually."

The wolf blinked. His expression folded into something like disappointment. Yugi frowned, eyes widening as his brows furrowed. What was there to be disappointed about? It was just a question…

He pushed the pad back to him, a very simple word written there.

No.

"You don't know?"

Yami tapped the pad with his nail.

Yugi frowned. "No idea?"

He tapped again. But this time there was enough force to puncture the paper in the form of his nail. The intention made Yugi's eyes widen. For a moment he could not understand the sight of it. Why had he pressed so hard?

Then he realized, looking at him, exactly why.

Yami's eyes had grown sharper. His jaw had clenched. His shoulders had risen. But they were the only forms of tension in his body. Everything else was relaxed. His wrists were slack. His fingers were lax. His arms were loose.

He didn't want to talk about it.

He refused to talk about it.

"Okay," he murmured, nodding. For a moment Yugi remained still. Then he exhaled and looked at the notepad for a moment. "Will you tell me anything about you?"

Yami hesitated, staring at him blankly. His eyes narrowed faintly his fingers tapped against the tablecloth. For a moment he remained seated there without a single ounce of tension in his bones. Then he finally reached over, took the notepad, and wrote a couple of things on there that Yugi took with trepidation as he flipped the paper right-side up to read it.

I am not sure I want to talk about this.

Yugi blinked. "Okay. Then we won't talk about it."

Yami frowned at him for a moment. There was something in his gaze that made the smaller boy feel almost sick. There was an abrupt but powerful emotion there that he did not recognize on his face. It was not natural in his expression. He had never seen it before. But he could remember it on his mother's face several times.

It was a weariness that made him tremble briefly.

Yami was haunted. His gaze was darker than usual. The pupils looked almost as if they had dilated. His irises were glassy. He was staring at him, frozen in place. He was, despite the strength he showed so often, dead.

He was perfectly, utterly, dead.

---

Yugi was startled when he walked out of the bathroom. The towel against his hair was knotting the strands where he rubbed forcefully. He was a little tired as he looked about his room slowly. When he had seen that look to the other's eyes he had fled as soon as he possibly could. There had not been a single second in which he had remained there, staring at that glazed expression that had shaken him so terribly. He had gone to the shower, used all the hot water for an hour, and forced himself to attempt to expel the image that was burned so forcefully behind his corneas.

Yet, as Yugi walked out, he was a little stunned at the sight to greet him there. Yami was sitting at the foot of his bed. His eyes were wide, confused, a little surprised and curious. His head tilted to the side as they looked at each other. His lips twitched, at first with discomfort, and then with a definitive shape. But he did not force words from his lungs.

Yugi paused in the doorway, concerned. Yami looked almost, illogically, ill. The smaller teen scrubbed at his hair a little more, trying to distract himself somehow. The towel tore and tugged upon the strands. They snapped faintly with the force. He could feel the knot forming there. It made his stomach twist. His heart ached a little as he looked at him. Yami was struggling with something. Whatever it was, it seemed to be forcing a lot of effort out of him. He swallowed thickly, watching him.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. There was a small tremor in his tone. He swallowed again. The wolf blinked at him. His red eyes flickered to the window for a moment and then shock back to him. Yugi frowned, tilting his head, and paused his efforts to forcefully dry his hair. He dropped his arm to his side, feeling the dampened corner of the towel more heavily than the rest for a moment. "What's wrong?"

Yami licked his lips and then shuffled with such self-consciousness that Yugi nearly flinched. At first he barely seemed to even move. Then he grew agitated. His fingers twitched. His jaw ticked. His red eyes grew narrow. He clenched one of his hands for a moment, his nails digging into the skin. He blinked slowly.

"It's all right, Yami," he murmured, smiling at him gently. "If it's not coming, don't force it."

Yami shook his head, then got to his feet. The movement seemed almost to make his body sway for a brief second. His eyes narrowed once more. "Ah…" His voice was a croaking, hoarse noise like an exhale that made Yugi pause in surprise. He inhaled deeply, frowning, and then forced himself to concentrate as the movements of his hands grew further agitated. "Yu…g…i…"

He faltered, eyes widening. Why was he saying his name? What had caused him to think to say that of all things…? He looked as if he might puke with the stress of forcing the word out of his mouth.

"What did you say, Yami?"

He wrinkled his nose, then frowned as his eyes narrowed and shot to the window.

"Yami…" Yugi didn't want to stress him out. Undue pressure was nothing that the other boy deserved. There was no reason for him to feel the need to speak to him in the first place. So what had caused him to attempt to open his mouth like this? "It's okay if you don't want to talk—"

Yami tossed his head sharply and the look on his face was one of pure disdain. His voice came in a coil that was underlined by a snarl, low and hideous, as if he might lash out. "Yugi," he growled, fingers twitching. Abruptly his head swung around and he jerked his chin at the window again. His nails made a clicking noise as he drummed them against the foot of the bed uncomfortably. "Yugi."

Yugi's lungs were winded, constricting painfully, as he looked at him with wide blue-violet eyes. He swallowed, blinking, and then stared. Yami was so distressed that it made his heart hammer painfully in his chest. He opened and closed his mouth twice. Then, as Yami glanced at him and shot a more urgent look towards the window, he moved to see what had captured his attention so fully.

It was clear, the moment that Yugi got there, that it was not agitation towards his misunderstanding that made Yami so angry. It was the fact that he could not fully comprehend the sight before him that brought such ferocity to his eyes. His head snapped towards him, the lycanthrope growling low in his throat, and the tension in his body was clear as Yugi frowned at the sight in front of him.

A familiar jet black sedan had parked in the walkway. Two figures were getting out, one with red-brown hair and the other with silver and dark gray.

He recognized them.

Yami did not.

"It's okay," he murmured, turning to him. The snarling lowered into a harsh hum. His red eyes were confused, but angry all the same. Yugi smiled a little, faltering with his ability to truly consider his words, and then reached out to touch his shoulder. The other boy was practically vibrating, he was so tense, his body strung like the quiver of a bow. He breathed out harshly, the humming still low and dangerous. But he did not shrug Yugi off. "That's my mom and grandpa, Yami. They live here."

Yami blinked and his eyes widened. His head snapped back to the window. He leaned forward, curious, and pressed his face against the glass. His fingers drummed against the windowsill. He tilted his head. His snarling died away. His eyes flickered back to Yugi curiously.

"I know. They don't look like me," Yugi said with a small grin. "I'm the better looking one in the family."

Yami snorted so loudly that Yugi could not help but laugh in surprise.

"Thanks a lot, jackass," he teased, rolling his eyes. He turned away again with a shake of his head. "They must have finished helping out with the dog."

He almost went to hurry towards the door of his bedroom, but then stopped. He paused, halting altogether there, and then turned around with wide eyes to look at Yami who was staring at him in surprise. He brushed his fingers against the doorjamb, the paint cold like ice for a moment, and then frowned at him thoughtfully.

