Two shadows appeared in the center of the derelict mansion, one swathed from head to foot in a black cloak, and the other in a parchment-coloured robe tied around the waist by a purple sash. Both were male-neither were human.

The taller between the two was the first to speak, breaking the deathly silence.

"So, the legendary Reaper has finally come out of hiding to come see me. I supposed I should be honoured," an unnervingly high-pitched, sinuous voice sneered, sounding all too similar to a snake's hiss.

When that got no response, the latter refusing to rise the bait, he let out a cool, simpering laugh. "So, what can I do for you?"

"You know exactly why I called you here, Hebi," the second shadow retorted lowly, the softness of his tone giving the other a sensation akin to an ice cube sliding down his spine. "I'm here to get back what you stole from me when I joined your pitiful organization all those years ago."

Bloodless, white lips curved in a mocking smile.

"And what are you willing to do in order to get it back?"

"Whatever it takes," the Reaper declared without hesitation.

There was silence while the older man cocked his head to the side, appearing to consider his companion's statement.

After several moments, he seemed to come to a decision.

"All right. I'm not an unreasonable man, so I'll make you a deal, Itachi: you and I are going to play a little game, and whoever wins gets to keep what you want so desperately to regain," he offered slyly, his smile turning just plain cruel.

"A game," the latter repeated dully, clearly not believing his ears.

He lifted his hooded head, and the snake found himself looking into eyes so devoid of emotion, it was like looking into a dark, endless abyss.

"What kind of game did you have in mind?"

There was no mistaking the distrust in that tone; but since the other was at least listening now, the snake replied.

"My Eidolons versus whoever you can get to stand at your side; if you can eliminate every one of my pawns before I destroy yours-one way or another-and wrest the world from my clutches, then you win."

He paused, then, a vindictive gleam entering his yellow eyes as he added, "But I wonder, Itachi, will you be able to countenance the endangering of so many innocent souls in order to save you own? Will you be able to live with that, knowing that, if they die, it will be no one's fault but yours?"

Itachi, once again, didn't blink at the deliberate provocation.

"Do I get a time frame?" he queried neutrally, as if it didn't really matter.

Orochimaru gave another quiet, almost girlish laugh, shaking his head as if the question were silly.

"Take as much time as you need," the snake stated dismissively. "There are no rules in this game; I can use whatever I want to eliminate your pawns because, unless I verbally release you, your soul still belongs to me."

This time, Itachi's only response was a low, wordless noise from the back of his throat.

"Hn."

Orochimaru's pale mouth pulled back in a crooked facsimile of a smile at the typical non-answer.

"I'll take that as an agreement," he said, tossing Itachi a cheeky wave before departing with one final statement.

"And so, let the games begin."

This was a crusade I would have undertaken myself eventually, but alone. I may not seem like the type, but I do have a problem with leaving a trail of bodies behind me in my quest for revenge. My sins may be far too numerous to count at this point, but I am not seeking salvation. Only retribution.

For this was never about salvation.

All this time you weren't the only one whose strings the Reaper has been pulling

The white dragon's forehead was still contorted in a frown as he left the abandoned office building and made his way back to the compound. He knew whatever Orochimaru had called him for wasn't going to be good news; but he definitely hadn't been expecting that.

It has all been a lie

That said, though, he wasn't actually all that angry at finding out that Itachi had been using them all as pawns from the start-even though he had every reason to be-he normally would be, except he was pretty sure that was exactly what Orochimaru had wanted.

Instead, what he was feeling was a rather uncharacteristic curiosity: the snake had said that this game of his and Itachi's was for the "ultimate prize", and it made Seto wonder what that could be. What could the snake and the Reaper both want that was worth risking so many other lives over?

Moreover, what could Uchiha possibly want so much that he was willing to enter into a challenge with someone who'd been trying to kill him for the last four years?

Seto's frown deepened as he arrived at the compound's entrance. There wasn't anything he could think of that the Reaper would ever want that much, he mused, entering his personal access code and striding through the large gates when they swung open; he had known Itachi Uchiha a long time and he didn't seem the type to play games.

Then again, he had basically blackmailed Seto into becoming a part of this-and getting the three Legacies to do the same-even though, according to Orochimaru, he hadn't really needed to. So, maybe there was something he was missing.

He pursed his lips. He doubted asking Uchiha about this would do any good; he'd most likely just ignore it or give Seto some kind of riddle by way of an answer. He'd never just outright tell anyone what he was really doing. Therefore, asking someone else what they thought would probably be his best bet.

