Chapter Sixteen: Down a well of empty memories

The summer nights were always cool and quiet, as few would dare enter a cemetery alone in the dark.

Well almost not anyone.

A man with green skin and dressed in a business suit was running, being chased by a group. A vampiress, a vampire with the six sense, a pixie and two other people with the six sense.

"Oh man this place is creepy, I hate the idea of chasing a breed here. Why couldn't we chase it down a park or a beach, but no it had to go to a cemetery!" Joey cried as he and Yugi followed behind the gang. Tea was in the lead and Kaiba was with Guni and were in the long run. Yugi looked over at Joey.

"Well I can sense he's not strong yet, but we don't know how long it will take before the breed takes complete control of his body." The rest of the gang was on patrol, at watch waiting for them with any details on the breed or on search in other areas. They could never be too careful with just one in one place.

So far, Yugi and Joey were trying out their six senses as Kaiba explained what it did for them. Joey had been the first one to detect the breed by and saw him running through the graveyard.

"I wish Bakura was here, he would possible sent this breed to the shadow realm."

"Do you think it would be a good idea Joey?" Just then Guni approached them in their faces. "Enough talking. We're losing sight of them. Hurry up you lazy asses!" Both nodded and ran over to where Kaiba was.

The breed saw them coming, saw the vampire girl coming closer.

Damn bitch, there's no stopping her, there must be something I can... He saw someone up ahead. A girl of thirteen stood there watching him come. He smiled. Perfect.

Quickly he rushed at her and grabbed her and ran. Tea saw this happened all at once.

"No! Leave that kid alone!" The breed laughed as it carried the girl away. Tea raced after him, having no time to wait for Seto or the others to catch up. They crossed over a road over to the other side laid. Kaiba saw them heading that way and tried to reach them when cars and trucks zoomed closed by, causing him to stop. When they left, Tea and the breed and the kid he had were gone. Oh god where did they go?

"Tea!" He shouted.

Tea followed the breed until they reached an abandon building site lying deep in the overgrown woods.

"Let the girl go." She said as she looked deeply in its eyes. The breed held the girl over a well by him. "Don't make any sudden moves or the kid falls straight down this well, never to see the light of day again." She hastened at this. Should she believe the breed or was this a bluff, a wild card to get away. "Just put her down and let her go, she has nothing to do with this..." She was preparing to attack it when he would do it. The breed sneered at her.

"Right, I'll let her go."

He dropped her...down into the well.

Tea jumped at the breed before it could move away. She and it fell down the hole. She landed hard and felt one of her legs twist, cracking bones as she speak. She looked around, and saw the girl unconscious right by her side. I hope the kid's isn't hurt, she thought as she went to check on the kid's condition. A bruise on the cheek and arms were all that was there.

Good...

Suddenly she saw something jump out of the corner of her eye. The breed had jumped in the air, lunging at her but Tea was quicker as she bit her finger and threw the blood sword at him, stabbing him in the shoulder. She watched as the breed fell back and lied against the wall, glaring at her. Then trying to pry out the sword as best as he could, the breed could not even budge it out. Tea smiled at his vain attempt.

"Try as you might, you'll never get that out of you..." She told it while she went and gather the girl in her lap. She smooth her long dark hair away from her porcelain face. The girl stirred a little but did not open her eyes. Tea smiled.

"How cute, although I rather hurl now. I wonder how long this is going to last once I have taken the pleasure of killing you two." Tea glanced up.

"In your dreams buster." She tried to get up, but the pain in her one leg, shot up and cause her to fall down. The breed laughed.

"Well seems like I'm not the only one injured. But tell me, how long do you think it will be before anyone even knows you're down here? After all this place has been abandoned for a couple years now...so we could be stuck forever?" Then it laughed again. Tea looked up towards the opening, so far away. She saw the moon rise out of the clouds. She did wondered if her friends would ever find her here?

Please, someone anyone find us...

Kaiba had been searching all night for any signs of where the breed and Tea could have gone, any clues, and any sense of the breed if possible. His senses were all alert but to none avail did they find her whereabouts. He saw the sun was rising and had in dire needed some rest.

They all did. Including Joey, Yugi, Guni and the rest back at his place.

