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.

22. Hunters

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

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

Chapter Warnings: Slight Bullying, Slight Blood, Gun Shots, Mentions of Torture Techniques (Forced Breeding, Wolfsbane Injection, Skinning Pelts)

Okay, so, I didn't know how to make a warning for this one either, but, there is some misconstrued Puzzleshipping in this chapter. Someone literally sees them and thinks that it's more than it is. And Yugi does have a slightly bad reaction to it, though not really?

Okay, guys, so I've never played chess before. And I didn't have time to research the game before I began editing. But if I remember right from what I DID research a while back, the king's gambit is an opening move and you can basically win within about eight or so moves. So, if that's true, in this instance, Yami wins and Yugi recognizes the play AFTER it's been done. Considering this actually does come up again later, I'm definitely going to have to go back and research more in depth at some point. Any chess players reading this, feel FREE to tell me if I'm right or wrong, please.

By the way, guys. Credit cards are basically unused in Japan. Cash is still king there. Some places won't even process cards at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure only a few stores in even the mall will take them, if any. I can't remember exactly but I do know that most often people will go to the 7-11 and get cash instead. For the sake of the story, Yugi mostly uses a card.

Chapter XXII: Hunters

Work Log Entry XXII: March, 1998

March 20

The cub has changed into his human form for the first time. He looks almost like every two-year-old human would. But there is something about his eyes that makes him unable to be considered human by any means. There is a darkness there and yet it seems like you are looking into a slide of glass. They are…reflective.

Yugi tilted his head to the side, frowning faintly and raising a brow. Jonouchi had just taken off down the hall again, not even sparing time to say goodbye before dashing away. The small teen had meant to ask him again about studying, but the other was gone before he even got to his side. He huffed quietly, glancing over his shoulder.

This time he could hear the gentle hum of Honda's voice and the click of Anzu's shoes against the linoleum. They were coming towards the corner but not around it yet. He looked back to where Jonouchi had vanished.

He could follow him.

But it wouldn't be today.

He had already wasted too much time standing there. If he ran off now, Honda and Anzu would see him doing it. And he didn't think that Jonouchi would appreciate it if he had three people following him instead of just one.

So Yugi waited for them to come around the corner, mind made to chase the blond the next time he ran off. He gave them a small grin when they came over and wondered for a split second if he should say something.

"I've got plans to take Blankey to the park today," Honda announced before he could think to say a word.

"And my mom wants to go shopping," Anzu murmured, blue eyes apologetic. "I'd much rather spend the day with you guys but mother-daughter time is a thing too."

"Well, you're only going to be with them for a little while longer," Yugi said with friendly dismissal, "so they want to spend as much time with you as possible now."

"It's still two years! They can spend time with me later too."

"Two years pass pretty quickly," he said with a small shrug. I wonder…if Yami will still be around then too. "Anyways, so I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then?"

"Well, we can still walk together," the brunette pointed out with a slight frown.

"Well, yeah, duh, but I meant tomorrow we'll hang out after school."

"And maybe our elusive fourth member can come too," Honda snorted with a roll of his eyes. "Seriously, what's going on with Katsuya anyways? He's always running off before we even get to talk to him. What's up with that?"

Yugi shrugged as they began to make their way down the hall. "I don't know. I figured you would."

"He hasn't told me about anything exciting going on recently. I figured he would have told you then."

"Apparently not."

"Well, whatever it is, it's probably important to him. He's never left you guys in the dark before, remember?" Anzu murmured, frowning at them when they both blinked at each other curiously. Yugi and Honda both shook their heads a moment later, turning back to her curiously. "So then it's obviously something really important to him that he probably doesn't know how to tell you guys about."

"Girl logic is so simple," the brunet huffed, rolling his eyes. "As long as the sky is blue, everything is basically okay for you guys."

"It's not my fault that guys are stupid and like to over-complicate things."

"Over-complicate things?" Yugi snorted, shaking his head. "Anzu, girls are much more complicated than guys are. You guys don't even roll as easily with the punches as we do."

"Really? Because I recall on several occasions that there have been male fights in the school and no female ones." She smirked at his slightly bewildered look. "What? You can't say that's not true. It is. Guys get into fights and girls talk things out reasonably."

"Reasonably?" Honda scoffed. "You can't say that when you almost got into it with Chono!"

She flushed, eyes growing sharp with anger. "It's not my fault that she's a rude, unbelievable bitch!"

Yugi felt as if his eyes might pop out of his sockets. "How about we don't insult our teachers while we're still in the building, okay? She's probably listening to us right this second."

"If she is, she's welcome to come out and bite me," the brunette huffed with a scowl. "She's so low! I can't believe she tried to get Miho suspended like that!"

"Don't forget that she almost got you expelled," Honda said with a frown, glancing around them nervously for a moment. When he did not see a flash of bright red hair he tried to relax his shoulders some. "She had the principal wrapped around her finger for two years, remember? You're just lucky he was moving to another school that week and the new principal turned out to be a lot better."

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, luck definitely had a lot to do with it," Yugi muttered, shaking his head at her. "You have no idea what she would have done to humiliate you more if the principal had agreed to you being as big a problem as she tried to make you."

"No, it was your quick thinking to film her when she threatened me that kept me from being expelled."

He gave her a wry look. "We're just lucky she didn't try to get her hands on my phone and erase it. I didn't have a backup plan. She could have easily gotten us suspended or expelled after that, Anzu."

She gave him an annoyed look. "Whatever. It's over with now."

He rolled his eyes and turned to Honda thoughtfully. "Maybe it's about his parents or something? I mean, he did mention a while back that he thought they were seeing each other again, remember?"

"You think so?" the brunet asked incredulously, frowning. "I remember him mentioning that, yeah, but I don't think he ever actually said anything about it again after that, right? And I don't remember him seeing his mom in a while. He mentioned something about his dad doing something with her once but I don't remember past that."

"Maybe he didn't want to tell us in case it didn't work out?"

Anzu shook her head. "I don't think it has anything to do with his parents. He's always talking about his dad at some point or another," she said with a frown, worrying her bottom lip and looking between them uncomfortably. "I mean, think about it. He doesn't really keep his parents' business out of the loop. Most of the time he just ends up talking about it without even meaning to."

Yugi frowned and tilted his head. "That's true. But what else would it be? He never really keeps secrets. He's terrible at it."

"True. He always blabs," Honda snickered.

"But maybe he just…never really had a reason before? Or it wasn't important enough to him before and now it is so he's not telling us about whatever it is?"

Yugi shot her a contemplative look, then sighed loudly. "There's no use in us just standing around talking about it. He'll tell us himself soon enough," he muttered, shrugging unhappily. "He always comes around and tells us everything."

Honda shrugged. "True. He'll tell us when he's ready."

The small teen felt sick to his stomach at the words, blinking at the tall brunet and then quickly looking away. How often had one of them said that very thing about him just recently? How often had they been forced to defend him in this same feeble way he was attempting now?

Yugi fought away a shiver. At some point, the excuses would stop and they would no longer care to say that in his defense. They would eventually leave him to the hole he had dug himself in. And that would be the end of it, he supposed. Then he would have his own little secrets and Yami to bear them with.

The thought made him feel even worse. He couldn't entirely blame it on Yami that his life had become so complicated. In all reality, it was not his fault. He had meant to save him. And he had. What he did with his life afterwards was his own decision.

But, still, he wondered.

How often had they used that excuse for his behavior?

How often had they hoped that he might do just that?

When he considered it, however, he knew for a fact that there was no true possibility that he might tell then of his own volition. It seemed too much like a betrayal and to do that to Yami left him sickened. So he shook the idea away as constantly as it came.

Yugi still thought of this as he walked into his room upon their separation thirty minutes later. As he put his bag down and took sight of the red-eyed wolf seated on his bed scratching the back of his neck, he considered the words. And he considered perhaps one day mentioning him to them. But he failed to justify it. And the thought was nothing he cared to fully wonder about any longer.

He watched him as the other rolled his head on his neck and glanced at him with something almost faintly dismissive. The red eyes bore into his skin thoughtfully for a moment, then flickered away immediately again. He did not open his mouth and Yugi did not bother to fill the silence.

Instead he slunk to the bed and lay on his back with his legs crossed, almost groaning with mounting frustration. Then he considered, for only the smallest of seconds, asking if maybe he might have a clue as to what it was that Jonouchi might have been hiding.

But Yami had never met Jonouchi and to ask him seemed entirely wasteful of their time.

So he stared at the ceiling for a moment, wondering at the idea of something else to do. Beside him, the taller boy never once bothered to open his mouth. His breathing was even and soft, his heartbeat soothing and rhythmic. He did not glance over. He did not try to speak. He simply sat there.

Yugi fidgeted for a moment, then sighed and sat up. He had never once even mentioned his friends to the other boy beyond answering his questions. And Yami was so content to just have somewhere to be and help him with his new disease that not once had he ever bothered to ask.

He could not tell if it was his agitation at the sudden idea which made Yami remain silent or if he simply did not care to ask if something was wrong. Either way, his mouth still failed to open. Yugi nearly groaned with displeasure. Then he put his hands in his lap and looked at him with a small frown.

"Have you ever played chess?"

Yami glanced up with dark eyes which sparkled like vibrant gemstones. His lashes made them look sharper, the color far more powerful, and he blinked at him slowly as he considered the question.

Finally, a moment later, the boy shook his head.

Yugi bit his lip for a second. "Would you like to learn?"

Yami studied him for a moment, eyes sharpening further with curiosity, and then nodded slowly, blinking lazily. It would not hurt to learn something new, he supposed. The small boy blinked as if he could not believe that he had agreed and then leaped to his feet and hurried out of the room.

The taller boy truly hoped he meant to get the board and had not somehow grown undone by his easy acceptance of the idea. He tilted his head slightly, somewhat bewildered, and blinked lazily as he waited for him to return or wander down the stairs and out the door.

Yami barely had even a moment to consider this before the small teen burst into the room again. In his hands was a large box and he could hear the soft rattle of plastic pieces hitting each other and rolling inside of it. He looked slightly winded, as if he had run full speed in order to get the board game. His blue-violet eyes were wide, his cheeks slightly flushed, and his mouth opened and closed twice. The gentle touch of pink to his skin rapidly turned bright red, encompassing his face completely.

"Sorry," he muttered, taking in the bewildered expression which marred the other's face, "I just got kind of excited. I've never really played chess against anyone besides my grandpa."

He was quiet for a moment. Then his voice came out, low and broken with a rumbling undertone that reminded him of shoes pressing glass into concrete. "Your friends do not play it?"

Yugi startled at his voice, visibly freezing and blinking wide eyes. He looked slightly pale, as if his cracked timbre might have somehow caused his blood to drain. He frowned, tilting his head, and muttered, "Are you okay? Did something happen to your voice?"

Yami blinked at him, unnerved for a moment. Then he looked at the box, focusing on it in order to keep from growing further uncomfortable. "I spoke too much yesterday," he managed to bite out, voice rapidly breaking and faltering. He frowned slightly, then shrugged at Yugi's stunned expression.

