JouVal-Yaoi-Fanatik: Ohaiyo mina! Sorry for the long time, no update! Here is chapter 3...for anyone who is still reading this... I owe big thanks to Pearl of the Dark Age for prompting me to update.

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Yugioh or any of the Yugioh Characters. However, OC's will be introduced starting with this chapter. Please do not use my OC's without permission. Thank you.


From last chapter:

Valon blinked and looked towards the door. 'Was that Jonouchi?' He wondered nervously. He sighed. Standing up, Valon made his way to the door. Slowly he reached towards the door knob. His hand was shaking. He took a deep breath and turned the door knob. Quietly as possible, he pushed the door open, ready to face whatever came next.


Inner Demon
Chapter 3

Ba-bum, one heartbeat; time slowed to a crawl. Ba-bum, two; and a foreign emotion raced through his veins. Ba-bum, three…a dozen frenzied paces toward the couch. Ba-bum, four. Time resumed its normal pace again.

Valon let out a shaky sigh, his fear began to ebb away. The brunet leaned forward into more of a relaxed position. His frantic heartbeat returned to a more normal level. "…Jonouchi?" He whispered.

The blond stared up at him, aggression momentarily forgotten. A warm blush spread across his face.

Valon loosened his hold on the blond but did not remove his arms from around Jonouchi's waist. "Jonouchi," he repeated louder this time, "are you alright, mate?" The Australian boy asked the other teen.

Jonouchi released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yeah, I think so." he replied softly.

Valon yawned and laid his head down on the other boy's shoulder. He smiled sleepily. "You scared me…" He commented jokingly, even though he knew this was no laughing matter. Even so, it helped to lighten the mood.

Jou smiled back. "Sorry." He said with a chuckle. Both were silent for a few peaceful moments.

"We really should get some sleep, Valon." The blond said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah…" The brunet agreed with another yawn.

Valon made no effort to move, though, and Jou made no effort to move him. The two boys remained on the couch; Jonouchi laying along the length of it, with Valon draped over him, the aussie's tanned arms wrapped around the blonde's waist.

Sleep came quickly to the contented.


12:01 p.m. -

Suburbs, Domino, Japan

A red-headed teen pulled her jacket tighter around her body. She had apparently gone out for some last minute Christmas shopping, as indicated by the five large shopping bags she toted along. The girl smiled triumphantly. Most of the good stores were pretty much sold out by December 9th, but she had forged ahead and found some neat gifts for her loved ones.

She hummed a cheery Christmas tune as she trudged along thorough the fresh, four-inch deep snow. Her blue-green eyes glanced around curiously, trying to find the quickest rout back to her sister's apartment. Smiling softly, she ducked into an empty alley-way. She often took this path home from school. It was always un-inhabited. Until tonight.

A young man looked up from his bag, frowning, he closed the leather pouch and tucked it into his coat pocket. He adopted a handsome smile, and pushed his glasses up farther. "Why hello young lady, what brings you out on such a cold night? And so late too?" He asked, sounding plenty hospitable.

The redhead looked up in surprise. "O-oh! Hi there!" She said kindly. She blushed at the sight of his handsome face. He looked no older than twenty. "I was just walking home, sir." She replied sweetly.

He nodded falling into step beside her. "It's not wise to walk home alone though miss. Bad people come out at night, you know." He advised.

She blinked. "Oh, well I'm not too scared." She replied with a soft chuckle. She pulled a stone-inlaid necklace and motioned toward the pendant. "My brother gave it to me before he died, to protect me." She replied sadly.

The man peered at the stone in surprise. "You must have been very important to him, miss." He told her warmly. She smiled in return.

"Airi…call me Airi." She requested. He nodded in return.

"…Airi, a pretty name. My friends call me Skye." He replied. Skye blinked, turning his head to the left. He frowned. "Airi, maybe I should walk you home…some horrible things have been happening lately in this part of town."

She nodded slowly. "What kind of thinks, Skye?"

The two virtual strangers turned into the apartment parking lot.

12:06 p.m. –

River Run Apartment Complex, Domino, Japan


Valon yawned, snuggling into the warm body below him.

…warm…body? This thought took few moments to register. The brunet's eyes fluttered open, and a hot blush covered his face when he realized the position he was in. Valon slid off of the blond quietly, hoping not to wake him just yet.

Valon retrieved the remote from the coffee table and flicked on the T.V. He stifled a yawn and turned to the local news channel.

"…and in other news, a horrific scene was found last night. Several dozen wounded gang members were found in a courtyard in west Domino City. Strangely, the men seem to have been…mauled…by some sort of large animal! The so called 'claw marks' are obviously not from any known man-made weapons, plus it would take an insane amount of strength to deliver this kind of damage. All gang members are in critical condition, but currently alive. But this is not all of it; similar cases have been discovered this morning, of mostly young teens. Two young girls, four young boys, and a twenty-four year old female school teacher are among the victims. All seven were discovered dead. Whether this is the work of a wild animal, or a Cult uprising, the investigators are not yet willing to say…"

"Damn it." Jou breathed shakily.

Valon jumped in surprise. "Oh, you're awake already?" The brunet asked, turning back to the screen. "It's horrible isn't it?"

Jonouchi nodded distractedly. "…Yeah." He looked up, eyes settling on Valon's back. He sighed. "There are others, you know…"

Valon blinked. "Hm?" He asked in surprise.

"Other Demons, I mean." Jonouchi elaborated. "Domino and Tokyo are crawling with them, though most are dormant like me. But now something is stirring up the blood." The blond finished.

Valon sighed. "Where do we go from here?" He asked softly.

Jonouchi shook his head. "I don't know." He raised his head from its bowed position. "We should talk to Yugi, though. Even without the Pharaoh in this world, we may be able to think of something."

Valon nodded. "To the game shop, then?" He said with a slight smile. The blond returned his smile and nodded. "I only hope things aren't too far out of hand already." He muttered to himself, turning to look at the pictures of the victims as they flashed across the screen. Grabbing their coats, the two left for their destination. The door squeaked as it closed behind them. "If only there was something…"


JouVal-Yaoi-Fanatik: Well, there you go! Ch.3 complete and uploaded! I know it doesn't explain much, but more will be coming soon...I hope...maybe.

Please R & R people! I really do appreciate it if you would.