"Come on Kaiba, you need to regain some strength if you're going to sense the breed at all." Yugi assured him, "Me and Joey will search after some resting at the mansion." Kaiba nodded. "All right, later."

They all headed back towards the mansion where the others were. Kaiba saw they had all plan to stay here for a while. Some brought their stuff and were given the guest bedrooms to sleep. Everyone was sitting in the living room when they saw them arrive.

"Hey guys what's wrong with you three and where's Tea? Wasn't she with you?" Mai asked. Kaiba could not answer but Yugi and Joey did the job for him as he headed up stairs to his room. He walked past Tea's and paused for a second. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was nice and had little furniture except the bed, the vanity, the drawers and the two huge wardrobe closets. Kaiba opened one of them and found Tea's coffin there where she had hidden it from the staff when necessary. It was opened and ready as if it expect it's mistress to be back anytime soon. He stepped inside it and lay down. It was nice and had plenty of space for possibly two to fit. Kaiba looked to his left side and could almost imagine Tea there.

Tea I will look for you again I promised. He pulled the lid down and fell asleep inside.

Day had come and then set, night became.

It was now three day, three days down this infernal well with a breed and human girl's life at stake. Tea and the little girl stay to one side of the wall and the breed pinned to the other. She was lucky to have the side with shade, no doubt being out here without her special ring on. She had forgotten it at home with all the others when stalking for breeds. If she hadn't been in the shade, then it would be Tea's ashes and the girl's life goodbye.

She heard someone chuckling as they said, "So vampire, how long was had it been since you fed I wonder? You know the girl looks very tasty. Why don't you take a sip of her blood and leave me the flesh." Tea glared and looking over, seeing the girl still asleep, she gave him the finger and ignored him. But his words still ring clearly in her ears.

Drink her blood... drink... drink...

One little drink wouldn't hurt...

She shook her head and tried to think of some way out before her carvings got the best of her.

I've been in worse situations before when Cain torment me. He starved her for weeks she remembered. It's only been three days, I can last, and I can last a little longer, can't I?

Three days, it's been three days and still there had been no sight of finding Tea anywhere from the cemetery down the road. Damn it! Kaiba stared out the window as he saw the sun going down, night approaching. I hope she had some protection from the sun at least, he thought when he found the ring she usually wore left in her casket by accident. If she didn't then he would never forgive himself for what happened...

He heard someone knocking and told them to come in. Yayoi stepped into the room.

"Boy Kaiba you look worse than ever. You're pale as a ghost. When's the last time you fed?"

"Three days." Three days since Tea disappeared. "Any luck finding them?"

She shook her head and lowered the choker. First thing first, it was obvious. He went over and drink. He had to be careful with Yayoi without Tea supervising him on it.

"You know I kinda like it better with you drinking my blood, better than Tea, no offense..." She said. After he had his fill and finished, he pulled back and looked at her.

"Well?"

"Alright, the body that the breed possessed as you describe is named Koji Ozaki. Apparently he works at..." She told him everything detailed from work office to home phone.

"And the girl, any files pulled up on her missing?" She shook her head. "I'll keep searching." Just then Joey came in. "Hey Kaiba, me and Yugi and some of the others searched that cemetery three times and there was nothing pointing back to them coming back up or sensing the breed at all."

Kaiba stared icily at him, "You sure Wheeler..." His eyes started to glow. "Cause I'm going down there myself and see if I can find them. And if is one clue to show they did, your bloody life is on the line..." Kaiba stormed past them and headed down towards the living room. Tristan popped his head out of the kitchen with stacks of papers.

"Hey Kaiba, here's the stack of missing files, you asked for..." He held them until he tripped on the rug and the papers scattered in the air. Everyone help to pick them up. Yugi was picking one up when he saw a familiar face on it. He read the notice and his face paled.

"Hey Tristan, were there any recent missing people or update ones here by chance?"

Tristan shook his head; "No it was hard to find one person when there was a million disappearance everyday. Some of these go way back. Why?" Yugi shot his gaze at Kaiba. "I think you should take a look at this." He came over and stared. It was the same girl he saw picked up by the breed and then saw what made him go pale as well. Joey joined over at them.

"Hey we've seen that kid in the graveyard, I remember, but what's wrong with you two, you look like you're looking a ghost or something?" Yugi pointed to the top of the notice. Joey stared and his reaction was the same as theirs.

