Yami gave the receptionist a smile and Mokuba clung tighter to his leg the longer silence stretched on. Nothing but the sound of her typing on the keyboard filled the air, and Yami drummed his fingers lightly on the marble countertop, continuously exerting pressure.
He had to make sure she didn't ask for their identification at the end. Making her forget to ask should be easy enough.
She wasn't resisting at all and was beginning to get sleepy.
"Here is your reprogrammed key-y," she yawned, passing Yami the card across the counter. "Enjoy your…oops! I just need your ID really quick. So sorry about that! I nearly forgot!"
Damn. Yami grit his teeth and his stomach grumbled as he smiled and nodded, handing over the same keycard she'd just given him.
Mokuba watched this with bated breath. That would never work!
The receptionist stared blankly at the card before handing it back with a mechanical smile, "Thank you, Mr. Yamamoto. I hope you and your niece will enjoy the short ride back to Domino City."
"Thank you," Yami said fluidly, taking the keycard back and Mokuba's hand gripped his fingers so hard, it stung.
They hurried away from the front desk with their heads lowered and took cover in a deserted hallway.
"How'd you do that?" Mokuba demanded. "We didn't even pay! What the heck was she seeing then?"
"She was seeing what she wanted to see," Yami replied calmly, patting Mokuba on the shoulder reassuringly. "She was so used to doing all the motions, she didn't realize anything different. We are safe. You…are safe."
Mokuba frowned and crossed his arms. "Okay, now we find Seto."
"No, now we find food, you have to change, and then we find Seto," Yami said steadily, seeing a familiar, fiery glint in Mokuba's eye. "Aren't you hungry?"
"You're stalling!" Mokuba raised his voice to shout, feeling as if his heart was being torn in two. "You're just tricking me so you can get me back home to Isono! I can see right through you, you liar!"
"I never said any of those things!" Yami cried, holding a finger to his lips, anxiously begging for silence. "We will find him! You have my word. Now please, let's go into the room, okay?"
"No!" Mokuba stamped his foot, drawing a couple of stares from couples passing by, and Yami felt himself sweat. He wasn't equipped to deal with the temper tantrums of a budding teenager combined with vampire hunger.
"Mokuba…" Yami let his breath out in a slow hiss and knelt so he was eye-to-eye with the child. "…Sleep."
Mokuba's eyelids drooped heavily before he swayed dangerously to the spot and fell forward into Yami's arms.
Biting back a sigh, Yami scooped Mokuba into his arms and headed for the elevators.
That was a dirty trick, but he couldn't have Mokuba throwing a tantrum in public.
Kaiba eased the door open and slipped inside the employee breakroom. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, and his stomach curled with longing. Damn, he'd kill for a piece of toasted bread with butter that didn't taste like dust.
Swinging open the first locker, he saw a skirt with a white blouse hanging on the hook.
Next.
He moved down the line and discovered the next one was locked.
Damn. Next.
He tried two at once, and they both swung open slowly. The locker on his left contained another skirt and blouse outfit, while the one on his right finally had something that looked wearable.
Snatching the pressed shirt off the hook, Kaiba hastily threw it on and reached for the pants.
Footsteps were approaching from the hallway, and Kaiba raced to pull on the slacks, managing to tuck his shirt in the moment a man walked into the break room and stood by the door, staring at him with a stunned expression.
The man blinked rapidly; the door swinging shut behind him while his cheeks steadily reddened.
"M-Mr. Kaiba?" He breathed, and Kaiba straightened up hastily, making sure to stick his feet into the shoes that were a tad too small for him before he addressed the stranger.
"You never saw me." Kaiba glared furiously at the man.
The man looked dazed and his eyes turned misty.
"I…never did," he said quietly, swaying on the spot.
Kaiba nodded, satisfied, and he brushed past the man, eager to get out of sight.
If that man came out with a story, he could just sue him.
His toes were crammed too tightly against the inside of the shoe, and Kaiba grit his teeth, wondering if he could con his way into getting better clothes at one of the on-board shops and give them an IOU.
The money he stole off those army men would barely cover food for the night.
Phone. Phone first.
He leaned his shoulder against another employee door and was relieved to find it empty, with only chair tucked against a narrow desk, overflowing with paperwork.
A phone was sitting in the corner, nearly buried by all the stacks.
Nice.
This seemed to be the kitchen staff's 'office'.
Shutting the door behind himself and locking it, Kaiba snatched it up and dialed Isono's number from heart, listening to the rings as he pressed the receiver to his ear.
To his relief, Isono answered the phone breathlessly. "We are not taking any press calls at this time! Wait, how did you get this number—!"
