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.

66. Emotions

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Update schedule: Hopefully biweekly

SO SORRY for the late update! Kind of horrified that it's been a month now… Real life was kicking my butt and I got distracted by a lot of issues in it so I sincerely apologize.

Anyways, so some conflicting info is given in this chapter. But you'll understand it later when it comes up again. It's not something that's going to be mentioned very often but Yugi and Yami will eventually discuss it. For now, though, not so much.

So I'm pretty sure I didn't see anything in the chapter that needed any warnings but if you think I missed something, feel free to mention it and I'll go back and fix it.

Yami's reactions to Yugi towards the end of the chapter are from what some therapy animals will do. Wolves are used with veterans from war so it seemed kind of fitting to have that. Of course, they usually go in for snuggles or pets. But, for the sake of Yami's personality (and physical state since he's still pretty hairless for the most part), I had him act a little differently. So that's why he reacts to him like that.

Chapter LXVI: Emotions

Work Log Entry LIX: May, 2006

May 20

Atem seems to be healthy again. He has not relapsed in over two months now.

We are still checking his vitals daily for any sign of oncoming illness, however.

May 30

The boss has decided that the testing done on Atem is tedious and we are to stop our monitoring.

I do not know what to make of this new development.

It had taken Yami about ten bottles of water to finally calm enough to lie down and settle for a few hours. He had gotten up and eaten the meat that had been in his original bowl of food and then he had settled for a nap on his pillow and blanket. The wolf had then slept for a few hours and woken with a look at Yugi that said he was clearly hungry and ready to be fed. The small teen had raised a brow at him, snorted, and turned away to flick through the channels again.

Yami had not moved from his position. He had not made a sound. But he kept staring. And Yugi was abundantly aware of it. He could not escape the way that Yami tracked him so silently. His eyes were the only thing that might shift at any given moment. And it made Yugi snicker whenever he glanced at him from the corner of his eye again.

"Okay, okay, stop staring at me like that!" he laughed, shaking his head when Yami raised his chin and shifted his weight now to sit up and stretch his neck back uncomfortably. The teen got up and dusted himself off, rolling his eyes and heading for the kitchen. "You're just lucky you're so annoying."

But he wondered, looking around the kitchen for a few moments, if perhaps any of the captive wolves in zoos or rescue reserves ever acted in a similar manner to the wolf as well. It was odd to him to consider that the werewolf might somehow be exhibiting symptoms such as that. The wolves in captivity tended to be far more used to humans and their interactions, right? And wild wolves loathed humans and any interactions with them. They were far more likely to hide away from sight than ever approach in any manner. He'd even read that on time the pack had been playing in front of a scientist, but the moment they'd realized he was there they had taken off running.

The researcher had said something about how he thought they were ashamed because they'd looked over their shoulders when they'd fled. Yugi thought it was more because they were fearful that the human might give chase. The thought occurred to him that perhaps this was the precipice of which Yami interacted with him. The black wolf knew that Yugi would not hurt him. And so now he was much braver with his actions rather than as passive as he had once been. Yami did not simply lie about and wait for food any longer. Now he sat up and stared. He made sure that Yugi was aware that he was awake and ready to be fed.

The thought made him smile in amusement as he mixed the goat's milk and looked about the selection of meat in the fridge. There was chicken and salmon and he could see some beef and ground pork. He supposed any of them would work, but the salmon was more of a risk. Salmon was known for having intestinal parasites and worms that survived in the fillets unless cooked. And Yugi was not sure that lycanthropy prevented that kind of thing. He did not know if it was possible that his stomach acid might somehow kill it upon entering the system or not.

He could not assume that the acidity was higher than the average canine's or person's for that matter. He was not sure that it was a possibility in any manner. The werewolf could have weaker stomach acid but enough bacteria in the stomach to prevent any measure of illness from raw meat for all he knew. It meant nothing in the long run. And so he turned away from the idea of allowing him to have the salmon and turned again to the beef. He hadn't given him that in a while. And then he'd give him the chicken and the pork afterwards. He'd need to run to the supermarket again soon and get something else to feed him.

"Here you go," Yugi mumbled, putting both bowls down in front of him a few minutes later. He twisted the cap off of the water bottle he'd taken out with the beef and poured it into the water bowl for him. Yami lapped up the milk first, quickly devoured the beef, and drank half of the water. Then he belched again, flicked his ears, looked at Yugi as if for approval of the noise, and wandered off to take a seat again. Yugi snorted in amusement and sat on the couch. "You know, Yami, eventually you really are going to have to let me get you out on a walk. That means you're going to have to let me use a collar and leash on you."

Yami looked up at him as if he had perhaps cursed at him or tried to lay claim to his soul. His eyes were wide, his mouth partially opened. His ears fell back on his head and his lips drew back into a deep grimace. His brows furrowed and his nose wrinkled slightly. He looked like he could not believe that Yugi was even facing him and saying such words like that. It was almost amazing to him the way Yami looked up at him in such a manner.

But, as the seconds passed, as Yugi tilted his head and watched him for a moment longer, he felt almost sick. Yami's pupils had dilated slightly and he could see his own reflection amidst the darkness. It was odd, the way his hair looked shiny and pale along his bangs but darker than ever where the black base showed. And the wolf simply stared up at him rather blankly, that expression on his face no longer scandalized but rather plain and nonexistent.

The ears pricked forward. His nose wrinkled once more. His eyes narrowed faintly. His head tilted slightly to the side. He blinked once, then twice. Then the wolf slowly shifted his weight, his muscles rolling along his shoulders and jerking his skin as if he were crawling with fleas. But then he flicked his ears again and Yugi felt winded as he looked back at him.

The reflective quality in his eyes was back. Yugi had only truly seen it that night at the Burger World dumpster when he'd handed him the dog carcass. That was the only time he'd seen it up close and understood it for what it was. Yami had shown him the emotions that had come across him, into his own eyes, something that had made his skin crawl and his heart almost break with desperation. It had been far too much for him and he'd fled before he could think straight.

Now he felt small and the air was heavy. He could do nothing more than stare at the wolf in front of him. And Yami was not going anywhere. He could tell that much without a second thought. Yami was simply watching him as Yugi had done with him. He had no plans to do anything beyond this. It was clear in just the way he sat there and stared at him in such plain disregard.

Yugi felt sick as they looked at one another. The wolf blinked at him slightly and tilted his head after a long moment. The teen felt shaky and sick as he moved to stand up. He lowered his eyes immediately, swallowing hard, and looked away pointedly.

The small teen felt sick as he reached down to fist the material of the shirt that he was wearing. He felt small, almost as if Yami were a million times larger than him. He could do nothing more than stare at him, feeling sick and bewildered. Then he looked away, breathing roughly, and closed his eyes tightly. His mouth opened and closed twice and then finally he shook his head slowly and tugged tightly on his shirt again.

"I need to lie down or something," he mumbled, not wanting to open his eyes again. Yami was still watching him with those same dark eyes. He could feel it. It was like teeth pressing into his skin. And Yugi could tell that he would not move away at any moment. It was exhausting to consider and the small teen was winded at the very idea in and of itself. He was winded when he turned away, shaking his head and closing his eyes.

Yugi wandered off to his room in order to work on a couple of assignments for a few hours. And, as he finished his last, the small teen got up and stretched his arms out. He threw his notebook and textbook aside and made his way out of the door and into the hallway. He was exhausted the moment that he stepped into the kitchen. The air was heavier than ever and he felt sick as he looked towards the living room. Yami was not immediately in his sight as he glanced about and he stiffened considerably fearful that perhaps somehow the wolf might have gotten himself hurt.

"Aibou?" he called, stiffening when he saw the smallest flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. But he caught nothing beyond this and the bewilderment which came through him now made him want to vomit. He blinked and looked about the room. In an instant he began to move forward, jogging rather than walking slowly. The panic was biting at the edges of his senses, and it was ultimately quelled in a second or two. His stomach knotted and he licked his lips.

And then the smallest flash of movement caught his eye again.

The lycanthrope's head snapped in its direction.

And he froze in place, eyes widened.

Then he relaxed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head and reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. He let out a deep breath, rolled his eyes again, and offered a small chuckle of surprise. "You're an ass," he grumbled softly, blinking, and then smiled briefly as he tilted his head and raised a brow. "You couldn't have just gotten up and come out before I almost started freaking out?"

The wolf blinked and wagged his tail. The appendage thumped softly against the couch's backrest. He was pressed snuggly in the spot that Yugi had formerly been seated. His chin was draped over his paws which hung a couple of inches off the side of the cushions. His eyes were brighter than usual and his ears were pricked forward. When Yugi looked away again, the wolf grew still as if his attention had given him a reason to move before. And, when Yugi blinked and turned back with a raised brow, the wolf began to wag his tail again. His ears flicked and his mouth opened slightly. His paws twitched. His body tensed.

Yugi tilted his head. The movement made Yami narrow his eyes. And the small teen wondered at the sight curiously for a moment. They considered each other for a long moment. Then he smirked in amusement. Yami flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes further. His body tensed completely. And, when Yugi craned his head, the wolf sprang to his paws in an awkward, fumbling movement that nearly sent him over the edge of the couch cushions. He stood unevenly on the couch, tail wagging slightly in a position parallel to his spine. He had his head lowered slightly and his muzzle pointed towards the floor. He was watching him from beneath his thinner lashes.

And then the wolf sprang at him. His teeth were bared and his mouth was wide open. Yugi thought for a moment that he might be going to attack him. But then the two of them collided. He hit the ground on his back, winded. And Yami ran his tongue over his face with something of a delighted expression. His face was soaked and slimy as he reached up, laughing, to push him away gently with a hand to his chest. The wolf growled a low rumbling little noise, but it was not aggressive in any manner. And Yugi could feel the canine quivering with pure elation.

"Okay, okay," Yugi snorted. He rolled his eyes and managed to push the wolf back if only slightly. The canine finally pulled away from him then, jumping aside and shaking himself out. The two of them considered each other. The lupine pricked his ears forward, tilted his head, and wagged his tail again. Then he bowed in front of him, raised a paw, and aimed at his shoulder. Yugi laughed as he rolled aside and got to his feet. He dusted himself off and reached up to wipe at his face. "That's disgusting."

Yami wagged his tail pointedly and ignored this reaction. Then he turned away and lowered his nose to sniff at the carpet. Yugi almost wondered if he might lick where he'd once spilled all that milk onto the fibers. But the wolf did nothing more than lightly scent the carpet and flick his ears lazily. He turned away again and shook himself out as if he might have gotten something on his skin. But Yugi was relieved to see that the wolf looked so energetic and happy.

He wondered at the change in him now, confused but still incredibly satisfied to see the way that the wolf continued to stare at him with such bright red eyes. But, as he considered it further, then thought briefly of the way that he should make his food, those red eyes seemed to darken with disinterest. The wagging of his tail stilled and the appendage fell to hang behind his legs. Then he sniffed lightly at the carpet again, shook himself out, and turned away from Yugi entirely. After a few moments, he moved to the makeshift bed he'd been lying on for the last three days, and lay upon it lazily. He stretched his limbs out, flicked his tongue over his nose, and closed his eyes tightly.

"You're hungry by now, right?"

Yami did not so much as blink at him. His ears flicked instead and the wolf kept his eyes closed without a single glance. The canine did not so much as blink nor raise his head or regard him in any manner. Instead of this, however, the wolf flexed his paws and his toes wriggled. And then he closed his eyes tightly and refused to do anything else.

The small teen rolled his eyes and turned away to head into the kitchen again to grab some food from the refrigerator. The canine still denied him any inkling of attention as he mixed the goat's milk and set up the meat as he'd initially planned for the wolf. He took the two bowls and put them in front of the wolf and Yami raised his head only to eat and drink and then lowered his chin to his paws again. The canine did not care for even a moment to acknowledge him.