"I don't want to say this, but…as long as they're here, you can't really leave my room," Yugi muttered, swallowing hard when he saw the shock that crossed Yami's face at such a declaration. "I don't…I mean…I wouldn't make you stay here if I thought my mom would be okay with you being here. But she doesn't know. And I can't just introduce you when you've already been living here like this. I…Yami, don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I swear that I am not going to make you stay a prisoner here when you're so used to being able to move around freely. I'll figure something out and you'll be free to wander around again as you want, okay?"

Yami stared at him, visibly shaken for a moment. It was clear that the very concept of being locked in one place was not something that he welcomed. The fact that he had remained on the top floor and never ventured downstairs had to be something that Yugi considered a blessing. It was clear now that the very concept of remaining there agitated him. He seemed ready, for a moment, to throw the window open and leap out instead. But he remained still. And then he very slowly lowered his eyes to look at the carpet as if it might hold the answers. Then he nodded.

"It won't be long." Or at least I hope it won't. "I promise I'll get it figured out as soon as I can, okay? This is not permanent."

That Yugi could sure of. He would never have made someone a prisoner in his home, regardless of whether they were a lycanthrope or not. There was no way he would have ever allowed someone to rot in his home without a second glance. Yet Yami was acting as if he might forget he existed, as if he might completely abandon him should he not be in his sight at all times.

The door was opening. Yugi blinked and his head turned towards the hallway. For a moment he was surprised. It was irrational, illogical, that he would blink in confusion and hear them moving about and feeling that tiny thread of puzzlement that came with it. He blinked and tilted his head, a little flustered by his own reaction, and then turned to look over his shoulder again.

Yugi wanted to say something more but Yami was watching him. His expression was keen, boring into his skin, but it also spoke volumes. It was clear on his face that he accepted the instructions, would follow them, but he could not promise he would be happy with them. And that solid look that he angled towards him, with such power behind it, made him merely nod and turn away again.

"I'm sorry."

There was a noise behind him, a brisk and deep one like a growl. It startled him, making him spin around in surprise. Yami shook his head at him, clearly dismissing his apology. He blinked, flustered, and his cheeks heated faintly with the sight of his leisurely response. He was not stressed out, even if his initial reaction had been less than pleased. He would not be happy but he would listen to him.

Yugi still had the impulse to repeat himself. There was a moment where he thought to apologize and all but fall to his knees to ask his forgiveness. But the other wolf hardly seemed as if he might accept such a gesture. Rather he nodded at him, expression calm and easy, and walked towards the bed to take a seat again. He appeared hesitant but he did it all the same. And the gesture was enough to let Yugi know that he was fine, that he would adapt and work with it.

He paused, watching him, and then turned and made his way out of the room. He shut the door gently behind him, wondering for a moment if he should tell him to lock the door. But instead he put on a bright smile as his two family members began to make their way up the stairs.

"I told you he would be fine," his grandpa grumbled the moment that the door opened and his mom paused on the top step. He blinked, eyes wide in surprise, and then the blue-violet-eyed teen gave them both the same grin he had previously attempted. But he could not have held it moments before, as their bickering had surprised him too much to keep it there. It was not truly important, he realized, however, as he doubted they might notice it in all actuality.

"Hi guys," he announced, glancing at their hands to make sure neither was carrying anything, and then made his way to lead them into the kitchen. "You're back a little earlier than I expected."

"Kasumi worried that you might need us back home."

Yugi almost halted, tempted for a moment to tell his mom he was not a small child anymore, but instead cut the impulse off. He did not need her to feel any more suspicious of him than he already knew she might be later. It would not be pretty to see if she turned her attention on him completely and began to manage every small thing he did. It would be a small matter of days before she would figure out about Yami if that were the case. There was no truly pushing her back if she thought to do it.

"In my defense, Sugoroku over here thought it might be fun to say that you weren't taking your meds and had probably burned the house down by now," Kasumi spat at her father who snickered in response while Yugi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "And besides that, you know that I worry about you."

"That's a mother's job," the teenager said with a small nod. It was distracted, his attention already bolting elsewhere. Would Yami get sick with the lack of exercise he would get in his room? What if all of this growth and better health that he had gained turned around and became stunted because of his inability to move about? There was only so much room in there. There were only so many feet he could move about in. Although, as he considered it, the living room and the kitchen and his room did not have that much more space to exercise, either. So maybe it would not harm him. But then…maybe it would.

Yugi looked at them for a moment. How much exercise did Yami actually need? He did not seem to move about much unless it was to follow him around the house when he went from one room to the next. So perhaps it was not the most important thing to his health. But he knew that Yami would get antsy. And he knew that he would eventually want more. It was obvious in the way that he had seemingly stumbled the moment Yugi had told him that he would have to remain in there.

"Yeah, and one of these days, when you have kids, you'll realize it's also a father's job," Kasumi quipped, glancing at her father and rolling her eyes when he raised a brow at her statement. "You're going to worry either way, about basically everything, though, so I guess it doesn't really matter who you are exactly."

Yugi raised a brow, tilting his head, and then glanced at Sugoroku. "I don't know. I think I might have that gene that Grandpa does. You know, that one where you don't seem to really care all that much about anything."

It came out a little harsher than he meant it to, and his mother paused in surprise from where she had been heading for the fridge. Her father in turn blinked at him before his brows furrowed and his eyes crinkled in the corner. He was trying to figure out what it was that he had done to upset Yugi again, but there were a number of them, and he knew the elderly Motou would never really guess. "Anyways, how was the dog?"

"He was great when we left him," Kasumi announced, a sense of pride coloring her tone. She gave him a look that said he should have expected nothing less, but it was tempered with some kind of humility that said she was grateful that it had turned out well in the first place. "He was doing well with his rehabilitation, working with the other animals in the clinic. I think he'll have a pretty smooth recovery. He'll probably be limping for the rest of his life, but I think he'll learn to adapt well to it."

The teenager nodded, wishing for a moment that he should he have something in his hands he might be more comfortable with the ability to fidget without them finding it too terribly odd. If Yugi had paper or a pencil, he could simply play around with it, make his tension seem a lot less noticeable. But his mom was watching him now, even if she was pretending not to.

He knew exactly what she was doing. But to point it out was to basically condemn himself.

"So how is Anzu? Your mother wouldn't tell me much about it," Sugoroku announced, throwing the conversation in a new direction to avoid his daughter the opportunity of asking Yugi to help her in the clinic at some point. "Spare no details."

Yugi blinked and then furrowed his brows for a moment before his eyes grew wide in surprise. "You think Anzu and I had sex?" he cried in shock, voice cracking as his cheeks heated with embarrassment at the way his mom's head snapped around and her eyes grew narrow. "Grandpa!"

"What? We're both men here, Yugi."

"First of all, Anzu isn't like that. Second, even if we had, I wouldn't tell you!"

"Why? I could give you pointers! I have pleased many a ladies in my day."

"Grandpa!"

"Dad!"

He snorted, waving a hand dismissively at their horrified expressions. They looked so much alike in that moment that he imagined if one came into the house, they would almost be fooled into thinking they were seeing doubles. "What? I am just pointing it out there, Yugi." He paused, looking between them, and grunted, "Prudes."