Although, he continued his train of thought, stepping through the compound's front door and heading for his office, he was pretty sure no one else knew about what Orochimaru had told him; otherwise, why would Hiwatari have had to go to Tekla to bring Uchiha in? And, well, he was pretty sure the panther wouldn't have joined at all if he knew about the game.

That was most likely what the snake had been counting on, Seto realized; he knew Orochimaru wanted the panther back in his clutches-or at least, not in Itachi's-so he was probably counting on Seto to spread the news around and make Kanda angry enough to turn his back on the Reaper's crusade.

Seto didn't want to do anything Orochimaru expected-not only because it would most likely piss Itachi off-but, when he entered his office to find two of his employees waiting for him, he saw that he might not have a choice.

"And where have you been?" Chazz questioned, turning his head to look over the back of the chair in front of Seto's desk.

Seto wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, walking past Zane-who was leaning up against the wall by the door-and taking a seat across from Chazz while he pondered exactly what to say. He could lie, of course; but Zane and Chazz didn't deserve that from him. They deserved to know what they were really putting their lives on the line for.

He let out a deep, measured breath.

"Orochimaru requested a meeting with me," he stated after a pregnant pause, leaning back in his chair and lifting one of his long legs over the other. "I wanted to know what he wanted, so I went."

"And?" Chazz prompted, eyes narrowing.

"He told me that this entire thing, from Hiwatari being turned to all of us being recruited for this crusade of his, has all been some kind of competition between him and Uchiha for what he calls 'the ultimate prize'," the KaibaCorp CEO elaborated bluntly, not bothering to sugar coat it; there really was no way to do that without lying, after all.

He saw Chazz's nostrils flare-but the reaction he was truly interested in was the Cyber Heir's.

Zane had barely moved a muscle since Seto had arrived, remaining angled across the far wall with his head bowed low and his arms folded over his muscled chest. If Seto didn't know him better, he'd swear the Cyber heir wasn't even listening.

But, as Seto finished his explanation he noticed Zane's chin lift slightly and a sliver of glowing emerald peeked out from the hood of his navy cloak.

"It makes sense," Zane's deep, gravelly voice suddenly punctuated the air, addressing no one in particular, but drawing Chazz's attention as well. "The snake's been hunting Uchiha for over four years, and he's spent that time collecting allies strong enough to finally make him stop. My guess is the prize for this competition is his freedom."

Seto's brows contracted. It was a valid assumption; but there were a few things that didn't quite add up.

"Maybe, but then, why did Hiwatari need to be a part of it?" he challenged. "I've owed him this favour for quite a while now, so why didn't he call it in earlier? Why didn't he just start all of this himself?"

Zane didn't twitch-but nor did he respond, instead coming back with his own question.

"Why aren't you confronting the Reaper about this?"

"Because that's most likely what Hebi wants," Seto stated with an air of uncharacteric calm. "And it wouldn't do any good; whatever the reasons, I'm in this now, whether I like it or not."

"And you aren't going to tell anyone else about it?" Chazz wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Again, I think that's probably what the snake wanted-and it's probably the opposite of what Itachi wants, so, no," the brunette answered with a shrug.

Chazz didn't look very pleased, but Zane remained as blank as ever. Not only did he not say a word, but he barely spared either of the other men a glance before sidling out the door.

Fire receded into Kai's palms as he returned to his bedchamber with one of his hands wrapped around Ray's wrist like a vise, and he tossed the elder vampire carelessly onto the floor, his attention still on his sparking fingertips. He flexed the digits, still feeling the heat course through them; just like had before, while watching Ray kill Lee.

It seemed a lot like his theory about why he'd needed to be a part of this might be true.

The question was, how had that man known?

"You didn't do as you were told."

Knight was on his way out of the abandoned hospital when that easily recognizable deep, emotionless baritone filled hi head, and he paused in his tracks at the obviously displeased note he heard there.

He was so preoccupied by that question that he didn't notice there was someone else waiting for him in his room-not until his visitor spoke.

"I told him what you wanted me to, he replied in as calm a tone as he could muster, facing the source of the voice without blinking.

"And what have you been up to, Hiwatari?"

The incendus lifted his head at the sound of that low, gravelly voice and his amethyst eyes spotted the distinctive form of the Cyber heir angled across the wall next to his bed.

"Truesdale," he greeted the elder with slightly narrowed eyes. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"And did he believe you?" that inhumanly cold voice questioned sharply, while the speaker remained concealed by the night shadows.

"I'm not sure," Knight said honestly; as soon as he said it, though, he knew the shadow wasn't going to be satisfied with it. "I mean, I think he did, but-,"

The prick of a kunai at his throat cut him off.

