Hey Guys sorry for taking so long! Don't worry I've already been punished for my lengthy absence, (rolls eyes) but anyway, I really hope you guys find this chapter worthwhile…It's not as exciting as I would have liked it to have been, but every story has its boring parts right? Okay, so let me not keep you any longer and thank you for the reviews, you guys are awesome!
Rating: Rated M (not a good choice for children)
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! But we don't all get what we want…
AN: Dedicated to the awesome reviewers that make writing this worthwhile!...Oh and my Sis of course...hehehe got ya sucker!
Chapter Five
Yami almost held his breath in anticipation, listening closely to her thoughts that were a little jumbled and confused. At first she didn't quite know if she recognized him or not, but through the haziness of her troubled mind, she was able to put two and two together, which was far quicker than he had expected her too.
The first thing she recognized was his eyes, describing them as dying suns that had been filled with pain when she had first seen them, and then recognized his face, though she remembered it to be paler than it was now, and decided that she liked its healthy glow.
However, her overactive mind began to take in new characteristic features that she hadn't previously noticed, such as how tall he was, and how his deep voice fit him so well. She also noticed how muscular he was, and was fascinated by how his abs showed noticeably through his tank top.
Yami strained to keep himself from smiling nervously, as he criminally invaded her thoughts.
She began to think back to when she had first seen him, remembering how he had seemed to be in a great deal of pain, though she couldn't tell what had happened to him.
She assumed that he had been involved in a fight, after noticing many unconscious bodies badly battered along the road up ahead, but by the way he was trembling she thought that drugs could have been another possibility.
In all, she had seen nothing that was of any concern, and was in fact more worried about him, than suspicious.
"Are you alright?" he asked after a while, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his intense observation.
Her thoughts seemed to snap back into reality and she quickly pulled herself together.
"Oh! Yes, thank you, I'm so sorry about…about…" she stuttered, jumping to her feet and pushing herself away from him. Her eyes began to dart about her, almost as though she expected something to jump out at them at any second. Yami curiously listened to what she was thinking, only picking up on how scared she was of whoever was coming after her.
He did a quick surveillance check, trying to locate any posing threats surrounding them, but found nothing.
"…About running into you," she ended breathlessly, trying to calm herself down with the same advice he had given her earlier, taking deeper breaths instead of shallow ones. "I should have been looking at where I was going." She met his eyes shyly then quickly looked away as a light blush burnt along her cheeks.
"No damage done," he answered quickly, mentally slapping himself at his choice of words, especially when she had previously thought him to have been injured the night before. "Do you need to see a doctor or be taken somewhere?" He didn't know why he asked, perhaps out of politeness. Even though he was raised in an environment with bloodthirsty creatures of the living dead, he was taught to be a gentleman.
She shook her head quickly, her entire face almost burning to the shade of his eyes, "It's okay, really, you've done enough, way more than I deserved," she said, though he could tell even without reading her thoughts that she didn't want him to leave.
"Thanks, for everything," she said softly, her eyes finally resting on his.
He nodded his head once, before glancing up at the darkening sky. "I uh- should be going now, take care," he said quickly taking a step away from her.
"Oh yeah of course and again I'm sorry for running into you and thanks for helping me, I owe you one," she babbled, nervously raking a strand of rebellious chocolate brown hair out of her eyes, which he couldn't help but find incredibly cute.
He nodded his goodbye and continued forward with casual easy paces, but couldn't help taking a small glance back at her, making sure she was still okay. Something about the way she stood drew him to her, though he didn't know why. With her eyes staring at the ground with slumped shoulders, and her hands clenched into fists, she looked so helplessly lost.
He forced himself to look away, breathing in a frustrated breath as he marched forward. He couldn't allow himself to get involved with a human, especially not her.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
He had drifted around the block aimlessly; his thoughts centered on the blue-eyed beauty that haunted his thoughts…not that he really minded.
There was no denying that she was incredibly beautiful - that he admitted defeat to, almost instantly. He found her eyes to be her most striking feature, reminding him of polished sapphires, only more beautiful, and her skin had looked so soft and touchable. It wasn't long before he began to sinfully fantasize about what it would have been like to hold her light and helpless form closer to his body and feel her soft plush lips against his…
What the hell was he thinking?