It was somehow extremely uncomfortable for Yugi to sneak into his room with a plate of food, even when he had gotten permission minutes before. His mom had not been all that impressed with his suggestion but he had coerced her into allowing him to do so. When he had thought to bring up the subject of a couple of study guides, he knew he had done well. She had mellowed almost immediately, surprised by his statement, and finally, with the smallest hint of disapproval, told him to go ahead.

So Yugi was not sure why he should feel so strange about taking a plate into his room, except for the fact that the other boy jerked in his seat from where he had on the bed and stared at him with a confused expression. For a moment, he hesitated, shutting the door with his free hand while his other rested on the knob, and then he smiled at Yami weakly and looked away as quickly as possible.

It was somehow heartbreaking that the other's eyes could peer at him with such confusion. Had Yugi not told him that he was not going to be a prisoner in his home? Yami had looked, beyond that surprise and perplexity, as if he were so relieved to see him that he might cry out with joy.

Yugi shivered at the thought, shaking his head a little, and then cleared his throat.

"Here, Yami. I figured we would split it. I can't do much more than bring in a plate at a time and go back for seconds." He paused, then fumbled as he realized he had not brought any utensils for the other. Yugi blinked, flustered at his negligence, and then looked at Yami who peered at him curiously with his head tilted to the side.

Could they use the same utensils? Yugi didn't see going out there to grab new ones as a good idea. If he said he dropped them, his mom would expect him to bring them back in exchange. And going out there at all was a little unnerving a thought to him at the moment.

It was simple enough to consider that, if there was any reason to avoid doing so, such as saliva or illness, the lycanthropy would eliminate it. Right? He nibbled his bottom lip. It was still a little gross to think that he would be sharing utensils with someone, who he barely knew. He had shared once with Jonouchi, but it had been on accident. The blond had drunk from his straw when he'd grabbed the wrong soda at the arcade and both of them had awkwardly muttered about it before quickly dismissing it. Yugi had simply bought a new soda and given Jonouchi the remainder of his.

But, in the grand scheme of things, there was a lot worse that could happen.

So Yugi shrugged and wandered to his side, pausing only for a moment before taking a seat on the bed. He considered whether he might have locked the door or not, glancing over his shoulder momentarily. He knew his mom and grandpa would not enter the room without knocking, but still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He put the plate on the bed and the red-eyed lycanthrope straightened a little more comfortably at the headboard. Yugi got to his feet again, heading for the door, but paused when he heard the Yami make a small noise. It was almost like a whine, but not quite as high-pitched, nor as desperate. It sounded much more curious than it did anything else. But it was enough to make Yugi stop short, turning his head in confusion.

Yami was perched there, staring at him, head tilted, his eyes wide, expression somewhat unhappy with the idea that he might be leaving him as he seemed to be. Yugi paused, studying him for a moment, and then searched his eyes for the briefest of seconds. The small teen gave him the smallest of smiles, clearing his throat.

"I'm not going anywhere," Yugi muttered, gesturing to the door. "I'm just locking it."

Yami nodded after a moment, then settled more comfortably again, slouching only slightly against the headboard as Yugi turned to twist the lock. When he turned back around the lycanthrope had failed to even glance at the plate, instead looking towards the wall with an expression that Yugi could not read.

"What? Aren't you hungry?"

Yami blinked at him, then shrugged lazily.

Yugi glanced at the plate and pursed his lips. "You liked the salmon I made for you before."

The other boy regarded him with eyes as sharp as knives, staring at him for a moment. There was a small bit of tension in his frame. But he forced his shoulders into a shrugging motion once more.

Yami hesitated, frowning and glancing at the plate once more. Then he looked at the lycanthrope as he continued watching him with that same keen expression. He paused, swallowing hard, and then moved forward a step towards the bed. "Are you okay?"

Yami nodded after a moment, still watching him silently.

There was a moment where Yugi could not fully shake the nerves that burned at his skin as he began to make his way closer. He pressed his palms into the mattress for a moment, feeling it sink comfortably beneath his skin, and then licked his lips nervously. The other boy stared. It was not judgmental or threatening, but there was a tension so furious in Yami's gaze that the small teen nearly shivered.

"I…I know this isn't ideal," Yugi murmured, uncomfortable as the other's full attention fell upon his face with a sharper focus. "But it…it won't last forever. And I think it'll turn out okay eventually. I mean…my mom and grandpa aren't always here so I…look, Yami, I'm sorry."

The other boy shook his head. His red eyes narrowed faintly. He turned his head away. Yugi could see his jaw ticking faintly. He wondered for a moment if Yami would write something if he handed him the means to do so. But he found himself unable to move enough to bother. And so Yugi merely scooted back until his shoulders touched the headboard and his eyes grew lidded. He felt nervous for a moment. His stomach ached briefly.

"Yami, are you…?" He hesitated. "I mean…"

Yugi watched him from his peripheral. Yami stared at him, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"Are you really not hungry? You haven't eaten all day…"

For a moment Yami did not respond. Then, very slowly, he shook his head and turned away again. His fingers were twitching. His eyes were narrowed again. He looked more upset than he had in a while. Yugi swallowed back an apology, a plea for him to have enough patience to help him work this out. But he remained silent instead. And he closed his eyes as he looked at the comforter.

It was a hideous yellow color. It was deep, almost like mustard, but the sheen of the fabric reminded him of urine. It was an awkward thought as he looked at it. In the last few years, he had not even truly paid it much attention. And yet, now, sitting next to this other boy, it was the only think he could focus on.

A gentle touch to his shoulder made his head turn. Startled, Yami nearly jumped in surprise. But the other boy was simply watching him. His red eyes were curious. And there was a small bit of apology to color the gleam of them. He tilted his head, gesturing very vaguely towards the food in question.

"Go ahead and eat it," he murmured, frowning at him. "You can eat as much of it as you want. I can just get seconds and it'll be fine."

Yami frowned at him, a noticeable twist of his lips. He shook his head faintly, staring at him unhappily.

"What? You haven't eaten all day. You need to eat something, Yami."

Yami seemed upset with the statement. He frowned at him. He shook his head a little bit.

"Seriously, Yami, go ahead and try it."

When he saw that Yugi seemed as if he might plead with him, the red-eyed teen finally turned his attention to the plate again. Yami was not sure of himself as he glanced at the pink fish that stared back at him. It smelled delicious, with the softest hint of sour and bitter lemon and the spicy tinge of black pepper, and the fish itself was sweet and hot with such warmth as to make his mouth water.

But he still hesitated. The glance at the other boy told him that Yugi was waiting. He looked sick to his stomach as the seconds passed. He was anxious, Yami could see, and his fingers twitched uncomfortably. He was seconds away from fidgeting and Yami had the idea that he thought he would reject the food. He frowned and looked down again, turning to the plate.

He was hungry, yes, but it did not push away his basic instincts. Yugi was the one providing food. He was the alpha for the time being. And there was not enough food for Yami to truly eat with him. The fish on the plate seemed small, like something he could simply stick in his mouth without much effort. It would not—if he were honest with himself—puff his cheeks completely, nor push heavily on his palate. And his own instincts demanded that he respect the hierarchy.