"Oh…" He swallowed hard, then offered him a small smile. "Okay. I just didn't know if something was wrong or not."

He raised his head, staring at him for a moment, and then quickly turned back to the box. "Teach me," he requested softly instead, falling immediately silent afterwards.

The smaller teen nodded and made his way quickly to the bed, taking a seat and balancing the box on his lap. "So, I'll explain the rules to you and we'll see where it goes from there, okay?" he announced, grinning when Yami merely nodded at his excited tone. Yugi launched into the most detailed but concise explanation he could, showing him quickly which pieces could be moved where. All the while the taller boy nodded, eyes sharp and full of focus as they peered at the board closely.

When he set the board up, Yami took the desk seat and he sat at the edge of the bed, leaning forward to move his pieces. The strategy he implemented was sloppy, Yugi noticed, but for a first try it held him off for much longer than he had ever assumed him able to. When Yugi finally declared, "Checkmate!" his face was split with a wild grin and his eyes were practically glowing with happiness.

Yami nodded and began to place the pieces back in their original orders. The smaller boy blinked when he abruptly moved a piece and waited for his response, glancing at him from beneath his lashes when he failed to react.

He faltered slightly, eyes growing wide and smile becoming a small frown. "You want to play again?" he asked in a slightly stunned tone.

Yami nodded without hesitation.

"Uh…o-okay," he stammered, blinking and then immediately looking his pieces over. "I'm not used to playing anyone more than once anymore. Normally I don't lose any games so people tend to get upset with the outcome and I never get a rematch."

The red-eyed boy looked up slightly. "You did not truly think that you would teach me and win and not expect me to play again?" he drawled, eyes sharp and glittering with amusement.

Yugi felt his cheeks flush faintly. "Well, no, but I wouldn't have really been surprised either. Most of the time that's how that kind of thing goes."

He shook his head, smirking now. "You do not know me well enough." He moved his next piece as soon as the smaller boy made his play.

Blue-violet eyes blinked curiously. "You already have a strategy planned out?"

"Yes."

He grinned, watching him for a moment with great pleasure. "You know, when I used to play this game, it was only against Grandpa. So when we played, he made it into another test. Each time, he would have me blindfolded and the pieces would each be given a certain smell. He liked to see if I knew what piece was which without being able to see. Since you can only move them a certain way I had to rely more on that than the actual smells. But eventually I figured out which was what and could win like that."

Yami hesitated for a moment. His fingers hovered momentarily over his bishop. "Why?"

Yugi tilted his head, somewhat unnerved by the discomfort in his tone. "He just liked to see how much I could do without seeing what was in front of me," he said dismissively. "It was like every other test he's always done."

Both of them caught the hint of bitterness in his voice.

He studied the next move Yami made and then mirrored it curiously. "Are our senses really supposed to be this powerful?"

He picked at his next piece, nails ticking against the sides for a moment, then moved it swiftly. "Yes. Some of us have better ones than others. It depends on how much of their lineage is wolf and how much is human." His fingers twitched as Yugi maneuvered a piece to block him. "It also depends on whether one uses them constantly or only as necessary."

"Constantly or only as necessary? You mean we can control it?" he sputtered, eyes widening drastically. He stumbled through his play, hands nearly shaking with such news.

"Well, yes. Werewolves have the ability to use any sense at its most only sometimes or always. They are tactile. It is only when one experiences a rush of adrenaline that it is not truly under their control." He pushed his next piece into position, eyes considering and tracking a play Yugi had not yet made. "But then, near nothing is under control during an adrenaline rush. We kill without meaning to, or turn on any around us. Our bodies become weapons that work so far with instinct that our ability to differentiate between threats goes away and anything that is not oneself or a close pack mate are liable to be seriously wounded or killed."

Yugi's fingers shook as he moved the piece. A sense of relief bloomed through him. Yami had explained his murder of Bakura without even truly meaning to. He had supplied him with information he had never thought he would truly be given. He nearly trembled, heart racing.

Thank the gods!

He had not unknowingly become a mindless killer like he had previously feared. He shivered, glancing at the other wolf, but Yami seemed hardly to notice and quickly moved his piece.

"Checkmate," he declared simply, knocking the white king flat on its back before Yugi's widened eyes. His smirk made his heart rattle and skip, his mouth falling open as the taller boy merely tilted his head.

"King's gambit?" the smaller teen grumbled, flustered. "How did you even…?"

"I studied your movements and devised a plan. Whatever the play is named, I have performed it." He turned away, placing the pieces back in their original spots, and then looked about them with a lazy expression, eyes half-lidded. "I told you, you do not know me well enough."

Yugi blinked at him, startled, and then smirked slightly. "I guess I should have figured that you would try again."

"Yes. I am never satisfied until I win at something that was once lost to me." He shrugged at him dismissively, then looked away. "The nature of the wolf is to learn from failure and find the key to their success. It is what has allowed them to adapt and survive."

"Yeah, but more than half of the wolves in the world are endangered. Their numbers are too low and humans kill them constantly," he pointed out with a frown.

The taller teen looked at him for only a moment, then got to his feet with a clear restlessness which set his nerves on end. "Humans do not know their natural limitations. They do not know much beyond destruction and greed. It will be their undoing one day but I do not believe it is to come soon." He shrugged again, a harsh jerk of his shoulders. "What else is there to do?"

Yugi nearly flinched. He was practically barking in his growing frustration. The turn the conversation had taken was clearly something that distressed the other teen. He wanted to reach out, to touch his arm and apologize, and his stomach knotted furiously with despair and disappointment that he had ended up upsetting him once more.

Quickly he got to his feet as well. "How about TV?"

The taller boy raised a brow. "Your grandfather is in the living room."

The statement made Yugi blink in confusion, thrown by the idea that Yami would want to watch TV with his grandpa. He furrowed his brows and then shook his head as a realization quickly came upon him. "Uh, no, I have a TV in here," he replied, cheeks heating at his own momentary foolishness. The other boy blinked wide eyes, watching him keenly now. "I just don't always use it that often. It distracts me from homework—or at least that's what my mom thinks—so when I use it, it's normally after I've gotten everything done for the day. And then I'll put it on or start playing video games."

Yami frowned faintly, tilting his head with a glance at the window. The snow was beginning to dust the air outside again. He was too anxious and yet exhausted to wish to return to its cold embrace, however, so he turned back almost immediately. "Where do you keep it if it is not out here?"

Yugi gave him a small grin, then headed for his closet door, opening it and then swinging the latch on the cabinet system. The door clicked as the lock sprang and he twisted the metal handle, pulling it back so that it opened into its much wider expanse of space. Yami looked at this new hidden compartment of his room, tilting his head as he came closer.

He shivered and the movement made the smaller teen glance at him with a troubled curiosity, but the red-eyed teen did nothing more than look about them both. With a vague gesture, Yugi pointed towards the small television seated at the bottom of the filing cabinet that held more and more theories and information about this disease which plagued him now.

"My mom knows that this is here. She even knows how to get into it most of the time. But she doesn't like to mess with it because it's just mostly things I don't bother with unless it's necessary. The filing cabinets are basically all filled with unused school supplies and a couple of video games." He shrugged after a moment, curiously glancing towards the taller teen who looked about them with something like stark disdain and displeasure. "I think one drawer has clothing in it but that's basically it. Anyways, so I'll pull this out and set it up and we can watch a couple of movies or something, okay?"

Yami nodded slightly, though his eyes never strayed from their rapid survey of the small area of space. Yugi frowned faintly, wondering at Yami's clear discontent, but the other boy did nothing more than step back and watch him as he made his way towards the small screen resting on the floor in front of them.

Yugi couldn't help but think that he looked a little unnerved even as he passed him to get to the bed again. As he locked the latch once more, he could feel his red eyes, sharp and burning, on his back.

He swore every part of his body lit on fire under his dark gaze and it made him slightly dizzy as he moved to put the small television on the floor near the desk. Still, his eyes were unwavering, burning into his skin so harshly as to make him flinch. But when Yugi looked at him, Yami was not upset. He was simply studying him.

"You okay?" he asked after a long moment.

"Yes," Yami replied without hesitation, looking away and towards the screen. He had not meant to stare so blatantly. But the metal unit he had just wandered inside of moments ago made his insides twist and his skin itch with growing discomfort. "What do you think is playing?"

Yugi shrugged lazily, opening the drawer of his desk and drawing out his remote to turn the screen on and browse the channels. "Did you want to choose?"

"No, I will watch whatever you think worth our attention."

They settled on a comedy that made the small teen cringe more than it did laugh. He sat on one side of the bed and Yami on the other, both of them with their eyes glued to the screen. He hissed his clear displeasure during a scene that hit too close to home and then scratched the back of his head.

"It's not that great a movie."

Yugi waited for what felt like an eternity. He fidgeted when the silence of his companion still did not lessen. He was used to Yami pausing and thinking before he spoke, truly considering his words, but this seemed unnaturally long.

When he finally could not take it any longer, he turned his head. His immediate reaction to repeat the statement died immediately on his lips. Beside him, Yami had moved at some point, and now he lay curled up on his side with his legs draped over the edge and his arms folded in front of him. He looked peaceful, smaller than usual, with that same innocence which always came across his sleeping form.

Yugi sighed quietly, then changed the channel to a countdown on animal facts of some kind. He wanted to see if wolves were in it but it seemed mostly like it was all going to be insects so instead he turned away and went about grabbing his homework to start on it.

---

He wondered if whiskers were used for weather as well as the immediate area around the animal. If they were used for weather, he was sure if he'd had any they would be twitching heavily in harsh jerks. Across the room from him Yami was sitting lazily on the couch, shaking his head as he too sensed that small crackle of electricity that meant the oncoming thunderstorm. He waited, listening, and the buzzing in his head continued harshly. The noise had to have been electrical currents of some kind. There was no other explanation.

Yugi let his hands fall into his lap from their position shifting the channels with the remote. "I don't think I want to go to school today," he announced in a tone that was almost childish, his cheeks heating faintly when bright red eyes flickered and caught on him. He furrowed his brows, puzzled, and Yugi rubbed the back of his head. "I think that maybe I'll stay home. I don't want to have to walk to school in the rain…or home in it, since it's going to be a large storm. And besides that, even if my mom drove me, the rain is going to be crazy…"

The other boy frowned deeply. "Are you attempting to justify yourself to me?"

Yugi's cheeks grew deeper red. "No!" he sputtered, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing once. Yami was staring at him in bewilderment now. "I just…I was talking out loud…"

He tipped his head to the side. "Oh…" Yami did not look convinced but he did not say anything further. Instead his eyes fell on the television screen in front of them again. He still thought that perhaps the small teen had been attempting to justify his decision for some reason or other. Though why to him, when he had no such responsibilities and could not fathom half of which went on in this small teen's life, was a mystery. He had no reason to expect explanation of any kind.

Yugi rubbed the back of his head again, giving him a small sheepish grin. "Want to play another game?" he asked in a voice that nearly bordered desperation now as well.

