Kaiba opened his eyes slowly and sat up, pushing the covers off his legs and glancing around, wondering where he was. It took a while to remember.
A cruise ship stateroom. Everyone was deboarding today, and there was nothing but silence.

Easing out of the bed, Kaiba stretched and felt oddly stiff. Yami was also nowhere to be seen.

Almost as if he'd summoned him with his mind, Yami entered his room through the connecting door with Mokuba in tow, looking bright-faced and refreshed.

"Seto! You're up!" Mokuba ran forward to throw his arms around his older brother's waist and gave him a tight squeeze. "You weren't waking up…"

Kaiba bent down to give his younger brother a hug and eyed Yami over the top of Mokuba's black hair when the scent of a fresh salad wafted up around him.

"Did you just have something to eat?" Kaiba asked incredulously, and Mokuba beamed at him.

"Yep! We found a vegetable-salad guy! He was cleaning the halls when I nabbed him!"

"There was no 'nabbing'," Yami corrected gently, nodding at the bed. "You asked nicely. Now, get in the bed and sleep until the sun sets all the way."

"'Kay," Mokuba untangled himself from his older brother and obediently climbed into the bed, tucking himself under the covers and giving Seto a bright-eyed look. "Hungry?"

Kaiba clenched his jaw and nodded, trying to sort out his feelings. Seeing Mokuba obey Yami so willingly was an odd sight to see. His brother usually hated strangers, but he had seemingly formed a bond with the spiky-haired vampire.

"The man is still asleep," Yami announced, giving Kaiba a warm smile. "Come have something to eat."

Kaiba nodded and followed Yami magnetically out of the room without another look at Mokuba on the bed, his mind racing with questions. Why was there always a gap in his memory when he woke up? It wasn't as bad today, but all the other days, he woke up forgetting who he was, and that was terrifying.

Slumped over on a lone chair in the middle of the room was a man in a red uniform, indicating he was one of the cruise ship's essential staff, and the scent of salad dressing was heavy in the air.

"Mokuba's first meal," Yami said happily, looking quite pleased with himself. "He did everything correctly. He's a good child—"

"What did you do to me?" Kaiba interrupted, seeing the man's eyelids flutter, but he pressed on with his own agenda. "I can't remember shit when I wake up. Today was the first time I didn't lose my shit. Are you doing that?"

Yami's eyes widened with concern and Kaiba stared listlessly back at him, feeling himself heat up under his angular gaze.

"It most likely is my fault," Yami said guiltily, unsure if it really was his fault. "I wasn't aware I had turned you, and I should've been there at your side on your first day. I'm sorry."

Lowering his head, Yami bent himself into a bow, and waited for Kaiba to say something.

Kaiba stared nervously at the tips of Yami's spiky hair, his chest tight with a strange emotion at the slender man bowing at him, and he looked away hastily, his cheeks red.

"Whatever. I don't even know the day I died," Kaiba said emptily, thinking he did know. The day his dog's scent became sweet, and the day he woke up from a long nap to feed on a dead cat trapped under the fence in his garden. That was the day, and Isono had been there to feed him human food, thus allowing him to discover that food no longer had a taste.

"I take full responsibility," Yami said darkly, straightening up and realizing Kaiba wasn't even looking at him anymore. "The girl you attacked, and the man who died, that was all something I should've been there for. I promise I'll stick closer to your side, and nothing like that will happen again."

Kaiba said nothing and chose to approach the unconscious man in the chair and bent down to give the top of his head a sniff. He smelled like peach shampoo and freshly grated carrots. It was an odd combination.

"Can you forgive me?" Yami asked nervously, thinking he had a long night ahead of him if Kaiba wasn't fully on his side when they got off the ship. "We must join forces if we want to claim Yugi as our own. We must leave either before or after Bakura's clan to avoid hostility."

"I got it," Kaiba muttered under his breath, curling his fingers in through the man's hair and leaning his head back, seeing his mouth hang open eerily. "I forgive you."

