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.

18. Bakura

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

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

Chapter Warnings: TORTURE (physical, not mental), Hallucinations, Bloodshed, Fighting, Character Death

All right, so before you begin the chapter, let me explain the transmitter/chip/tracker that is used in the scene. It's a form of a microchip that would usually be implanted in a pet. This one, however, is a form of GPS as well; it's what would usually be used by the US Fish and Wildlife Services for animals such as grizzly bears, wild bison, elk, white-tailed deer and others. The mechanics of it and its features are somewhat changed, however. So, for this chip, the end of it blinks bright yellow and the life of the GPS signal would have lasted about 120 hours. That would have been the time they would have had to capture Yami. Also, I FULLY admit to not doing all that much research on this aspect. I've decided I'm going to do more in-depth research later, but not while I'm still trying to post and keep up with updates.

And, no, that doesn't mean Yami is Atem. It just means that they're looking to catch some wolves.

Also, Bakura doesn't know WHICH of them is Atem, just that one of them is the Pure-Blood that they're looking for.

Seeing as Yugi was incapacitated, he was considered not to be a threat and so Yami was the only one aimed at with the intention of chipping if Bakura could not hold him still long enough to get allow him to be sedated with the same mixture of wolfsbane and silver that was used on Yugi.

Chapter XVIII: Bakura

Work Log Entry XVIII: January, 1997

January 11

PB-A 26 is to be called Atem once more, after the acronym of which brought about his existence. The boss is pleased with his survival.

But no one is sure of how long he will remain.

He may lapse again.

So we shall remain monitoring every second he continues breathing.

The wolf withdrew only when the human got closer. It paced back a couple of steps. But it was furious. Its eyes were still hideously dark. Its muzzle was still wrinkled back. It looked as if it might lunge at the human at any moment. But Yugi could see the wariness there as well. He could see the hatred and the caution.

This wolf would have killed the human long ago if he had the chance.

But something held him back.

The wolf remained close, however. It looked immensely angered. It was agitated as it moved about. The movements were sharp and vicious. The sound of its paws was rapid against the ground. The spring of the straw beneath did nothing to cushion the hardness of the earth beneath. The wolf paced several steps back and forth in either direction.

"So help me, move the wrong way," the human spat, spinning on the canine. The wolf chomped its teeth, slavering again. "Do it, brat, and I will end you."

The wolf pricked its ears further. Its hackles rose. Its tail rose into the air. The teeth glistened with saliva. The ferocity should have made the human back away. But he seemed to simply be prepared for it all. He seemed to know exactly what Yugi had realized only moments before. He would not attack him. He knew he would not kill him. There was something disgusting between the two of them that said the wolf could not disobey.

The male turned away and from his pocket a small black case was drawn. Yugi blinked at him. The wolf shuddered visibly and paced more angrily. It twitched and snarled and moved further away as if afraid of the very contents themselves. The case looked almost like something he would have seen to carry glasses. But he knew better than to assume something so innocent lay inside.

He struggled, hoping to get to his feet somehow, to make a run for it. But the wolf was there. And Yugi knew it would attack him. It might draw blood. It might not stop at that. And the human was so tall. He imagined he could kick hard enough to subdue him should it come to that. So Yugi remained still, contemplating and feeling sick to his stomach.

"But I have a gift for you first," the man purred. The case opened and Yugi recognized more noticeably the shape of it. It was longer, narrower, than he had seen at first glance. And so the teenager was not surprised to see the needle that was drawn from inside of it. But the liquid was a hideous purple, with traces of something metallic in it. The scent of it, as he flicked the needle, was intoxicating.

It was harsh and cold. It burned his nose and made his blood dance. There was something hideous and unearthly in it. It was light and woodsy. The touch of it made his body tingle. But there was something wet as well, like rain in the air. A tickling trace of something like pepper came as a light bite with each inhale.

He shivered. It was almost like humid pine needles that had been baked by the sun. Yugi's eyes burned as he looked at the man standing over him. An instinct in his body told him to run. But rationality told him to remain in place. He could not outrun them. They could easily kill him should they see fit.

For a moment, his mind told him to beg for mercy. It told him to plea and deny anything and everything they might say. But the needle pricked his skin. His wrist seized in pain. His entire body became rigid. The wolf cast him a nervous, furious glance. It shuddered, then backed up further.

The infliction came in pulsing waves. First, there was a terrible heat. Then, there was a crash of ice. His marrow felt molten. His spine tightened further. His heart began to race faster. His skin itched and crawled. Wave after wave of fire and ice crashed through him. His body began to burst with pain. His lungs grew tight. His stomach clenched furiously. His skin pulsed and twisted, knotting. Each nerve ending lit on fire. His thoughts flickered away and melted into darkness.

His vision was swimming. His eyes seemed to vibrate in their sockets. He twitched harder. His body jerked. A spasm rocked his frame. He scrabbled for a grip on the ground. The straw cut his palm. His nails scraped uselessly at the earth. He trembled. His body went through another spasm.

Yugi drew in a breath that felt like it might break his chest. His shoulder ground into the earth when he twisted. His spine arched and jerked violently. His legs kicked. His arms pulsed with muscle spasms once more. He opened his mouth and the breath that left him became a furious gurgle. Something trailed like fire up the back of his throat. His lungs pulled and spat with desperation to breathe again.

His eyes were wide open, staring blankly. The pupils had constricted. His eyes continued to vibrate in their sockets. He panted and bile rushed forth. His lungs ached and pulsed. His vision was dancing with black. The edges burst with darkness. Bursts of bright white and blood red filled his vision. His thoughts burned further. He thrashed, puking again. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head for a moment.

"Hmm…perhaps I didn't put a high enough dose of wolfsbane," the man said curiously, raising a brow. The wolf snarled, pacing furiously. The teenager jerked and puked again. He convulsed so heavily his frame shook once more. The wolf raced forward then back, continuous in movement. A low, keen snarl trailed each step. It could not fathom the task of simply watching this happen. Subjection to such torment lent an undeniable sympathy to such terrible pain.

It snapped its jaws and paced back again. Yugi could barely see it. It was traced by shadows. It was pushed by red. The white made its eyes look like stars bursting. The claws seemed to vanish into the straw. The legs seemed to ripple and burst with shadows. The small teen let out a gurgle of a scream. His heart was racing harder, somehow trying to push back. And his skin was pulsating. His organs were shifting and melding and pushing. His bones were burning and shattering. He trembled. He puked again.

Yet, somehow, he felt a strange sensation of calm rushing through him. Even as his body went through a hideous spasm and his fingers flexed uselessly, it came to him. He puked and gurgled again, and his bones snapped rapidly. Bursts and flares of pain swamped him. His vision clouded further. The darkness leaped at him from all sides. The wolf disappeared from his sight. He throbbed and trembled. He thrashed and convulsed again. Each bone in his body shuddered and pulsated. And then they splintered and pushed.

At first, he could not fathom further pain. But it came in waves. It came in bursts. It came in currents. It tore through him. It ravaged him. It destroyed him.

His lungs stopped sputtering. His heart came to a stop. His body twitched then fell still.

But somehow he could hear. The wolf was still moving. His bones were still breaking and pushing. They were still rearranging. His skin was splitting. The man had begun chuckling. Yugi shuddered and his heart began to beat again. His breath came in a desperate gasp. His fingers curled and thickened. Every bone in his body molded further. He was wracked with trembles and yet, somehow, his body continued its efforts.

He puked and blood flooded his senses. He shuddered and his skin split further. His bones jutted and pulsed. The marrow ached and splintered. His nerves danced with fire. He let out another strangled noise. And then something else entered his mind.

It was a light but somehow heavy footfall. The impact of it seemed to make the earth shake. He shuddered. His heart raced. He could barely hear. He found it almost impossible to feel anymore. Yugi gasped and sputtered. The blood oozed from his open jaws. The darkness was receding faintly. The forest came to him in rushes and tugs of scent. His body trembled and convulsed. His nose burned and itched. His head pounded.

He focused on the wolf. Its massive shape moved briskly before him. It paced and hesitated. It snarled and spun. It watched him, fearful and anxious. It studied the man with anger and hatred. It moved faster.

And then it stopped.

Yugi felt as if the entirety of the wolf had shifted beneath him. His own trembling failed for a moment. His heart ached and jerked in his chest. His lungs convulsed painfully. But the axis of pain shifted. And the world seemed to follow its lead.

Something had come to them. Something had crept forward from the trees. He, like the wolf, sensed it. They both stopped. The man froze and then straightened, stunned. The teenager watched stupidly.

The wolf shuddered, then snarled. But it did not move. The man breathed out, "What is that?" Yugi convulsed and tipped his head back. But for a moment he could not see. And then something massive, brutal, the shade of darkness of likes he had never seen before, hurled itself forward.

The man reacted faster, however. Whereas Yugi was confused, he was not. The man spun to face it. And from seemingly nowhere, he had drawn something. It was nothing but a black box-shape to the small teenager. But it very abruptly became clear what it was. As the entity began to close on him, something launched forward from that small box.

The newcomer fell to the ground in a heap. The body went through a rapid convulsion for the briefest of seconds. Then it rolled and twisted, climbing to its feet. Teeth snapped at thin air in front of it, and something sparked and sizzled.

He tried to focus, but the image was blurry before him.

