Thankyou reviewers! Mittzy, Spidey meets Wizard-Thief, dancers of the night, Northern Trash-x and kyro

DISCLAIMER: I don't own YuGiOh.

This chapter has been revised.

.xCHAPTER 9x.

Last savage

"Bakura look out!" Ryo screamed. Marik was flying forward; blood-red eyes wide in their sockets; fist raised and ready for impact. The hunter jumped out of the way, landing on his behind as he vampire hit the air he had occupied just seconds before.

Marik whirled around, this time facing Ryo once again. His eyes were venomous and full of loathing. He snarled, baring his fangs at the boy. Ryo took a step back and the vampire bolted. The boy screamed and ran as fast as he could away from the seething vampire. He dared a glance behind him, and saw Marik was extremely close. He turned a sharp corner and exited the park, hearing Marik's shrieks of outrage behind him. Noticing a slight advantage with turning, he turned again, this time into a dimly lit street, not too far from his own.

He ducked behind a horde of rubbish bins and hid, panting and almost in tears.

He listened closely for a moment or two. He heard Marik cry out with rage then a clanging noise, almost as though the vampire had climbed up onto some metal railings. He heard someone calling his name in the distance. He recognized the voice as Atem. He heard Yugi calling too, 'Go away!' he screamed mentally, 'Don't look for me or Marik will go after you!' He hesitantly peeked out from behind the bins. He saw Yugi, Atem and his brother. Yugi saw him and quickly notified the other two. Ryo however had suddenly decided he wasn't hiding anymore. He took a quick glance around and darted out and across the street.

He saw Yugi suddenly change his relieved expression into shock and fear. He pointed up at the sky and started to yell.

"Ryo look out! Behind you! Hurry up! Come on!" Ryo looked up into the sky and tripped over his feet at the sight. Marik was zooming towards him with tremendous speed, great black wings protruding from his back. He landed about a meter away from the albino and ran straight at him.

He slashed at the boy wildly and managed to rip through his shirt and draw blood. Ryo yelled in shock, grabbing his wounded arm. Marik lunged for him again and this time managed to knock the boy over, gaining more wounds to his head and elbows. The vampire snarled in triumph and grabbed his prey by the collar, lifting him off the ground and bringing his neck closer to his glistening fangs.

They pricked the pale boy's skin before Marik dropped him and reeled back clutching his shoulder. He received a punch to the face and howled in pure fury and agitation. Bakura stood over his brother smirking and readying himself for another punch. Marik snarled and quickly took off into the air. Where he went wasn't in Bakura's list of priorities...yet. He knelt down and grabbed Ryo's bleeding arm. He examined it harshly before helping his brother stand, "You'll be fine, you can bandage it up later but for now we'll need to get you home so we can shoot that bloody vampire!" He yelled the last part of the sentence with relish, though he was enraged at how long it was taking to catch one sixteen-year-old, though he had to admit this one was different. This one had no control over itself for who knows what reason why.

"Bakura, what about Seto?"

"What about him?"

"He didn't come with us, he's still at the park!"

"And how does this help?"

"He brought our guns."

.xVAMPIRE CHILDx.

The two hunters and their brothers arrived at the park and met a panting Seto.

"What's up with you? Been running?"

"Yes as a matter of fact after that vampire." He rubbed his forehead.

Atem raised an eyebrow, but left the man to catch his breath. The events of the night were getting to him. To all of them. Bakura had not answered back, taunted or teased all night, which was a first.

"I recall you telling me you had our guns, Seto. We're going to need them."

"Yeah. Only got one stake for each though."

"We'll just have to make them coun-"

"Shhhh!"

"What?"

"I said be quiet Atem, so what do you assume?"

"You hear something?"

The albino rolled his eyes irritably. "I thought I did yes."

"So what is it?"

"I can't hear it anymore."

"Well that's helpful."

"If you hadn't been questioning I would have been able to hear it better...!"

Ryo rolled his eyes and turned away from the trio of irritated hunters. A small sigh behind him told him that Yugi was following, "I wonder where Marik got to." He hummed.