Yugi should have taken the first bite. But he merely watched him, relieved, when Yami finally cut a sliver off and put it in his mouth. He was so distressed by the idea of breaking this rule—such an important rule, Yami knew—that the salmon tasted like mud on his tongue. He swallowed roughly, feeling as if it were burning the back of his throat as it went down, and nearly choked on his next breath.

"Is it good?"

Yami hesitated. His first impulse was to open his mouth and regurgitate it. This whole display seemed entirely wrong to him. His fingers shook for a moment. But he nodded brusquely, struggling to make it seem real. His relief had burned away altogether. His thought of eating food had dissipated immediately.

He nodded again when Yugi furrowed his brows. The smaller boy tilted his head. "Maybe she put too much seasoning," he muttered, grabbing the chop sticks Yami was still holding and spearing off a more generous bite than the other had taken. He popped it in his mouth, chewing it, and the red-eyed teen watched him with such relief in his gaze that he nearly swallowed harshly.

"Hmm…" Yugi pursed his lips, brows still furrowed. There was not too much seasoning. There was just enough of a bite from the pepper. And the lemon was soothing where it snagged his senses too roughly. "I think it's good…"

Yami nodded again, this time with enough enthusiasm that Yugi hesitated. Had he seen his expression wrong? He furrowed his brows but decided not to question it. Instead he smiled a little and gestured for Yami to continue eating.

He stopped only when he was halfway through the plate, then pushed it back towards Yugi insistently. The smaller boy arched a brow, confused, and then frowned faintly. He pushed more insistently. Yugi needed to eat. Yami wouldn't eat it all. That wasn't how this whole thing worked.

The smaller teen seemed to understand that just enough. He began to pick at the salmon, taking enough bites to nearly demolish it, but he watched Yami from the corner of his eye. He could see that Yami was still hungry. His eyes were not glued to the food but he could see the way his jaw sometimes twitched and his gaze would sharpen that he was still rather starved. The thought made Yugi's stomach twist with frustration.

"Are you still hungry?"

He hesitated, then nodded only minutely. Yugi blinked, spearing the last bit of his meal, and got to his feet after a moment. "I'll go get some more then," he announced, heading for the door once more. His blue-violet eyes flickered to the lycanthrope still seated on his bed, and then away again as he walked off again.

It took him a minute to come back, a larger piece of fish resting there. Yami blinked at him, somewhat surprised, but did not question it. Yugi locked the door again, plopped down beside him, and passed over the plate for him to take the first bite once more. Yami had a moment where he could not fully deal with the intensity of the frustration that came with his unconscious denial of his role as the alpha. But he forced it aside, hungry enough not to care too much about it, and began to take small bites at the salmon as he had before.

The other teen sat next to him, staring lazily at the wall in the back of the room. The window made his eyes hurt where the light burst through it from the streetlamp outside. The harsh bronze of it made his fingers twitch. His eyes narrowed faintly, his long lashes cutting jagged shadows through the glaze of it.

Yami was clearly ravenous, and yet he kept merely poking at the food, as if displeased by the sight and taste of it. But he did not appear to feel anything less than satisfaction as he continued to shovel it down his throat, even with how small the bites were.

He pushed the plate back over to him and Yugi frowned as he looked it over. He'd eaten almost exactly half of it.

"You can have the rest of it if you want," Yugi murmured, glancing at him sideways. "I can always get something else when my mom and grandpa go to sleep. I'm prone to late night snacking anyways. They wouldn't be the least bit surprised…"

Yami looked at him for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"All right…"

It frustrated Yugi, somehow, even as he began to take a bite, that the other had done this. He was so used to making him a plate of food and watching him eat it rapidly that the fact that Yami was splitting his food with him made him feel almost sick. Usually the red-eyed boy would eat almost all of it before he could even blink.

Yet, now he was eating slowly, as if unnerved by how close he was to him, despite showing a lack of discomfort beyond soft tension in his muscles. And he was giving him half of the food, which Yugi realized with no small bit of uncertainty, was actually a small bit more than what he had eaten in the first place.

Yugi frowned, shaking his head slightly, and began to pick at his own food uncomfortably. The other teen was clearly hungry still, and very noticeably distressed as he turned his head to look at him. Not once did Yami look amused with himself as he tilted his head and watched the smaller teen pick at his nails uncomfortably.

"I—I know I said this before, but it's not going to be forever," Yugi muttered, biting his lip so hard that the skin threatened to break as he blinked wide eyes. He had not even truly planned to speak as his eyes shot nervously towards the other boy, glancing at him from the corner of his gaze. "You won't have to stay back here for too long. And I'll figure out something so that you don't have to stay back here all the time. Then it'll be easer and…I'm sorry."

Yami stared at him. For a moment he wanted nothing more than to reassure him that it was okay. But instead he nodded a little, turning away just as quickly. He did not truly wish to open his mouth and speak. The words that would have existed in his lungs had died long before. He felt almost sick with the impulse to instead make himself seem smaller so as to make sure that Yugi's attention was no longer on him.

The smaller boy wrung his fingers together, scraping the nails gently against the backs of his hands. The skin tingled and split faintly, small slivers of red against bright pink. He felt sick to his stomach. "I'll be back in a second," Yugi muttered, jumping to his feet to make his way to the door and out into the kitchen with the dirty plate. He was almost sickened as he turned the faucet on and began to run it down with the sponge before tossing it into the dishwasher.

When he returned Yami was still lazily seated there. He was not as uncomfortable as he had seemed before but his eyes were somewhat disconnected. His gaze looked as if it were staring far past his walls. Yugi imagined he was thinking of the woods, of hunting and being able to race under the trees. His stomach tossed and he looked quickly away towards the carpet. His room had nothing to offer as far as freedom went.

Sure, the bright blue was comforting and offered what little freedom one might experience while within four walls, and the window opened if he only bothered to, but it was nothing like the expanse of a forest. It did not share the crispness of mountain air, nor the sounds of birds in the trees or animals traipsing about the forest. There were so many limitations to the area around them that he could not fathom blaming him for his reluctance to be there. Even if Yami did not show it fully, he knew he was antsy and he wanted out of the room. He wanted away from the confining space of the four walls.

Yugi reached out to scratch at his left wrist, then looked down for a moment, narrowing his eyes. And how long would it be before Yami began to feel the effects of being locked up within such a tiny space? How long until he finally began to grow unhappy enough to either lash out or flee?

He shivered.

It couldn't be much longer.

And what about how long it would take before he grew sick or weakened? There had to be a timeframe to the point of which he would end up feeling sick. And what effects would there be? Would he end up puking? Would he end up growing wasted as far as his muscles were concerned? Would he weaken until he could almost not leave the bed? Would he become immobilized?

Yugi narrowed his eyes and shook his head faintly. What hope was there?

He could not look at the red-eyed lycanthrope. It hurt far too much as he began to move to take the spot beside him. He could not fathom the pain and anxiety that he knew would soon grace his senses. He could not truly imagine the way his sense of reality and comfort might be pushed away and his freedom stripped from beneath his feet. His heart ached at the very concept.