But he still knew, deep inside of him, that it was Yami.

"Don't you know better, you stupid wolf?" the man laughed loudly. "I swear, all of you beasts have to be the dumbest creatures to walk the earth. I knew you were coming. You all come to protect your little Pure-Bloods, isn't that right?"

The gray wolf tilted its head towards this newcomer. A small snarl escaped it but the larger canine did not turn to look. His lips drew back furiously instead. His eyes, cast dark and furious red with the lack of light, glittered with bloodshed. His teeth were longer, sharper, and the saliva there made them look like bloodied weapons. He bore his teeth at the human, tail raised. His back leg flared with pain, aching from the jolt of electricity.

But it did not stop him from preparing himself for the leap. Instead he raised his hackles. His claws scraped at the earth in long, thick lines. He braced his weight and snarled loudly. His ears quivered, taking in Yugi's state more than the wolf nearby.

"Well, little wolf, let me introduce you to someone." His fingers snapped. The gray wolf beside him came forward. It spun to face him. Yami flattened his ears against his head. His head snapped towards the other canine. "Bakura, show him why you're our most ruthless and efficient killer."

The gray wolf barreled towards him. Yami stiffened his body to take the blow. He reared up on his back legs as they collided. Bakura's body pressed roughly into his. Their forelegs locked and his claws scraped his shoulder. Teeth snapped next to his cheek. The darker canine twisted just enough to avoid the attack. His right leg buckled beneath him. His jaw snapped a second too soon. His teeth caught the pouch of his cheek.

The pain made the gray wolf snarl. He jerked, rising onto his back legs again. The movement pulled Yami with him. His feet scrabbled for purchase. The straw slid beneath his paws. He struggled. He could not find it. He collapsed. Bakura lurched forward with the sudden movement. He almost fell onto all four legs again. Yami used the momentum to pull back and rear up to claw at his throat. The gray wolf jerked his head and he was forced to release. His cheek stung furiously from the bite. His left leg pushed at his shoulders, trying to force him back a step.

But he was nothing if not persistent. He redirected the new blow to his face. His teeth caught a tuft of fur, tugging it out. Bakura used the distraction to sink his own fangs into his cheek. He threw his weight, attempting to knock Yami off his feet. If he could push him into the snow, he could pin him. But the black wolf pushed harder forward. He threw them both off balance for a brief second. His momentum sent him into Bakura's shoulder, teeth digging in furiously. The bone popped painfully.

The gray wolf snarled furiously, the pain too much to be contained. He kept his grip on his cheek, however. He held him there. The two of them were frozen for a moment. They both snarled, then tugged fiercely. The skin split on his cheek. Blood came into his mouth. Bakura snarled louder. Yami tossed his muscular neck. The movement threw him off balance, knocking him to and fro. He struggled, biting away a yelp, and reared up to try to push him away with his restrained limb.

He did not have to do anything more than tighten his grip. Bakura was rendered immobile in this forelimb. He could not lower it to the ground again. He would have to balance on three legs as opposed to his regular four. He hopped a few small steps awkwardly. He tried again to toss his weight. Yami held as tightly as steel jaws. He held himself for a moment, restrained and struggling. Losing a limb in battle was nothing that could truly be recovered. But if he could just get him in the snow…

He screamed as Yami threw them both down. It was a simple, hideous jerk of his head. His paws slid from beneath him. He cried out angrily. He bucked, jerking and scrambling. But the black wolf did not release him. They jerked at each other, tearing at their skin and failing to dislodge the other. Snarls of frustration and growing pain made them both pause for a brief moment. A new tactic was needed.

He blinked and released. His forelimb dropped shakily. Yami threw himself onto his back legs. Bakura was pulled into a standing position. The movement tugged too painfully upon his jaw to keep his grip. And Yami took the chance to pull himself forward and clamp his onto his face. The gray canine panted, raising his head some. The teeth narrowly missed his right eye. They dug instead into his cheek just beneath.

Bakura reared up, paws grasping at darker, broader shoulders. His limbs pushed hard but Yami did not let go. He dropped to all fours again. The gray wolf fell with him. His right leg was still around his throat. His mouth was open in a furious snarl. He tried to push out of his grip in vain. He struggled, tossing his head, but Yami simply centered his weight. He could not move further than to try to knock him off balance with his left paw against his leg.

The black wolf ignored the tactic. He rose to his feet again. The other scrabbled at the air in a desperate maneuver. His claws missed his eye. The change of strategy was not unnoticed. He tossed his head. Bakura snarled furiously, panting for breath. Yami pressed his paws back onto the straw. He pushed on either side of Bakura's legs.

The gray wolf was infuriated. With a sudden and desperate movement, he threw himself to his back legs again. The violent twist of his body made Yami stumble, his jaws releasing. He stared at him, mouth bloodied, eyes stunned. Had he held on, such action would have broken his neck.

Bakura came at him full force. His teeth angled for his throat. Yami ducked, then turned his head. His teeth grasped for his cheek. He pressed into him furiously. The other wolf scrabbled as his head was pushed into the snow. He did not surrender, however. His teeth clicked and locked onto his muzzle. Yami recoiled, his vissibrae pulsating with pain. The gray canine was on his feet again immediately.

His back leg was growing weaker. He chomped his teeth towards his face again. Bakura allowed him to catch his cheek this time. Survival instinct said to allow anything but the eye. If he was rendered blind, he could not win. His paws flailed as Yami jerked him upright again.

But he tilted his head and pulled hard enough to escape his grip. He could not feel the pain in his jaw. The tactic was just useful enough to cause the black wolf to struggle with the fur in his mouth. He drew in a deep breath as the other spat the tuft away and bore his teeth at him again.

He flung himself for his throat once more. Yami dodged just fast enough to avoid such a strike. His teeth clamped into his shoulder. The wolf shook his head, trying to pull him off balance angrily. The black wolf struggled for footing, bracing himself.

Yami pulled him with him when he got onto his hind legs again. Their forelimbs locked again for a brief second. Teeth dug into his cheek once more. He missed, snarling, and both of them circled for the briefest of seconds.

Yami held himself still as Bakura came forward. He angled his head, then snapped his jaw. He caught his jaw, just at the corner of his cheek. Then he forced his entire body into another attack. It sent Bakura's head down and into the snow for a second. The black wolf went for his forehead, aiming for his skull. The gray canine backed up.

Yami snapped his jaws just inches from the straw. He panted, tongue curling against his nose as he bore his fangs again. Both of them stared for a moment. The brown eyes were more panicked than fierce now. He looked more terrified than Yami had ever seen an opponent. It was clear that this wolf was lucid. He was not as the other two had been in the woods. He was not drugged but he would still fight him. And he would do everything in his power to survive it all.

His eyes flickered towards the form on the ground a few feet away. Their fight had moved them further back than he had thought. But it did nothing to make him feel worse. Yugi was lying there, almost perfectly still but for small touches of his breathing. A gradual innate horror began to swell in his blood. What if, while he was distracted fighting Bakura, the other boy might die?

What would he do then?

Yami shivered but then sprang at the other wolf. He moved to claw his shoulder. On his hind legs again, he went to overpower him using a bite to his head. But it was Yami's raised head, mouth agape, that caught purchase. His right leg was within his teeth immediately, and he pulled him hard again.

It took a moment for the other to react. He was caught by the need to retain his balance more than to fight for the briefest of moments. It passed, however. Teeth caught and held his scruff, shaking his neck violently. Yami was tugged forward. His jaw was pressed into the ground with the force of it.

The black wolf pulled on his paw, then tossed his head. Bakura was thrown off balance enough to shake him off. The black wolf's teeth caught his shoulder once more. His forelimb was tossed hard, rendering him all but unable to get up. Then he went for the throat.

Bakura's right leg buckled as he lunged. He missed. Teeth sank into his cheek once more. Yami tossed his head hard enough to dislodge the gray wolf. He bore his teeth and snarled, Bakura mimicking him furiously. They stared at one another, eyes fierce. Then they shot forward again, trying once more for the other's throat.

He caught his shoulder again and put more of his weight into the attack. He forced him down further. Bakura caught his neck and tugged. The black wolf shifted his balance. He stumbled as the gray wolf jerked his head. His footing slipped but somehow held all the same. He focused his weight more forcefully into his back legs. Then he pushed forward. His left paw rested next to the other's head. His right was raised but ready to catch himself at any moment should he need to.

The action made Bakura stumble, struggling. Yami caught himself as the other tried to roll from his grip. He let go of his shoulder, watching him. His leg buckled again, pain coursing through him. His weight faltered, his limb trembling. Bakura came for his flank. He stumbled, unable to catch himself. He was caught on his side, thrown there forcefully. He struggled to kick his legs and get to his feet again. He scrambled to try to get up again. But the other canine held strong onto the bleeding muscle. His teeth had serrated his skin. And the red liquid was soaking through his fur, pouring into his mouth.

Yami tried to push him off with his limbs. His back legs kicked and flailed. But Bakura held fast. His lower body was pressed into his lighter-furred frame. His left leg was pushed into the dirt. His right was practically useless with the pain that still pulsed through it. He was desperate as he tried to angle his neck to grasp at the brown-eyed wolf.

Bakura held him there like that for several minutes. He was breathing too hard to keep his grip, however. His tongue lolled as he panted heavily for breath. Yami kicked him hard with his hind legs again. The gray wolf stumbled back, snarling in frustration.