"You were killing another of the Eidolons," Zane surmised, noting the blood on both Kai and Ray's shirts. "Even with Kon in your clutches, you're still not satisfied?"

Kai snorted, as if the question were ridiculous.

"Hell, no," he answered coolly, putting his hands on his hips. "Kon may have been the one to turn me, but he never would have done so had he not become one of them; the man I had him kill tonight had a direct hand in it. And for that, they're all going to pay."

"You were meant to convince him to take his revenge on the Eidolons by any means necessary; you know what's at stake here if he doesn't make the choice to turn."

Knight's forehead creased in a frown; he knew that was what the Reaper had wanted and he had been fully prepared to do just that, but circumstances had made that…difficult.

Zane stared at him a moment, then shook his head like he was dealing with a very slow child. "You don't get it, do you, Hiwatari?"

"Get what, exactly?" Kai retorted coldly, leaning back against his bedroom door.

"You didn't tell me what I would be convincing him to take revenge for, or that the fledgling I would be dealing with was an incendus," Knight shot back, covering up his fear with defiance, even as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

Again, the kunai silenced him, pressing harder beneath his chin so it was almost difficult to breathe.

Zane pierced him with a disparaging stare.

"You think you started all this, and you're the one calling the shots, when really, the one making all of this happen is someone I'm surprised you haven't suspected of manipulating matters yet, he revealed silkily, a strange glimmer in his emerald eyes.

Kai lifted a single slate eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

Zane's expression was studiedly icy as he uttered a single word. "Uchiha."

"The fact that he is an incendus is why he needs to be the one to begin all of this," the Reaper declared softly, cool breath rushing past his ear, sending child running down his spine. "He will be a necessary pawn to have on my side if I want to defeat the ghosts and win this game against the snake."

"This has all been a game between him and Orochimaru from the beginning. The man who told you about the way to defeat the Eidolons was probably one of his pawns as well; he never needed any convincing to join you."

Contrary to Zane' expectations, that news didn't seem to bother Kai at all.

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something to me," the Russian retorted, his accented voice, sounding oddly unaffected, meeting Zane's gaze without emotion. "Whatever the reason for my being here, the fact is that I have a way to make the ghosts pay now-and, if that man hadn't convinced me to complete the transition, I never would have discovered what I can really do to them."

He concentrated, and the flames rose to his hands again, swirling around his fingers, a threatening inferno.

Nothing can help them now

Zane's thick eyebrows lifted in bemusement. Whatever he'd thought Kai would say to this, it definitely hadn't been that he didn't care.

But someone else definitely did.

Kanda had heard everything-and he was apoplectic. This was all a game? Uchiha was putting his life, all of their lives, in jeopardy for a game?

It didn't even occur to him that it might not be true, and his fists clenched at his sides. He couldn't believe this; just as he was beginning to allow himself to trust Uchiha, he found out about everything had all been a lie. The Reaper had been using him as a pawn this entire time.

He could feel his power pulsating inside him again, electricity racing through his fingers, something sharp trying to push out of his nail beds. And that wasn't the only thing he felt: there was a pressure in his spine and in his limbs, like they wanted to bend or break-like they wanted to change.

His eyes narrowed, a steel-blue glow emitting out over the hall outside Hiwatari's room as the pressure intensified. He couldn't control it; he felt his body begin to bow, claws tearing through his silk gloves again, and skin beginning to writhe and darken.

Blood thundered in his ears as he sank onto all fours, gaze becoming slitted and more vibrant like he was seeing things with new eyes. Like the world was shifting around him.

So, this was shift; his anger and betrayal was causing him to change forms.

Into a panther.

A guttural snarl vibrated out of the back of his throat as his bones snapped to contort into the more feline shape; there was pain, but Kanda was so thoroughly pissed off that he hardly felt it-he'd never felt quite this level of fury before. Finding out that the Reaper had just been using him was somehow even worse than finding out that Allen had.

When the change was complete, Kanda's power was already focusing on the next step; he wasn't going to let Itachi get away with this like he had with not telling him the truth about Allen. He was going to answer for this.

Inhaling deeply, he concentrated on what he knew of the Reaper, casting out his senses to track him down.

It did occur to him that Uchiha might be able to conceal himself from his abilities-he did seem to be powerful enough to avoid being detected by anyone he wanted-but either he didn't or he just wasn't doing because Kanda was able to hone in on him after only a few seconds.

A mansion with silver walls and a grand courtyard a mansion that had once played host to a much darker power than its current residents

The blood of old resentments runs thick here

He recognized the place in his mind: it was the Vampire Lords' manor in the center of the bloodsuckers' metropolis.