"Calm the fuck down," Kaiba growled, gripping the phone tightly. "It's me."
"Oh! …Oh," Isono whispered, sounding oddly relieved. "M-Master Kaiba…y-you're alive? Where's Mokuba? Where are you right now? I'll come immediately! Don't let anyone see you!"
"What?" Kaiba snapped, his heart slowing down into a heavy pound in his chest. "What do you mean 'alive'? Where is Mokuba?"
"You don't…remember anything?" Isono gasped, his ragged breathing audible through the receiver. "Where are you? Is this line secure? Someone very dangerous and powerful is after you! They crashed your plane! It was all over the news! It is all over the news! I thought you had died! That's what they're saying—no survivors! There's photos of the crash site circulating everywhere…"
Blinking rapidly, Kaiba's mouth went dry as the phone slipped lower against his face while he digested the bad news.
Mokuba was…dead?!
He remembered waking up from a nap, surrounded by flames right before passing out cold.
Mokuba was in that wreckage with him?!
"No…no," Kaiba breathed, his world spinning terribly, and he braced himself against the tiny desk, rocking back and forth on his heels while Isono's voice flooded his ears.
"Keep a low profile, Master Kaiba. Acquire a random phone and ping me your location! Avoid cameras! They might be following you! Master Kaiba? …Are you there? Master Kaiba!"
"I'm going back," Kaiba said numbly, before he threw the phone back down onto the cradle, shuddering with every breath.
No. Impossible.
Mokuba…. wasn't dead.
He had to go back and check the wreckage.
Just to be absolutely sure.
Sitting down in the tiny chair, Kaiba propped his elbows up on the desk and gripped his hair in distress. What was happening in his life right now? Was any of this real? The odd superhuman speed, and the weird animal transformations…someone was fucking with him, right?
And why was he having so much trouble recalling what he'd done in the past 48 hours?
Kaiba rose from the desk and strode out of the office, his confidence returning with every step while his mind raced.
If someone was trying to kill him, they would have to try multiple times because he was currently inhuman, and part beast. Whoever the fuck killed Mokuba had better quadruple their security, because he was coming for them.
Yami tucked Mokuba into the bed and sighed. He ached all over for a hot shower but first, he had to find food for the child when he woke up.
Gritting his teeth, he tried not to feel guilty. Yami grabbed his blazer off the coat stand beside the door and draped it over his shoulders.
Reviving Mokuba had been a mistake, and it was becoming apparent now. Shit.
Yami stepped out into the hallway and nearly had a heart attack when he saw someone who greatly resembled Seto, brushing past a family in the lobby.
W-Wait.
He had to follow this stranger just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
His years of experience as an immortal being taught him to double-check.
Yes, doppelgangers existed, but if it looked like someone he'd recently fed on in the past couple months, chances were…he may have accidentally turned them.
He might be alive due to my clumsiness, Yami thought frantically, chasing after the tall man wearing a black suit. Raking his gaze down the man's back, Yami took note of the ill-fitting clothes, and the hair that was slightly disheveled at the back.
It didn't look like Seto Kaiba from the back, but then again, the last time he saw the CEO was when he was lying unconscious beside a burning plane.
Perhaps…he could hope…
Yami reached his hand out to tap the man on the shoulder but missed when the stranger made a sudden turn down a narrow hallway, and he hissed in annoyance.
Kaiba heard someone following him, and he spun around nervously, wondering if it was a hitman coming after him already, but to his relief, it was a familiar face. A beautiful, familiar face.
The man with spiky tri-colored hair and alluring violet eyes.
"You're alive!" Yami exclaimed happily, throwing himself forward to pull Kaiba into a tight embrace without thinking, and he pressed his ear firmly against the CEO's chest, listening intently for a heartbeat. There was none.
Frozen in place, Kaiba swallowed thinly, and his stomach swooped to the ground when he felt Yami's arms tightened around him. H-How did this man know what had happened?
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I really, deeply apologize for turning you without realizing." Yami ranted, gripping Kaiba by the arms and giving him a squeeze. "I was so worried they had taken your body, but now that you're here, Mokuba will be so—"
"Mokuba's alive?" Kaiba interrupted, his heart leaping into his throat as he gazed into Yami's violet orbs.
"Yes, he's with me," Yami said reassuringly, pressing a finger to his lips and pulling Kaiba against the wall so they weren't in the middle of the walkway. "How are you feeling? Hungry? Thirsty? Are you perhaps experiencing an unquenchable thirst?"
"I'm fine. Let me see him," Kaiba replied instantly, his head spinning with relief. "Where is he? Were you there?"
