Teratos High: Demon Hunters

Hehe, here we are my dear readers! The next installment of Teratos is ready! If you're on fanfiction.net then you've probably already seen it. I know, I know, I was slacking... but that's only cause ZB didn't get me the final copy before I passed out from finishing my beta of the chapter. :P

This chappie is a bit longer than most, so if you're not into actually sitting still for a while you might want to break this up a bit. Naturally, there was a reason for that, but I'll let you figure it out. *grins*

Anyway... on with the story!
--::--

Yami looked over at Yugi after he had set Leo down amongst the other kids. The little five-year old had whined about being left alone, terrified that he was about to lose Yami again in the short time they would be spending apart. Yami, much to Yugi’s amusement, crouched down to Leo’s eyelevel and reassured the boy that he would be back in a few minutes.

Adorable.

Satisfied that Yami would indeed return, Leo relinquished his hold on Yami’s leg and allowed the two to wander off.

“You really love the kid, don’t you?” Yugi observed as he walked a few paces behind the human to let him lead, after all Yami knew the orphanage much better than Yugi. These were his stomping grounds.

At Yugi’s comment however, ruby eyes flashed over a shoulder.

“Got a problem with that?” Yami growled aggressively, almost challengingly. Now that they were away from the kids, Yami’s defenses were back up and strong. It was a sharp reminder to Yugi that they hadn’t gotten off on the best foot and now the incubus had to try and salvage what was left of a first impression.

“No,” Yugi smiled patiently, violet eyes raised to meet crimson unflinchingly. The dark intensity coupled with hostility behind the human’s gaze made it a difficult task, but Yugi kept his face carefully schooled, “I thought it was cute.”

Yami seemed to miss a step entirely at Yugi’s assessment and whirled around to gape at the other.

“Cute?” He spluttered, denial written over his face like a billboard. His dark eyes narrowed to slits, “I don’t do cute.”

Yugi laughed in response, “Oh yes you do and it’s damn near heartwarming, so don’t try to deny it.”

Yami grumbled and shoved his hands into grubby jeans. He turned back around and approached a worn swing set. Yugi noted that everything around here seemed to be dirty and threadbare. It was homey in a strange sort of way, covered in childish memories that Yugi never had.

Yugi watched as the human settled himself on one of the dilapidated swings, one tan hand curling around the metal ropes lazily. He was graceful in the way he sat, his back straight and long legs crossed over one another. The human’s very poise was cat-like, as were the slanted eyes which turned to regard Yugi with feline curiously.

Yugi joined the other, sitting down on one of the swings, ignoring its protesting creak from the additional weight. Obviously the swing set wasn’t used very often.

“I’ve been actually meaning to talk with you,” Yugi opened up hesitantly. He shifted anxiously on the swing, his own hands coming up to curl up on the metallic ropes by his sides. The incubus was highly aware of Yami’s form going still and those ruby eyes pinning him with a suspicious look.

“What could you possibly have to say to me?” Yami asked bluntly. It was said without heat or coarseness, genuine curiosity coloring his tone. Since curiosity was the only detectable emotion Yugi could pick up from the human, he didn’t take offense.

“I wanted to apologize for my less than cheerful introduction the other day,” Yugi murmured apologetically.

Yami quirked an eyebrow at the incubus, torn between amusement and disbelief.

“You’re referring to how you crawled up my ass and died in there?” Yami clarified, smirking over at the sour expression on the other’s face. The human couldn’t deny Yugi looked absolutely adorable all surprised and flustered like that.

“Eloquently put,” Yugi said dryly after he managed to pull himself together, “But yes. That’s precisely what I meant.

“I didn’t mean to snap,” Yugi admitted softly, “I’ve been having a rough few days and I swore if so much as a single person made another sex comment about me outside of the clan, I was going to personally turn them inside out.” The demon trailed off in a growl, his hands flexing at the thought of the two mud trolls who had attempted to have their way with him.

It was obvious to Yami that whatever had needled the incubus was still bothering him, and he wisely kept his mouth shut about it.

In a way it made sense. If he had been in Yugi’s shoes, he probably would have reacted the same way. Hell, knowing his temper, he most likely would have handled the situation six times worse than Yugi had. In fact for some inexplicable reason, Yami was annoyed for Yugi.

He couldn’t imagine how it was like to be seen purely as a sexual object.

It made his blood boil.

“I didn’t know you knew nothing about Teratos,” Yugi said softly, breaking the orphan from his nearly homicidal thoughts, “Or more importantly, demons.”

Yami bit the inside of his cheek and looked over at Yugi. It was obvious by the meek look in the incubi’s sincere eyes that he was expecting Yami to throw his apology back into his face. Yami’s breath caught as he found himself unable to turn away from Yugi’s large eyes. He was locked in the incubi’s hypnotizing gaze. Yami swallowed thickly.