The thought was startling and almost stunning to the small teen. He didn't understand how it was that the wolf had given him such an exuberant greeting and yet now refused to so much as glance at him. His ears did not flick. His eyes would not open. He did not wrinkle his nose or sniff in his direction. He did not stretch in the mildest sense either. The small teen felt almost sick for a moment, ignoring the way his stomach knotted before he quickly turned away and dusted himself out.

"Okay, well, now what do you think about going for a walk?"

Yami didn't acknowledge him in the slightest.

The small teen frowned and tilted his head, grimacing seconds later. Then he moved towards the wolf. He grabbed the bowls and dumped them into the sink. And then he went back to approach the animal lying in that makeshift nest. But Yami did nothing more than yawn. He stretched his jaws in a huge gaping formation and to show each of his immense teeth. His paws flexed and stretched and he settled more comfortably, refusing to so much as look at him.

"So I guess now you can let me put a collar and leash on you and we can go outside, right?"

The wolf did nothing to show that he had so much as heard him speak in the first place.

Yugi rolled his eyes and moved into the kitchen. His mom had put them aside on the bookcase that was sitting on the other side of the table. And so he moved over to grab them both and pull them off the piece of furniture. He dusted himself off and shrugged slightly in frustration. He was not sure why he felt the impulse to constantly move, fidgeting where he had not done so in what felt like forever. It was almost bewildering to him that the other male might have brought out such a reaction in him like this.

"Okay, lift your head up, aibou."

But the wolf did not so much as flick an ear. He kept his head lowered on his legs. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing even. He did nothing more than simply shift his weight and ignore the way the wolf looked at him in any manner. And, as the seconds passed and Yugi moved to crouch in front of him, he felt a small sense of apprehension come through him. He reached forward, eyes narrowed slightly, and undid the buckle of the collar.

Yami responded to the unfamiliar noise. His eyes snapped open and he turned and raised his head. But his expression was blank and unreadable as the seconds passed. The wolf did not look at him as if he knew anything about what was going on in any manner. His eyes were wide and confused and his ears pricked forward. But now he began to grow tense and, as Yugi moved his hands towards his neck, the wolf sprang at him.

There was nothing playful about it this time. And Yugi yelped loudly when he felt the teeth bite through his hand. The impact sent a hideous crunching noise through the air and the pain made him almost scream. He jerked his hand away, but the flesh and bones grated and ground beneath the pressure. The blood immediately coated his hand and dripped heavily to the floor. And Yami snarled where he kept the appendage firmly caught within his teeth. He glared at Yugi furiously, hateful and vicious. And the sight of that expression in his eyes was enough to make Yugi freeze in place.

For a long minute Yami did nothing more than glare at him. But, finally, as Yugi dropped the collar away onto the carpet, the wolf slowly pulled his jaws away from the hand. The canine blinked wide eyes, pulling away from him entirely. His eyes were focused on that hideous red that colored the entirety of his hand. And then he scooted back and moved to sit up. He seemed surprised more than angry now and Yugi blinked as he looked down at it as well.

The skin was covered in red but half of it seemed to hang off his hand entirely. And the muscle was broken and pulled apart hideously in layers of dark red and grizzle. White shone there in bare fragments, much of it crushed almost to a fine powder. Yugi blinked at it, tilting his head, and frowned as he slowly raised his eyes back to the wolf in front of him.

"Okay…so I take it that you don't want to go for a walk."

Yami blinked at him, ears flicking back and forth before flattening on his skull. The wolf looked back at his hand again. And Yugi did the same, grimacing. The wolf had all but crunched the bones directly across his entire palm, from his wrist to his knuckles, crushing and fracturing them. And the torn muscle was clearly shredded away where Yugi had tried to remove his hand. And he could see where the wolf's canines had broken through the skin and tugged much of the flesh between his thumb and index finger. It was stunning to see the damage, in truth.

It looked worse than it probably was, he realized.

But the bones were definitely broken. There was a long and faint tingling that was rapidly growing stronger as the seconds passed. He knew for a fact that the wolf was simply watching him at this rate, but his hand was trying to heal itself regardless. He felt sick as he raised his other hand to cup the bloodied appendage. He wanted to wash it but the thought of moving was almost bewildering to him. He was not sure that he could possibly do such a thing at the moment. It felt stunning and dizzy for a brief second or two. His heartbeat was faster in his chest, leaping into his throat. He felt dizzy as he looked it over for a moment.

Then he shrugged it off and closed his eyes and shook his head.

"So, I guess walking you anytime soon is not a good idea, huh? No walking you around in a collar and leash anytime soon, huh?" he muttered, feeling sick and dizzy as he shook his head slowly and thought to get to his feet again. The wolf blinked at him, confused and bewildered by the way that the two of them stared at one another blankly. "Damn it, aibou, why the hell did you have to do that?"

The wolf flattened his ears against his head and angled his head downward. Yugi would have assumed he was planning to lash out again had it not been for the fact that the canine had closed his eyes and his body was too relaxed for such a thing. He was not prepared to lunge at him and perhaps bite through his flesh again. Instead he was visibly shaken and Yugi swore the wolf seemed full of regret that Yugi himself was stunned by. But then he shrugged it off and sighed softly.

"It's okay," he sighed, though he did wonder now he was meant to deal with the broken bones. He did not know how to set the bones or if that were somehow necessary. He had no idea if he would have chipped fragments left under his skin when it healed itself. He had no idea how it would work as he'd never had such a wound to deal with before. It was enough to wind him as he looked over at Yami curiously for a moment. Was it possible that his hand might mend itself wrong?

Was that a thing?

Yugi hummed softly and got to his feet after a few moments, feeling sick to his stomach. He hesitated, watching the wolf for a long handful of minute. The canine blinked and tilted his head and watched him curiously and found him staring at him now in turn. Yami kept his ears flattened and he shifted his weight awkwardly. Yugi wondered if perhaps the wolf might have been anxious to know what his response would be in any manner.

He almost looked as if he might expect him to lash out and hit him at some point. And the thought made him bristle for the briefest of moments. Then he shrugged it off and forced himself to turn and make his way towards the sink. When he reached out and turned the knob, his fingers soaked it and smeared bright red. He put the water on warm and glanced over his shoulder towards the wolf in the living room.

The water burned his hand where it soaked his skin and the bones stung where he continued to rinse it away. The lycanthrope looked towards the microwave clock and turned away again, keeping his hand beneath the faucet. The water pressure was numbing for a moment or so and he watched the way the steel basin was colored bright red. The mixture was disgusting to look at the drain there. His lips pulled downward into something of a grimace. Then he ran his other hand beneath the faucet to rinse it of the blood he'd caught in his palm before. Now he simply watched the water fall rather lazily.

A bone fragment broke away and splattered into the drain as well, one of them sticking to the basin's surface. It startled him to see it. The water around that single fragment was bright red. The sight of the rim of the drain was stained slightly pink and he shook his head slowly in bewilderment. His eyes narrowed as he turned away and looked at the faucet unhappily.

When he turned off the water, the damage was more grotesque in definition than it was anything else. It surprised him how much worse it looked than it truly felt. As he prodded lightly at the skin, he found that much of the pain was fading entirely from his nerve endings. There seemed to be nothing painful in the light touches and Yugi narrowed his eyes further. His lips pulled downward into a deepened grimace. Then he shook his head and looked down at the wound once more.

The skin was loose and flapping where it had been considerably torn open. It looked almost like melted cheese like what was visible of a pizza slice fresh out of the oven. He wanted to smile at the thought but it almost made him want to vomit. So he simply shrugged it off and rolled his hand this way and that. And his stomach knotted as he did so, because the sight of it was incredibly painful to consider more than it truly felt. The pain was so artificial that it seemed almost phantom-like in a sense.

And the muscles beneath it were bright red, torn and pulled taut where his skin was trying to fix itself. Yugi grimaced and shook his head, grimacing more deeply than ever. Then he huffed and looked away again. His eyes shot to the wolf who was still seated there watching him now. He tilted his head and rolled his eyes as Yami simply stared back at him. Then he looked his hand over again and looked at the bright white of his bones. It was strange to look at the skeleton there. It was stunning, in fact, because, as he watched, the bones seemed to press upward and force itself inward and then outwards. It seemed to shed the fragments almost like a lizard might their loose skin. They fell away entirely like flakes of skin and the bone beneath it seemed to be almost brighter, more fortified in some way. The blood began to pulse from the torn muscle surrounding each exposed touch of bone.

The red overcame every speck of white, soaking it away from sight. Yugi considered it for a long moment as the red began to thicken. It no longer looked liquid, pressing into a more solid formation. When Yugi was curious enough to poke it, it made his eyes widen to thrice their usual size. His mouth opened and closed twice. Then he tilted his head further to the side. He could see various muscles knitting together, soothed once more by bright red blood where it began to harden and grow thicker, into muscle rather than liquid. And it was enough to make his mouth dry as he continued to stare.

Yugi was still watching, which was why he missed it. His head snapped up and turned only when she was already at his side. He nearly flinched and jumped away, heart in his throat. His stomach was rolling and his heart was beating too quickly. He had instinctively moved to shield his wound from her eyes but it did nothing to stop her from spotting it. He'd moved too slowly. The wound was all but imprinted in her mind now as she stared blankly at the torn muscle there. He grimaced and looked down again.

"He bit you again?" she grumbled. But she seemed more amazed by the sight in front of her rather than as angry as she might have been before. The wolf continued to stare at them both with his ears flat against his head, waiting with a somewhat bewildered expression. The lycanthrope kept his eyes on his wound and leaned slightly against the sink.

"I startled him."

"And then he mauled your hand."

"I scared him. I would have done the same if I was in his place. He did what any animal would have. A cat would have clawed my hand open if I'd startled them. It's not that big a deal." He paused and glanced at Yami sideways. "I don't think he honestly meant to anyways. And he looks pretty upset about it himself. He hasn't moved since I came over here to clean it so I think he knows that he did it by accident. It's not like I'm not healing from it, though."

Kasumi looked at him as if she didn't even know what the hell he was. Then she slowly shook her head, as if somehow the action might help him to calm down in some manner. Her blue eyes flickered to the wolf now as well. "That's nice and all, but he shouldn't have done it regardless."

Yugi huffed. "I punched Jonouchi in the face a while back when he scared me. It was an automatic reaction. I felt bad afterward. I'm not going to get upset over something as simple as that." He ran the water over his hand again, the flesh pale and slightly red where it was mended together. It was a bright pink everywhere that Yami had punctured his skin, but the torn flesh was pulled together completely and he did not feel the slightest tingle of pain from the touch. There was no residual ache from the wound. And he was relieved to see that as he closed his eyes and leaned more pointedly against the sink. The metal was cold like ice cubes and it helped him feel better to regain his balance in this conversation. He turned to his mother again. "He's just acting like he's supposed to. I honestly don't mind that he did it. But that's why you and Grandpa shouldn't get too close to him like that. He might bite you and then you'll become infected and that's not a happy thing."

But he held his tongue about how much nastier it could have been.

He didn't honestly know that Yami might stop if he managed to knock one of them over. The reality of it was that Yami was wounded and he was still incredibly thin. He might not have been starving in the same manner as he had been before, but he could not discount the possibility that the wolf might very well simply lunge and kill them. He did not know for even a moment that there would be any hesitation should it come to his mind to kill them. He could not say for sure that Yami would not do it should he feel cornered enough or that they were an easy enough target. He had no idea. Yami right now was a kaleidoscope of things and half of them did not make any sense to Yugi as it was.