"Yes, I have him inside a room—" Yami began, but Kaiba cut him off angrily.
"Someone is trying to kill us, and you blatantly registered for a room?" Kaiba raged, and Yami's warm hand rested on his chest while the spiky-haired man blinked steadily at him, looking extremely calm.
"We acquired a room," Yami said quietly, throwing a furtive glance over his shoulder. "Without paying."
"Yeah? And what happens when someone walks into that room with a key?" Kaiba asked, incensed, and he got another strange look from Yami.
"You don't know, do you?" Yami swallowed thinly, his body growing numb from guilt. "You must be so thirsty. Let's get us some food because Mokuba will wake up hungry soon. Can we agree to hunt peacefully together?"
"H-Hunt?" Kaiba breathed, wondering if his ears were deceiving him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You can't tell me you haven't noticed changes in yourself," Yami said angrily, losing his patience. "You must've also fed from the pilot, but you haven't had enough. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
There was a long silence while a couple of people walked by the mouth of the hallway, staring curiously at them before going on their way, and Kaiba clenched his fists in his too-narrow pockets.
Mystery man from the bar somehow knew about the beast transformations.
Could he be trusted?
"Let's get you some new clothes," Yami suggested gently, hooking his arm through Kaiba's elbow and leading him out of the hallway. "You'll feel more like yourself after we've all fed, I promise."
Kaiba grit his teeth and said nothing.
Fine.
Maybe he could trust this guy briefly, but only because he had Mokuba stowed safely away in a room. He was out of options anyway.
They stepped into the elevator together, and the doors slowly slid shut, encasing them in silence once more.
"Hey, I never got your name," Kaiba said gruffly, his ears burning with embarrassment, and the spiky-haired beauty looked mildly shocked.
"I've told you my name before," Yami said carefully, gazing deeply into Kaiba's face, inspecting the whites of his eyes for any signs of yellowing. "You must've forgotten. Well, you must've died in your sleep, and that causes slight amnesia. Don't worry. You'll remember soon. My name is Yami."
Stunned into silence, Kaiba tried to put his feelings into words as the elevator doors opened and he was led onto the floor with shops. What the fuck was this guy going on about?
Dying?
Amnesia?
He agreed on the amnesia, but he felt very much alive.
And was 'Yami' an alias?
There was no way that could be his real name.
"Now I also need to give you a lesson in 'pressuring'," Yami sighed, wondering if he was going to be persecuted by the vampires back in Domino for changing two humans at once. "Ready? Watch and learn."
"Pressuring what?" Kaiba asked, and he was gently acknowledged with a pretty smile.
Annoyed, Kaiba let Yami tug him into a formal wear shop to their right, and an attendant came forth to bow at them, her face pale with shock the moment she saw Kaiba's face.
"This is my associate, Mr. Yamamoto," Yami said smoothly, defaulting on his single most-used alias. "Please fit him accordingly. Any resemblance he bears to anyone you may know is purely your imagination."
Kaiba rolled his eyes. This was idiotic and would never work.
He watched the woman bob her head, look confused for a moment before bowing again and robotically recited her welcome speech for the second time.
"Thank you for coming in. How may I help you find a size?" She smiled blankly at them both.
"Mr. Yamamoto would like to be fitted," Yami repeated, keeping steady eye contact and feeling her weaken significantly with every passing second. "Please try to stay alert and make him comfortable. Where is your manager?"
"Over…here," she said dazedly, gesturing them inside.
Kaiba watched with increasing fascination as Yami repeated the same introduction again, but this time to the store manager, and he also looked confused for a moment before bowing and reciting his welcome speech eerily.
It was as if the reset button had been hit, and these two were seeing whatever Yami wanted them to see.
"Right this way, Mr. Yamamoto," the man said, stepping forward and bowing Kaiba into a changing area. The measuring tape was slipped off from around his neck, and the man held it invitingly up for Kaiba to see.
Deciding not to protest, Kaiba stepped into the changing room and let the man accompany him, his mind churning. How soon could this be over so they could check on Mokuba?
"Please disrobe," the man requested, his eyes oddly glassy, and Kaiba stared into his face, slowly getting undressed. Then, he straightened up and raised his arms to the side, letting the man do his job.
God, this was fucking weird. And the silence was stifling.
How the hell did Yami do that?
"Good thing you are tall," the man commented emptily, draping the measuring tape over his own neck after he'd finished. "We have three base-suits for you to choose from. Would you like us to add any additional embellishments? Perhaps tighten it around the waist a bit?"
