Akefia stepped out onto the pavement, breathing in the crisp scent of the early morning air. It was warm for a late December day, and the air was tinged with a heaviness that promised a forthcoming rain. He narrowed his eyes into slits when he heard approaching footsteps behind him, heavy and deliberate. There was only one person he knew who would make that much noise so early in the morning: his partner.

"Marik," he accused, spinning around on his heel to glare at the man, "Why do you insist on being so damn loud? This is a stealth mission, is it not?"

The man raised a blond eyebrow scathingly. He, like Akefia, was dressed in all black leather, a dark colored duster jacket, and heavy boots that laced up to his knees. "You don't need to tell me what my job is, you bastard. Besides, I have no reason to sneak up on you." He ran a hand through his wild, blond spikes and fixed his pale blue, almost lavender, eyes on the sky. "Shitty day for sabotage."

Akefia relaxed visibly, glad that Marik was willing to change the subject. Marik may have been a homicidal maniac, but he knew how to pick his battles. "Tell me about it. When duty calls, we answer. Especially when it's Kaiba doing the calling."

Marik huffed his agreement, and the pair set off down a back alley. The walk was quiet for the most part, as both men were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Akefia was thinking about what he always thought about anymore. He was sick of just sitting by idly and waiting for Kaiba to come through. Usually with matters involving Kaiba, the man was prompt and accurate, delivering the desired information in less than a few hours. This, though, was just plain ridiculous. Two whole years of searching, and no one could come up with anything in regards to who he was and where he had come from? Akefia scoffed at his thought, making Marik give him a strange look.

"What's your problem?" he asked rudely.

Akefia rolled his eyes, brushing off his partner's constant attitude. "What's always my problem?" he retaliated, tone lacking his usual venom.

They lapsed into silence once more, though this time the quiet was uncomfortable. Marik fidgeted with a strap on one of his armguards for nearly two full minutes before speaking up again. "It makes no sense that Kaiba hasn't been able to find anything."

Akefia leveled a glare at him. "Why do you insist on filling the silence?"

"You're such a little bitch," Marik retorted, sounding a little put out by his partner's harsh remark, "You know that? I was only trying to help you, but I guess you don't need my help. Why would you need your best friend's help, anyway? You're perfect fucking Akefia, Atem's little pet."

Akefia sighed, knowing that he would get nowhere with Marik when he was so worked up. The blond was a dangerous killer, deadly with guns and knives alike, but he was also incredibly temperamental and even the tiniest bit clingy. Technically speaking, they were supposed to be merely partners, but they were forced to be together nearly around the clock, making it seem to everyone else as if they had become an inseparable pair. It wasn't that he minded his partner necessarily. No, it was more like he had been forced into a twisted mockery of friendship based on their ability to commit an efficient murder. No one else in the base wanted to be near either of them because of how quickly and skillfully they could maim, gut, or slice a victim. Thus two outcasts had been forced together and their little relationship had begun.

"Cut the bullshit, Marik," Akefia said in a weary tone, "You know it isn't true. If you want to talk, we'll talk, but why does it have to be about me?"

"Because I think I can help," Marik replied with a grin.

Akefia's head snapped towards his partner, and his eyes lit up. "You do?"

Marik faltered as if taken aback by Akefia's response. "Well, it's worth a try, isn't it?"

As they walked, heads began to turn in their direction. Their job was just on the outskirts of the inner city, where the lower middle class citizens lived. Though the citizens were used to seeing people from inner city Domino, members of Millennium rarely left the heart of the inner city unless they were in disguise. Nevertheless, people recognized them for who and what they were. Marik and Akefia had made no attempts at blending in at all; their full-length leather dusters with the hoods drawn up made them a suspicious sight enough without their clunky boots and weapon belts. People gave them a wide berth as they walked down the sidewalk, allowing them to continue their conversation undisturbed.

"Suppose so," Akefia agreed, part of him unwilling to allow himself to hope while the other screamed for the possibilities.

"Have you ever heard about the one killer who murdered thirty people in one night?" Marik asked.

Akefia raised his eyebrows. "Why ask?"

"This is how I'm helping," Marik declared proudly, "I'm going to tell you about famous crimes I've heard about, and maybe they'll jog your memory. No one gets as skilled as you are without testing their abilities at least once or twice. I figure that you might be one of the bastards in the stories I've heard, but you just don't remember anything."

"Clever," Akefia commended, surprised that his partner had come up with such an idea. Then again, Marik was a very clever man. He just hid it well. Remarkably well.

