Red lights flared on top of police cars as beat cops and detectives investigated the area outside the Jiang Shi nightclub. Nearby, the chalk outline of a body could be seen on the pavement of the alley, while an ambulance and several police cars swarmed the site.

Familiar and Domino City Police Chief Hubb Lebowski crossed his arms in an impatient manner. After a few moments, he cast a conspicuous glace at his watch. "Where the hell are they?"

His coat rang. Hubb reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Lebowski here," he answered. There was a pause as someone spoke on the other end. "Finally, it's about time they got here. Clear the way."

Moments later, a sleek yellow Camaro pulled up to the crime scene, and two individuals got out.

"About damn time Maxwell," Hubb called to the man who emerged from the passenger side. "I was beginning to think the two of you would never show up."

"Hey, keep your shirt on Lebowski. I got him here didn't I?" Duo slammed the car door for emphasis.

"More like he got you here Maxwell," Hubb stated, seeing the other figure emerge from the driver's seat. "Matushita," he greeted, as the other shut his door.

"Lebowski," Jirou returned as he and Duo approached the crime scene. "What've you got?" he asked.

"Homicide; about an hour ago, I get an anonymous call saying they've got a stiff outside their doors." Hubb pointed to the chalk markings beneath them. "The victim appeared to be a humanoid male in his twenties," he motioned to the blood stains in the concrete, "The guy was not your Average Joe."

"What do you mean?" Duo asked.

"Well that's the thing," Hubb admitted. "My wife did some poking around while she was examining the body on a stretcher. She found his identification. As it turns out the Bob Doe is actually one of the elite."

Duo let out a low whistle. "Ouch."

"We don't know his exact position in the ranks." Hubb led them over to gunnery stationed at the back of the ambulance. "We were hoping you could tell us what we're dealing with here."

Jirou unzipped and peered into the body bag. "It's Von Schroeder."

"Whoa, time out. Siegfried Von Schroeder," Duo was shocked. "Isn't he the owner of Schroeder Industries?

"Unfortunately," Jirou turned to Hubb. "What did Cher say the cause of death was?"

"Loss of blood, induced through a neck wound."

"What?" Jirou snapped. The look of surprise on his face was replaced by one of skepticism. "Are you sure?"

"Cher found traces of hair and saliva near the on the body that don't match Mister Von Schroeder's."

Duo was less than impressed. "Hold on, you mean to tell me that you made us haul our asses down here to just investigate some vampire's dinner?"

"The guy is Elite, Maxwell."

"Yeah, but still this hardly qualifies as a reason to ask for Matushita or me. I mean, come on Hubb, your men aren't that incompetent. Why couldn't they handle it?"

"Because -"

"Because, Siegfried Von Schroeder wasn't just another corporate face, he was also a vampire." A new voice spoke. The three males whirled around. Standing a few feet away from them was a beautiful, female with long, blonde, wavy hair, and sharp violet eyes.

"Mai," Jirou murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh come now, Jirou. You didn't think we would ignore the murder of this caliber, now did you, hon?"

Jirou narrowed his eyes. "No. I just didn't expect to see you here. What, is Jounouchi getting so lazy that he has to send someone else to do his dirty work?"

"Smart ass," she hissed. "Jounouchi is around. He just got a bit sidetracked, that's all."

"I am surprised Kaiba's not here. After all, Siegfried was his business partner…"

"Kaiba's detained at the moment too. You're stuck with me. No one else is coming. So get over it." She approached the group. "Maxwell, Detective," she greeted the other two males.

"Lady Mai," The two replied simultaneously, with a nod a reverence.

"Please, just Mai. I am here on behalf of my peers."

"I guessed as much. So what do you know?"

"First thing is first, Jirou. How about you and I do a little catching up, in private?"

"Fair enough; would you excuse us for a moment, gentlemen?"

As Mai moved away from the crowded area, Jirou pulled Duo aside. "Have Hubb conduct a sweep on the inside for any suspicious activity. I want an identification check on everyone that was here from the time this establishment opened until now."

"You got it," Duo replied.

Jirou's eyes traveled to where Mai was patiently waiting for him. "If you need me, I won't be far."

Duo's cracked a smile. "Roger that. Just be sure and watch your back Jirou. The Lady Mai is a pistol, or so I've heard."

"You have no idea."

Running with the authorities now, are we?" Mai inquired once they were out of the ear-shot.

"It beats sitting around and doing nothing."

"Yeah, I guess it does. I can't say I'm surprised though. Rumors of your exploits have even reached the inner circle."

"I am surprised you believe them. Most rumors are a little more than vicious lies."

Mai flipped her long tresses back over her shoulder. "I think rumors are great. Have you heard any about me?"

"Only that your bite is worse than your bark, Lady Jounouchi." Jirou leaned against one of the vehicle's doors. "Sorry, I didn't make it to the wedding by the way. Did you get the gift Jade sent?"