---

Yugi still could not imagine that chocolate banana was a good flavor, but he made it regardless. The protein shake looked just as unappetizing as it always had, however, so he could not do more than wonder. He himself had no reason to taste it, and the sweet smell that tickled his nose made him feel slightly sick. The only appealing thing about it was the shade it had come out to be, like a regular glass of chocolate milk, but with a bit more bubbling at the top.

He shook his head, glancing at his phone to check the time, and then hurried to make his way to his room. Since he had left his room to study for the last couple of hours—he couldn't do it with Yami there; he kept watching him like a hawk and he was getting so restless it hurt to see—Yugi had not gone back yet. He had busied himself with the task of finishing more of his study guides' questions, even texting Jonouchi to see how he was doing on his own.

Of course, the blond had not truly bothered to start on his beyond the first pages, but that was not unexpected in the slightest. He always had trouble focusing on schoolwork. It was too boring for him to handle most times.

Yugi shook the thought off, slipping his phone back into his pocket and then twisting the knob with his freed hand. "Okay, so I couldn't think of anything else to do so I…" He faltered, voice dying, and cast a small glance around.

Oh gods…

"Fuck."

He put the cup aside on his nightstand, then looked about the room.

There were only so many places the other could hide away in and not be noticed immediately. There was the bathroom, his closet, perhaps under the bed. But Yugi couldn't hear his breathing, nor sense his heartbeat. His stomach clenched and his own heart skipped a beat.

Yami had escaped.

He cringed at the thought. There wasn't anywhere to escape if it wasn't meant to be a prison, right? Yugi turned his head, straining his hearing, praying for a moment that he might hear that soft whistling noise, but nothing came to him. His hands were shaking when he headed into the bathroom to take a glance around. His breathing had grown erratic when he checked in the closet. And he was all but trembling when he dropped to his hands and knees and checked under the bed.

Yami was completely gone.

He nearly groaned at the thought, swallowing back panic.

Where was it that Yami could have gone? How had he gotten out? Had his mom or grandpa noticed? Was it possible that he had gotten out undetected? Yugi knew he was smart and fast, so maybe it was okay to think that he had. But then, what did he know? When it came down to it, Yami was still a black spot on his mind, completely opaque to him more often than not. He didn't truly give him little glimpses into himself, nor did he seem to care to. So what was to stop him from having attacked them and made it outside?

Yugi cringed again and shook his head.

No, Yami wasn't that violent. He wouldn't have attacked them unless they had threatened him. And he would have heard his mom and grandpa talking if he had crossed paths with them.

But then again, perhaps he wouldn't have. Yugi had not heard him when he had vanished. And he had failed to hear him that day when he had fled at the sound of his friends arriving to knock on the door. So maybe saying that he would have heard them was an assumption that Yugi could not make.

But surely he would have heard his mom and grandpa. He could hear them each time they moved about. Then again, this afternoon, he had not been listening for them. So maybe he could have missed it.

He shuddered, then tossed his head again in a firmer dismissal. No, there was no way. Yami would not have done anything of that magnitude. Not without reason. He was so timid as it was, viewing the house as Yugi's territory and being careful not to overstep any boundaries.

So why should he turn around and sink his teeth into two random strangers? Yugi had explained the situation to him, told him that they were family, that he didn't need to be upset or nervous over their presence.

Still, Yugi remembered the way his red eyes had flashed, anxious but fierce as well. He had been willing to attack them should they have been seen as true threats. But he had also quickly abided by his statement that they would not hurt them and he needed to stay out of their sight.

And then he remembered that crestfallen expression, though it was laced with understanding. And his heart hurt as he pictured Yami's face and the way his eyes had darkened briefly with discontent before brightening as if the prospect of shelter was more important than space.

Yugi shivered and his fingers were quaking, his heart still racing in his chest, as he turned to the window. A small gap remained open, a sliver of cold air coming through. How had he not noticed the temperature of the room before? How had he not considered the window?

He had never opened it in front of Yami before, but it did not take a genius to figure out such a simple maneuver. And the lycanthrope was probably only a brain cell short of being one in all actuality. He was too smart for his own good, harbored a capacity to learn that put most to shame, and could adapt at the blink of an eye.

Yami was intelligent. He was fast. He was powerful.

So…if he truly wanted them dead, he would manage it.

And Yugi would perhaps never be the wiser.

Still, somehow, he could not picture it. Yami had the potential. He had the skills. He had seen him kill those two wolves in the woods. He had seen him climb that tree and attack the squirrel. He had seen him wolf down pancakes and drink protein shakes within seconds. He was capable of things that Yugi probably could not even truly fathom.

Yet, he still could not picture it. Yami had been rather gentle, easygoing, and even the decrease of space had done nothing more than momentarily grate on his nerves. He was friendly. He was kind. He didn't make a huge fuss concerning most things. He liked to sleep under his blanket rather than the covers, though he always wound up practically breathing in his exhales by the middle of the night. He curled up with him like a dog would. He slept easily. He ate what he was given. He didn't fuss over things. He was laidback.

So why should he have any reason to believe that he would attack his family or do anything that would not be beneficial to himself or Yugi?

He paced a few steps, then spun around and stared at the window again. So he had slipped out. He didn't know why. He didn't know what had triggered it. But at least he knew he had simply used the window. Because Yugi had always kept it completely locked during winter. It kept the drafts from coming in.

So Yami had used the window.

And he was fine.

His mom and grandpa were fine.

Yugi paced again, however, biting his lip.

But, what reason did he have for leaving? Was it to stretch his legs? Was he not getting enough food? Maybe it was the lack of medication? Yugi couldn't bring them into his room without looking somewhat suspicious. His mom would have searched his room by now to check and see if he was truly taking it or hiding the pills about.

Yugi looked at the cup uncomfortably and his fingers twitched again. Did Yami even need the medication anymore? What if he was overdoing it? What if he was potentially poisoning him?

He groaned, reaching his hands up to pull at his hair, and then tossed his head about angrily. No, he didn't need to do this right now. He needed to relax. He needed to calm down. He did not need to spend his time worrying about this.

If Yami came back, then he would ask.

And if he didn't…

Yugi shivered. He really hoped he came back.

But it hardly seemed that way when he began to turn in for the night. He lay there, facing the window, watching for the other lycanthrope. He didn't blink until his eyes were burning each time and his lungs still felt constricted from his earlier panic. But it did not alleviate itself. Rather, he stared at the window, where the moonlight drizzled in, and felt sick to his stomach as the hours passed. When, at last, he could no longer keep his eyes open, he had spared a glance at the clock to see it read three in the morning, and fell into a restless slumber.

What Yugi woke to was the sound of something popping and crunching. His entire body ached and burned. He had been in the same position for far too long. Not once had he rolled over in the middle of the night, he realized. He felt his stomach turn as the popping grew louder. But there was no reason he could think of this coming into the picture logically. There was no possibility of such noise coming from his empty room.

The only noise that he should have heard was his alarm going off. But that would happen in a few minutes. His clock would vibrate and chime hideously and he would jump, surprised as he always was.

But for the moment that was not what had caught his attention.

Yugi stiffened, considering what odds there were that something was there. Was it possible that something had gotten in through the window or—?

Yami!