It was odd to him to even consider that something of that magnitude might happen. Had he thought that Yami was healthy enough, he would never have once considered so much as having to tell them to avoid him. He would have been fine to let them simply sit near him, feed and give him water and then leave him alone. But it was more dangerous than that. Yami was powerful even if he was physically weak. His jaw power was immense. His ferocity was overwhelming. His thin frame did nothing to temper his strength. He was as powerful as he could be in such a state. And now that he was moving around again, it was only a matter of time before he might be able to lash out should something go wrong. If his mom or grandpa made the wrong move towards him or scared him at some point, it was fully possible that Yami might turn on them.

He was a cornered animal no matter how someone looked at it.

Yami was in a small living room. He was in an area that was not familiar to him any longer. He was reliant on the three humans in the building looking after him. He was in a territory that was not alike his desired one by any means. And it did not help that Ishizu had mentioned he had been hiding behind fears and terrors before then. If he were still doing that at the moment, there was the possibility that the wolf still pictured much of the things within the house to be far more alike the labs.

Yugi nearly flinched at this realization, feeling shaken and stunned.

He had never considered that before then. He had not even thought for a moment about the fact that perhaps Yami thought the house to be far too much like the labs than anything else. It would explain his fear of the collar and leash that could further validate his overall terror of things. He would simply lie in place, would refuse to move for much of the time. He would try his hardest not to make any noise. He would ignore them and he gave them that warning blow of a muzzle-punch before he would go for the second hand with his teeth.

Yugi reached his hands up to run his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "I think he's honestly pretty scared right now." And now he realized why Yami was staring at him in such a manner as well. When his eyes flickered over to the wolf still regarding him with dark red eyes, Yugi felt sick. He was still watching as silently as ever, but when his eyes fell upon him again, the black wolf flattened his ears and lowered his head slightly. The small teen could see it now. He understood the reason he was staring at him for the moment. He was scared and expected Yugi to punish him. He was ready to cower beneath whatever physical blow Yugi would rain down on him. Yugi looked towards his mom again. "I think he's just a lot more fearful than you'd expect of him. And I think it'd be safer for you guys if you didn't go anywhere near him for a little while. I don't think he's going to attack anyone but he's kind of…unstable I guess."

"Unstable?" his mom muttered. "He's lost his fucking mind, more like it. Just look at your hand!"

The small teen huffed. "It's healed already. It's not even a big deal. And it's not like him harming me does anything. I'm not going to get infected again or something like that. The lycanthropy can't get worse. It's not like it's going to hurt me to have him bite me if that happens. There's no reason to be upset with him to begin with. It's not a big deal."

"Are you serious, Yugi? He tore your hand open."

"And now it's completely healed." He held his hand up and showed it off to let her look at each and every angle of it. "There's no problem with it now. No blood, no pain. It's fine. It doesn't even look like it was ever hurt in the first place, right? See? It's fine. It doesn't matter."

"You're an idiot," his mother snarled, turning on him with furious eyes. "You're a fucking moron. I raised a fucking moron."

Yugi blinked wide eyes but didn't respond, knowing better than to engage in this. She would rant for a few minutes and then calm down again and she would still be furious but she wouldn't say that anymore. He'd walked into such conversations between his mother and grandfather before and he was not willing to think for even a moment that it would be a good idea to begin arguing with her. He did not think either that he had the energy to fight with her as it was. It was a terrible idea to take his ragged mind and attempt such a thing to begin with.

It was disgusting to think for even a moment that he might be able to match her blow for blow should it turn into a complete verbal attack. So he simply looked over at the wolf with wide eyes. The canine in the living room was watching him with dark eyes. He still looked incredibly unnerved, as if he was expecting Yugi to cross the room and hit him upside the head or perhaps even shock him with a taser. He felt sick at the thought and shook it off as quickly as he could.

---

Yugi was exhausted when he slowly made his way into his mother's room. It was still as small and meticulous as it always was, cleaner than ever. The lycanthrope blinked in surprise and tilted his head, curious as he stepped a little closer to the bed. He hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the bathroom where he could hear her moving about. He heard the faucet turn on and he could hear her brushing her teeth seconds later. He took a seat after a moment and slowly kicked along the carpet uncomfortably, fidgeting now.

He'd been trying to plan on what it was that he wanted to tell her for the last two days. He had wanted to explain to her more in depth what it was that had happened, why it was that he had decided to shelter Yami in the manner he did. But he knew for a fact that it was not only the emotional attachment he had to him. But to speak out loud why it was that he was so willing to help him felt like it would lessen the degree of its importance. And so he simply shook the thought away.

But asking his grandfather had gotten him nowhere. Yami had interrupted whatever he had been about to say when he'd thrown the bowl of goat's milk through the air as he had. Yugi looked at the floor for a long moment, grimacing as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair. It was enough to drive him crazy. He felt sick to his stomach as he looked towards the doorway. She was rinsing her toothbrush again. When she hit it against the porcelain in order to shake the water away, Yugi found himself almost stiff with tension and a bristle which would not leave him.

His mouth was dry as she came out into her room again. Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of him. Then she glanced slowly towards the door as if she'd expected it to be open and for Yami to be seated nearby watching them. Then her brow rose slightly as her eyes drifted back over to him. She tilted her head but Yugi simply stared at her in response.

"I wouldn't be in here if it wasn't important," the small teen stated without preamble, looking at her with a slight narrowing of his eyes. It was in the corner of his eyes, a slight crinkling which said he was trying his hardest not to fidget. She knew it from the way he'd done it when he was nervous about talking to her about something. "And I need to explain to you what's going on. Because I realize that I'm leaving you in the dark with a lot of it. And I'm sorry for that. But I don't know how else I'm supposed to deal with this."

"You should have tried asking for help before all of this started happening, don't you think?"

"I think that you wouldn't really have understood then just like you don't right now," the small teen answered quietly, shaking his head before drawing in a deep breath and slowly exhaling. He looked down at the carpet and kicked at it lightly with another rapid shake of his head. "That's not where I went wrong, Mom. I was just trying to protect someone I cared about…"

She blinked at him, about to open her mouth. But then Yugi slowly looked up from the corner of his eye and stared at her with the darkest blue-violet eyes she'd ever seen on his face before. She grimaced as her son refused to tip his head back up.

"You always taught me to value and protect people and things I care about," he mumbled. "So I did that."

Kasumi stared at him for a long moment. She almost said that he should not have used that as an excuse of such magnitude as it was. But then she fell silent, looking away with darkened eyes and a purse of her lips. It was not wrong to consider that perhaps Yugi was right in saying this. She might not have known all the details, but it had to be no different from her lashing out at Mazaki in order to keep him from turning his eyes on her son. It had to be a rather similar belief in the need to protect Yami that had guided his hand to do such a thing. And the thought nearly made her grimace as she closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"You couldn't have changed anything that happened, Mom." The words were said with absolute certainty but it was not enough to make her open her eyes. She shook her head slightly and Yugi continued in the same tone, words quiet and soft. "Even if I hadn't begun helping Yami, I would have been bitten anyways. I would have still been running off on my own every month. I might not have missed as much school until the last second, but I would have been forced to eventually. And I would never have known how to deal with the hunters that have been trailing me around all this time."

Kasumi opened and raised her eyes slowly to regard him with a single tilt of her head. She blinked at him slowly, then furrowed her brows slightly with a shake of her head. "Hunters?" she repeated quietly, exhausted now. She wanted to sit down but to do that meant that she'd want to lay down and that just seemed somehow as if it might weaken her to whatever Yugi might say. So she simply looked at him and hoped that she didn't end up having her legs buckle beneath her weight. "Like poachers?"

Yugi frowned and then shrugged, nodding. "Yeah, I guess that analogy works pretty well. They do tend to skin the victims and then sell their coats, so I guess poacher is the most alike the whole thing." He hesitated. "But I don't think I could have survived at all if it wasn't for Yami. I think I would have gotten killed if it had not been for him."

"Why are they after you? Just because you're a wolf?"

The lycanthrope opened his mouth, looking at her with darkened eyes, then hesitated and closed it again. Then he looked away and pursed his lips before turning to her with a grimace. "Yeah, it's mostly because of that. I don't think that half of them know who I actually am," he finally mumbled. "But I do know that they really like my fur. Apparently it's a really nice color."

Kasumi tilted her head. She wanted to ask but some part of her despised the idea of doing so. If she acknowledged that her son turned into a wolf every month she felt she might vomit with dismay. There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to turn a blind eye to the very fact that the wolf in the living room was a boy that her son had somehow fallen in love with. And the thought of this was enough to make her mouth dry as she looked back at him.

"And a lot of them like Yami's fur too," he said quietly, watching her with those same darkened eyes. She felt sick as she looked back at him, because he spoke so calmly now that it was almost horrifying to her. How could he simply accept that these people were trying to kill him for the sake of skinning him and selling his fur? "But there's also… If any of them actually know that I'm running around as the leader of the pack in the woods, then I'm sure they'd be trying to catch me for that too. But you mentioned a while back that there had been rumors about kidnappings and things like that when you were only eleven or a little older, right?"

Kasumi blinked in bewilderment before slowly nodding. Yes, she remembered that. She had spoken to him about that beforehand. She felt sick to her stomach for a long moment, staring at him in response. She grimaced and nearly shook her head. Her eyes were glued to the lycanthrope in front of her now. She remembered that conversation, how she had admitted to hearing about those kidnappings and things of that nature.

"I remember the conversation," she muttered. And now she could not stop thinking of the fact that they'd spoken about the proposed jaw pressure and the possibility of the killers releasing dogs on the victims when they were long-dead. She remembered telling him that there had been those rumors of someone experimenting on dogs and importing all of those illegal animals into Japan. They still had no true leads. They had no names to pin the possibility of these things to or a face to try to point their finger towards. They had experimented on the dogs, had been working to create far more powerful canines than was natural.

The rumors had died down after a long while. No one had spoken about it after the year that Yugi was born. But the kidnappings had grown a million times more frequent. Tourists were snatched up. Honshu children were stolen away. Hokkaido residents would find their neighbors or friends long gone without a trace. But it had been just as bad the few years before Yugi had come to exist. She had been horrified to hear that one or two of her own friends had been snatched away in the middle of the night. They'd lived alone, and someone had spotted them sometime late one night as they'd seemingly headed for the park.

But they'd never made it. Someone had claimed that a black car had come about and a dog had been released from the back seat. Her friends had been attacked and forced into the car. They had sped off after that. But no one had more details than that. And the descriptions of the car never seemed to match up with anything. The reality of it was enough to make her own parents tell her to be careful about anyone she crossed paths with or how they wanted to be sure she knew their phone numbers, the house number, the police number and various others in order to help to keep her safe.

But it had always been teenagers to be kidnapped, she remembered. It was truly only within the age groups of fifteen or sixteen and older. They had been stolen away as so many others had before them. Because, while only teenagers were snatched from school, the tourists varied in ages. Their kidnappers had seemed not to care for the Americans or Russians or whoever might have been visiting. They would simply snatch them up, no matter the age, no matter the nationality. They would simply steal them away.

There had been ideas that some of them had gotten lost and others might have run off on their own. But the amount of tourists to disappear and the fact that only teenagers native to Japan were stolen away had proven otherwise. And she could remember more or less that every time she'd heard about the events, it was by witnesses who had seen a large dog of some kind. None of them had ever known what kind of dog it was, but now Kasumi understood.

They were not native to Japan any longer, because they'd been hunted to extinction long before.

But they were back on the islands.

They were wolves, not just common dogs.

They were wolves.

She still had no idea what kind of language was spoken to command the wolves to attack and force their captives back into the car. It was enough to make her skin crawl to even consider. But part of her wondered about the idea of the shock collars. Were they truly utilized to make the wolves do as they demanded of them? Or was it somehow something else entirely which caused this? What if they did it for the sake of something sadistic and disgusting between them as well?

