Eyes on Fire

Sorry for the wait. I've had little to no time to write in the past three months.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 12

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Tears blurred his line of vision. Anger bubbled in his chest as reality began to set in. Everything he had experienced with Yuugi was time wasted. Time wasted on getting to know the vampire as well as time spent running away with said immortal. Yuugi strung him along for defeat. In the end, he was beginning to wonder why he let his guard down and fell in love with a blood-sucking demon.

He had hidden his depression well, beneath carefully constructed mask of fake happiness. Losing his father had hurt him just as it had when his mother died in his childhood. Living without any family or a purpose simply made everything hell. When he had moved to Domino, Yami planned to blend into the overcrowded school, mixing with the so-called emo teens. Yet, with a friend such as Jou, he could not blend in. The teen was outgoing; bring the depressed teen out of his shell. He loved his friend dearly. However, Yuugi was an entirely different.

Yuugi forced the teen to realize that there were some things that needed to be left alone. The barriers Yuugi sought to surround himself with daily were clearly made to keep anyone out of his life, his existence even. Yet, he could not bring himself to allow the vampire his peace. He meddled too far into the demon's life and now…. He was back where it all started. The depression was rising as well as the pain of his broken heart.

Yami found refuge in a no-name lounge. He sat within a small booth, eyes trained on the glass of water in front of him. Old school tunes filtered through the speakers surrounding the dark atmosphere of the building. A lone bartender stood behind large bar, cleaning glasses with a dull expression.

All the while, Yami kept to himself, thoughts of failure plaguing his mind. He missed Yuugi terribly and wished to return to him. He knew it was not possible due to Yuugi's hunger-ridden state. The vampire was near damn impossible to converse with in that frame of mind.

His thoughts flickered to the large inverted pyramid pendant that Yuugi wore. He did not understand why Yuugi held such a strong love for his giant piece of golden bling. The way Yuugi cradled the pyramid subconsciously and spoke of the item made Yami think that Yuugi held a morbid fascination with it.

Shaking his head lightly, Yami took a drink of his water, setting it back down. He noted that the bartender was watching him intently, something that worried him.

Yami raised a brow, gazing at the man in confusion. The bartender seemed interested in him. After a few moments, the bartender spoke, noticing Yami's sudden stare.

"You need something, kid?"

Yami shook his head, turning his attention away from the man. However, the bartender moved from behind the bar, walking in a slow stride towards Yami's booth. Heavy footballs echoed as the man stopped in front of the booth, gazing down at the silent teen.

"Shouldn't you be in school, kid? It's the middle of the week."

Yami's shoulders sagged as he shrugged. He kept his eyes on his glass of water, intent on ignoring the man.

The man ran a hand through his brown hair, sighing. He sat down on the other side of the booth and gazed at Yami intently, holding out his hand in invitation.

"My name is Mahad. I cannot help but notice that you're depressed and smell strongly of a vampire." He paused, and continued, "And you're a human. What are you doing still alive if you've been with a vampire?"

Yami's eyes widened at the statement and question. "What do you know about vampires? They're simply a myth." He hoped to keep his guard down. He did not wish for anyone to know of Yuugi's true nature.

Mahad smirked, keeping his hand out in gesture for an introduction. "Look, I know you're associated with a vampire. I can smell it on you." He paused and raised a brow at the melancholy teen. "You smell of an old friend of mine. Are you associated with Yuugi?"

The tricolor-haired teen thought through his options. This man knew who Yuugi was. He gazed at the proffered hand and grasped it with his own.

"I'm Yami." He shook the Mahad's hand, removing it quickly. He noticed the other's cold touch meaning only one thing.

"You're a vampire yourself?"

A nod was his answer.

"How do you know of Yuugi?"

Mahad smiled lightly, crossing his arms at his chest. "I've known Yuugi for a long time. He has a past that needs to be dealt with."

Yami stiffened, raising a brow in question. "What do you, a past that needs dealing with?"

Mahad shrugged his shoulders, gazing at Yami with a determined look. "Depends on how you know, Yuugi. How are you associated with Yuugi? He usually hates anyone of the human race."

"He's…"

The teen felt sadness overwhelm his small body. Tears fought to fall from violet eyes. He would not allow it in front of this vampire. The pain of losing ties with Yuugi was beginning to set in.

Mahad observed the teen's distraught nature. He spoke quickly, nodding at Yami.

"You are close to him. You're the one that Seto has been speaking of."

"What?!"

Before he could finish, something struck his line of vision. The world became blurry, darkening by the second.

His body fell against the table, strong arms carrying him off.

"I'm sorry, young one. I'm only doing this to protect you."

Jou walked around, finding little to no information on what he needed. Yuugi and Yami had run off in this small town, leaving no trace of their presence. Seto ordered him to find and capture Yami. Yet, the search ended in no avail of the teen. Yuugi was good at hiding and was sure that Yami was with him wherever he was.

The blond ran a hand through his hair, fear sinking into his body. He recalled the threat if he returned empty handed.

"You will be killed if you do not return with what I desire."

Death was not something he thought about. He barely thought of what he would do a week from then.

Jou yawned and sat down on a bench, gazing around in the midst of the afternoon sun.

"Where the hell can they be?"

Yuugi stirred within the room. He felt anger bubble within his small body. Fear and sadness mixed in with the anger causing his blood lust to rise. Worry set in soon after.

He walked towards the hotel bathroom, gazing at himself in the mirror. He still looked flawless, pale skin and all. However, his eyes were blood red. There was a battle being fought within his mind. His instincts and power were fighting against one another. His control would snap at any moment.

Turning away from the mirror, Yuugi walked towards his bed, sitting on it gently. He raked a hand through his messy tricolor hair. Everything was fucked up in many ways. He wanted to find Yami and apologize while the other half wanted him to turn Yami and partake on his blood.

He cradled the puzzle around his neck, petting it appreciatively. The lightweight of the gold on his cold skin brought comfort to his distraught mind.

His powers were protected and sealed within the puzzle. He had been granted the powers of darkness and shadows from solving the item. In return, the item kept his powers under check, letting him live somewhat normally despite his never-ending battle with blood lust.

No one knew of his past other than a handful of people. Even Seto did not know of the true destiny he held. With his turning, the destiny changed, causing problems with his soul and his powers.

In order for his body to stay within control of the puzzle's dark magic, Yuugi's soul was split in half. That is all he knew. He was half a being, always feeling incomplete and depressed. That is until he met Yami….

The shrill ring of the phone interrupted the vampire from his thoughts. He shook his head, turning to his cell phone. Recognizing the number, his eyes widened.

Hitting the answer key, Yuugi spoke quickly.

"Hello?"

"Yuugi! I've found your human. I got him before Seto or anyone else could get him. Please my old friend, come and get him before it's too late!"

"Mahad, please keep him safe! I'll be there when the sun begins to set."

"Hurry Yuugi!"

The line went dead. Yuugi threw the phone down on the bed as he stroked the puzzle around his neck in familiar fashion.

Yami was safe for a while with his old friend. He just needed to get to him and apologize to him before Seto showed up.

He saw light peeking from behind the curtains, making his stomach turn.

He had a while before he could save his boyfriend.