He sat upright immediately, turning his head, and his eyes strained. The light was gorgeous, painting the room in glistening silver, and the threads of the carpet seemed to glitter faintly. There were small particles of dust that came through the air, disturbed by his sudden movement. He blinked, stupefied, as the light made his eyes hurt faintly, and his spine protested his actions.

Sure enough, there was a shape in the corner of his room, near the bathroom door. It was slouched, legs lay out before it. The arms were bunched, the elbows bent inwards. The head was tilted downwards, the popping noise halted altogether.

Yugi strained his eyes for a moment. There was something in the other's hands. It looked ragged, with patches missing. Strands of what seemed like hair were glittering silver in the moonlight. And his nails looked shinier than usual, the tips of his fingers darker than Yugi had ever seen them before. They looked uniform in color for a moment, as if his nails had grown longer, and morphed to fold inwards like claws.

"Yami?"

The snapping noise became abruptly loud, punctuating the air violently. Then the other raised his head, looking up at the sound of his name.

Yugi froze in place. His eyes grew to the size of twin moons. His heart picked up and raced. His stomach clenched. His mouth opened and closed twice. He shivered. His hands shook for a moment. His lungs constricted achingly.

There was something smeared across his mouth. It made his lips and chin and cheeks look black like oil. But they were only smudges. They did not glisten as if they were fresh. His eyes were glowing, the pupils pinpricks. There were tints of bright silver lacing his irises. They made his eyes look like shallow pools. His lashes were long, glittering. And when he tilted his head in question, his bangs were painted gray.

But it was not his face that Yugi was focusing on. His eyes had lowered towards Yami's hands. That black smear was not confined to only his fingers. It smothered the skin along his wrists. It drenched his knuckles.

But even that was not what he focused on.

In his grip was a little white form, colored gray by his shadow. It was limp in his grip. The fur had been stripped in small pinpricks. Smears of black crossed along the strands. It was so small and the body so torn apart that he almost could not fathom what it had once been.

Yugi blinked stupidly. Yami frowned in puzzlement. Both of them eyed each other for a moment. Then the smaller boy let out a small choked noise. His eyes grew wider in horror. Something occurred to him in the back of his mind. He opened and closed his mouth, then reached over to turn on the light.

Yami flinched but did not move beyond that. His eyes grew further dilated. His expression grew uncomfortable. His head tilted further to the side. There was a tension in his shoulders that made Yugi want to flinch.

Only with the lights on could he see what the animal was. The shape was limp, half-eaten, the body more or less skin and bones, the muscles stripped away. The fur had been picked off in small areas. Other parts were smeared with bright red. One back leg dangled, intact, and the other had been ravaged into nonexistence. It was only the tail that told him exactly what it was.

"A rabbit?" he breathed out, lungs constricting so painfully he almost could not find it in himself to inhale again. He blinked, horrified, and stared blankly at the decrepit animal that rested there in the other's grip. His long fingers had a loose grip, but he could see the obvious strain in his knuckles due to his scrutiny. Yugi opened and closed his mouth, then raised his eyes to the other wolf's.

And then his alarm went off.

Yami sprang as if a gun had gone off. He was on his feet, eyes nearly popping out of his head. His breathing came in rushes. His lips curled back into a snarl. His pupils, formerly contracted, became dilated, immense black pools like bottomless abysses of darkness. His hands were shaking. His fingers had curled faintly. His teeth were bright when he flashed them. A low and furious snarl began to creep forth from his throat. His shoulders seemed to vibrate with the noise. His head snapped towards the offensive device. He chomped his teeth.

Yugi blinked stupidly. His entire body was frozen in place. He could not fathom turning the alarm off. The blood on Yami's face made his stomach ache. The fear made his body so tense and his heart hurt. And he looked further upset by it all. But again, the smaller teen's eyes had lowered. In his sight was that decrepit body, half-eaten and torn to pieces.

The rabbit had been dropped unceremoniously. The stomach had been gutted. The spine was so small, scattered in noticeable chunks. The bones had been splintered along the back. And his back leg, which he had assumed was mostly gone, now was visible in bright white bone and a small touch of cartilage. It had survived only to the joint of its knee. Pale skin and bright red meat peered back. But it too had been mostly devoured. The other leg was the only thing he thought was truly there any longer.

Fuck, even the head was gone…

"Jesus…"

Yami snarled and chomped his teeth. The noise was so sharp that Yugi jumped. His head snapped up. His mouth opened. The wolf was still visibly stunned by the interruption. He still looked as if he thought the clock might attack him. The smaller boy blinked, then hurried to reach over. It took a moment to hit the right button. His fingers scraped over the smooth tops of each button. He struggled to press one down. His limbs felt weak. His arms were shaky.

The click that resounded through the air made Yami jump once more. Yugi blinked stupidly. He could not fathom taking his eyes off the taller werewolf now. He was still staring at the clock, bristling. But his muscles began to unclench. And his snarl became nonexistent. He paused, hesitating, and then looked to the other boy again. They stared for a moment.

Yugi blinked stupidly. He could not understand it all for a moment…

"You went hunting…"

Yami glanced at the rabbit, then turned back with a small nod.

Yugi stared at him, unable to truly process the thoughts in his head.

The taller boy looked down at his meal again, but he hardly seemed as if he were hungry enough to eat anymore. Instead he stared at it as if he could not fathom it being there, and then finally looked back at him uncomfortably.

A few long minutes passed. Neither looked at each other.

"I…I'm sorry." Yugi opened and closed his mouth. He glanced at him and Yami raised his head to regard him curiously. "I wasn't…I just…I was surprised. I never considered that you would come here with a rabbit. I…didn't mean to scare you."

The wolf blinked at him, then shook his head.

"Well, I guess I didn't really…I just…" He frowned, because for that brief moment that Yami looked at him, he thought he seemed almost ashamed. "I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting it."

He nodded at him faintly. The seconds stretched between them. The heater clicked on. Yugi glanced at the window but the locks were in place. Yami had shut it tightly, redone the locks. Then he had taken his seat and eaten. The smaller teen blinked again. The clock in the bathroom ticked.

"That was my alarm clock, by the way," he muttered, clearing his throat. The wolf turned his head and stared at him curiously. "That noise—it was meant to wake me up for school. I have to go today since my break is over."

The red-eyed lycanthrope blinked and then nodded slightly. He smiled faintly but his eyes were still slightly troubled. And he looked almost as if he might be sick for a moment.

"Um…g-go ahead and finish eating. I…I need to start getting ready for school." He hesitated. "Do you know what…what school is or…?"

Yami very slowly regarded him, then shook his head with narrowed eyes.

"It's a place that people go to learn things—and it takes up about eight hours of the day. I…I have to go there for that long and then I'll be back home later, okay? So, I…" He flinched, feeling flustered and small for a moment, and then bit his lip until the skin split and he thought he tasted fresh blood. The spike of pain there made him want to flinch away again. "I guess it's pretty obvious that you can…go into the woods if you want to. Um…but it's the same rules as before."