She shook her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.

"I feel like I honestly should have known," she admitted after a long moment, somewhat reluctant as she shook her head again. Yugi blinked and tilted his head in bewilderment at the statement and she sighed as she took a seat next to him. There were a few inches of space between them, a distance there which helped to create a mild barrier. It was comforting to her, though she knew she should never have felt that way to begin with. "There were times when you were growing up that I thought you acted more like a puppy than you did a little boy."

Yugi blinked in bewilderment, head turning and eyes widening in surprise. "What?"

Kasumi shrugged, feeling almost small and uncertain as her son stared at her so pointedly. She wanted for a moment to deny ever having said the words in the first place. But another part of her sure of the words and she did not want to argue in any manner. So she simply shook her head and closed her eyes tiredly. "There were times when you would act like a little puppy," she repeated, though not as exactly and with growing exhaustion in her tone. She shook her head slowly and narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes, when you were in trouble you would sit in the corner and wait for us to yell. And sometimes, you would act as if you had not seen us in years if we came into the room after leaving you alone for a few minutes. You always heard things that the rest of us didn't. You were near-sighted when you were younger. And you tended to sniff at things before you would touch anything. Once, when Dad showed you to Yoshimori, you sniffed his fingers before you'd shake his hand."

Yugi blushed slightly, eyes widening drastically. The shadows were dancing behind his eyes, twisting and writhing with thoughts. She wondered if he remembered any of what had happened. Kasumi wondered if perhaps her son was trying to remember these things by mere suggestion. But she did not care to ask him anything to do with the subject. It was disturbing to consider it at all.

She wondered if maybe it would have been better to simply ignore it altogether now. Maybe she should have just shut her mouth after that and refused to speak again. Some small part of her wondered if perhaps that was the better idea than continuing this conversation.

"I guess it doesn't actually matter," she muttered now, shaking her head and reaching up to play with the ends of her short hair. She sighed softly and leaned back in a position as if she might lie down entirely. Then she shook her head again and looked away from him. "You're alive now because Yami bit you. You didn't get killed from whatever incident it was that happened. I don't know how I'm supposed to thank him for making you into some mythological creature. But I guess I probably should when he's healthier and ready for me to do that, huh?"

Yugi opened his mouth to answer, then faltered at the very idea before slowly shaking his head and lowering his eyes. "You don't have to thank him." He fell quiet, wondering if he at that point, in her place, would have even considered doing such a thing. He knew she was fed up with his lying and running off. He knew how much he had stepped on her toes. And he could not pretend to be unaware of just how terribly he'd snapped at her and lost his temper various times. He drew in a deep breath and reached up to scratch at his chin. "I'm sure he already knows you're grateful that I'm still here."

Did it sound as bitter and tired as he thought it did?

It must have because her eyes widened in shock at his tone before his mother shook her head slowly and looked away. "I guess so," she said reluctantly a moment or two later. She sighed and watched him from the corner of her eye. "I was thinking that you two both have to be pretty exhausted after all of that crap that's been happening to you, huh?"

He frowned, puzzled by this direction of conversation. "Yeah. He's got to be pretty over it all. And I can't say I blame him or anything if that's how he feels," he admitted, clearing his throat slightly. He wondered if the wolf was listening to them, if he understood any of the words. It made him nervous to consider for a brief moment or two. Then he shrugged it off and smiled at her. "I don't think he knows how grateful I am, though. Sometimes I think he kind of wonders if I blame him for half of the stuff that's happened."

Kasumi was quiet for a long handful of minutes. Then she tilted her head. "You don't?"

"I did," Yugi said quietly. "I really used to. I would blame a lot of things on him biting me. I always blamed bad luck on anyone besides myself. And I think that's why I didn't want to tell you in the first place. I didn't want him to know that I felt that way or to let you or Grandpa realize that. It seemed safer not to bring it up, because then I could ignore it. And that would help me pretend that life was the same at home at the very least. Of course it never was. And I should have tried harder to think of a way to keep you from feeling like you were losing me. But I…I didn't know how. And now it's far too late to try to go back and change anything."

His mother nodded slightly, looking away with darkened eyes. "You always did tend to hide when things got too rough for you." she commented dryly. "I always thought maybe it was your dad who gave you that trait. I'm beginning to realize it's one of my traits instead."

Yugi grimaced. "I don't think of it as a terrible thing. I think it helps a lot in keeping me from imploding under all of the stress." He hesitated, unsure of what more to say. Then he sighed and lowered his eyes to the carpet again. He kicked his legs as if he were a small child and hated himself for the briefest of seconds for the ache which crept through him. He wished he was young enough that his feet no longer touched the floor and he could kick his legs and never feel them touch the carpet until he jumped down again. Times were so much simpler back then. Back then he would never have had to tell his mom he'd been bitten by a werewolf. Back then he would never have dreamed that he'd fall in love with another guy like he had. He shook his head and turned to her again.

Despite the pain and the disdain and the overall discomfort that came from the situation in and of itself, he could not find it within himself to regret even a second of it. He would have had to turn his back on Yami in order to do such a thing. And he would have had to suppress the confidence he'd grown into or the reality that he could see the gray patches between the black and white of life again. Because, by the gods, he had never thought of how much he'd simply suppressed such a thing formerly. He'd forced himself to see things in black and white again, forced himself to simply care only when it directly affected him in some way. And now he found himself feeling almost sick with the reality that should he fall back on such thoughts, he would be destroying half of the person he was slowly but surely becoming.

He drew in a deep breath. "I know that you're planning to go spend time outside of Domino," he said quietly. His words were enough to make her raise and turn her head, eyes wide with shock at the soft declaration. He searched her eyes for only a moment, then smiled as he tilted his head. "I don't blame you for that. I know that this is a lot to take in and it's pretty overwhelming. I would probably try to take time away if I were you too. But I didn't want you to feel like I didn't appreciate everything or that I don't still love you."

She blinked, stunned by the words. Then her blue eyes widened a bit further and her lips pulled into a tight line. There was something vaguely fearful, almost horrified, within her gaze, and Yugi wished he could have alleviated the burden. But he could not find the words and his heart hurt as he considered her. Then Kasumi cleared her throat and looked away with a simple shake of her head.

"I was going to spend some time with Arthur," Kasumi finally muttered. She looked exhausted now that Yugi was truly studying her expression. The small teen nodded slightly. He trusted Mr. Hopkins. He could live with her being there. And it was not as if he would ever expect his mom to cheat, more that it was simply he'd been fearful she might choose someone less…trustworthy. Arthur, he knew, would never have anything to do with the underground lab or the wolves being tortured and experimented on. His morals were too strong, if nothing else. The fact that she had chosen to go there with him was a relief that Yugi almost trembled beneath the reality of. "It'll be a couple of days—aweek at the most. But I just need some time to get my head wrapped around this."

Yugi nodded slightly. "Uh…should probably mention that I also bit Jonouchi at one point," he muttered, clearing his throat and ignoring the shocked expression on his face. "He was almost dead so I just…bit him. Uh, beyond that, Honda and Anzu are not infected!"

Kasumi rolled her eyes as the words connected in her head. Then she shook her head and smirked at him slightly. "That's…nice of you to spare two of your friends," she snickered wryly. "I wasn't honestly expecting to hear that you'd bitten him. But I guess it makes sense. He is the most dog-like out of your friends."

The small teen nearly choked on his laughter. He pressed his lisp into a thin line, trying to suppress the guffaws, cleared his throat awkwardly, and then turned away with flushed cheeks. "Jesus," he muttered under his breath. "The sad part about that is he looks like a golden retriever with pointy ears when he's a wolf too."

His mother burst out laughing. "That's great," she snorted. "Did you tell him he looks like a dog no matter what?"

Yugi snickered. "I did, actually. Although, honestly, Anzu takes the lead with dog jokes about Jonouchi. And then I get to laugh at him that he looks like a big goofy dog when he's a wolf." He shook his head, falling silent after a moment. Then he looked back over at her and sighed. "Anyways, I guess I'll go ahead and feed Yami and then you can finish packing. Just be careful when you're alone or anything like that. I don't think they're kidnapping anyone older than teenagers but I don't know for sure. And you could pass for a teenager anyways, so…"

Kasumi snorted and shook her head. "Right," she muttered. "I could pass for a teenager if they were blind and too stupid to wipe their glasses."

Her son burst out laughing as he got to his feet. He had the nervous impulse to dust himself off, much as he had being around Yami before then. It made him slightly uncomfortable as he licked his lips and glanced at the door. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Be careful though, okay? I don't want to find out that anything might have happened to you when you weren't here with us."

His mom was quiet for a long minute. Yugi was already halfway to the door when he heard his name again. Immediately he turned around, eyes wide and head tilted in slight puzzlement. The two of them blinked at each other. And then he swallowed thickly as his stomach knotted briefly.

"I want you to promise to be safe too. You need to stay safe, too, okay?" she said quietly. Her eyes searched his face for a long moment and then she sighed and shook her head. "You need to promise me that you're going to stay safe and not do anything reckless. I don't care if it might mean someone else gets hurt, I want you to take care of yourself first and foremost."

He remembered the conversation from a long time ago. He'd gotten hurt in middle school for protecting Honda and Jonouchi from Ushio. He'd been covered in blood and bruises, nearly concussed from the entire event. Honda and Jonouchi had actually walked him back to his house and knocked on the door before fleeing. And when Yugi had finally admitted to what had happened, denying her initial fears that he'd joined a gang himself, she had said something similar. But she'd also told him that she no longer wanted him anywhere near the two of them. She had said that she would rather see him doing drugs when he was only fifteen than his being around them.

She'd settled down when she'd met them, as Honda had proven himself far from the delinquent type. And Jonouchi was rough around the edges, but she'd still managed to look past this if only for Yugi's happiness.

"I will," he answered quietly, nodding. But part of him ached and his heart felt raw where it beat in his chest. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched her. "I'll stay safe, Mom."

There was a long minute in which he thought that perhaps she might call him out on his blatant lie. He felt like she knew and understood that this was nothing he could truly promise to her. He felt that she understood that Yugi would not turn his back on Jonouchi or Honda or Anzu or Yami or anyone else that might need his help. He wouldn't have done it before, but now he especially could not find it in himself to believe for even a moment that he could keep this promise. And the way she looked back at him with something resigned and defeated told him that she truly did understand that as well.

He drew in a deep breath, thinking to say something more, then faltered and looked away. He turned on his heel, mumbling a soft apology under his breath. But he did not know what he was truly saying sorry for. He did not know if it was because of his lying to her about being able to protect himself at all costs or something else. It could have been for all of the lies before. It could have been for breaking her heart beforehand in changing so much. It could have been for cutting her off so entirely as he had. It could have been for bringing Yami there and lying to her so frequently. He did not truly know. He could not truly know. None of it made any true sense to him. His apology was emptier than he cared to admit and it hurt to know this. His belly ached as he opened the door and stepped outside the room.

In the small hallway, a few feet away, was a shape tall and lanky but closer to the ground than himself. Yugi blinked, startled, at first riddled with a sense of shock and bewilderment. And then his eyes grew wide and his mouth threatened to curl into a grin. The wolf was incredibly tall, long limbs and a thin body, with a pelt that was steadily growing regardless of his wounded state.

Perhaps he needed the fur to keep himself insulated rather than truly healing himself for the moment. Or perhaps his body was simply so messed up after the poison had gotten through his veins that it was splitting the task of healing with regenerating his fur. Yugi had a feeling it was the former, however, and that Yami was only growing his hair back so quickly because it would help to aid him later in his necessity to aid his core temperature. If he grew his hair back, he would be less likely to either overheat or grow cold.