Yami leaped to his feet, blood flowing freely from the wound. He took off before Bakura could think to attempt to stop him. He was limping painfully, his steps jerky and awkward. But he managed easily to get yards between them.

Bakura caught him in the right back leg. Yami tumbled to his stomach first. Then he rolled to try to dislodge him. His back arched as he struggled to pull Bakura closer to get at his skull. The gray wolf released him, then went for his face again. He hurled himself closely enough to shield his body for a moment.

Yami heard a curse. His eyes flickered about but his focus remained on the gray wolf. Bakura had his jaws opened wide. His eyes had grown ferocious, the panic long gone but replaced with a smaller fear.

But Yami could feel something of that emotion coursing through him now. He had not planned to die in the woods. Not like this, anyways. And what would then happen to Yugi?

As they stared at each other, the ferocity in the other's eyes shook him to his core.

Both of them were frozen again, rendered immobile by the pressure seizing their bodies.

The black wolf shot forward. His teeth angled for his throat. The gray wolf sidestepped him. Yami caught his shoulder again. Teeth dug into his skull.

They were both frozen again, exhausted by the emotional trauma that held them there. The panting was harsh, heavy, and they both struggled for breath even as they refused to release each other. The fear kept them frozen, immobile. If the other got the advantage, there was no chance that they might survive.

"Hold him there."

Bakura blinked, eyes flickering. His gaze was on the human's immediately. His fur bristled. His stomach tossed. He bore his teeth, then threw them both sideways. Yami scrabbled for his footing. Then he kicked at him and struggled to roll to his feet. Bakura let him, then lunged at him angrily.

They rolled with the impact. Yami snarled, angered but fearful all the same. The human cursed loudly this time. The gray wolf held him there for a moment, pinned and exhausted. But his entire body covered his for a moment. And where his teeth dug into his cheek, the effort was minimal at best. It was not a harsh grip, but so light that the red-eyed wolf could almost ignore it.

Yugi could only faintly make out their presence from his spot. It was not so much the angle but more his very position which rendered him incapable. He was so tired, his vision so strained and weak, that they came in shades rather than shapes. They had no definition but for splotches of color. And they seemed rapidly to dissolve into nothingness but beautiful drizzles of white and silver, with the faintest of touches of gold and blue.

The trees, littered with the shed pine beneath, began to flicker. Colors of dull brown and hardened red clay began to shift. The trees, so opaque and sturdy in their harsher brown and gray, began to slowly lose color. Rather than the fallen straw and faint sunlight coming from the setting sun, there was an expanse of white. The ribbons of orange and pink, where the clouds looked almost sore where they were touched by purple shadows, had dissolved into blackness.

Spots of bright white like gems shone in the sky, scattered about beautifully, traced and outlined with silver brushstrokes to pronounce the galaxy. Curls of bright blue and dark violet were spread about the dark sky. Trails of dark red almost like blood were touched with light slivers of purple, coaxing them to blend further. A bright moon was glowing silver, though the shadows appeared dark cobalt in shade and the light that was given off seemed softer, more white than anything else.

The trees had become outlined in silver and white, with hints of gold and touches of bright blue. Their edges glowed as if ethereal, with branches that stretched high into the sky with ends that disappeared into the darkness but for their slender designs. There was a small hint of warmth despite the snow that littered the earth. He could see inches of it, so thick that he almost seemed it might cover his muzzle should he push it aside with his nose.

But there was also straw, somehow. And there were dashes of red like dirt. There were glimpses of bright orange and slivers of pink. And the sun glowing gold. The clouds were traced with purple to outline the depths of them. And the air felt colder than he remembered moments before.

Yugi's body was limp where it lay sprawled as it was. He could not fathom the ability to move. It all hurt. It all pulsed and ached. But sometimes it drifted. It seemed to slither away in the air like a snake. It would move aside, then come back. It came with the way the area around him changed so rapidly. For all of the hints of snow also was the alleviation of the pain. Only then was he able to think straight.

But the pain also brought a heavy and double-edged focus that he could not shake. For, in the back of his mind, an urgency began to reawaken. He shifted his weight and struggled to grip the earth with a claw. It did nothing for him, but he tried regardless. That urgency which had woken inside of him grew tenfold as the seconds passed. Something was happening. Something important—and it needed his attention. It was disarming to him that he could not truly focus on it. But it was so terribly important too.

His eyes were unfocused, glazed, and the pain made it nearly impossible to see straight. Jagged lines made up the foliage above his head. And the straw looked like skeletal bones that had been shed by the trees. He panted and his lungs felt as if they might burst. He moved his head and his neck felt as though it might snap. Every moment was another second of pain which made him weaker.

But it also made his vision sharper. It made the sightlessness slither away in brief bursts. And he could see for those short seconds. As his paws struggled for purchase and his heart felt as if it might stutter and fold to pieces within his chest, it let him see.

The smudges of color became sharp, defined. The black spot, so unusual against the rotting earth, became a shape. That gray splotch of color, took on a definition. They materialized before him, took on weight and shape, forms that he could not at first identify.

Then a flash of red made his head spin. A flicker of black amidst it, with glimmers of the sun setting overhead, made his heart pick up in pace. Recognition burst forth in his head. The other boy—the one who spent his time in his room, the one who drank protein shakes and took his medication. Yugi blinked, for at first no name would come to him. And then a realization dawned on him, bright as the sun and as painful as the burn that had once singed his skin.

The name came to him, small and almost invisible in his mind. It was so new, so foreign, that it took him a moment to collect it.

Yami.

It was Yami.

Yugi bore his teeth as his claws struggled to sink into the earth. The straw was spongy. The earth was too hard. His body was bleeding. His pores were expelling something. His jaws smelled of bile and blood. When he blinked, he saw only clumps of what looked like mud, trailed with splotches of yellow and foaming saliva.

His mouth was swollen. His tongue was too large for his jaws. He closed his eyes. Exhaustion was tugging at his senses. The darkness was so welcoming. But when he opened them again, the forest was spread before him. Snow was packed against the ground. The trees were vibrant, colorful, outlined in blue and silver, with touches of white and gold like the stars themselves. It was stunning. It was beautiful.

But it was also wrong.

Yugi tried to force his mouth shut and his tongue felt so terribly pressed that he opened it again. There was something along his jaws, flecking them. He blinked, dazed, confused. The pain radiated across his skin. The trees became solid in color. The scent of blood of vomit was heavy. His head felt too big. His tongue was too swollen.

His legs were weak. He could not move his toes. His skin twitched beneath his long coat. He shivered. His body was wracked with a seizure for a brief moment. Bubbles came along his lips. They foamed outwards, pushed until they hit the forest floor. He blinked.

His saliva, it came to him moments later. He was foaming at the mouth.

He could not take his eyes off of the display in front of him. Yami and the gray wolf. They were panting, struggling to hold the other at bay. He looked ready to collapse. The other did too. Blood kept dripping from a flank wound. The other's shoulder was bleeding profusely. Clumps of fur littered the straw. He could see blood falling from a couple of cheek wounds. Yami's back right leg…it looked so weak, so flimsy. It was shaking, even as he stood still and they stared at each other.

The other's white forelimb looked ready to collapse. His front left one, it looked ready to buckle at any moment. Yugi could see it, as he could see the blood dripping from the shoulder. He shivered. The wolves were frozen. They stared at each other again.

He tried again to find purchase on the ground. There was something being said. He could hear it, but he could not understand it. The tone was frustrated. The words were a jumble. He did not understand.

But the wolves did.

The gray one stiffened. Its head turned slightly. Its teeth drew back. Yami stood staring at Bakura, but his head, too, turned. His eyes flashed. His lips curled. They did not look at one another for a moment. All of their focus was on the human and his words.

"Hold him still, damn it."

Bakura tilted his head. His eyes flickered to Yami. The black wolf was frozen. His fur was quivering. His breathing was ragged. Their fight had stretched out so long that it was wearing on them both. The minutes had seemed to become hours. The hours had become days.

He was exhausted.

He was bleeding and fatigued.

He had not eaten in days.

Yami was well fed, heavier in body weight than him. He also had a stronger jaw. He was more dangerous than him, in all actuality. But it did nothing to favor him. He was weakened somehow.

He did not seem as strong as he should have been.

And the jolt of electricity had not been the only thing to force him into such a standstill.

There was something off balance inside of him.

Bakura detected it. But he could not pinpoint it.

But he himself was so exhausted as to want to simply lie down. It was mere loyalty that kept him there. It was mere survival that kept him on his feet. It was mere love that made him able to position himself to fight Yami back a step. He had long ago forgotten to care for the thought of saving himself. His loyalties were as they should have been, as they needed to be, and death seemed more like a welcome friend than it did an enemy.

But still he stood there, waiting, watching Yami. And Yami panted and snarled, watching him and the human. He looked shaken, but not to the point of desperation. And he was not willing to die. He was too young to. He could see it in his body. He could see it in his eyes.

It was as if the black wolf's soul had crept to the forefront. There was not an ounce of him that was willing to take this fight as a permanent dismissal of his life. And it was clearer than ever, as those red eyes flickered away briefly, that it was not only himself who he fought for.

