The Jungle

The Jungle

Mally-chan and Hato Chiisai

Disclaimer: We own nothing within this fic.

YAOI WARNING

Pegasus/Ryou, Marik/Ryou, Bakura/Malik, Seto/Yami

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Chapter 18

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Malik groaned, his eyes fluttering open. "ugh... Where... am I?" He struggled to sit up, finding himself strapped down to a medical table, and completely nude. He groaned and laid his head back, which was still throbbing.

A moment later, a man walked into view with medical equipment.

"Ah. You woke up." He said. "I was starting to think you wouldn't wake up before the procedure. You are Malik Ishtar, correct?"

Malik groaned softly and nodded. "and who are you?" he growled slightly. "The one who keeps changing innocent people into hybrids?"

Daisuke chuckled. "As a matter of fact I am! Congratulations, you've won the prize!!! And what is our prize for today? A serum that will fuse your DNA with that of the animal I have chosen!! And that's not all!!!" Malik blinked and stared at the guy like he was nuts. "You also get up to three weeks without your sense of sight, smell and hearing, and get that amount of time in our lovely state of the art metamorphosis labs where the food is on the house!!! And after that you get a week on display in one of our luxury pet shop suites!!! Doesn't that all sound nice?" Daisuke chuckled to himself as he slapped pulse sensors onto Malik's bare body.

Malik glared. "You're a psychopath! How can you DO this to people?! You've ruined so many lives!! for what?!" he growled, struggling fiercely. "Who gave you the right to just kidnap people who didn't want any of this?!"

"One simple word. Money. That is the answer to everything these days, including the eternal question 'What is the meaning of life?' So there. Now you know. But from now on, the meaning of YOUR life is going to be pleasing your new master." Daisuke said, swabbing the inside of Malik's arm with disinfectant. Then, he stuck the needle into a vein and opened the valve from the sac containing the animal DNA, and it began to drip down the tube and into Malik's blood stream.

Malik growled and began struggling. "Why can’t you just do this to ANIMALS?!" Malik growled, hissing in pain as the needle jerked out of his arm from his struggling. "This is insane! Do this to animals, not people! You obviously have the technology!"

Daisuke ran over the grabbed the needle, jamming it back in and keeping it there with some medical tape.

"No. We don't. We can change their physical forms only so much, but their intelligence is another thing. Human's crossed with animal DNA is the best thing we've ever come up with. Now calm down. Your temperature is about to sky rocket. If you struggle too much you could suffer a heat stroke and heart attack. So relax." The man said, and began stroking Malik's body with cold wet rags. "Then your vision will start to fade."

Malik grunted softly, struggling all the harder, despite the intense heat that was slowly working it's way over his body. "Best idea?! It's cruel! You're taking people's rights away! You're starting a slave trade is what you're doing!" he howled furiously. "Breaking up families! Destroying lives! This is the worst idea you could have come up with and you WILL be found out!" he hissed, groaning softly and closing his eyes, panting to catch his breath and cool down.

"Easy, kid. You'll be okay..." Dai crooned, trying to keep Malik's temperature down. "Eventually, you won't care about the life you once had. All that will matter to you will be your master. You won't even miss your sister..." He hissed, smirking. "Or your lion... or your skunk..."

Malik shook his head. "Nothing you could do to me would make me forget, or stop caring about my family and friends." He said glaring. "If it's the last thing I do on this Earth, I will make sure you are found out...." He breathed dangerously. "And when I do, you're taking a fall, and you're going to fall hard." He gasped painfully, as a heat wave more powerful than the others wracked his body, filling him with an intense pain, and immense heat.

"If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard that..." Dai taunted, continuing trying to cool Malik down. Then he leaned over the boy, trying to get a look at his eyes; his sight should be fading by now.

Malik shook his head shivering despite the immense heat. The deserts of Egypt had nothing on this! His vision was already more than half gone, not that his eyes were open much anyway. He couldn't keep them open if he tried, the pained grimace keeping them firmly wrenched shut.

"Get back you asshole!" He growled, launching himself forward as much as he could, knocking skulls with Daisuke, in the most aggressive way possible. Ishizu had always told him he had a hard head... and now was a fine time to put it to use.

"OWW!!" Dai yelped, leaping back and clutching his forehead. "LITTLE SHIT!! AHH!!! FUCK!!! You're going to pay for that!" And he backhanded Malik across the face. "Your vocal chords should be tightening up now, so you're going to loose your voice, thank God." He grumbled, going back to trying to cool Malik down.

Malik struggled once more, beginning to cough fiercely, desperately wanting a drink of water. Ra! It felt like he'd just walked the entire expanse of desert and had not a drop of water the entire trip! His throat felt like the dry and cracked earth beneath foot! He couldn't see or speak... and the only thing he could think of, was Bakura and Marik...what would happen to them now that Ishizu had gone out of town on business for nearly three weeks? His struggles slowed, he was just too physically weak at this point to move. He couldn't see, but he still felt like he'd just rode the tilt-o-whirl a good 20 times.

Dai sighed, relieved that he didn't have to deal with Malik's bitching any longer.

"Okay... almost over, son... you're going to loose your hearing soon, and then you'll pass out and sleep for a few days, okay? Now, when you wake up, you still won't have your senses back. But they will return, I promise. Now be a good boy and relax." Dai said, dabbing Malik's forehead with the wet cloth.

'I'll show you 'good boy'!' Malik thought, snapping at Dai's hand, and surprisingly, catching him by the wrist in his teeth harshly. 'Ha! Who's the good boy now? Smartass!' he thought smugly, a grin apparent on his face, despite his teeth biting down on Dai's wrist. 'You want animal? you don have to alter MY DNA for me to bite you like a wild beast.'

"AHH!! OW!! LITTLE FUCK!!! OWWW!!! LET GO!!!" Dai howled, and the sound of a door slamming open was heard, followed by many feet and shouts. The next thing Malik knew, someone was squeezing his jaw, forcing his teeth to relax their grip and Dai jerked his arm away.

"FILTHY LITTLE SLUT!!" Dai spat, and the shouting continued.

Malik smirked despite himself. 'Filthy little slut who just tore you up. heh... dumbass.' he thought, quite proud to have torn up his wrist quite nicely. He offered a mock sympathetic look towards the sound of shouting. 'ohh the poor filthy bastard had his hand bitten? poor baby...c'mere....lemme kiss it all better.'

Dai glared at Malik from a safe distance away. "Little mongrel... I hope Pegasus picks you up as soon as possible..." He hissed, and drew a bit closer to watch for Malik to pass out.

Malik chomped his teeth, grinning quite proudly. 'I told Bakura I had a good mouth, and that was damn good too...' he thought proudly. He felt himself slipping however, he felt so tired... He'd lost his hearing about halfway through Dai's ranting session, though he was pretty sure he knew how it all ended.

He groaned softly, finally slipping into that inevitable sleep, hoping beyond hope that Bakura and Marik would be ok.

And back at home, the television was on, but no one was watching. Marik was curled up on the sofa with Tuc and Nod, and all three were watching Bakura pacing back and forth, naked and on all fours. Every now and then, he would look up at the clock. Finally, he cursed.

"Something is wrong... he should have been home hours ago... Even if... even if he did have a one night stand..." And his voice cracked as he said that. Marik frowned and hugged the bunnies. It was true... it was almost noon, and Malik had left at eight last night. Finally, Bakura picked up the phone and called the police.