Yugi really was good-looking. Beautiful even. He even exuded a sense of innocence that someone like Yami would never have. It was an innocence he saw in Ryou, and sometimes even Malik. If Yami hadn’t seen the bat-wings for himself, he would have figured this wasn’t a demon at all, but an angel.

It was an innocence Yami had strived to protect in Leo, Malik and Ryou. The hardness behind his gaze softened.

Strange as it was though, Yami could see a bit of himself behind those open eyes. Deep into their fathomless depths, Yami could see many secrets lurking below the surface. They were wise to the horrors of the world, but somehow managed to retain their purity in a way the human hadn’t been able to.

Those weren’t the eyes of someone who could willingly hurt another person. They weren’t they eyes of someone who caused pain. The human’s gut was telling him Yugi was one of those rare people who were worth the time in the day. As unlikely as it was, Yami found himself willing to find out more about this demon.

Yami couldn’t even summon his usual surliness to respond to Yugi’s last statement.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yami murmured softly, sounding far more gentle than he ever thought possible. He could feel his cheeks beginning to warm and the orphan quickly gathered his wits together long enough to crush the blush before it became noticeable, “I have bad days too, and I’m even less pleasant than you were.” He laughed softly.

Yugi’s hidden wings twitched at the husky sound escaping the orphan’s full lips. Yugi felt a tremor shake through his small frame, robbing him of his senses and breath. He felt such a surge of warmth, happiness, and pleasure escape through his body at the simple sound, Yugi was certain his heart had started beating again only to stop a second time.

Oh crap.

He really was fond of this mortal wasn’t he?

Yugi yelped in surprise as suddenly he was jerked from his reflections by the very object of his thoughts shoving him forward. The incubus quickly grabbed onto the sides of the swings and looked accusingly back at the laughing human.

“Yami!” His pale cheeks flushed red, “What’re you doing?” Yugi demanded. Yami only laughed again as he slipped off his swing so he could position himself behind the surprised incubus.

Yugi’s breath caught as he felt warm hands catch just under the small of his back and give him a gentle push forward. The swing moved forward and Yugi was lifted into the air, a soft gasp escaping his traitorous lips.

“Pushing you, what does it look like?” Yami chuckled softly, “Or would you rather just sit there with a stupid expression on your face?”

“I was just thinking!” Yugi protested hotly, unable to summon any real heat. The human’s hands were distracting.

Warm, inviting, and so very gentle.

Those soft caresses were fleeting between pushes but spoke volumes of Yami’s character. It contrasted sharply with his abrasive personality, signaling to Yugi that the human had a softer side. It was a soft side which was protected beneath sarcastic retorts, glares, and a cold wall that Yami rarely ever lowered.

For now the wall was gone, or at least partially down. Yugi didn’t know why but he wasn’t going to complain. Perhaps this meant Yami was beginning to grow comfortable around him? Well whatever the reason, he was going to enjoy this relaxed side to Yami.

Yugi’s heart skipped a beat as those guiding hands made him soar higher.

--::--

“I’ll be back next week,” Yami announced to Leo when it began to get late. He was due back at home soon and he wanted to be home well before Isis or Shadi got back. He wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of spending time with them as he was far from forgiving them for their earlier stunt, but Yami was no fool. He wasn’t going to go out of his way to piss them off.

Ryou had kept a firm hold on the toddler’s chubby hand, directing a kind smile up at his friend, “I’m glad you managed to find your way back here in one piece.” The orphan said softly.

Mariku let out a guilty wince.

Knowledgeable green eyes lifted to meet ruby and Yami turned away from that wise gaze. The human knew full well what Ryou meant by ‘one piece’ and it wasn’t a topic he was eager to dwell on. He knew Ryou was just as surprised as Yami had been to see the entourage which accompanied him to the orphanage.

Yami had never visited the orphanage when he had been adopted before. That alone was shocking, but coupled with the fact that he had brought others along was mind-reeling – albeit they tagged along despite an unwillingly Yami, but how could he have stopped them anyway?

Regardless of how or why the group traveled with Yami, Ryou couldn’t quite hide his happiness that Yami seemed to finally have found something which could have possibly resembled a home that only appeared in their dreams. Unfortunately, Yami wasn’t as naïve or hopeful as Ryou and refused to accept things on their appearance.

“We’ll be looking for you next week then Yami,” Ryou murmured, his eyes travelling over the group before resting on Bakura.

“Ah, will you...” Ryou blushed, addressing Bakura, “...and your friends too – of course, I mean...” He stammered, peeking at the Chimera from behind snowy white bangs – embarrassed, “Come with Yami next time?”

Yami was torn between smirking and rolling his eyes.