The white wolf, who breathed so raggedly and shook so violently. That was who Yami was fighting for besides himself. Bakura could see that. He did not know that the human could, however.

But he knew the black wolf saw it too. There was a glazed nature about the other's eyes. That gaze, so sharply set as to be terribly dark against the black of his lids, was glassy. It was distorted. It was unfocused. It was blind. He could not see. Or at least not clearly. He was struggling. And Bakura was not sure how much longer he could hold back without clearly giving up his own game of prolonging this fight.

But the weariness in his bones did nothing to prevent this. He would hold out as long as was necessary. Or until he could no longer. He did not expect to fight a Pure-Blood and survive. It was against the laws of nature to expect such a thing. The human was a fool.

Yami moved forward. Bakura turned to meet him.

They were blobs again in Yugi's eyes. They danced and wove together, made a thicker splatter of color, but they were not defined. Yugi could not truly focus on them. Nor could he keep them apart. There were droplets of red, coloring the air, littering the straw. It all began to look the same. It was an indeterminable mesh of shades.

He twitched again. His breathing came ragged and deep. But it was his first true inhale. It held in his lungs and did not shake his body as the others had. His organs did not expel nor did he choke on his tongue or the foam that billowed from his jaws. The gurgling had stopped. His aching had grown tenfold but the throbbing felt more healing than deadly. So he welcomed it.

He welcomed the sharpness of the straw, the way the trees flickered and then became solid again. He welcomed the way the ground was first littered with straw and then blanketed with snow. He drew in deep breaths, smelled his vomit and blood more than he did anything else. He twitched a toe and relished in the sensation of movement. He reveled in the actuality of being in possession of his own body once more. He panted and stretched. He watched his breath come in puffs of bright white.

And the air seemed to clear for brief seconds. The knowledge of Yami and this gray wolf became more apparent. It became the focus of his mind. It was the forefront of his thoughts. It was the very thing that made Yugi find the ability to shift once more.

He was so weak that at first his attempt failed him. He could not grasp the earth. Nor could he find it in his muscles to attempt to push himself onto his belly. He shuddered and for a moment he wanted nothing more than to wait it out.

But Yami had come here to help him.

And the least he could do was return the favor.

So Yugi pushed himself. The sensation was foreign. It caused his limbs to burn. His marrow felt cold, glacial, within his bones. He panted, huffing and gasping. His ears twitched and quivered. His claws scraped the earth. The straw slid beneath his moving limbs. He bore his teeth. He dragged out another intense breath. Then he pulled. His leg quaked and burned.

Yugi nearly whimpered but swallowed it down. His paw twisted and curled, the claws digging into the hard ground. He quivered. His body shook violently. He panted again. Then he tugged harder. It was barely a centimeter but it was progress. The realization that his body had not failed him, that he could in fact move forward and maybe make his way towards Yami was a powerful one. It was just enough to fuel him forward.

"Damn it. Para and Dox could have done better."

He looked up at the other two wolves. Yami and the gray canine were on their back legs, biting and tearing at the other's face. Small tufts of white and black fur were falling, blood dripping on the ground again. Both of them untangled a moment later, snarling and panting once more. They glared at each other, teeth bared, but neither seemed to be stepping down or going to attack for the moment.

It occurred to him that the two wolves were almost the same size. The gray was obviously more slender, but their height was equal. Their shoulder width seemed the same as well. It was the chest and the tuck of the belly that were different. The gray wolf was slighter, his chest smaller. Yami was a bit heavier, with a somewhat broader chest.

But they were both fast, vicious, and they had an instinct to survive that pushed them towards fighting again. So Yugi was not surprised to see them in a stalemate as he struggled to his belly and laid there for a moment to catch his breath. It was not at all surprising to see them both frozen, eyes dilated, snarling but not moving forward. Both their legs looked as if they might buckle at any moment.

Yugi wondered if his own would hold his weight long enough to travel there. It was a good few feet. He was not sure that he would manage it. He shivered, then glanced over his shoulder briefly.

The man was so focused on the two of them—no, on Yami—that he had not noticed him. He thought for a moment, with a bloodlust he had never before known, to turn his teeth on him. He thought to snarl and snap and tear his skin and spill his blood and rip his head from his body.

But Yugi instead remained crouched there. He blinked at him, then turned his head away.

The two wolves circled once, then lunged at each other. It was becoming apparent, with this new, keener focus in his mind, that the gray wolf was leading this dance. Yami had gone on the defensive, merely dodging and attacking only when challenged first. He had backed down from the lead, panting and tired, with a leg that quaked every few seconds.

He was amazed that it did not collapse beneath him.

Yugi dragged himself forward. His chest was sticky with the vomit that scraped against it as he moved. His coat would be covered in blood and yellow bile. But he could not find it in himself to care. There was no force on the face of the earth that would make him think to care about such a thing.

He crawled forward, belly low to the ground, watching and waiting. His limbs were tired and punished him at every step. He was exhausted and his legs flared with fire. But it did not stop him. With the decline of foam in his jaws and the lack of vomit terrorizing his body, so his pain had become steady and constant. It did not flare horrifically or tear into him like teeth. He was healing. He could feel that.

It was terrible. And it was slow. But it was happening.

So Yugi held himself as still as he could manage. And he hoped to the gods that it might alleviate enough to intervene in this fight. Because he realized that Yami could not do this for much longer.

And the way the other stopped so often and circled and charged him said he was trying to run him out of energy. And he was also gauging his strength. He was trying to wear him down, would kill him when he got to that point of exhaustion.

Yugi would not let that happen.

He waited, watching them. The wolf favored his right side more than his left. He circled that way more often. Yami fell in line naturally. But he also used both sides to throw the gray wolf away from him when he could.

Yugi shivered. The human still had not noticed him. He crept forward, crawling almost mindlessly. He could help him. He could save him. He would save him.

With this thought he pushed himself to move a little faster. They seemed, every time he took a step, to get further from him. But he wondered if it was simply his mind playing such a trick on him. Because he did not think either had the energy to move too far away as it was.

Yami spotted him. As he crept forward again, the black wolf's head snapped to attention. His eyes grew wide, startled. And it was just enough to send the gray wolf straight into him. Yami cried out, snarling and then scrambling. The wolf had him by the throat, though he was not sure that the grip was deadly.

Regardless, Yugi threw himself forward. The ache in his limbs faded into nothing. The speed with which he propelled himself was stunning. It felt almost as if his feet did not touch the ground. He hit Bakura hard enough to throw him.

Yami struggled, gasping and panting. His eyes were dilated, horrified. His head snapped around. The white wolf had gotten the other canine by the throat. But the momentum had sent them both flying.

When Yami got to his feet, panting, his concern dissipated. Yugi was heaving with breath, but his teeth were bright red. His face was stained up to his eyes. His ears were colored brightly with blood. Saliva dripped from his mouth. A frothy foam expelled from his jaws. But his eyes were clear and his body was shaking with pure ferocity.

It was, as Yami came forward a step, terrifying to behold. The usually gentle teenager had attacked him with such power as to sever his head from his body. Bakura's head lay feet away, tossed from the impact. His body was completely still, decapitated. The black and gray and white of his body was soaked in bright red.

Yami panted, startled. Yugi spun on him, growling for a moment before his expression cleared. They stared at each other and the white wolf peered at him with a certain terror to his expression that Yami was not sure how to appease. He thought to nuzzle him, perhaps whine and lick his cheek, but the moment passed. In his hesitation to move, the other wolf had reacted to something else entirely.

With a hideous snarl, his entire face wrinkled with the effort of it, he sprang forward. Yami turned his head, startled. The human screamed as they collided. Yugi had thrown him backwards, slammed him into the ground. The impact was enough in itself to knock the man unconscious. The blow to the head was all but enough to concuss him.

Yami turned his head, panting. Yugi raised his head from where he was laying on the man's chest. He was too exhausted to move, his limbs haphazardly thrown about him. He whined, a pathetic noise that made Yami shiver. The black wolf hazarded a glance around, fur bristling briefly with tension. He did not sense anyone, but where there was one, there were sure to be others.

He looked to the other white wolf for a moment. Then he hurried forward. Yugi blinked at him, raising his head a little more. Yami hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward and snatched his scruff in his jaws. It was not a gentle action. He was too afraid to make it such a thing. He grabbed too hard. The skin split. Yugi yelped. But he did not fight him. And Yami strained his neck as his leg quaked and he struggled to pull him forward with him.

Yugi's limbs scrabbled for purchase, trying to use the black wolf as a way to get his bearings, but it failed. He fell again, panting, and whined low in his throat. Yami ignored him, disregarded his efforts, and tugged harder. The straw did the favor of sliding beneath them. It slipped and pulled forward, bunching together in front of the white wolf. And it did well to keep their movements consistent. Had it been pure dirt, Yami was sure he would not have managed it.

As it was, his back leg buckled beneath him and he nearly collapsed. Yugi yelped again, but held still for him to find his balance once more. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours. They got only a yard away when the white wolf convulsed, shaking and panting. Yami was forced to release him, gasping for breath and sniffing at his cheek to check his breathing.

Yugi looked at him, blue-violet eyes solemn and tired. But he pressed his weight into his paws, focusing it there, and struggled to push himself to his feet. The first attempt resulted in him nearly landing on his chin. Yami caught him just barely by the scruff, more gently than the first time. Then he helped him, tugging and nearly wrenching his own neck with the effort.