"Ye—No, just give me something that fits," Kaiba growled. He had to correct himself because he remembered he couldn't pay for anything without flagging activity on his account.
He was supposed to be 'dead'.
Fuck….
Was Yami going to pay for this?
Or was he going to 'acquire it without paying' like he did with the room?
"I'll be right back," the man said mildly. He disappeared behind the curtain, and Yami appeared, ducking his head boldly into the changing room and flashing him a mischievous grin, his violet eyes raking down Kaiba's nude chest and legs with a suggestive air.
Kaiba chanced a smile back, his heart skipping rapid beats in his excitement.
Oh, wow, hey. This spiky-haired guy liked what he saw.
Were they…dating? This guy was his boyfriend?
So…he had succeeded in asking this guy out? When?
Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek nervously.
He couldn't remember how he'd done it though.
Didn't matter. It was a solid win.
"Please…" The manager was back, so Yami's head disappeared from the curtain and the man emerged, holding out a set of neatly folded clothes for him to wear.
"He'll wear it out," Kaiba heard Yami say from outside. "Let me pay you."
"Yes, very good," the manager mumbled, bowing stiffly at Kaiba before rushing out of the changing area to help at the register.
Numb with confusion and shock, Kaiba stared at his reflection for a second before growing numb all over with fear, and he forced himself to look away. Mirrors were suddenly…terrifying. Why?
Grinding his jaw, he hastily got dressed and didn't turn around to look at the mirror again before striding out into the store, thankful that the shoes he wore fit him well, almost like a pair he had at home.
He paused, seeing Yami hand over a room key card, and the lady at the register slid it through the card-reader like it was a credit card before handing it back with a robotic smile.
What…the…fuck…?
"All paid up." Yami grinned handsomely and gestured for Kaiba to follow him out of the store.
Sticking close behind him, Kaiba tried to make sense of everything he'd just seen. He had so many questions, but the moment he opened his mouth to ask, his stomach growled loudly.
"Dammit," Yami cursed, turning to give Kaiba a concerned look over his shoulder. "You will get hungry every four to five hours until you've fully matured. Don't go attacking people. Want a meal? Follow my lead."
"Why would I attack anyone?" Kaiba asked nervously, stepping into the elevator beside Yami and avoiding the mirrored surface of the walls surrounding them, feeling himself sweat. "Take me to Mokuba."
"Not yet," Yami gave Kaiba a warm smile over his shoulder. "We need to bring him some food and I need your help. Ready?"
"Just order room service," Kaiba said, but he wasn't heard.
The elevator doors slid open and Yami was hurrying down an elegant hallway, leaving him behind. Striding hastily to catch up, Kaiba ground his teeth in irritation. They were headed towards a large set of doors leading into the ballroom which were sealed off with red velvet ropes, guarded by two men in dark suits wearing earpieces.
He needed answers, not to be dragged around the ship.
Yami approached the two men and gave them a playful salute.
"Gentlemen, remember me?" Yami asked confidently with Kaiba hovered behind him apprehensively. "My friend and I would like to enter."
Kaiba swallowed thinly as the man on the left raked his cold gaze down his body, taking in his outfit before nodding and pushing the door back to let them in.
"Thank you," Yami said smoothly, seeing the man on his left yawn, and he hastily gave Kaiba a nod. "Say 'thank you'."
"No," Kaiba refused stiffly, and Yami looked exasperated. The spiky-haired man reached out to grab his forearm and pulled him into a secluded corner of the ballroom, giving him a wry smile.
"Now begins your lesson in hunting…politely," Yami had to emphasize the word because he had a feeling that wasn't a term in Kaiba's personal vocabulary. "If women flock to you naturally, let them, and then pick the one who is the most receptive to you—"
"What the hell is this?" Kaiba snapped, losing his patience bit by bit. "Why are you giving me a lesson in speed dating? Is this your idea of fun?"
"No, this is how we will bring food to Mokuba," Yami replied evenly, trying not to argue with Kaiba. "We feed…when they are comfortably asleep, so if you can get her room number, that would be preferable—"
"You're sick," Kaiba said slowly, his blood running cold with dread. "Do you hear yourself? Hey, are we dating? Because its over if we are."
"You are so dense, and completely in denial!" Yami hissed, his cheeks flushing with frustration as he gripped Kaiba's arm harder, his claws digging in through the fabric. "We drink…their blood! If we don't, we go mad! Mokuba is currently starving. We need to do this. Do you understand, Kaiba? This is not a joke!"
Kaiba blinked rapidly, his ears ringing with a strange sound as the world began floating farther and farther away. Oh…god….