A fond smirk wormed its way on Bakura’s face but before he could reply “hell yes” – Yugi poked his head from under Yami’s arm and interrupted the chimera. His cheeks were flushed and happy, the incubus looking the very picture of excitement.

“Of course we will!” Yugi paused before looking hopefully up at Yami from under the crook of his arm. The human gave him a strange look as if wondering how the incubus had gotten in that position in the first place, “We can come with you next time again, right?” Yugi said pleadingly.

The human heaved an exhausted sigh that didn’t quite touch his eyes. There was a hint of amusement reflecting just under the surface, his annoyance only a disguise to what he was really feeling, “You might as well come...”

He shot a knowing smirk at Bakura, “It’s not like I can stop you,” his lips had quirked into a half-smile. He had clearly been amused at the Chimera’s affections directed towards his shy friend.

Leo had broken away from Ryou’s grasp and clung to Yami’s pant-leg like lint. His tiny shoulders shook as though he was trying not to cry, “I love you Yami.” The boy whimpered in a quaking voice. His tears were soaking through Yami’s jeans and he feebly attempted to dry his wet face before it could make more of a mess.

Bakura had given a grunt of annoyance, giving Leo a critical eye. Mariku on the other hand simply cackled and clung to Yami’s other available leg. The vampire repeated after the five-year old in a high-pitched voice that had Yami growling irritably.

Annoyed at the antics of the vampire, Yami attempted to pry the crazy fool off his leg while scowling darkly at his laughing audience. He gruffly turned his back on them and set his hand on the top of Leo’s head.

“I love you too buddy,” Yami said kindly, a small smile curving on his lips. The human’s heart swelled at the sight of Leo’s delighted face and he slowly straightened up. Goodbyes were always difficult for the kid, but at least now Leo would know that Yami would come back. It felt good to make true on a promise.

They all turned towards the door, Yami’s hand coming to rest on the doorknob. However, before he could so much as turn it, a loud thud and screech drew his attention away.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!” A voice hollered from the upper level of the orphanage. There were a series of crashes and small explosions, loud thumps against the wall and from Yami’s spot in the foyer he could see feathers and bits of the ceiling raining down on them from above.

All this gave way to a frazzled, burnt Malik – who chose this time to limp into view at the top of the stairs. He narrowed his eyes at Yami and hissed in annoyance.

“I ought to string you up by your family jewels for trying to leave without so much as saying ‘hi’ to me,” He attempted to glare at his adopted friend, but the look was slightly diminished by the fact that Malik had yet to notice that a few strands of his hair were on fire.

Ryou groaned and looked at Yami hopelessly, “He locked himself up in the attic again.” He said apologetically, “I forgot he was up there!” He explained, groaning at the slip of his mind.

The other orphan just shrugged and grinned crookedly up at the seething Malik.

“I don’t know how you managed that, it’s not like he’s particularly quiet,” Yami called, loud enough for Malik to hear.

“You learn to block the explosions out after a while...” Ryou said flatly.

“It’s okay...” Yami lowered his voice and shot a sideways glance at Bakura who was busy watching Malik attempt to walk down the stairs. The pyromaniac kept swaying like a drunk, “You were focused on someone... else.”

Ryou burned red at Yami’s accusation and began stuttering his denials, but the red-eyed orphan just tuned him out and returned his crimson gaze to his descending friend.

“It’s your fault you’re always holed up in the attic like a hermit,” Yami drawled before adding, “Your hair is on fire.”

Momentarily distracted, the pyromaniac turned to see if it was true. Unfazed, he put the tips out and finished his trip down the stairs. He stood in front of his friend, his face a mask of irritation.

The mask abruptly cracked when Malik flung his arms around Yami in a tight hug, “I can’t fool you, can I?” He demanded, grinning widely.

Yami rolled his eyes and squirmed in his friend’s vice-like grip, “Of course not.”

In truth he was a bit freaked out that Malik had decided to hug him. His friend wasn’t known to just embrace someone at random. Not unless he was planning something... Crimson eyes widened as he felt Malik positioning his leg behind Yami’s knee. He twisted his head just in time to see Malik’s wicked smirk.

“You son of a—!” He never got to finish.

Malik swept his legs out from under his body, causing Yami to crash to the ground and crack his head on the hardwood floor. The human groaned, rubbing the back of his head and glaring daggers at his friend.

“I’m going to castrate you,” He snarled and leapt to his feet. Malik just smirked and let Yami tackle him. The both tumbled onto the floor and their tussles quickly dissolved into a massive wrestling match, the whole thing done on the dusty ground. Yami spat curses and Malik shouted retorts, but judging at Ryou and Leo’s nonplussed expressions, the demons figured this was perfectly normal.

Bakura sighed and looked at Yugi, “Can we go yet?”

Yugi nodded, “We’ll have to peel Yami up off the floor –but sure.” The incubus looked around as if he finally noticed something was wrong, “Hey, where did Mariku go?”

