Spoiler Alert!

It goes without saying that I don't own rights to either YuGiOh! or the animated series "Gargoyles".

Halloween 2021 FanFic Yu-Gi-Oh! X Gargoyles

Warning: This chapter does get a bit graphic so under 18 definitely proceed with caution!


When a Gargoyle Falls

Chapter 3:

Dark Horse

Amethyst watched as the other gargoyle disappeared from sight. He had sent him on ahead to prepare a private space for her to rest in without the knowledge of Kaiba in case he decided that she was an unwelcome visitor. Even if the man did come to that decision, he would not simply allow her presence to be removed so easily. Though their meet had been strange there was a connection that could not be ignored. His speed slowed as her being convulsed, a choked gasp catching in her throat that caused his worry to grow.

. . . .

"So you're saying that we are going to hide her, here, while she recovers?"

The lilac gargoyle's left eye twitched in the corner. "What part aren't you getting since that's the fourth time you've asked in the last hour." His hand rose, showing one raised digit. "Step One: find and secure a private room well away from any of the areas Kaiba would be using or checking. That step is done." Another digit rose. "Step Two: get it ready so that she will be capable of resting until she's fully recovered and a new home can be found-"

"No, I get all that, but why here with us?" The sand colored gargoyle shrugged. "Wouldn't she be more comfortable at one of them healing centers?"

"You do raise a fair point," the elder nodded, but a knowing glint entered his eye as he recalled the exchange between the pair that he had overheard about her working hard to earn their trust. "But she is a beauty, in more ways than one. Fate has brought her to us, so who are we to turn our backs upon someone such as she?" His weathered gaze rose to the lightening sky. "Though it does worry me that he has yet to return."

. . . .

His gaze wandered to one of the rooftops that had a giant "H" within a white circle. Kaiba had said something about how humans relied upon science and advanced medicine to heal their ailments, that the healing of the human body required special care. Should Anzu be taken there instead? The answer rose as quickly as the question had formed as heat seared throughout his being. No. He was not about to allow another human to harm her. Most alarming to him was that the scent of peaches was near non-existent thanks to something that made his wings itch in a way that made him want to get as far away from it as possible. Worse than the belladonna, wolfsbane and foxglove a fool had once attempted to claim the lives of the clan but had failed miserably.

A violent shiver wracked her body, leaving him no choice but to land upon the theatre's roof she herself had designated as their meet up point for their upcoming meet for fear of her convulsing out of his arms. The palace was in view but his concern for her outweighed the knowledge of the coming sunrise. One of her hands had appeared from the sheet's folds to cling to his tunic as he adjusted his hold so her being was cradled within one of his arms while the other carefully combed through the chocolate hair that was sticking to her skin. "Anzu?" Concern filled him when he discovered that the blanket was moist to the touch. His claw easily tore through the flimsy fabric around her upper shoulders and felt his breath catch. There, tucked to the right side of her neck hidden by the shadow of her hair, was a large wound that was weeping a liquid that smelled like toxin.

"…lace my hand with narcotics that can be absorbed through the skin and then grabbed her so that they would seep into her system by the time I got to her! I made her pay for the humiliation she dished me back in high school…"

His jaw grew taunt as her complexion paled farther, the fangs that longed to rip into something settling for burying themselves into the leash of his cheeks instead. It had been so dark that he had not noticed how pale she was until the coming sunrise had revealed her full form to him. The shadow of his bangs fell over his eyes as he contemplated what should be done. Never had he felt this powerless. It made him all the more aware of just how much he depended upon his monstrous strength, the razor-like claws often used for battle, even the diplomatic skills he wielded against foes to out strategize them were of no help to him right now. There had been other gargoyles to tend to the injured or their kind would simply wait for sunrise. The stony hibernation they underwent during the daytime would always heal whatever ailments they had so upon awaking the following sunset they would be at their prime form in case they were needed for battle.

"It…hurts…"

The shadow wavered just a moment as her hand still clinging to his tunic trembled. Instinct swept over him as he held her tighter, his sharp fangs throbbing as the muscles of his neck bent until his head rested upon her shoulder. Should he let go of his conscious will so that instinct could guide him? No, the odds of farther injury were too great. She was already frail to the point that if he were to accidentally harm her.

"Help…me…" Her hand's hold weakened, rendering it to merely paw at his front as struggled for breath.

"I might harm you farther," he whispered lowly. "It is too risky."

"Please, Atem, I trust you."

It was too much for him. The sheer amount of agony and fear when she had said his name caused the heart in his best to clench painfully and the clarity of her voice was enough to shock him enough to raise his head so that his gaze found hers, finding cerulean swimming with tears but full of unwavering faith just before they rolled backwards into her skull. "Anzu!" A glance to the horizon confirmed that he had only maybe an hour. Could it be done? "Forgive me." Atem's head bent, his fangs lengthening long enough to peek out from between his lips as they brushed against the large wound on her neck. The instincts he rarely, if ever, called upon rose within him; amethyst becoming crimson, muscles not normally used readying, every single one of his senses heightening until it was almost unbearable as his mighty wings unfurled until they were encasing them both within a tight ball of darkness while his fangs buried themselves deeply within the growing wound.

Agony wracked across her body as sharp foreign objects pierced the place upon her being that hurt most, earning a pain-filled hoarse scream as her eyes blindly stared off into the black that surrounded her. Something was holding her, almost too tightly as her body reflexively attempted to move away from the unknown assault. Fear erupted from the hammering heart in her chest when no escape could be found. Another scream was on its way up her throat when the pain in her neck lessened, warm liquid trickling down the length of it as heavy breathing filled the space. This presence that filled her mind's eye with blistering sand and glittering gold… "A-Atem?" What she now recognized as arms constricted around her, almost crushing her. That was all she needed. She forced her body to relax despite the ripples of searing heat that were coming from where she must have been stabbed by the needle as his head bent once more, falling into deeper darkness as the pain returned.

Across his tongue spread the crimson lifeblood that sustained her being as he closed his eyes in concentration when she slipped into unconsciousness once more. Hold on, he prayed, hold on. The sun would be rising soon so there was no time for him to waste. Whatever poison or toxic concoction that had been used against her was potent, even making his own stomach churn, but he was not stopping. Images and flashes revealed the truth of the events he would have questioned about later.

No sooner had she slumped to the floor had the door been nearly blown off its hinges, footsteps marching until they had her completely surrounded. She kept her eyes closed though, to make it appear as though she was unconscious, but it was as a handful of her hair was grabbed that an exhale between her teeth came out as a hiss. "What the- You're still conscious?!" That voice, it could only be one person in the world and it was the man she wished would disappear from her life forever. Fingers forced her right eye to open to reveal her worst fears. The stranger moved the hand in her hair to latch around her throat. "No matter. Anzu-chan, I believe you owe me an apology."

"You're right, I do. I'm sorry, Kokurano, that I didn't publicly reveal just how dirty of a closet pervert you were- sorry, still are- sooner so that the authorities could properly sentence you!" She gagged as the hand around her throat constricted.

"You filthy little- How dare you speak to me like that!" Cracks were heard as she was thrown against the nearby wall, testimony that a few bones may be bruised or worse. His lips raised into a sickening smile as she weakly attempted to fight off the two strangers he had brought along with him. "Just for that, I'm going to thoroughly enjoy myself tonight."

The memories that weren't Atem's faded away as a large needle appeared a split second before it was plunged into the side of her neck, phantom pain prickling the side of his own neck in the place where her wound was. Human cruelty held no bounds, it seemed, even when towards their own kind. His concentration doubled when through her blood he could taste the poison lessening its hold upon her life. A little more and it will be gone from her system. One of his hands rose to the back of her head, angling it just enough that his fangs could fully insert themselves until the skin met his gums.

Without the bitter taste of the poison, a new one was beginning to emerge. A sweetness not quite that of the peaches scent she gave off but it grew in strength like a rose in bloom with each passing second. Every pore of his being was radiating with the heat that had flown into him through her blood until his mind was blank. One one thing remained: the woman in his arms. She had put her complete trust and faith in him, giving him the sole honor of knowing that her life was within his choice. Hidden with her taste were things that he never thought would be possible to find in someone other than one of his own kind; honesty, loyalty, respect, and when he looked deeper there was a hidden river of curiosity.

Something stirred within his lower abdomen, something that has been dormant for even longer than before the spell had been cast for their clan to slumber for a millennium.

Lust for flesh.

With a growl, he separated himself from her, his breathing ragged as he fought to reign back the instinct that had taken over before it forced him to do anything farther. Gargoyles were omnivores, their diet both plant and meat, but it has been well over a century since his last meal. He reprimanded himself as his fangs slowly receded back to their normal shape, the tendons in his body slowly releasing their tension as he minimized his focus to the scent of peaches that she gave off. Anything to get his mind off the raging hunger within him. His nose buried itself within her hair as his chest worked to replenish the oxygen he had missed. This hunger was different, unlike anything he'd experienced. Why was his heart beating so fast whenever she was near, this near uncontrollable longing to be by her side, that he was oh so relieved that it was because of his efforts that she would live. Atem dismissed the confusion emotions with a shake of his head, a swipe of his mouth against his shoulder wiping away the blood dripping from his lips. The girl in his arms didn't move or even twitch as he shifted her upwards so that his tongue could slowly swipe over the wound. A little known fact was that the saliva of their race helped the healing process quicken when it was a simple scratch or minor wound in the heat of battle. It wouldn't be enough to fully heal the wound but at least it would close up the skin enough to prevent infection.

Through the pain came a wave of bliss as something warm and flexible met the area of her neck that throbbed where the needle had stabbed her. Tears that she herself hadn't been aware of slowly ceased as with each stroke the endless black that had a firm hold upon her loosened its hold until she was completely numb and limp. A shiver slipped down her spine as the waves of bliss intensified upon the sixth stroke, her slack hand somehow finding strength to rise and caress the backside of his neck, earning a soft noise of surprise from the gargoyle as his motions halted. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, gently combing her fingers through his hair and relishing in the way it slipped between her fingers. "You must have been worried."

His head shook in her hold, nearly dislodging her hand. "You're awake, thank the heavens." The darkness slowly receded along with his wings, allowing the growing light to fall across his relieved features as he loosened his hold, one of his hands brushing the hair from her face as crimson faded to amethyst that shone with relief. "I was concerned that I would run out of time."

In awe of what was before her, her hands rose to cup his face. Dark violet skin, pitch black hair that stood upright in a similar fashion that her own had been styled the night they met but now she could see that towards the tips the strands of hair grew ruby red, glittering amethyst eyes that were framed by a few golden bangs, not too strong of a jawline.

A low rumbling rose within his throat as her fingers gingerly traced his features, the feather-like touches of her fingertips almost tickling the sensitive skin of his face as they explored. Never has such a sound come from him. It would have been unsettling but the smile it earned him from the young woman before him made him almost welcome it. His nocturnal eyes have never beheld the sun, not once, but it was as if she had become the bright star that shone light upon his midnight realm.

"Atem?" Her motions ceased to a halt, his cheeks upped within her palms as he tensed.

"It is alright." His own rose and rested upon her left cheek as her cerulean eyes glistened with concern. "Forgive this gargoyle, Anzu, for I have seen things that were private. Perhaps some other time I shall make our exchange even so that you may know a few things about myself and clan members." The ligaments and joints of his body grew stiff. "Now I must rest."

Right before her eyes, every inch of his being became firm stone as the sun peeked over the horizon. Tears spilled down her face as she carefully stroked his face with shaking fingers. Now she knew it was true, that gargoyles would be helpless stones so long as the sun was in the sky. One wrong vibration or nick and the gargoyle would crumble to dust.

The creaking of a door caused her gaze to rise just enough to see that within the stairwell entrance was none other than the elderly owner of the theatre. Thankfully he had just come up to release the cat they kept around to help keep the mice and rats within check. He had been the one who had offered her a small role in one of his plays to help her career get started, leaving her thankful and always happy to attend or assist in one of his productions whenever needed.

It wasn't until the door closed that she released a sigh and carefully settled within the crook of Atem's bent legs. "You called me by name." To think that he had been cradling her the entire time since he'd picked her up while still within the studio was mind boggling and it felt wrong to be out of his hold even though he was now a statue. "I'll be sure to ask you about how you found out and thank you properly once you wake up." A wide yawn spread her jaws as her head rested upon the junction of his shoulder and neck. "For now, I think I'll follow your lead and join you in dreamland." Cerulean fluttered closed as she snuggled into the subtle warmth he gave off, even though he was now stone, then felt her face flush as she realized her predicament. "Hopefully no one comes up here much. It's going to be hard to explain why I don't have clothes…"

. . . .

A man with sapphire eyes carefully examined each of the multitude of screens before him. Last night had gone off without so much as a hiccup, save for that head gargoyle terrorizing one of the guests, but there was no sign of the girl. There had been several who could not be reserved in such a short amount of time so it could be possible that she was one of those who weren't attending. The screens turned off with a flick of his wrist as he stood and made his way to the rooftop, the echoes of his footsteps becoming muffled as he stepped off of carpeted stone and steel to sandstone. It was only when he reached the courtyard's center point, an elaborate and exquisite fountain, that his gaze rose upwards from the electronic device in his hands. Two of the gargoyles were perched upon the wall to the west, one upon the far east, the littlest at the top of the southern, but the northern wall was empty; their clan leader hadn't returned before the sun had risen.

"Rolan."

One of the security personnel appeared within seconds. "Yes, MrKaiba?"

"I don't care what it takes, find out what the conversation was between the gargoyle and MrToei."

"Yes, sir."

. . . .

Her nap hadn't lasted as long as she thought it would and found herself waking close to noontime with a stomach rumbling loudly in protest. Reluctantly, she slipped out of the surprisingly comfortable position within the gargoyle turned statue's hold to stretch. She couldn't very well stay up here with no food or clothes but what else was she supposed to do? Cerulean widened as from within the folds of the blanket came a vibration and quickly found the source to be none other than her cell phone as the quaking of her legs caused her to crash to the ground in a heap. "When I get my hands on that creep, I'm gonna…" The threat faded to silence as she swallowed the lump in her throat as the caller ID revealed and hurried to answer. A wrinkle formed between her brows as the sound of sobbing came through the device. "Oh, no, Yuné, please don't cry!"

"Anzu Mazaki?! Is that really you or have I seriously lost my mind?!"

The brunette grimaced. "I missed last night's shift, but I can explain!"

"Shut up and listen to me real good! I had the cops looking everywhere for you! Then I get the call that your studio has been ransacked like a Black Friday Sale with blood and glass scattered across the scene straight out of a nightmare like damn confetti!" He shouted for the multitude of girls who rose in volume in the background to quiet. "Anzu, where are you? Please tell me you're somewhere safe and not hurt!"

She was touched by how much the manager cared. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that, Yuné, I really am, but rest assured that I am safe." Her cerulean gaze softened as it rested upon the stony statue. "Let's say I'm with a friend."

A gasp came through the line, one that was a chorus of the other dancers and the man holding the phone. "You just took a tone that we've never heard on you before. Whoever that mystery friend of yours must be someone you trust quite a bit if you're speaking like this."

Rose dusted her cheeks as heat bloomed within. "I- Don't even! It's not like that at all!"

"Darling, we're not complaining! Just surprised it all!"

"My private life is none of any of your businesses- You know what, forget it." The dancer girl rubbed her eyes wearily, the shadow of her hand failing to hide the quivering of her lips as they rose into a smile as a tear slid down her cheek. "I won't lie, Yuné, I was really scared. I was lucky that he came along when he did, who knows how much worse I would be."

"Oh, Anzu, honey, I can't even imagine. Take as much time as you need and don't worry about your shifts. We will find a way to properly apologize for the break of contract." Shouts came from the background, wishing her a speedy recovery and hope to see her soon. "Before you go, what hospital are you at so we can come visit?"

The line beeped as her fingertip tapped the red button. "Oops." She would apologize for that later. A possibly genius idea occurred to her as she browsed through one of the apps on her phone, quickly selecting one of the usual places she ordered from, and turned off the location services feature after placing a few orders. Not even forty minutes later a drone appeared from over the rooftop banister, its camera snapping as she stuck her hand beneath its lens in a thumbs-up fashion to block out the rest of her appearance and quickly retrieved the large bag it carried, then it disappeared back the way it came. "I sometimes forget just how convenient it is living in a big city."

She cast a glance towards the gargoyle as from the bag she pulled out the clothes she had ordered, debating on whether to hide from it's plane of view or just make do with the sheet, and opted to conceal herself within the shelter of his still expanded wings that perfectly formed a little private area between himself and the nearby climate control unit. Tags were ripped off, placed within the bag, and she stepped back out within seconds. The black tank top with a built in bra hugged her form a bit tighter than she liked but the gray neckpiece that rested off her shoulders was what had Anzu's attention since it reminded her of the vintage portrait neckline often used in wedding dresses. A pair of dark charcoal jeans showed her long lean legs, which were her pride and joy since she had little to no bust or behind, and blinked in surprise when she caught sight of herself in the glass of the skylight. There, on the back between her shoulders, was a patten of bat-like wings on the tank top. "Ironic," she chuckled, slipping the pair of socks and pair of ankle length booties on her chilly feet with a sigh. "that's much better."

It was after she was finished munching on the parfait and cup of cider that her azure gaze found itself wandering back to the gargoyle before her. Granted he was crouched but his size was still a bit intimidating now that she could see him fully. If she didn't have the knowledge she did, the love she had for exotic foreign dances, there was no way she would have been able to tell what sort of look he was making; tunic most likely made of linen, thick bands of what would probably be gold around his biceps and wrists, brown leather belt with a scarab-like buckle she was positive would look real later, but it was the diadem upon his forehead that was the biggest giveaway. The bangs that she had thought looked to be crown-like accentuated the regal looking headpiece that looked to be the Eye of Wdjat, more commonly known as the Eye of Horus, that was part of an ancient religion found only in one place: Egypt. That must be where they were from.

Ever so carefully, her fingers rose to brush against one of the bangs that were threatening to fall into his face. "You sure are a long way from home, Atem." The hand fell to rest upon her neck, brushing her fingertips along the twin peaks that puckered upwards with the needle's leftover entrance hole between them. Drowsiness crashed over her as she settled against his side, one of his wings at the perfect angle to shield her from the sun's rays. Seemed like there might still be some of whatever Kokurano had injected her with was still floating around in her system as her vision blurred like a camera lens attempting to find a focus point. "Looks like it's nap time again," she yawned, finding a comfortable position with her head upon his upper collarbone.

. . . .

Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, the man behind his desk turned as one of the nearby doors opened. "You're here earlier than expected. Must be a characteristic only allowed to the females of your species." He rose to move around the desk and grunted when he found himself pinned to the window that he had specifically made so that he would always be capable of overlooking the city from his office. The figure who now held him by the throat stared up at him with such a cold stare that could rival his own. Not that he would ever verbally admit it. "It was your choice to not reveal yourself to them, taking your anger out on me will not accomplish anything." He broke their hold with a well delivered swipe of his hand to the insides of their wrists, earning a hiss as they backed away several paces. "It's actually perfect timing. I've been needing to speak to you about a certain gargoyle you know."


See you next time!