Yami quirked a brow at him. "Chess?"

"No, actually, but something somewhat similar," he said with a wider grin, watching him with something like fascination and delight in his bright eyes. "The game is called checkers. It's easier in theory than chess is. Basically you just use certain squares to get around the board and then jump over the opponent's pieces in order to get rid of them. Then you try to be the one with the last piece on the board."

The taller boy regarded him for a long minute, curious as he studied his expression. It was somehow wondrous to Yami that the small boy was so keen on asking him to play such mindless games with him. When he had told him of his grandfather's constant tests through games, he had initially assumed Yugi to desire to do the same. Yet, the small boy hardly seemed to so much as care for anything but the joy of the game. But he also seemed to enjoy the occasional show of his intelligence when the taller teen mimicked and improved upon plays Yugi himself had made.

"Very well."

The small boy jumped up and ran off again. He smirked as he glanced back at the television, waiting for him to reappear with the board game. When he did, he had that same faint blush upon his cheeks that he'd had the day before upon asking him to play chess. Yami smirked a little more, lopsided and childish in display, and tilted his head slightly as he looked at him playfully but did not comment.

Yugi was somewhat amazed and yet altogether unsurprised to see that he studied him the first game more than he tried to win. The second time, Yami won within a few turns, showing no mercy or consideration beyond his victory. He flashed him a wide grin upon his win, eyes sparkling, and then turned away again to look elsewhere.

The television had become nothing but a low drawl of noise which made Yugi blink upon glancing at it once more. The images in the corner of his eye were nothing to draw his attention away from the other boy whatsoever.

The crackle of thunder and burst of lightning made Yami blink but the red-eyed lycanthrope responded in no other way. With barely a glance away from the TV, he did not so much as turn towards the smaller boy. He seemed perfectly at ease with the noise and the flashes of bright white, the way the sound echoed deafeningly throughout the room around them. When the rain pelted the window mere seconds later, Yami did not even blink again. He glanced at it, his lips curled into a small smile, and he looked back to the television without a shred of discomfort to be shown.

Despite the heaviness of the noise the thunderstorm brought with it, Yugi found himself somewhat amazed that the other boy often seemed to fail to even notice.

"This is one nice storm," he commented quietly as another bolt of lightning made the room bright white. The roar of thunder was enough to make him shiver with excitement.

Yami raised his head, attention falling on him completely. "Yes, it is a great one," he agreed, though he did not fully understand what it was that Yugi wanted from him regarding such mild and short conversation topic.

Surely if he desired a true conversation he would say something other than that, right? So he watched him, studying the other boy until Yugi looked as if he might flee from his unwavering stare, and then turned away again.

For a long minute they were silent. The seconds seemed to drag too far beyond the smaller teen's grasp and it made him nearly bristle faintly with discomfort. But then he pushed it aside, breathing in roughly as he licked his lips and watched the mindless entertainment in the corner of the large room.

It was only as he did this that he noticed Yami's leg twitch. His right foot was pressed completely into the carpet and would rapidly rise and fall with jumpy jerks of the slim limb. He did not speak, but as the storm began to fade, so too did his patience. For a moment he sat there completely still but for his moving leg and then he was shifting his weight as if to grow more comfortable on the couch.

Yugi turned his head, watching the red-eyed lycanthrope for a moment. "You know, if you want to go do something, we can get out of here," he offered with a raise of his brow. Yami immediately ceased movement, head tilting as he looked at him curiously. "I don't really want to go running, but we could do something else if you want?"

The other boy watched him more keenly. The offer to escape this small home and explore the scents which the rain had brought out seemed almost beyond his reach for a small second. It was as if the other had read his mind. But he could not understand what it was that made Yugi assume he would only run if it was with him.

As much as he liked the small teen, his choice of racing against the wind was nothing that he could ever dictate. Yami would do as he pleased if he wanted exercise. Yugi was always welcome to join him, but to assume with such normalcy that he depended on his idea to run was utterly foolish to him.

But to comment on it seemed just as childish in every sense of being. So he fell silent, instead smiling faintly.

"What did you have in mind?"

Yugi hesitated for only a moment, then flashed him a bright grin that made his eyes look like they were lit with a million stars and harbored just as many galaxies.

"You'll see."

He came to see it twenty minutes later, still intoxicated by the brilliant smells of the asphalt baking in the sun, of wet leaves and dampened earth. He was still reveling in the way the air was somewhat misty and the humidity clung to his skin lightly, smelling heavy woodsy scents and the rotting of bark and dying undergrowth. And the drastic change to motor oil and gas exhaust, rotting and fresh food, of heavy sweets and sugary beverages, made him pause in confusion. A buzz of noise had long since entered his ears, harsh and much like a mosquito within his skull.

He frowned, turning to the other boy. "Where…?"

They had not gone far. He knew that much. They were still clearly within walking distance of his house and the school. He understood this was the path that Yugi followed to get there. It smelled faintly of him even beneath the cover of soggy earth and harsher human chemicals.

"I thought going to the mall would be a nice change of pace," he admitted, shooting him a small, quirky grin, untroubled by the way Yami so rapidly searched his eyes. "Besides, my clothes aren't going to fit you very well so I figured I might as well try and see about getting you some."

He blinked widened red eyes. "Clothes?" he repeated quietly.

He glanced down at his own for a moment. He'd taken good care of them as far as he knew. They were not exactly the cleanest but they also were not hideously stained. He had often put them in the water and then laid them out to dry in tree branches before dashing off to eat.

And then he would clean himself with excruciating care so as not to stain the fabrics. The only garment that never got such treatment was that of the jacket he so often wore. But that was for numerous reasons which he was not inclined to share with the smaller teen.

He supposed new sneakers were not out of the question. At first glance they appeared almost brand new. He'd taken well enough care of them, cleaning with water but not quite soaking them, and had been careful to avoid wearing them down too horribly. Yet he had not been able to completely combat the inevitable destruction and wear of the material. The rubber soles were coming apart at the heel; he had often stepped on the material, folded harshly beneath his weight.

Yami glanced at the other boy. Yugi was watching him with a somewhat bemused expression that quickly became friendlier upon his inspection.

"I didn't mean to say you look bad or anything. It's just…you only have one outfit. So I thought maybe I would get you some more."

"And how much will it cost?" he asked quietly, frowning.

The smaller boy slipped a card out of his pocket, the colors bright sky blue with white silken clouds and a dark mountainside in the horizon. His name was printed on the bottom, the card's numbers pressed outwards in a rigid stance beside it.

"This doesn't cost you a thing. And it'll probably only put a tiny dent in my savings." He paused for a moment, tilting his head and giving him another smaller smile. "My dad sends me money on a debit card every month. Sometimes he does it every couple of weeks. But most of his money goes to our rent payments so it's not always that much, but whatever. He doesn't want me to not have money so he gives it to me directly."

Yami nodded, but his understanding only encompassed half of what he meant to relay to him. The rest of his thoughts struggled with the task of filling in such immense blanks. Regardless, he did not assume it to hold too great an importance for Yugi simply waved his misunderstanding away. Should it have been vital for him to know, he had no doubt the small boy would have elaborated further.

"Anyways, let's see…Do you know what size you are?"

He stared at him for a moment, almost mindless as he peered with those dark red eyes. Then he looked at himself again. He was not even entirely sure how much height or weight he had gained recently. He did not know that or the size of the clothing he was so constantly clad in. He had gotten rid of the tags as they itched too terribly when he first changed and stole the new fabrics. He couldn't have wandered the streets in what he had been wearing at the time and to do so without garments was entirely beyond even his sense of ability.

Yami finally glanced up. "No," he muttered, feeling almost small and weak from the admittance. He lowered his eyes immediately. The tiles were so colorful it was almost painful and he wrinkled his nose. "I do not know what size I am."

Yugi frowned faintly but then shrugged. Whatever was upsetting the taller teen was something he did not want to bring further to the surface for scrutiny.

"All right. Well you're not much taller than me. And then we're about the same weight, right?"

Yugi was not expecting an answer but the other boy looked up with glittering red eyes, lashes making his pupils look oddly dilated. But then he blinked again and the darkness stirred out of them as he murmured, "The last time I came to weigh myself I was one hundred and six pounds. I feel no heavier or lighter now than I did then. So I will say that if I am not that weight now, I am very close and whatever I have gained or am lacking has not hindered me in any sense."

The smaller boy blinked, startled, blue-violet eyes widening faintly. "Oh, okay," he replied, grinning childishly, "well that's pretty detailed."

Yami frowned at him, tilting his head. "I assumed you wanted as truthful and descriptive an answer as possible," he commented. "Should I not have—?"

"No, no! That was perfect! I'm just…not used to anyone speaking so certainly like that, I guess…" He wasn't used to Yami speaking so much either, especially in response to one question, and he had thought the other boy would surely fall quiet in public rather than say anything.

It was just…somehow amazing to him. The other teen clearly trusted him a lot if he was willing to put such effort into the act of doing so.

He flashed him a brilliant smile. "Anyways, we'll look at things in my size, I guess? I'm not really used to shopping for other people anymore. And I know my size so… Well, we'll just have to see how it goes, okay?"

Yami nodded slightly. "Yes," he agreed softly.

He was well aware of everyone around him as they began to make their way into the building. He listened to snippets of their conversations without care, their words sneaking into deaf ears. His eyes were burning faintly, straining to rapidly adjust themselves from the bright lighting of the overheads. Constantly he blinked to clear his gaze of the ache, his eyes immediately beginning to grow pained mere moments later.

The smells which bombarded him made his stomach clench. Never before had he come across such concentrated scents of deeply fried foods, spilled soda, molded trash, human sweat, and the staler undercurrent of chemical and fabric dyes. This barrage to his senses was alarming at first, but quickly fell into a nonchalant burst of inadequate stresses beyond his control.

It slipped into a manageable but hideous intake of his surroundings which made his back more rigid and his hands ache where his nails cut into his palms. But he did not protest.

Even as he and Yugi browsed pants, looking at jeans that were not too constricting but would be easy to run or fight in, he found himself unable to fully relax. But it was a soft tension in his bones. And his muscles molded against it but did not react further. Thankfully not many people seemed to notice his presence. Nor did any of them seem to care for the sight of them, feigning ignorance of the idea that perhaps they were skipping school. And no one even appeared to notice and ask upon their similarities in looks.

But he heard some small whispers. Every now and then someone would say he was a "yummy snack" though Yami only knew it to be directed towards him by the simple sense that he could feel their eyes. A small group of girls about his own age were staring at him from a shop across from where they were standing.

He never glanced up but to regard Yugi. He hesitated, taking a pair of jeans from him that he held out, and cleared his throat softly.

Immediately the smaller boy responded. His head snapped up, eyes wide and instantly locked with his. The sight of them made Yami press his lips into a thin line. Yugi's eyes were extremely dilated, his breathing was coming in small but rapid gasps, his face was slightly shiny with a gentle sheen of perspiration. He was clearly unfocused but for his attention on him and the clothing rack.