Bakura glanced around in surprise. Sure enough the vampire was gone, having slipped away without so much as alerting his clan that he was leaving.

“That’s strange” The Chimera said lowly. He exchanged a secretive look with Yugi that went unnoticed by everyone else. The incubus nodded and stared at the laughing Malik.

“You don’t suppose that Yami’s friend over there could be—”

“Maybe,” Bakura’s eyes narrowed, “Just maybe.”

--::--

Mariku was sitting on top the roof of the car when they finally left, chewing gum and staring lazily at the sky. Yami was faintly surprised to see the vampire chewing something as mundane as gum. The human was expecting something a bit more interesting, like a finger or something.

The sun was setting and it was less intense than it had been earlier so the vampire wasn’t in danger of getting a bad sun burn. However, just to be safe he had the hood to his jacket up. His lavender eyes were dark with a million thoughts he would no doubt refuse to share. He remained oblivious to the group coming back to the car or

“Get off my car!” Yugi whined smacking Mariku’s feet with his pale hands, “You’re scuffing up the paint!”

Mariku’s attention was forcibly dragged down to the small incubus near his feet. He could see the other’s concern reflected for him in violet eyes and merely grinned in response. The vampire sighed and hopped off the car, “You love this car more than you’ll love any person.”

“Damn straight,” Yugi said with a smile as he walked to the driver’s side and got in. It was clear he was still worried about his friend but let the unspoken conversation peter out into nothing.

Bakura as usual had shotgun, cinnamon eyes drifting up to Mariku as he got in. He said nothing, obviously being able to read his best friend a ton better than Yugi was able to. Instead he turned towards Yami with a dark smirk and climbed into the car.

A feeling of strong frustration welled up in Yami’s belly for some inexplicable reason as he watched Bakura climb into the passenger seat. The feeling alarmed him down to the root. What the hell?

If Yami didn’t know any better, than he might have said that he was getting kind of jealous of Bakura being able to sit so close to Yugi. But that was ridiculous! Yami crossed his arms over his stomach to keep the burning feeling in his belly at bay. He didn’t want to sit up front anyway. Yugi had already proven once that he was a crazy driver, and Yami was willing to bet that the incubus didn’t even have airbags.

“Let’s see what type of music Yami listens to,” Bakura said lazily as Mariku clambered in through the side window. Much to Yami’s shock, the chimera pulled his worn leather CD case from Yugi’s glove department. The incubus frowned, looking at Bakura critically.

“Why was that in my car?”

“More importantly, why do you have my CDs?” Yami demanded, his eyes narrowing into ruby slits.

Bakura fished a burned mix from one of the pockets and jammed it into Yugi’s CD player, “I swiped it from your bag when we were at your house.” He explained, gazing at the car’s system before pressing the ‘play’ button.

Night of Fire filled the speakers with all of its disco/dance glory. The three demons turned in their seats to stare at Yami. He was grateful Yugi had yet to turn the car on, because he might have just crashed from the shock. Yami would have thought that by their reactions they never would’ve heard of ‘music’ before.

“Night of Fire?” Yugi asked, as though it was a real question. “Hasn’t anyone told you Disco is dead?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Yami said shortly, silently pouting. He flashed Yugi a challenging look, “You three are just heathens compared to the gods of music.”

“I wouldn’t call disco worthy of the title ‘god.’” Bakura replied dryly before flipping through the CD until he came across a song he actually liked. It wasn’t disco, but a classic. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It was a good song Bakura approved of and could listen to throughout the ages.

They began the drive home in relative silence. ‘Relative’ being quite loud, as Mariku had gotten distracted by an argument Bakura and he were having about riding the bus in the mornings. Yugi had explained to the confused Yami that this was a discussion the two would always dissolve into whenever they felt they needed something to argue about.

Apparently the two liked to argue for the sake of arguing. That was what made them the best of friends.

‘That and they’re ape-shit crazy,’ Yami thought.

The Chimera was in favor of driving, but Mariku leaned more towards riding the bus.

“You don’t even have a car!” The vampire argued, “And besides, the gas money is coming out of your pocket.”

Bakura smirked, “Who said it would be coming out of my pocket? Besides, I can fix the car situation with a wire clothes hanger and a few melted wires.”

Yami frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him, “Are you a kleptomaniac?” He asked Bakura, hanging onto the back seat so he could get a good look at the jerk who stole his CDs. Two mischievous brown eyes peered back at Yami from a scarred face, and that was all the information the human really needed.

“It’s been clinically diagnosed by Serenity and the four other unfortunate doctors Bakura stole from,” Yugi said distractedly as he eyed his gas gauge, “Speaking of gas, I’m almost on empty guys. I have to pull over to a station and refuel.” He gazed pointedly at Mariku, “Isn’t it your turn to pay for the gas?”