Yami breathed a sigh of relief and watched Kaiba hover over the man's nose for a moment, his fangs poking handsomely out from underneath his lips for a brief second before he dove down and bit down on the man's neck, silently feeding.

Kaiba took a light, tentative sip, and was pleased to taste a fresh, springy salad gliding over the tip of his tongue. There was a hint of cherry tomatoes and…chicken? Odd, but satisfying.

Pulling away, he made sure to spit on the wound and watched them seal slowly, leaving two, pink welts on the man's pale skin. He let go of the man's head and watched it loll forwards, and he heard a light snore.

"Mokuba did this?" Kaiba asked nervously, his stomach warm and full from the pleasant meal.

"Yes," Yami sat down on the nearest lounge and gave Kaiba a tired smile. "Your brother is going to be a strong one. Let's keep him safe."

Kaiba nodded and moved to sit beside Yami, feeling quite wonderful. His shoulders, which were usually tense with fatigue, were light, and his vision was unusually sharp. Shaking his head, Kaiba passed a hand over his forehead, waiting for one of his after-breakfast headaches, but to his amazement, his mind remained clear.

"What is it?" Yami asked gently, resting his hand on Kaiba's leg and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Headache from overfeeding?"

"More like absence of my usual, daily headache," Kaiba said, lifting his head and finding himself enraptured by Yami's glowing smile.

"…And that's good?" Yami wondered, and he received a tight nod.

"Usually, I have to force myself to power through it, and it affects the rest of my day, but…ever since I…" Kaiba couldn't bring himself to say 'died,' but Yami understood.

"I'm sure there are other positive changes too," he said simply, lacing his fingers over his knee and leaning back on the bed. "Now, when do you think we ought to leave? Mokuba should wake up from his nap soon."

Kaiba nodded absently and trailed his gaze up Yami's slender legs and stared intently at the neat belt buckle above the fly of his pants.

Yami propped himself up on his elbows and flashed Kaiba a mischievous grin.

"Now that you're happily fed, you'd like to play?" He asked suggestively, and Kaiba blinked, his hand moving on its own, roaming up Yami's leg and resting on his upper thigh.

"Play." Kaiba repeated, his mind humming strangely as he stiffened excitedly and didn't waste his time, swinging one of his long legs over Yami's body and straddling him comfortably.

"We'd have to be quiet…" Yami implored, giving the shared door a nervous glance. "Mokuba is asleep."

Kaiba's eyelid twitched, and he tightened his knees around Yami's hips, his skin tingling with excitement.

"Then you should be quiet," Kaiba encouraged, deciding after a moment to climb off of Yami and kneel on the floor at the edge of the lounge. "Put your heels on my shoulders."

"And kick you?" Yami asked, his fangs glinting under the low lights as he smirked and Kaiba's heart soared.

"No, just watch me," Kaiba smiled and curled his palm suggestively around Yami's inner thigh. He used his other hand to quickly undo Yami's belt, enjoying the way Yami stared intently at him, watching obediently as his pale fingers flitted over the button and slid the zipper down over an enticing hardness clad in plain black underwear.

Yami's breath hitched in his throat as he watched Kaiba drag his chin enticingly over his bulge before reaching into his underwear to give his hardness a squeeze that made his head spin and his ears ring.

Struggling to keep his eyes open, he continued to watch as Kaiba silently ducked his head down to clamp his lips tightly over the exposed head of his dick and give it a light, teasing suck, flicking his tongue in and out of the slit repeatedly, sending violent jolts of pleasure raking down his body. Yami grit his teeth, drawing his legs together instinctively, but Kaiba's hand on his inner thigh kept them apart.

Kaiba was enjoying himself immensely. Yami tasted fresh and sweet, and his reactions were earnest. Every flick of his tongue brought out a new shiver or a gasp that made goosebumps rise along his skin, and the way he sighed when he was enjoying the tight sensation of his mouth was more than Kaiba could bear. He slammed his head down enthusiastically, his eyes watering from effort, but he pushed through, loving the way Yami curled his fingers into his shoulders almost painfully because he was lost in a haze of ecstasy. Yami's heels slipped off his shoulders and slid down on either side of his arms, squeezing him tightly, and Kaiba smiled to himself as he palmed Yami's balls with his free hand and continued to slide his tongue over the smooth head of Yami's arousal, relishing the bitter sweetness that coated his tongue as Yami leaked excitedly into his mouth.