Yami blinked and tilted his head, frowning at him. One of the girls cooed that Yugi was adorable. He searched his face for a moment longer.

"Are you all right?"

The smaller teen blinked once, then rapidly thrice more, and lowered his eyes immediately to the clothing again. His hands were gripping a pair of jeans so harshly his knuckles had turned white and the other was shaking slightly, finely shivering.

"I…" He hesitated, eyes flicking back to his for only a moment. "How the hell do you not feel suffocated? It's… Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be…"

Yami frowned more deeply. The girls were giggling now, placing bets on who had better eyes if they glanced over. He was highly tempted. Most people flinched upon first glance, the color unique; yet bringing only to mind pools of blood.

"It becomes easier the longer you allow yourself to be exposed to such things," he said uncomfortably, searching his face. How was it that Yami had failed to notice the smaller boy's growing unease all this time? Had he been so caught up in the idea of the conversations and voices regarding them that he had somehow disregarded it? "But it's also easier if you embrace the sensation at first and then push it away. It's…like being angry and forcing yourself to count to a certain number in order to calm yourself…"

Yugi eyed him for a long moment, contemplating his words. He looked so distressed Yami was truly amazed that he did not assume the task of fleeing. What held him there?

"How would you know that?" he muttered, voice uncertain and small. He kept his eyes caught on the taller boy, refusing to look elsewhere. Should he glance away, he could very easily become overwhelmed. "You aren't around people that often."

Yami blinked. "What does that matter?"

He faltered for a moment, then huffed softly. "Well, I don't…I mean, no offense, Yami, but you're…seriously kind of dysfunctional… It's honestly almost crippling. So I mean…you obviously haven't been around people that often, right?"

Yami studied him for a long time, then looked at the clothing, voice rough enough to nearly border a snarl. "I have been around people before you. The fact that I hold disdain for them should be an indicator of such… Regardless, I have been around many people. I mentioned before that they were not the best of people and, as such, I do not like to associate myself too closely with people in general. I do wish to remain as far away from them as possible, but it is not always a possibility."

Yugi cringed. He'd forgotten that conversation. "Yami, I really didn't mean to—"

"It doesn't matter," he said with a shake of his head. "I am not offended. I am quite dysfunctional and closed off from others. I would question you if you never jumped to such conclusions. I am…simply listening…"

The small teen furrowed his brows. "To what?" Around the hideous roar of noise within his ears, he was not entirely sure himself how he even managed to hear Yami before him.

Yami hesitated, then looked at the tags of the pants in his arms, then snagged the ones he had been peering at seconds before. "The girls in the clothing store across from here. They are obnoxiously loud. And their words are…" He paused, considering his words. His initial thought was the only one which came to mind however, so he simply spoke it, unable to find another to replace it. "Infuriating."

Yugi tilted his head, then allowed his eyes to flicker towards the girls across them. His stomach dropped immediately. He knew two of them from school competitions, from a rival school. One of them dated a boy who had threatened to slit his throat if he so much as ever looked at her again. And if she was there, then he would be around just as well. They must have been skipping just like he was.

"Fuck," he muttered, instantly looking to Yami again. "We need to get to the changing rooms and—"

Yami silenced him with a single glance. His eyes were harsh, glittering with ice, the red of them dangerously jagged with a mounting anger and sense of pride that Yugi had never seen before in his expression. His breath caught, his lungs constricting painfully, and he swallowed thickly as he studied him for a moment.

"We will go to them in a moment."

They were the only words he was given before Yami turned away from him abruptly. He straightened drastically, eyes sharpening further, and then tilted his chin up as if in challenge. Yugi flinched and looked over with a flicker of his eyes only to feel sickened.

He had spotted him. And he was headed towards them.

"Yo, Motou, long time no see."

He nearly flinched. He was well aware that the boy wasn't stupid. He would not attack him in public, but Yugi was sure he would still bully him and eventually stalk him from the mall. He wouldn't even be surprised.

"Hirotani," he breathed uncomfortably, looking up at him only fleetingly. "Yeah, it's been a while, huh?"

Yami went steadily unnoticed. It was the smallest yet somehow greatest mercy Yugi thought the world capable of at that moment.

"So, my girl just told me something interesting."

Yugi glanced at Yami, hoping beyond himself that if he focused on only him, Hirotani might leave him alone. Then he and the other lycanthrope could make an escape.

"Oh yeah?"

"See, she went to the school's math competition a couple of weeks ago. She told me that she saw you watching her from the bleachers."

Yugi looked up now, startled and confused. Who in their right minds would let him anywhere near a math competition? He was horrid at it when it came to explanation or crowds…

He only realized his mistake after the other boy caught his eye.

"Good. I was beginning to think you were blind." Hirotani snickered, leaning forward to loom over him more forcefully. "Now, what was it that I told you about looking at my girl?"

"Your girl has been watching me for the entirety of the time I have been standing here," Yami's voice said with such calmness that Yugi could not help but immediately turn towards him. His breath caught. The other boy was going to get himself either seriously hurt or get them banned from the mall altogether. "I believe she's called me a 'yummy snack' about twenty times now."

Hirotani ignored him at first, focus still entirely on Yugi. But the smaller boy was so caught in the other's words that he had forgotten him altogether. With a rough sigh Hirotani turned to tell the other brat to shut up, but then froze.

Red eyes were peering at him hideously from beneath a long spidery web of thick black lashes. They were narrowed, the shadows making their pupils thicker, and the emotion in them was that of disdain and challenge. Yami tilted his head a fraction, a cold and calculated movement which made the larger boy tense somehow further.

"Now, regardless, I don't care. But the fact of the matter is, if anyone has been staring, it is her. Yugi has not even glanced at them until now."

"Who the fuck is this kid? You two related?"

"No, he's just a friend—"

Hirotani turned to him completely, lips pulling back into a furious smile of amusement. "A friend you're shopping with, whose carrying all of your clothes," he said in a low voice twisted with laughter. "Wow, Yugi. I would never have thought you would bat for the opposite team."

Yami did not understand the analogy, but he was not oblivious to how upset the words made Yugi. The small teen grimaced, eyes full of annoyance.

"When did you get yourself a boyfriend, Motou?"

He bristled. "I didn't," he snapped in an uncharacteristically harsh voice. "Yami is a friend—"

"Who carries your clothes on shopping trips and clearly makes you take it up the—"

The tap on his shoulder made him turn, mouth closing immediately in confusion at the gossamer touch. He thought for sure it would be his girlfriend, but the sight which greeted him was far from it.

The red eyes were as sharp as daggers. His jaw was set. His bangs fell to frame his face in keen lines. His brows were relaxed. His face was free of any tension. But as their eyes held for a moment longer, Yami's head tilted. It was so miniscule a movement Hirotani almost missed it. But the intent behind it was clear, the silence holding his tongue pushing it forth with such clarity it nearly threw him backwards.

He would not let him talk any longer. Should Hirotani open his mouth any further, he would pay for it. There was no more sound to come from his mouth. He would—with no effort, some innate instinct hissed in the back of his mind—utterly destroy him should this continue.

He gulped, backing up a step. Then he turned and fled as swiftly as possible. He didn't stop where the girls were, instead grabbing his girlfriend's hand and pulling her after him.

Yugi could not breathe for a moment. He had been expecting a fight. He had assumed they were going to beat each other down. He had even feared briefly that Yami might not retain his temper and kill him. Or worse, that he might hold his temper and let the other attack him in order to keep from drawing attention to them.

But…

Yugi looked at him. The other boy blinked, then gave him a smile that held nothing of the former coldness he had displayed. It was not warm by any means, but it also was not false. It was nothing but a ghostly curve of his lips. And his eyes were simply blank, the emotions bled from them.

"Where am I meant to change into these?"

Yugi stared at him, still somehow momentarily undone. "Uh, h-here, I'll show you," he muttered in a weak voice. He still could not do more than blink and look at him for several moments longer. "We need to look at shirts after this too…"

Yami nodded without a single hesitation. "Very well."

He blinked stupidly, then nodded slightly in response, unsure of what more to do, and finally began to lead the way towards the fitting rooms. He took a spot at the end of the small hall, listening with a dull quiver in his throat as Yami went about undoing his pants and slipping into others. He couldn't ignore the hissing of the zippers' teeth as they slipped apart or came together again and it echoed in his head painfully.

Yugi ran a hand through his hair and tugged on a bang until he thought it might tear from his scalp. He felt sick to his stomach. Hirotani had assumed that they were screwing around, that he and Yami were in a relationship. Was that what someone else would have seen upon looking at them?

But he'd also asked if they were related. Surely that would be the first thought, right? If someone were to just randomly glance at them, they would assume first that they were merely siblings, that he was Yami's kid brother, right?

But then…

He shivered. He knew their body language had been intense moments before Hirotani had come into the picture. He knew damn well that it might have appeared as if they were having either a heated discussion or an emotional argument like a lover's quarrel.

The thought made his face burn fiercely. He'd never really thought of how it might appear to bystanders the way he had naturally been so close to the other boy. Not once had he considered the way that Yami so easily placed himself at his side but failed to pay much attention to anyone else might be perceived. He had never even thought that it would be considered that he was with the other lycanthrope in more than a companionable sense.

The shock of his words sent him reeling but it did nothing to fully throw him off balance. Hirotani was one person. He was someone who simply loved to pick on the people around him, especially if they appeared weaker than him. So he could easily have just been sneering at him…

But somehow that thought failed him.

He considered it now.

Much of their body language and the way they had focused entirely on the other for more than just those few seconds very clearly painted a picture of intimacy he was unfamiliar with. He had not even thought of it before. But now he understood. When he had looked up at him, the way they whispered so quietly...

Yugi tugged on his bangs again. Another hiss of the zipper came from the stall. He shivered.

It was not the idea of being gay or even the concept of Yami being his boyfriend which shook him so harshly.

He could live with that. He believed that love came in any shape and form. Gender had no bearing whatsoever. And he could do far worse than Yami.

It was his own blindness to the idea of such a wide misconception. It was how easily Hirotani had come to that decision. It was this new, painful, crushing realization that he had acted so much closer to the lycanthrope than he ever had with Anzu in such a public setting.

He blinked and bit his lip. Yami was trying on another pair. He ran a hand through his hair. His fingers were trembling.

With Anzu he was always fumbling, painfully awkward in most of his actions, and more often than not Jonouchi and Honda had teased him for it. Yet, somehow, with such terrible ease, he had managed to appear as if he were partners with Yami. He had no interest in the other boy in that sense, yet somehow his own body had displayed such ease and calmness with the very notion of it.

He shivered. The stall door lock clicked. Yami stepped out. He stretched his legs out, pressing first his right shoe against the stall across from him, then his left. He yawned, as if the entire event had drained him. But when he turned his head, he looked more bored than anything.

"They fit," he announced, failing to elaborate further.

Yugi got to his feet, licking his lips to keep from swallowing his tongue. What kind of statement was that? He almost rolled his eyes at the other boy. But Yami did not seem to notice his dissatisfaction. Instead he reached back to pull out the pairs of jeans and their hangers, looking them over with deft attention.