On shaky legs, tired and coughing from his oncoming convulsion, Yugi cast him a grateful look. The two of them blinked at each other. Yami leaned forward, touched his nose to his shoulder, and breathed gently against his skin. It was meant to be reassuring more than anything, but there was an intimacy that seemed to linger in it that made Yugi quake for a brief moment.

He shivered. It seemed almost like something a lover would share with their partner. But Yugi did nothing to dissuade his gentle action. And he reveled in it, in fact, for the seconds that it lasted. They looked at each other for a single moment after that, and then the white wolf stumbled forward a step. He wanted, as Yami hovered and looked ready to help him at any moment, for nothing more than the ability to reassure him.

He would be okay. He would have to be okay. It would work out. He would make himself walk. It was just the fact that his limbs were so stiff. And his body ached so much. It was not that his limbs were too weak to carry him.

He was able.

He would be okay.

But there was nothing he could do to say such a thing, so instead he tried to wag his tail and take another step forward.

Yami followed him, a step behind, casting anxious glances around them. Yugi picked up his speed from halting steps to a heavy limping trot. They made it through the foliage, stopping several long yards away. The black wolf circled him anxiously once, but did not rush him to his regain his feet again. He panted, gasping and huffing, and finally, Yami took a minute to relax as well. They sat together, both hunched and sharing desperate breaths.

Yugi watched him. He was shaky from his ragged breathing, but he seemed okay. His leg no longer seemed to be straining itself. The wounds on his cheek were no longer bleeding. He seemed almost healed. But he could tell that when they began to run again, he would limp. And his back leg would hurt him more than he let him know. He was sure that a bolt of electricity was not something to be shaken off so lightly. He would not be surprised if even after they changed back, he was still unsteady on his legs.

Yugi turned his head away, looking over his shoulder. He could not hear anything. There was no sign that the human had woken up. And Yami did not seem tense but for the anxiety that made him flick his ears every which way. When Yugi turned back, he was ready to roll over and lay down, to simply wait until he had caught his breath and was comfortable enough to try to make it home again. But something small and vibrating made his ears perk. He blinked and his head thrummed briefly in mimicry of the noise.

It was low and keen, a buzzing that made his body ache. He blinked, tilting his head, and looked to Yami slowly. It seemed, if he was not mistaken, to be coming from him. He tilted his head further, angling his ears until it ached with the effort. Exhausted, he leaned forward, and his breath came in sharp tugs as he breathed in several times. The black wolf regarded him curiously, tilting his head and blinking at him with wide eyes.

Was that…was it coming from him? Yugi leaned forward, sniffing harder, and smelled blood more than he did anything. There was an open wound still on his shoulder, he realized, and when he leaned forward to regard it, the buzzing came louder. He stared at the spot, blinking, and looked at Yami with his ears flattened against his skull. He was desperately hoping that he was wrong.

But he could not fathom that he was. As he looked at the wound and then at Yami himself, he could see that the other could hear it as well. But he had not reacted to it. And Yugi felt sick as he realized too that the other could not reach it in the first place. It would be easy for Yami to lick the spot, but not to dig his teeth in.

Yugi didn't want to hurt him though. A small whine bubbled up in his throat. He laid his ears flat against his skull again. Yami tilted his head, then shifted to turn his shoulder towards him. He blinked at him when he did not react, tilting his head a little further. Yugi hesitated, then shifted closer. He was tired, Yami had to be exhausted, and he was almost a hundred percent sure that the noise he was hearing was, in fact, a GPS transmitter. And what would happen if he didn't get it out now? He did not think that Yami's body would expel it as it had the gauze from his wounds.

Yugi leaned forward, licking at his wound once, and then hesitated again. Yami watched him for a moment, tilting his head again, and for a moment Yugi could not fathom truly sinking his teeth into his flesh.

But the black wolf wrinkled his lips back, showing his teeth, and his tongue darted out to touch his cheek. He shivered, then shifted closer again. For a moment he could do nothing else before very slowly opening his jaws.

Yami did not flinch even when Yugi sank his teeth as far as they would go. He was amazed that his canines did not hit his spine with the position he was in. But somehow he bypassed it. The skin seemed to vibrate against his teeth for a moment. He shivered again, then pulled. Yami shifted to accommodate him, though the movement nearly sent him to the ground. He did not protest, however, instead allowing Yugi to tear at the tendons and sinews, the muscles that met him there.

It took several minutes to pull the little device from his shoulder. The wolf did not stray from his position, allowing Yugi to tug the blinking red dart from his shoulder. He shuddered as he dropped it, the hunk of muscle it was resting in bleeding profusely, and whimpered low in his throat once more.

Yami looked at him, then glanced at the tracker, and shook himself out as if it had simply been a case of pulling some dirt from his fur. Then he wandered forward a few feet, trotting off towards the roots of one of the trees, and returned with a small bag in his mouth. Yugi blinked stupidly, surprised by the sight, and wanted to laugh at his own panicked relief. The other boy had brought a change of clothes.

When he dropped it in front of him, Yugi nearly faltered. They smelled distinctly like himself, as if Yami had known this might happen. But when he sniffed and moved the clothes about with his nose, pushing on the bag with a paw, he realized that he had brought his usual outfit as well.

He shivered, then glanced at him, but Yami was facing the other way and he could hear the bones cracking in his body. He heaved but did not puke. His body shuddered, the muscles rolling, and the bones began to crackle more heavily.

Yugi shivered again, turning away, and flattened his ears against his head. A thought occurred to him as he stared at the clothes. He had no idea how Yami had come to know about this situation. He also could not figure out what it was that had clued him in to it all. But he was not sure he wished to ask either. And he flinched when the other came about to grab the bag and pick out his clothes.

Yami did nothing to hint that his shoulder hurt, nor that it was still bleeding. Yugi glanced at him sideways, just to make sure, but the other was pulling clothes on without so much as a blink. When he finally seemed to notice, he pulled his t-shirt's collar to show off the former wound. But the skin had pulled together. The wound had healed perfectly. There was nothing to even suggest that he had been hurt in the first place.

Yami took a seat, waiting but not rushing, and stretched his legs out in front of him. The hunk of flesh that had once belonged to his shoulder blinked at him where the smallest chip of bright yellow and silver was lodged. He frowned, reached towards it. The muscle was still hot, burning against his fingers. He pulled it towards him, keeping it in front of him in a lazy movement. The blood had stopped dripping but it was disgusting to behold.

He looked it over, smearing bright red across his fingers that looked black like oil. It was strange to see his own flesh like this. He had never seen anything like this, nor even close to this magnitude. It was surreal, entirely shocking to him. And the warmth that it still gave off made him shiver. The cold air felt better to him. But he did not drop it.

Instead he looked at the tracker. The light blinking irritated his eyes. He might as well have been staring into the headlights of a car. But still it did nothing to make him stop looking. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then he tilted his head. Yugi had begun to change back, a much slower process than his own had been.

But he had only ever changed twice, and this was the first time he had done it consciously. Yami would give him congratulations if he were not so shaken by the mass of blood in his hands.

When he finally turned his head, Yugi blinked at him curiously from where he had begun to pull his shirt on. His fingers were a little shaky, holding the grizzled muscle in his hands, and he wanted for a moment to speak, but faltered pathetically. The smaller boy frowned at him, then looked at the transmitter.

"You should pull it out, bury it somewhere. We can…bury that somewhere else too."

His voice was cracking, raspy, and Yami supposed that was from the stress of his body trying to expel all of the toxins in it. He looked at the chunk again, his long fingers plucking at the little device. It seemed strange to him to bury it, or a part of himself, but it was perhaps the most logical solution they had as well.

"Are…are you okay?"

Yami blinked at him, startled by the raw concern and hesitance in his tone. Yugi scratched at the back of his hand, biting his lip. He nodded, opening his mouth for a moment before clearing his throat and getting to his feet.

"I just…it seems…strange."

The smaller teen visibly startled, eyes wide. Yami faltered, lowering his eyes to the muscle in his hands, and cleared his throat again. It was strange to him, the reaction he always got when he spoke. He had assumed that it was one of the things that Yugi would have wanted him to do, and yet he always stared at him like that.

Yami shivered. The discomfort of using his voice was raw, burning at his insides, but he did not have a pen or paper. And he needed to say something. He needed to reassure Yugi somehow. He didn't want to him to think that he had done anything wrong. He had no reason to place such guilt on his shoulders.

Yugi paused for a moment. "Do you want some help getting rid of that?" he finally asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.

Yami blinked, turning his head in confusion. The smaller boy gestured vaguely towards the transmitter in his hand. He frowned, glancing at it, and then shook his head. "No, I can dispose of it." He chewed the inside of his cheek. His voice was still scratchy, hoarse, and so many words at once made his throat ache. But the other boy seemed so happy to hear it, for whatever reason, and he found it hard not to want to please him at the moment.

"Okay." He hesitated, because the red-eyed teen looked so awkward. He looked mildly upset, almost flustered, and Yugi couldn't figure out why he might. But he would not press and so he simply looked away. "Um…do you want to get rid of that first? And then we can…you know…h-head back?"