“Oh yeah,” The vampire pressed his nose against the tinted glass, peering at their surroundings, “Yup... Okay.”

“Do you even have your wallet with you?” Yugi asked blandly.

The vampire laughed, “Of course Mariku doesn’t! He got it stolen by a few witches back in the demon planes last week!” He settled back down in his seat, unperturbed by the whole situation.

“Gas is not cheap” Yugi looked at the rear-view mirror with narrowed eyes directed at Mariku, “So why don’t you get out and push,” He hissed.

The vampire just shrugged and reclined back in his seat, looking not at all concerned by what he was doing. As far as brute strength went, Mariku was the strongest in their group which was why it was so surprising Yami had even managed to pull his arm out of Mariku’s grasp, even if it had been just a light hold. He could push three of Yugi’s cars with no sweat if it came down to it. But for now he yawned and fell asleep on the armrest. Yugi attempted to take a few calming breaths before pulling over at a nearby Quick Trip and cutting off power to the engine. He got out of the car and eyed the Chimera, “Bakura... do you happen to have any cash on you? I’m broke.” He asked hopefully.

The Chimera shrugged and then smirked, “I don’t visit Middle-earth often enough to have their currency, but that’s a problem that can be easily fixed.” He wiggled his white eyebrows and smirked suggestively. It was more than obvious that Bakura had an idea how to remedy their problem, and it was most likely illegal.

Yami rolled his eyes and climbed out of the car, resting his forearm on the top of the incubi’s ride. “I’ll cover for you so we can refuel the bat-mobile.” He chose to ignore the look of surprise sent his way by Yugi and smirked, “You did give me a ride to the orphanage and that would’ve taken me at least an hour on foot, paying for the gas it took to get me there cuts us even, got it?”

“Sure,” Yugi grinned in surprise. He knew the talk he and Yami had on the swing set had changed things between them, but he hadn’t been expecting an offer like this. It seemed as if the human really hadn’t cared about how Yugi had snapped when they first met.

Yami gave them assessing looks and quirked an eyebrow at them, “You guys want anything while I’m gone?” He asked.

Yami figured it was most likely a stupid thing to ask considering he had no idea what these demons could possibly want from a human convenience store, but asked anyway because it was polite. However, he was genuinely surprised when Bakura and Yugi looked up with grins on their faces. Mariku was fast asleep, so he’d missed out on Yami’s offer.

“Yeah, go get me a lighter,” Bakura grinned.

Yami frowned at the strangeness behind the request and blinked. Slowly he looked at Bakura, “Why? Can’t you summon fire on your own?” It seemed a bit redundant to the human, but who was he to second guess the strangeness of Bakura.

“Of course.” A haughty reply, “I just like seeing how humans think they can bottle it. I have to admit, the mechanics behind it are a bit clever.”

“And you people look at me weird,” Yami muttered. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, “Sorry, I’m not eighteen yet. I can’t buy lighters. Anything else you want?”

Bakura looked distinctly disappointed before he looked up and considered his possibilities. His dark eyes lit up as another idea struck him. Yami figured it was no doubt just as stupid as the last request. “Get me a Twinkie. Those are also human creations that utterly fascinate me.”

Ugh, no. It was stupider.

“What’s so fascinating about them – their abilities which ensure survival in a nuclear holocaust?” Yami asked dumbfounded before shaking his head in clear defeat before turning towards Yugi. “What about you?”

The incubus cast purple eyes up towards the sky, mentally running through the list what a gas station had on its shelves. He settled on something simple, “Go get me a ‘Monster’.”

Yami blanched. He narrowed crimson eyes on the incubus and smirked at him, “Let me guess, ‘no pun intended’?”

Yugi actually groaned and threw a balled up piece of paper he found on the bottom of his car floor at Yami, “Do you smell that? That’s a part of my soul burning away. Hear how it sizzles.” He growled playfully. Yami merely smirked when the paper bounced harmlessly off of him.

“What do burning souls smell like?”

“I don’t know why don’t you come over here and take a whiff for yourself?” Yugi suggest with a dark glint in his eyes.

Yami snorted and rolled his eyes, “I’d rather not go anywhere within your arms reach – short that it is.”

Yugi flushed at the jibe against his height and growled, “Go fetch me my caffeine addiction and quit screwing around!”

A playful glint entered Yami’s crimson eyes as it became clear he was rather enjoying this game with Yugi. Matching wits and rebuttals always sparked a teasing edge in Yami, and he found it was easy to fall into such a pattern with Yugi. It was easy with Bakura too, but it felt a ton more natural with the grumpy incubus.

“Screwing around?” He mused, “You wish I would,” Yami retorted lazily as he turned to stroll towards the counter. He ignored how the incubi’s jaw dropped open and Bakura’s roar of laughter. Yami hid a small smile, chuckling softly at how he managed to throw the fiery incubus off again.