"The black and dark gray are much more comfortable. The dark blue tend to make my legs look a little thinner. The lighter blue flare at the bottom. It is not a comfortable sensation."

Yugi tilted his head, startled. "Black is supposed to make you look skinnier. That's why everyone likes wearing it. It makes you look slimmer…" He furrowed his brows, frowning faintly.

Yami quirked a brow, glancing up at him. "They make me appear taller. I suppose that is because they make my legs seem slimmer?" he questioned curiously, though the smaller boy only blinked. He grinned at him playfully after a moment, wrinkling his nose. "The dark blue make me look thinner but also shorter."

He snorted out loud. "That's ridiculous," he replied with a roll of his eyes. "If we were any shorter, we'd be considered midgets, Yami."

"Midgets?" He tasted this word on his tongue, mind working tenfold its average speed. He snorted a moment later, turning away with a scoff. "They are leagues beneath my height."

Yugi raised a brow, narrowing his eyes. "Our height," he grumbled.

"You are closer to the ground than me. That makes you more alike their size."

Yugi flushed, then scowled. "You have short jokes too? That's not even fair. You're barely an inch taller than me!" he scoffed. "And, I bet, if I actually bothered to stand up straight, we'd be the same height."

Yami looked at him, eyes raking over his form with a keen attention before smiling mischievously. "I would still be a few centimeters above you. Your eyes would not fully meet mine," he announced matter-of-factly, smirking at the shocked and slightly horrified expression on the other's face. "As such, I am able to make any kind of short jokes I wish. You will still be the midget before I ever will."

With that, he turned with flourish, stalking quickly beyond the changing stalls. He looked questioningly towards the rack of clothing in front of the small hallway, turning to him a moment later.

"You put the pairs you don't want on it," he explained. "That way someone will come back and put it back out later."

Yami nodded, sorted through the pairs in his arms, and placed them without so much as a pause to rearrange the bundle of jeans in his hands completely. He turned away again, heading out onto the floor with Yugi only a step behind him.

The t-shirts were far less of a hassle. Yami picked out plain tank tops. He did not even fully bother to look at graphic designs on the cotton tops. He seemed to know exactly what it was he needed when he got to the section. He chose only the darkest colors he could find—black, dark gray, one with both shades. He did not even fully bother with looking at the other displays around them.

Yugi couldn't fathom his desire for only the dark hues, nor the singularity in choice of design. He himself liked tank tops and jeans and a comfortable jacket and pair of sneakers any day. But he also enjoyed accessories. He liked the security of the choker around his neck and the bracelets encircling his wrists. He liked the idea of his arms being covered by the jacket, his skin hardly showing. He liked to have belts wrapped around his waist, to give him a firmer sense of self there as well.

But his closet also held different types of clothing. It had graphic tees, tank tops, hoodies, sweaters, sweatshirts and button ups. It had chokers and necklaces. It had bracelets, wrist bands, arm bands, and sleeves for his arms. It had jeans of every kind and color, leather pants and shorts of varying lengths. It had belts that were studded and plain. It had ankle high and crew cut socks of different colors. It had variety.

Yami had dark colors. He had skinny jeans. He had tank tops.

He frowned. "Is that all you planned on getting?"

The taller boy paused upon hearing his voice, at first not even fully interpreting his words, and then tilted his head with a puzzled expression. "Yes," he admitted, "but I must also find some new shoes. The bottoms of these are wearing away."

Yugi studied him for a moment, then peered at him with slight discomfort. "You don't want accessories or belts or anything?"

He blinked as if he had grown a second head and it was foaming at the mouth. "No," he replied after a moment, furrowing his brows. "Why should I?"

"Well, it's just…I mean, it's just kind of plain. I figured you would want to at least look?"

He shook his head slowly, that puzzled look still marring his features.

"If you're worried about how much it will cost, then it's not a problem. I promise I wouldn't be offering to get you stuff if I couldn't afford it…"

Yami shook his head again, more and more confused. "No, it is not cost. I am simply uninterested." He frowned. "But if you want to look yourself, I will go with you…?"

Yugi felt his cheeks heat faintly. "No, that's not…" He shook his head slightly. "Never mind. What kind of shoes did you think you were going to look at?"

"I will have to look at them before I decide." He looked at his sneakers and wrinkled his nose slightly. They were not the best in terrain and they had not been too terribly comfortable to wear while running. "But I need something that I can run in."

Yugi felt his stomach clench for a moment. Was Yami planning to race off at some point? Then what was the point of allowing him to do this with him? He didn't understand the idea behind such a thing. His actions didn't fully make sense if he was going to simply take off at some point.

"We'll look when we get back out of the fitting rooms," he muttered, his voice a near gasp of air with the despair which so abruptly slammed through him. Yami looked startled by the strained tone of his words, but he did not question him. Instead he tilted his head, studying him keenly, and then nodded slightly before glancing around.

Yugi followed him to the fitting rooms, feeling hollow inside. Was Yami truly going to go running off when he wasn't looking? He had not contemplated it beyond passing wonder. But now his words made his heart ache and his stomach clench painfully.

How long had he been planning to do this?

Yami glanced at him as he closed and locked the door behind him. Immediately he shrugged off the shirt he was wearing, tossing it to the bench beside his new pile of clothes. He snapped the clips off and drew the first of the pile away from the hanger, bunching the material and sliding it over his head.

It fit nicely, with a comfortable material which he knew instinctively would allow easy breathing and movement. The dark color made his eyes look sharper as well, far more vibrant than usual. It was an unintended effect but it worked well in his favor regardless.

He pulled it off again and started on another. This one was far too restrictive. It clung uncomfortably to his body. He was sure if he was to fight in it, the material could easily cut off his circulation. He tossed it aside with the hanger, grabbing the next. He went through the pile of them, finding that only about five of them actually fit comfortably while the other twelve were far too restricting.

Yami clipped each of them, draping those he wished to keep on his right arm while the rest sat on his left. When he stepped out again, Yugi looked somewhat distressed, maybe slightly nauseated. The taller boy studied him for a moment before frowning as he muttered, "Is the pressure still bothering you?"

The smaller boy startled like a cat. He jumped up, flushed, and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "No, I, uh, actually hadn't noticed it for a while. It…pretty much became background noise…"

Yami nodded slightly but did not offer a smile to match his. "Okay, good." He tilted his head. "So then what has upset you?"

"I…" Yugi wanted to say immediately that he wasn't upset at all. But instead he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and scratched the back of his head again. Yami wasn't stupid. He knew damn well that if he said otherwise he was lying. "I just…I was thinking about something. It's nothing important though."

He rolled his eyes. "If it was not important you would not be so unhappy, so what is it?"

Yugi cringed, starting towards him. He bit his lip for a moment, then looked down. "You just…I'm worrying about something stupid. It's—"

"If it's to do with me, I have a right to know."

He flinched, then sighed and looked at him from beneath his lashes. He swallowed thickly and Yami stared at him blankly in response.

"I just… You said that you needed the shoes for running."

He blinked. Yugi had fallen silent. Yami stared at him. He didn't understand what it was that he was implying. He furrowed his brows. The smaller teen blushed faintly. The quiet was disturbed only by the music coming from the overhead speakers on the floor.

A long second passed.

Yami blinked again. "You think I plan to run off," he finally stated. The idea had not fully resonated with him at first. It had seemed so beyond his thoughts that it was not even completely considered. Yet, as the words left his mouth, Yugi flinched and looked away again. He bowed his head almost as if he were ashamed he had ever thought it.

But, he had to admit, the idea of running off was not something that he had never considered. He was so trapped in that tiny house, had so much restless energy to burn, and he had no idea what it was he was meant to do to rid himself of it. Sometimes the idea of racing off into the woods and just not coming back crossed his mind. It was all in order to retain a freedom he was rather sure he did not have.

He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere," he reassured him. "I just want to be prepared for anything."

Yugi looked up at him from beneath his lashes, confused. "Prepared for anything?"

Yami hesitated, then nodded. "Fighting, fleeing, anything. We do not wish for another incident like what happened in the woods with the wolf Bakura…right?"

Yugi froze in place at the deceased wolf's name. He looked at him, eyes wide and horrified, and a sensation of guilt and disgust filled his gut. His eyes snapped to the floor, face twisting into a scowl which quickly morphed into a grimace. He let out a weak breath which shuddered within his lungs and then swallowed thickly. The immensity of the situation came back in waves, pounding against his small frame with avid self-hatred. He choked, then shook his head weakly.

"No…"

The taller teen hesitated for a moment. He thought to offer him comfort, to reassure him that it was not his fault. But he had already relayed to him that the adrenaline rush often distorted their perceptions in battle. And he could not rightfully say that Yugi had not killed him.

Bakura's head had come off. The smaller wolf had bitten through his neck with the panic he'd felt that moment. So he could not think of any words with which he could say he was not guilty. And he knew any comfort he offered now was late and possibly inconsequential. Yugi would have to figure it out on his own.

And then he would either come to live with it.

Or he would drown in it.

Yami hoped with everything in him that Yugi had the strength to do the former.

But he could not help him more than he already attempted.

It would shorten the importance of his former words and thus enable Yugi to either pretend otherwise or lay blame where it was impossible. Self-denial was an easy defense mechanism to grasp at when scared. And he knew the smaller boy would hold it as a lifeline if he was given more reason to.

It was a hard lesson, to learn where the disease ended and one began. But it was something that had to be learned. If it was not, one could surely drown. They could surely be swept away beneath the current of all of the disease. Madness would sweep in, sure and fast. And if the madness came in, the destruction wrought would cause others to act.

It would not make any difference what wolves would come to put the threat down. It would simply be done. According to each subspecies was their own code amongst themselves and their surroundings. Each changed as necessary to maintain survival. And, if a wolf was seen as a threat to their existence and that of their pack's, they would be eliminated.

Immediately.

"It would be a terrible idea to turn our backs and dismiss such an event. Which is why I'm preparing for it. I don't think that he will be the last."

Yugi shuddered, pushing away the thought of Bakura's blood in his mouth, the way he had ignored it for days afterwards and only come to accept it after Yami reminded him so unconsciously of it.

He lifted his eyes, watching the other wolf who was studying him sharply. He felt as if his tongue had grown swollen and was pressing instantly against the roof of his mouth to rid itself of the taste once more. He trembled finely, only once, then let out a breath.

"What do you mean?"

Yami watched him, then looked away again. "You forget the two wolves who first came upon you when I came to help you through your first Change," he reminded him gently. "They were not a random encounter. They too must have been planned as simply and easily as Bakura and whoever the other was. I am to assume that they are hunters, perhaps?"

Yugi frowned at him and shook his head slightly. "Well…if they are, they're looking for something really particular," he muttered softly.

Yami looked to him again. His red eyes were glinting and his lip looked as if it were about to curl back. His face looked somewhat flushed, paler than before, and he shook his head slightly as he glanced away again.