He couldn't think about her like that, hell he couldn't think about any human like that. He could have mentally kicked himself for having done so, and grudgingly continued down a road in which he vaguely recognized. Hadn't he seen that mailbox before? He was sure he had seen a similar looking yellow building about ten minutes ago, and why did that parked white van look so similar to the one he had seen soon after he had helped the blue-eyed girl…weird.
With his eyes one the ground, he continued to follow an invisible trail, passing oddly familiar surroundings, not knowing and not caring where it led.
He heard loud music blaring from somewhere up ahead of him, which fit the kind of dodgy surroundings he kept seeing. He only half listened to it, not very fond of the westernized pop culture that made his sensitive hearing practically bleed.
He reached what he assumed to be a parking lot, made up of cars parked on the sidewalks and jammed next to each other in almost impossible positions. He picked up sounds of heavy breathing and moans, and without thinking turned his gaze over to where they were coming from, accidentally witnessing a naked couple making out in a busted up yellow car of sorts, which had to have been the most rusted car he had ever seen.
He quickly diverted his attention elsewhere, shuddering at the mental image of pair, which just wouldn't fade away. It was then that he caught her scent, surprised by how he hadn't noticed it before.
He glanced around looking for her, wondering why in Ra's name she would even look in this direction, never mind actually traveling through it. He had to eventually follow his nose, trailing passed more beaten up cars that were definitely on their last wheels, finding her scent rather easily despite there been so many.
As he reached the nightclub, he was taken aback by its raw shadiness that practically advertised criminal activity…yet had a certain charm to it that he couldn't help but like.
The windows illuminated a bright red light that silhouetted the forms of the dancing people inside. The walls were decorated with graffiti and stripper flyers (hmmmm), and broken bottles lay smashed against its edges. There were groups of gang-like men and woman, some that looked younger than fifteen, sprawled out along the ground and next to the stairs, smoking something with a sweet scent and drank from one bottle that was passed around amongst them, their eyes seeming blank and unintelligent.
He hated to think that a girl as beautiful as the one that he had briefly met would hang around in such an…environment.
He made his way up the stairs, not sparing a second glance at the pile of air-stealers that sat uselessly below him, completely out of it, hesitating momentarily, before shoving the double doors open, confronted by a sight that he found to be rather typical of such a place.
Drunken dancers, falling over each other and staggering around, overran the dance floor, while a fistfight took place on his left and two topless girls danced suggestively to his right. The music blared too loudly within the confined space, so much that the little building felt as though it were vibrating, and while he winced in pain he wondered just what the hell he was doing there.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
"Tina! Table six in the VIP section needs assistance, move it!" James barked, slamming the small kitchen's door closed behind him, as he made a hasty retreat to his office. He had been in an irritable mood all evening, one of the many side effects of drug abuse that he was only just beginning to discover.
Tea clenched her teeth tightly together in frustration. She had already finished her shift twenty minutes before, but James refused to let her leave. She dropped the glass she was washing up, back into the sink and quickly grabbed for a flannel to dry her hands. She hated the VIP section with an undying passion. It was filled with arrogant and perverted, semi rich human trash that thought the world of themselves even though there was nothing to admire about them.
She walked out of the kitchen with hooded eyes, passing fellow waitresses as she made her way through what she called 'the sardine run.'
"Yo' boys look who-s it is," the head of the table and most noticeably the group's leader, called out. She had to force herself not to roll her eyes and wore her best poker face she could muster.
"What can I get you boys?" she asked blankly, grinding her teeth together as he looked her up and down, almost seeming to see through her clothes.
He glanced around at his small cluster, with a look of amusement before he answered. "We'd like ya all nigh-t long 'aby!" The table erupted into laughter, annoying the hell out of her. She had to clench her jaw even tighter, taking a deep breath as she did her utmost best to remain unfazed by their idiocy. By the time she had counted to ten, she was convinced that they had completely forgotten that she was there.