Just when he felt Yami's legs trembling, he pulled away and dragged his tongue underneath Yami's balls and prodded the delicate skin suggestively, earning an excited shout above him, and he heard Yami beg nervously, "…don't stop, Kaiba! It feels…. don't stop…!"

Celebrating triumphantly in his head, Kaiba dipped his nose down between the softness of Yami's balls and gave the taut skin underneath a solid lick, his ears filled with excited, ragged breathing.

Yami threw his head back on the lounge pillows and draped an arm over his forehead which was beaded with sweat. His body was heaving strangely, and every time Kaiba did anything, even the softest breath against his skin would send a hot and cold shiver down his chest. He'd never felt this…alive, during sex. Why was this feeling different?
Was it because Kaiba was no longer human?
And this was just his tongue.
What if it was…something else….?

"I want to fuck you," Kaiba breathed, staring rapturously at the pink, hole clenching enticingly inches from his nose. "…. But we don't have anything—"

"HOLY FUCK!" A voice shouted from behind them, and Kaiba whipped his head around to see the man in the red uniform had woken up and was staring at them, wide-eyed and terrified.

Yami drew in a sharp breath and struggled to prop himself up on his elbows, his mind hazy with lust. He barely registered their meal had woken up because they'd forgotten to dispose of him outside to sleep off the rest of his hypnosis.

"S-SETO K-KAIBA!" The man whimpered, sliding off the chair and nearly spraining his neck as he shook his head from left to right, trying to search for the door, but also unable to look away from the scene before him.

"…Shit," Kaiba cursed, his boner aching angrily at him in response as Yami's legs slid off of his shoulders.

Hastily rising to his feet, Kaiba glared at the man and strode forwards, hearing his terrified heartbeat in his ears the closer he got, until he was standing above him while the man tried to shrink into the floor.

"You didn't see anything," Kaiba said monotonously, making severe eye contact and noticing the man's eyes widen ever so slightly as he hiccupped nervously.

"I-I didn't…. I really didn't…!" The man insisted, throwing his hands over his head to shield himself from being hit, but Kaiba didn't react, understanding that this was a perfect opportunity to show Yami that he could use his hypnosis with subtlety.

"You're fine. Let me help you up," Kaiba said as gently as he could, and he reached his hand down for the man to grab, cursing silently when he wondered if this was the hand that had touched Yami's dick or the one that had touched his balls. Would this man be indirectly touching Yami's dick if he grabbed his hand? Better not find out.

He retracted his hand quickly and the man mustered a shaky smile, struggling to his feet and swaying violently on the spot, looking dazed.

"You're drunk? You're drunk," Kaiba said conversationally, making sure to take five second breaks from gazing into the man's eyes between his words to let it sink in. "Do you need water? You're in the wrong room."

"I don't…need anything…" The man replied slowly, scanning the room and squaring his shoulders back as he composed himself. "No thank you. Yes, I am in the wrong room. Excuse me."

The man bowed, and just as he straightened up, Kaiba brushed past him too closely, making sure their shoulders bumped when he reached for the doorknob. Pheromones or some shit, right?

He held the door open for the man and asked him directly, "…And who am I? What did you see? A drunk hallucination?"

"I don't know you," the man said firmly, his eyes glazing over as he bowed again, robotically this time. "I didn't see anything. I was merely drunk. Silly me."

"Yeah, on the job too," Kaiba echoed, trying to instill some guilt. "Don't do it again. Get out."

The man marched out of the room and down the hall, turning the corner with eerie precision and vanishing from view. Rolling his eyes, Kaiba shut the door and breathed a tight sigh or relief. Goddamn, what boner killer.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Yami asked, still on the lounge with his pants around his ankles. "He was lucid. That is impressive, Kaiba."