Finding him there gave Kanda pause: had Kuran known about this 'game'? Had it been part of why Itachi had conned him into being Kanda's bodyguard?

Another growl rumbled out of him; well, he wasn't going to find any of these answers while standing here.

Setting his jaw, he began to bound out of the compound, traveling the now familiar route to the Vampire Lords' place of residence.

This most likely was not a good idea but like most of the time when he was angry he wasn't really thinking clearly. After what Allen had done, finding out that it had been part of some plan or something made everything one hundred times worse. He hated being played more than anything-especially by people who were supposed to be his allies.

This was the last thing he'd ever expected.

It was a little awkward, moving with his new form, but, just like with the pain of his transformation, he was far too mad to notice it. His mind was not on his actions; it was running through everything that had happened since this crusade had begun. Each and every confrontation he'd had with Uchiha, how he had known that Allen had been the one to reveal his secrets; had he set all of that up from the beginning? Had he just been pulling of their strings from the start, only intent on winning whatever 'prize' the snake was dangling in front of him?

What could possibly be worth all of this? Nothing Kanda could think of; but then, he was never one for things-and he hadn't thought Uchiha would be, either.

The panther raced faster toward the manor, now doubly keen on interrogating Itachi about this. He needed to know exactly what was going through the Reaper's head that he would do something like this-although he didn't really expect he would get a real answer. Itachi was definitely not one to capitulate in an interrogation.

However, when he arrived at the Vampires' fortress, his enhanced senses told him that the Reaper wasn't alone in there, and he was already in the middle of another conversation.

His eyes narrowed even further as he used his powers to listen in and recognized the distinctive, cultured voice of the Kind-and, from the sound of things, he was asking Itachi about exactly what Kanda had come here to discuss with him.

Part of him wanted to just walk in there and barge in on their conversation; but, after his head clear a little bit, he decided it might be more beneficial to hear what they were saying.

He took a breath and settled in to listen.

Kaname leaned back in the chair behind his ivory desk, surveying the chessboard on its surface-and the cloaked form reclining against the far wall.

"The snake has exposed the truth of our arrangement to Kaiba in the hopes of getting all my pawns to turn against me," the Reaper stated in an oddly calm voice-a tone that made the king raise a single dark eyebrow

"And you aren't worried about that?" Kaname queried shrewdly.

True to form, the Reaper didn't seem at all rattled by the question; he didn't even lift his head as he answered.

"I chose my soldiers very carefully; if I thought they could be turned against me so easily, I wouldn't have selected them," he stated flatly, and without hesitation.

His confidence made Kaname's other eyebrow rise to join the first. He knew what kind of powers Itachi had, how good he was at reading people and seeing where their true loyalties lay; but even so, he was still taking one hell of a risk.

"You know, you're being awfully cavalier with a lot of people's lives just so you can play out a game," he couldn't stop himself from pointing out.

That finally succeeded in getting a real response out of his companion.

"Oh, but this is so much more than just a game, Kuran," Itachi declared enigmatically, finally pushing himself off the marble wall and coming to stand on the other side of Kaname's white desk.

The second vampire lord stared at him for a long period of time before shaking his head.

"Be that as it may," he said slowly, "Why would you allow the people you care about to get involved in it? Tekla, your brother, your scant friends; you're wagering all of their lives on this, and I fail to see what reason you could possibly have to justify doing so."

Itachi lowered himself fluidly into the other leather armchair behind him and uttered a single word. "Vengeance."

Both of Kaname's thin, dark brows cocked up even higher at that vague statement.

"Why involve people you care about in it?" he pressed insistently, still not quite seeing the big picture.

"The snake has a sorcerer's hold over me," the Reaper divulged in a rare moment of candour, his charcoal eyes completely void of emotion. "An unfortunate side effect of all the experiments he performed on me while I was still an Eidolon-and he is the only one who can break it.

So, I made this deal with him: if I win, he'll rescind it. Tekla was necessary to win, and Sasuke-well, he made the choice for himself."

"And you think you can win a game like this when the stakes affect not only you and the ones you love, but the entire world as well?" the king questioned sharply, his insipid burgundy eyes flashing dangerously in the dark.

Itachi met those bloody orbs without flinching, tilting his head to the side.

"I've seen this all play out from start to finish, Kuran. I know Orochimaru's going to lose all of his strongest allies, and, ultimately, fail to maintain his control over the world," he stated smoothly, watching the brunette for his reaction. He'd never known the king to be the one concerned about the loss of innocent-or not-lives.

Kaname's raised brows furrowed; obviously, he was unconvinced.