The werewolf blinked at him. His head tilted to the side, puzzled for the briefest of seconds. He looked almost as if he could not understand what he was hinting at. But then he nodded. And his frown deepened as he glanced at the dead rabbit. It was clear that he was uncomfortable. It was evident that he was somewhat frustrated. But Yugi did not think it was with the task of hiding again.

"I…I'll see you when I get out, okay?"

Yami nodded at him, glancing at him over his shoulder as he started for the bathroom.

---

He supposed that it was a very good thing that Yami still knew how to hunt. It seemed like a good thing to know that he could still do things for himself should he need to. He knew how uneasy it would have made him in his situation, so it was relieving to see that Yami was still capable of doing as he needed to. If he could sneak out and hunt as needed, then Yugi would not have to worry all of the time about whether he would be able to sneak enough food into his room for him to eat comfortably.

Yugi watched his character on the screen go flying with a roundhouse kick. He wondered, curious for only that brief moment, whether he might one day be able to do that same thing. But the thought drifted immediately as he began to rapidly hit the buttons to make his own character bounce back into play. In his peripheral he could see Jonouchi and Honda doing something similarly. Then he spotted Anzu, sipping a soda and watching him from the corner of her own eye. He knew that she was watching him.

It had been obvious from the very beginning of the day. He knew that she had been meaning to speak to him all day. There was something that was very clearly on her mind that required his full attention. And he was not sure that he could truly give that to her. Since that morning, Yami had been the layer of thoughts on his mind that pushed away all the rest. He was the thing that kept him from focusing for the most part, the one that had dragged his focus violently out of place.

Every other thought had become a wondrous little burn, singeing him and making him falter. Every other moment the sight of Yami, blood smeared across his face, with that little rabbit carcass in his hands, with the popping noise in his ears, came to him. When Yugi blinked, he thought he would never be able to push such images away. It was constant, never faltering, and he felt dizzy for a moment as his character was hit once more across the screen.

This time it was a knockout, something that he did not think to focus on. But the colors made his head spin and the volume in his ears began to make them ache. Very slowly he pushed his stool back and got to his feet again. He blinked, frowning faintly, and the noise thrummed heavily until it felt as if he were vibrating with the force of it. He blinked and his eyes burned for the briefest of moments.

His legs felt slightly shaky but he moved forward regardless.

He turned his head when he spotted Anzu moving towards him and his lips pulled back slightly into a thin smile. He hoped it didn't look as bad as it felt on his mouth, but there was no way he could truly tell and so he instead hoped that his eyes were softer than his expression.

She hesitated and for a moment he feared that his expression was nothing more than a hideous grimace. But she seemed more nervous than put off and so he hoped that it seemed easygoing enough as to put her slightly at ease. He cast a small glance around, as his skin felt a little hot and his spine ached briefly. There was something making his nerves tingle and his breathing felt slightly strained.

"Here, let's go take a seat and then we can talk," he muttered, eyes shifting cautiously towards the windows for a moment. Should they get a booth or try for one of the other seats? He could not understand what it was that set him so furiously on edge, but he also had no idea what direction it came from. For all he knew it could have been a wolf drifting by. It could be Valon for all he knew, walking along without the purpose of finding him.

He let her choose the booth seat. It was closest to the door and farther from the others so that they would not have to worry themselves with eavesdropping neighbors. And it gave Yugi a clear vision from either side of the street. He could not see anything that truly should have alarmed him so much, but regardless it forced him to keep his attention divided between the beautiful brunette and the possible threat.

"So, what's on your mind?" he asked, turning his head to regard her. In his peripheral he could see all of the passersby, walking lazily. Some cars drifted by slowly. A couple of families walked their dogs together down the same sidewalk. All of these helped to set him somewhat at ease. But his stomach was tossing. And the tension in his spine made his entire body ache painfully.

She hesitated for a moment, then blew out a breath and nibbled on her bottom lip. The movement was enough to make his eyes almost flicker down. But he made sure not to. It was nothing that he would have wanted her to see before they were truly together. As it was, watching her bite or lick her lips was enough to make him want to shift his weight uncomfortably. He had always imagined her lips against his, how soft the plump flesh might feel.

He shook the thought off quickly. He had always respected her too much to make her feel uncomfortable with his presence. And he had been raised to be polite towards others around him, especially women. Unlike his grandfather, he had always strived for less crass behavior.

"I, um…I was wondering about what has been going on. I mean…is…is your grandpa doing better?" Anzu asked quietly, hesitating again. She shifted awkwardly in her seat and moved her elbows to rest on the tabletop.

He was tempted, for the briefest of seconds, to reach out and touch her hands. They were always so soft and warm and he had always enjoyed it when they had held hands when they were younger, before either had developed feelings for each other. His train of thought was so far on other things that he had to reconsider his words—which, in all reality, would have been a very confused, "What?"

Yugi frowned at her as he pieced together the words she had spoken, working on the statement for a moment. He kept his mouth shut tightly for a moment, then sighed quietly and reached up to run his fingers through his hair.

"He's…getting better," he decided to say, keeping his tone rather vague as his own thoughts began to drift again. His eyes flickered towards the window for the smallest fraction of a second as he struggled to pluck a new set of words into existence.

When he turned back, Yugi knew that Anzu had seen him, taken note of his struggles, and it made his stomach ache as he looked at her. She would not press, but she was worried. And thank the gods for the fact that she did question his behavior, as he could not choose between the task of protecting Yami or being the friend that he thought she deserved at the moment.

"He's…just a little more tired than usual. And he still needs some help with things. But he's recovering pretty well. I think he's almost over it."

He nearly flinched at the hopeful light that bloomed in her eyes. Because now he would have to crush that. His eyes flickered to the table and he traced a small pattern across the wood.

"But I…I don't think I'm comfortable with leaving him alone by himself for long."

Anzu blinked at him, surprised, and then frowned faintly at the statement. "That's understandable," she said quietly, nodding slightly. "I just…I guess I just miss hanging out with you, is all. You haven't been around to just spend time with us in a little while and…"

"I know. And I'm sorry." Yugi paused, hesitating only for a moment longer, and then reached out to touch her hand. He had barely registered the action, even as he leaned forward and smiled faintly. "But it will work out. When he's back on his feet and there's more time, then we can do what we want together. How about, when this all clears up, we go to dinner?"

The smile he gave her was bright but she only gave him a shadow of that. Her eyes looked a little glassy at the moment, as if he had rejected her harshly, but there was a sense of hope and happiness in her gaze that made his stomach twist faintly. They fell silent for a long minute. Anzu shifted a little bit in her seat. Yugi blinked, still feeling the touch of her hand in his, and realized belatedly that he had begun to trace circles on hers with his thumb.

Yugi wanted to say something more, to make her feel better, because it was nice to have plans and hope to make his life work around them as well. But his spine began to tighten furiously beneath his skin. And his flesh was beginning to seemingly vibrate over his bones.

The marrow had begun to grow heated. The sounds surrounding him had grown furious in tempo. The hammering of his heart made his head pound. He could smell and taste a million things on his tongue, sweat and stale food, with carbonated beverages too high in sugar. Someone cursed from across the room and it sounded as if it were right by his burning ear.