"You know what's impressive?" Kaiba asked ruefully, eyeing Yami's semi-hardness which was deflating faster the more they discussed this. "Your non-erection."

Yami's cheeks reddened and he said nothing, bending down to pull his pants up. Kaiba watched his movements with a twinge of regret, wishing they'd had a chance to continue, but the mood was long gone. Kaiba contemplated if they could try again, but almost as if on cue, Mokuba poked his head out through the connecting door and yawned loudly.

"W-W-What's all the yelling?" Mokuba stretched and rubbed his eyes, noticing Yami was sitting strangely on the couch and Seto was standing awkwardly by the door. "You guys fight again?"

"It was a mistake," Yami muttered, berating himself silently. He'd let Kaiba distract him from the situation at hand.

"What was?" Mokuba prompted, and he received a rare grin from Seto.

"Your salad guy woke up while we were having a moment," Kaiba said, wondering why he was being so honest. He would usually lie in situations like this, because Mokuba would say "ew" but Mokuba only shrugged and remained uninterested.

"So are we going home?" Mokuba asked, moving to sit beside Yami and giving him an admiring smile. "I'm bored. Can you teach me how to fly?"

"Yes, when we get you home," Yami replied warmly, giving the child an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Let's hope we don't run into trouble on the way back."

Kaiba ground his teeth and turned to face the wall, realizing he didn't have secure line to reach Isono. He should've patted the salad guy down for a phone before sending him off. Damn.

"Seto? Are you…mad?" Mokuba asked perceptively, and Yami rose to his feet to peer out the window, pleased to see that the sun had completely set. The horizon was glowing a faint blue-green and several silvery stars dotted the indigo sky above. It was time to go.

"No, I'm not," Kaiba replied truthfully. It was frustration. Anger turned his vision red and made him want to rip people apart.
His emotions were clearer now, when before as a human, they blended together annoyingly.
Now, it was either one feeling, or none.
It was…great?

"We must move now, before Bakura's clan takes flight," Yami said urgently, sweeping the curtains closed again with a whoosh!

"Good idea," Kaiba muttered, pressing his ear to the door, listening for movement through the ship and once again, hearing none. "They're probably all still asleep, and it sounds like everyone has gotten off the ship, even the staff."

"There's our advantage," Yami said, gripping Mokuba's shoulder protectively and steering him to the door. "Perhaps now we can all learn how to fly together...for a seamless exit off this vessel."

Mokuba cheered and hugged Yami's arm, his eyes shining with excitement. "YAY! Can I be an eagle? No, a killer eagle! Or is it better to be a bat?"

"Kid, when have you ever seen a bat flying around in downtown?" Kaiba asked his brother with a wry smile, and Mokuba grinned at him, flashing his tiny fangs.

"Well, if we can pry this window open, we can fly from here," Yami mused, still thinking about trying to avoid leaving the safety of the room. "Kaiba, lend me your strength?"

Kaiba nodded and made sure to turn the lock on the door before rushing to help Yami crack the plastic around the edge of the window with their claws, feeling slightly bad about ruining an air-tight seal, but there was no way around it.

Before long, bits of plastic and glass lay littered on the ground by their feet and a cold ocean breeze blew through the room, ruffling Yami's spiky bangs. Kaiba couldn't help himself and brushed a few strands off of Yami's cheek, earning a dazzling smile.

"Bleeuuughhhhhh!" Mokuba fell over on the lounge and made vomiting noises from behind them, and Kaiba shot him a glare.

"You're gonna get it kid," Kaiba threatened, and Mokuba stuck two fingers up his nose and made a grotesque kissing face.

"Oh yeah?" Mokuba snickered, and Yami dared to allow himself to crack a smile.

"Yes. Now we will try to transform into ravens, instead of killer eagles," Yami said warmly, holding his hand up and placing it on Kaiba's chest, enjoying the way Kaiba's eyes softened at him.

