Love Cures All Ills

Yami slept on his bed of pelts as the vampire hunters decided to hunt down a deer for some food for the day. Jou watched over Yugi and Yami while Honda, Malik, Ryou, and Ootachi were out. The blond-haired teen couldn’t get over how different this vampire was, especailly since he broke all the rules. Jou decided to ask his best friend some questions.
“Yo, Yug!” he called out to the smaller tri-colored-haired teen. Yugi looked up from whittling a crude flute out of a branch he had found. Yugi was very skilled at making things with his hands, and was usually the one to make or fix the group’s weapons.
“Yes, Jou-kun?” Yugi asked, setting down the half-made flute and pocketing his multi-tooled knife. Jou jerked his head over to the vampire.
“Know why he’s able ta sleep? Vampire’s can’t sleep,” Jou reminded the small teen. Yugi shrugged.
“Same reason why his heart now beats?” he suggested, unsure of the answer. Jou nodded. Made sense, in a way. Everything with a heartbeat had times where it slept. The other hunters came with a large buck and set to work preparing its meat to be made into food. Yugi watched Malik and Ryou prepare the meat as Honda and Ootachi ran back out again to get firewood.
Yugi was a lousy cook; same with everyone in the group but Malik and Ryou. Anzu had been decent, but, well... Yugi looked over to the blood-stained stone floor of the cavern. Jou and Honda had buried Anzu in the woods earlier after that scuffle, Jou ordering his subordinates to give the vampire a chance. Ootachi had been ready to attack at the slightest provocation while Ryou and Malik cowered in a corner. Yami watched Ootachi warily until Yugi decided to break the standoff and sat in Yami’s lap. Yami had visibly relaxed at that and was soon asleep, holding Yugi in his arms. That had settled the tension between the hunters and the vampire.
~*~*~
Night fell, and the hunters escorted their new vampire ally out of the cave, through the forest, and back into Domino City. They had hoped to get him safely into their warehouse base before any other hunters came after him, but ran out of luck.
An arrow whizzed past Yami’s ear, startling the vampire and causing him to growl in warning. The other hunters searched for the shooter and heard a familiar annoying laugh.
“Ahahahaha! Jou, you dolt! Did you know you have a vampire among you?” Kujaku Mai laughed, her annoying voice making everyone flinch. Jou glared up at her.
“This vampire is different. His heart beats like ours, and we plan to see if we can save him,” Jou told her, eyes narrowed at the seductive huntress. Mai laughed again, but Shizuka, Jou’s little sister, appeared next to her.
“Nii-san is right, sensei,” she said, her sixth sense nearly as sharp as her brother’s. Mai looked at her subordinate. “This vampire has a strange aura. His is radiating love and compassion for one of their members. It’s completely devoid of the bloodlust typical in a vampire’s aura.”
Yugi had shifted closer to Yami while Mai was distracted, blocking his heart from frontal attacks. Ryou, not wanting his closest friend to lose the one he loved, made to block any sneak attacks to Yami’s heart from behind. Little did he know, Ryou had just thwarted an attack from Valon, Mai’s current boyfriend. Valon lowered his weapon and spoke into his transmitter.
“Lost the target. It seems these guys really do trust this vamp,” he said, disgusted. Mai nodded slightly.
“Fine we’ll back off. But if your little friend starts hunting humans again, he won’t be so lucky next time. Move out!” Mai ordered, her subordinates hiding in the shadows leaving to follow her and Shizuka. Jou whistled long and low.
“Glad that ended without too much trouble,” he admitted. “Gang, let’s get back to base. We need to find out how to feed our vampire friend so he doesn’t fall back on bad habits.”
“Maybe he can feed off animals instead of humans,” Ootachi suggested as they began walking to their base once again, this time at a much faster pace. Jou and the others though this over.
“I had honestly never thought of that before,” Yami said quietly, the group of hunters turning to look at him. Yami looked up, a new resolve in his eyes. “I think it might just work. It has to.”
Jou nodded in agreement. “If you think it’ll work, pal, then it will."