Was this real? Or was this all a bad dream? When would he wake up? He thought the only positive aspect to this nightmare was Yami, but the things he was saying were nightmarish too!
"Fine. Come to terms with it in your own time," Yami sighed, releasing Kaiba's arm and feeling someone hovering in the distance behind them. "Just stand here and release your pheromones to bait them in. I will take a walk around the room."
Speechless, Kaiba couldn't nod or move. He just watched as Yami left his side and melted into the crowd of well-dressed people milling around in the center of the room by the large buffet tables.
Kaiba's stomach churned when he realized…he could smell the food. It was delicious! Steamed vegetables and smoked salmon, oh, it was heavenly!
"Hey Mister. You look hungry," a husky voice said, giving him a start, and Kaiba glanced beside him, seeing a tall woman about his height.
"I…am," Kaiba answered stiffly, unsure if he was being hit on. She was eyeing him like a wolf and had a beautiful sheet of long black hair draped over her slender shoulders.
" You know, you look familiar," she said, stepping boldly closer to him and leaning her shoulder playfully against his. "I've got it! You know that singer, Tomohita Ueshiro? You look just like him!"
Kaiba swallowed thinly, and his stomach twisted with anxiety when she leaned even closer, gazing rapturously into his face.
Okay….
Could she… back…the fuck off?
"Never heard of him," Kaiba answered stiffly, wondering where the hell Yami went.
Was this the plan? This was not the fucking plan, was it?!
"That's too bad," she said smoothly, her cheeks steadily flushing red the longer she stared into his eyes, and Kaiba kept his gaze pointed at a spot above her shoulder, but she kept leaning in.
They were interrupted by another woman who dashed forward and grabbed her friend by the arm, eyeing Kaiba apprehensively while she also began to steadily blush.
"W-Who's your friend, Tadako-san?" She asked in an audible whisper, and Kaiba grit his teeth, feeling uncomfortable as she also began to stare intensely into his face. "He looks like…Seto Kaiba."
"He does!" The black-haired beauty said warmly, leaning forward to give Kaiba's arm a squeeze. "Don't tell me you don't know who he is either?"
Kaiba opened his mouth to curse at them to back the fuck off, but he was saved by Yami, who materialized on his other side with his hand outstretched towards the women for a friendly shake.
"I think he looks like that singer, Urashima Taro or something," Yami said mildly, purposely giving the wrong name to elicit smiles from the two girls. "Pleased to meet you. I'm his friend, Mr. Yamamoto. What are your names?"
The girls bowed quickly and giggled, shaking Yami's hand while introducing themselves quickly.
"I'm Tadako, and this is my friend, Mimi," the dark-haired woman said, nudging her blonde friend who smiled shakily at Kaiba again. "We were here for the ribbon cutting, but they suddenly cancelled it without saying why! How annoying, right?"
Kaiba curled his fists inside his pockets, feeling as if he was suffocating. Yes. Annoying, because someone had crashed his plane in a blatant attempted murder.
The scent of smoked salon and steamed vegetables was making his mouth water, and when he leaned forward to shift his stance, he caught a whiff of it again…from the dark-haired woman.
Oh god…this woman smelled like a whole meal!
"Let's complain about it somewhere else," Yami winked, offering his arm for the blonde girl and she hesitated briefly. "How about upstairs? It's loud and crowded in here. I want to hear you clearly."
"Oh! …Yes!" The dark-haired woman nodded, pushing her friend towards Yami with a furious nod. "Let's go upstairs, Mr. Taro!"
She hooked her arm around Kaiba's slender elbow, and his mouth watered when the savory scent grew in the air grew heavier, causing his stomach to curl with hunger.
Fine. This was a good plan, and he would follow Yami's lead because he wanted to…feast on this woman.
He kept his eyes focused on the back of Yami's spiky hair while the woman beside him chattered away, and Kaiba had to remind himself to nod from time to time.
Yes, did he find that interesting? Nod.
Wow, the ship is so large and pretty. Nod and agree.
Stepping into the elevator, Yami shot Kaiba a warning glance when the woman at his side kept talking, showing no signs of stopping. She sounded excited, and almost…too awake, and too alert. Wasn't Kaiba pulling his weight? Apparently not, because Kaiba kept his gaze focused on a point above her shoulder, ignoring her on purpose, she swung on his arm while looking lovingly into his face.
Kaiba swallowed the saliva gathering behind his teeth as the scent of the delicious meal grew heavier, and he caught Yami's eye, noting a muscle tensing in his partner's cheek that clearly said, 'get her to shut up!'.
The blonde girl on Yami's arm looked half-asleep and was leaning her head contentedly on his shoulder while the elevator rose.