"So have you heard about that one?" Marik continued, seeming to glow a little from the praise.

"Nope," Akefia replied, "Why'd he do it?"

"For no damn good reason at all! And the best part? He did it all with a nine iron!" Marik finished with something akin to gleeful admiration in his voice.

Akefia wrinkled his nose. "That wouldn't really be my style." He never did anything of that nature without a reason, and he earned the nickname "Soldier" around the base because of it. Unless Atem ordered it, he wouldn't do it. It was as simple as that, and he never questioned it.

Marik looked thoughtful for a moment, staring up at the sky as it began to drizzle lightly. "I guess that's true. Well, how about this one? A couple of years back, someone broke into Domino Tower."

"Kaiba's Domino Tower?" Akefia asked incredulously.

"The one and only," Marik continued, "Anyway, the guy didn't even jack anything! He just broke in, gave security a little run around, and left!"

Akefia mulled it over a little bit but came up short. "No way would that be me. Again, it seems a little pointless, doesn't it?"

Marik looked crestfallen. "But it does sound like something you'd do. He didn't hurt anybody or take anything. Just ran in and ran out to prove a point."

"Look, Marik, I appreciate it," Akefia said honestly, "But I don't think this is going to work. Anyway, we're almost at our spot. Let's just get this over with so we can go back."

Marik looked as if he wanted to argue but thought better of it, instead settling for a grimace.

They walked the rest of the distance in silence, finally stopping once they were outside of a plain office building. It looked nice enough with a row of neatly manicured hedges and a well-kept sidewalk out front, but their business wasn't with the building. A quick sweep of the area told the pair that their real target, a black business car with a little flag fixed to the roof, was minimally guarded around the back. Their job was to rough up whoever was watching the car and steal some non-essential parts in order to intimidate the vehicle's owner, a business rival of Kaiba's. There was a reason Kaiba Corporation held a monopoly over the city of Domino, and it wasn't just because they made superior products.

"I'll take him out," Marik whispered from their hiding place a few feet away, "You get started on the car."

"No casualties," Akefia repeated sternly, knowing how his partner could be.

"Yeah, yeah, Mother," Marik mumbled, and in the next instant he was gone, executing an impressive diving tackle on the guard and rendering him unconscious in the same move.

In that same instant, Akefia rushed for the car, using his dagger to deftly pry off a hubcap. He grunted, throwing his whole body into the movement, and was rewarded with a satisfying cracking noise as the cap broke free from the wheel. Marik joined him a moment later, using his knife to slash the driver's side door.

"That guy was packing some insane heat," Marik informed him, bringing his foot down on a mirror and snapping it clean off, "We're talking a goddamn semi-automatic, two pistols, and a machete! Even we aren't that well armed!" He threw a punch, succeeding in cracking the windshield a little bit. "We've got two minutes tops."

"We won't need that long," Akefia told him, mind racing as he worked on the second hubcap, "Get the hood and the trunk."

"Right," Marik agreed and stomped on the front of the car to leave some impressive dents before vaulting over the roof to work on the back.

As he fought to pop the third hubcap off, Akefia heard the sounds of a struggle, but he was too engrossed in his task to care. Marik could handle himself for a few more seconds without help. He finished swiftly before rounding the vehicle and coming up on an unlikely sight. Marik was on the ground, struggling with what looked to be a large blur of yellow fur. One of his large, tan hands finally managed to clamp around the thing's mouth, and as he proceeded to pin it down, Akefia realized that it was a dog.

"Bad puppy," Marik scolded, holding its head against the ground, "That is not how you make friends."

"Uhm, Marik?" Akefia interjected, "Need help?"

Marik shook his head. "This dog has a lot of fight," he stated, "Whoever trained him obviously knows what he's doing. Look in the car for me, would you? There should be some kind of whistle or something to call him off."

Akefia did as he was asked, breaking the passenger side window and popping open the glove compartment. Sure enough, a tiny, silver whistle was laying on the top. He pulled it out, turned it over in his hands, and gave it a quick blow. Instantly, the dog Marik was fighting with ceased struggling and fell limp.

Marik stood up, brushing off his pants as he did so, and snatched the whistle from his partner's hand. "I'll take that." He inhaled sharply and was about to give a tremendous blow when Akefia grabbed his elbow.

"Don't," he cautioned, jerking his head to the side to indicate the guard who was still lying limp on the pavement, "We'd better get moving. Let's break the car a little more, grab whatever else is in the trunk, and go."

Marik looked down at the dog, who had shifted into a laying position and was now looking up at them with large, brown eyes. Akefia quirked an eyebrow at it, and it sat up obediently. "Akefia," Marik began slowly, moving to go pat the dog's head.

"No," Akefia said simply, pointing at the car, "You get the window. I'll get the trunk and the hubcaps."

Marik put his foot through one of the back windows, never taking his pleading eyes off of Akefia for a second. "I named him Seamus."

"Shouldn't it already have a name?" Akefia asked as he gathered up the car parts.

"No," Marik replied just as the guard began to stir. They watched him sit up with matching expressions of shock at the time they had wasted, and Akefia knocked him back out with a swift blow to the head. As he fell back down, the pair looked at each other. "Please," Marik tried again, desperation creeping into his tone.

"Whatever. We don't have time for this," Akefia replied stiffly, and they were off in a flash: Akefia holding the hubcaps, Marik carrying an armful of guns that had been found in the car, and the dog trailing behind them faithfully.

"Shit ton of guns in that trunk," Marik remarked breathlessly as they rounded a corner, finally making it back into the inner city.

Akefia nodded his agreement before stopping short and fixing the dog with a strange look. "Why did it follow us?"

Marik looked offended as he stopped walking as well and replied, "Because he loves me, dumbass."

"I'm being serious," Akefia deadpanned.

"So am I, right, Seamus?" Marik asked, ruffling the dog's floppy ears.

Seamus blinked back at him, tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth.

"Atem isn't going to like this," Akefia said with a groan, wiping his face with his hand.

"Hey," Marik argued, "We got him some guns. Nice ones, too, by the looks of it."

"That's not the point," Akefia retaliated, "All we know about that dog is that it was trained to kill anyone who got near that car." He shot the dog a glare, and it shifted uncomfortably. All of a sudden, a curious expression worked its way onto his face. "Hey, Marik, see what else it can do."

"Um," Marik began, thinking, "Sit?"

Akefia shot him a disbelieving look. "It's sitting already."

"Oh. Yes. Well, lay down, then!" he said, pointing at the dog.

It obediently dropped to the floor, ears perked for further orders.

"Bark, Seamus!" Marik commanded roughly.

The dog whined and let out a loud bark.

"So you're trained," Marik mumbled curiously, "Well enough that you won't even bark without permission." His eyes lit up with amusement. "Akefia! He's just like you!"

"Shut your damn mouth," Akefia snapped back, glaring at the pair, "Atem won't let you keep it."

"Oh, yes he will. Just as soon as I train Seamus here to be a killing machine," Marik informed him before turning his attention back to the dog, "Seamus, do you want to become a mindless killing machine? Huh? Do you? Who's going to maim without abandon? You are!"

The dog jumped up at the tone of his new master's voice. He danced around happily for a little bit before jumping up, putting its front paws on Marik's shoulders, and licking his face thoroughly.

Akefia slapped a hand to his forehead.

"So, let me get this straight, Marik," Atem said wearily, lacing his fingers together in front of him, "Akefia comes back with four hubcaps and seven semi-automatic shotguns, and you come back with a mutt?"

Marik's eyebrows furrowed, and he crossed his arms. "Seamus isn't a mutt. He's a cold-blooded killer."

Seamus, who was busily sniffing at Akefia's ankles, snapped his head up to look around at the people in the room. He trotted over to Atem's desk and began to sniff it interestedly, tail wagging wildly.

"Of course. How foolish of me," Atem deadpanned, clearly not amused, "Setting aside the question of why our target even had this dog in his car, I trust the rest of the mission went well?"

"Of course," Akefia spoke up, "We made sure the damage to the vehicle was extensive. If he comes back into town, he'll just get more of the same."

"Good," Atem replied, turning his attention back to Marik, "You're allowed to keep it on one condition."

"The condition being?" Marik asked coldly.

"Cool it, Marik," Atem reprimanded sternly, "Don't forget your place. You may keep him so long as he doesn't inconvenience anyone. That means you feed him, you walk him, you clean up after him, and you ensure that he doesn't become a liability if you ever take him out on the job, which I suspect you will."

Marik grinned. "Deal. Come on, Seamus," he said, clicking his fingers and turning away. Seamus ran after him as he left, stumbling over his paws as he hurried to keep up.

"So," Atem said as soon as Marik had shut the door behind him, "Anything else I should know about?"

"I'm just as confused as you are," Akefia said with a shrug, shifting his weight to his other foot as he stood, "Not only was the guard heavily armed, but they had an entire arsenal in their trunk as well as an attack dog?"

"It's curious," Atem agreed, putting two fingers to each of his temples as if it would help him think, "This requires further investigation."

"Was that all you wanted to know?" Akefia asked, turning to leave.

"Not quite."

Akefia sighed, turning again. "What else is there?" he asked somewhat testily.

"Are you alright?" he asked, giving him a head to toe examination with his eyes as if checking for anything amiss.

"Barely a scratch on me. Marik was the one who handled the guard," he quipped, turning to leave again.

"Are you alright mentally?" Atem pressed, one corner of his mouth turning up in a knowing smirk.

Akefia sighed. "Damn it, Atem, I don't know. It's frustrating as hell."

Atem rose from his chair, walking around his desk to stand face to face with his charge. He clapped a hand to Akefia's shoulder. "Why don't you go take a walk to clear your head? You've had far too many jobs lately, and the stress is getting to you. I'll loan you some nicer clothes, so leave our part of Domino for the evening."

Akefia raised an eyebrow at his boss. "And what am I supposed to do in upper Domino?"

"Beats me," Atem admitted, looking at him fondly, "But you might surprise yourself."

Akefia looked at himself in the mirror, twisting in all directions to see himself from different angles. He looked strange; he was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a blood red button up shirt that matched his eyes. Since they were Atem's clothes, he didn't believe the match was intentional, but who knew with that man. He didn't think he looked too bad, in any case. Of course, he wasn't going to give up his boots, which were laced up underneath the pants. And there was no way he was going unarmed, either. He had also concealed a gun in the waistband of his pants and a long knife along his back.

It didn't take him long to make it out of the slum known as the inner city. He knew every ally and street like the back of his hand, not to mention he was quicker than lightning, so it only took him a few minutes to make it to the nicer part of town. Domino was set up in sort of like a target; there was an outer ring, a middle ring, and the center. Unlike on a dart board, however, the center was where the filth of the city lived. Right now, he was walking through the middle circle; it was a nicer part of town, cleaner and friendlier than the center, but it wasn't the best of Domino. Akefia didn't know yet if he was going to continue walking towards the outer layer, known as New Domino, but it was something to consider. New Domino was where the upper class citizens lived. Even from the inner city, the gleaming skyscrapers could be seen rising up over their own crumbling towers and buildings.

Akefia let his large, black umbrella rest on his shoulder, and he watched with a lazy expression as the water fell in buckets around him. He could've said he pitied the people rushing about around him for not having umbrellas of their own, but he didn't. Not really. Pity wasn't an emotion he felt because he rarely empathized with anyone. The last time he had even come close to it was when Marik had been laying on the operating table after a job gone awry, gritting his teeth in agony as a medic tried to dig a bullet out of his shoulder. He could empathize with something like that, but only because he had been in the same situation before.

He passed by a large building that was brightly lit, the fluorescent light cutting through the darkness of the storm. It was a convenience store, by the looks of it. Akefia cocked his head to the side, silently mouthing the name of the building. "Smart Mart." He shook his head and continued walking, snorting at his thoughts. Mesmerized by a convenience store.

A gasp escaped his throat, and he stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk. There, on the other side of the street, were two people wearing brightly colored rain jackets and running down the sidewalk, most likely towards somewhere they could dry off. He couldn't pinpoint why these people elicited such a reaction from him, but he decided quickly that it was worth looking into and gave chase with his sharp eyesight. There weren't many people outside because of the storm, so it wasn't hard to keep his sights on them. The one in the purple jacket seemed to be supporting the one in the blue jacket. Was he hurt?

Akefia crossed the street and began to follow them, never letting his eyes leave the one who appeared to be injured. Soon enough, they turned and went into an apartment building. It was nice enough on the outside, with sliding glass doors and an attractive brick structure. Akefia waited a few moments before stepping in, taking note of his surroundings subtly. The lobby was furnished well enough for a building in the middle circle, and there was an attendant by a desk who seemed a little overworked at the moment. The two figures that he was following stepped into the elevator, and Akefia schooled his features so that his disappointment wouldn't be evident on his face.

Just before the doors shut, however, the one in the blue jacket turned. Crimson met crimson, and Akefia forgot how to breathe.

A/N:

A bit of a fanfic for you, a bit of a review for me? I pushed this out pretty quickly for you loves, seeing as how I'll be on vacation next week. You know what that means? BEACH FIC!

Many thanks to Chaos Ride for the beta job! Love you long time!~