"Away hopefully. I hope he's back to normal too, it was Malik that got him angry, taunting him. I didn't hear what he said but it looked like he was teasing Marik." Yugi didn't reply but he nodded.

They sat down on the grass not too far from their arguing brothers. They said nothing but listened intently. Ryo wasn't sure what he was listening to or for, he just listened. He listened over the voices of their brothers and Seto. He listened to the wind whispering to the trees, the trees then replying by rustling their leaves (or what was left of them). He was almost in a trance.

Ryo didn't hear the movement behind him. Nor did he hear the hunters yell his name. He only felt someone barge into him then he heard the scream and the yelling. He sat up quickly, looking for who had barged into him.

He saw his brother. He saw Marik. He saw blood. He screamed.

Marik ripped his hand back out of Bakura's stomach and howled with glee. The hunter groaned and tried to move. Marik snarled and kicked him. Ryo whimpered. The vampire's blood-red eyes widened. He turned to face Ryo his red eyes now flashing back to purple.

.xVAMPIRE CHILDx.

I heard a faint whimper. It was deadly familiar. I heard it and I snapped. W-what happened?

I could feel something heavy on my back. I dared a small glance and my eyes widened - I had wings! Huge black and feathery. I must have turned savage again and grown them with my Sikuhoa. I felt a burning in my shoulder. I had been stabbed too, but I wasn't worried, it would heal soon enough.

For now, my main concern was Ryo. He had been the one to whimper and had collapsed. Tears were in rivers, flowing down his pale face. I heard Atem and Seto calling him, telling him and Yugi to get away, fast. I needed to know why first. I went to take a step towards him, when my foot hit something.

I looked down. Then I saw why Ryo was crying. His brother lay there breathing harshly with blood pouring out of a huge wound on his back. A wound that one look at my hand told me I had created. I moved towards Ryo again opening my mouth to tell him I was so sorry. But he moved back. No, he didn't just move back, he jumped back in horror. The action brought a feeling in my stomach, on that hurt me. My only friends were scared of me, and I had almost killed one of their brothers.

I heard Atem yell but I didn't register what he said. All I heard was a shot, then a second one. A wooden stake zoomed past my cheek and tore through my ear. The other headed directly towards me. I felt a searing hot pain travel through my chest and rip apart my right lung. I cried out and fell to the floor, clutching the wood with tears pouring down my face. The pain was unreal, it was killing me. I struggled to breathe and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

I strained myself to hear what was being said, I couldn't hear. All I could hear was my own heart pounding away like one thousand drums in my ears, holding me to life. My wrists throbbed my chest felt ready to burst with the pain. I twisted my head to look up at my friends but I found it hurt more than the stake driven through my ribcage.

I caught Yugi's eyes; amethyst and shining with tears. They scowled at me. I looked at Ryo. He was at his brother's side with relentless tears flowing, mimiking my own. They were pulling the hunter away from me. But he looked back at me. Those chocolate brown eyes couldn't have shown more hatred.

I strained myself to whisper, "I'm... s-so... sorry..."

He frowned and turned his head slightly away, I saw his lips move, "Just go away Marik... just die..."

My breathing was harsh and very uneven. It hurt to breathe. My chest was numb with pain, it hurt so much. But not as much as it hurt to see my only friends walk away from me. I should have been more careful. I saw a wound on Ryo's arm too; a wound that there was no doubt I had inflicted. I felt more tears trickle from my eyes.

I tried to lift my arm but instead my body lurched forward, hitting the ground heavily. The stake twisted painfully in my back but I concentrated on lifting my arm instead. I wanted to call out to Yugi, to Ryo. I wanted to tell them how truly sorry I was that I hurt them, that I LET them get hurt, but I couldn't. I could feel my energy fading instead.

The world around me blurred and darkened. I felt the distant sensation of tears pricking at my eyes; I didn't want to die! Not yet.

His finger lifted slowly, "Don't.." his voice was little more than a whisper, "...leave me..." the finger shivered and a single tear rolled down his cheek and dripped onto the grass, "...alone.." the vampire's finger dropped and his eyes darkened... chest stilled..

.xCHAPTER 9 ENDx.