Pegasus, almost at exactly the same time, was also making a phone call... this one to animal control, reporting abandoned hybrids at the home of Ishizu Ishtar, who had left town along with her brother, leaving their pets to fend for themselves for two and a half weeks...

Four hours later, the doorbell rang. Bakura and Marik struggled into their shorts, and Bakura answered the door. But it wasn't Malik, or the police... it was Animal control.

It happened almost instantly; both hybrids were being forced into the back of a truck, despite their fiercest struggles, and Marik had even been sedated, due to his being a 'dangerous' animal.

The two men looked back to check on the animals. "Stupid things. Honestly, people these days are just so thoughtless. Can you believe they'd abandon them like that?" The first man said. The other man nodded a bit.

"Well it just goes to show you what people who can throw money around like that can do. It's a shame really..."

Both officers jumped when Bakura began slamming himself against the door, pitching a huge fuss.

"YOU ASSHOLES!! What do you think you're doing?! Where is Master Malik?! Where is he?! Why didn't he come home!?! Please!! Where is he?! Let me out!!!" The skunk screamed. Marik, in the mean time, slowly lifted his head and peered out the tiny slats in the door.

"B-Bunnies!" He managed to call, and one of the officers drew closer. "There are... two bunnies... inside..." The lion panted. "D-Don't... leave them..." And he collapsed again, too weak and woozy from the sedative.

One of the men nodded slightly and went back inside, to find two small bunnies hiding under the couch. He picked them up and carried them outside, locking them into another kennel. "Your 'master' and his sister abandoned you." He said. Both men climbed into the front of the truck after locking up the home and began the drive back to animal control.

One man peered into the back through the back window behind the seats. "It's really a shame too, they look so healthy."

Bakura was sitting completely still, stunned. Then, he turned and looked at the back wall of the small kennel he was in. He banged on it.

"Marik?!" He called. "Marik?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"They said we were abandoned!!!"

"Oh... okay..." He heard Marik mumble. Bakura blinked then slowly lay down and curled up, shaking. Marik was too sedated to understand right now. Ishizu was gone. Malik was missing. And he was being taken away by Animal Control, for the second time. The only consolation this time was knowing that Marik, Tuc and Nod were going with him... he wouldn't be alone... and soon enough, they got to the Animal Shelter. Bakura pressed back into the corner and huddled down, shaking and terrified.

The men carried the animals out, stripped them and put them back into kennels, this time in the shelter. Each was provided with bowls full of food and water and a litter box. The bunnies were left with Marik, who wouldn't have it any other way despite his sedation.

"Don’t worry little guys, you'll find good homes again, and hopefully the new masters you get won’t abandon you." The men said, slowly leaving them to the sounds of the kennel, and their thoughts.

Bakura whimpered and slunk over to the chain link fence that sat between Marik and himself. Marik moved over to Bakura and lay down, cuddling Tuc and Nod. Bakura stared at them a moment, but said nothing. He lay down as well, curling up against Marik, and all four creatures drifted into a frightened sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Across town, Seto Kaiba stared in horror at his phone, after Pegasus hung up. He couldn't believe it... A few minutes later he snapped out of it and jumped up, pressing the button to activate the intercom into the aviary.

"Yami, fly up into the house, right now. Something has happened." He ordered, then turned and left his office, heading for what had been dubbed the indoor aviary, which was Yami's bird bedroom.

Yami flew quickly into the house, looking ruffled. "What's the matter? What happened? Is everything ok?" He asked in a flurry of questions, trying to calm Seto and at the same time, hurry the answers out of him.

Seto sighed. "Pegasus..." He spat, finally. "That son of a bitch!!! He's gone too far!!!" And he began pacing. Yami stared as Seto's face turned red in his fury. Finally, Seto whirled. "He's had Malik kidnapped." He finally said. "Because he was 'meddling', in other words, trying to find Ryou, and he's having him... changed... Malik is going to be a hybrid... and he's done this to Malik to get him out of the way, and send a message to ME!! He thinks I'M meddling!!! GOD DAMMIT!!! Because of what we pulled at the meeting, Malik is....." And Seto slumped to his knees and placed a hand over his eyes. It took Yami a moment to realize that Seto Kaiba, was crying. "What have I done?" Seto gasped.

Yami frowned and stooped down, hugging Seto strongly. "Hey..." he said softly. "There... was no way we could have predicted he'd do that Seto..." He said in a soft voice that was usually reserved for solely Yugi. "You can’t blame yourself for this Seto..." Yami added wrapping his wings around Seto and hugging him tight.

"The only thing we can do, is keep an eye on the pet shop... and help him out when he gets there..." He said shaking his head. His eyes widened. "Seto... his sister's out of town...." He started slowly.

"I know..." Seto whispered, letting his head rest wearily on Yami's chest. "Pegasus... did something else... he called Animal Control. They picked up Marik and Bakura as abandoned pets... We have to go get them..." And Seto sighed slowly, then closed his eyes. "Yami?"

"Yes?"

"...... I love you..."

Yami blushed slightly, gently rubbing Seto's back. "I love you too..." He whispered slowly standing and helping Seto to his feet. "Come on... somehow the 'world' is in danger and now we both get to save it." Yami said, teasing slightly. "Let’s go play heroes."

Seto blinked and looked at Yami, confused, then glared.

"You stuck up cock." He snorted, but playfully snapped Yami's black leather clad ass. "And before you get started, that was not intended as a penis joke."

Yami snickered. "You'd like it if it was stuck up though." He chuckled. "Come on then... let’s go save the two guys before someone decides to adopt them..." He said smirking slightly, somehow feeling content after their little moment of confession.

Seto stopped in his tracks and stared after Yami, still trying to process that first sentence. Finally, he made a face.

"HEY!!!" He whined, and chased Yami down the hall. Half an hour later, Seto's limo pulled up in front of the Animal Shelter. An eager Yami led the way in, and Seto walked up to the front desk, looking at the man working on paperwork. He cleared his throat.

The man looked up from his paperwork. "Hello, how may I help you?" He asked, eyes drifting over to Yami. "Dropping off?"

Yami huffed. "Watch it or I'll gouge your eyes out." he grumbled, feathers puffing up slightly in annoyance.

Seto chuckled.

"Be nice, Yami." He said. "No. I'm looking to adopt. Heard that you all had more than a few hybrids, so I thought I would check them out. I've had my bird here for a good month or so, and I love him, and I'm looking to... extend my menagerie."

Yami glared. "Must you call it that?" he said sounding slightly offended.

The man nodded and picked up his keys, opening the back door. "I ask that you don’t provoke anything, and if you wish to examine something, tell me and I will get it out for you, please don’t put any hands or fingers in the fences. We cannot be held responsible for damages done."

The man lead them back, passing by many hybrids and other such animals, the line ending at the newest recruits, namely Bakura, Marik and the bunnies.

Seto grunted as Yami shoved by and ran to them, calling their names. Bakura's head shot up and his eyes snapped open. They widened and he leapt towards the door of his cage.

"YAMI!?" He gasped, and then he grinned. "I never thought I would be happy to see you, but... GODS!!! Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you?!"

Yami smirked a bit. "Happy enough to wear some clothes I hope... nudist." he said teasingly. "Seto and I came for you guys once we heard what happened." Yami said all too glad that Seto was already taking steps to adopt the four creatures inside the kennel.