He walked into the gas station and immediately went around to the well-memorized aisles. They were familiar, as he had lived in this area of town recently and had actually gone to this gas station quite frequently to pick up quick meals. It wasn’t like his foster parents actually cared if he ate or not, so Yami had to make due wherever he could. The cashier was an inattentive man in his late forties who merely looked up lazily from his paper when Yami entered. Soon he was immersed in his news once again.

Yami rolled his eyes. He doubted that anything less than a hold up would capture the man’s attention. Maybe not even that. He’d probably just let the robbers walk out with anything they wanted as long as they didn’t disturb him.

He approached the counter and paid for the gas, lining up the items he wanted to buy. The man grunted and didn’t breathe a word. Yami quirked an eyebrow, if this was a normal day he would have written the guy off as weird. However at the moment he was currently riding in a car with three demons, attending a demonic high school in Hell and somewhat sort of liking his new ‘acquaintances’ – more so than he liked any human aside from Leo, Malik, and Ryou.

So maybe Yami was just the weird one.

Not that it made any sense for him to be the oddball, but it seemed all the more likely as each day passed.

The human glanced up as his items were bagged, his gaze drifting out towards the group he had left waiting by Yugi’s car. He frowned in confusion when he saw that both Bakura and Mariku had gotten out of the car and were standing behind Yugi with their arms crossed aggressively over their chests. It was strange to see Mariku as the vampire had been happily taking a nap just a few moments ago. All three demons were glaring at two figures which had joined them in Yami’s absence.

Yami’s eyes widened and a cold fist closed over his throat as recognition tore through him.

Espa and Vivian Roba, they were the couple which had adopted him previously.

Yami could remember with vivid clarity how he had faced off against these two before in the past. Espa was a slow witted gambler, whose love for money was much greater than his love of personal hygiene. He was a brutal and angry man but for the most part he ignored Yami so long as the orphan stayed out of his way.

It was Vivian who gave Yami the creeps.

The woman was disgusting. The smell of sex and drugs clung to her like a parasite. Vivian was a strung out whore who did absolutely nothing to hide the fact. Yami didn’t have the slightest clue as to how she had managed to wriggle around the outlines drawn out by the laws to adopt him, but that hadn’t stopped everyone else from adopting him. Needless to say Yami didn’t have much faith in the ‘System.’ After all, how could he when Yami was the only one who could see the bitch for what she truly was.

If Yami believed in a god, he’d be asking why it had such a cruel sense of humor.

There wasn’t much lower a person could sink than Vivian level. She was part of the scum which plagued the earth and no one seemed to be aware of it aside from Yami. She could manipulate people at the drop of a hat and curl them around her fingers like rings. Vivian was a slimy worm that was used to getting everything she wanted.

For a long time she had her eye on Yami.

Vivian was a foul woman who didn’t make a damn attempt to hide her lust from Yami. Her supposed husband, Espa, didn’t seem to care that his wife sank her claws into anyone. Yami was certain Vivian would screw a corpse if it could get a stiffy. He cringed at the thought.

After failing horribly in her attempt to seduce Yami, she had decided to attempt to get physical with him. The orphan didn’t know what type of freaky things his ex-foster mother was into, but he never wanted a repeat of what happened. She had bitten him.

Hard enough to break the skin and make him bleed.

The orphan’s stomach churned at the memory and his grip tightened around the plastic bag containing the Twinkies and energy drinks. What were they doing talking to Bakura and the others? What could that mean?

With his heart thudding in his chest and his hand creeping up to his throat, subconsciously brushing against the area where Vivian had bitten him, Yami left the gas station and slowly approached the others.

He hesitated for a moment as he got into earshot, simply hovering. No one had noticed him yet. Yami could hear voices raised in argument from where he was standing. The gas station was utterly deserted and the roads were empty, leaving no one else to overhear the conversation – if it could be called a ‘conversation.’

“--watch your tongue if you wish to keep it,” Yugi snarled, his back stiff and arms spread out by his side. Yami instinctively knew that if the incubi’s wings were visible, they would be arched out behind him in an impressive sight. A shiver ran down Yami’s spine as he bore witness to the terrifying sight of three pissed off demons.

Especially Yugi.

His beautiful eyes were glowing with a soft purple light, clear rage etched on his lovely face. His full lips were pulled back in a feral snarl, delicate fangs bared over pearly white teeth. Yami’s gaze traveled over the angry form appreciatively and he couldn’t quite hide his smirk.

Obviously whatever Espa and Vivian had said to the group hadn’t been remotely nice, and Yami took a certain type of pleasure out of seeing this clan square off against them. Vivian and Espa didn’t stand a snowballs chance in hell against three demons!