That was a relief in and of itself, no matter how Yugi looked at it.

It might have been second to the wounds themselves in his mind, but it was happening regardless. And if Yami was stabilized in his temperature it might also do well to help him grow stronger faster. That was a possibility, was it not? Yugi was sure that it was a truth of which he had not quite considered before then. He felt that it had to have some kind of truth in some fashion. He knew it had to. There was no way that he would simply grow his hair back so much if it was without purpose.

The lycanthropy might not have been a sentient kind of disease, but he was sure that it responded on far more cluster cells and neurological means than most other species possessed. That might have explained the black patches of skin that Yugi saw along his shaved body, though now they were peppered with long guard hairs that lacked a fluffy undercoat for the moment. They were littered across his body, mostly along the surface of his major arteries, however. His jugular was coated in them, so tightly clustered it was almost as if he had never been shaved there to begin with. His wrists were covered. His back legs were darkened with them. All along his face and skull they were littered as well.

Yugi was not sure what the discoloration did. He didn't know if there was some kind of special purpose it served. But they were little black spots, raised slightly from the surrounding skin almost like the most miniscule of zits. And in their bases was the hair, where there was the smallest deflated core almost like a crater or a pock mark of some kind. It was odd, almost like a mole, he supposed.

"What are you doing over here, aibou?" he asked with a tilt of his head. His brow rose and he smiled warmly at the wolf. The canine pricked his ears forward and tilted his head in surprise. He shifted his weight and tipped his nose towards Yugi, wriggling the muscle softly as he considered him. His eyes were like dim lights within the darkness and his head tilted further to the side. There was a single wag of his tail after a long second and then his ears flattened and he opened his mouth to allow his tongue to loll. "I thought you'd stay in the living room."

"He got up and wandered over there about ten minutes ago," Sugoroku commented from behind him in the kitchen. The small teen's head snapped up, eyes widening. His grandfather was standing a few feet away behind the wolf. He was smiling slightly as Yami continued to stare up at Yugi. And the small teen blinked in bewilderment at the sight. "I think he got curious about where you had gone."

Yugi tilted his head, because somehow the words sounded dubious to him. He did not understand why it was that the wolf might have become curious regarding him. Yami had never seemed too thrilled with him beyond earlier that morning. When he had leaped at him and tackled and played with him for all of those few seconds. But then he had wandered away again and lied down and bitten him not even thirty minutes later. So he doubted that Yami had become curious about him. That just seemed rather…optimistic towards his reasoning for getting up and approaching him.

And, as he thought this, the wolf lowered his head. His nose was working at the carpet and his eyes were on the fibers now. He did not glance towards Yugi nor did he turn his head to look over towards his grandfather. In an instant he turned away and sniffed at the door that marked the staircase, as if he remembered Yugi carrying him up them at one point or another. Then he turned away entirely and his nails clicked loudly as he made his way through the kitchen and into the living room again. Yugi smiled faintly, then rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't think that's what it was," he muttered with a shrug. "But it doesn't really matter, I guess. He's up and moving around on his own which is a good thing no matter how you look at it."

Sugoroku raised a brow. "Is there a reason that wouldn't have been a good thing?"

Yugi looked at him with a rather slow tilt of his head. His eyes were caught by a stray flash of the kitchen light that was on. And the sapphire blue specks within his gaze made them harsh and almost relentless in the way they bore into his for a moment. Then he blinked and, for the briefest of seconds, the elderly Motou swore to the gods that Yugi's eyes seemed to flatten and grow dull. Then the small teen shook his head slowly and muttered, "If he was still aggressive, there'd be an issue."

The unspoken threat of the situation was enough to make Sugoroku grimace. He glanced briefly towards the living room and back. And then he nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized that Yugi was almost directly in front of him. The small teen blinked at him, surprised by his shock, and then turned away and started to follow the wolf into the living room.

"If he was still aggressive, I don't think a kennel or a crate or anything of the sort would hold him," Yugi admitted quietly, stopping at the edge of the doorway. Sugoroku stared at him, stunned by the statement. When his grandson looked at him over his shoulder, his stomach knotted painfully. "I think he's a lot more likely to have broken through that in a second if he had wanted to."

It was almost impossible to imagine that the emaciated mess of pale skin and sutures would be able to do such a thing. But, as he looked past Yugi and considered the wolf, his mouth grew dry. Yami had taken his eyes off of Yugi and now his gaze was locked on Sugoroku himself. The red of his gaze was dark, like fresh blood beading on the skin, and the stare within them was almost expressionless, yet somehow penetrating enough to make him feel as if he were facing death itself. And he wondered at the sight for a moment, if perhaps the wolf was just that violent and powerful.

When he glanced towards Yugi his grandson seemed to have noticed the color drain from his face because he furrowed his brows and looked towards the wolf as well. But Yami did not take his eyes off of the elderly Motou, red gaze burning and sharp. And, as Sugoroku looked back at him, he felt as if his heart might be skipping beats. Yami made no aggressive movements. He didn't curl his lip. He didn't move to stand. He didn't bristle with the new fur growing on his skin. He didn't blink. He didn't even flick an ear. Yet, somehow, as he simply looked back at him, the elderly Motou felt as if he were being hunted. And he was dizzy as the wolf stared at him unblinkingly.

---

Yugi shook himself out as he padded forward. His fur was slightly raised in a bristle and his lips felt drawn back as he flattened them. He pricked his ears forward and his nose twitched. The canine shook himself out once more and ignored the way his fur seemed laden with the pressure of the cold winter air. He looked about himself, flicking his ears. Without Marik lurking in the woods, without the thought of the traitor killing more wolves, there seemed almost to be a lightness to the forest. The thought that he did not have to deal with the wolf again was enough to make him feel better than ever. He was winded with the touch of relief that came over him now.

Well, hello, a voice commented. He recognized it, relaxing from his slight surprise, and then turned his head. Ishizu was seated a few feet away among the roots of a large tree. She was extremely fox-like in her position, tail around her paws, ears pricked forward and her posture perfectly straight and upright. The she-wolf was staring at him with bright blue eyes. Are you all right, Atem?

Yugi almost bristled for a moment, as if affronted by the very name. Then he blinked and relaxed again, flicking his ears. I am, he said simply. Yami is healing properly and he seems as if he is going to be doing a lot better soon enough. I don't think that there will be too much trouble getting him back to his full health again.

Good. She nodded slightly and moved to stand. Her ears flicked and she watched him for a moment. Then she looked over her shoulder. You came to speak to Slifer, yes?

He bristled now, surprised and alarmed. He thought briefly of the way that Marik had called her a priestess. And he remembered the way she'd admitted to visions, that Ra had touched her and given her such privilege. It made him want to vomit as he looked back at her now. I…I was planning to talk to her about something, yeah, he admitted, feeling flustered as he looked at her with wide eyes. Uh, I wasn't expecting you to be here when I got here.

Ishizu tilted her head and her eyes were soft with a warm smile as she shook her head after a moment. I saw you coming and I figured that I should see you before you meet with her, she stated. Her tail wagged slightly. I did not mean to scare or startle you in any manner, sovereign.

Yugi blinked. Sovereign? he muttered softly. His ears pricked forward and he tilted his head in bewilderment. I'm not—

You are Atem. And you will be leading us into war. The she-wolf paused for a moment, then looked over her shoulder. Yugi wondered if she could sense Slifer coming forward. And these wolves within the pack have come from around the world to see you. They've all broken rank and come to serve you in this fight. If that is not recognition of a ruler, I do not understand what else might be.

The white wolf bristled only faintly, then flicked his ears and shook himself out and watched her with darkened eyes. Oh. The canine shivered and watched her more closely as he tilted his head. He settled and took a seat, pricking his ears forward again. He could not think of a single word to refute her statement. That was what a ruler was, someone who had loyal people beneath them who might fight for them. He understood that and he knew better than to argue once more. I suppose you're right then.

Yes.

He flicked his ears. Yes, Code Name Atem was a sovereign. He was meant to be a deity among them, an absolute monarch of some kind. He was powerful. He was incredibly strong and capable of himself. The wolf shook his head slightly and bristled faintly.

Slifer is coming now. She flicked an ear. I suppose I will see you again later, yes?

And then she turned and began to move away. She was limping more than walking and Yugi immediately thought of Yami crushing her paw between his teeth. He wanted to puke at the realization, then turned his attention away. She moved with a dignity he was not sure many others could have possessed in her place. And, as she traveled further, her limp seemed to all but completely disappear.

Yugi flicked his ears. Yes, I'll see you later.

She did not turn towards him, nor did she respond in any way. And, when he turned his head towards the direction she had originally come, his eyes grew wide. The red she-wolf was coming through the trees in a slow trot, her golden eyes bright with humor. She shook herself out as she stopped in front of him and took a seat in front of him with her ears pricked.

Welcome, Atem, she stated softly, coming to a complete stop in front of him. Her ears were pricked forward as she considered him. Her golden eyes inched across every bit of his skin, crawling upon his form and considering him intently. You seem rather well, perhaps a little stressed or surprised more than anything else, I suppose.

Yugi blinked and pricked his ears forward. Yami is recovering well, he said simply, watching her and wagging his tail slightly with the relief that came of saying such a thing. Yami was recovering well. He was doing incredibly well. He was amazing. He would be healed soon enough. There would be no reason for him to be stressed in any manner later. I don't think that he'll be hurt for too much longer.

Slifer nodded, her golden eyes flashing with something that Yugi could not read. That is good, she said softly. I am glad to hear that. I was concerned he might not heal properly.

Yugi flicked an ear and tilted his head. No, he's doing extremely well now. I don't think it'll be too long before he's running around in the woods again and coming back to the camp to trot around, I guess.

The she-wolf nodded. It is a good thing to hear, she stated simply. But you did not come here to simply tell me that Yami is okay. I know that you did not. So why is it that you have not begun to speak to me about what it is you truly wish to know?

The white wolf hesitated for a moment, then bristled faintly and shook his head slightly. He drew a deep breath and shook his head again as he looked away. Yami doesn't exactly…listen to me, I suppose. He doesn't truly seem to care that much to listen to me in any way. I just…I wanted to know if something is going on with his attitude and demeanor right now…

Slifer blinked and tilted her head. Her ears flicked about for a moment before she finally moved to take a seat and wrap her tail around her paws. She looked small and delicate, with spindly legs and long fluffy ginger fur. Her golden eyes were burning softly into his. Tell me what you truly fear or I will not give you the answers you seek.

He bristled, turning on her furiously. Really, Slifer? You can't just answer the damn question and leave the rest of it alone? he snapped. I should have asked Obelisk for all the help that you're being.

The she-wolf laughed out loud at the statement. If you think for even a moment that he might show you a sense of leniency in this matter, you are sorely mistaken. You are one of our children, but that does not mean that we will be helping you beyond what is necessary. His blue-violet eyes narrowed with disdain. We are not here to baby you in any manner. You are here to lead a war. You are meant to win a war. You are to find answers for yourself rather than rely on others to give them to you. You almost did not realize in time that it was Marik who would try to kill you.

The reprimand made him bristle hatefully. You can't say that, he protested furiously. I suspected him! I knew it was…

Slifer tilted her head further, then turned away from him and snorted loudly. It does not matter. It is over and done with. You have survived the ordeal, whether or not Ra should have intervened as she did.

Yugi bristled. You intervened in the woods when the hellhounds attacked!

I am well aware. She narrowed her eyes. But Marik was a lycanthrope, not a hellhound. In that respect, she should not have intervened.

Obelisk fought Yami to save me.

Slifer shook her head. It does not matter, I suppose. I do not care to discuss this any longer. The point is that, should you wish for answers, you should perhaps think to rephrase your inquiry and rethink how it is that you wish to ask me.