Bakura frowned. "Hey... NOT nude by choice, I'll have you know... They stripped us! And Marik, he... they shot him full of shit so he's out cold right now... He didn't go to sleep until they agreed to let the bunnies stay with him... gods... Yami, Malik is missing!!! They're saying that we were abandoned! What's going on?! We have to find Malik!!!" And Yami stared into Bakura's anxious brown eyes.

Yami bit his lip. "Uh.... Bakura... well... I have some good news... and some bad news." He said after a minute. Not really liking to be the bearer of the... bad news.

Bakura's eyes widened. "W-What?" He gasped, and slowly stood to look Yami in the eyes. "What is it? Malik... where is he?" He whimpered.

"Well... the... uh.... good news..." Yami started. "Well Malik didn't abandon you. And... we kinda know where he is." Yami added trying to remain calm and keep Bakura calm.

Bakura nodded. "I... I knew he would never abandon us... Where is he, Yami? Please... where's Malik... I have to know..." And his eyes filled with worried tears.

Yami groaned slightly. "Well... he... uh.... Ra I hate to be the bearer of bad news..." he said running a hand through his hair. "... Well... he.... uh..." he stammered, trying to force himself to say it.

"Yami..." Seto said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Bakura, let me get you out of here first. We'll talk when I get you home. For now, I am adopting you, Marik and Ryou's bunnies, okay?" He said, and Bakura's tail and ears drooped. He nodded.

"T-Thank you, Seto... Thank you so much...." And he slowly dropped to all fours and made his way back over to Marik again, sadly nuzzling him through the chain link fence.

Yami laughed nervously. "Ra.... how nice of you Seto, it's nice to make the bird squirm isn't it?" he said grinning stupidly. "I'm going to get you back for this...." he added through clenched teeth. "Nothing like putting off the inevitable.."

Seto smiled at Yami. "Sure thing." He chuckled, then followed the officer, signed some papers, wrote a check, and then watched as one officer emerged with bunnies in one hand, and Bakura on a leash and harness in the other, while another officer carried an unconscious Marik. Seto smiled and nodded his thanks to the officers, leading them out to his car. Bakura hopped in, eager to get out of the shelter, Marik was dumped in, Tuc and Nod immediately cuddling up to him, and then Yami climbed in. Seto shook the officers' hands, assuring them that he could handle a lion hybrid, then climbed in and shut the door. And moments later, the car pulled away.

"Where's Malik." Bakura blurted instantly from where he was cuddled up to Marik.

Yami grinned again. "I'm going to kill you Seto..." he said nervously. "Nothing like a nice enclosed space to say this in..."

Bakura looked back and forth between them.

"Okay... spill it. It's obvious that something has happened to Malik... I'm going insane... please tell me what happened... where is he?" Bakura said softly.

Yami sighed softly. "Well Bakura... Pegasus... uh... well.... he had Malik kidnapped...." he started. "By.... the uh.... same people who uh.... kidnapped us." He said sighing heavily after pushing that out.

Bakura blinked, and slowly, he kind of.... zoned out.

"You mean... the hybrid labs?" He finally gasped.

Yami nodded slowly. "Yes..." He said softly. "I'm... really sorry Bakura..."

Bakura slowly let his face fall and it disappeared into Marik's mane. Seto and Yami glanced at each other at the sniffles coming from the skunk, and watched his shoulders shake. Seto sighed and wrapped an arm around Yami, pulling him close.

"It will be three weeks at least before Malik is put out into the shop. I'll start keeping an eye out for him..." He said, softly.

Yami sighed softly. "It'll be ok Bakura... at least we know where he is...." he said shaking his head, not sure how he could console the poor skunk. "We'll pick him up the first day he gets there, and you two will be together again ok?"
Slowly, Bakura sniffled and nodded. Seto sighed and rubbed Yami's back in silence until they got home, the limo pulling up to the aviary. Seto lifted Marik out, and Bakura picked up the bunnies and followed, tail dragging on the ground, something Yami had never seen Bakura do. He plodded into the aviary and almost immediately set Tuc and Nod down, then curled up on a moss bed, hiding his face in his tail. Seto sighed and laid Marik down, watching Tuc and Nod run to him, then turned and looked back at Yami.

"I think we should leave them alone for a while." He said, closing the door. "Let's go get some lunch."

Yami nodded. "I'll... bring you guys something to eat in a little while...." He said shaking his head in dismay, unable to make Bakura feel better.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bakura was fast asleep on his patch of moss when Marik began to stir. But Yami was up on a branch and noticed the lion's tail twitching. Slowly, Marik raised his head and blinked his eyes, looking around.

"Muuuurrrrr..... what the... fuck?" He groaned, and sniffed the air. "B-Bakura? Bakura?!"

Yami chuckled softly. "Marik, you're ok, Seto and I saved you two from the pound, and the bunnies are eating away at my plants." He said hopping down and giving Marik a pat on the back.

Marik jumped, startled, and scuttled away, turning and growling.

"Hurrrrrrrrr.... Yami?" He blurted, and his eyes widened. "You got us out of the pound?!" And his ears perked and eyes lit up, his tail lashing excitedly.

Yami nodded. "Come on, stand up and for Ra's sake put on your clothes." He said reaching into a nearby box and offering Marik the clothing within. "Bakura's a little torn up..." Yami started slowly. "you were... too out of it to understand..."

Marik grinned and pulled on his denim shorts, standing up.

"What happened? Why's he upset? Where's Malik?! What's going on?!" He asked, rapid firing his questions at Yami.

Yami sighed. "Well.... Malik.... was kidnapped...." he said looking down. "We... won’t be seeing him for a few weeks."

"KIDNAPPED?!" Marik cried, startling several of the birds in the aviary. "By who?! What do you mean?!"

Yami sighed softly. "The last time you saw him.... is the last time anyone will see Malik Ishtar..." he said shaking his head. "After that point, he's been wiped from all records."

Marik stared and his heart sunk into the tip of his tail.

"W-What do you mean? Yami... where is Malik? Yami... Is... is he... dead?"

"As far as society is concerned... yes. Marik.... he's being turned into a hybrid..." he said sighing.

Marik's eyes widened.

"What?" He gasped, then shook his head. "No.... NO!!" And he whirled and dropped to all fours, charging at the door of the aviary, shoving it open and taking off.

"WAAH!!" Bakura howled jumping awake, his tail poofed up and his ears more erect than Yami had ever seen them.

"Marik! wait! Bakura! Marik!" he said quickly, unable to build a sentence fast enough. "stop him!" he blurted quickly.

Bakura turned and saw the open door, and Marik gone.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" He cried, leaping to his feet.

"He found out about Malik! Yami said quickly. "You have to stop him before he does something stupid!"

Bakura's eyes widened. He grabbed his shorts from Yami, hopped into them, then dropped to all fours and streaked after Marik.

Bakura looked back over his shoulder.

"GET SETO!!! MARIK WILL HEAD TO THE PET SHOP!! I'M SURE OF IT!!!" He called, then picked up speed.

Yami nodded, flying into the tunnel that led to Seto's room, full speed.

"Seto! SETO!" he called, flapping through the room and into the office. "Seto Marik's going to the pet shop!"

Seto looked up from his computer.

"What?" He gasped, eyes wide. "He's on his way WHERE?!? YAMI!!! WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?!"