While she waited impatiently for them to sober up slightly, she let her eyes wonder around the club, picking out individuals that seemed to young to be in such a place. She only recognized one face that really didn't belong, fourteen-year-old Ally Jones, a definite rebel in disguise, but Tea knew better than to be surprised. It wasn't uncommon in this part of town to come across kids in clubs.
Her eyes continued to scan the floor, before they settled on one particular face. It couldn't be…it was!
She couldn't contain her excitement and had to get closer to him, after all it would be rude not to say hi right…right? She side glanced at the table, which still rippled with laughter, and decided that it would be easier to sneak off without them even realizing it.
She made her way through the crowds, keeping her eyes on him as he made his way to the bar, yet grimaced when she noticed who was bartending that evening… Of course it had to be the prettiest man-eater alive, known as the one and only Mai Valentine.
It was a painful sight to watch how she gracefully moved around from side to side, serving drinks with the speed of lightning and still managing to look ultra sexy doing it.
Yet as Mai was about to mix another drink for an eye-hungry customer, she noticed him walking towards her, and faltered in her sluttish performance as though time around her had stopped.
Her eyes widened in a predators gaze, taking too much of an interest in him for Tea's liking.
She couldn't see anything but the back of his head as he took a seat by the counter, but knew that he was saying something just by watching Mai's flirtatious expressions working in overdrive.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Yami had noticed how the violet-eyed blonde looked at him, but didn't spare a second thought about her, other than the small fact that her clothes looked too tight on her. He ordered a simple drink, allowing her to decide on which one, not caring what she chose. He didn't know why he was there, and hated that he couldn't bring himself to leave, without seeing her…maybe he should have ordered a stronger drink.
He had never been much of a drinker…well alcohol wise that is, and especially took a disliking to it after his first experience, when he and Yugi had drunk themselves to a point in which they no longer remembered their names, and he had ended up in bed with the worst mistake of his life…which was bad enough without the killer hangover that he later endured.
When his drink came, he had to look at it twice before taking a sip, grinning slightly at the irony. A Bloody Mary…she really was a good bartender. It was only when he downed it in one gulp that he sensed her presence, and found himself oddly relieved by it.
"Wow, we just keep bumping into each other don't we?" she said nervously from behind him. He caught the blonde girl glaring at her, though her flirtatious smile didn't leave her lips.
"Yes we do," he agreed through a small smile, turning slightly in his seat so that he could face her, and was glad to see that the colour had returned to her cheeks, though she seemed to be blushing. "Feeling any better?"
She nodded her head and smiled, "Yeah plenty, thanks again for…for what you did earlier."
"Why? Were you sick Tea?" Mai asked, while she wiped down one of the empty glasses, her eyes still flaming in jealously.
Yami, side glanced at the violet-eyed girl, catching small tidbits of her thoughts that were swimming violently inside her head, most of them hostile towards Tea.
"Something like that," she answered, though she was unable to meet Mai's gaze, which Yami honestly couldn't blame her for.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Kasumi responded with fake sincerity, "Maybe you shouldn't have come in tonight."
Work? So that was why she was here.
"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Tea said through a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head, which humans so often did when they found the situation they were in awkward, "I am still standing right?"
"Which reminds me, as I seem to have forgotten my manners, would you like a drink?" he said smoothly, aware of the sudden negativity that came off Mai.
Tea nodded and took a seat next to him, with a shy smile curled onto her lips.
Mai took her eyes off Tea for a moment and stared at Yami with fluttery eyes and a flirtatious smile. "Guess you just had the healing charm then didn't you? Maybe sometime you'll give me a private demonstration of your other charms," she said with a small wink, before walking down to the other end of the bar, leaving him with a shuddering mental implication of a dark alley activity.
Been somewhat glad that she had left, he didn't even spare her another glance and once again turned to face Tea, glad that they were alone.
"Interesting friend of yours," he commented.
She shrugged awkwardly, "We aren't friends…" She mumbled, her thoughts racing on exactly what to say next to him. He smirked through another sip of his second drink.
"Glad to know, because she seems like a total bitch," he mentally slapped himself for cussing in front of a woman, shocked that he was such a weak drinker.
Yet it was not that, that had surprised Tea, it was the mere fact that he had seen through the Mai-girl's act. Her eyes had widened into azure saucers, and he could tell that she didn't know what to say.