He blinked at him, red eyes bright and startled, and then nodded. He had turned and was wandering off before Yugi could even think to object. He watched him, frowning, as he disappeared from his line of sight. He paced, waiting, and for a few long minutes Yami did not come back. When he did, his hands were clean, he looked tired, and he frowned at him noticeably upon seeing his expression.

"I thought maybe you would have gone back…"

Yugi blinked at him, stupefied for a moment. "Without you?" he asked, shaking his head slowly. "Why would I do that?"

Yami frowned and then glanced over his shoulder. "It's safer that way."

Yugi shook his head slightly, frowning more noticeably. "I wouldn't leave you just like that, Yami. Are you kidding me? Just because it's safer for me wouldn't mean it's safer for you. I couldn't do that to you."

The other boy frowned and shook his head faintly, moving to tuck his hands into his pockets. Yami glanced over his shoulder only once, and then started forward again. Yugi realized, belatedly, that he had set a rather uncomfortable mood between the two of them. So he took the place at his side, biting his lip, and mumbled, "Besides, Yami, it's going to be a serious bitch trying to get back into the house this late."

Yami blinked, startled, and then snorted so loudly that Yugi paused. His eyes grew wide, his mouth opening slightly, as Yami smirked and let out a soft noise. It was smaller, gentler around the edges, and boasted of a somewhat baritone pitch, though it was as soft as a suppressed cough. He shook his head, the noise escaping him a second time, and then walked a little faster.

"Hey, you actually laughed!" he announced, grinning so widely he felt that his face might split in two with his pleasure. Yami glanced at him, his smirk growing lopsided, and then turned away again. It was surprising to him, as he stood there, looking at him, just how beautiful he thought that expression to be. It suited his face, it matched his eyes, and it made him look almost devilish.

He was startled by the thought, blinking wide eyes; he had never considered looking at a guy that way. Sure, he admitted that most of them were a lot better-looking than him, and that was what made them much more confident at times, but he had never thought them beautiful. Or devilish.

But Yami looked striking with that little lopsided smirk on his face.

It was…actually, rather gorgeous.

He tilted his head.

"Hmm…"

Yami glanced at him but did not respond. Instead, he turned away again when he looked at him. His lips had fallen into their usual expression, that soft line that conveyed no emotion. But the half-smirk was still clear in his mind. When Yugi closed his eyes, Yami's lips curled lopsidedly. And his eyes shone with brilliant, stunning amusement. And his ears tingled with the soft chuckle he knew had to be just as beautiful at its fullest.

He frowned faintly. For the smallest of seconds he wanted nothing more than to make him laugh again. He wanted him to chuckle as he had moments before. And he wanted, for a brief second, to know exactly what other expressions he allowed to grace his face.

There was a moment of uncertainty that crept into his body at such a thought. His eyes flickered to the boy next to him and his stomach curled momentarily. Was it normal to think someone's laugh beautiful? Or their face gorgeous? He had never really questioned it before, giving passing little compliments in his head towards different things.

But those had been mostly towards girls and those few times with guys, it had been more envious than anything else. He would wish for their laugh or their athletic ability. It was not to admire their eyes or the tilt of their lips, the sound of their laughter even if it was choked.

He shivered, looking at Yami again. But the other was completely unmoved. He did not glance at him. He did not pause walking. He did not even seem to notice that anything had changed. Although, now that Yugi considered it, nothing had changed in the first place. He was over thinking it, as he always tended to do. Thinking someone had a nice laugh or a beautiful smirk was not a life changing event.

He shook his head at himself. The movement made Yami glance at him from the corner of his eye. Yugi felt his stare even if he did not visibly turn to him. He had the impulse to shake his head again, but fought it off. It was not like he needed to explain. Yami wasn't going to speak. He had made that pretty clear as it was.

---

"So…how exactly did you know that I needed help?"

Yami blinked from where he was coming through the window. His eyes grew a little wide, as if the subject had never crossed his mind. But Yugi could not help it. He had bitten his tongue until they had gotten there. It was nerve wracking, to say the least, to think that the other male had just known to find him there. It seemed so unnatural that it was horrifying and he could not bear the thought any longer.

Yugi busied himself with pulling the window back into place, reaching up and switching the locks. The boy at his side remained quiet for a moment, then looked at him for a long moment. He hesitated, keeping his hands on the sill, and then turned to him, lip between his teeth, studying nervously.

"All betas can send their alphas images," the taller teen finally said, frowning at him and tilting his head.

Yugi froze in place. The breath rushed from his lungs. His eyes grew thrice their size. His heart pounded. His fingers trembled. His mouth opened and closed. He choked. "I though…I thought Tomoya was the one who…" he breathed out, voice below a whisper.

Yami blinked. "No, I…Tomoya was there. I was following a hellhound when I…" He paused for a moment, frown deepening as he studied his pale complexion. Was Yugi horrified that it had been him rather than the blond? Was that what made him stare at him with such an ashen face and wide eyes?

He bit his lip and then shook his head, looking down. It was easier studying the sill of the window than Yugi's face any longer. "I happened upon it. The massive human…he had thrown you into the wall, nearly killed you. Tomoya had just barely fought him off. I didn't realize that he had…not been the one to…harm you. I…turned on him. He…he was there."

Yugi trembled, stunned. His entire body tensed with shock. His mouth opened, then closed again. His head was spinning. His stomach dropped. He stared at him blankly, for a moment too stunned to process the statement.

Yami…had killed Tomoya?

Yami had been the one to disembowel him?

He had…eaten his heart?

He opened and closed his mouth again. His breath came out in a sharp hiss of desperation and confusion. Yami's eyes rose, startled, confused, and more pained and guilty than he had ever seen them. He looked as if he might apologize, but something held his tongue. There was a perverse pride, Yugi saw too, that made his eyes sharp and keen. He would not apologize. He had thought he had done the right thing.

But Yugi did not think he would have asked him to apologize. It was done. It was over with. He had killed a friend. And Yugi had helped his murderer. They were just as deeply engrossed in it as the other when it came down to it. There was no blame to be laid on each other without forcing the call for equality.

So Yugi blinked at him, waiting until that stubborn light in his eyes began to fade. He patiently waited for the challenge to die from his eyes. And then the other boy looked away again quickly.

Yami seemed ashamed for the briefest of moments, but it died again. Instead he cleared his throat, and though his voice broke on every other word, dying completely at the end, he murmured, "I only did it because you would have died otherwise. I…you didn't deserve that…"

Yugi blinked at him stupidly, then shook his head. "How do you know that?" he breathed out, searching his face when he raised his eyes to his again. "I mean, you didn't know me. You had no idea what kind of person I was…"

Yami tilted his head, watching him for a moment. "You're right," he finally said, voice dying at the end. He cleared his throat and his words were a weak rasp as he continued. "But I took a chance. And I was right."

Yugi stared at him, swallowing hard. Was he right? Was he worth saving? He still could not fathom Tomoya's decision to turn and fight Ushio for him. And he could not imagine the reasoning behind Yami's choice to bite him. He said he did not deserve to die, but he couldn't be sure. What if he had deserved it? What if Yami had made a mistake? What if…?

He shook his head slowly. "Okay," he finally muttered, nodding after a long moment. Maybe Yami was just the type to think that one did not deserve something until they proved themselves to. Maybe he gave them a second chance that most did not offer. "But what about…? Why did you…? Tomoya's…I mean…his…his heart was…"

The other boy blinked at him, then grew flushed with something like rage. His eyes flashed and his jaw clenched for a moment. Yami tossed his head angrily and opened his mouth. But when he tried to speak, all that came out was a breath. He scowled, then gestured with an unsteady hand, that he needed a pencil and paper.

Yugi hesitated for only a split second. There was something in Yami's furious gestures that made him blink stupidly. For a moment he could not fathom giving him the power to explain himself. It seemed, for the smallest of seconds, as incomprehensible as the very thought that he had helped the murderer of a friend of his. But he could not push away his desire to know. And so he turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be home. Or, if they were, they had decided to remain within their own rooms. He crept out into the hallway, made his way into the kitchen, and picked up the notepad and pencil from where he had stripped it of its writing and thrown it into a drawer.

He came back to an extremely agitated Yami. The wolf was pacing rapidly. His eyes were sharp. He was visibly shaking. He seemed to vibrate, almost growling but for the lack of voice he suffered from.

He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to attack him for a brief second.

And Yugi nearly cowered back.

But then the other boy snatched the notepad and pencil from him, scribbling something down, and glared at him as he turned the pad around and tapped on the words angrily.

I didn't eat his fucking heart! It was a hellhound, you idiot.

Yugi tilted his head. What the hell was a hellhound? A small rush of indignation coated his features, however. He scowled at him. "I'm not an idiot. Stop being such a jackass," he snapped, bristling faintly. "I asked a question, okay? That doesn't warrant you getting so pissed off."

Yami snapped his teeth at him. Yugi flinched back. The two of them stared, blue-violet eyes stunned, red eyes blazing. They watched each other for a moment. Then Yami turned away and started to jot something down again.

Then stop accusing me of such things.

"When have I ever accused you of something before?" he ground out. "And I wasn't accusing you! I just…I said…it came out the wrong way!"

Yami scowled at him, eyes disbelieving. Yugi bit his lip. He wouldn't believe his words himself either. He sounded weak, his explanation stupid and borderline callous. He looked away, feeling as if his cheeks might burn with shame for a moment.