He froze, head snapping towards the window. The alarms were ringing in his head. His entire body was throbbing with tension. The muscles in his body had clenched. The marrow in his bones was molten but froze just as rapidly. He wanted to puke. He wanted to run. Instead he was stuck, staring blindly. There was such disturbance. There was too much going on.

He couldn't concentrate.

His fingers shook. His nails tapped into the table as he lurched slightly. Instinctively he withdrew from her. Her hand seemed to burn rather than soothe. She was staring at him. And her eyes on his face felt almost like fresh poison.

"I—I—I have to go."

He was choking, fighting to get the words out. He stumbled in an attempt to get up. But the booth seat held him prisoner. Yugi lurched forward when the table hit his stomach. He was winded for the smallest of seconds. Then he pushed quickly away from the cushioned seats and to his feet. He was unsteady. The world tilted around him. The pounding had grown tenfold.

He could hear Honda and Jonouchi nearby. They were about to head closer. He could sense them. But it did nothing to stop him.

He spun on his heel, head snapping back and forth for a moment, and then took off out the door. His name, he knew, was being called. He heard them as they tried to follow. But he was already bolting.

He did his best to hold back the wave of dread that pulsated in his blood. His ears were roaring. He could barely hear his own shoes on the asphalt. He struggled to hear past it all. If he could hear over his footsteps and the pounding, he would be able to determine the direction. He would be able to know where they came from. He would be able to know where they were versus his own placement. But now he could not tell if they were close. He could not sense if they were rapidly approaching or not. The thought occurred to him that perhaps they were dragging things out for their own pleasure. It made him sick.

There about two more small streets before he would reach the house. It would be shorter if he cut down one of the side alleys. But that would leave him vulnerable. His pace quickened somehow. He thought he was full out sprinting by now.

"Slow down, little Pure-Blood."

He nearly flinched backwards. The voice was so close. But when he glanced about himself, there was no one to be seen. He wondered for a moment. Was it possible that someone had been waiting ahead of him? Was it a tactic to throw him off course? Was it an attempt to make him panic?

Well, it was too late for that. He was already fully sprinting and he was too afraid to think straight. He was terrified. He was thoroughly panicked. There was no way to avoid such a truth.

His stomach was churning harder. He thought he might be sick at any moment. He forced himself to push such a thought aside. He could not lose his focus now. His footsteps seemed to be the only thing in the air. They seemed to be swallowing even his roaring heartbeat in his ears. He struggled to stay focused, to keep his thoughts on the place he needed to get to. But he turned suddenly, veering to the side.

He could feel them somehow. They were burning him. Their presence was making his knees feel weaker than ever. They were too close. He knew they were. He could only dimly recognize such a thing, however. His fear made it impossible to recognize such a thing.

The walls around him made him falter. Fuck, he had drifted into an alley. He spun, feet never touching the ground as he propelled himself backwards. The entranceway was clear. There was no one there. But there was still no guarantee that he would make it out of there without them catching him. His head snapped around again. He looked back and forth behind him. There were two exits. One of them led to the woods. The other led further into the city.

Rationally, he thought that perhaps going into the city was smarter. More people meant more witnesses. That meant that they were less likely to do anything, right? But his body had already begun to move. He was racing towards the trees before he could even think it all through completely. He was within the line of the foliage before he could pause and reconsider.

And it was possibly one of the dumbest decisions he had ever made.

He was tackled a few feet from the street. The momentum alone sent him flying. The ground blurred beneath him. His back ached as he landed hard. He hit the tree near the center of his spine. Then he dropped as the wind rushed from his lungs. He landed hard on his side. His back ached and pulsed furiously. The earth was hard packed. The straw scratched his skin.

Yugi couldn't see straight. There were splotches of white and black and stars with bright red that burst in his vision. He sputtered for a breath, desperate, and his frame wracked with the effort. He ached so fiercely he wanted nothing more than to roll up into a ball. But his body was frozen. He felt sick to his stomach. His eyes opened into thin slits. He panted for a breath.

His fingers twitched as he tried to regain a sense of balance. Something moved within his eardrums. His eyes opened further. He tipped his head up. A great gray beast was moving towards him. It was a mass of muscle and dark fur. There were hideous marks along the muzzle. And its paws were more immense than he had ever seen on a canine before.

"Finally, you've done something useful!"

Yugi wanted to burrow into the dirt at the hideous ring the voice left in his ears. The accent was so thick, the voice so light and flowery, that it made him flinch. But he could not move further than a twitch. And his heart was hammering. The gray beast in front of him paused. Its lips curled back to reveal canines so long and sharp as to look like knife blades shone before him.

The growl that left it was low and guttural, furious. It was enough to cause the blood in his veins to rush faster. He watched the wolf's head lower, ears pricking, the fur along its body rising into a furious bristle. It tossed its head forcefully as it shook, the hair bouncing and showing off more hideous scars where it had not grown back fully.

But it moved with such grace that it was terrifying. He flinched as the animal came closer. The teeth were bared. The gums were bright red. The nose was wrinkled angrily. The muzzle was pushed back. The eyes were a dark, hideous brown. A jagged scar traced the entirety of its right, pushing downwards and sideways to make a hideous formation almost like a sword drawn into the skin.

Its jaws opened, slavering. The eyes were burning. The pupils were dilated. When it came closer, his breath smelled of iron. He pressed back into the tree trunk. The wolf chomped its teeth. The teeth nearly plunged into his cheekbone.

"Do not harm him!" the voice snapped in a cold tone. Yugi's eyes shot upwards, staring from beneath his lashes. There was a man, tall and lanky, with silver hair, standing feet away. He looked as pale as a ghost, with an eye patch to cover the right side of his face. The clothes he wore were a dark fuchsia color. His shoes were immaculate and dressy. "The Pure-Blood must be taken in alive."

The wolf snarled and snapped its teeth. It bristled and its hackles rose angrily.

"I will have you skinned for your insolence. You know as well as I that Code Name Atem must be brought back alive, damn it."

Yugi froze in place. The wolf snarled louder. His eyes grew somehow more furious. His lips wrinkled back further. His teeth glistened. He turned back to the small human. He moved forward, his paws nearly touching his skin. The nails grazed his throat but did not push down. When its head lowered again, there was something in those eyes. It was a dark and hideous thing, the line of his irises fierce with expression.

The breath that rushed over his face was harsh. He shivered. His fingers twitched again. Yugi blinked up at it once more. The wolf lowered its snarling mouth closer to his nose. The air it exhaled was burning. The scent of blood on its breath made his insides quake. But the look in its eyes was something he could not fathom.

All right, so! Code Name Atem! The name of the game is guessing who he actually IS! There are technically three of them throughout the story (not including the ones that are considered to BE Atem when they clearly aren't). One masquerades as Atem, one IS Atem, and the other thinks themselves to BE Atem. If you can name all three of them, I'll give you a one-shot of your choice (rating, genre, etc) as long as it pertains to the ships that I can stomach (which I'll give you a list of if you're interested). You'll have until chapter twenty-three when things start to get further wrapped around Atem and he gets mentioned more often than not.

And, a helpful hint is this: All three of them are from the original series. None of them are from GX or 5D or Arc-V.