Yugi bristled for a moment longer, then he forced himself to relax. He turned his face away, shame burning its way through his insides. Then, uncomfortably, looking at her with a sidelong glance, he murmured, Fine. I want to know if there is something wrong with me. The she-wolf stiffened now, bristling slightly and peering at him in mild puzzlement. Yugi drew in a deeper breath, turning away and pricking his ears forward. I know that I would never have been able to change or force the lycanthropy out of dormancy if Yami hadn't bitten me. So I have to wonder if maybe there's something wrong with me in that aspect. Because, as Atem, I understand that I should be able to get his attention far better than I can right now, yes? I mean, truthfully, shouldn't he be willing to listen to me even when he is sick as he is?

The she-wolf blinked again. Then she pricked her ears and bristled faintly before shaking it off. You think that his biting you and your bloodline being dormant has caused you to become more alike a Full-Blood than a Pure-Blood, yes? she stated simply. She flicked her ears and considered him with colder eyes. Then she tilted her head, watching him, and bristled faintly before slowly turning away to the tree trunk. You think that that is what is going on.

Yugi bristled and glared at her, the shame growing furiously in his guts. Yeah, he finally snapped at her. I want to know if maybe that's what's going on. I don't get it if it's not. He should be listening to me, right? He should be listening to me. It shouldn't be so hard just to get him to pay me some attention!

You are overreacting, Yugi, she snorted disdainfully. He may have your heart, but that does not mean that you hold his. If you are truly so intent upon having his attention, perhaps you should do something to truly earn it. You do not seem to understand that perhaps his dismissal of you is not meant to be hurtful but rather that he has no reason to do more than pay you attention for the benefit of food or water.

Yugi bore his teeth, snarling. But the she-wolf simply wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

But you are correct. You may be Atem, but that does not entirely mean that you are as a Pure-Blood is meant to be, she stated simply, softly. She looked away after a moment and sighed loudly before facing him again with darkened golden eyes. Your entire bloodline has been incredibly fractured in the manner of being able to change. It is possible that, perhaps even with the addition of Yami's saliva, you are, in fact, a Full-Blood despite your being a descendant of Ra.

Yugi felt his heart sink. So, if Marik had killed me…?

Slifer tilted her head and considered him for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly and turned away. That would be why Ra interfered. None of us know for certain if you will come back from death should you be harmed to that extent.

He bristled and looked away, unable to face her any longer. His eyes were wide as they stared down at the snow and his fur rose in a shudder as he swallowed hard and his heart lurched in his chest. She had finally said it. That was why Obelisk had come to save him in the labs. It was why Morrigan had come to help him to escape the hunter. It was why Slifer had lured them into the tunnels. It was why Ra had given him the strength to fight Marik.

The blow of his suspicions being correct made him want to sob.

That is not to say that we are certain your demise would be the end of you. It is that we are uncertain that you would come back that keeps us from feeling safe to leave each event to its own unfolding as it was originally decided we would. But then we also failed to consider that you had come from the humans and so your goals and priorities would be very different from those of what we all assumed. And so we had to find a way to counteract this as well. And so we came upon agreement to protect you when we felt that you could not do it yourself.

That honestly doesn't make me feel any better. He hesitated and then turned to her, unnerved. But you're not going to always be there to help me as it is. I know that. You guys aren't going to help me in this war. You might play around at keeping the pack content enough to follow me but you aren't going to fight with us. You aren't going to fight in this war. It's not yours.

Slifer shook her head slowly. You are correct. We shall not aid either side within this war. She was silent for a long minute or two, then pricked her ears and considered him more pointedly. When she craned her neck and ran her tongue over his forehead, he bristled in surprise at the comfort she offered. It is not our war. Our time is not within the present, as you have pointed out before. You are the present and the future and we are the past. The truth of it is that the past and present merging now as it is will end soon enough.

How soon?

The she-wolf shook her head. I do not predict the future. And Ra and Obelisk do not know it either. Perhaps Lupa and Fenrir might. But we are lesser than them. And the future is not meant to be for our eyes, let alone for our tongues to speak of. She fell silent again. But I believe that you will be prepared when it comes to happen.

Yugi bristled slightly. Will either of us make it out of there alive?

Slifer stared at him for the longest time, a breath which never seemed to cease within his lungs. Then she turned away and tilted her head, eyes on the forest beyond his shoulders. I do not have knowledge of this event, Yugi. I do not know enough to tell you whether you or Yami will survive. The most I can tell you now is that you should learn to protect yourself as much as you can. And perhaps that you should bond with the pack more than you have now. Their discontent is rising. They want to know why it is that you and Yami have not been within the camp or anywhere near them for days.

It made him bristle as he looked at her again. You're the goddess of the dead. You can see our lifespans. I know you can. You have to know more than what you're saying right now.

She shook her head. If I had any knowledge of whether you or he might survive that war, do you think that I would have intervened nearly as many times as I have? I would have left you to survive on your own had I any idea whether the two of you might live through these events and trials. But I must tell you that I might see lifespans, but yours and Yami's are not particularly visible to me. I can see each of the other wolves' but I cannot see either of yours.

Yugi flicked an ear, a new thought crossing his mind as he bristled faintly. Then he swallowed hard and moved to take a seat as well, feeling almost winded. If she could not see Yami's lifespan, was it because he had bitten Yugi or because she had lied to him in saying that he was not a Pure-Blood? He remembered her saying at one point before that she had been able to see every moment in his life as it had happened. The future was beyond her in that case. And perhaps she did not see the events to come, nor did any of her siblings. It was possible that none of them saw and knew the things to come to happen…

But then, as the thought left him, his stomach knotted and he turned back to her more pointedly. How long is Yusei's lifespan? he demanded, his voice cracking faintly as his fur rose with a bristle. He felt sick for a moment as he stared at the she-wolf. She did nothing more than tilt her head and consider him curiously. Do you think that he'll survive the war or do you think he won't?

The goddess blinked and shook her head slowly. You almost seem to care for him as much as you do Yami, she teased, but when she was met with a cold stare, she shook her head and pricked her ears forward. I will say that his lifespan is longer than that of many of the others around him. But I do not know what it is that might end his life nor what exact day it might come to pass.

Yugi frowned. What good are you? he grumbled, but it was good-natured for the most part. He shifted his weight and took a seat more comfortably before considering her pointedly. How is the pack?

Discontent and divided, the she-wolf said dismissively. The fact is that they have not properly met you and it upsets many of them. The newer packs and the older ones are getting along for the most part, however. Aki is not happy with the development. She's rather upset with every decision you've made so far, especially concerning them.

Then she can stay upset, Yugi scoffed. I don't need to run my decisions by her for any reason. She is not my beta. Yami is.

Yes, and you upset many of them even further with that decision. She was quiet for a moment. Especially now that he has shown his face again only to run a moment or two later. They are very discontent with this. Aki is not the only one who finds fault with this decision or your logic in allowing him to do these things.

Yugi would have rolled his eyes had he been human. Instead now he simply sniffed. And you can see how concerned I am right now, right? Yeah? I don't really care all that much, honestly. It doesn't make any sense for me to be upset about this. It's stupid, Slifer.

The she-wolf shrugged as if she could not find it within herself to care as it was. I am simply telling you what it is that has begun to happen. She is showing her discontent very clearly among the pack now and I do not know what might come about that later as it is. I simply mean to say that you should watch yourself and anything to come about from her declarations of how unworthy you and Yami both are.

Yugi snorted loudly. Well, thanks for that. But I do not see that it will be too terrible an issue. He hesitated, however, as he thought of just how badly it had turned out with Marik. But Marik had been rather bold in his attempts to kill him and Yugi could not picture Aki taking the same momentum in order to dispatch him. Despite her more arrogant nature, she had done well to simply step aside and allow him whatever it was that he wished to do at the moment in question. She was nasty when it came to her bark but her bite seemed to be rather lacking.

I would not underestimate a scorned female.

He thought for a moment of the phrase that "hell has no fury like a woman scorned" and it made him bristle before he shrugged it off. I don't think I'm underestimating her just yet, he said quietly, trying to completely push away the nerves that came through him. I think for right now she's fine and won't lash out for the moment. I think it would take a bit more for her to truly turn on me.

Slifer flicked her ear. For your sake, I hope you are correct.

---

"What's the use of being Atem if I'm not even immortal?" Yugi hissed at the wolf in front of him. The canine was half-asleep, eyes closed, but the moment the words escaped the small teen's mouth, he blinked them open and raised his head. His eyes narrowed briefly before he wrinkled his lips back slightly. It was clear that he was not comfortable in the slightest. And Yugi found it almost amusing to see the surprise on his face. He looked too sleepy to be completely alert in any manner. "If I'm not immortal, I'm not coming back when I get killed. Do you get that, aibou? I don't get it. I thought between you biting me and Ra's DNA I'd be immortal. But even Slifer admits that she doesn't know."

Yami blinked up at him, then moved slowly to sit up. His back cracked when he did so and Yugi flinched at the sound, his anger immediately forgotten. The canine flicked an ear and faced him with slightly darkened eyes. He blinked up at him again, then opened his jaws into a wide yawn. His eyes flickered about as he looked over his shoulder and turned back. He seemed almost surprise that Yugi might even consider such a tone with him. Or that Yugi was even paying him such intense attention.

The small teen wondered at this possibility. He'd paid him attention like this before. He'd always paid him this much attention from what he could remember. He could not truly think of a time that he had not done so. And the thought made his skin crawl for a brief moment. Yami appeared exhausted more than anything, as if his sleep had been rather erratic than anything else.

Yugi had woken him to feed him, to give him goat's milk and then later cold water. He'd drugged him so that Yami would fall asleep again. And then he'd taken off to find out about his bloodline, about whether the gods themselves had thought to examine his weaknesses before. It exhausted him to even consider it for that brief moment. And so he forced himself not to consider it any longer. He opened his mouth to speak, but the wolf simply yawned again, moving to curl up as he had before.

"Hey, get up," Yugi muttered. The wolf blinked at him lazily from the corner of his eye. He did not seem to care for his words in the slightest. The canine watched him sharply for a long moment. The small teen dusted himself off and frowned. "I need you to get up, aibou. I'm taking you for a walk. You need to get up this time. Or I'll drag you outside by your scruff if I have to."

Yami blinked up at him, then flattened his ears against his head. Yugi flipped his hand over to show his palm and gestured for him to get up. The wolf blinked at him cautiously for a moment, ears pricking forward. They considered each other for a moment longer, then finally the canine shifted his weight and pulled himself to a sitting position once more. He shook himself out when he finally got to his feet again and then tipped his muzzle towards him.

"Good. Now stay there."

Yami did nothing more than yawn and move to stretch himself. He smacked his jaws together after a moment, flashing his tongue over his nose. Then he pricked his ears forward, flattened them against his head, and turned away from him pointedly. The small teen returned a few minutes later, the leash and collar in his hands. He clicked the buckle apart and was relieved when the canine did not seem to respond to the sound as he had before.

But, as he approached him, the wolf flicked his ears and wrinkled his lips back. But it did not seem to be aggressive by any means. As Yugi knelt in front of him and reached beneath his jaws to settle the collar against his neck, the wolf drew his lips back further. He showed bright white teeth and plum-pink gums. His nose wrinkled back slightly and Yugi thought for a moment it looked as if he were trying to smile at him. The thought made him snicker as he clicked the collar in place and tightened it a small degree. When he slipped his fingers beneath the nylon and adjusted it again, the wolf kept his lips drawn back and his eyes on the ground beyond Yugi's shoulder.