"Okay, so I…" He paused. "I didn't mean to…it just kind of happened to pop into my head like that. I'm sorry, Yami."

The other boy blinked at him, then nodded slowly. He did not seem amused by any stretch of the imagination. Rather he looked away and then began to write on the notepad again. When he showed it to Yugi again, his handwriting was neater, calmer, and his expression had cleared.

Yugi almost envied him that. How one could go from angry and then drop it immediately upon apology was something that he had never truly mastered. He could pretend and he could work to make his offenders feel better, but he never truly got over it. And most often he remained angry for a few hours. It seemed normal to be furious like that, if only for a small inkling of time.

It was a hellhound. I think it was probably the same one I was following.

Yugi tilted his head, frustration forgotten. He blinked at the page, truly staring at it, and then looked up at him thoughtfully. "What is a hellhound, Yami?" he finally asked, biting his lip as the other blinked in surprise at the question.

He took the notepad from him, hesitating for a long moment, then flipped the page on the pad, and began to write again. He could tell the message was more cramped than he had ever seen it before. He wrote small characters, worked them out to fit the page, though the message seemed much longer than he could contain. So when he wound up frowning and flipping the page, the smaller teen could not help but smile the smallest bit.

Hellhounds are another type of werewolf. They are the second subspecies. There are lycanthropes and then there are hellhounds. Lycanthropes can really only change back and forth between human and wolf. We're a lot stronger than them physically, and we have a nicer temperament. But hellhounds are nastier, they're more likely to pick fights, and they have their own little strengths and gifts. They have to have a certain chemical in their body—which is only found in fresher human corpses—to turn incorporeal. They are part dog, not fully wolf. They also tend to be more chaotic. Some of them can change shape. They can turn into other animals or people. But they have to eat the heart of the one they want to change into.

He blinked stupidly at the words. There were two types of werewolves? And one of them turned incorporeal? They also ate fresh carcasses and changed shape? He felt his heart plummet, mouth drying.

"Fuck, I hope I never run into one of those."

Yami tilted his head, writing something else on the paper.

"What do you mean I probably already have?" he sputtered, eyes nearly popping out of his head. "You mean I could have run across one at some point and had it aching to eat my heart and take on my shape at any point?"

The other werewolf blinked. His lips twitched and that soft snorting noise came out. His mouth opened only faintly, a cough of a breath coming out, so weak that the pitch of it was almost dead. But Yugi knew what it was and his mouth curled up into the widest of grins at this realization. He had made Yami laugh again!

The taller boy scribbled something else onto the paper, handing it back to him and smirking lopsidedly as he had before. But this time only half of his face took up the expression and Yugi felt almost stunned by how much beauty that one gesture possessed.

They're all around. Just like lycanthropes—but most of the time we all interact without issue. It's not like we're trying to draw attention to ourselves.

Yami hesitated, then took it back to write something else, flipping the page, and then briefly shifted his weight before handing it back to him. He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at the ground now instead of him. His expression had grown solemn, uncomfortable.

They probably ate your friend's heart, so that they could take on his shape at some point. I'm sorry, Yugi.

Yugi wanted nothing more at that moment than to say that it was okay. He wanted to say that nothing was his fault, but the thought made him pause. As he looked at the other male, he wondered. What if it was Yami's chasing the hellhound that had caused it to come upon Tomoya's body? If that was the truth of the situation, didn't that put him partially at fault by mere coincidence?

But he knew he had not meant for such a hideous thing to happen. And Yami himself would never have done such a thing. He might have killed him, but he had thought that Tomoya had been the one to attack him. He had seen him nearly die, and so had turned tried to save him. Perhaps he had assumed Tomoya had been a threat to him should he have attempted to help him beforehand.

Yugi frowned, nibbling his lip, and then nodded slightly as he lowered his eyes to the carpet again. "It'll be okay, Yami," he muttered, chewing the inside of his cheek. "I just…never expected it. It's a lot to take in at once. It's a little…overwhelming…"

The other boy ducked his head, expression somewhere between violently ashamed and uncomfortably sheepish. He did not look up, even as Yugi turned away and started to head for the door. When he turned the knob, he heard the slight shift of his clothing that said he had raised his head and was looking after him. When he twisted the knob, Yami heard him shuffle towards him, a weak and small noise that made Yugi frown faintly.

He turned around, blinking at him, and frowned as he muttered, "It's okay, Yami. I promise. It wasn't your fault."

Yami gave him an unhappy look, shaking his head, and when he looked ready to scribble on his notepad, the smaller teen reached over to stop him. His fingers flattened against the paper and he shook his head slightly at him. The other boy stared at him, a stubbornness in his eyes making Yugi almost cringe for the briefest of seconds. But the red-eyed teen merely narrowed his eyes, frowning, and then watched him.

"I promise it's okay."

The wolf shook his head, then looked away, pulling the notepad away from his hand, and gestured with a vague movement that he should move forward. It was only when Yugi turned and started to walk again, that he heard it.

His head snapped around, startled, and his mouth opened in shock.

Yami blinked at him, his jaw moving, his eyes darkened with something like stress and further discomfort.

Yugi shook his head, at first unable to form words, and then infuriated as he stared at him. His lip curled back as he spat, "You're sorry for overwhelming me? Is that really what you feel the need to apologize for? I told you that you had not done anything wrong! It wasn't your fault that that hellhound ate his heart or that I got overwhelmed, okay? Nothing. Was. Your. Fault."

The red-eyed wolf bristled at him but did not growl and instead turned and walked past him. Yugi wanted to grab him for a moment, but to touch him would most likely cause Yami to lash out at him. So he let him walk past him, further into the darkness of the little house, and frowned as he hit the light switch and the other paused only minutely before moving forward again.

"Yami…"

He turned to him, eyes unreadable, but head tilted, and it occurred to Yugi as he looked at him that Yami was mad, but he would not ignore him. If Yugi were to call his name a million times, Yami would turn his head and look, give him acknowledgment that he had heard, and not once would he see his irritation. He would see that indifference that coated his features, see the way his eyes looked darker but expressionless, and Yugi would know he was mad but not ignoring him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

Yami blinked at him and then turned away again.

"Are you hungry?"

It seemed to make the other wolf defrost slightly. His head turned, eyes widening faintly, and Yugi gave him a weak smile. They looked at each other for a moment and the smaller teen turned away to look at the freezer. His mom was probably working late and his grandpa was probably at Professor Hawkins' house. It was the only place he went unless he was helping his daughter at the clinic. Either way, it would be a little while longer before either of them came back.

He watched Yami from the corner of his eye for a moment and then opened the freezer. The dinners he had bought a little while back sat dutifully, arranged in the corner, and he looked them over for what felt like hours.

"Chicken Alfredo, mesquite chicken, orange chicken, and pizza…"

Why had he chosen these exactly? They were family size, yes, but he had the feeling that Yami could clear away one of them in a heartbeat if he was truly hungry. It felt stupid in hindsight. Even while Yami was recovering, he would have eaten them in a blink. And Yugi was sure he was famished after the fight and especially since he had torn off that chunk of flesh just hours earlier. His body still had to be recovering from that, even if it visibly appeared fine.

Yugi shook his head, sighing softly, and reached for the Alfredo dish with a flustered feeling in his stomach. His fingers felt frozen upon making contact, and the tips of each tingled and burned with the sensation. He blinked stupidly, swallowing hard, and fought the urge to retract them immediately. It hurt somehow. He frowned, feeling all but weak, and furrowed his brows for a moment.

Was the sensitivity because of what had happened before? Was it because of his injuries earlier? Was that what had caused it? Yugi swallowed hard. If that was the reason, he felt sick for the smallest of moments. What if, every time he was hurt, he resorted to this? What if it became as it had before he had changed the first time? What if everything became amplified, his sense of touch, smell, hearing, taste, and sight?

He did not know that he could deal with that again. It was horrifying and tiring by all means to think that such a thing could be what he was to be subjected to at all times he was injured. What was he meant to do then? He could not actively protect himself as if with a layer of bubble wrap.

There was no way that he could prevent every little thing that might happen to him. It was pathetic to ever assume such a thing. He frowned, biting his lip, and drew the box out from the bottom of the pile, then looked the instructions over distractedly. The cold chill of the freezer air made his skin tingle, then burn. It felt almost as if it were being split gently by a knife, the soft layers folding away beneath it all.

He shivered.

When he shut the door, he saw Yami watching him. His shoulders were relaxed but there was something strained about his expression. He could see something like a nervous tic gracing his features. And he was unsure what it was from but he did not bother to question it as he turned to the oven.

Yugi was not sure how long it would take for his mom or grandpa to get home, but he was sure it would be a little longer. Hopefully it would be long enough for him to cook the frozen dinner. And then he might be able to shovel the food out on a plate and escape with it if he needed to when they came up the stairs.

He turned the dial on the oven, then turned to Yami slowly.

"Does your shoulder bother you?"

The other wolf blinked, glanced at where he knew he had torn the skin out, and then shook his head slowly. He would not tell him that the skin was itching, twitching, and it pulsated achingly as he stood around. His healing had stunted from the electricity but it had not completely fallen away. So he was not truly concerned with it, though it was uncomfortable and all but impossible to ignore.

"Okay. Good."