Ruby eyes faltered slightly however once the human took in the couple’s calm composure. What the hell? Fangs, glowing eyes, and a snarl were staring them in the face and these bastards were still unfazed? What else did they need to see to get freaked out? Casper the friendly ghost?

“Tell me, what’s a pretty little thing like you attached to my whore of a son?” Vivian purred, one pale hand reaching out to touch Yugi’s cheek. Yami growled softly, ready to fling his bag straight at the woman’s face, but settled down once he saw the incubus slap her hand away.

“He’s not yours any longer,” Yugi hissed, “And you’re one to talk, aren’t you?” He crinkled his nose in disgust, “You reek of sex and the devil knows what else.” He looked faintly repulsed by the sensory overload it was no doubt causing.

“And you don’t,” Vivian noted with a sultry note, “Has Yami been holding out on you?” Her full, cherry painted lips curved up at the corner in a smirk, “You know you could just force him, one bite is all it would take from an incubus.”

Yami felt an icy sort of realization begin to slowly creep through his veins.

How did Vivian know Yugi was an incubus? Yami swallowed thickly as his hand crept up his throat to caress the small bite mark that still remained from Vivian. A cold fist closed over his heart.

Could it be? Was it possible...?

Vivian was a succubus...?

Somehow, Yami couldn’t muster enough emotion to be surprised. It left him gripped by a chilling sort of horror. He had been adopted by demons? They had been so cruel to him... and all this time they had just played with him like a toy, passed off as humans. It made so much sense to him now. How two of the most inept people he had ever had the misfortune of meeting were allowed to adopt.

His gaze snapped back up to the argument as Yugi wasn’t finished. Bakura and Mariku had kept a silent role throughout this, choosing instead to let Yugi handle it. However, judging by the tightening of their jaws and balled up fists by their sides, they were close to snapping.

“I don’t take those unwilling,” Yugi hissed angrily, his jaw tight, “I’m not like you.”

Vivian smirked and leaned in close to Yugi, her voice dropping low enough that Yami could no longer hear what they were saying. The human vaguely wondered if one could catch an STD just by being in Vivian's close proximity. She was certainly creeping into Yugi's personal space. The incubus looked less than comfortable with her being so close, but merely glared at her headlong, refusing to be cowed

Yami clenched his teeth together and let out a low hiss. Why was Yugi putting up with that crap, and why was he bothering to face off against the succubus. All to protect Yami's dignity and reputation from the threat of meaningless words spouted off by some half-baked succubus?

Terrifying.

The human stubbornly pushed aside the warm feelings that act had began to stir within him and instead steeled his resolve. He had enough of sitting back and watching Yugi defend his honor, besides Yami didn’t need to be protected. Not when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself.

However, Yami hadn’t taken two steps when something changed on Yugi’s face.

The human watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the normally gentle Yugi’s face morphed into a mask of homicidal rage. Bakura and Mariku’s eyes widened dramatically and both looked numb. Yami felt his heart drop to his feet.

Whatever Vivian had said to merit a reaction like that couldn’t be good.

It got a whole lot worse when Yugi let out an incoherent screech and flung himself at Vivian. The incubus tackled her to the floor, the two sex demons a blur of limbs as they spat and snarled at one another. Yami broke off into a sprint just in time to see Bakura clothesline Espa, who had been trying to sneak behind the wrestling couple to get a cheap shot in on Yugi.

“Enough!” Yami shouted at the fighting demons. Seeing as they weren’t listening to him, Yami got a running head start and plowed into Bakura’s side. The chimera stumbled, causing him to break his strangle hold on Espa. The blue-haired demon backed away quickly and snagged Vivian out from underneath a nearly feral Yugi.

“Yami!” Bakura grunted amazed at just how much strength the human possessed when he had his mind focused on one thing. “What the hell did you do that for!” He demanded sharply, not at all pleased with having been torn from breaking the neck of that bastard.

Espa quickly collected his bloody mate and broke off into a run to his parked car. Yami’s stomach churned at the sight before he ignored Bakura and marched over to the furious incubus.

Yugi didn’t look as if his mind was in the right place. Purple eyes narrowed an unseeing while his face seemed to permanently be etched in a snarl. Yami grabbed onto Yugi’s shoulders and shook the incubi’s entire body.

“Yugi, damn it! Yugi snap out of it!”

There was a blink of response.

The incubus could hear Yami plead with him to come to his senses and cup calloused hands against Yugi’s cheeks. The human’s deep voice massaged Yugi’s senses, blanketing him in a quilt of security. He wanted to stay in his comfortable position forever, but the calming voice was becoming more urgent, and that urgency pierced through Yugi’s pleasant haze. Very reluctantly, Yugi complied.

When he finally noticed what was going on, Yugi realized the human’s face was a mere inch from his face, staring intently at the incubus for any sign of life.