Kaiba's stomach growled.
Right. He had to…convince this woman to…be sleepy, somehow, so Kaiba hastily turned to her with a smile and said, "how are you feeling?"
"Fine." She threw him a confident grin, and Kaiba could practically see hostile waves emanating from Yami across from him.
Goddammit.
"I'm getting a little tired, aren't you?" Kaiba asked almost too accusingly, and he saw her eyelids droop significantly with alarming speed. His heart skipped a nervous beat, and he heard Yami let out a quick sigh, warning him that he was 'pressuring' her too fast.
"N-No, I'm not," she insisted, shaking her head and tossing a lock of her hair over her shoulder. The elevator doors opened, and Kaiba let her lead him out of it, his mind racing for ideas. Shit. Shit.
"But I am," he said quietly, wishing she would turn around to look at him again. Eye contact was key, wasn't it?
"You are? Why? Had too much to drink?" The woman whirled around to face him, and Kaiba finally managed to hold her gaze for more than five seconds in silence before he answered with, "I think so. I like white wine. What about you?"
"I like…" The woman swayed gently on the spot, and Kaiba automatically shot out a hand to steady her, feeling a vicious rush of triumph when she bit back a yawn. "S-Sorry! …I-I like white wine too…oh gosh, your sleepiness is rubbing off on me! Stop it!"
She punched him playfully on the shoulder, and Kaiba kept the smile plastered on his face, wondering why she was still so…spunky. How the hell did Yami lull that girl into silence with a short walk to the elevator? He had to get better at this, dammit.
"Let's take a little rest in my room because your friend looks like she's tired too," Kaiba said confidently. Yami stopped at his side, and he heard the blonde girl yawn, almost as if on cue.
"Tadako-saaaan," she whined, clutching Yami's arm tightly for support. "This is your fault! You told me to drink three glasses when I'm clearly a one-glass kind of girl!"
"I didn't force you," the dark-haired beauty shot back haughtily, and Yami clenched his jaw tightly, willing himself to be patient.
This was Kaiba's first time…so it was understandable that it would take a while for him to subdue his meal.
But now, Kaiba's meal was waking up his own already-prepped meal, dammit….
"Well, I don't want to sound crass, but you can rest in the room I share with my nephew," Yami suggested smoothly, giving her a warm smile while he slowed his speech down to help Kaiba hypnotize her. "I'm getting a bit...worried…about leaving him all alone in a room…by himself. He's eleven…you know, kids…"
"You brought your eleven-year-old nephew? How cute!" The blonde girl whispered, giving Yami's arm a flirty squeeze. "He must be a huge fan of duel monsters, huh?"
"He's twelve," Kaiba corrected Yami automatically, and he received a venomous glare.
"Yes, and he's hungry." Yami smiled through his gritted teeth, feeling his fangs poking dangerously through his top lip. "Care to do your part?"
"Yeah, I'm losing my patience for this shit," Kaiba growled, his mouth watering even harder as he turned to the dark-haired girl and gazed deeply into her brown eyes. "Go to sleep," he hissed angrily, and she swayed violently on the spot. He grabbed her by the arm just as she was leaning backwards, and he pulled her against his chest. Her chin hit his shoulder painfully as she slumped over in his arms.
Yami's companion gasped in fear, and Yami bit his tongue, exasperated and angry.
He turned to her with an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Now its your turn," he suggested quietly, and her eyelids fluttered madly before she collapsed.
Yami managed to catch her, and he lifted her off the ground with practiced fluidity before turning to sigh at Kaiba, who was also carrying the other unconscious woman in his arms.
Her dark hair was so long, it brushed the tops of Kaiba's knees as he held her tightly, giving Yami a reproachful look.
"What?" he said innocently, and Yami rolled his eyes.
"You don't do that." He admonished, shaking his head. "What if she has an illness? What if you didn't catch her before she hit the ground?"
"Shut up and take me to Mokuba," Kaiba insisted, feeling her twitch in his grasp. "Or have you been lying about that this entire time?"
Yami shook his head again, and carefully walked down the hall towards their room, glad they were so close, but he had planned it this way. He had a feeling Kaiba's first pressuring would go wrong, but only because he was the type of person to be forceful.
Stopping at the door, Yami gently set the woman down on her feet and leaned her upper body against his while he dug out the keycard from his pocket and unlocked the door.
It swung open to reveal a red-faced and tearful Mokuba who opened his mouth to shout at Yami before he saw the unconscious woman draped over his slender form.
"Where did you go?! You…left me all alone!" Mokuba cried. His knees weakened with the overwhelming scent of smoked salmon mixed with buttered vegetables wafted into the room, and he sniffed tentatively.