"Boooo, boring!" Mokuba whined, rolling over onto his back and kicking his legs aimlessly up in the air. "Killer eagle! Killer! Eagle! I vote killer eagle and so does Seto."

Kaiba smirked and walked forward to sweep his brother off the lounge and set him firmly on his feet, adjusting the front of his shirt for him. "It's not a democracy, kid. He's a king, so this is a monarchy. You know what that means?"

"ABSOLUTE POWER AND CASTLES!" Mokuba crowed so loudly, his voice echoed out the window, and Yami hastily pressed a finger to his lips, smiling despite himself.

"Yes…now let's get down…" Yami encouraged, slowly crouching underneath the window and placing his palms on the ground, careful to avoid any shards of glass and plastic. "Follow my instructions carefully, understand? We don't want any painful deformities."

"Oh, fuck me," Kaiba muttered under his breath, seeing Mokuba get down on his hands and knees in a flash, but he couldn't mirror his younger brother's enthusiasm. Transforming was probably something amazing and exciting for Mokuba who'd never experienced the horror of becoming a violent beast against his will.

"I'm listening!" Mokuba cried excitedly, throwing Seto a beaming smile. "Ready, Seto? We're gonna fly!"

Kaiba grimaced and hoped it passed as a smile. He was not looking forward to this.

"Close your eyes to shut out all distractions," Yami instructed, keeping his own eyes open to make sure both his disciples were following along. "Putting your bones in the place of where you need them to be will help make it less painful."

Kaiba let out a low hiss of frustration and broke out into a cold sweat. Why was it so much harder the more he thought about it? And could Yami stop saying the word 'pain'?
It wasn't helping.

"Tuck your chin to your chest and begin to imagine wings," Yami encouraged patiently, his gaze darting between Mokuba's mess of black hair and Kaiba's neat swirl of brown hair. "Your neck should be shrinking in…and your nose should tingle when your beak starts to form. Your teeth will disappear…can you feel it?"

There was a moment of silence.
Nothing happened.
Yami sat up on his knees and watched patiently, not expecting anything to happen on the Kaiba brother's first winged transformation. Even though both were fully fed, they were only a few days old—mere infants. He was expecting too much of them, but he had to try.

Kaiba heard Yami call him an infant in his mind, and he was filled with a surge of renewed determination. He curled his fingers into the thin carpet and shot Mokuba a private thought.

Hey kid, hear that? He thinks we're babies.

I know, came Mokuba's disgruntled reply. Let's show him. I don't care if it hurts.

Right, Kaiba thought to himself, keeping his eyes shut tight and hating the horrible, tight pressure at his heels which he realized was his feet shrinking upwards into his body. H-Holy fuck.

Pushing aside his fear, he followed the painful sensations radiating up his legs and understood why Yami touted the word 'pain' so frequently. It was horrible, stinging, burning, itching discomfort radiating down his entire body as feathers poked out through his skin and his spine compressed, sending a sharp jolt down the center of his chest, and Yami's voice rang out over his head.

"Slow down! You'll hurt yourself!" Yami heard his own voice shake, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Before his very eyes, Kaiba was somehow managing to turn himself into a very large, threatening, black bird with bright, beady blue eyes and a curving beak. His talons were enormous, and they sank into the carpet when he hopped over the collar of his dress shirt which had puddled around him like a strange nest.

"O-Oh…Oh my god! Seto! You're a bird! You did it!" Mokuba exclaimed, shaking with incredulity and excitement. "My turn! My turn!"

And Yami watched with mild horror as Mokuba tucked his head down and sprouted an ugly beak while crying out in dismay, "OW! OwowOW!"

"Mokuba…go slowly!" Yami cried out warningly, and the child gave him a tearful glare before continuing with determination.

Gritting his teeth and sweating, Mokuba shouted at himself to stay on all fours no matter how badly he wanted to get up on his knees, because his back was hurting, and his hands had already shrunk so far into his elbows, his forehead was pressed uncomfortably into the floor. Great.
He was stuck like this because everything hurt.
He was a gross deformity just like how Yami said he'd be.

Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes and he heard Seto's calming voice in his head, "follow the pain, Mokuba. It'll be over before you know it, and you'll be a killer eagle, just like you want."

Shaking and shivering, Mokuba let out a strangled yell and felt his teeth retract upwards into his skull as his shoulders crunched upwards and grazed his ear. Panting heavily with effort, he tilted his head to scratch the itch on his shoulder, and he realized…. he was pecking a feathered part of his body.

The room was in strange colors and he could see in three different directions…no, maybe four? He could feel Seto rustling nervously at his side, and Yami was a big, spiky-haired shadow towering above him.

"A pigeon?" Yami smiled, noting the wonderful green sheen of Mokuba's feathers. "How cute!"

SHUT UP! I'm a killer eagle! Mokuba cried, trying to lift one of his feet up for a closer look at his killer talons, but he only lost his balance and fell over.

"Very good!" Yami praised, positively glowing with pride. "You are killer indeed! Now I will change. Please give me a moment. Oh, but first, your clothes."

Yami hastily scooped up Kaiba and Mokuba's clothes and deposited them into the hamper in the bathroom, knowing that leaving three suspicious puddles of clothing in strange positions on the groud would raise alarms. Then, he rushed back to the window to throw himself down on all fours, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the horrible burning cascading down his body as feathers began to sprout.

While he was transforming, he could hear Kaiba and Mokuba bickering playfully.

I'm bigger than you.

You've always been bigger than me, but I'm cooler. Look, I'm red!

You're green, kid. You're a tiny, green, midget-pigeon. You can't see colors?

I can see colors just fine! Bet you can't look behind you and in front of you at the same time!

I actually can. We're the same species, remember?

Boys, please, Yami growled, curling his shoulders upwards and hating how the crunching and popping noise filled the room when his bones melted into wings. Transforming alone was hard enough but transforming with bickering in his ears was somehow worse.

Lifting one leg, and then the other, Yami opened his eyes and stretched his wings out, bobbing his head up and down and hopping a few times to make sure his talons were completely formed. Perfect.

Good. Now, we fly! Yami gave his wings a tentative flap and managed to land on the window's edge, waiting for Kaiba and Mokuba to follow him.

Race you! Mokuba shouted hoarsely and took off with a few rapid flaps, diving out the window without waiting for Yami.

Nervous, Yami flew after Mokuba worriedly, unsure if he should've waited for Kaiba, but the child was more volatile and demanded more of his attention. It seemed he had nothing to worry about, because after a moment of chasing after Mokuba's tiny gray tail, he saw Kaiba soaring beside him with an impressive wingspan, handling himself in the ocean gusts just fine.

Kaiba was secretly having the time of his life, and doing his best to keep his excited thoughts to himself. The wind rushing past his face tried to buffet him up and down, but he managed to ride every gust smoothly and stay close behind Mokuba. It was exhilarating.
Mokuba's shrill shouts echoed his inner feelings perfectly.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I'M COOL! LOOK AT HOW COOL I AM! Hey, Yami, can I eat a fish?

Are you hungry? Yami wondered, thinking Mokuba only wanted to hunt for fun, and he was correct.

No, I just wanna kill a fish with my killer claws!

Flapping his wings to keep up with Mokuba's excited pace, Yami gave Kaiba a look, but was ignored.

Only hunt when you are hungry. Don't kill without purpose or meaning, he lectured, and he received a careless, 'Mkay, from Mokuba.

As they flew closer to shore, Yami noticed Mokuba slowing down considerably when the city buildings hovered into view, and the older Kaiba took over seamlessly, flying ahead of Mokuba to lead the way back to the mansion.

Together, they maneuvered themselves through the city, occasionally landing on a light pole to rest, before taking off again, still following Kaiba's lead. Yami couldn't help but think what a strange trio they must appear to humans, but for once in a very long time, he felt like he belonged to a family, and it was comforting to have Kaiba and Mokuba flanking him as they soared over a highway with their laughter ringing his head.