"By the way, my name's Atem, but call Yami, everyone else does," he said through a warm and inviting smile.
"Oh, my name's Tea, it's nice to meet you Yami," she said sweetly, her heart doing small little leaps in its rhythm.
"It's nice to meet you too Tea." He mentally tortured himself for staying another minute beside her. He knew this was dangerous, not just for him, but for her too, yet as he heard her voice, which he decided he actually liked listening to, and watched in fascination how she nervously fidgeted with her shoulder length chocolate locks…he couldn't bring himself to do anything but stay.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
In that evening he had learnt a great deal about her. She was a ballet dancer, accepted into the finest ballet school in the area, working two jobs a day to pay for the tuition. This surprised him a great deal, as he knew that it must have been hard on her physically and mentally, yet she didn't complain.
He had also learnt more about his physical appearance than he had in his entire lifetime, as she was amazingly observant, and in all the time they spoke to each other, she would take notice of something new or something old about him that she liked…which stirred odd emotions in him.
He knew he was falling into a dangerous trap…but the more he got to know her, the harder it was to resist.
He found himself walking her home in a strangely comfortable silence…well verbal silence. He heard her thoughts flutter from one train of thought to the next, mostly about him, but wished his power was strong enough to dig further.
She lifted her starry gaze to a glittery sky, a small smile curling onto her lips. "It's so pretty."
Yami looked up at the sky, unable to see the same beauty that she was referring to. "I guess," he replied dryly, deciding to keep it to himself that he couldn't really stand the sight of stars.
Tea shivered as a cold chill swept passed them, and Yami automatically unzipped his leather jacket and placed it on her shoulders. While he did so he caught sight of a flyer attached to the wall, feeling an icy chill crawl up his spine.
"Oh thanks that's so kind of y-" She stopped in mid sentence as she noticed his shocked expression, and hesitantly turned to follow his gaze.
The flyer one the wall was a report of a brutal murder that took place in Domino City just the day before, but before she could read any further Yami began to gently guide her away, his posture tensed and strained as though he had received the shock of his life.
"Are you okay?" she asked alarmed.
"Yeah, just worried about the gang killings. We better get you home," he said in a strained voice.
She thought about asking him more, but decided against it as she soon processed how close she was to him, much to his relief…
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
He was as surprised as he was glad that Tea lived just about a block away from him, making his journey home a relatively quick one. His night had played out rather perfectly, until he came across the damn flyer that changed everything.
A brutal killing of an entire gang in West Street, fifteen victims found dead…the same guys that he had fought the night before…each with their throats ripped out.
He tried to remember what had happened during and after the attack, coming up with blank answers. Perhaps another gang of sorts with a grudge did it…but Yami didn't believe that. He wondered if his vampiric nature had somehow overpowered him that night, drawn to the blood with a vengeful force that somehow turned off all his senses completely and took over…the possibility existed.
He almost crumbled down in defeat, when he reached his front door.
No…it couldn't have been him, he remembered seeing Tea, and he remembered getting home before sunrise, and been in incredible pain when he did.
Yet his relief was only temporary as another worrying thought took its place. Who had killed the gang?
He unlocked the door to his apartment and was greeted by the first of his many furry lodgers, who meowed a greeting before disappearing down the hallway that led deeper into the darkness, probably straight to the kitchen.
He rubbed his forehead as though he had fallen victim to a killer migraine, trying to decide what to do about the situation, when he stopped dead in his tracks.
The scents that polluted his small living room hit him like a tidal wave, and he almost didn't turn to face their sources, or at least one particular source that had stopped his heart in mid-beat.
A light flicked on from beside the small living room chair, revealing a horrific sight.
He opened his mouth, trying to force himself to whisper the words, but struggled against the tide of repulsion, fear and overall dread that washed over him.
"Y-Yugi!"
He smiled coldly, his red eyes so much brighter than Yami's and a trail of fresh blood still staining the corner of his mouth.
"Hello Brother…"
OOOOOOO...the drama! hehehe okay you can throw the bad fruit at me this time, in fact I fruit myself! lol see you guys nect chappie! bye bye.