Then, Seto walked into the room, also carrying an unconscious woman, and Mokuba's knees gave out once and for all.
He sat down on the ground so fast, his tailbone stung.
"Seto!" he cried hoarsely, his throat scratchy with dryness, but he didn't care.
Yami set the woman gently down in a chair and rushed to shut the door, barely missing the blur that zoomed across the room as Kaiba raced to pick Mokuba up in his arms and hug him tearfully.
"Hey…kid, hey," Kaiba breathed, and listened to Mokuba sobbing quietly into his shoulder while his tiny arms looped tightly around his neck. "I missed you a bunch."
"I th-thought…y-you…Yami-i-i…d-did—he—I…" Mokuba blubbered, pressing his face tighter against Seto's chest and struggling to speak through his hiccupping tears. "They-y…s-s-shot…m-me…i-in the...h-h-head…S-Seto!"
Kaiba blinked, his blood running ice-cold.
WHAT?!
"Who did that? What the fuck are you talking about?" Kaiba snapped, prying Mokuba away to gaze into his face. "They did what?!"
Mokuba shook his head tearfully, no longer able to speak through his distress. Seto gave him another firm shake, his blue eyes wide with a mixture of fear and rage.
"Kid, hey…"
"He's distressed, leave him alone," Yami said slowly, resting a hand on Mokuba's tiny shoulder and giving the boy a reassuring squeeze. "Can I tell him, Mokuba?"
Mokuba nodded furiously, brushing the tears off his cheeks before throwing himself forward into Seto's arms again and hugging his older brother furiously.
Slowly easing onto the floor in a sitting position, Kaiba held Mokuba gently while Yami's deep voice rang in his ears.
"After the plane hit the ground, a group of men marched into the clearing to…finish the job. I saw it all, but I couldn't stop them because they had to report back. So, after they left, I…revived your little brother," Yami said carefully, gazing down at the strange scene at his feet. "We thought they had taken your body, but clearly, you managed to escape."
The older Kaiba was curled protectively against his younger brother whose shoulders were still shaking violently with heartbroken sobs.
"I'll kill them," Kaiba fumed. Mokuba raised his head tearfully to shake his head.
"T-They w-were al-l-ready d-dead!" Mokuba whispered, his eyes puffing red at the corners. "Some b-bear mauled them or…s-something…"
He gradually began to calm down as Seto hugged him tighter against his chest and said nothing.
That gun I kicked…was the one they used! Kaiba reeled, feeling Mokuba tremble slightly in his arms and hiccup again. They fucking deserved it! Those assholes!
Mokuba clung to Seto with all his might, his stomach growling painfully.
Kaiba heard this and gently patted his younger brother on the back, trying to ease him up into a sitting position on his knees.
"Kid…get off the ground. Come on," Kaiba said anxiously, trying to pull Mokuba upwards, but his brother shook his head and kept his arms locked tightly around him while his legs remained stubbornly splayed out on the ground
"Yes, we brought lots of food who might wake up soon," Yami urged, motioning gently towards the two unconscious women, and his stomach churned with guilt, but he shoved it aside.
"Thanks," Mokuba said glumly, rubbing his eyes with one hand, but it was pried away by Seto's pale hand which was shaking slightly.
"Don't rub. Sit up. I'll get it for you." Kaiba smiled gently at his brother as he slowly sat up and huffed angrily.
"I hate…eating." Mokuba's voice cracked, and he ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth, hating how dry everything felt. It was gross! Feeding from the pilot felt like justice, but these two were just normal girls! They didn't do anything wrong to deserve being bitten….
"Kaiba, a word," Yami tilted his head towards the far end of the room where the suite's kitchen was, relieved to see Kaiba immediately stand and march over to join him with a dark look painted across his handsome features.
"What," Kaiba growled, feeling as if his world was crumbling. "We're teaching him how to commit a crime. I fucking know."
"I just…wanted to say that his first meal was traumatizing," Yami said gently, deciding that he really needed to help Kaiba parent this child. "So, if we could ease that fear for him, it would make him less hostile in the future. We live…for a very long time—"
"I can hear you guys talking about me," Mokuba said loudly from across the room, sitting at the dining table with his arms crossed. "You think I'm scared? I'm not! I'll do it! I'll show you!"
"You see?" Yami gave Kaiba a knowing look, and to his relief, Kaiba nodded in agreement, straightening up and composing himself with a gleam of confidence in his blue eyes.
Kaiba scanned the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and strode silently over to the blonde woman, splaying out her fingers slowly and giving Mokuba a knowing look.