They'd flown past the outskirts of the city, and Kaiba tried to enjoy every windy glide to the very end, but the pointy trees surrounding his property were already approaching. Tilting himself left and right to ease himself into a gentle landing, he heard Mokuba whine predictably behind him.

Aww man! We're home already?

You're not tired?! Yami wondered incredulously, shaking his head and following Kaiba's lead, landing on a thick branch and settling down onto it, his wings aching.

Nope! Mokuba lied, nearly falling off the branch when he lost his balance, and Yami held him steady by swinging a wing out in front of his chest to keep him from plummeting down to the ground.

Now we need to get inside, or we change back out here, Kaiba mused, not wanting to step on broken twigs and pine needles. Isono is always airing one room out at a time. Let's find an open window.

That…might be difficult, Yami muttered, hating how his own cleverness was backfiring on him badly now. I ordered your manservant to keep all the windows shut because I feared you would be targeted in your sleep.

Oh, great, Mokuba moaned, wobbling dangerously on the branch. Thanks Yami. Real awesome.

I'm sorry, Yami apologized solemnly. I will be the one to enter the house and open a window for you both. Stay here until you hear me calling for you, understand?

He heard simultaneous sighs, and he took that as a 'yes'.

Diving off the branch, Yami soared over the pointed rooftops of the Kaiba Mansion, checking to make sure that there were indeed no open windows before he gave up and landed on a lamppost flanking the giant, sparkling fountain in the center of the property, tilting his head this way and that to survey the area.

There were no humans in sight, but he could detect movement on the upper floors. Time to take his chances.

Beating his wings heavily, Yami landed on the balcony sill and gave the glass window a few rhythmic taps with his beak, trying his best to mimic a human knocking.

Isono heard the odd tapping coming from the other room, and he froze, with a feather duster in one hand and vase in the other. It sounded unmistakably like someone was knocking on the window. Had someone climbed up through the garden gates?

Setting the vase and duster down, Isono palmed his phone in his pocket and strode into the other room, seeing the silhouette of a black crow perched on the metal railing by the window, knocking again when he entered the room.

Startled, Isono gripped his phone and wondered if he ought to call animal control instead.

Yami was growing impatient, so he hopped to the other side of the railing to knock on the window again. He had the human's attention, but it was still not coming to open the window. Why?

After a moment's hesitation, Isono walked forward and decided to inch the window open a centimeter, seeing the bird instantly stab it's beak into the opening and let out a shrill, "CAWWW!" but in his head, he heard a vaguely familiar voice talking to him.

Old man, open the window! Yami commanded, flapping his wings impatiently. Mokuba is very tired from his journey and needs rest!

Shocked to the core, Isono pulled the window open the rest of the way, shaking. He backed away and watched as the black bird flew into the room and landed on the floor, staring at him with round, beady eyes. Amethyst eyes.

Still rooted to the spot with confusion, he watched as the bird began to swell strangely, and his voice caught in his throat when he saw human fingers sprouting from the tips of black, feathered wings. The bird was growing to a monstrous size. The tiny head expanded, and its eyes bulged disgustingly before meeting together in the center to form a human face.

Isono sat down and banged his tailbone painfully against the hardwood floor as his back hit the wall behind him, his blood running icy cold with fear.

He couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. A human bird was shedding its feathers in a dirty pile over the area he'd just mopped! And sitting in the center of this feather pile was the spiky-haired stranger Mr. Kaiba considered his friend.

Gasping for breath, Yami dusted himself off and rose unsteadily to his feet, hoping he didn't scare Isono to death, because the heartbeat in his ears was racing so fast, it became a low hum, and the sour stench of fear hung in the air.

"One moment," Yami gave the old man an apologetic look and stepped around him to get to the window. He leaned his head out and waved at the trees in the distance, calling out in his mind, "Mokuba? Kaiba?! This way! A window is open!"

Isono clapped a hand over his ear, wincing, and he crawled away from the naked, spiky-haired man, unable to stand because his knees were weak.
His mind was racing with a million questions.
Was he dreaming? Or perhaps this was his grief manifesting into a mental illness.
The loss of his beloved household masters had him imagining bird monsters and phone calls from Master Kaiba, because after one call, the master hadn't called again….