Yami watched him slip the plastic container onto a metal sheet and place it inside. The red-eyed wolf furrowed his brows but did not question this action. He smiled faintly when Yugi looked at him again. As long as he did not know his wound was irritating, Yami thought things would be fine.

"Can I ask you a couple of things…?"

His smile fell away, a ghost of an expression. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing, but nodded after a long moment.

"You can shake your head at any questions you don't want to answer. I won't blame you if you just decide to ignore a couple of things." He paused. "I would do it too if I were you."

Yami stiffened considerably at these words. His eyes grew further narrow. His mouth ticked with a nervous anxiety that made Yugi blinked. He shook his head slightly, frowning at him noticeably.

The smaller teen could not truly identify which he was shaking his head at. Would he simply answer even if he was not comfortable? Or was he trying to warn him not to ask such questions? Was there something else that he was saying no to? Yugi frowned but did not question him for a moment. He supposed he would figure it out when he truly asked and got a reaction from him.

"Okay, so you said that every bitten wolf has a connection with their alpha, right?"

The other wolf blinked and then nodded, tilting his head curiously.

"So…what does that mean exactly? I mean, that still doesn't tell me how you figured out where I was…"

Yami hesitated for a long moment, the light in his eyes growing darker, then seeming to shift with color for a few split seconds. Then he blinked, frowning, and, as Yugi was about to say that he could ignore him and tell him to go to the next question, he began to write something on the sheet of paper again. For a few long moments he did nothing but write, then he held the little pad out for him to take.

Yugi blinked at him, then took it in his fingers. His grip was a little shaky, if only because Yami would not fully look at him. His eyes were lowered to look at the bottom of his irises rather than his pupils. The idea that he was so unnerved as to not want to lock eyes with him was something that made him feel sick for a brief second.

He looked at the paper, nibbling his bottom lip as he read the words, It's a mental connection. Because you were in pain, it amplified your emotions. And with your emotions amplified, it made it easier for you to send me the image. You focused on me for a moment, when you were attacked, so I got the image in my head.

His skin felt cold for a moment. "Does it…happen all the time? I mean…"

Yami furrowed his brows, then shook his head and reached for the pad again. The smaller boy was frozen with the thought, horrified by the concept that Yami might know the inside of his mind, and for a moment could not fathom allowing him to answer. The fear that clawed at his insides, the insecurity that made his hands quiver faintly, caused his stomach to drop and burn.

But his hands very slowly moved, his arm stretching out, and the other boy hesitantly took the pad from him. For a moment the little stack of paper hovered between their fingers. Both of them stared at each other for the smallest of seconds, then the moment passed. Yami pulled the pad away and Yugi turned his eyes to the timer on the oven. His stomach growled softly and his eyes narrowed faintly.

What was he supposed to do if the other wolf knew all of the things in his head? He'd have to censor so much of it. And how was that even possible? He was not sure that he could do such a thing. It seemed impossible and incredibly strange to even suggest such a thing. Yugi blinked and narrowed his eyes. His stomach dropped further.

Would Yami know about how he had thought his lopsided smirk somehow infatuating? Or how he sometimes wondered what Anzu might look like in his bed? Did he know how freaked out he had become while Yami had been eating his rabbit? Did he know how disgusted he had been when he had first seen Yami that night? Oh gods, how many things did he already know that Yugi had yet to even wonder about?

The thought made his stomach burn and his skin itch. His head turned when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Yami had finished his response and was looking at him now, with the pencil drawn into his lap and his right hand stretched out for him. He nearly flinched at the thought of his response, but took the paper from him, looking at it with an increasingly insidious ache in his body.

No. It's only during the Change. When an alpha and beta are in their natural forms, it helps them to communicate easier because wolves don't talk like humans.

He breathed out a soft sigh of relief. The other wolf quirked his head to the side curiously at the sound but Yugi did not explain. He smiled faintly, then handed the notepad back, licking his lips to sate some of his nerves. "So, is it just between alphas and betas?"

He considered, then jotted down, I suppose so, but I do not fully know. It might be for wolves in a pack. But I do not have experience with such a thing.

The smaller teen held this answer in his head for what felt like hours. It was a power in his body that made his blood burn for the smallest of moments. The reality of the words made his lips twitch. The thought made him falter for the briefest of moments. Yami had just told him something he had been wondering about formerly. And he had done it without provocation or argument. It seemed strange that he might gift him with something like that after what seemed like years of wondering.

Yugi held the notebook a little too tightly for a moment, nearly bending the sheets and cardboard back. It was strange how wondrous this sensation of new knowledge came about to him. He wanted to smile. But he also wanted to apologize. And, more than anything, he felt the need to tell Yami that he was sorry for wondering and not thinking to simply ask him. It seemed foolish and childish now as he considered it.

What had held him back? The fact that he had not known Yami well enough? The idea that Yami was still recovering and might not want to tell him something like that? Maybe the concept that he did not want to uncover wounds that might still be raw and fresh?

Yugi shook his head after a moment. He uncurled his fingers, passed the book back to him. He did not bother to tell him the power of what that answer had given him. But he gave him a small smile and nodded faintly.

"Okay." Yugi had the impulse to nod harder, to grin at him wider, but fought it off. Instead he nodded again, only once, and turned away to glance at the depleting numbers on the oven. And then, a new thought occurred to him as he blinked and watched the red light for a moment longer. "Yami, what…what did that guy inject me with?"

The other wolf was frozen for a moment, red eyes growing wide and horrified. He looked sickened by the very concept of the words leaving his mouth. His eyes grew a little wider still and his skin grew increasingly pale as the moments passed. He blinked at him, his lips opening only faintly, into the gentlest curl of flesh. His fingers grew rigid and his jaw clenched for the smallest of seconds.

Then Yami blinked at him again. And his eyes grew darker. His fingers clenched. His jaw twitched and moved with a faint tick. His gaze lowered to the pad. He failed to move for a long minute. Then he, very slowly, began to write three words on the paper.

Yugi shivered, then flinched at the words that stared back at him.

Wolfsbane and silver.

He stared at the words until they blurred and doubled, crossing paths and burning in his head. It made his stomach ache and his skin pulse with cold tingles. The marrow in his bones had grown harder, hotter, burning.

He wanted, for the briefest of seconds, to argue with him. There was no way. Wolfsbane was a poison. It was part of the same family as monkshood and it killed with just a touch. Hell, Yugi remembered reading about a gardener brushing against it and dropping dead within hours. It was just as terrible as nightshade.

So how was it that he had survived it?

Yugi shook his head, too shocked to process the action, but Yami's face was as solemn as he had ever seen it. He looked weakened by the admission, as if he could not fathom further explanation. The pale gleam to his skin had only grown as the seconds passed. He seemed as if he might puke at any second. Yugi opened and closed his mouth stupidly.

It was one of the most toxic plants known to exist. And it was only called wolfsbane because people had thought it would only poison wolves and werewolves in the medieval times. But it had killed anything that came into contact with it. Mere touch could kill. How was that even…?

And silver…? Was that a true thing? Was Yami really telling him that silver was something that wolves reacted to?

The notepad was taken from his hands, the pencil working again as Yugi's hands began to shake as if they were a separate entity from his frozen body altogether. His eyes looked as if they might pop from his head. And his face had broken into a cold sweat. His mouth had opened faintly. His teeth were still showing along the bottom of his jaw. His heart had quickened in pace. His breathing had escalated.

Yami took note of it all. But he did not pause upon beginning to write a new response for him. The other boy was frozen beyond trembling arms. He was in shock, so shaken by it all that he was not responding to Yami's presence in the room at all. But he did not need him to truly react to him. In fact, maybe this was the best response he could have gained from him in the first place.

As Yami began to draw the symbols of the words he needed now, he could see him, still frozen and all but gaping. The sweat on his skin had grown to rivers of salty exhales. But it did nothing to deter him, and that sharp, sweet scent of his fear made his own mouth water for the briefest of moments.

He blinked, the thought making him frown faintly, and then tossed his head to shake the idea away. It was his mind, his body, telling him to react, as he needed food and nourishment to heal further. When that had passed, Yami would not have the idea that his fear was as delicious as rabbit meat.

He passed the notebook to him again. Then he paused when he saw that Yugi could not process the attempt to take it back from him. He stared at him for a moment, slightly confused by this idea. But he had always known their species' weaknesses, and this small teenager in front of him, who he had bitten a mere month and a half ago, had no idea. He had thrust him into a world of which he had no concept.

Yami cleared his throat, then furrowed his brows, pulling them together. His nose wrinkled and his lips drew back. The snarl that left him made the air quiver. That sound, so low and powerful, caused Yugi to jerk. His neck popped painfully as his chin rose slightly. His spine, so tight and terrible under his skin, achingly jerked and straightened. His shaking stopped. He blinked, eyes growing wide and his pupils dilating drastically.

Yami watched him for a moment. Then he blinked, the noise fading. The reaction was as instantaneous as it had been the first time. Yugi opened and closed his mouth, stupefied, and tilted his head at him. The taller teen thrust the notepad into his hand.

Yugi stared at him for a moment longer. Then his eyes flickered to the yellowed paper. Written in neat characters, was the statement, It triggers the Change but it also kills a werewolf.

"Then why am I still alive?"

The taller teen watched him for a long time, then very slowly shook his head. He shrugged after a long moment when Yugi stared at him blankly, and then looked away again.

"Oh…"