"And if that changes?"

"It won't," Itachi cut him off with an awful sort of finality.

The King exhaled heavily, then, after another extended pause, he raised his palms in a gesture of surrender.

"Well, if, God forbid, you did lose, what would happen then?" he queried coolly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If I lose, Orochimaru gets what's left of my soul-and, even if he dies, his hold will still remain, so I will never be able to leave the Eidolons again," Itachi waited a beat before adding firmly "But I won't let that happen."

Despite his feelings on the matter, the lamia couldn't stop his pale lips from twisting into a barely perceptible smile; that was a determination he recognized.

"You won't let anything go wrong?" he surmised swiftly, pulling out a wine bottle from his desk cabinet, along with two goblets.

He placed the goblets on top of his desk and poured a generous amount of the liquid from the bottle into each, dropping a pale pink tablet into one, and pushing the other toward his companion. "And what makes you so certain?"

The corners of Itachi's mouth just barely twitched as he took the proffered glass.

"I'm just like you, Kuran; I will do anything to protect the ones I care for," he replied cryptically, clinking his drink against Kaname's.

Kaname took a sip from his drink; he was going to say more, but, at that moment, he heard the distinct sound of someone moving on the mansion's grounds. And he knew pretty much instantly who it was.

Itachi seemed to notice as well, and he tipped his head in the direction of the front door as he took a drink as well.

"I think I'll leave it to you to take care of this one, Kuran-at least, to begin with," he stated carelessly, flicking a stray midnight lock out of his eyes.

Kaname rolled his own burgundy orbs expressively, but nevertheless set his wine glass down and rose gracefully from his chair, heading out the mansion's front.

Just as he'd expected, when he got outside, there was the distinct form of a panther positioned by the door, electric-blue slits flashing furiously in the midday gloom.

His lips compressed in a thin line as he met the beast's-clearly irate-gaze calmly.

"Kanda," he called out a mild greeting to the panther as it faced him, fur bristling. "I know what you came here to do-and I'm afraid I'm going to have to advise against it."

The panther snarled at him, baring its serrated teeth.

"Did you know?" he growled.

The King loped forward, the panther following him with his eyes.

"I did," Kaname admitted honestly, not seeing the point in lying at this point.

Kanda snarled again, fury growing visibly. "And you didn't see fit to tell me?"

"Given the way you're reacting, I daresay it would have done more harm than good," the brunette responded, clasping his hands behind his back. "Your shift could only be brought on by extreme anger, after all."

He watched without blinking as the panther forcefully transformed back into a man, his eyes blazing like lightning.

"Don't patronize me, Kuran," he snapped impatiently, extending his claws. "What do you know about all this? Why would Uchiha bring all of us into it if it was between him and the snake?"

"The game was based on whose pawns got destroyed first, and we are the pawns Uchiha chose," he explained matter-of-factly.

Kanda's brows furrowed even more.

"And that doesn't bother you?" he shot back incredulously, planting his hands on his hips.

Kaname shook his head.

"I knew from the beginning. My only problem was being forced into making an oath to protect you when the only thing you needed protecting from was yourself."

"Nothing else?" Kanda retorted disbelievingly.

"You heard what Itachi sad in there, about the sorcerer's hold Hebi has on him?" Kaname said, nodding at the mansion. When Kanda nodded curtly, he continued. "Well, in order to win this game, Itachi needs to destroy the Eidolons and, for that, he needed all of us. We are the only ones strong enough to take them down for good."

"He still could have told us that from the beginning, instead of it coming out this way," Kanda pointed out.

"Would you have stayed?" Kaname cut him off sharply, maroon orbs piercing the panther, clearly reading him to make sure he answered truthfully.

"Yes," the panther said a little too quickly to be entirely believable.

"You can't lie to a lamia, panther," his bodyguard intoned silkily, advancing toward him with his gaze narrowed. Before Kanda could say anything more, Kaname answered for him.

"No, you wouldn't have. You would have had a fit and then gone after the ghosts on your own, thereby getting yourself killed in the process."

"And how can you know that?" the Wehr said defiantly, jaw clenched.

"If Walker hadn't betrayed you, would you have ever believed he was your enemy? Would you have been able to stand against him without regretting it?" the king queried, once again already knowing the answer.

Kanda's face darkened, and this time, he didn't bother speaking, exactly as Kaname expected. "That's what I thought," he said.

The panther huffed, shooting the brunette a venomous glare.

"You tell Uchiha that this isn't over," he stated with unsuppressed rancour before turning on his heel and stalking off.

The King returned to his office after he left, only to find that the Reaper had gone as well.