"He asked about Malik!" Yami said, loosing a couple feathers from stress. "He bolted out after that!"

"You told him about Malik... and he took off? Great...." Seto grumbled, and jumped up, grabbing his coat. "Let's roll." He said, and ran, Yami flapping behind him. He raced down the stairs and into the garage, grabbing a pair of keys on his way before unlocking his Viper and climbing in.

Yami quickly flew to the other side, opening the door and landing in the seat, sitting uncomfortably on his tail feathers. "Hurry before he does something stupid Seto..." Yami said slamming his door shut, losing yet more feathers in the door and wincing slightly.

What were feathers, if the two people they tried to save got hit by cars, or taken back to the pound?!

As Seto sped out of the garage, Marik sped across the interstate, dodging cars right and left, making several VERY close calls. Bakura followed, half panicked among the sounds of screaming breaks.

"AAAH!!" Bakura yelped as a truck slammed into him. Bakura rolled several times, then looked up. If that truck hadn't been already breaking from seeing Marik when it hit him, he would have been killed!! Bakura groaned and got up. A quick check over himself and he turned, picking up the chase again while the frantic driver leapt out of his truck and watched the two hybrids flee.

The pair darted through the city, down streets and through alleys, and Bakura couldn't catch up to Marik. Finally, Bakura smirked and turned, taking another route, hoping to cut Marik off.

Marik's eyes darkened and narrowed as the Pet Shop came into view, and he bared his teeth and roared, several people in the parking lot freezing. Marik darted across the lot and burst through the doors into the pet shop.

The people and animals inside all froze. Marik spotted his prey immediately; Rem. He roared and charged, claws deployed and teeth bared.

Rem gasped at Marik. "Marik what are you doing here?" she asked, well aware of his agitated state, and not willing to be on the business end of claw or tooth. "Aren't you supposed to be with your master?" She asked in the most calm voice she could muster, hoping to calm him down.

But Marik did not calm down.

"YOU BITCH!!!" He screamed, then crouched, bundling all his muscles together. Rem recognized that... Marik was preparing for a pounce. And with a full lion roar, he launched himself into the air and towards the woman, jaws open and claws outstretched towards her, his ears back and eyes glittering in fury.

"MARIK, NO!!!" Came another shout, and Rem's vision of Marik flying towards her was suddenly replaced with a blur of black and white. She turned, pale, as Bakura tackled Marik to the floor. The lion roared his fury and tackled Bakura right back. The pair of hybrids became a mass of snarling claws and teeth. They finally broke away and glared at each other, Marik showing a fierce side of himself that even Rem had never seen. They circled one another, covered in bleeding scratched and bite marks.

"Do not INTERFERE!!!" Marik roared, and launched himself at Bakura, bringing him crashing to the ground and the fighting began all over again.

Rem gasped softly. "Both of you stop it before you kill yourselves!" She cried, desperately. "What is the matter with you two?”

Marik turned and body slammed Bakura into the side of Weevil's cage, and cracks branched out across the glass from where Bakura's back made impact. Weevil darted into his burrow and peered out, eyes wide. Bakura dropped to the floor and didn't move. Marik stood over him, growling. But after Bakura had remained motionless for a few seconds, he slowly turned and fixed his eyes on Rem. He bared his teeth again, mouth smeared in Bakura's blood, and he began stalking towards her, his claws leaving streaks of blood across the tile floor. His growl grew louder.

Rem couldn't speak for the moment, shocked at Marik's level of aggression. "Marik what's wrong with you?!" she asked after a frightened moment of silence. "What has you so angry that you'd be willing to hurt Bakura?"

She was desperate to calm him down at this point... and had to wonder if keeping him alive HAD been the best thing...

Marik froze when the door banged open again, and Rem squeaked, wondering what new threat was coming in.

"MARIK!!" Seto shouted, running in. He charged towards the lion, a look of worry and anger on his face. Marik growled and turned to face him, swiping at him with his claws when Seto got too close. Seto leapt back and stared at the lion. Then he looked around and saw some of the men who were in the shop to help Rem, all of them shocked and frozen in place.

"DO SOMETHING YOU MUSCLE HEADS!!!" He shouted, and began jumping around, trying to stay between Rem and Marik, who was still trying to go after the woman. "Yami, check on Bakura!!!"

The men snapped out of it immediately and grabbed tranq guns and nets. Within moments the men were hailing down on Marik with nets and shooting at him with tranquilizer darts.

Rem was in a frenzy to save herself and check on Bakura, and was pleased to see Marik distracted away from Bakura enough, that she could tend to him.

"Bakura? Bakura sweetie are you ok?" She asked, gently beginning to clean his wounds as the men tried to round Marik up.

Yami squawked and flew from the door he'd just entered to Bakura. "Oh Ra Bakura!"

But Bakura was out cold and had obviously gotten a good thrashing from Marik; he was covered in deep slashes from his claws and teeth, and even had a deep bite wound at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Blood trickled down the back of his head and soaked his hair from where he had struck Weevil's cage (said Chinchilla was now peering down at Bakura, Yami and Rem).

Seto in the mean time was helping the men trying to contain Marik. The lion was tangled in three heavy duty nets and had finally succumbed to the tranquilizers; he now lay on the floor, panting. The men overcame him and bound his four paws together before fixing a heavy muzzle on him. Then Seto ran over to check on Bakura.

"My God... Marik could have KILLED him!!" He gasped, kneeling and looking the skunk over.

Yami glared at Marik. "You ASS!" he said, feathers puffed and quivering from his own rage. "Look what you did to him! Marik you could have killed him! And for WHAT?!" he spat angrily. "This woman has nothing to do with it!" he howled in pure fury and frustration. "You could get us all banned from this pet shop for good! Then what will we do?!"

Seto slowly looked up at Rem.

"I am so, SO sorry..." He said, softly. "I think you and I should step into your office and discuss something..." He said.

Rem nodded and arose, leaving Yami to tend to Bakura's wounds and leading Seto to her office, away from the chatter of animals and people. "We can speak in peace... please tell me why a raging lion entered my pet shop."

Seto sighed and paced, then looked at her.

"Forgive me for not answering the question, but... Miss Rem... How much do you know about the process of creating a hybrid?" Seto asked, finally sitting down.

"I've only witnessed the process once, but our laboratories pick the best creatures of exemplary intellegence and fuse it's DNA with that of a human, making a hybrid." She said calmly. "Most are subjected to a long training period of learning things such as human speech, and simple problem solving skills." Rem sighed. "Why?"

Seto sighed and looked her straight in the eye.

"Rem... they lied to you." He said, softly. "That's not what happens."

Rem sighed and shook her head. "I witnessed the whole thing sir, I know the animals like to think they're human, they've more than once claimed to be. They are jealous of the freedoms a human gets, but they're not." She said firmly. "I thought they were human at first too, but our leading technician lead me through the process, I watched an animal become human with my very eyes."

Rem sat at her desk and sighed. "I am very fond of animals, and I know it seems cruel to treat something that looks so human as an animal, but they are just that... I assure you."

Seto shook his head. "No! They WERE human once!! I know! Ryou, the bunny, and Yami, my bird.... and Marik and Bakura... they were all human once! Ryou and Yami, they had lives! A family.... friends.... I know. I know, because I was one of them." Seto stared hard at Rem. "I have known both Ryou and Yami for years. Then they went missing. And they showed up in here. In this very shop. As hybrids."

Rem looked at Seto sadly for a moment. "I know they probably resemble the friends you once lost, but I can assure you they're not human. They'll claim to be human, and if you let them, they'll take over the life of a lost loved one. But no matter how well they act, or how well you might train them to act... they're just animals Mr. Kaiba." She said softly. "I know it hurts to lose a loved one... but I can assure you none of that occurs. I have seen the process of picking an animal for genetic alteration, and observed the creature the whole way.... the only human part of it is the human DNA spliced into the creature."

Seto shook his head.

"Yami was a Champion Duelist, Miss Rem. And to be quite honest, he pissed me off. I held a tournament, and had heard of people who did... kidnappings. I called them, and had them kidnap him so he wouldn't compete in the tournament. A week later, I got a call from a man named Daisuke. He told me that he had chosen to make Yami a bird. I had no clue what he was talking about. He told me that if the process was a success, I could pick him up on a specific date, at a specific address. And that address was this shop. I came. And Yami had wings and tail feathers. That was how I discovered the truth...." All through this, he did not look away from Rem, nor did he falter. "I swear to you.... this is true. What they showed you was a lie."

Rem raised her eyebrow at him. "Are you suggesting that our organization is not ONLY doing something highly illegal, but you collaborated with them to perform some illegal kidnapping on someone named 'Yami' over a game?" She said in a tone that screamed 'what am I? an idiot?. "I don’t know what game you think you're playing Mr. Kaiba, but I have half a mind to call the police on such a ludicrous suggestion."

Seto sighed. "Yes. I did have someone kidnapped. I was under the impression that they would release him after a designated period of time. But instead, I found myself with a bird hybrid. Miss Rem... Pegasus did the same thing with Ryou. And he's not done." Seto stood and slammed his fists down on her desk. "I got a call from him! He threatened me! And do you know what he told me?! He told me that he had ordered the kidnapping of Malik Ishtar! Marik and Bakura's owner!! And he never came home! Malik is at this very moment becoming a hybrid! Just wait, Miss Rem. Within a few weeks, you will find Malik in this shop. And I beg of you... when he comes in, call me." He looked deep into her eyes. "Please... This is why Marik came in and attacked you. Because he found out that Malik will soon become a hybrid. Just wait. When Malik comes in, you'll see..." And he straightened up.

Rem sighed. "Mr. Kaiba...I have no new hybrids due to come in at all... there have been no orders, and as far as our technicians are telling me, I wont be getting another in for at least two months." She said calmly.

"I've filled every pen in this pet shop, and if you don’t believe me look." She added. "There is no room for new hybrids. No room, because there are no orders at the moment, and it takes at least two months to prepare an animal for ownership." she added shaking her head. "But if it will put you at ease, I will watch for any pets who resemble your friend in the next few months."

Seto nodded and smiled, taking her hand and covering it with his other hand.

"Thank you. That is all I ask." He said, nodding to her, then released her hand. "If you will excuse me, I--" But he was cut off when the door opened. He turned and looked up as Marik was led into the room by four men, each holding a chain that connected to a large, heavy harness and collar that the lion was in. Marik plodded across the room, still muzzled, and his head was drooping low. He made his way around the desk and over to Rem. Seto watched as Marik lifted his head and laid it in the woman's lap and looked up at her with large eyes.

"Muuuuurrrrrrrrrr........" He moaned, and sniffled, bit fat tears rolling down his face.

Rem smiled softly. "Do you feel better now Marik?" She asked gently petting him, scratching his ears. "You need to control that temper of yours... Did you see what happened to Poor Bakura?" She asked, digging through her desk, and pulling out a small treat for him. "You're lucky he was just knocked out and bleeding sweetie... you're a lion, you could have killed him. Then who would you play with?"

Marik sniffled and let out another low moan of sorrow.

"I'm sorry..." He whimpered, then purred loudly and nuzzled her hand before accepting the treat. "I was... upset. I know it's not your fault. I shouldn't have been mad at you. You had no part in it." And he nuzzled her again, sitting down at her side. "You're the only person I ever trusted... or liked, before Bakura came to the Shop..." And he licked her hand through the steel caging of the muzzle.

Rem smiled and scratched his ears once more. "If I take your muzzle off, will you be a good boy?" She asked calmly, glad to see he'd been sedated enough to be no threat. "It's time you went home with Mr. Kaiba..." She said taking the muzzle off of him. "I suggest taking Bakura to a vet, by the way. Marik doesn't know his own strength, and I'm not qualified to treat animal wounds of that calibur..." She said softly, offering Marik another treat. "For his best interest, you should have him looked over."

Seto nodded. "I'll be taking both of them, Marik's a little messed up, too. He may be the fighting animal of the pair, but Bakura is no pushover." Marik snorted.

"No shit..." He mumbled, and Seto smirked. "I'll be good, Rem. And I'm sorry." And he fixed pleading eyes upon the woman's face.

Rem nodded slightly before suddenly turning on Kaiba. "By the way!" She said suddenly angry. "Your poor bird looked like a car hit it!" She said glaring. "His feathers were askew and missing in places, the healthy gloss has faded to almost nothing and it's obvious that he has not been getting enough sleep OR excersize!" She shouted, clearly an animal lover and completely innocent of any illegal activity."I demand you take him to my vet and have him looked over if you're to continue in ownership of him." She said pulling out a pad of paper and writing down a name and vet address. "My friend works here, and I will inform him you will be taking Yami in to see him." She added. "I expect to hear the details of the check-up from him by tomorrow."

Seto nodded to Rem. "Yami is very upset about Marik's sudden idea to take off on us, and he lost a few feathers in his efforts to get to me and tell me as fast as he could." He said, walking out into the shop with Rem. "Only yesterday he was gorgeous. His plumage has been fantastic recently. And as for his not getting enough sleep... tell him to sleep in instead of waking me up at the 'ass crack of dawn' as he calls it. He nearly gives me a damn heart attack every morning. He's more like a rooster than a song bird, Miss Rem..."

Rem rolled her eyes and passed the paper to Seto. "Take Yami to this man, and while he's looking him over, Bakura and Marik can be seen by his associates." She said calmly. "I will call and have him prepare rooms for your animals. You should start the drive there, it's on the other end of town." She added. "As for you Marik, I'm counting on you to be a good boy and take good care of Bakura, to make up for hurting him so badly, ok?" she said giving him a small hug.

Marik purred loudly as the muzzle was removed and he nuzzled Rem, then gave her a long lick up her cheek.

"I promise..." He assured her, his tail swinging back and forth frantically. "I'll do everything I can, but... he misses Master Malik so much... And Mistress Ishizu..." And the lion heaved a large sigh.

Rem smiled softly. "I'm sure he'll get a chance to see Malik and his sister again." She said patting his head. "I have work to do though... an enclosure to repair, and a mass of blood to mop off my floors, and I think it's time you all took off."

Yami sighed carefully wiping away the last of the blood from Bakura's body and shaking his head. "Bakura... c'mon... Bakura wake up..." He said worriedly, the floor littered with feathers he'd been plucking out of worry without even noticing. His wings looked like a wrecked mass of spiked missmosh. Nothing compared to their previous glory, the beautiful wings had been unknowingly ruined and were shells of their former glory.

Seto froze when he saw Yami, as did Marik and Rem.

"YAMI!!!" Seto cried, and ran towards the bird hybrid. "My God! What have you done to your wings?!" He looked around at the feathers all over the floor, then reached out and stroked Yami's wings. "Oh, God..." Marik ran over too, though he moved to Bakura and nudged his friend, making small noises to try and wake Bakura with.

Rem sighed softly. "Poor thing. You need to take him where I told you, I'm sure he'll be able to give Yami something to ease the pain in his wings, and calm him down." She said softly.

Yami pulled his wing away unthinkingly plucking another feather from the other one. "I'm fine. Bakura is the one possibly mortally wounded!" Yami said, voice shaking slightly from worry. His whole body was trembling slightly, and another feather fell from his hand to the floor.

Seto frowned and shook his head, taking Yami's hands and jerking him to his feet.

"Yami.... look at me... Bakura will be fine. We're taking him to a vet right now. And you're going too. I'm worried about you." The CEO said, petting Yami's cheek. But before he could say anything else, Rem gasped. Seto and Yami both turned to see what had surprised her.

"I've got you, Bakura..." Marik said, softly, slowly standing upright, cradling Bakura in his arms. He slowly straightened until he stood tall and strong, Bakura in his arms. He kissed Bakura's forehead. Rem had not seen Marik stand upright for over two and a half years! Marik looked at Rem, then smiled slightly.

"Well... Seto has his hands full with Yami." He offered with a shrug. "Who else will I trust with Bakura other than myself?" Seto grinned and turned to see how Rem would take this.

Rem smiled slightly, still looking utterly shocked. "If what you say has any merit Mr. Kaiba..." She started. "Then... I hope that something can be done.... and I hope that you remember, that even if it is true, they are still animals, and whatever they might have been to start with, is now half animal at the very least..." She said shaking her head, slightly awed by Marik.

"If you truly think they're human, then vets may not be the only answer... but vets will always know how to cure ailments such as Yami's." She said motioning to his wings.

Yami glared. "I don’t need a VET." He growled.

Seto covered Yami's mouth. "Yes, I know, you think you can solve every problem in the world Yami, come on now..." He chuckled, smiling at Rem. "Just have an open mind, Miss Rem. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get these three to the vet." And he turned and half carried Yami from the pet shop.

"Bye..." Marik said, smiling at Rem and leaning down slightly, giving her one last nuzzle, lick and purr, then turned and followed Seto out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Yami glared at Seto as they walked, before biting his hand just hard enough to get him to move it. "a VET?! are you out of your mind?!" he blurted infuriated at the idea of degrading himself with a 'vet' visit. "I'm not some ANIMAL Seto! I don’t need a VET."

Seto sighed and let Marik climb into the back before shoving Yami into the passenger seat. He got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I know you're not an animal, Yami. But... the thing is, a normal doctor cannot help hybrids. Vets can. Maybe there will be a hybrid doctor one day, but for now, I'm afraid you're stuck with veterinarians..."

"SETOOOOOO!!!" Marik howled, suddenly. "You're not gonna neuter us, are you?!"

Yami growled, plucking another feather suddenly. "Don’t be stupid." he grumbled. "If he did, I'd neuter him right back, and he wouldn't have the courtesy of being doped up beforehand." Yami growled, the feather falling from his hand to the floor, followed by a second.

"YAMI!!!" Seto shouted. "Look at what's on the floor. And no, Marik, I'm not getting you neutered, don't be stupid."

Yami's remaining feathers fluffed up, as he plucked another out nervously. "I'm SORRY...!" he grumbled, though unable to stop his new nervous habit.

Seto frowned. "I'm going to put you in mittens and handcuffs if you don't knock it off!" He threatened, and Marik roared with laughter.

Yami glared. "Keep it up and I'll put you through a hell you couldn't have ever imagined." He said, his glare screaming 'I will set you ablaze right now...'

Seto sighed. "Yami, THIS is why you are going to the vet."

Yami glared, once more. "I will kill you in your sleep..." he breathed dangerously.

Seto rolled his eyes. "I'm worried about you, Yami."

Yami grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting. "I wish you'd knock it off. You never worried before, and now that you are I'm getting humiliated at a vet. You know how they take TEMPERATURES there?!"

Seto blinked, and then, comprehension dawned on his face and the corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile.

"No, no, how DO they take temperatures there?" He snickered.

Yami's glare darkened as they pulled into the Vet's parking lot. "Seto, if you force me to do this I swear you'll think Mokuba's a little angel by the time I'm finished with you." he hissed.

Seto sighed and took Yami's hand. "I'm concerned, Yami..." He said. "I don’t want to see you hurting yourself..." He reached out and cupped Yami's cheek. "I love you." He whispered. Marik's ears perked, and he looked back and forth between them, interested.

Yami couldn't hide the blush that crept slowly over his cheeks. Ra... when did Seto become.... romantic? He grumbled shaking his head and looking away. "If this person comes at me with a thermometer, I swear Seto, he'll be pulling it out of YOUR ass."

Seto chuckled and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.... I promise, I won't let him stick one up your ass." He snickered, and got out of the car. "Marik, down. I'll take Bakura." Marik grumbled, but got down on all fours while Seto picked up Bakura, then turned and headed for the door.

Yami sighed, following Seto in, who seemingly had already met the doctor. He grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting to himself. Damn this was a fast doctor! It was a matter of moments before they were all separated to their appropriate examination rooms and he was standing by Seto, glaring at the doctor menacingly.

The vet looked at the papers he'd prepared. "Red Crowned Bird of Paradise?" He asked calmly, looking Yami over. "Did get in a fight with a weed whacker and loose?"

Seto glared.

"He did NOT get into a fight with a weed whacker!!!" He snapped. "He plucked his feathers out of anxiety over his injured companion. I'd appreciate it if you would treat my hybrid seriously."

"Mr. Kaiba, to be the least offensive, I have to say I was being completely honest. The Japanese songbird is a highly elusive, rare and beautiful bird, some even consider it endangered." He stated slowly, taking a few notes. "If word of this one's state got out, it's quite possible that your ownership could be revoked."

The doctor shook his head. "This type of bird plucking at a time like this is just sinful. The poor thing."

Seto nodded. "No one is more upset about this than me." And here he gave Yami a look. "He is extremely worried about his skunk friend. He was pulling his own feathers and asking me if Bakura was going to die... What can you do for him to get
him to stop the plucking?" He asked, taking a seat in a chair against the wall.

"There are a number of treatments for plucking, but none are permanent. To stop a bird from plucking you have to put a stop to the sources of anxiety and stress." The vet said approaching Yami and pulling a wing gently out to examine

"ahh gosh he's really plucked himself badly... mostly down and the occasional flight feathers...." The man said calmly. "Tell me about his behavior over the last.... oh... three days. Has he done anything wing related during that time?"

Seto blinked and glanced at Yami.

"Ummm... yes. He escaped from my house and followed me to a meeting." He said.

"Ahh... flying... anything else? Even the most minor activity." He said taking notes. "About how often has he preened them up until now?" he said moving a few feathers around, examining the wing closely.

Seto snorted.

"He preens so much I'm surprised it's taken THIS long for him to look like that. It's all he does!!!" The CEO cried.

The doctor chuckled a bit. "Well… it's his mating season. He's doing what comes natural to him. He's trying to attract a suitable mate." he said calmly. "A Male bird's bight plumage is their lifeline. It's used to frighten away predators, to attract suitable mates, status... a bird without his plumage is like you, without id cards and money." he explained. "I'm willing to bet half of his tension is sexual. If not more."

Yami made a strangled, mortified sound. "Ok... I'm leaving." He grumbled glaring at Seto, utterly mortified, no thermometer needed.

Seto literally choked on his own breath when the vet said that, and sat there coughing.

"What?!" He finally croaked. "So what am I supposed to do?! Go to the Adult toy store and get him a blow up doll to fuck?!"

The vet nodded. "Well not an adult toy store, I'm sure the facility you purchased him from has an appropriate humping toy for him to release his frustrations on."

At this point, Yami was livid. "Oh... my... GOD!" he roared. "Am I not even HERE! Hello!" He squawked, flapping his wings madly, feathers littering the floor. "I AM NOT HUMPING... HUMPING A TOY!!"

Seto frowned and ran to Yami. "Calm down!!" He hissed, petting his wings. "We'll discuss it later!" And he kissed Yami's forehead, then turned to the vet.

"Once Bakura is on the mend, do you think the plucking will stop, Dr. Inogawa?" He asked.

"Once Bakura's state has been assured, and he's gotten his frustrations out somehow, yes. but until he gets his... heh... fix shall we say, he'll continue the habit. It's his mating season, and as a male it's his job to find a suitable mate to take care of.... and he cant have that as a hybrid. So he's plucking himself. Until a happy median can be found he'll continue to do so, and if the behavior becomes much worse than it is now, his feathers will not grow back."

Yami grumbled, his wings quivering from fury. The very IDEA..... a humping toy..... He growled softly.

"I would suggest a number of things.... perhaps investing on a female of the same breed, to mate him to, or perhaps a humping toy... you could try a bird masturbator...."

Yami twitched. "Seto... I'm going to scream...." he said as calmly as he could. "If he says ONE more thing about sex...."

Seto nodded to the vet. "I will consider my options thoroughly." He said. "However, I believe that discussing this is embarrassing my hybrid, so I believe this conversation will have to end. Now, on to other matters... did Rem want you to see Yami for anything else?"

"Yes, there are other matters. About his wings...." He said backing away from Yami and walking to a shelf. "He has a common bird problem. Most owners never even notice. But he has what... well for all terms and purposes are the bird version of fleas." He said.

Yami whined loudly. "For the love of Ra.... just SHOOT me."

"It's a common problem, and there really is no way of preventing a bird from getting them, as the little buggers live EVERYWHERE. They're harmless for humans, living on the very beds we sleep in for that matter... but they get on a bird's wings, and cause hell." The vet said smirking amusedly. "I'm going to write you a few prescriptions for this little fellow. A pill by mouth each day to help feather growth, a spray that I want you to mist over his wings once every two days for two weeks. And, I'm going to give him a shot of a special relaxer. It's a mix of vicodin, to ease the burn in his wings, and a relaxer, to calm him down."

The vet pulled filled that syringe. "The second, is a sedative, which is also something I will be prescribing. A mild sedative pill that will have to be administered each day at noon. He's not getting the sleep he needs. Birds aren't human... they can only sleep for about three hours at a time. It's their nature to be awake and alert for danger." He said filling the second syringe.

Seto sighed and shook his head.

"God himself won't be able to convince Yami to take all of these... I think I can handle the misting, but a sedative?" He sighed, and looked at Yami. "Please be good about it. It's for your own health."

The vet nodded. "If he won’t take them, have them ground up and put in his food or water. I don’t care how you do it, but one way or another each day he needs these pills if you expect him to recover. Owning a bird hybrid is much harder than any other... not just because he's a new breed, but birds are VERY demanding when they get sick.... if you don’t tend to it properly, and as quickly as possible..." The doctor said in a grim voice.

"Lets just say the birdy wont be around to sing his songs for you very much longer." He said darkly. "They hide their sickness and troubles... you have to be a VERY observant owner. A bird will hide its troubles until it's either practically too late, or too late. You are VERY lucky Rem caught this. One more day and I wouldn't have been able to help him, his feathers would most likely never grow back, and he may well have passed out from stress and heart trouble."

Seto swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes... th-thank you. I will see to it that all the medication is administered properly."

The vet nodded and wrote the prescriptions down. "I'm going to have to examine him." He said after a moment. "Which means he needs to strip."

Yami's eyes widened, then his gaze turned to Seto, and narrowed. The phrase 'I will set you ablaze right now...' was once again clearly scrawled across his face.

Seto blinked, then looked at Yami with a face that said 'Ummm.... sorry?' Then he sighed.

"You heard him, Yami. Strip." And then he sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, looking amused.

Yami growled softly, but obliged. But it was obvious he was already plotting his revenge, and by the look of it, it was going to be a powerful revenge of the worst sort.

The doctor lifted him without a word onto the table and began checking him over. He wrapped his arms around Yami from behind, and began feeling stomach and abdomen. "Well that's good...." He said calmly, writing a bit on his clipboard.

"What's good?" Seto asked, shooting the man glares and was bursting to shout 'QUIT FEELING UP MY BIRD, DAMMIT!!!' but he held his tongue.

"He doesn't appear to have any internal parasites." The man said calmly, placing the stethoscope to Yami's back and listening. "He's got a good strong heart beat." He added "I've noticed the only form of identification he has is that collar. It's not wise to leave his wings un-clipped if that's going to be all you leave on him. I suggest either having him ankle tagged, or a microchip." He said after a moment. "Bird hybrids are sure to be the rarest and most sought after of the beasties, they're hard to make, and even harder to maintain... It would not surprise me if someone tried to steal yours."

Seto frowned at that, and nodded.

"That is something that would definitely upset me... Yami would never put up with an ankle tag... I'll go ahead and get him microchipped. And as long as we're at it, I'll have the lion and skunk microchipped as well."

Yami's jaw hit the floor. "Excuse me?!" he blurted indignantly. "Were you thinking just now?! Hell no!" He said growling. "Get yourself microchipped!"

The vet nodded. "I can chip your bird today, but the other two are in a bit too much trauma for me to do that. I do recommend a repeat visit for the three of them in two weeks, that should be long enough for Yami here to re-grow his feathers, and I can check him for parasites again."

"Hello!? Am I not even here?!" Yami howled, sending another wave of feathers across the room and onto the floor. "NO!"

Seto rolled his eyes.

"Yami, for God's sake! Can't you just shut up and co-operate just ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME?!"

Yami's glare darkened on Seto. "I have been, but I will NOT be microchipped!" He growled. "Unless you forgot, I'm being degraded and humiliated in the worst way!"

Seto rolled his eyes.

"Would you rather get stolen and used as someone's fuck toy? If you're microchipped, I can get you back!" He glared at Yami. "You may not like it, but it's for your own sake, God dammit!"

Yami growled and his wings quivered in his anger. "It would never happen! Don’t be ridiculous! Besides it's your fault I'm in this mess to start with!" he spat viciously. "You could at LEAST spare me my DIGNITY!"

"I am!" Seto snapped, standing. "Would you rather have a microchip that no one can see, or a big gaudy neon colored anklet on your foot that EVERYONE will see!? Pick one or the other, but by law, you have to have ONE of them!" And he sat back down again and folded his arms, crossed his legs, and narrowed his eyes at Yami.

Yami growled. "It wouldn't be that way if it weren't for you...." He hissed not noticing the vet cleaning the back of his neck. "If you weren't such a domineering basta--AAHHH!" He suddenly screamed in pain. "RA GET IT OFF OF ME!" he wailed painfully as the Vet pulled away the Microchipper and immediately jabbed in another needle, followed by a third.

Yami was grimacing in pain and trembling slightly from new stress, beginning to pluck his wings madly to relieve his own pain, and unthinkingly inflicting more.

"YAMI! STOP THAT!!!" Seto howled, running over and grabbing Yami's hands, holding them tightly. Then he glared at the vet. "What are you doing to him?!"

"I microchipped him, and gave him the shots I was telling you about." He replied calmly. "Microchipping is a very painful process for a bird, but most exotic and rare birds are chipped despite the stress that is implemented on the creature, simply to protect their value to their masters. Hybrids are no exception, I imagine most new bird owners will choose chipping as well."

Yami twitched, struggling with Seto to get to his wings. His body trembling slightly.

"The shots I gave him afterward will take a moment to take effect, but they'll help him deal with that pain and stress." He said cleaning the wound from the microchip, and painting 'newskin' over it, as a bandage would irritate his skin and possibly his wings, despite the distance between his neck and back.

Seto nodded as he struggled with Yami, refusing to release his hands and let him start plucking again.

"So, bring him back in three weeks for a follow up, and we'll microchip the other two then?" Seto asked, just to make sure his information was right.

"Two weeks." The doctor corrected, handing Seto the slip with Yami's prescription drugs.

Yami groaned softly, struggles slowing, leaning into Seto's chest and closing his eyes. "I will... kill you..." he breathed softly. His wings drooped into a relaxed position and Yami remained still against Seto's chest, not asleep, but in a form of relaxation no one would have ever thought was possible for Yami.

Seto chuckled and re-dressed Yami, then lifted him into his arms.

"I know, I know... as soon as the sedative wears off, I'm doomed. Come on now, let's go check on the other two..."

Yami growled softly, but found Seto's arms very comfortable, and just couldn't bring himself to move. "I'm going to put you through so much hell..." he mumbled nuzzling into his chest, eyes half lidded from a state of euphoric laze.

The vet lead Seto to the room where Marik and Bakura were, Bakura was already bandaged and ready to leave, and Marik was receiving his last few bandages.

"I will examine them both on their return trip. I'm prescribing the same vicodin relaxing agent to Bakura, to help ease the pain he'll be feeling until he's well. As for Marik, I'm giving him the same, in a lesser dose, as he's got less wounding. I would suggest having his front paws de-clawed... lions tend to... have nasty tempers."

But as they walked in, Marik seemed to be doing his best to prove the veterinarian wrong; he was lashing his tail and prancing in place as two giggling female vet techs finished bandaging him, and was purring and making other lion noises, and generally just acting cute and cuddly, licking the girls' faces every now and then, and sometimes turning around and trying to pounce the tuft on the tip of his tail. Seto chuckled.

"Marik usually has a very gentle demeanor, if not mischievous from time to time. He has a pair of rabbits back home that he treats like his own kittens. Marik just happened to get upset about something and Bakura tried to stop him. I've never seen this hybrid act aggressive before." He said, trying to defend Marik.

"Muuuuuuurrrrrrumph!" Marik said, turning and nuzzling the vet tech nearest to his head, purring loudly and licking her cheek, making her burst into very unprofessional giggles and scratch his ears, which made his tail swing back and forth harder and faster than before.

The doctor nodded. "I'm merely recommending it. It's your choice." He said smiling. "Anyhow. Two weeks. I'll be looking forward to seeing how they've healed. I'm particularly fond of the bird. If you ever are in the market, I'd love to take him off your hands." The vet added, no malice intended. "I have an aviary at home, and he'd be just the thing to liven up the other tropical birds."

Seto nodded, still watching Marik.

"I have no intention of every getting rid of him, but I'll keep you in mind should I have a change of plans, thank you. Marik! Hold still so they can finish, please." The CEO called, and Marik blinked at him, then stood still, letting the vet techs finish their job. "Bakura? You feel okay to walk?" Seto asked, turning to the other hybrid curled up on the floor in the corner. Bakura slowly raised his head, still looking a bit dazed, and nodded.

"Done." Said a vet tech, and she pet Marik and gave him a treat which he happily accepted with another purr and nuzzle for her in return. Then he leapt to the floor and trotted over to Bakura, nuzzling and licking his cheek apologetically. Bakura made a face and pulled away.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it... It's okay, I forgive you..." He grumbled, and Marik purred happily. Bakura slowly got to his feet and limped towards Seto, Marik walking beside him and watching him attentively. Seto smirked at the pair.

"See Yami? Bakura's going to be fine." He said.

Yami groaned. "I'll kill you..." he mumbled softly groaning and shifting slightly in his arms.

"Birdy will be pretty placid for a few hours...." The vet said chuckling. "I suggest putting him in a dimly lit room, and letting him sleep off the drugs, by then he'll probably need his first pills."

Seto nodded. "Alright then, thank you. I'll set up their follow ups with the receptionist. I'd, uh... shake your hand, but...." The vet laughed and shook his head, waving a farewell to Seto and walking down the hall.

"Okay you two, c'mon." Seto said, looking down at Marik and Bakura. They followed him at a slow pace, and Seto found that he had to significantly slow his own pace for poor Bakura to keep up; he was limping badly. Marik purred and nuzzled Bakura.

"I can carry you if you need me to." The lion offered. Bakura made a face and snorted.

"Not a chance, Simba." He snapped. Marik blinked, then grinned.

"Wow... it's been a long time since you've called me that..." He mused, and Bakura snorted again, but smiled slightly. Seto made an appointment for the three hybrids, then took them all out to the car, setting Yami in back with Marik, not wanting to force Bakura to climb into the back with his injuries. So the skunk curled up on the front seat of the car and relaxed the drive to the pharmacy, and then home.

Seto pulled right up to the aviary where he dropped of Bakura and Marik, satisfied with Marik's attentive care over Bakura, then took Yami into the house and into his Bird Bedroom, laying him down on his bed and tucking him in.

"Get some sleep, Yami." He said, petting Yami's hair and wings. "I'll be in my office when you wake up."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

THIS CHAPTER IS TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF MY EXAMS AND THE END OF THE SEMESTER!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!

Sglily: heheh… I’m not a big fan of Yami either, except in certain situations. But my co-author has a thing with birds, so when she made Yami a bird, she suddenly began obessessing over him… you’ll see later on in the fic. I finally had to put my foot down and tell her that the fic was NOT about Yami and Seto, but Ryou and Marik. As for Ryou… his loyalty conditioning forces him to be loyal to and fall in love with whoever mates him, so his feelings for Pegasus are… real, and yet not real… it is unknown… But as for Ryou Bunny bein happy… umm … >.> well… let’s just say that not just for Ryou, but for everyone in the fic… you ain’t seen nuthin yet…

e.t.c. : Thank you!

Itavita: Oh do you? Are you psychic? Or did I tell you… or maybe you saw the pic of him on my website…

Elle-FaTe2x1: Yes, Malik is getting turned into a hybrid. But you’ll just have to see if there is a happy ending.

Devilsheart: YAY!!! Cookie!!! And yes, everyone is turning into a hybrid! Yay!!!