"Uh-huh, and I must admit, that sister of yours has excellent taste. Jounouchi and I were both extremely pleased with the choice of fabric."

"I'll tell her you said thank you. She was worried you wouldn't get it on time. She was very upset she couldn't go."

"We sent you both an invitation." Mai pointed out. "I must say that we were a little miffed that you declined, Matushita."

Jirou snorted. "Somehow, I don't think we would have been welcomed by all the affiliating guests."

Mai averted her eyes. "No, I suppose not. Look, I am not normally one for butting into personal affairs, but I got to know why'd you do it? Why did you leave?"

Why did you turn your back on us?

"I was relieved of my duties. I had no reason to stay."

Mai scowled. "Bullshit. Do you honestly think that she would want you to abandon your loyalties?"

"That's just it, Mai. My loyalty was to her, and now that she's gone, I no longer have any ties to the court."

"Idiot, you're her brother aren't you? Well, the last I checked, that blood tie guarantees you more influence than any of us."

"In case you haven't noticed, I am not exactly on favorable terms with him. Why do think I have reduced myself to an investigator for the humans? It's so I wouldn't come into contact with any court members. Although, it's apparent I need to work on that," he growled.

"Hey," Mai held up her hands in defense. "I didn't ask for Siegfried to cop it, okay? It's not my fault it's a small world, but enough reminiscing. I am not about to go prying into your affairs. I value my life after all."

"Good. If you continued to provoke me, I may have to do something unpleasant."

"I wasn't talking about you, Matushita. Besides, we both know that you don't have the guts for that."

"And what makes you so certain that I wouldn't?"

"Because, if you killed me, you'd have not one, but two vampire heavyweights pissed at you. And I can guarantee that Jounouchi won't be as lenient as Yami, seeing how you'd be the one who pulled the trigger directly, and without a guilty conscience."

"Speaking of the devil, how is he?"

"You mean, what's he been up to?" Mai gave him a knowing look. "No need to worry your pretty head, Jirou. He's been hiding out in Egypt for a while now, so your ass is safe." For now, she added silently.

"What makes you think I'm worried about my ass? It's not like I fear Yami."

"Then you're obviously not thinking with a clear head. Everyone fears him. Jounouchi and I included. Granted, we are part of his circle of confidants, but we still have sense." Mai leveled her stare at the male vampire. "You would too if you knew what was good for you."

"Guess I am just crazy then."

"Crazy? No, you're not crazy. You're fucking insane."

"Perhaps, but even if I wanted to make amends, there's no way I could go back. I have other priorities now."

"How is Jade nowadays? I bet she's grown since the last I saw her. Is she enjoying the nightlife?"

"I suppose so. As we speak, she's working down at the Prescient, helping with the paperwork."

Mai was surprised. "What? No cases?"

"No. She has her reasons, though."

"That's understandable," Mai agreed. "Her dhampir heritage could present problems in certain circles."

"I am glad you see that way."

"Yeah, well just don't keep her too cooped up Jirou. If you do, you're going to have one hell of a spitfire on your hands."

"I already do. Luckily, her human side seems to prevent her from becoming too rambunctious."

"Speaking of humans," Mai ventured. "Another rumor has it that you took in a human girl awhile back."

"What of it?"

"Well, can you confirm? Is it true? Or is somebody just circling a load of is?"

"I did. Her parents worked for Kaiba Corp and were killed in the massacre. I took her in until I was able to locate a suitable home for her, but that's all in the past." Jirou assured her.

It wasn't a total lie. He did find Anzu a permanent home with him and Jade. However, he would stake his own heart before he even let Mai or rest of the court know of her location, let alone lay eyes on her.

"I see. Well, enough of the pomp and circumstance. Let's get back to the reason you and I are standing in the middle of downtown. What do you know about our murder investigation?"

"Not much, only that Cher seems to think that Siegfried was attacked and drained by a fellow vampire."

"Right, I got that. Any clue as to whom or what could be capable of doing such a thing?"

Jirou shook his head. "The whole thing isn't plausible."

"True, I mean who ever heard of a vampire preying on another of its kind?" Mai shook her head. "The whole scenario is just wrong. One thing is for sure, Jounouchi is not going to be too happy about this and neither is Kaiba. Siegfried controlled a huge portion of the financial block. He isn't going to be easy to replace."

"I more concerned about finding the creature that did this. It won't be easy either, considering we have no leads at the moment."

"You don't think it was a vampire?"

"The body may have vampire fang impressions on it, but there is no way a normal vampire could have done this."

"How can you be sure?" Mai wanted to know. She had a feeling the estranged vampire was holding something back, and something important.

"I am not."

"So, we're at a dead end?"

"Unless Hubb or someone else can provide us with more info, then yes."