“Yami? What’re you doing here?” He asked softly, “What happened anyway? I remember Vivian...” He trailed off quickly, not knowing Yami had witnessed the entire thing. He didn’t want to upset the orphan with a reminder of his last foster family. His lip curled in disgust. Those hateful creatures. Yugi really didn’t want Yami to know what Vivian had told him.

~~~~

“I’m not the one thinking about mating with a human,” She laughed at the alarmed look on Yugi’s face, “You don’t hear it?” She asked haughtily, “The voice of Cupid is following you around – prepping you, he has already struck my pathetic mortal with an arrow, he’s–”

Yugi clenched his jaw, “He isn’t pathetic!” He interrupted, “And he’s not yours!”

“But is he yours?” Vivian asked with an air of wicked politeness, “I wonder...” Her eyes narrowed with the knowledge of a well-kept secret, “...How it will sadden you to know” She drew closer to Yugi, her tongue lightly flicked against his lobe. He didn’t flinch away this time, but Vivian wasn’t daunted. She had knowledge that would make Yugi lose his cool.

“Will it make you miserable to know...?” She smirked against the incubi’s face, “That I very nearly had my way with Yami...”

~~~~

His anger resurfaced and he sat up quickly a snarl pulling at his lips. Amethyst eyes wildly searched for the succubus. Yami pushed the incubus back down, forcing him to calm down.

“Listen,” Yami said softly. He turned towards Bakura and Mariku to let them know he was talking to them too, “I’m not going to pretend that I know a damn thing about clans, demons, or whatever else you guys do.”

He sighed tiredly, the knowledge that his previous foster family had been demons oddly not affecting him as bad as he thought it would. Sure, he had thought they were human, but it was just as well that they were demons.

Yami was beginning to learn that the term ‘monster’ was only as accurate as the people it was used to describe. He wouldn’t call Bakura and the others ‘monsters’ even though they were clearly demons.

No, Yami had seen true monsters.

He looked fiercely up at them, his grip tightening on Yugi’s shoulders, “I don’t need rescuing from problems of my past. I handled them once and I can do it again.”

His expression softened slightly as the silence stretched between their group.

“But thanks anyway,” He muttered.

Yugi smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

Despite the demons being demons, the constant near-death experiences, and getting lost. The teenager couldn’t help but notice that he honestly had a real attempt at being friends with Bakura and the rest of the clan.

And Yugi...

In retrospect to everything Yami had gone through, they were somewhat normal.

Perhaps Yami really was weird.

He got along better with demons than he did his own race. That wasn’t what most people would consider normal behavior.

Yami smirked slightly as he climbed into the car after taking a leaf from Bakura’s book and picking Yugi’s pocket.

“I’m driving,” he announced to the group, much to their surprise. Yugi let out a yelp of shock and double checked his pockets for his missing keys. He shot Bakura a baleful glare.

“You’re a bad influence,” He accused.

Bakura just smirked as he picked up the forgotten bag and climbed into the car.

Yami chuckled softly as he fired up the engine.

After all, who really knew what ‘normal’ was anymore?


--::--


Yugi seemed to have a sudden thought as they pulled into Yami’s driveway. He looked questioningly at the human, violet eyes glowing dimly in the shrouding darkness.

Yami noticed the porch light was on to his house. Shadi and Isis were probably awake in the living room – ready to read him the riot act as soon as he stepped through the door. Excuses were already bouncing around in his head, although he was sure they would eventually get sick of the ‘I-almost-got-killed-by-a-psycho-demon’ excuse sooner or later. He filed that one away for a later use.

“What is it?” Yami asked when he finally noticed Yugi staring at him. They had dropped the others off at their respective homes. Or rather the yawning gaps of darkness where several portals to hell were situated. Yami was is no hurry to find out where they lead and where those two lived.

The incubus just looked down at his fidgeting hands, thankful the darkness hid his blushing face well enough. He could feel Yami’s unflinching gaze on him.

“I was just wondering if I was going to see you at school tomorrow,” He glanced back up at Yami, almost shyly.

The human paused at that.

He mentally ran through the pros and cons of the list he had been making in his mind. It was dangerous for him to be around so many demons all the time, and it wasn’t as if Yami could do a good job at protecting himself. Logically the answer was no.

However, what Yami had seen today made him put a little more faith in the ideology of a ‘clan.’

Oh what the hell. The worst Yami could lose was his life. It was worth a shot. He smirked over at Yugi.

“Yeah, I’ll be at Teratos.”

--::--

And that's a wrap for this chapter! :) I hope you all enjoyed, and are looking forward to heading back to Teratos. Be assured the plot will only thicken from here! Thanks again for reading, and if you have a moment by all means R&R. :) It encourages us when you do.

Kytrin