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Anzu didn't want to go directly home after school. Her mom wasn't going to be back until eight-thirty, and Anzu felt like getting out of her neighborhood. It was stifling her there.
About two and a half miles away from her house, there was a small diner that Anzu had saved up just enough money for. She heard that they served some damn good apple pie, and that was exactly what Anzu wanted at the moment. Well, maybe not necessarily the pie, but a normal meal where Anzu didn't have to worry about debt or troublesome transfer students.
When she got there, the old wood-panelled walls and dark maroon walls were oddly comforting. A petite little blonde walked up and seated Anzu on a bar stool right by a big window that let Anzu look outside and see the dismal world surrounding the warm restaurant. Anzu wanted to request a different seat-there were plenty open-but before she could, the little blonde had disappeared. "Great," Anzu muttered. She threw another glance outside as a few fat drops of rain water began to fall. "Even better."
Yami was really wishing that he was back at school. He never thought he'd say it, but he was so tired that he could collapse on the spot. At least he could sleep through class! If there were any clues laying around, Yami hoped that they would pretty obvious, otherwise he'd miss them. Well, he got his wish, and not in the way he wanted.
He stumbled out of one room and into the next, his eyelids slamming shut against the sudden bright sunlight streaming through the window. He was so tired, it didn't even hurt when Yami hit the floor because he was already unconscious.
Flashes of memories flitted across Yami's mind. Karasu's smiling face, the panic when he realized that Karasu was gone, meeting Dragon, the impassive black-robed Jackals as they murdered his brother. One final image seared itself into Yami's mind. The scarlet red image of a vicious dog-headed beast, the symbol of the Jackals. It wouldn't go away. It followed him everywhere, even when he ran. It chased him and it kept getting closer and closer, snapping its jaws.
Just before the beast could reach him, Yami snapped awake. He didn't know how long he was asleep, but sunlight was still coming in through the window really strong, so probably not long. Yami got up and brushed himself off. He didn't pay much attention to the walls, so he didn't notice anything off until he looked around.
One glance up at the wall directly in front of him made Yami yell in surprise. The same red beast was crudely painted on the wall, but that wasn't the worst part. It was painted so that its jaws were about to clamp down on an unconscious Yuugi, whose wrist were bound to a hook about five feet off the ground, which meant that his feet were dangling several inches above the floor.
"Yuugi!" Yami cried as he ran to get the small teen down. He untied the knots and lowered Yuugi to the ground. Cuts were sliced deep into Yuugi's arms where the ropes were tied too tight, and bruises covered every visible inch of skin. Yuugi was so still that Yami thought he was dead, but there was a faint pulse when Yami checked.
Frantic, Yami pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kaiba. "What do you want, Y-"
"Kaiba, hurry up and send out some medical units, fast!"
That got Kaiba's attention. "What did you find?"
"Someone who shouldn't be here, and he's in bad shape."
"Where are you?"
"The building on Michigan Road."
"I'll be there."
"Wait-" Yami started, but Kaiba already hung up.
Kaiba sped along the abandoned streets in his old Porsche, which was just old enough not be noticed, but still expensive enough to fit Kaiba's tastes. The rain wasn't helping, though. It was hard to see more than two feet ahead, and the roads were too slick to speed as fast as he wanted. He almost missed his turn and had to ride over a curb. For a scary moment, Kaiba swerved dangerously towards a telephone pole, but gained control just in time.
Still, despite the less-than-reasonable driving conditions, Kaiba's mind wandered. He had always trusted Dragon. Even now, Kaiba still respected Dragon, but he wasn't stupid. Something was going on with Dragon. Why had Dragon sent Yami off alone to investigate the storehouses? Why didn't he let Kaiba bring the medical units when Yami had requested them? It was pretty sloppy work, maybe even border-line suspicious. Scratch that, it was just suspicious.
Dragon had been acting differently ever since that time Yami destroyed the Jackals. More withdrawn, more depressed, almost. It was like Dragon was actually mad over the fact that the brat wiped out his bitter enemies. Like something didn't go according to plan.
Kaiba forced the thought from his mind. He trusted Dragon, and he always would. But still... No, he wouldn't think about it.
He screeched to a stop in front of the storage area and leaped out of his car before running inside to find Yami.
"Hang on Yuugi. You'll be fine," Yami said to the unconscious boy, more to reassure himself than to encourage Yuugi.
At that moment, Kaiba burst into the room. "What the hell? Why is that pipsqueak here? And is that the..." Kaiba trailed off, but Yami knew he was referring to the image on the wall.
"Yeah, that's the Jackals' symbol. They must be back."
"How?"
"I'd like to know the same thing," Yami replied. Then he gestured at Yuugi. "But I don't think he'll be giving answers any time soon. Where the hell are the medics I requested?"
"Dragon wouldn't let me take them for some reason. But his condition is too serious to leave him here. I'm going to rush him to the hospital since I'm the one with the car. You just go back home and wait for orders."
"Okay, but why don't you just give me a ride?" Yami asked, annoyed that he was going to walk out in the rain.
"Your weight will slow the car down," Kaiba replied as he scooped Yuugi's small body off the floor and carried him out. Yami growled in annoyance before following.
Just outside, a tall figure could be seen tampering with the Porsche, but no one was around to stop them. They took off shortly before Kaiba and Yami came outside.