He tightened it further, then slipped his fingers beneath until he could only do so with two. When Yami grew healthier, he knew he'd have to loosen it rather drastically. The wolf hardly seemed to have half of the muscles he had before. And he was sure that when it happened, he would be too large for the collar as it was. It hadn't fit Valon either, he remembered…

He clicked the leash to the collar and stood up, admiring his handiwork. Yami's teeth were covered by his lips again in an instant. But he still did not look aggressive in any manner. He looked almost as if he were simply facing Yugi in utmost bewilderment now. "See? I wasn't going to hurt you."

The wolf blinked at him almost as if he were stupid. Then he shook himself out. The jingling of the collar and the leash was like a windchime and the small teen blinked in surprise. He had forgotten that they would make any noise when he did that. And it surprised him to see that it failed to even faze the other in any manner. Yami looked as if he were used to such a thing and had never been without it in the first place.

The thought made his stomach churn for a moment. He tilted his head and watched the canine for a long minute. Then he grimaced slightly and shook his head. Perhaps Yami remembered it from when he'd had him chained to the tie-out in that little cavern. The thought made him want to vomit, bile racing along the path of his throat for a brief moment.

Then he forced himself to shrug it away and turn back to the wolf. But Yami was not paying him attention in the slightest. He had taken a seat on the carpet and did not look as if he might get to his paws again anytime soon. The canine blinked and looked up at him again when Yugi considered him for a long moment.

"Okay, you ready to go for a walk, aibou?"

The wolf did not so much as blink at him. Instead he opened his jaws into a wide gaping yawn and did not move to get up. The small teen rolled his eyes and turned away from him to lead the way out the door. But an instant resistance met him. He blinked and turned around with wide, confused eyes. The canine did not so much as blink at him before yawning again. And Yugi was flustered as his cheeks heated.

The wolf had not even slightly budged.

He wrapped the leash around his hand and pulled. Yami stared at him. His neck jerked, craning from the force. His eyes grew narrow and his lips curled back. But he did not move in any manner. He was not forced forward by the momentum. And Yugi tugged harder. This time Yami budged. His paws hit the carpet and his shoulders and head were pulled forward from the force. The wolf snarled loudly, almost like thunder rolling or fire crackling. And then he pricked his ears forward and snapped his teeth at the air.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Come on, get up. We need to get a move on," he snapped at him. "I'm going to take you outside. You're going to walk with me on a leash. And then we're going to spend some time having fun and ignoring each other, okay?"

The canine flicked his ears and drew his lips back to show his sharp teeth once more. His fur rose along his tail as he snarled again. And then he moved to stand. Yugi tugged just as the wolf ducked his head and pulled back. The instant reaction was that the wolf was forced forward. He snarled and bit at the air again. And the small teen pulled harder.

But then he lowered his head again, snarled, and thrashed his muzzle about. Yugi watched, stunned by the display. Yami looked almost as if he were tearing a chunk of meat from a carcass. His teeth were brilliant white. His eyes were flashing hideously. His mouth had chomped shut seconds before. And then he backed up a step. And the collar caught along his cheeks. It did not go further for a moment. It took only a simple step back once more.

And then the nylon slipped right over his head.

Yugi had since grown still in his desire to watch him move about as he was. But then the canine was staring at the small teen with dark red eyes. He did not seem to be angry in even the slightest. Instead he looked almost amused as he simply flicked his tongue over his nose and tilted his head. Then he took a seat comfortably and craned his neck forward to sniff at the air in front of him.

"Shit."

Yami looked back at him as if he were sneering. He seemed more amused than anything any longer. It seemed almost as if he were laughing rather than angry. And his eyes were locked on Yugi once more. He looked almost peaceful in his seated position as they peered at one another. His ears were pricked forward, his head was tipped slightly to the side, his eyes were half-closed. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"Seriously?" he muttered in annoyance. The wolf flicked an ear and refused to look at him in any other manner. He opened his jaws again, yawning loudly, and then shook himself out again. The canine shifted his weight and raised and lowered his paws almost as if he were shuffling them. Then he stared at Yugi blankly once more, head tilted, and wrinkled his nose back to show his teeth where it slightly pulled upwards along his teeth. The wolf blinked again and yawned before he shook himself out again. "Come on, Yami. Let's get a walk, okay? You need to get up and come over here so that we can get you a little bit of exercise. I need to see how long you can move around before you get tired."

The wolf considered him again, yawned, and then turned away with a flick of his ears once more. He blinked and sniffed at the air, wrinkling his nose again, and shifted his weight once more. The fur along his tail rose into a bristle again. He blinked lazily and his head tilted further before he finally seemed to rise to his feet again. He looked exhausted as he shook himself out once more and came forward. But there was something odd in the way he stared back at him, eyes sharp and glowing for a brief second. He thought it looked almost as if the canine were searching for something.

Yugi could see his reflection within his eyes again and it made him nervous. But he felt sick as the canine continued forward. It was horrifying the way his eyes seemed to grow darker and darker, as if his pupils were perhaps expanding to swallow away at his irises. The small teen bristled, shoulders rising. But Yami still failed to seem upset in any way. And, when he stopped in front of him, he merely tipped his muzzle towards him in question. It was almost as if he were truly asking Yugi to pay him attention in some manner that he did not know how.

And he could see his own discomfort in his eyes, the way his gaze had grown wider and he felt almost sick. Yugi shivered and reached down to grab at his shirt, wrapping it firmly around in his palm for a moment. Then he lowered his eyes and huffed. "Stop looking at me like that," he grumbled.

But something inside of him wondered if Yami were even capable of controlling such a thing as it was. The canine blinked up at him, coming to an absolute stop a few feet away. And Yugi noticed, with a sense of bewilderment, just how high his muzzle was pointed. It was not towards his face or his torso, but it did not seem to be pointed towards his neck or shoulders either.

It was surprising to him at the moment as realization came over him. It was almost cruel to think that perhaps Yami was staring at his chest, slightly towards his left. It was clear to the small teen that he was pointed his nose towards his heart. He did not know if it was in cruel irony or if perhaps Yami were so hungry he was ready to leap at him and try to bite into his chest. He imagined that the black wolf was efficient in his attack had he decided to do such a thing. He had a feeling that the wolf could have easily eaten his way through his chest and devoured the organ if he'd like.

The heart was incredibly healthy, after all. He knew that. Any of the organs that Yami could get his teeth on would do him well. The thought made his stomach churn for a brief moment and he wondered if perhaps he should have tried to find a shop of some kind in order to get an organ. Perhaps some kidneys or a liver, the heart or the brain might do him well. Yugi could consider that the wolf might recover faster by way of eating those organs. He wondered if perhaps he should hunt and bring him out to eat at some point. He could do that late at night, bring Yami out to eat some of the carcass he'd have to drag home. The only problem with this idea was that he would have to pay attention to anyone finding out. And he'd have to keep his eyes on Yami that entire time.

But Yugi wondered at this. He did not know whether it was something that would do more good than bad at the end of the day. If he were to get caught covered in blood or anything of that nature, Yugi could easily wind up in trouble. His neighbors were as nosy as ever, waiting and watching and looking to see him mess up so that they could report it to his mother. He remembered that. Because he'd seen them peeking out of their windows in his direction more than once. He was just relieved that Mazaki had not told them about his proposal that Yugi was involved in the arson. He was sure he would never been free of their watchful, nosy eyes had they found out. But, thank the gods that Yami looked so alike him at a distance, or they might have realized there was someone else there as well.

It was shocking to him to even consider that it was pure blind luck and random genetics to keep them safe at this rate. It was frustrating to him. His neighbors were supposed to be freelance travelers rather than nosy and annoying like they were. He hated them for their curiosity as he looked over at the wolf again. He wondered what would have happened had he and Yami ever done anything. He had a feeling they would have watched them, then called his mom to make sure that she knew as well.

He rolled his eyes at the thought, both spiteful and ashamed of the idea altogether.

Then he unsnapped the buckle of the collar and moved to put it on the wolf again. Yami peeled his lips back to show his teeth again, the anxious action nearly making Yugi laugh. He truly did appear to be smiling at him in some strange way. It was shocking to see it. He looked as if he were unsure of what more to do with Yugi being so close to such a vital spot on his body. But he was not snarling and he still remained calm besides his expression. There was no tension and he was not aggressive. It was a surprising thought to think that the wolf was so nervous that he could not stop himself from showing his teeth.

He snapped the buckle in place again and lifted the handle of the leash, turning to lead the way to the staircase. It was bewildering to him as the wolf followed silently beyond the clicking of his nails behind him. The canine looked tired more than anything as they made their way downstairs. And Yugi wondered if perhaps he should have carried him instead. But the wolf stopped at the end of the staircase, near where the door rested, took a seat for a moment to breathe in deeply through his nose, and finally got up again a minute or so later.

The walk was a long and slow process. Yugi had not expected as good a result as this to begin with, surprised that Yami even attempted to keep pace with him as it was. It made him feel somewhat sick to lead him along as he did. It was enough to make his stomach knot as he licked his lips and looked over his shoulder at the canine. The wolf peered back at him almost lazily, studying him for a brief moment. And then Yugi watched him as he sniffed curiously at a couple of snow-laden branches and turned away again.

"If you were healthier, I bet you'd be able to mark on it, you know?" he teased. But the wolf hardly seemed to pay him any attention. Throughout the walk, Yami had veered off in other directions, straining at the end of the leash and then panting when he could not get any further. Thankfully the canine had not so much as looked towards the street. He had simply hovered near the edges of the yard, sniffing and sometimes licking at the snow.

Yugi could not tell if this was because he smelled something particularly interesting or if it was because he was tired and his temperature too high. They had been forced to take frequent breaks, even if they had only truly taken the pathway from the front of the house to the back. The canine had been forced to stop every few paces. Every now and then he would tremble as if he were on the verge of collapsing. Other times he would pant with his eyes half-closed. Others he simply stood there, wheezing for air. Each time made Yugi nervous, his heart hammering from where it had lodged itself within his throat.

"You okay, aibou?" he whispered now, curious. The canine was standing at the edge of those bushes, sniffing again. But every now and then he'd turn his face towards the snow beneath, sniffing and then shivering. Yugi wondered if perhaps he would need to get him inside soon. He could turn the heat on again, then heat up his goat's milk and warm a bottle of water to let him lay on it when he wrapped it in a towel or blanket. Then he could watch him in the time that it would take for him to raise his body temperature again.

The wolf shook himself out after a moment, then moved forward a few steps. But this time he did not come any closer. He lowered his head and looked up at him, breathing heavily. The small teen felt sick now, watching the canine with wide eyes. Yami did not look as if he might collapse, but Yugi was dizzy as they looked at each other. He wondered if perhaps the wolf might vomit. He was shaking slightly, his tongue flicking over his muzzle a couple of times.

"Let's go back inside, okay?"

The wolf made no move to acknowledge he might have heard him. He looked too tired to so much as raise his head any longer. And so Yugi came forward and reached down to touch him. Yami still did not respond to him, shivering and panting now.

He moved to his side, then crouched and looped his arms beneath his belly. He straightened with the wolf in his arms. And Yami huffed a breath, stunned by the movement. He blinked and licked his nose again, then shivered harder within his grip.

"Stay still for me," Yugi muttered softly. And he rubbed along his shoulder and ribcage comfortably for a moment before making his way into the house again. The wolf licked at his nose again, raising his head slightly and looking at him with wide eyes. Yugi smiled slightly as he closed the door behind them. "See? You're okay. Now let's get you up the stairs and then I'll get you something warm to drink."

---

Yami was asleep in the living room again. He'd finished off two bowls of warm goat's milk, had let him heat a blanket and wrap it around him, and had since been passed out. The wolf was fast asleep and did not so much as twitch. He had been oddly still the entire time, a reality of which made Yugi feel almost fearful that the canine had passed away in his sleep. But he'd come to his face, putting his hand in front of it to see that he was still breathing. The canine had remained fast asleep throughout and Yugi had since retired to the kitchen to work on his homework.