"Let's get some shoes and then head back."

Yugi could only nod in agreement.

"Okay."

---

He had settled on a pair of sneakers that Yugi thought looked incredibly comfortable and Yami seemed rather pleased with. He had not completely cared all too much as he had put them on and wandered about in them, but he had seemed satisfied enough. They were rather lightweight, with good traction for running in the woods.

The color had been the only thing to make him pause. They came in dark gray with striped laces and a dark blue shade with the same. The black ones had been sold out. So he'd settled for the dark gray, though the emblem on the side was a bright white streak.

Yugi had cringed upon seeing it as the taller had made it rather clear he wanted something almost completely black if he had the chance. But the only completely black ones they had found were skid resistant work shoes and steel-toed boots that had proved to be rather heavy when Yami had tried them on.

He doubted the heaviness would have been an issue for him in all reality. He was sure Yami would have been able to wield them well enough, but to race around with them in the woods would have clearly been disastrous. The second pair he had attempted was that of combat boots with laces which ran about the length of his shin. But the soles had been too uncomfortable and the heel of them had a small inch worth of height that he had been extremely unhappy with.

The third had been basic tennis shoes, Converse that Yugi convinced him to give a try. But the white toe boxes had annoyed him and the flat sole had made him scrunch his face up. Thankfully the red-eyed teen had not been too terribly inclined to argue with brand names.

He had not completely rendered him bankrupt by showing interest in the Nike shoes or the other pair of combat boots which had been around nine thousand yen and others breaching ten. He'd nearly swallowed his tongue when Yami had glanced at them curiously before snorting and wandering off again.

They had just gotten home an hour before. They were seated again in his room, Yami picking at his nails while Yugi was looking at his phone. It had occurred to him only minutes before that he should perhaps try to talk to Anzu again about another date. The idea that he had looked so intimate with Yami still burned in the back of his mind constantly.

Was it unusual for people to stand as they had? And had their body language truly been so intense and incriminating? It was not as if they had been caught kissing or trying to experiment with dry sex. But he knew hushed tones and eye contact and leaning towards one another, bodies completely facing each other, was a very clear way to see a couple going through a spat.

He knew it. If he were to ask his friends they would say so too.

Yugi shivered slightly. He honestly was not entirely sure what about it upset him so much. Was it because he couldn't emulate that same thing with Anzu? Or was it the idea that Hirotani of all people had assumed it? It could very well have been the messenger which made it all annoying and frustrating to him. Or, perhaps, it was the idea that it was Yami?

After having seen him kill twice before, he supposed it could have been that. He had also watched him eat a rabbit from his seat on the bedroom floor. He had witnessed him covered in blood and snapping bones. He had seen him Change and take off after his prey. He had watched and heard him eat a rabbit in barely a minute.

But, if he had not known these things, would he have been less inclined now to wonder so desperately about it?

He glanced at the other boy from the corner of his eye. Yami was not bad looking. His face was defined with sharp, mature lines and the gentlest curve of flesh beneath his eyes showed higher cheekbones. The curve of his face was definitely a heart shape, similar to Anzu's but with obvious masculinity she lacked. His eyes were sharp, a cross between hooded and almond in shape, his lashes long and feathering outwards as if drawn by kohl on both lids.

When he blinked, they touched the very tip of the gentle curve of his cheekbones in a gossamer caress. His eyes themselves had to be the most intense of colors he had ever seen before in his life, with shades of red he had never even imagined. They sparked and shimmered with light and appeared almost bruised around his pupils and the very edges of his irises were a deep black pool to match.

His nose had a higher bridge, the tip slightly pointed. His lips were thinner, his mouth rather firm in design. And his skin was one of the most admittedly beautiful shades of tone he had ever come across. The golden-bronze was blended so perfectly together that he could not tell which was the undertone as it was. And it only brought more color and elegance to the crown of hair on his head where it rested in jagged spikes and bursts of bright goldenrod yellow in piercing bolts of lightning and the black was tipped with dark red.

So, no, Yami was not bad looking. In fact, if he were to be truthful, he was sure he was one of the single most handsome people he had ever come to see or know. In all reality, there was a spark of envy to be shared there, though it was far too small for him to care to acknowledge.

And, in truth, if not for the lycanthropy and his desire to be with Anzu, had he not met him the way he had, he was sure he might have been interested in him at some point. He wasn't homosexual, nor was he bisexual, but he knew that he was attracted far more to personality than he was anything else. And so far, from what he had witnessed of it, he thought Yami's personality to be one of which he could most certainly find himself attracted to.

He was well balanced. He was levelheaded. He might have been slightly short tempered, but he was able to control his anger as well. He was willing to let one learn without his constant approval. He knew very well that Yami supported him and his decisions, even if he did not always understand them or really know the reasoning behind them.

He would probably make the ideal partner for someone at some point. If he ever got past the barrier of telling them that he was a werewolf, he was sure Yami would make an amazing partner to whoever he decided worthy of his attention.

Yugi thought for sure, if circumstances were different if he wasn't already attracted to Anzu, if he hadn't witnessed so much bloodshed around Yami, he would have been interested in him. Of course it would have begun as nothing more than friendship and slowly grown from there and he'd probably truthfully miss his chance, but it was true. He would have been interested in him. Their personalities fit well and he knew Yami would be just as good in another scenario as he was in this one.

He rolled his eyes at himself, looking down at his phone again. He had been peering at his text screen for several long minutes now. But he hadn't been able to come up with a single thing to type out. He'd wanted to tell her that he was free to go out later, when she got out of school. But if he did, he was sure his mother would no longer be as mild and supportive of the relationship as she had formerly. She'd see his skipping as a way to impress her and that wasn't something he wanted in any way.

Besides that, however, he still had no idea how it was that he was supposed to tell her he'd skipped school but wasn't sick and just wanted to see her. It seemed like Anzu would be just as disappointed as his mother would be. She'd hide it better, but he knew she would be.

"Do you want to go for a run?" Yugi asked with a large sigh, unable to keep from feeling somewhat flustered and small. He looked at Yami immediately after the words left his mouth, the small teen biting his lip as the red-eyed boy turned away from his long nails. He was visibly confused by the strange outburst and the ragged depth of his long sigh. But, thankfully, as he always did, the red-eyed lycanthrope simply took the words in stride.

He nodded. A run sounded amazing at the moment. He was wired after the storm had passed and the trip to the mall had been so long and rather uneventful. Diverting a fight and scaring a human away from a pack member hardly qualified as anything more than a sideways glance to him in all reality. Humans naturally cowered before werewolves when confronted with their anger, though Yugi's softer, weaker demeanor had done well to shield him from them all those years around them.

Yami assumed he would grow into the position of the werewolf later when he had come to completely accept that he had been bitten in the first place. Because he knew that he hadn't yet. He was still waiting for something to either save him or perhaps reverse it all and allow his former life to sweep in and embrace him as it had before.

"Awesome," Yugi announced with a grin, tossing his phone onto the bed and jumping to his feet. Yami watched him as he went into his closet, opened the larger metal containment center, and dug into one of his drawers to pull out a bag. He tossed it behind him lazily, then looked over his shoulder. "Okay, get some new clothes. We'll put them in here and I'll get another bag for the ones we're wearing now."

The taller boy nodded slightly, expression slightly surprised. But he did not speak and instead moved towards the chest of drawers where Yugi had cleared out a few for him to stash his clothes. They still sat in the plastic bag they had gotten upon purchasing them. He grabbed a black tank top and black jeans before snatching up his older sneakers to put on again.

Yugi hummed, grabbing his own pair before slipping his accessories off into the backpack as well. He fingered the smooth buckle of the choker he was wearing. He had not taken it off but for showers and sleeping since the immense wound across it had finally healed that day. The idea of taking it off now made his stomach clench faintly as he looked at Yami curiously for a few moments.

He knew the other wolf would notice his lack of removal but would not comment on it. He had not commented on the fact that he wore it so constantly after his first Change, nor did he make mention of the way his wrists were always covered. He did not even poke at the idea of how he covered almost every expanse of skin he could.

He knew that had not changed since before he had come to know the wolf beforehand. Yugi had always been self-conscious and wore as much as he could to cover his skin. It was more because he was able to blend in and hide himself in a group easily of there was really nothing too distinguishing about him. His hair always messed that plan up, and his short stature did nothing to help him, but he was always able to duck and weave himself away in a group. He could blend in with anyone nearby at school, allowing him to raise off the moment that his bullies could no longer fully see him.

He did know, however, that Yami was with him this time. He would help him should something happen. He knew that. He had seen him step up to scare Hirotani from where he had been attempting to intimidate him.

Still, his fingers merely hovered as he watched the other stuff his clothes into the hollow pack at his feet. He bit his lip, watching the tall teen as he packed them inside and then grabbed the bag that had formerly housed his new purchases. Yugi's nails clicked against the buckle as he finally began to pull it away and slip it off his neck.

He knew there was no scar tissue or even the slightest bit of a reminder of such a wound but for his own memories. But he still could not fully bring himself to glance at the pale flesh in the mirror or flick his eyes towards it even slightly. He could not drift his fingers over his neck and his fingers even trembled whenever they brushed against the smooth expanse. He swallowed thickly.

Thinking about this now, as he dropped the small belt of leather and nylon into the bag, was not helping anything at the moment.

Yami offered him only a small smile of acknowledgment of the decision but still did not speak of it. Instead he merely tilted his head, grabbing the bag from where it rested at the smaller teen's feet, and slung it over his shoulder lazily.

"Are we ready?"

Yugi hesitated for only a moment, then nodded with a thin smile. "Yeah, Yami, we're ready."

The Change was no less painful than it had been the first time. He had collapsed into his own bile, legs splayed and sides heaving pathetically, while Yami again sat a few feet away and watched. He had given him instructions once more, had allowed him to take solace in his presence there as he had the first time.

Yugi stumbled to his feet, as clumsy now as he was before, and shook himself out with shaky limbs, paws twitching and tail jerking painfully. He stretched his toes, sinking his claws into the earth, and then staggered forward several steps.

Yami welcomed his limited progress with several small wags of his tail, ears perked, head tipped slightly towards the ground. His eyes were sharp, burning, and they bore into him with such strength that they almost allowed him to feel empowered by the warmth in them.

It took less time than last. You're already learning. Your body is adapting very well.

The black wolf wagged his tail a bit more with the words, eyes bright as he tilted his head and opened his mouth into the smallest sliver. His white incisors were gorgeous, sharp and powerful even as they looked curiously friendly in the way he peered at him. His breaths came in rugged wreaths of bright white and tantalizing silver.

You think so? he grunted with a shake of his head. It certainly didn't seem as if it had gone any smoother than the first time. And the first time had been excruciating. He flicked his ears and looked away. I don't see how it did.

That's because you are the one who experienced it. As a bystander, simply watching, I know how much easier it truly was on you.