To his rising horror, another black bird landed on the windowsill and ruffled its feathers threateningly. This one was even larger than the previous one, and it was joined by a puffy, baby pigeon that wobbled when it landed.

"Here, Mokuba…" Yami scooped the pigeon off the sill and set him gently down in the center of the pile of black feathers, giving the bird a stroke on the head. "Do you want to take a nap first? If you don't think you can change back all the way, I suggest we wait. Kaiba? What about you?"

Isono followed Yami's gaze to the large, black bird with a curved beak and heard Master Kaiba's arrogant voice in his head clearly.

I'm fine.

The black bird's talons clicked on the floor as it joined the pigeon in the circle of black feathers and also began swelling strangely.

Isono was prepared for this, so he threw an arm over his eyes, feeling nauseous and lightheaded. A cold hand rested on his shoulder, and Yami spoke to him kindly, "I'm sorry for frightening you. This was the only way we could return without being followed or discovered."

Isono nodded, his vision turning green every time he blinked, and he reminded himself to breathe. This was no dream. This was proof that Master Kaiba and Mokuba were alive…but different.

He heard a weak cough and jerked his head up to see Master Kaiba bent over on all fours, naked and shivering. More feathers covered the floor, and Isono couldn't bring himself to be upset about that anymore. Master Kaiba was alive and well!

"F-Fuck…!" Kaiba cursed, dusting the feathers off his skin and hating how cold he felt. That had been draining and painful.

"Master Kaiba!" Isono wailed, getting on his knees and bowing gratefully, his vision blurry with tears. "What can I do for you?"

"…You can…. get a blanket for Mokuba," Kaiba panted, trying to gather his bearings. His skin was still stinging, and a horrible haze of exhaustion was settling over the front of his mind.

Isono leapt to his feet and ran out of the room, scattering the feathers behind him as he went, and Yami watched him go, keeping his palm resting protectively over Mokuba's head.

"I'm not…. sleepy…." Mokuba whined, and he collapsed into Yami's hand.

Smiling sympathetically, Yami lifted Mokuba up off the ground and tried to keep him warm in his hands, but he was feeling cold himself, so he sat there in silence with Kaiba, listening to Isono's frantic panting as he ran back up the grand staircase with two fuzzy blankets in his arms.

"Where should I put these?" Isono cried, scanning the room, unable to look at the tiny, limp pigeon in Yami's hands.

Kaiba managed to stand unsteadily and take the blankets from Isono, opening one to drape it over Yami's shoulders and taking the other one for himself.

Feathers were swirling around them every time a breeze blew in through the window, and Isono couldn't take it anymore. He marched out of the room to grab a broom and vacuum, pleased that purpose had returned in his life.

Yami moved to the large couch and bundled the blankets around Mokuba's tiny body, creating a makeshift nest.

Kaiba sat down beside Mokuba and leaned back into the cushions, his bones aching. The room was spinning, and he was weak. Yami's handsome, concerned face appeared in his vision briefly before he passed out cold.

"Kaiba!" Yami cried, shooting an arm out to make sure the older Kaiba didn't crush Mokuba as he began to lean to the side.

Isono rushed into the room and set the vacuum on the ground to help Yami ease Kaiba down gently. What an odd sight.

The CEO's long legs stuck out from under the blanket as he dozed beside a tiny pigeon, and Isono stared, unable to look away.

"Please find me some clothes. Any will do," Yami said, giving Isono a nod. "I will get them food when they awaken. Keep the sunlight off their skin and close the curtains to this room."

Isono nodded stiffly and exited the room again, his body burning with determination to help. Master Kaiba and Mokuba were back. He'd pinched himself several times and tried to wake up, but there was no denying that this was reality.


Author's note:

woooooooooooooooooooooooooo

kaiba and moki do their first winged transformations and avoid trouble flying back home!

Yami now has to take care of his vamp familyyyyy :shining eyes: