Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own Vampire Hunter D.

It's October, which means a few things. I'm going to be super busy with Halloween and school, but, as it is my favorite holiday, you all will be getting two chapters, instead of one, this month.

And as an aside, please remember, constructive criticism is appreciated even if you aren't my beta-reader. While this is my relaxing time writing, it shouldn't mean I get to get lame with the story. Thanks again by the way, Aldedron!

Chapter Fifteen: The First Reckoning

D swallowed hard, disbelief clouded his mind. He could not have been caught so quickly. Not now; what would Bakura think? His friend would not know of his absence until it was too late, and all the attempts that the young man had made to protect the boy would be moot. As he turned, he knew that the moment he had left the boat he had inadvertently forsaken all that his friend—no, he was more than that, but what exactly the boy could not say, had done for him.

"I believe you know it is time to end this silly game," the figure behind him said, its voice lazy but parental. The boy turned and looked into the face of the man he hated. He must not have been able to hide his feelings, for the man before him smiled and added, "I see you are not pleased, but it is your fault after all that any of this is happening. You should have come home with the escort I supplied you."

When the boy did not reply, did not move, the man frowned. "So am I to expect nothing more than the silent treatment? I'm not the one making this difficult, you know…"

D stared up into the man's burning red eyes. He did not have a choice, in order to save his friend; he would have to acquiesce. He had taken no more than a step in his father's direction, when a shot rang out and his father lurched forward, his expression at first full of irritation before quickly turning into amusement. He reached for his right shoulder, and D could see blood beginning to soak his father's cloak. Astonishment was not strong enough a word for what D felt at that moment. Who had managed to shoot his father? The boy himself had not even heard a scuffle from the new presence, granted, he had been wrapped up in his own thoughts. It was very unlike him. His father turned and the boy followed his gaze, and what was before him shocked him to the very core. It was as if somebody had answered some impossible prayer that he had barely thought, and never uttered.

"You missed," D's father said, smiling.

"No, I did it on purpose," the mostly hidden figure said coolly, "I'd shoot a person in the back, but not to kill them."

"How very sportsmanlike," the tall being before D chortled.

"Necessary is more like it," the figure said, now walking into the light of the torched houses, "I have some questions I want to ask."

D's father's lips curled into a smirk as the figure became more visible to human vision. The man was pale, but he looked at his adversary with no fear in his eyes. "I'll humor you then, boy. You did care for my son so well. What is your first question?"

"Where's Kaiba?"

"He's feeling a bit under the weather, we had to cut the meeting short," he replied.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Bakura continued, his face like stone, his tone oddly calm.

"That's rather vague."

"Fine. What do you hope to accomplish by performing the actions that you took tonight."

"Ahhh…" the giant man mused, pleasantly surprised, "I have a feeling that you know that there is more to my actions than I let on."

Bakura frowned. "You wish for more than what your people could ever understand."

"And how did you come by that knowledge?"

"Why do you want D-kun back so badly?"

The man scowled, crossing his arms. D remained frozen, unable to comprehend the situation. Bakura could not have been there, he was imagining things. He had…passed out; yes, that was logical, and his mind had formed what the boy had so desperately wanted. Bakura would not have known where he was going to be, it was impossible.

"Not to sound childish, but you hardly answered my question."

"I think that the answer to your question lies within my own," the young man retorted. "Why go after D-kun when you could have made another? It was obvious that you cared little for your experiments. I was one of them. Why D-kun in the first place? What was your purpose? What do you know about that no one else does? That no one else has thought of? Do I already know the answer?" Bakura glared into the taller man's red eyes, and it was then that D backed away, towards his younger friend and her father. There was danger there, something not Bakura-sama, something that had been there that frightening night when his friend had not been himself. He could almost feel the confusion emanating from the people behind him and empathized with them.

"I don't know what you know, Bakura Ryou, unless you don't need me to answer the questions you pose."

"Oh, I need answers…" Bakura almost whispered, "For all of them. But I will be content with just a simple answer to what it is you're planning."

"You seem to grasp that there is something bigger," the man replied, "that I long for something more than what most of those who I surround myself with could be contented with."

"There is always something bigger," the pale haired man agreed, but his tone was annoyed, "and the masses never really do understand, especially when you have more knowledge on the subject than they do. But did you ever stop to think of the consequences?"

"Yes, I have. I have had plenty of time to think on it. I know the way I'm handling it will be the best way. It will all be worth it, when the time is right," D's father answered, "You are an intelligent young man, Bakura, and although you've caused me enough trouble, with your constant escape attempts, you've taken good care of my son, and have given me far more data on his abilities than I ever expected to accumulate at this point in time. I could call all of this off, if you agreed to help me. No more would have to die tonight, and you would be given the greatest protection that I could offer. You're a survivor, dear boy, as am I. I am willing to forgive your past transgressions. Work with me, and we could be great."

Bakura folded his arms and shook his head. That dangerous look in the depths of the usually gentle brown eyes had not left. D clenched his hands together, hoping he could trust the man he had come to care so greatly for, and that he, as a child, had not made a poor choice in believing in him in the first place. He waited anxiously for his answer.

"The ends do not always justify the means," the young man stated.

"In this case, if you live long enough, you will see they will."

"You're making a mistake," Bakura responded, and D did a double take. Was that pity in his voice?

"And what would you know? I've had hundreds of years to come to my conclusions, and you? A couple of decades." There was irritation. D's father had heard it as well. "How could your assumption be more correct than my theory?"

"You're not remorseful at all? Not of what you've done to your son, or the other countless lives you've played with for your own benefit? Or the ones that may come in the future?"

"No, why should I be? Everything will balance out in the end. And what does that have to do with anything?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "You'll be the death of them all. Mark my words. It may take thousands of years, but with your intellect, I'm sure you'll see it. You'll see your end."

The man with the red eyes laughed. "I hardly think you're in any position to be saying such things."

"History repeats itself time and time again, didn't you know?" Bakura answered snidely, "They call it fate; destiny."

"Our destiny is to be great—"

"I will never join you," the young man interrupted, "It's far too late to be asking that. But it's not like I ever would have anyway. I see your thoughtless ways, and I see you'd drag us all down with you. I won't let that happen. I won't let you ruin the lives of those who I care for! I may not be able to kill you now but I will, I swear it right here, right now, before you and the destruction you create—"

"I've heard enough from you," the vampire snorted, and was in front of Bakura before there was even time to blink. D covered his eyes, not wanting to see the end of his best friend. All he knew is that his father's hand was raised. That's all he wanted to know.

"I will help D rid this world of your insanity," Bakura ended. The man before him, his arm a blur, made as if to gut him. Another shot rang out. It had come so abruptly that his father, his hand flat as a board, his nails just millimeters from Bakura's stomach, only could stare at the young man in indignation and confusion. D turned to see Amami and her father staring up with shock and fear frozen on their faces. It was as if time itself had stopped and he and the flame licking the sides of new buildings to burn were the only ones unaffected. And then Bakura muttered something, something that D could not make out. His father snarled something in return before a sharpened chunk of splintered wood appeared through his back and he went rigid, falling forward. Bakura stepped aside, his face unreadable, as the great hulk of a man connected with the concrete. He stood there for a moment, and then turned and made his way quickly to the small group in the middle of the street.

Seizing D by the waist, Bakura picked the boy up and hugged him. The child hung there in the man's embrace, his eyes wide in shock. It was when the other two reacted to his presence by parting their own grip on one another that it wore off and he was clinging to the man, trying to register that his best friend was indeed there. Somehow Bakura had managed to save him.

"Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, burying his head in the crook of the young man's neck, waves of jumbled emotions threatening to overtake him. He felt a gentle hand pat him on the back before setting him down. There was anxiety in those eyes now, but they were his eyes again.

"We don't have much time," Bakura began, motioning for Amami's father to rise. "Wanatabe-san, I know that you and your daughter have been through a lot, and I know you want to look for your wife, but right now the best thing you can do is come with us."

"My wife is dead!" Wanatabe shouted, which set Amami off in tears again. D once again tried to calm his friend down, and was once again rebuffed by her father. "And why should I trust you? Either of you! You knew that man, that monster! He was like the one that…that…" He placed his head in his hands and wept. D turned to Bakura, wondering what they should do, and was once again surprised by his friend's actions. The young man almost lunged forward, pulling one arm away from Amami's father's face and delivered a sound slap to his right cheek. Wanatabe looked up at him, stunned.

"You'll both be dead if we don't move!" Bakura snapped, "Don't trust me if you don't want to, but know that I'm not leaving your daughter to die just because you gave up!"

"I'm not giving up!"

"Then get up," Bakura replied, motioning to Amami, "Pick up your daughter and follow me."

"But what about my wife?"

"What about your wife?" the young man replied callously, "you just said she's dead." Checking himself, he added, his voice softening, "I know you want to go back and change whatever happened. I know you want to honor her death…but the best way to do that is to get your daughter to safety."

The man looked up at the younger one searching his face for any signs of treachery, finding none. He nodded and allowed Bakura to help him to his feet. His daughter still clung to his shirt, but was now sniffling, finding strength as her father did. "What now?" Wanatabe asked, tired.

"We run," Bakura put simply, grabbing onto D's hand, "I only knocked him out."

"What!" came the surprised reply. D had already figured it so; his father would not have been taken out so easily. His astonishment was blunted, for it would have taken a lot for his father to have been bested, and Bakura had done so, but D was beginning to get used to the idea that Bakura was far more than what he let on. Possibly even more than what he knew himself. So with his faith in the man now solidified, D followed Bakura as he led the small group toward the other burning buildings. There was no need to ask why, as the boy could feel the man's purposeful direction. He either knew to go that way, or had an intuitive guess that there was something important that way. At any rate, he had found the child without even knowing he had been missing, and that gave D a feeling that he would know what to do now.

"I said I only knocked him out," Bakura repeated, a little breathless as he had begun to jog, "you try killing something like him." Glancing down at D, he smiled, but there was such a concern in his eyes that made D look away from him ashamedly. "Fancy meeting you here, D-kun, I could have sworn that you were supposed to be with Anzu-chan."

"I was worried about Amami-chan, I didn't want her to get hurt," he mumbled, unintentionally catching said child's eye and seeing something odd. Was that adoration? "I'm sorry about making you worry."

"It can't be helped," Bakura replied, "I'm going to worry about you until the day I die."

D turned back to the man's gaze so fast that it got the young man laughing. "Why?" the boy asked, alarmed.

"Because that is what happens when someone cares about someone else," Wanatabe responded, surprising both D and Bakura. "Not to be intruding on your conversation of course, but I was wondering why we are going this way? Aren't we supposed to be heading north like you first said?"

"That reminds me," D added, looking up at his hurrying friend, "why did you guys change the plan?"

"Plan? What plan?" Another confused response.

"It didn't make sense," Bakura said, "In theory it could have worked if the boats were operational, but like you said, the fuel would have most likely gone bad. Not to mention none of those boats have been maintained. What's the point of getting onto one if they can just walk across the dock, or leap into one?"

"But going north isn't going to get us anywhere, either," the boy replied. Wanatabe looked at the boy, his expression full of questions, but Bakura's reply seemed to stop him from asking.

"We can only do what we can," the young man said, stopping their hurried jog for Amami's benefit. "As much as I don't want to think about it, I know we can't save everyone." D watched the anguish form on his friend's face as he spoke the words, but it was faint, and he doubted if Amami or Wanatabe had even noticed. Was he hiding his pain to be strong for them? The boy didn't know, but he wasn't given much time to reflect on it. A dull thud reached his ears and it was followed by a yelp loud enough that the two adults turned their attention away from the children and Amami grabbed onto D's hand for comfort this time.

"What was that?" Wanatabe asked, and Bakura shook his head. He had no idea.

"I think someone is stuck in there," D pointed to the building on their right. The heat that came from the fire that had consumed the building was intense. Voices that could only be clear to D were muffled by the roaring of the flames.

"Someone is stuck in there?" Amami exclaimed, "We should go help them!"

Wanatabe shook his head. "I don't see a way in, and it would be too dangerous. The roof is bound to collapse at any moment."

"But Daddy!"

"There's nothing we can do."

D's eyes widened as another shout reached his ears. Looking up at Bakura with the light of the fire making him look all the more pale, he said…

"Bakura-sama…I think Jounochi is in there!"

He had played the game of life or death before. Once it had been against a serial killer. Another time, he played against a man suffering from more than just a mental illness. He even had jumped into the ocean to save his friend's cards. The last one seemed trivial, risking his life for cardboard, but it had not been. That had not been about monetary value, but the value of something passed down, out of love. He would have done it again, plunged into those freezing waters…but was it the same to dive through flame, when there was nothing on the other side but more death and loss?

'I should have known you would crack under pressure,' Kaiba's voice rang out over these thoughts, that voice which Jounochi so hated and despised, even if they had both come to some mutual agreement on civility. Under all of the new titles he had received from that man, he knew he was still that "stupid dog", and that all his accomplishments were returned with praise, not friendly, but more like a pat on the head for doing something right. Why couldn't it have been Mai's voice? Even if years had gone by, and he knew her chances of survival were nil, it would have been better than that cold and calculating bastard's voice. At least her voice had been pretty. 'You haven't changed, you're still worthless. So sit dog, sit and accept that you're going to die.'

"Fuck you," he growled at the voice and dodged Honda's power swing. He shouted in alarm before colliding with the burning wall.

"Don't make this hard on yourself," Honda said, repositioning.

"How are you going to live with yourself?" Jounochi retorted, patting at his smoldering shirt, "You're a coward! Selling yourself and my sister to those freaks just to save your own ass, you're pathetic!"

"I did it for Shizuka!"

"Bullshit! If it all was for her then why are you planning on killing me?" He wanted to say more, but his lungs were so full of smoke he began to cough, and his eyesight became hazy. If he did not get out of there soon, being brained would be the least of his worries. Surviving was all that he was interested in now. That traitor's voice (he was almost sure of it now as Bakura had mused earlier) had awakened him. He would mourn his sister, but now was the time to survive and aid others in surviving. Pulling his gun free, he fumbled with it as Honda swung again, this time with more speed. Now a new hole was formed in the floor inches from where he had rolled. Sweat poured down Jounochi's face, and his lungs burned for the oxygen no longer prevalent in the air around them. He raised his gun and it was knocked out of his hands before he could even decide whether it was wise to shoot it in such a position. Coughing harder, he swung blindly, for the world was now a swirling orange with no distinguishable foe.

'Stupid,' he thought to himself as he swung, 'so stupid. I can't die like this, not like this because…' because then Kaiba would have been right all those years ago and he really would have been a worthless thing, making its worthless way in the world. He collapsed on the hardwood that was covered in the spinning orange and red that remained in his fading vision. His coughing became more violent as he heard the booming footsteps of his doom coming toward him. He was going to die. 'No fair,' his mind whimpered before meeting hazy black, lamenting his poor decision to react before getting more information.

The next thing he remembered was cool air, clean air. He sat up reflexively, and was promptly pushed back onto…cement. The push had been painful, but the spinning that was now going on inside his head took all of his attention. He wanted to vomit.

"Is he okay?" Jounochi heard a voice ask. He wanted to say something, to tell it he was still alive. It sounded so worried, and young. Before he could, however, his lungs seized and he was coughing again.

"He's alive," a more familiar voice replied, yet that too sounded as if it belonged to a child. Jounochi blinked and his eyes watered as the cleaner air stung them. He had not realized that they had been stinging before. "That's what's most important."

"Give him some space," another voice said and it was then that Jounochi's mind reconnected with reality. He blinked again and the blackness became the night sky, peppered with stars. There was light coming from his left, and he heard coughing on his right. His left arm hurt. It was probably burned or something.

"Are you okay?" The first voice asked. It belonged to a little girl, one that he now recognized, had promised to find actually. Fate had a funny way of dealing with that. She wasn't talking to him, though, but to the other coughing figure. The one he knew had spoken before.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said, half jokingly. His voice was rough and his saliva felt thick in his mouth, but he continued, "Playing hero?"

"I'm not about to leave my friend behind," Bakura replied, smiling into the hand that covered his mouth, "but I'm not the only one who went in looking for you." He pointed to the man on his other side, Wanatabe, yes, Jounochi was supposed to find him too, before he began another coughing fit. Jounochi unintentionally joined him. Wanatabe looked on in silent concern.

"Still doesn't answer my question now does it, Bakura?" he said, now pulling himself into a sitting position, "How did you get over here so fast? How did you even know I was in trouble?" He looked around and saw D standing beside his little friend and blinked in surprise. "And what is he doing here? Wasn't he with Anzu?"

"It's a long story filled with a lot of intuition," Bakura replied, tiredly, "even I'm not sure how it's all playing out like this. I think we need to find Yugi-kun now though, and get Anzu-chan and their baby, and leave immediately."

"But what about the others?"

Bakura looked down sadly and shook his head. "We can't save them all Jounochi, we just don't have the manpower, nor did we have the time to prepare."

"But Yugi—"

"—is probably in danger as we speak. We should find him and leave."

Jounochi slammed his fist into the ground, ignoring the pain that raced through both hand and arm. "So we're giving up? You were as dead set against doing that as Yugi and I were, Bakura! What turned you into a coward and changed your mind!"

"Honda did."

Jounochi stopped and gaped at his friend. "Honda? But—"

"You saw what he became!" Bakura spat, and Jounochi flinched. It was like looking into Hell, those deep brown eyes lit with fire. "You saw firsthand what the people here will become, at least those who show some promise or loyalty! We can't save a thousand people, we can't save hundreds, but I'll be damned if I can't save those I care about!"

"Bakura…" Jounochi was at a loss for words.

"We should get going," Wanatabe said, interjecting into the conversation. Jounochi was grateful, for it took the odd look out of his friend's eyes, but he had been touched at the end, oddly enough, all the same.

"Can you walk?" Bakura asked. His tone was soft and apologetic.

"Yeah, I think so," Jounochi replied, and successfully stood after two attempts. "I might slow you guys down though, I don't know if I can run yet." He glanced down at his aching arm and sighed. Yes, it was burned. It hurt like hell, but it still functioned, so he figured it wasn't too bad.

"Don't worry about that," the young man replied before motioning for them all to follow. D hung back with Amami and her father as if sensing Jounochi's wish to speak with Bakura alone. 'Sweet kid,' Jounochi thought, 'but creepy.'

"Bakura," he began, "what happened back there, at the house? Where's Honda?"

Bakura glanced back at the three following them. D caught his eye and began talking with Amami almost feverously about some nonsense topic on Monster World. It could have been called cute, given the situation. He was pretending not to be listening.

"When we finally got into the house, there wasn't much to see. If there was anyone still there, I don't think they made it. I am truly sorry, Jounochi-kun." Bakura gave him a meaningful look and Jounochi did believe that he understood.

"I don't think she was there," Jounochi said, "but I don't think I'm ever going to see her again…" his voice wavered and he cleared his throat, "What about Honda?"

"It didn't take us long to figure out the situation, or what I thought was the situation. I had hoped I wasn't making a mistake when I prepared myself and got Honda's attention," Bakura continued, and then lowered his voice, "when he turned, I saw the bite marks…and I knew for sure. I stabbed him in the eye and shoved him down a hallway I think, but we grabbed you and got out as fast as we could. The roof collapsed just as we got you to the opposite side of the sidewalk. I don't know if…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Jounochi said, unsure whether or not he would have been able to take that advice if he had managed to do the deed, "You saved my life, and I'm grateful. And you are not a coward, I'm sorry for saying that."

"I appreciate that, Jounochi-kun," Bakura said, "but I haven't saved your life yet."

"What?"

"We still have to get out of here somehow."

Jounochi smiled. "If I die now, it's my own fault. Now, which way did we send Yugi again?"