Yugi shook his head again but did not argue. His baritone voice made his insides feel warm as he stepped forward again and staggered past his side. He dipped his chin into the snow, where it was still heavily clumped but had melted and froze again twice in the past couple of days. He pulled away to find small smears of red and yellow bile and his stomach clenched painfully as he rubbed the other side of his jaw now as well.

Yami watched him for a moment, then reached out to press his paw to the other wolf's leg near his hindquarters. The smaller teen paused, peering at him in confusion, and then tilted his head. The larger canine dropped onto his forelimbs, tail wagging more enthusiastically, ears pricked forward and maw parted only enough to show more of his teeth. He had seen that expression on several dogs before, a simple smiling look, teeth showing and eyes bright and big as they stared up at him.

Yugi struggled for a moment, unsure of what it was that Yami meant to do with this new position. He tilted his head further and pricked his ears. The black wolf let out a whine and wiggled his rump in the air, eyes peering at him. It was harder to read the emotions in his gaze while he looked at him now, because there was such keenness and power and cunning that it left little room for anything else to show there. He knew he saw a light there, warm and generous, and it made his eyes that much more mesmerizing, but he still could not read it.

Yugi tried to wag his tail in response now as well. But the movement was so foreign to him that he immediately halted. He wrinkled his nose in disdain at his own actions, unable to do more than flick his ears and feel immensely stupid for his inabilities. But Yami did not try to project any thoughts to him, nor instruct him towards understanding. So he puzzled over this sight before him.

He had seen it with dogs at times—puppies especially—but he was not sure that such a thing was what Yami was initiating. Surely the other wolf was not attempting to engage him in play, right?

Yet, as the thought passed through his head, Yami lunged forward. He was a sharp comet of dark black fur, shooting forward with long limbs and sharp claws. He pawed his side gently, then dropped to his forelimbs again and panted before jumping beyond him when he blinked in surprise.

Was he truly…?

Yugi found himself unable to stop from his surprised gaping. His jaw fell wide open, cold air bathing his long muzzle immediately. His eyes grew wider than ever, his ears falling back in confusion. His tail remained dropped behind his legs. He blinked stupidly. He quivered, confused beyond his own reasoning.

He was! He had to have been.

He blinked again. Yami surged forward, touching his side again. Then he ducked away and leaped aside once more. His eyes sparkled but that unearthly intelligence still rendered them beyond his capability of definition. Yugi hesitated for only a moment. Then he slowly closed his mouth and attempted to spring towards the other wolf.

He landed in an awkward tangle of limbs. His eyes grew wide and stunned. The momentum barely hurled him a few feet. Yet, he landed with such impact as to have gone flying yards beyond his initial calculations. He let out a shuddering gasp, panting pathetically. He shivered, then whined softly in the back of his throat. He did not know what more to do. So he peered quizzically at his companion.

Yami snorted a laugh that was almost horrified. He plopped down before him, a large expanse of muscle and long, limber legs. He wagged his tail again, amused beyond reason, and leaned forward to where their noses almost pressed together.

You've never tried jumping in this form before. Your body knows the momentum but your muscles don't know the movement. Until you've practiced, you're going to find yourself in this exact same situation endlessly.

Yugi whined and pulled his legs back from beneath the folds of his chest. He pressed his weight into his hindquarters and drew himself to his feet again awkwardly. This is so much easier in the damn movies, he grumbled unhappily.

Yami tilted his head. I'm not surprised.

He would have rolled his eyes if he had thought himself capable of it. But instead he narrowed his gaze, flattening his ears against his skull. His brows flattened, pulling forward slightly, and his lips tugged on the left side of his mouth.

Okay, so if I practice it…?

It won't take long to master. Your body is instinctively driven to match any capability the natural wolf possesses. But you must grow used to utilizing your muscles in such a way before your body can fully mimic it. Yami dropped onto his side, the cold ice beneath him doing well to comfort his heated skin. He tipped his head towards him, smiling widely with his jaws parted and his tongue against the surface of snow. His breaths came in excited bunches of crystalline puffs of air. It's like a dog learning a new trick.

I shouldn't have to learn new tricks, Yugi snapped, fur rising into a bristle with his frustration. What good is this if I have to basically relearn everything I already know in life?

He stared at him, then got to his feet. His fur began to rise in shuddering spasms of disdain as his lip curled faintly. Do you think that a disease should come with gifts? Is it not enough that you are by far more intelligent than the rest of the humans you so often spend time with? Or that your body reacts with its own strength and senses in order to save you should you be unable to by your own natural imposition? Should you not be grateful for the fact that your own body will mend itself endlessly should you be wounded? What about the heights of power which you are given? And, yet, learning for the sake of controlling your disease and the immensity it bestows you angers you? You foolish brat, he snarled, pressing forward a step.

Yugi reacted instinctively. His teeth were bared, his shoulders squared. His eyes flashed. His ears fell against his skull once more.

You will die should you not come to learn these things! Yami spat furiously. Do you understand what a gift it is to be able to survive so many things that would otherwise destroy you? Your body needs muscle memory and when it is keen upon such intelligence, it will never once require you relearn it. But until then, you are as inexperienced and weak as a newborn child. And that is something that will never be taken lightly by possible threats to us, be it human or other wolves.

Yugi flicked his tongue over his nose. It was not by choice that he did this, but his body reacted to the other's rage with such intensity he could not help it. His head began to lower towards the snow, his body twisting with submission. His back bent in a delicate arch as his tail tugged between his legs. He did not growl, but his teeth remained bared.

Yami watched him for a moment. Then he wrinkled his nose. His fur fell back again. His tail dropped from its more aggressive raised stance. His ears flicked away. His eyes fell on the snow. His squared shoulders lost their tension.

It would be so easy to kill you, Yugi.

The statement made the smaller wolf freeze in place. His heart leaped into his throat. He felt as if his tongue would fold backwards to be swallowed. He looked at him, unable to glance away.

The black canine sighed loudly. The huff of breath was a hideous fog before his face. His ears flickered. He looked back at him with a tilt of his head. His expression was unreadable still, but the light in his eyes had dimmed. His face looked older, more worn down. And the dark expanse of his fur made him look almost haunted. It was almost as if he had come across a terrible burden in speaking such words.

I hope you live long enough to grow up, he whispered into his mind, a gentle and sorrowful plea. I truly do. I would like nothing more. I hope you learn from experience rather than deny it. Maybe then you will see what gifts you have that others don't. To take things for granted as you do… It will hinder you. And it will kill you, Yugi.

He froze, eyes wide, gaze boring into his.

The black wolf turned away, ears pricked, eyes sharp. Something dark and sinister passed over his expression. Come, we must run.

Yugi looked at him, unable to think of anything beyond the scathing and yet desperate plea which he had bestowed upon him moments before. He blinked, then bristled, then shuddered, and his body felt small and weak as he looked at him. He never wanted to hear such defeat in Yami's voice again.

The black wolf spun on him, then looked about them sharply. He moved forward, nose working, then pressed his shoulder into his side. Let's go. We have to run. Something is…

He halted, then snarled.

A hunter.

Yugi froze in place. A hunter? Like the human who had come with Bakura? Like the human which had most likely sent those two wolves after him in the first place? His belly clenched.

Yami…

You can run, he promised without a glance at him. Your body knows how to. You ran with me before. Remember that.

Yami…is it the same one who sent Bakura after me?

The larger canine stopped short. His head turned to regard him. His eyes were glowing with an intense rage which he could read around the keen glint of his gaze. He bore his teeth and snarled low in his throat.

Now is not the time to relive such a moment, Yugi. His voice was scathing and furious. Now is the time that you follow me and we run.

Yugi trembled pathetically. Bakura's face flashed through his mind. Dark gray eyes with distorted pupils peered with a glassy shine. Blood dribbled from parted lips. Teeth glinted red and white, with an unearthly shine. Red covered a cheek, fur missing from a patch near the edge of the pocket of skin. Rivulets of blood fell from a hideous wound near the eye…

He snarled. His teeth chomped an inch from his nose. Yugi quaked. Yami towered over him.

Gods damn you, run! He bit at the air in front of him again. The smaller wolf quivered, the muscles in his body responding to something all too powerful and great to ignore. It swelled inside of him, pushing and breaking at his ability to think. Then it pushed so forcefully that his mind fell into only this thought.

He took off.

He had breached the trees and found himself within the clearing nearest the cliffs before Yami could snarl. The speed alone was daunting to match. But the black wolf rapidly propelled himself forward. He was still about twenty yards behind him when he heard the first of them. A sharp, hideous booming bark met his ears.

He flicked an ear and listened, slowing instinctively. They were coming from the side. But there was a snapping noise much closer…

Yami realized a moment too late. He was frozen, standing there. Yugi, stop! he called desperately.

It happened too quickly.

Yami snarled, spinning. His head snapped around. His teeth were bared.

The loud echoing snap of the trigger roared in his ears.

The boom of the gunshot made the air shatter and vibrate.

There was a loud and distressed scream. The black wolf hesitated, unable to look for a moment. But then his head snapped around. The snow was coated in a thick streak of blood.

Yugi had fallen within the clearing, blending in almost perfectly with the snow but for his shoulder. The fur there was bright with a hideous patch of red.

And he was not moving at the moment.

But that did not mean much.

He could hear his heart still beating. And he still felt a low but pleasant humming in his core. He had come to know it as a tangible connection he felt with the other boy.

So he did not worry about his life.

The wound would ache but it would not kill. The human had hit hard muscle rather than the bone. They had missed the spine. They had missed his throat.

Yami was not sure what to do now, however. He could not see the human. But he knew it to be close. As he drew in harsh breaths to catch its scent, all he could find was disgusting excretion. The human had covered itself with some kind of animal droppings. And it was not near enough to come racing from the brush to get them.

He shook the thought off. He pushed himself forward towards his charge again upon scanning his surroundings once more. Yugi had regained himself enough to look at him over his shoulder when he approached. He was steps away when he thought he heard the human moving again. He did not think they knew there was a second wolf.

If they did not know there was a second, then they assumed the initial shot would have been enough to keep them down. If that was the case, Yami could easily manipulate such factors. He was nothing if not adaptive, after all. Whatever the direction the shot had come from, it was obvious the human was hiding and biding time for the moment. It was perhaps a game at tormenting the younger wolf.

Or, more likely, it was meant to incapacitate long enough for the dogs to come upon them.

He bore his teeth, then dipped his muzzle to lick at the sore spot on Yugi's shoulder. The wound was not as terrible as it could have been. It was a grazing wound, one that had shot upon the surface of his shoulder a clear diagonal line of bright red. The bullet must have gone over Yugi's shoulders and into the ground. They had to be one of the cliffs a little further beyond them.

But Yugi had screamed and gone down. And perhaps that was the only thing to keep the human from firing another shot. He sniffed at his wound and the smell of marrow was not in the least bit more powerful than usual; they had missed the bone entirely. It was truly just a shot of hard muscle and skin. He craned his neck and looked about them but he did not see a human and he did not think for even a moment that they could see him.

They had been on the cliff, and from the angle Yami could measure with his racing mind, the clearing was the only reason they had been capable of aiming for them. When they had still been more amongst the trees, they had been all but invisible. They would never have gotten a clear shot.

He had reacted too soon.

Yami felt his heart clench in his chest. He had not bothered to listen for the direction of the dogs. And, in his anger towards Yugi, he had not thought to see if there was perhaps a human within range to begin with.

He had sent him straight into the target area.

And, now, as Yami had not gotten to his side immediately, the hunter had left his spot to aim at him.

You will have to run again. I will hold them off.

Run again? Yugi spat in despair, shaking. My shoulder hurts too much. I can't put weight on it—

You can, Yami snapped, baring his teeth. And you will. You will stumble and stagger, but it will help you. If you fall, you will climb immediately to your feet again. And you will run as you have to. It will make your body work to heal itself. And, when you are healed, they will not be able to track you.

The white wolf curled his lips back. That's not true! He'll find me easily, Yami! There's no snow to cover my tracks!

The other wolf snorted harshly into his ear. And that is why I will cover you, he growled. Trust me and do as I tell you, Yugi.

The white wolf quivered and stared at him. His shoulder pulsed with pain and his eyes peered at him uncomfortably. How do you know that you'll be okay?

Yami tilted his head. For a moment, one single, ruthless second, he thought to snap at him that he didn't. But the truth of the matter was that he did. He knew exactly what it was that he could do.

He was not the small inexperienced wolf that Yugi himself was.

But his concern warmed him faintly. He pressed his nose into his ear, running his tongue over his forehead in an effort to make Yugi feel more at ease. The other boy seemed to press closer to him at the gentle touch. He almost appeared as if he wished he could burrow within him for protection.

I will be fine, he said simply, pulling away and listening before growling low in his throat. The dogs were coming faster. The human was still somewhere beyond them, laying low. Perhaps they did realize he was there and the dogs were for him rather than Yugi. I will find my way back to you when I am done. Find shelter, okay?

Yugi shivered again. It wasn't a promise or truly even reassuring in any sense of the word. But he knew that Yami meant what he said. He believed himself capable of returning when it was all over. So he nodded, glancing uselessly around them, and then stumbled to his feet.

Yami grasped his scruff, pulling him to his feet and helping to distribute his weight, and Yugi struggled for balance. The pressure on his shoulder made him nearly collapse for a brief moment. But he shoved it aside. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The sound of two dogs launching themselves through the undergrowth made his stomach ache.

Yami…

I give you my word. I will be back. He pressed his nose into his hip, gently pushing him forward. Now run.

Yugi nodded only after locking eyes with him again. His gaze was full of a power which the smaller boy thought impossible to touch or fully imagine. He was ready. His body was hard wired. And the way he peered at him said he was certain he would be back the moment he was given the chance.

And he would be alone.

And safe.

Yugi turned away, glancing about them, and then took off in a limping trot towards the trees. The rockier wall of the mountainside was home to enough cubbies that he was sure he would be able to hide within one. When he glanced back over his shoulder, Yami was watching him. But he was listening to the dogs approaching instead.

He found a small cavern in the very tuck of a rock wall, a cliff face he had not truly noticed upon first inspection. He wondered if his clothes would be nearby. But he did not dare wander off. Instead he listened, waiting for what felt like an eternity.

There was a harsh snapping noise. And several loud scraping sounds entered his ears. When he sat up, alarmed as his shoulder ached dully, he bore his teeth. His ears fell back against his head but he could not tell what it was that he was listening to.

Until he saw what he assumed to be a branch fallen in front of the lip of the small den he was hidden in. The scratchy needles of pine were bore towards him, threatening to poke him. He realized immediately, huddled there, that it was Yami on the other side there.

The harsh sounds of barking made him stiffen. Yami had led the dogs towards him. He cowered, a sensation of betrayal and horror sweeping through him. By the gods, no, Yami wouldn't do that, right? He would not leave him to fend for himself like he had just assumed, right? He wouldn't…

He wouldn't…

Yugi trembled. But the dogs snarled outside. And there was an answering noise of pure hatred. Then a scrabbling sound burst within his ear drums. A flash of pressure came in a soft thudding noise. The air became tighter, laden with a stronger earthen scent. Then he heard a shrill and pitiful scream. Ice breaking made him quiver. He panted.

He remained cowered there for what felt like hours. He kept his eyes closed, paws pressed over them. His ears were flat against his skull. He quivered and shook and panted. The time seemed only to continue to stretch and stretch. He whimpered under his breath.

A harsh noise, scraping and snapping, made him leap to his feet. He panted harder, shaking finely, then bore his teeth. He let out a low, curling snarl, unable to do anything more. His shoulder was cold as if he had struck with numbness across the broken skin and wounded muscle.

He pressed his weight roughly to the cavern floor with his long claws sinking into the harsh stone. His shoulders squared, his eyes sharp and dangerous within the darkness.

The pine needles moved, tugged away ruthlessly. He bristled fearfully. The snarl rose in his throat. He quivered harder.

The scrabbling noise became harsher. Ice snapped and broke. The stones shuddered faintly where something touched them. Then a large black nose breathed roughly into the entrance. Large gusts of bright white air burst forth. Then two large paws pressed into the entrance. Eight black claws were thick, curled harshly, and dug into the stone. With a single haul of his body, the entrance was swallowed away into darkness.

Yami threw himself forward, stepping inside with ease. He shook himself out, a small splattering of blood flashing against the wall of the stone cavern. The wolf licked his lips and panted softly. His ears flickered about once.

The relief Yugi felt in his system made him collapse. He fell as if his legs were broken beneath him. He stared up at him, blue-violet eyes gleaming with shock. His body broke into violent tremors. His voice came in a high, hideous pitch of a shrill whine.

The black wolf paused, then tilted his head and crept towards him. I told you I would return to you, he stated calmly. He took a seat in front of him, then licked at his own shoulder. Yugi could faintly smell blood from the movement. We must get a move on soon, however. Where there is one hunter, there is often guarantee of another.

Yugi stared with glassy eyes, his shock and relief at war with the other boy's clear words. Yami…

He was pleading, his voice pathetic as it shook upon the syllables of his names. The wolf turned his head, startled, then peered at him curiously. For a moment neither of them moved and no words had the strength to break the silence. A sense of understanding came upon them both as Yami finally rose to his feet and found his newest place at his side.

He lowered his mouth, tongue stroking at the wound. It had long since healed, but the bare skin was still crusted with blood. He lapped at it, the cold edge of it making his head spin for a moment. Yugi pressed into his side, a desperate and childish plea that he comfort him. But he lacked the words and Yami's intentions were to get them to safety rather than mollify the other boy.

Come, let's go find your bag and return to your home, he announced, eyes narrow and glittering as Yugi looked up at him in surprise. We have wasted enough time. If we are here when someone comes upon this cave…

How would they know to, Yami? You're not hurt, are you?

He shook his head. No, but I did not cover my tracks. I would have wasted my time if I had done so. He was on his feet immediately again, turning towards the entrance without a second glance. The smaller boy slowly, shaking and feeling sick to his stomach, got to his feet to follow.

It took Yami only a few moments to find their bag and change back, urging him to do so with only a firm glance. Yugi was shaken, feeling further nauseated, but still followed his silent instruction. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. A foul taste had come across the pale muscle. He narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself through the Change.

In his shock and fear, he did not truly feel the pain that had accompanied such action before. Instead he found himself so cold and numb that it was impossible to him that he had even managed to do it. As he stood there, shaken by the cold and the very edge of panic which still courted his tired mind, Yami passed him his clothes over. Not a single word passed from his lips.

Even as they crawled in through the window and Yugi struggled to truly think straight, he did not say a word.

Someone had shot at him.

They had shot him in the shoulder.

Someone had tried to kill him.

Someone had been waiting around to kill him.

And Yami seemed not to care.

He turned his head and peered at him. The taller boy was expressionless. His grip on the fabric of his backpack was easy and light. When he dropped it aside, he looked nonchalant. When he bothered to look at him, his red eyes appeared almost dismissive.

Yugi's stomach clenched. "You're mad at me," he hissed, his voice undertones with a vicious snarl. "You're actually fucking mad at me."

Yami halted from where he had been about to reclaim a spot on the bed. His head was slightly bowed, his fingers touching the fabric of his comforter lightly. His eyes flickered but he could not see them beneath the shadow of his face. But his body was tense now and the restlessness of it made Yugi further angry.

"You think you have the right to be upset with me?" the small teen snarled, trembling furiously. "You fucking blame this on me?"

His fingers drummed on the rough surface of the downy comforter. His eyes flickered again. His lashes were long, cutting across his pupils when his attention slid to him. He did not raise his head.

"I'm the one who got fucking shot, Yami, not you!" he barked out, baring his teeth. He knew his voice should have been lowered. He knew for a fact that his mom and grandpa were home. He knew they could hear him if they tried to. "And you're going to blame this on me?"

His nails drummed again. His eyes flashed and danced, hideously burning. He raised his chin, then turned his head. His gaze burst with anger.

"I do not blame you," he hissed, spitting at him. "I am pissed, but it is not with you."

"You won't even look at me!"

"I nearly got you killed and you wish for me to look at you, Yugi? Truly, is that what you wish for? I was foolish and my temper distracted me from an oncoming threat. You? You were and always have been an innocent bystander swept up into things that never should have concerned you." He bore his teeth, growling low in his throat. "I put you in danger the moment I decided I should rather argue than pay attention to our surroundings."

"You what…?" Yugi tossed his head back and forth with a roll of his eyes. "You didn't have anything to do with it. You didn't exactly lead them to us."

"Is that what matters to you? That I was next to you when it happened? You foolish child! That is the most inconsequential thing to cling to within the entire event. Do you not understand? I am the alpha. I am meant to make sure that you are safe."

"And you did!" the smaller boy pleaded desperately, eyes wide and horrified. Why had he begun this argument? Why had he been so stupid as to bring this up? "Yami, you did protect me!"

"After I very nearly got you killed. I was foolish and I was angry. I lost my temper. And I did not pay attention. And so you very nearly paid for my mistake—"

"But I didn't—"

"But you could have! Damn it, Yugi, you have no idea what you came so close to. You have no idea what fate could have swallowed you!" He chomped his teeth, voice lowered into a hideous sneer. "Wolves that are caught by hunters are often used as fighting pets. If they're injected with the right amount of wolfsbane, one can be kept in their form for so long that they can basically lose the ability to change altogether. And when they are unable to fight anymore, they often try to use them as a breeding tool. Many hunters will catch and hold a wolf for as long as it takes to get a very certain coat pattern. Then they allow the offspring to grow to a certain age, as healthy as they can be, before skinning them."

Yugi stared at him with the most horrified expression he had ever showed him before.

Yami shook his head sharply. "And that is only if you survive. Many times, when a wolf is shot, they are mercilessly tortured to death, and the Change is forced in a way which will kill them. Then they are skinned. Werewolf pelts are advertised as regular wolf pelts but the colors are so much glossier and more vibrant that they fetch a much bigger sum than others can boast."