It was another day gone by and Tea was reluctant as she sat in the same spot watching that damn breed sleeping there. Hmm...How I wish I could push that sword up all the way and leave him to die, that what I should do... Her eyes then caught sight of something on his suit.

A cell phone. A phone! I can use it to call Seto's place and tell him where I am. Quietly, she laid the girl on the floor, moving steadily towards the breed.

Almost there...

... Just a little further...

...She would have it in her grasp.

Suddenly the phone rings, waking the breed and seeing her by. Before she had a chance, he grabbed the cell from his pocket and crushed it.

"Here you go, if you needed that bad. You could have asked." He threw the pieces at her. He smirked. "Oh well you weren't going to use it anyways, cause you'll be dead." Keep dreaming buddy, and she felt her eyelids droop and fell asleep. The breed gave her a few minutes to be completely asleep when he called to the kid.

"Hey kid, wake up." The girl stirred a bit then opened her eyes and saw him. He smiled,

"Hey I bet you're scared. Afraid to die here in this well. Listen if you do me this one favor, pulling this sword out, I'll get you out safe and sound ok?" He beckoned the girl. She slowly walked over to him. She grabbed the hilt of the sword in her hand and started to pull. The breed hissed in pain as the sword moved through his sheared flesh. The girl startled, stopped. "Keep going, I'll be fine. Just pull it out. Pull the sword right out." The girl tugged, harder and harder till the blade was almost gone from his arm. When the sword was just out of the seaming of his clothes, Tea awoke and saw what was happening.

"Don't!" She cried but was far too late. The blade fell apart and the breed was freed. It stood on his feet and looked at Tea with a malicious smile. "Time to fulfill my promise bitch." And started to change form into the monster it really was. Tea pulled to the side as it attack, her leg strained still but still was willing to go. She dodged his attacks until Tea could take no more and collapse against the wall. It lifted one of it claws at her and ready to cut her to bits.

"Die!" Then it let out a hollow shriek as sunlight poured down on them. The monster was burning but it took again the human guise and fell to the ground. Thank god for the sunlight, she thought as she headed back to her shade with the girl.

Tea saw the sun going down, almost three she guess. Only three more hours till night comes again. She felt the girl shivered in her sleep and went to check on her. She was burning up, a fever.

"Oh no..." The breed saw her face and smirked. "So the kid got sick and with a fever too. You know that if you don't get her out of here, she'll die and it will be your fault for it."

"Shut up! I wasn't the one who kidnap her and brought her in this mess!"

"You know there's only one way to save her, drink her blood and turn her into a vampire. It will save you both the trouble. She lives and your hungry satisfy unless you really want to let her die a miserable death at such a young age."

"Go to fucking Hell bastard!" Not caring if the kid hear or not.

I had made a vow to never drink another person's blood without their right's I had done that before and I wasn't too please with what I done...

Tea was living in England during the eighteenth century as a vampire. She was a renowned artist back then, but her name had been lost in the sea of time. Most of her work was probably burned or sold to museum under as a mysterious artist of lost history. One painting in a museum she had later founded was the one she had love deeply when she had painted it.

It was a portrait of a young woman and her daughter. The woman was of upper class, nobility by the finery of her jewelry and attire. She and her daughter were looking for someone to immobilize them in an image. She had sent many of her servants on search for wondrous artists.

Many show their work, but none that seem to give what specified her wish. One day, one of them had come across her studio and saw her at works with her painting. He watched amazed and stunned as she made the finishing touches on a portrait of a young man she met before. It brought tears to his eye and asked if she would like to paint his mistress and her daughter.

She said she would and quickly grabbed her paints and canvas to the manor. The lady watched as Tea showed each of her pieces to her. The woman smiled at her and told her to be in the sunroom in an hour. She did.

The mother and daughter, an exact image of her mother, from her wavy brown hair to her moss green eyes and dimple cheeks. Tea like the little girl instantly as she laughed and giggled with Tea and told stories with her after Tea set the painting to dry. She founded she was truly happy with her work and the people she worked with.

One night however changed that for her. And it was right before the beginning to the end.

Cain had found her in her studios and demand her to come back. She refused to and told him to leave at once which made him angry. He slapped and whipped her, made her studios a wreck until her blood was stain on the walls. Her body, bruised and broken laid on the ground helpless as Cain tore her clothes into ribbons and made her screamed in the night as hatred and pain wavered in the place.

The next few days were a nightmare as well. Tea could barely get herself to sleep without having to wonder if Cain was to return, she hated him as much as she hated herself for acting this way.

And she was also thirsty and her month supply of animal's blood was gone and she wasn't so sure how long it would be until the next batch arrived. She should have stayed in and wait, but fate had belittled her with trouble already and couldn't get enough of it.

The servant from before arrives with an invitation at hand. A masked ball was held in honor of her mistress Alexandra and daughter Ariel and had insisted that the artist should come herself to be honored for her masterpiece. Tea saw she had no way out as she made a promise to the little girl before about the ball and accepted its invitation.

The night of the party was a massacre of blood and screams. She didn't remember what happened before until after she saw herself standing in a room filled with dead bodies, their throats torn and the little girl, Ariel in her arms.

"No, this can't be...what have I done." She cried as she held the poor child in her arms and wept. "She is not dead yet Tea." She turned to see Cain standing by the door, looking at her hold the body. "She will be awake by dawn as reborn into this life as the dead."

And he had told the truth there. Tea took the girl to her room upstairs and laid her on the bed. Then she watched as the child stirred and opened her eyes and looked around.

"Where's mama?" She asked. Tea could not speak but she tried to say it best she could, "You're mama's gone and I'm sorry." She embraced her gently; trying to do the best she could comfort the child. But the little girl pushed Tea away.

"You took mama away! I want to be with mama! Mama! Mama!" She screamed as she ran up to the sunroom where the sun was still out and she had not been given the ring yet.

"No don't you can't go out there." She cried as she raced after her, but was too late. She was standing in an empty room where only a smoldering pile of ashes laid. No, no.

"NO!"

Tea blinked over her eyes as her late memory had jogged back. I made that mistake once with Ariel before; I won't do it to this child. She saw the sky darkening.

Almost night and no ray of sun to help. She better think fast and hurry. Then something did, from above. A small creak of water leaked out, just barely. She bit her finger, made her sword in one hand and wrap the other around the child's waist. Then she started to make digging motions on the stone. The breed watched her doing this.

"What are you doing! You're going to get us drown!" Tea ignore him and kept working. Gushes of water then filled in and Tea swam upward one arm and reached for the ladder. The breed was swimming badly until it sank down and was no more.

Good riddance.

She place one foot at a time and climbed upward till she was safe on dry land once more. Tea placed the kid down and then rested. Just gotta rest then go and find help...

She looked about and thought she saw through a blur vision due to lack of her sleep, someone coming her way. She thought it was a trick of her mind when she saw him coming closer and saw the determined look on his face with a flying imp and N.O.S. officer behind him.

"Tea!" Tea looked more at the man as he called out to her. "Seto!" She cried. He rushed over towards her. He wrapped his arms gently around as he pulled her in a tight embrace and kissed her firm and deeply, almost taking her breath away.

"Thank god you're all right, I was so worried that you were hurt--"

"Seto I'm ok. The breed's been taken care of. Now for the girlshe's..." She turned to see Yayoi aiming her gun at the kid. "Yayoi what are you doing!" She asked shocked and terrified at what she was seeing, "Yayoi stop! Please she just a kid."

"This kid had been filed missing for thirty years Tea." Kaiba said to her. She stared at him and saw the truth written in his gaze.

"Thirty years... but that would mean..." Soon she heard laughter and saw the girl standing away from Yayoi's gun and them.

"I guess my little secrets out. The parents who adopted me must've have done that. Hmm fools. I have lived hundreds of years and I have never seen such a foolish vampiress such as yourself Tea." Tea gasped as Kaiba held her closer to him, staring deadly at the vampire girl. "Who are you and what is it you want?" He snarled.

"None of your business Seto Kaiba." She then stare back at Tea, "But in time Tea, we'll meet again. But until then, I'll be watching you..." She started to faded into the forest in back and disappeared. Who was that girl? She thought as Kaiba took her back home. How did she know my name?

These questions ranged through her head as well as the girl's laugh.