Yugi ducked behind a useless car, out of breath, scared, and praying that he would live through the night. He tried to ignore the screams that echoed in his mind. He had not been seen yet, but he needed a better hiding place. That thing chasing him would find him soon enough.

It had all been going so well too. They had gotten a steady line of people heading north with most of the guards that Yugi had found. He had kept two, and the three of them had gone around, looking for people who may have not heard the message or people unable to respond to it. That was when they had been approached by that thing, that vampire. Yugi had barely had any time to register that he did not recognize the man before he was upon them, attacking them, making a snack out of them. With such ease and confidence ingrained in the monster's actions, Yugi was positive that they were surrounded, that they had just successfully sent the entire city to their slaughter. He was horrified, and the only one left alive, so he ran, after unloading his gun into the vampire. Unlike Bakura, Yugi did not have the element of surprise in the situation, nor a makeshift wooden stake to seal the deal. When the vampire advanced still, Yugi could think of nothing else to do but run. Now he was lost in the remnants of an empty city, realizing his chance of survival was almost zero.

"Please," he whispered into his clasped hands, "don't find me. I have a wife and daughter to take care of, please..." He wished his other half were there, a wish that had not surfaced for years. Even with the horrors that had come afterward he had been content with who he was, and able to make the decisions that he never thought possible. Now, all he wanted was those guiding hands; that answer to his problems, that answer that was always right.

He did not know how far ahead that thing was, nor did he know how far he had run. All he knew was that the further he ran into the city, the less people there had been, and now there were none. He was cornered, and he knew it. His mind was a wreck of emotions, but something pulled him out of his praying position. A child's laughter. Who could be laughing at a time like this?

It was then that he saw them, diagonal from where he was crouched. First Jounochi rounded the corner, then Bakura, and after them three others, two of them children. They did not know he was there, or that something was after him. He knew that they were making too much noise, and that the thing behind him would chase after them instead. He could not have that. If those two survived, then they would be able to take care of Anzu and Etsu. Yugi braced himself for his probable death as he stood, making himself visible. Jounochi was the first to notice him. His face brightened and he waved animatedly, which caught the attention of his group who followed his gaze and cheered, as if they had been looking for him.

Yugi shook his head hard, mentally counting the seconds left in his life. Motioning for them to go back, he yelled, "RUN!"

They did not. 'Why are they just standing there?' he thought to himself before feeling a strong hand clamp down on his shoulder. Yugi froze, thinking that if he turned to face the creature behind him, he would be more than just dead. He looked down at his feet, begging for everything to be a dream.

A gun fired. Being so in the moment he could have sworn that it had been he who was shot.

He collapsed to the ground as the hand that held him slackened, and welcomed the odd biting sensation of bits of rock pressing into his hands. Yugi heard the shouts of his friends and the strange gurgling that was coming from behind. He honestly could have kissed the ground he was now staring at when he realized that he was fine. Turning back to finally see who had grabbed him, he watched in awe as the vampire coughed up a bubble of blood, having been shot through the heart. The vampire was not dead, but at least he was stunned.

"What the hell are you doing? Stop staring at it and kill it!" A voice rang out, and Yugi turned his head away from the bloody spectacle to see one of the least likely montages of people right before his eyes. It was like fate (while cruel) was still on his side. Mokuba was standing there, hand still outstretched with the pistol he had injured the vampire with; behind him stood Aoki, a single woman who acted as a teacher for all of the younger grades; beside her was Nakano, a grocer; behind them was, lo and behold, his mother (how she had managed to survive befuddled him, the fact she was standing before him was another thing all together); and in the back was Kato, his most difficult to manage, yet hardest working guard, holding up a very injured, but alive Kaiba. He so mystified that he sat there lamely and it took another shot from Mokuba to keep the vampire down, and by then the other group had arrived and Jounochi was grabbing him, pulling him up while Bakura aided Nakano in disposing of the monster, which was now shot not only through the heart, but the eye.

"How did you?" Yugi began, unable to fully form the questions as others poured out, "What is going? How did this?"

"Calm down, buddy," Jounochi replied hugging him, keeping his view off of the gory display. Jounochi glanced back over his shoulder and could see Wanatabe doing the same for D and Amami, and wondered how necessary it was for the boy not to see it.

Mokuba cleared his throat, trying to get everyone's attention, even as the squelching and cracking sound of a head being decapitated pervaded. Most eyes turned to him. His brother's however remained out of sight. There was a dark blood caked blot that went from what looked like somewhere on his face all the way to the middle of his jacket. Mokuba did not seem to notice, but did note the two adults who were not looking back at him.

"You both almost done?" He asked of the now bloodied Bakura and Nakano.

"Almost," Nakano replied, and with a yank and another crack, held the beast's heart in his hand. "There we go."

"No, not quite," Bakura took it and crushed it under his shoe. Aoki and Yugi's mother gagged. The young man looked over at them apologetically. "Now we are."

"Great," Mokuba nodded, "Then, first order of business: was anyone bit?"

The whole group was now at attention, including the children. D's calm yet nervous eyes swiveled to Bakura's, who only looked back at him as if nothing was wrong. A chorus of no's rang through the air and Mokuba nodded again. "Well then," he said, "let's see."

It was an odd examination. In the moonlight they all looked like ghostly figures, each looked over with a flashlight by the teen, who at the end produced his neck for everyone to see that he was unmarked as well. He did not check Kaiba however, the latter seemed dazed and only just able to stand on his two feet. He had not spoken a word.

Seemingly satisfied, Mokuba put the flashlight away. "Now, I know you are all hell bent on going north or whatever," he held up a hand before anyone could affirm or deny the claim, "but that idea is now scrapped, understand? Valiant effort and everything, but if any of us is going to survive, you are going to have to come with me."

"Where are you taking us?" Amami asked, clutching at her father's shirt.

"We have a boat."

"But what about the fuel?" Yugi asked, now standing, and far less shaken.

"Don't worry about it," Mokuba replied cryptically, "My brother and I weren't rich for nothing. We need to go now."

"I need to get my wife and daughter!" Yugi insisted. Jounochi nodded somberly.

"Where are they?"

"The docks."

Mokuba stared at Yugi, who blinked, and shook his head. It had been a long day. "Well I was planning on sailing out of the stadium, but okay, the docks it is. You and your old ways of ships needing water to move and stuff." Laughter filled the group and somewhat lightened the mood. "We'll keep an eye out."

"I know the boat," D cut in, albeit cautiously. "It won't take long." Mokuba smiled at him, seemingly unaware of how entangled the boy was in this whole mess.

"Awesome, awesome. Anything else?"

"What happened to Kaiba?" Jounochi asked, motioning to the swaying man.

"Honestly?" Mokuba said, looking at his brother with forlorn eyes, "I don't know. I found him stumbling around on the sidewalk. I thought he was going to be having a meeting tonight."

"Didn't go so well for him, did it," Bakura muttered darkly, low enough to where he believed no one had heard him, but D gave him a poignant look, one that understood yet wanted more information when possible.

"I think we should probably get going with whatever you have planned," Yugi's mother interjected, "It's not safe here, right? And it is probably less safe for Anzu-chan to be left alone." She and her son nodded at one another in silent agreement.

"Right," Mokuba agreed.

As the streets were empty it took little time to get to the docks. At first they moved cautiously, but when as a group they figured that, sadly, the distraction in the north was where most of the danger was, they began to run. D could keep pace, but in order to keep the rest of the group from getting suspicious he and Amami rode piggyback with the adults, changing whenever their carriers became tired from the weight. Likewise with Kaiba, but Kato and Jounochi were the only two with enough stamina to do so. When they arrived they found the panicking Anzu and bewildered Etsu easily enough, and after apologies were made, and the situation explained, the remaining known survivors of this terrible incident were led to the furthest pier to the most well kept looking ship. Once inside they were greeted with splendor, and Bakura once again marveled at the fact that it was as if time had reversed. Who had protected this vessel? Who had maintained it?

"Fun fact," Mokuba began as they found their ways to a seat, Jounochi and Kato first placing Kaiba on a plush couch, "My brother modified the engine and fuel capacity, essentially making this thing able to sail as far as South America without needing to stop for fuel. Barely."

"Impossible!" Nakano breathed, "How could he have managed that?"

"Because he's a genius," Mokuba stated, giving the man a look, "We might have been a gaming company three years ago, but he was being taught the ways of business in warfare before the company change. Don't think that he wasn't forced to learn something about things like this."

"But what about the fuel?" Yugi repeated.

"When I said don't worry about it, I meant it. Just know that we have enough to get us somewhere far away from here so long as we aren't caught in the process."

"Can you sail this thing?" Jounochi asked, eyeing the still dazed Kaiba.

"Yes, actually. My brother taught me how. He was planning on seeing what the damage was like in other places. But…whoever went probably was never going to see Japan again. The chances of finding anything to make this run again would be slim. We were developing a way of communicating, so at least we could get the information. This isn't important now though." Mokuba waved his hand at the others, "if we are careful and ration what we have stored on this ship with whatever you guys have for that planned trip of yours, we should also be fine with food for a while. We have fishing equipment, just in case."

"How long do you think we will be out on the ocean?" Wanatabe inquired.

"Quite possibly a month," Mokuba replied.

"A MONTH?" Jounochi exclaimed, which made Etsu cry. Anzu glared at him, but his attention was still on the teen that somehow had become in charge of the situation.

"It is an estimate," Mokuba countered, "would you rather stay here then?"

There was a synchronized negative shaking of heads. D searched for Bakura's hand and found it, receiving an encouraging squeeze that calmed his nerves. The possibility of sailing for that long, being surrounded by that much water, just thinking about it made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Alright," Mokuba said, clapping his hands together, "Stay in here or go outside, but I'm turning on this ship and we are getting the hell out of here."

"Come outside with me, Bakura-sama," D whispered, holding the man's hand tighter.

"Of course," Bakura replied, "but why?"

"I want to see land. It will be a while until we see it again."

Looking at the boy with a compassion matched only by a loving parent to their child, he lead the boy outside where they could easily see the pier and the remaining boats, and of course, land.

"I'm sorry," the boy said softly, "for everything."

"It's not your fault, D-kun," the young man declared, "It never was."

"Don't leave me."

Bakura looked down at the child, ready to tell him that it would be impossible to on this boat, but saw in his eyes something more panicked and fearful than simply personal space. "I will never leave you," Bakura said, "until the day you no longer need me, I'll be there for you."

The boy smiled, and his grip slackened on the man's hand. His peaceful look quickly turned into horror as a loud bang reverberated in the air, and the sound of something metal creaking and snapping brought their attention to the newly burning fixture on their horizon. Too dismayed to realize they had begun to sail away, or to notice the small crowd behind them, watching with as much disturbed interest as they, while the Kaiba Corp. building began to tip and crumble, flaming from the inside. This last piece of the past that had stood tall, even in the midst of all this destruction, was now just burning, collapsing debris. D was overcome by a feeling of hatred from all this unfairness and he wanted to scream. He wished Bakura had been able to kill his father for doing this. Why could he not have just left him alone? The boy could hear Amami crying amongst some of the adults, and when the wind hit his cheeks he felt the cold streaks of his own tears, tears of frustration, anger, sadness, and hatred. He vowed he would not allow anything like this to happen again if he could stop it, determination a fire in those sad black eyes.

Bakura felt a strange wave of déjà vu, looking at this destruction, and suddenly he felt very alone. Where were they to go? What were they to do? He doubted anyone aside from his small group of friends knew about D's condition. What would the others do if they found out? Where was he going to get the blood D needed? He had only packed enough for a day, which might at most last a week. It was with this thought that he gagged. Unexpectedly he smelled something like burning flesh, and when he closed his eyes, he could still see the orange glow of fire. He was so preoccupied with this hallucination that had seemingly come from nowhere that he did not hear the gasps from behind him, or the warning shout from the boy beside him. However, he did notice something heavy and painful as it collided with his head.

Yes, he noticed that, and it was the last thing he was aware of for some time.