"We can do it very gently…they'll never know, and it won't hurt," he said softly, seeing Mokuba's eyes widen with fear. "It's good thing you know this is wrong, right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kaiba ran his tongue along the tops of his teeth, finding the sharp points protruding underneath his top lip with ease, and he lifted the woman's hand to his mouth to gently prick her finger against his fang.
He did the same thing with all five of her fingers and let her arm fall heavily to her side. Mokuba watched with bated breath as Seto put the cup underneath her hand, letting the slow, steady drip of blood fill the glass.
Intrigued, Yami kept his distance and let Kaiba do the same for the other woman, his heart thundering in his chest at Kaiba's sudden change in behavior. He was now cold and calculating, acting like a dangerous, methodical, old vampire.
"But won't she wake up?" Mokuba whispered nervously, seeing the woman's hand twitching above the rim of the glass. "Then what?"
"She'll stay asleep," Kaiba said reassuringly, eyeing the glass and praying it would fill faster. Yes, this was an agonizing way to do it, but it was the safest way.
The blood had already stopped dripping from the blonde girl's hand, and Kaiba hastily bent down to grab her arm again, gently giving it a few stimulating rubs up and down to recirculate her blood before lowering her hand back over the glass, causing red drops of blood to slowly stream from her fingertips.
Success.
"See?" Kaiba willed his voice to remain steady, and he saw Mokuba give him a shaky smile in response. "And when we're done…Yami will carry them back into their rooms."
"Yes, I know their room numbers," Yami said icily, moving to stand behind the dark-haired woman, resting a hand on her shoulder when she began to lean sideways off the chair. "Because they were awake when they told us this valuable information."
"You don't have to keep rubbing it in my face," Kaiba snapped, rising to his feet to glare at Yami. "I know I fucked up. She was really fucking annoying."
Mokuba watched this heated argument with his hands clasped tightly in his lap.
"You didn't do anything wrong. It was just a little forceful, that's all," Yami replied impatiently, fully aware that Mokuba was witnessing this fight. "We'll get a second chance when they wake up. You will help me persuade them into thinking they merely fainted after having too much to drink. Got it?"
Kaiba ground his teeth, and after a moment of fighting with himself, he nodded.
Okay. Second chance. He wouldn't fuck it up the second time around.
"Seto! Look, it's almost done!" Mokuba cried excitedly, his mood brightening when he eyed the full glass of blood. "Can I have some now?"
Yami spared Mokuba a kind smile, feeling himself relaxing with relief. Seto was very good at handling his little brother.
Kaiba reached down to pick up the glass, holding the woman's hand upright briefly before Yami slipped another empty glass underneath her hand, and he slowly lowered it back down. They were a fucking blood-sucking dream team.
"Mine!" Mokuba reached across the table to lift the glass carefully from Seto's hand, and he pressed it to his lips, taking a deep draft and instantly, his mind starting to clear as the wonderful nectar coated his throat with a refreshing tang.
Nice.
The blonde girl tasted like an ice cream but melted.
It was weird, but good.
A good weird.
Kaiba licked his lips anxiously, watching Mokuba round off the glass with a smack of his lips and a grin, showing off his newly sprouted fangs.
"Thanks, I'm full. Can I watch TV while you guys eat?" Mokuba asked nonchalantly, already sliding off the chair. "Yes? Yes!"
"I didn't say yes, but fine," Kaiba said anxiously, and Yami nudged his arm to offer him a glass filled to the brim, and his heart skipped a grateful beat.
Without asking questions, he accepted it from Yami without breaking eye contact and threw the glass back with ease. It was…delicious, hot, savory, and oddly thirst-quenching all the same time.
Yami fixated on the way Kaiba's Adam's apple jumped in his throat with every large gulp, and his tongue itched with longing. His skin looked so pretty and pale, he wanted to…lick it…but he held himself back, knowing it wouldn't lead to anything they could appropriately do in front of the child.
Kaiba lowered his head, his stomach curling with disappointment at the empty glass, and Yami took it from him with a knowing nod.
"We'll go again, for seconds," Yami grinned. "Ready?"
Kaiba eyed Mokuba who was sitting happily on the bed, rolled up in the comforter with his eyes glued to the bright TV.
"Yes," he said confidently, and he appreciated the pretty smile he received in return.
Author's note:
wooooo mokuba and kaiba reuniteddd! Yami teaching kaiba all the things, and kaiba doing them brashly and WRONG! Lololo does kaiba make a good vamp or not? Yami can't seem to make up his mind hahaha he does make a great oniichan tho!
Edited by: taedae