The small teen moved to tip his chair back and pressed his shoes against the legs of the table, pushing back slightly. He flipped the pencil in his fingers after a long moment, then sighed and let the chair slip back into place as he leaned forward. He was exhausted as he tilted his head and flipped the pencil again. He was tired when he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

The lycanthrope readied his pencil to write an answer, but his thoughts were frantic and he could not keep his attention there. He wondered if perhaps the canine in the living room were still fast asleep. The last time he had checked he had been. But some part of him was unnerved. It had been a few minutes ago that he had checked on him. But he could not stop himself from thinking that perhaps something was wrong in some way, shape or form. And it made him bristle to consider such a thing.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, moving to get up. And then he jerked in his seat and nearly fell backwards. He barely caught himself by the edge of the table, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing as his mouth grew dry. His heart was in his throat as he turned to face the shape that had appeared in the corner of his eye. His mind was spinning for a brief moment and he shook himself off as he looked at the other in the room.

Yami was standing at the doorway. He was yawning and blinking and looked tired more than he did unsteady. And, when he slowly stepped forward, the wolf shook himself out as if to steady himself. The canine moved forward to stand a few feet away from him. His eyes were groggy but darker than usual. They looked black again, as if his pupils had swallowed away the red of his irises once more.

Yugi blinked and swallowed hard, blinking as he considered the wolf in front of him. The lupine was mere feet away, yawning as he moved to take a seat. He sat there, peering at him now. His ears flicked from one side to the other for a few moments. The canine shook himself out and watched the small teen once more. Yugi stared at him, confused and curious as the seconds passed.

"What are you doing up?" he muttered. But he had a feeling that, even if Yami could have spoken, he would not have bothered to open his mouth to answer him. The red eyes peered at him rather blankly and Yugi reached up to touch at his choker for a moment. "I thought you would have been asleep longer."

He wondered if perhaps the wolf were curious as to the movements. But he did not lower his eyes and Yugi was all too aware of just how powerful the lycanthrope's eyes were. So he shrugged it off and drew in a deep breath.

The wolf tilted his head and, as Yugi got to his feet, Yami did the same. He backed up when Yugi stepped forward and the two of them stared at each other, unblinking. The tension was visible in Yugi, but it was not quite the same in Yami. The wolf seemed curious more than anything, bewildered and surprised by it all. The canine blinked and tilted his head again, and Yugi offered him a small smile.

But the expression felt gross on his mouth, as if perhaps his lips were pulled too thin. He wondered at the sensation, but forced it away after a moment. It was not as important as the many various thoughts that had been crossing his mind before then. And now the canine was watching him once more, in a far more pointed manner than Yugi truly cared to acknowledge.

And he could not help but stare back. His stomach was churning, painful and anxious. His eyes had grown wide and his mouth felt dry as he tried to think straight for a moment. Those red eyes were staring back at him, almost as if the world had been pushed away into nothingness beyond the focus of Yugi's face as it was. The sight of the wolf peering at him was enough to make him feel flustered. But it was the canine's eyes which kept him so incredibly enamored. His heart was in his throat as they looked at one another.

They were mirror-like again, and his reflection was gray and black against those dark red eyes. And, now, as he stared at the wolf, realization came through him. It was enough to crash through him, his stomach knotting frantically with the truth of it. His mouth was dry and pasty, almost to the point of sticking to his tongue like blood caking the muscle there. The canine did not blink as they stared at one another and Yugi felt dizzy as they considered each other once more. The wolf was so incredibly thin that the fact that he held his attention so fully was almost stunning to him to begin with. It was enough to make him feel almost sick to consider as it was.

It was distressing.

His pupils were so dark that Yugi almost felt that the world was one huge pool of dirty water. It was shadowed and gray and distant. And Yugi wondered if the wolf was once again reflecting his emotional state back at him. It was enough to make the small teen feel dizzy and sick to consider. It would explain why it was that he got up only a few times, why he faced him in that manner at such rather random intervals.

It made sense to him now.

It explained why it was that Yami would get up when he was stressed out.

It explained why it was that the wolf would come to his side and wander off soon after.

It was all abrupt in its clarity now.

Everything was clear to him now, something that he had not considered before then.

Yami had come to his side those various times when he had been upset, when he was struggling his hardest to try to face up to something that was far too overwhelming to consider otherwise. And now he understood something else that he had not considered before then. The truth of it was that those moments he'd become overwhelmed, Yami had come to his side. But when he'd pushed them away, the wolf had then turned his back on him and wandered off as if he had never come to see him in the first place.

In his rather feral state, Yami was not the one that Yugi could hide from. He was incapable of doing such a thing. He could not suppress all of his emotions fast enough to keep the wolf from noticing. And he realized that the wolf understood these emotions. And he would come to his side only when it was at the forefront of Yugi's mind. He could not tell if it was because Yami was attempting to offer him support to help him grow calm or if perhaps he meant to simply watch him. It was bewildering to him to consider. The wolf was unable to speak to him and so he could not tell him in any way what it was that he was attempting to do.

And Yugi was not able to understand beyond this. The reality of it was exhausting to him for the moment. And he felt as if he might vomit at the realization of it all. He reached up to scratch lightly at the side of his neck, uncomfortable as he considered it.

But he knew that there was no possibility that he could ignore the wolf or trick him in any manner. The canine did not accept it when Yugi would push away his emotions. He would then leave him to do as he wanted. He would not pay him more attention than absolutely necessary from there. And Yugi knew that, should he have tried to put on a brave face in front of the canine, Yami would simply turn away from him. He was not interested in him in any manner when he did such a thing. His eyes were too keen. He knew Yugi too well. He could sense his emotional states and read him through pheromones themselves as well.

And Yami did not care to allow him to suppress these emotional states. He wanted Yugi to feel what it was that he was trying to suppress. He wanted to make him feel those emotions no matter what. He wanted him to stop hiding away like he normally did.

Yugi drew in a deep breath, feeling almost sick to his stomach. His mouth was dry as he watched the canine in front of him. The wolf was simply staring at him and his eyes were swirling with the emotions that Yugi had been trying to push aside mere minutes before. And so the small teen grimaced as he considered the canine in front of him. His eyes were burning embers and shards of gleaming rubies, something which made his heart simply ache within his chest.

Yugi turned away after a moment, pursing his lips. And turned away to make his way towards his room door again. There was a steady clicking noise behind him which made him pause. The small teen blinked and slowly turned his head and considered the canine there. The wolf was staring up at him with dark red eyes, tail wagging only slightly. It was bewildering to him for a moment, but it made him smile regardless.

It was surprising when he turned to face him completely. Yami dropped onto his front legs, bowing in front of him and wagging his tail some more. His ears twitched every which way when Yugi did not move. And slowly but surely the canine moved to stand again. His eyes narrowed faintly and his ears pricked forward. Yugi took a step forward, a few small paces in which Yami mirrored him. The canine backed up in time with him, tail lowered once more and eyes locked on his form. His nose was tipped towards Yugi more pointedly now.

Yugi smiled in amusement, shaking his head slightly and raising his brow curiously.

Yami was simply keeping time with him. He was not going to approach him nor was he going to let Yugi do the same. Perhaps he was even mildly offended by the lack of play that Yugi had initiated. But the small teen doubted it as he shook his head in amusement.

But he wondered if perhaps Yami's mentality was splintered, if it was feral enough that he was simply looking up at Yugi as if he were his alpha. He remembered briefly that the lycanthrope had formerly refused to so much as eat before him. The canine in front of him was far more wolf than he was human, far less than he had been even before then. It was easy for Yami to fall into the respective role of a beta before a wolf that was perhaps more powerful than him. It did not help that they were within what Yami would see and understand only to be Yugi's territory.

The thought was enough to fray his former frantic ideas. And so the canine blinked and turned away from him abruptly. He took off into the living room again and Yugi came around the corner in time to see him sniff at his metal bowls and then plop down on his pillow and blanket. The lupine yawned and curled up without a second look.

It was odd to watch him now.

Yami had had every opportunity in order to fight them. He could have taken advantage of each time they turned their back towards him. He could have beaten them into submission, could have killed them at any second. The wolf was capable of eating them if he only wished to do so. But Yami seemed unlikely to even consider for a moment disrupting his lazy pattern of daily life now. He did not seem interested at all in the idea of attacking or showing them true aggression.

"You know, when you actually get your fur grown out again, you'll look a lot better," Yugi teased. The wolf blinked, flicking his ears, and then huffed loudly and lay his chin on his paws. He glared at him from his dark red almond-shaped eyes. And the small teen snickered as he stepped forward and took a seat on the armrest of the lounge chair his grandfather so often sat in. He pressed back until he was against the headrest and put his hands in his lap.

"You're doing a lot better, though, right?"

The wolf pricked his ears towards him, considering him with clear puzzlement upon his features. The canine tilted his head and watched him for a moment. And then he flexed his paws and wiggled his toes slightly to show his long claws. He yawned and crossed his paws at the wrists, laying his chin on them again. His ears flicked once more and his tail twitched briefly before he closed his eyes.

"I have to get ready for school," the small teen muttered, getting up again and dusting himself off. He looked at Yami for a moment. He wanted to run his fingers over the wolf's ears and along his cheeks but he did not want the wolf to react in a negative way. And so he simply turned away and headed for his room again. He grabbed his bag and the notebooks he'd been studying. And, as he packed them away into the backpack, he found himself feeling sick to his stomach.

Yugi could not stop his racing thoughts again. He couldn't stop thinking about it. Slifer had truly said it. She'd actually admitted that none of them knew for sure if he was capable of coming back from the dead as he should have been. She had truly told him that there was a possibility he would not come back, that they had all begun to help him for fear of that very thing…

He zipped the bag up, then hesitated. Had he just heard…?

Yugi looked over his shoulder with a raised brow. The canine was there again, head tilted and eyes wide. He was staring at him with a bright red gaze which made the small teen smile faintly. But he was surprised now, seeing that the wolf was so incredibly close to him. The canine was mere feet away from him, his ears flicking back and forth. Yami's head was tipped upward, his massive jaw pointed towards his heart once more, and Yugi found himself shuddering as he faced him.

And then he wondered at something he had not considered before.

Was it possible that the werewolves were so simply at ease with each other most often because they communicated in a different manner? None of the wolves had to struggle to understand each other verbally or mentally in the manner of talking to one another. They had never once turned away from each other with the words "I don't understand what you're saying at all". He himself had been able to understand what it was that Echo and Nistro had been saying, as the other wolf had spoken to him in a thick accent that he knew was not American as the she-wolf's had been. But there was no language barrier of any kind between them all…

He wondered at the idea of how it might be that the wolves themselves in the wild chose their alphas. He had not often truly heard of wolves fighting for the rank unless it was an outsider coming to the pack with that sole purpose. But he also understood that the phrase "alpha wolf" was more archaic than anything. It did not mean much in the grand scheme of things. Most alphas were simply a male and female that had mated and thus begun to breed a family together. It was these two who had the privilege of procreation and they often were not fought for this rank, as many of the wolves would simply drift when they were old enough. There were not often chances for the wolves to begin to fight within their ranks like that. Most often it was actually character which made the pack follow an alpha as it was, rather than simply a wolf which fought and killed in order to keep its rank.

But Yugi noticed, surprised, that with Yami's head tipped like it was, his eyes and nose were focused on his heart. And his throat was exposed just enough to make it seem almost as if he were giving acknowledgment to him that he was more powerful than he was. But Yugi also noted that in that moment their hearts were actually parallel to each other now as well, that the line of them would have run right alongside each other.