"Perfect," Mai bit out with sarcasm. She was about to say more when her cell phone went off. "Excuse me," She keyed a green button on the numeric pad and placed the phone up to her ear. "Kujaku," she answered. "Huh? Are you sure?"

Chatter from the other end.

"Alright, calm down. I'll be right there." She snapped the phone shut and shot Jirou apologetic glance. "Looks like I'll have to take a rain check on our conversation, hon. Duty calls."

Jirou nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. Milady," he placed a fist over his heart and bowed to her.

"Uh-huh. Look, just be sure to share with me any information you find on the slime that did this. From the smell and look of things, this is not something any of us can ignore."

"You have my word."

"I hold you to it, Jirou," Mai warned. "And I am not one to cross," she finished, before slinking back into the shadows and disappearing.

No. Jirou agreed. You are most definitely a worthy opponent Mai Kujaku.

"Damn, she's good." Jirou heard Duo's voice from behind him. "I could barely make out her exit from here."

"Yes. The shadows are with her. She is a formidable force indeed."

"No wonder Jounouchi took her as his bride. She could break a man with just her looks if she wanted to."

Jirou chuckled. "Perhaps…"

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps?" he echoed. "Ugh wait, I forgot. Unlike the rest of us - the normal masses – you don't fear the inner circle." He sighed. "Then again, I suppose that comes with being one of them."

"Did you get what I asked for?"

"I talked to Wufei. He's got the facility locked down and he's going to secure me an audience with Vivian herself, while Hubb sweeps the guests."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Wait a minute, what happened to not wanting to attract attention?"

"Let's just say, Vivian, knows when to keep her mouth shut." Jirou cast a glance in the direction Mai disappeared. Things just got even better. "Besides, any information we need just got tougher to obtain."

"How do you figure that?"

"Let me rephrase that, any information I need just got difficult for me to obtain."

"The Lady Mai," Duo guessed. "And here I thought you were willing to share information."

"I am - to a certain extent. You're missing the point. With Mai here, that means Jounouchi has taken an interest in Siegfried's death, which means Kaiba has too."

"Did you really expect otherwise, Jirou? I mean, Siegfried was kind of a big player in vampire society, especially in the financial blocks. I'd be worried if they didn't investigate his murder."

"You're still missing the point, Maxwell."

"What?"

"With Jounouchi and Kaiba involved, I've lost my eyes and ears."

"Huh?" Duo frowned for a moment, and then it clicked. "Oh," he said dryly.

"Oh," Jirou mocked.

"Look on the upside man, you still got me and Hilde, not to mention your sister and Anzu – uh, well okay. Maybe not Anzu," Duo corrected when he saw the glare Jirou leveled him with at the mention of the brown-haired girl's name. "But you do have the rest of us."

"You don't fear the inner circle?"

"Hell yeah, I fear the circle, but the way I figure, you're on this case with me, so there should be no secrets between us. Besides, you are the best when it comes to finding out things - even Jounouchi and Kaiba can't contradict that," Duo grinned like The Cheshire Cat. "I am sure between the four of us – that is Hilde, Jade, Hubb and I; we can convince Kaiba that we've got you on a tight leash. Though, it's unlikely that we will need too. Kaiba and Jounouchi may dislike you, but they aren't stupid."

"You place a high value on my skills, Duo."

The American shrugged. "I just know for a fact that there's not a recon agent worth a rat's ass in either of their employee rosters. That's why they rely so much on *Familiars and civilian vampires like me and Hilde."

"You forgot about their women." Jirou pointed out. "Why do you think Mai was here? She and Kisara are pros when it comes to obtaining info, and let us not forget about Mokuba's girlfriend. Rebecca trumps Kaiba in the hacking department."

"True, but do you think that their husbands are honestly going to let them investigate something as dangerous as this?" Duo asked. "I for one, think not."

Jirou smirked. "So, you're basing your assumption that they need me and my skill on their hearts?"

"Yeah," Duo agreed.

"A risky move," Jirou deduced. "Kisara and Mai won't just want to sit idly on the sidelines, no matter what the danger is. You do have a point though no matter how much they wish it, Jounouchi and Kaiba won't allow them to be on the frontline of this one. Not when a member of the vampire species can be killed so quickly and mysteriously and without any warning. Kaiba will not want to take the chance of Kisara being critically injured again and both he and Jounouchi won't risk their mates being slaughtered, no matter how powerful the girls are," he concluded. "They've seen firsthand what the destruction of a soul mate will do to a vampire."

"Exactly," Duo agreed. "And given the circumstances, I don't think the humans are going to be able to handle this one on their own, which means aside from me, Hilde and handful of others, you are all they have."

"I hope your right."

To be continued…

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A Familiar is a human who serves a vampire, often in hopes of becoming one themselves. They are sometimes called a Renfield after the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula.