Chapter Text
Chapter V: Ushio
Work Log Entry V: August, 1993
August 15
The she-wolf seems to be overcoming her illness but her mate has not taken to the same change in his genetics. We have not been permitted to change her partner for another male as of yet.
Yugi blinked his eyes open into slits, his vision swimming between his lashes. Disoriented and exhausted, he tried to focus on the ceiling over his head. His body was weighted, so heavy and groggy that his lungs almost felt as if they could not draw in a breath. His mouth felt disgustingly pasty and hot, caked like dried blood. His mind sluggishly tried to pull in his surroundings to determine where he was and what had dragged him from his dreamless sleep. He rasped a breath out slowly and then dragged an equally painful one back into his lungs.
A low, drawn out scraping noise immediately caught his attention and he froze in place. His head slowly tilted to the side after a long moment and his neck instantly stung with the simple action. His vision dipped and turned to darkness for a split second. His ribs burned and he failed to draw in another shallow breath until the muted color returned to his eyes.
Yugi took a few minutes to truly attempt to calm down. The noise had not returned but it did nothing to stop him from feeling a rising onslaught of growing fear. He continued breathing shortly, with quick little intakes that made him want to faint. He worried momentarily about cyanosis as he had beforehand when he had been cleaning the wounds in the shower. How he had avoided going into shock with his shallow breaths and panic was far beyond him. Breathing so rapid and shallow now, he would not have been surprised to find his lips and nails beginning to grow blue. He felt so heavy and weak, viciously disoriented, that he doubted he would even be able to recognize the chill that would come with it all.
The sound came back in a longer and harsher curl of noise than it had the first time he had noticed it. His eyes widened drastically, blinking stupidly at the familiarity of it. It was like nails against wood or metal and instantly he thought of the animals just beneath his room. Maybe one of them had gotten loose and was wandering around. Maybe it needed to get out to use the bathroom and so it was scratching the door.
He blinked in the shadows of the room, wincing and reaching up to rub at his eyes. His stomach twisted as colors exploded behind his eyelids. He stared into the darkness for a moment before bracing himself to get out of bed. He drew in the deepest breath he could without wanting to puke from the violent pain. Squinting once more, he curled up on his side enough to attempt making the transition to standing upright somewhat easier. His shoulders rose defensively to shield his neck as if it were an external force attacking him rather than internal.
He winced and moved his legs to hang over the side of the mattress. His socks touched the carpet after a moment and he blinked at the pain that slammed through his lower back and raced upwards. His spinal column ached as if his marrow were being incinerated within his bones. Weakly he looked out the window towards the broken streetlight. He thought someone might have reported it already but he could not be sure.
Yugi shook the idea off without hesitation. He hardly needed to wonder about this. He hardly needed a reminder of what had happened. He didn't even want to know who it was that had brought him back to his house. He thought that perhaps it might have been Tomoya before Ushio had put an end to him but he was not completely sure. It seemed almost implausible but he was hopeful all the same. Because otherwise he thought there might have been something or someone else to scareUshioaway.
He listened to another scratch at the door, hesitant as he headed for it. Something crept through him slowly, like a thin drizzle of raindrops trailing down his skin or sweat dripping down his forehead. He hesitated once more, frozen in place, watching the door with an unnatural wave of dizziness sweeping through him. His disoriented mind scrambled to find the force, fighting for some kind of sense of balance. The scratching noise met his ears once more and his stomach lurched violently, his head tilting again. Scrambling for his footing mentally, he felt his mouth water with nervousness, the taste disgusting and overwhelming. He swallowed thickly and his throat ached with the former burn of the bile that had trailed up the back of it earlier.
He stood frozen in the room for a few long seconds. His head was beginning to pound lightly. The scratching noise made his skull echo violently. Dread continued to trail down his spine and he choked on saliva. His tongue felt thick and nearly glued to the roof of his mouth, tingling with the bitter taste that plagued it.
What if it was Ushio, come to finish what he had started? When they had all been forced to attend the memorial for Tomoya, he had been anything but oblivious to the other male's stare. He had looked hungry and nearly desperate to hunt him down and sink his teeth into his flesh. But he had also seen the way that Ushio had flinched and favored his right side over his left. In gym he had seen the massive teen's wound, raw and sore and dark red with furious pink edges, a massive bite that looked as if it had left his skin in chunks of pulverized meat.
Vaguely he thought of the newest night terror to be added to his memory. It was as violent as the rest of them, but more terrifying because he truly knew what was happening at all times. He had been back in the alleyway but Ushio was not help up by Tomoya in the slightest. The light-furred wolf had been slaughtered before him easily, without even a chance to slow him down. Ushio would go straight for his throat, ripping it open without inhibition. When he would fall back against the asphalt he would feel the blood bubbling up from the wound with loud gurgles. Then the wolf would tear into his chest, forelegs digging into his stomach. His clothes would rip easily with his long, terrible claws and his skin would split with the curves of black keratin. His voice would be choked violently by the blood and the scream did nothing but cause his blood to leave him faster. He would feel it just as he would wake up, his consciousness slipping outwards like flowing water.
His eyes snapped to the door once more, the scratching noise making his skin tingle. It was more persistent now, as if whatever was downstairs was attempting to dig its way out or was well aware of his movement above it. If it was an animal from within the clinic then it would make sense that it was attempting to get out. But, if it was something outside that was trying to gain his attention, then he wondered immediately whether it could hear him. He fearfully considered if it was Ushio once more. What if he was merely waiting for him to come down the stairs so that he could make him number four on his list of victims?
He grasped the doorknob with his left hand, swallowing harshly and biting the inside of his cheek. His blood was tingling with warmth in his veins and his head felt momentarily light. Even if it was Ushio on the other side of that door, who better to answer it than him? He would never allow his mom or grandpa to be caught by that bastard. And, if he truly was infected like in stories through saliva or blood seeping into one of his wounds, then wasn't it better for him to be the one he went after again?
Yugi nearly laughed at the idea, a cold chill creeping through him. How was the disease spread? Was it like something like Ebola or was it only transferred through saliva like rabies? If it was like Ebola, the simplest things could lead to an infection—merging of a blood cell, saliva in an open wound, inhaling someone's germs when they coughed, kissing, sex. It seemed almost unlimited in the ways it could be spread. He had only ever heard of rabies being spread through a bite but he was not entirely sure. And even if this disease was unlike the latter, did he really want to risk it? What happened if it was uncontrollable and he wound up becoming like Ushio, killing and eating people and leaving remains all around for others to find?
He paused at the thought, chewing his lip and swallowing hard. Tomoya had been infected and he had protected him. He had not gone around murdering for no apparent reason other than to scare and horrify. He had very clearly had control when he had chosen to fight him off as he had. He had not ever harmed him, only keeping Ushio away as much as he could. He may not have been able to do much but stall him and buy Yugi some time but he had still tried. And Yugi could not ignore that. Tomoya had not killed senselessly as Ushio was doing and if he was infected as well, then perhaps he would be able to control it too.
But that wasn't even taking into consideration their personalities, even if they had been truly connected by such a disease. If it was like rabies it would be useless to take them into consideration, but there had to be a reason why they weren't the same, right? Ushio had always been a bully, preying on the weak with lies and debt. Tomoya had always been shy and timid and had a small but clearly defined line of some innate justice. He had shakily stood up to Ushio on occasion when he'd picked on Yugi.
The scratching noise made him hesitate, glancing over his shoulder with a sickening feeling. He had been unaware that he had even wandered out of his room and towards the bottom storey of the house. He was halfway down the hallway, a hand pressed against the wall. The wound in the back of his head and his torn arm were seemingly numb as he continued downwards towards the clinic. His chest pulsed where his rib was broken and his lung felt as if it were throbbing. Heat burst through his marrow in violent currents, tingling with vibrant energy. His heart seemed to strain and skip and his body was drawn with a heat that made his head spin momentarily. He drew in a deep breath, swallowing thickly, and he narrowed his eyes as something stirred in the back of his mind.
Something almost like cotton seemed to dull his thoughts and a warm, drifting breeze seemed to sweep through his skull. Something calming and secure was rising in his senses. For a single, almost nonexistent moment he thought he saw the very front of the door. He thought he saw the maroon paint on the wood. He thought he saw the glint of the outside windows where a small sliver of moonlight made his eyes hurt minutely.
He blinked, unsure of himself, and chewed his lip until the skin split. He winced at the harsh taste of blood in his mouth, swallowing thickly. His mouth tingled and seemed to burn where the new abrasion existed. That soft, winding breeze in his thoughts made him tilt his head as a small sense of comforting reassurance moved through him. The tension seemed to almost leave his body completely and his head felt lighter as he blinked stupidly. The sensation of heat and energy pulsing through him in time with his heartbeat became more pronounced.
He was dazed, mindless and frozen, as he stood in front of the hallway entrance. An almost euphoric pleasure seemed to come with each twist of the muscle inside his chest.
But it seemed to pass just as quickly as it had come. The sensation of lightheadedness and security slipped away slowly like a single drifting tendril of fog. He blinked and all but the warmth of newfound energy with each pulse was gone again.
His hand was gripping the knob before he had thought it through. His hand ached and his wrist seemed to burn as his arm flared. The new scratch that had somehow stirred him into movement was cut off abruptly. Instead he heard something like a low, keen whimper that stretched for what seemed like hours. Then, a loud and harsh snort welcomed his ears and he tilted his head even as he twisted the knob. The click of metal that accompanied it seemed far too loud and heavy in his ears, echoing in his skull like gunfire.
The animal at the door sniffed quickly, drawing in such deep breaths that Yugi shuddered. It was silent for a long moment and then he heard nails clicking. The movements were swift and calculated, amplified so that it seemed that both limbs on one side of the body touched the ground at once. It lasted for all of ten seconds and Yugi was frozen in place, torn with the instinct to flee and yet curious all the same. Why should it wish to lead Yugi out there? It could easily kill him by leaping when he opened the door.
He realized only after he had gotten over his initial confusion and moved to the door that he was no longer referring to Ushio. The animal was something—someone—entirely different. It was more powerful and thus more dangerous.
But now he realized something much different as he started towards the door. If it had not been Ushio, what and whohadit been? He wondered if maybe, when he opened the door, he would still catch a distant glimpse of this new animal. The idea was more exciting where his mind tried to warn him of terror. His curiosity sprang like a cat, pushing away all hesitation and worry. A small bit of excitement swept through him.
He pulled the door open, already set on looking towards the trees.
Something heavy fell inwards through the gap of opened wood and Yugi frozen. His eyes had immediately snapped downwards to take in the sight of it.
And now he felt as if he had never regretted doing so more than he did right then.
A scream ripped through him before he could think straight. The noise rushed out even though the pain in his ribs made his head spin. His lungs constricted and collapsed in on themselves. His senses choked on a bitter yet disgustingly sweet metallic smell. His throat burned with acid. His head swam, his stomach twisting violently. He realized only as he was looking at a tan face turned ashen from blood loss that it was touching his foot. He jerked backwards hard enough that he nearly fell onto his butt and his scream grew tenfold in volume.
He heard them stirring upstairs, their mattresses squeaking and the clicks of the lamps as they turned on the lights. He heard them as they began to hurry towards the doors of their rooms and Yugi was unsure how he even heard them over his screams. His ears felt almost as if they were going to burst and bleed. He thought maybe the blood would drown out the noise almost like his gargled screams from his nightmare. For a split second he had the impulse to laugh hysterically at the thought. Ushio would never be even so much as a minor inconvenience in his day. He was, after all, right in front of him.
His head snapped around towards where he could hear them coming down the stairs as quickly as they could. He listened to them as they came and he immediately found himself looking at Ushio once more. The blood was humming in his veins and he felt his head buzz with something almost like a pulse of confusion and fear. So the other werewolf must have dragged him to the door and left him there. But how could another wolf have killed him? And how could they have managed with such violence? Ushio was so large and powerful anddangerous. How was it that they had managed to kill him?
This new wolf must have been almost twice as large as he was. It must have been three times as powerful. They must have been about large enough to be an apex predator in comparison to him. So what did that mean for Yugi exactly? Was it hunting him in Ushio's place? Was it planning to maul him to death now that Ushio was out of the picture? Maybe it was going to kill him as soon as it found it possible. And he wondered if he would be killed just as violently as Ushio had been.
Looking at him now he almost could not recognize him any longer. His skull looked as if it had been caught between two hammers and the teeth had punctured the sensitive flesh of both temples. A long line of puncture wounds followed each massive cut with one directly beneath the other. Yugi shuddered at the immediate thought in his head. Ushio was fully clothed and Yugi knew without a dealt that no murderer would have gone through the trouble of dressing him again. So it had killed himwhile he was human.
And somehow the canine had managed to leap up and clamp its jaws around Ushio's skull and crush it violently. The attack must have come from the side as well, because he could see with the way his head seemed to have flopped that the impact had snapped his neck. Yugi imagined it must have been an extremely high leap and well planned out to bring such an accurate result. He wondered if it was the blood loss or the angle and force in which his neck had snapped that had truly killed him. Either way, it was a rather neat kill and so quick as well, almost like Tomoya's horrible kill wound. He had had his neck ripped out. Ushio had had his skull crushed through his temples being punctured so violently.
The bite force must have been amazing. They looked almost completely untouched and the thought made his head hammer and throb briefly. If this werewolf could actually execute a kill so cleanly that only the kill wound was the thing to be noticed, how easy would it be for it to go completely undetected? It obviously had some powerful understanding of being both stealthy and staying under the radar. It must have killed so efficiently that Ushio had never even had a chance to make a noise against it. And, if it was going to hunt him now, then Yugi had no doubt it would be so clean that it would be untraceable.
Yugi shuddered violently at the idea of it and his mind immediately sprang forth with pictures. Would his be just as clean as or even more violent than Miho's? His stomach dropped at the idea and then slowly he raised his head towards the stairs. Both his mother and grandfather were frozen there, wide-eyed and horrified. His mother's face a step above her father's was an absolute mirror. Both of them were incredibly pale, almost as white as a piece of copy paper. Their mouths were wide open and their eyes locked on the immense shape in front of him. Slowly Yugi turned away to glance back at Ushio's corpse.
His mom was the one to finally call the police when she seemed to jerk back into action rather slowly. Behind her, his grandpa had been slow to react and had only moved when Yugi had. The police had arrived within ten minutes of being called. Two strenuous hours had passed with consistent and constant interrogation. Yugi had fallen into a rather numb state mentally to follow his physical one. He had answered questions from three officers, one investigator, and two detectives. Between the task of giving answers, being sure not to show how physically wounded he was, and struggling to keep from mentioning a mythological animal or panicking about said creature, Yugi was beyond exhausted. He felt almost as if he might fall from his chair at any moment.
Most everything outside of his own mind was moving in a listless buzz of inexplicable energy. There were hums of noise that occasionally morphed into words. At such times he would find his mouth moving and his voice coming out. What he was saying was another matter altogether. His eyes were still terribly keen and he always caught the small looks they would all share. He would immediately lock on them, only focused for all of five seconds, and then turn away again without hesitation.
He imagined that they thought he was in shock. He could tell from some of the sympathetic and nervous glances. The harsher the questions and the more frequent his daze seemed, the less suspicion he seemed in their eyes. They were so caught up in his state of mind and the connection between him and Ushio that they had misread his stiffened spine. They misunderstood his lowered gaze and shaking fingers. While it was true he was horrified and the shock had yet to truly leave his system, their assumptions were wrong. His shoulders were so high, his spine so tight, due to the numb but still terribly vibrant pain that came in steady, rapid pulses. He wondered if they might see where his thoughts had turned upon truly considering it all once more.
How far were they into Kokurano's investigation? Had they done an autopsy? Had they connected him with the other boy's death? Would they assume that his being there—if they had been able to determine it as such—and Ushio's corpse at his door be enough to brand him as a murderer?
When Kokurano's body had been found in the library the day before and the service had been held in the school, there had been no news. The most they had gotten was that he had seemed to have gone through an unusual death that had not been painful. They had said they did not have any leads and most likely that it had come from something to do with his obesity. The rumor that he had had something akin a heart attack had become something near an absolute truth amongst the students.
Whether that would still hold true later was something that Yugi felt might make him puke.
If they didn't come up with his presence at Kokurano's death, did he ever dare tell them? How was he meant to live with the constant fear that they might finally one day stumble upon the realization?
Yugi blinked and swallowed harshly as he looked up towards his mom slowly. The police were still there but their questioning had slowed drastically. The tension in the room seemed to be slowly dissipating as if a fog were lifting. His fingers trembled as he looked towards his grandpa as well. Both of them were watching him but not so closely that it was noticeable. His mom was facing an officer but he could feel her heavy stare even from the corner of her gaze. His grandpa was looking towards the microwave to check the time but his stare, too, was weighted upon his shoulders as he turned his head away. Yugi glanced at the officers still in the small kitchen with them and nearly shivered. They were not even looking at him now. For that split second he almost thought he had become nothing more than something of a background element within his own home.
His mind circled back instantly towards Kokurano and he swallowed harshly. Had he been sick or something? He had never really considered that an ancient, mythological creature like a werewolf might be able to become sick. And according to stories and things of that nature, there was no possible way due to their genetic make up. Beyond that, what was it that could possibly make someone's eyes glow or their head snap so swiftly back that their neck broke? Maybe a poison could explain the movement, as if he might have gone through a violent sporadic seizure, but he doubted it could have done such a thing. Maybe he had been trying to change and had somehow made the poison more potent. Or perhaps there had never been poison in the first place. Maybe it was something to do with his infection altogether.
Maybe something in his body had reacted horribly to the disease and so it had all curled in on itself. Had it all attacked itself? Had it all been some kind of backwards attack on his insides? Perhaps his body had been unable to control or coexist with such a disease and so had become the death of him.
And if Kokurano had not been able to handle it, then who was to say Yugi could?
But then, Tomoya had been able to do so. And besides the obvious size differences between the two of them—assuming that Kokurano could have chosen to be like Tomoya rather than Ushio—and personality there seemed to be almost nothing else. Unless there had been an underlying health issue due to his size, then he didn't understand why it might have turned around and done so to him.
Again he wondered what it was that meant for him. Was it going to do to him what he imagined it had done to Kokurano?
How was he meant to navigate and combat such a thing? It was a mystery in and of itself. He doubted they had chemotherapy for werewolves in case that was anything like what he might experience. Regardless, if it had been like cancer and killed Kokurano he did not see himself having much of a chance. And even if he wound up like Tomoya with full control of it, what did that even mean for him exactly?
Leaving the house on a full moon in an effort to hide himself and keep his family and friends safe? Abiding by such a law for the rest of his life—would it be immortal or simply just longer than his loved ones'?—would be nothing short of exhausting and torturous. What if, by some miracle, he and Anzu began dating? What was he meant to tell her, that once every month he would have to be completely alone? What if, down the road, he got married and wanted kids? Would it spread to them? Would it be spread if they had sex? What was he meant to do? Claim to have an erectile dysfunction of some kind? Wear condoms every time they had sex even with the risk that it might tear and he could still wind up infecting her?
What about kissing? Would that be thrown away in life as well? What was he meant to do? Was he meant to lock himself away from the rest of society?
Yugi did not think he could have done anything even remotely like that. He was social by nature and absolutely hated being alone. Isolating himself so permanently made him want to be sick. He could see himself growing insane from it all. He could see himself deteriorating slowly but surely in his head. He pictured himself starving for attention and slowly losing his mind in a desperate need for affection.
Was there a chance to somehow stop it all, to either rid himself of his infection or maybe even kill himself? He was desperate to know. If there was a chance to get rid of it, he would take it—especially if it did not involve suicide.
He turned his head when he saw his grandpa move from the corner of his eye. The elderly Motou looked incredibly exhausted and Yugi thought he could already see the beginnings of the bags that would look like deep purple bruises beneath his eyes. Yugi grimaced faintly and then glanced at his hand where it was trembling minutely against his knee. He wished the questions were over. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to curl up in his bed and put his thoughts to rest. He wanted to shut away the rest of the world, desperate for the relief. It was a pathetic idea, full of self-pity, and yet Yugi could not bother himself with the idea that he needed to stop those thoughts.
He didn't want them all watching or looking at him. He didn't want to have to hear the same questions or listen to himself giving the same answers. He did not want to have to struggle with the task of staying in his seat for their continued speculations. He did not want to have to see his mom and grandpa growing even more tired with every second. He could see his mom itching to snap that he could never have done such a thing and that his grandpa needed his rest.
He wondered if she might say that same thing if she knew about the wolves, if she knew his suspicions. Maybe she would turn right around and question just as adamantly. Or maybe she wouldn't bother. Perhaps she would simply turn away from him, never once viewing him as her son again or even going so far as to never mention his existence to another soul.
The thought made him swallow harshly and his eyes sting momentarily. What would he do if that ever happened? What would become of him? And what about her? What about his grandpa?
It would kill the elderly Motou to witness such a thing. It would destroy their relationship completely. And Yugi knew he would have to turn his back on him as well. He wouldn't risk his grandpa getting hurt—directly or otherwise. He imagined the pain, however, might become the end of the old man. Even if he left for his protection, he thought it might kill him regardless.
How pathetic a choice his life seemed to have become at that moment. It all seemed rather plainly to amount to nothing but obvious pain. He had always strived to avoid it in all its various forms—emotional, physical, mental—as he had grown older. But now it seemed rather inevitable and Yugi thought momentarily that he might give just about anything to change it.
Again he wondered briefly if there was any chance that he might have somehow managed to avoid becoming infected. But he doubted it immensely. There were too many unknown variables to be taken into account. He didn't even know how the disease was spread. But he highly doubted it was something that was easily contained or passed along only through genetics. It seemed far too powerful, even if he had only witnessed it once, to be something only passed through a bloodline.
He thought it was more likely highly contagious and could be spread in multiple ways when it came down to it. He was willing to take a bet that it was more alike Ebola than it was anything else. He doubted it was anything like sickle cell or anemia. And with the destructive force it must have possessed in order to change someone's body so completely, he could easily see it being just as dangerous and life-threatening as the former. Then he wondered if it was possible that—as more science-oriented arguments went—perhaps the ability to turn into a wolf might possibly handicap the brain. Maybe it deteriorated it slowly but surely and Kokurano had gone through such a death—sputtering nonsense about bleeding shadows and having such a violent spasm—because of it.
And a change like that had to put an immense pressure on the brain to the point of all but leaving a person in a vegetative state. If it was painful and terrible as it had seemed then it would be no wonder that it would cause such a death or possibly trigger some primordial, ancient killer instinct even as a human. Maybe it was all brought about because of the constant presence of the life-altering disease.
He narrowed his eyes faintly. Was he meant to call it a disease or an infection? Maybe he should consider it a virus instead?
Yugi blinked and pushed away the thought. He was becoming too fearful and stressed to fully make note of the differences. And his thoughts had become far too morbid and laced with growing hysteria to continue down this path. He felt that he might puke or burst into tears at any moment. What would the police think then? Yugi almost wanted to laugh at himself and a hysterical bubble burst within his skull. If they only had an idea of what he was thinking.
"A police car will be sent to circle the house every half hour, just in case whoever has done this is still around and may be waiting for their chance to break in," one of the officers stated loudly, as if in an attempt to push away the immense silence that had fallen over each of them. When Yugi finally turned his head in acknowledgment, the older man seemed almost shocked and the small teen thought that he saw him suppress a flinch.
Yugi fought off the impulse to laugh out loud. What the hell would a werewolf need to wait to break into a house for? They could easily kill them and run off and the police would never have any idea. He thought that held especially true for this one since it had killed Ushio so easily.
He flattened his palms against his thighs, fingernails momentarily digging into his jeans. Yugi pulled his hands away after a moment, watching the police officers for a few seconds. His mind was running once more and his head spun. Ushio had been arrested and reported for his tendency to physically abuse and blackmail smaller students. No names had been mentioned but he recognized that they were hinting at himself and Tomoya. The only reason his charges had been dropped was because his parents had paid the other students' off and each lawsuit had been dropped rather immediately.
Was this new werewolf one of Ushio's victims? Was it possible that the killing was meant to be something else entirely?
He couldn't resist a shiver a new idea occurred to him.
Was it possible that rather than being a warning, Ushio's body was something of an offering? What if this new wolf was attempting to make peace with him through providing him the corpse? Was it seen as a refusal of their offering and a terrible misstep on his behalf? Or was it a test to see if Yugi might be valuable?
Did werewolves even run in packs like natural wolves or something else entirely?
He snorted out a breath, a low and disgruntled noise, and then narrowed his eyes as the door closed. His mom and grandpa were focused on him instantly once more. Yugi glanced at them and then away again, shaking his head slightly. He got to his feet immediately, heading for his room again before either of them could open their mouths. He stumbled the first step but caught his balance quickly and mumbled that his leg had fallen asleep. The walk to the door was slow and painful, his hip and backbone flaring. He was breathing heavily, he realized as he shut the door and braced himself against the cool wood.
A whimper bubbled up in the back of his throat. He swallowed thickly. It felt as if every bone in his body was screaming. The pain left him feeling lightheaded. He stumbled forward once more, finally pulling away from the door. Exhausted and quiet, the blue-violet-eyed teen winced and strained his ears for his mom and grandpa. He could hear the low tones of their voices as they whispered to each other but he could not make out their words.
He collapsed against the bed and immediately regretted it. The air rushed from his lungs. His ribs seemed to crack upon impact. He let out a low miserable whimper and slowly moved to lie on his left side. The deep breath he drew in made his eyelids bright with bursts of color. His head swam and his stomach dropped as his body pulsed with pain. His heart skyrocketed with the intensity of the ache and Yugi fought of the urge to pull his knees up and curl into a ball. It felt almost as if his chest were full of boiling blood.
He wondered vaguely if he was dying. Then he questioned the possibility of such a thing. How fast did the disease spread? Were werewolves immortal or only partially? Was he still mostly human or more werewolf? How long would it be before he found himself turning into a large furry canine? What happened if his mind started warping and became more wolf-like? Would he end up craving blood and hunting people because he liked meat? Or was he simply going to witness it like a bystander almost as his mind slowly deteriorated and he became something of the hideous beast the werewolf was known as?
But Tomoya and Ushio had turned into wolves. They had become four-legged masses of slim muscle beneath thick pelts of fur.
So, did that mean they had shared the mentality of one as well? Or was it simply that they were humans in a wolf's body?
Yugi groaned in annoyance at his incomprehension. With the rate at which his questions were growing, he felt that the answers would do nothing more than hinder him further but he needed to at least find some way to prepare for it all. Maybe he could start with the full moon and work his way through it all from there.
Or maybe the idea of nearly instantaneous healing was where he needed to begin. He didn't exactly feel much better than he had when Ushio had first attacked him but even with his consistent pain he thought that perhaps it should have been far worse.
He was not sure if that was from Ushio infecting him or, rather, that he had gotten some range of permanent nerve damage due to the impact with the wall. Having some mild brain damage or a concussion that was blocking his ability to perceive pain was not something he would have doubted.
Hand shaking with exhaustion, Yugi reached down to grab the very top of his comforter where he had thrown it back in order to get up. The fabric let out a scratching hiss where his nails ran over it. Its temperature had dropped to an icy chill and his stomach dropped once more for a moment. He grasped the material tightly and tugged it over himself. The pain that came with the action was immediate and sent him reeling mentally. He swallowed a whimper. His arm throbbed violently. His shoulder quaked. He ground his teeth together. His breaths came in short, shallow pants.
He stayed as still as he could, trying to regulate his breathing. He was not about to allow himself to go into shock. He would not slip into cyanosis either. If he could truly manage to keep it away he would do so.
The warmth that came over him with the addition of his sheets and comfort was almost enough to distract him completely. Focusing more on it than he did anything else, his breathing seemed to slowly but surely grow deeper. Brief images like shadows at nighttime picked at his attention. The darkness began to take on attributes like those of discolored clouds and drifting smoke. Small splotches of silver began to appear. They began to spread like rivulets of water falling down a pain of glass. Tendrils of white began to speckle and glisten in front of his eyes. Slowly shapes began to form, more solid and noticeable than the former images had been.
They were a simple shade of medium gray as they grew more definitive. Yugi glanced at them each as his vision began to clear. Long, bare tree branches had risen and taken shape far over his head. When he took a step, a crunching noise met his ears. His glance down provided with him with the sight of frozen grass that shimmered a beautiful silver-white and sapphire blue. Another softer and familiar roaring noise made him blink in surprise. There was rippling water somewhere nearby.
The sound was enough to make him wander forward. He was unsure whether he was searching for it or simply wanted to keep moving but he was racing soon enough. The speed with which he moved were amazing and his energy seemed almost constant. The full moon was beaming through the branches overhead and seemed to encircle him, covering him and shining almost like a spotlight. No matter the speed or direction he took, it was in his view. It painted the grass in a glistening sheen like starlit dew that gleamed against his vision and left him feeling as if he might drown with joy.
The canine slunk forward with a pelt as dark as the shadows surrounding it. The dim moonlight glistened beautifully against its long guard hairs, rippling like water as it trotted forward. The air was so thin as it drew in a breath that for a moment it imagined the sky might crack around it. The trees were slim, the trunks nearly bare and each of them looked almost like tall sentries standing vigil in the deep darkness. Stray fallen branches littered the straw-laden forest floor and small sprigs of ice-hardened grass rose just above the fallen pine. A single shimmering image before it made it pause minutely. A cricket played a soft melody and others responded quickly as the canine flicked an ear in its direction and raised its nose to draw in a deeper breath. It blew the inhale outwards using the slits on the side of its wet nose, the white mist glistening brilliantly on either side of its muzzle. Its nose tingled with the cold air and the nasal passage grew almost bitterly frosty, sending a rush through its entire system. Its lungs swelled and its mouth grew full of saliva with the anticipation that crashed through its powerful frame.
The pool of water had something of a marshy bank, with small plants and stems of grass that sprung from the shallowest depths. Small bits of moss had fallen within it and a large branch lay on the other shore, so immense that the branches acted as a thick web-like network that could easily block an animal looking to drink. A few coarse-surfaced rocks with open pores littered each side and their exterior had been the sole cause of many cuts to passing animals. The canine looked upon the surface cautiously, eyes sharp as they glowed a shadowed mixture of amber in the darkness. The moonlight on its surface moved only in gentle ripples that looked as soft as the caress of wind when it stirred the trees. A small mouse scrambled amongst the roots of a tree and the large predator watched it as it darted amidst the tangles of wood.
Its ears flickered, listening to it as its tiny paws scraped the hard-packed earth. For a moment it thought to chase but the prize would not be worth the energy spent. Instead it watched the small animal disappear into its den a few yards away and turned back to the water. It was too shallow to support fish but the surface still twitched with the movement of a small fly which was snatched away into the thin white threads of a cobweb across the thin pool. It thrashed and its wings looked almost rainbow with the glints of silver moonlight and the canine thought of gasoline spilled upon the asphalt. Its attention was immediately upon the eight-legged arachnid that came running from the very top of a single blade of grass, each limb long and beautifully graceful as it remained balanced.
The canine's sharp eyes remained locked on the display even as its head was lowered towards the water, its vision as keen as it was during the day. Even as it moved slowly towards the pool of water, it could see each and every hair on both of the bugs' bodies. It could see the tiny eyes on the spider as it wove its webbing to cocoon the insect and it caught every small glittering vein within its wings. The large animal stepped into the water, the rough pads of its paws prickling with cold as it was slowly engulfed. The mud moved and shifted beneath its weight and a rock pressed against its outer right toe. The fly was thrashing uselessly as the canine continued watching in its peripheral. The air was growing colder even now and the dense fur along its body parted gently with a small breeze that passed through the trees.
Every nerve in its body was alight with energy as the water touched its tongue and the wind drifted away like ribbons of smoke. With a single inhale the animal caught the smell of a wounded serow, its blood a sweet metallic undertone that was enough to make its head turn. The gelid air was still enough that the canine did not have to inhale rapidly to catch the scent once more. Like the spider, it turned towards the task of filling its belly. With wounded prey only a few miles ahead, the task would be no challenge.
The spider in its peripheral was lazing about as the animal pulled its paw from the water and its surface shimmered with the movement. The droplets sounded almost like rain as they fell now that the predator was focused on the task of finding its meal. Ears pricked forward, the canine lowered its head so that it ran parallel to its spine. The movements were swift and graceful as its pelt rippled with the steady roll of its muscles beneath. Once again the darkness seemed to swallow it and the moonlight glittered against long, straight guard hairs all along its spine and scruff.
The fallen pine shifted beneath its feet effortlessly and a soft, almost inaudible squelching sound made its ears flicker faintly. The trees passed in a steady rush of motion, a constant stream of muted browns and soft gray with scattered touches of white and cobalt blue. The leaves were a silvery, veined sheen of shadow due to the cold, easy light from the moon where clouds were slowly drifting across its surface. The smell in the air was still only that of the serow's blood, the sole thing that stood out amongst the hard-packed earth, wet pine, and shattered bark. Its belly rumbled as it drew in a deep breath and sped up further, its brisk walk turning into a trot that would easily carry it up to eight miles per hour.
A new scent made it pause, a small hint of alarm passing through it as its movements slowed. It drifted forward lightly, almost like a newly bloomed flower, but it was intense in its concentration, with a strength like spilled gasoline. This new smell was of earth and rotting wood and fallen pine needles soaked in rain with the slightest touch of charcoal. Its intensity put the natural scents to near shame and the canine faltered momentarily as it connected in its mind the source of such a smell.
Another werewolf was hunting this same serow.
It hurried forward as a loud crash met its ears and a few small twigs broke from a bush the goat-antelope collided with. The serow let out a whistling noise, a clear call of alarm and distress, and the canine broke into a full sprint. Immediately a pair of gleaming golden eyes of another werewolf rose from the current kill it was making in order to regard the interloper, ears pricking forward in surprise. Both of the canines watched each other and the serow sprung up to bolt. Its original bunter lashed out quickly. Its teeth chomped onto the underside of the goat-antelope's throat. The vein burst. Blood welled outwards and splattered across the straw. The golden-eyed wolf dropped it again.
Both of them resumed staring. They could either fight or share the meal. The newcomer was too hungry at the moment to bother with much of a fight. The golden-eyed one wasn't truly willing to risk a wound. Especially when it took in the other's sheer size.
The amber-eyed lupine flopped onto its stomach and lowered its head to its paws. If this resulted in a fight, it was almost certain to win, but the other hardly appeared aggressive. There had not been even a growl. No tail had been raised to signal a fight. No fur had risen into a bristle. No lips had been drawn back. No teeth had been shown. Its ears hadn't pricked forward. It had not even raised its head all the way to stake a claim on the serow. Instead, as they looked at each other, it almost appeared as if it were not so keen as to so much as be in the other's presence.
A long minute passed and the golden-eyed werewolf slowly raised its tail. The other wolf began to rise immediately, ready to either fight if it was demanded or simply turn and take its leave. The original hunter waited for a long moment until the interloper was on its feet entirely. Then it wagged its tail and that slight tension was gone once more. A small whine came a moment later, its ears flattened against its skull, and then it turned and trotted off. The amber-eyed canine stood there for a moment, completely still safe for breathing, and strained its ears for any hint that it might be a trick. Surely the werewolf had not just simply abandoned a meal.
Keeping its ears keen for any movement or sign of possible threats, the wolf finally went to the serow's side. A small snap made it snarl but a twig simply fell from one of the branches as the wind stirred. Deciding to take advantage of the free meal, the wolf leaned forward to sink its teeth into the goat-antelope's flank.
The animal's blood was sweet on his tongue, flooding his mouth with flavor. The scent in his nose was sickening with how overpowering it was as it seemed to grow thicker and almost musky in an effort to suffocate him. His head was reeling with something pleasurable. His entire mouth was filled with thick liquid which aided in the task of overwhelming him. It was almost like cotton candy cough medicine, but it had the texture of biting into a tender but stringy piece of chicken. He swallowed thickly and the taste remained on his tongue even without another bite being taken.
A soft trickling sound met his ears and he remembered the river only a few yards away. His head turned toward it, curious for a split second, but his stomach was growling again. He turned away from the water almost without thought. His teeth dug into the meal in front of him once more. He had not been chasing this massive serow without reason. He had not just spent what felt like hours running through this seemingly endless forest, just to be distracted away from his hard earned meal.
He pulled himself closer to the animal, digging his teeth into its side and pulling at the soft yet stringy flesh. The taste burst forth on his tongue once more. His mouth flooded with saliva again. The scent made his head swim and his pulse jump. Drool fell from both sides of his mouth. The grass around him had become a mass of dark brown, almost black splatters from the spilled blood. His tongue tingled faintly. His stomach growled again and his right shoulder sparked with energy as if his nerves had been set on fire.
The sensation grew to the point that his arm jerked as if in a spasm. His arm fell forward and seemingly through the serow. The taste in his mouth grew tenfold. His heart started to beat faster. His arm burned violently. His senses reeled. Another violent spasm sent him nearly falling forward.
Yugi flinched as his arm popped violently and his eyes opened slowly. He was groggy and dazed as he tried to figure out what it was that had made the noise. It came again in what sounded like homemade pop rock fireworks. His eyes flickered around quickly but his senses were too groggy to fully understand what it was he was seeing. At first he only saw the sky blue of the paint on the walls and the white of the door. His mom and grandpa were nowhere around within the room with him. There was no explanation for the noise when it came again, just as there had been none the first time. He blinked again groggily and a dull, almost nonexistent ache centered in his shoulder pulled at his attention. He yawned softly, prepared to look at the wound again and redo the entire set of gauze he had done formerly.
Instead he found his eyes widening drastically and his mouth nearly falling open. Horror made his mouth extremely dry and his stomach twist violently. His shirt sleeve was moving along the shoulder and it had been pulled back sometime in the night. He got a clear view of what was happening there. The skin was pulsing and twitching and it looked as if it had lumped together into a golf ball and was rolling around beneath it. But the popping sound was that of bones. And he recognized the ridge of his collarbone as it poked upwards beneath his skin.
It looked like a small peak beneath his flesh which had pulled tight and was beginning to look purplish and almost bruised at the top. And it was moving as well. As the popping noise grew louder the bone began to rise and fall. It began to shift once more into place, but the sound was splintering and he could see it when it shattered and rearranged. The dull ache was growing a small bit more pronounced but the pain he knew should have been there was nowhere to be found.
His heart was pounding violently and with each beat his head seemed to hammer faintly. He could feel any hint of wariness leaving his system almost immediately. His blood was tingling beneath his skin and his veins felt like a network of flames in his body. Each of his nerve endings was beginning to pulse in time with his heart. He was still watching his collarbone as it seemed to almost slither beneath his skin.
The only thing that kept him from screaming was the shock. He was almost unable to truly recognize what it was that he was seeing. It wasn't possible. Yugi was rather sure he had to be imagining it, especially when he felt none of the pain he should have. His shoulder should have been painful enough that his screams could almost wake the dead. His mom and grandpa should have been racing in to check on him and screaming with him when they saw it as well. Maybe it was a simple hallucination that was meant to mirror the scarabs in that scene from that movieThe Mummy. That scene had been the one to freak him out far more than any of the others and so he had always been terrified of scarab beetles. The others had always teased him about it but Yugi was almost thankful that he knew that scene so well because if it was simply a hallucination he at least knew its origin.
His ribs took on a dull ache that mirrored his shoulder as he drew in a small breath. He blinked and the movement stopped, his room falling silent for a long moment. Yugi swallowed thickly, unsure of his conclusion as yet another noise destroyed the silence. There was a slight and soft grinding sound that was unavoidable as it began to drill its way into his eardrums. A small but sharp pain made him lose the breath in his lungs. It felt as if a knife had dug itself into his ribcage and the pain was seeping further through him. The marrow within his bones flared and pulsated violently within his heart. His first instinct was to cry out. His second was to curl up tightly as if to protect himself. His third was to stay as still as he possibly could.
Yugi settled for the latter, refusing to so much as draw air into his lungs once more. He did not think the pain would be worth it. A hollow, numb sensation was creeping over his ribs like ants crawling across his skin. His blood rushed like burning liquid through his veins, then seemed to vanish altogether. He shuddered and the skin, bruised and somewhat raw, began to tingle and dance with pinpricks of energy. He drew in a low, quick breath in order to stop the lightheadedness that was creeping over him. His ribs flared violently for only a second. A cold sensation was traveling through his skin and into his bones.
It was almost as if the blood had left the right side of his chest. There was not a single touch of heat to be found within his body there. The tingling was completely gone but the hollowness had returned. It felt as if ice had somehow lodged itself in his bones where the marrow should have been. The sensation was cool and refreshing, almost like that of drinking icy water or breathing through the mouth after chewing mint gum. When he finally risked drawing in another breath, the pain eluded him completely. Instead the iciness seemed to momentarily mix with his lightheadedness and seemed to push away any thoughts he might have had.
The chilly sensation remained for several long minutes as Yugi took advantage to draw in as many breaths as he could. He was halfway through an inhale when it first began to lessen its hold. It was almost disturbing how the warmth seemed to slowly creep back through him, claiming mere centimeters whereas the iciness had come in rather suddenly. But Yugi was more concerned about the pain that would come back with the heat. It had been hard enough hiding it away from his mom originally. With this hopeful reprieve, he was sure it would be twice as hard. He thought he would always be hopeful that it would return and the pain would seem tenfold when he began breathing regularly again.
He braced himself as the last of it began to dissipate, breathing as slow and even as if he were asleep. A small tremor ran through him as the heat returned completely. His body tingled briefly and then settled. Yugi swallowed heavily and scrunched his eyes shut once more. His lungs felt as if they were quivering beneath his ribs, desperate to replenish themselves. He fought away the impulse as much as he could but gave in when his head seemed to be swimming once more. It was a slow and miniscule breath, nothing to be especially alarmed or careful about, but he was waiting for it.
The pain never came. Instead, a slow and light almost whisper of a noise met his ears. The grinding from before was gone, replaced by this gentle sound as he exhaled and then gulped air in once more. His mind struggled with comprehending what had just occurred and the almost nonsensical reality of the situation bit at his attention. When he slowed his breathing to experiment with this new idea in his head, the pain was still nonexistent. Again that easy and rather soft whisper met his ears. The idea immediately became an almost unavoidable realization that nearly sent him reeling.
His shoulder and his ribs had just mended themselves.
The breaks in both sets of bone had been fixed.
Yugi didn't have to think about it to know such a thing. The pain from both spots was nearly gone, as impossible a realization as that truly was.
It must have been the infection that had caused it. There was no other explanation. And a hallucination was not a likely enough culprit for him to truly consider.
He knew his dream had to have been brought on by the illness as well. It had seemed far too lucid and the taste in his mouth far too real. He swallowed thickly as his tongue seemed to swell in acknowledgment. It was caked with an almost pasty layer of something thick and sweet.
He shuddered, instinct telling him to run and try to leave it behind. Reality bit at his attention with an alarming question of what he was meant to do now. How was he truly meant to deal with all of this? When it came down to it, was he meant to hide away all his life? From what he knew of werewolves—which he knew was hardly credible considering they were Hollywood movies and authors' imaginations—they either aged extremely slowly or were just completely immortal. Then there was the tie to the full moon and the insanity that came with it. There were the nightmares and insomnia and the constant desire to eat red meat. Those were just a few of the more common ones, and thelesscommon ones involved things much different. They were considered Gabriel's Hounds or they shifted into wolves in an enjoyable and overallpainlessway. They were always the bitches when a vampire became involved and they had two different forms, one animal and the other beast.
From what he had seen he knew of only thing for absolute sure. Werewolves turned into wolves, lupines rather than monsters.
From what he speculated he knew of several outcome for his life. If he was right and Kokurano had somehow reacted in a way that had killed him physically as well as mentally, then he could very easily wind up following in his footsteps. If the disease was enough to slowly drive him mad or alter his personality and make him violent, then he might end up like Ushio. If he could control it and it failed to change him too drastically, then he could be as kind-hearted and normal as Tomoya had been.
But what came after that? Should the full moon idea actually somehow be true—maybe it was like an allergic reaction to the light like some people had to the sun—then he would have to plan his life around something that had formerly seemed so meaningless. Then, what about silver? His mother had a ton of silver antiques that she had always been planning to pass long to him in her will. And then he had to wonder what he would do with his life if perhaps the disease did something with animals. Was it possible that the hybrid had not merely been a wolf-dog but a werewolf as well? His exposure to it had sent the animals into an aggressive frenzy before, so did they maybe sense just how unnatural a creature it might have been? Would they sense it in him too? And if they did, was he going to have to change his whole life around in order to accommodate this new affliction? Becoming a veterinarian would most certainly be off the table if this were a truth rather than a simple theory.
And then what would he do with his life?
He knew he was young and still had choices, that his path was hardly set in stone, but the idea of branching off was hardly anything that he wished to consider. With a path laid out before him things were a lot easier. He imagined that most people felt the same way while others might scoff that he had the grades and the years to follow through with whatever else it was that he planned to do. It was, more or less, the idea that he might disappoint his mother and grandfather that truly hindered his attempts at such changes being made.
Yugi went to sit up, banishing the thoughts, and yelped when his hip flared violently with pain. His lower back followed with a furious ache that left him breathless. His hip was still bruised and possibly fractured, his back still tender and the bone still sporting what he assumed was a dislodged disc. He trembled, startled by the idea that somehow he had only selectively healed himself, with the worst of it mended, but somehow positively elated all the same. He could live with a fractured hip and tailbone but broken ribs and a shattered collarbone—he was assuming as much because of what he had seen when he had woken up—were much harder to conceal.
He had always slouched when he walked so the posture he had taken in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain seemed the same for the most part. He had learned to shift his weight and balance himself more manageably by applying more pressure onto his left leg when he went to set his right foot down. It managed to balance him in such a way that a limp was almost nonexistent safe for the slight hindrance of putting his weight on his right leg as well. Thankfully it was so slight that no one seemed to notice. Even his mother's medically sharpened, trained eyes failed to catch it.
But he had always been waiting for her to notice it when he struggled to breathe properly. He felt almost sure that she had her suspicions even if she never voiced them. And he was almost certain that his grandfather saw it too, even if he never said a word about it.
He shook his head, kicking his legs over the side of his bed. He hissed a breath in pain but did not focus on it as he went towards the mirror. The reflective glass was hanging on the wall high enough to show off his upper body but not low enough to catch beneath his pelvic bone. He thought at that moment that the positioning was perfect for looking at his wounds as he knew was necessary. He needed to check on them and possibly change the bandaging on his arm if only because it required air.
Yugi looked his immediate reflection over only for a second. His facial features were regular enough. His eyes drifted to his neck where his choker looked almost like a thick leather band with a large metal buckle across the center. He had opted for a larger one when he had first seen the scratches after his shoulder the night the attack had happened. They had been disgustingly red and raw, the skin raised in long, nasty, almost mountainous peaks. His pulse had been outlined by a single, long drawn out line that had stopped at his collarbone while the other four slash marks had run diagonally across his flesh. The choker was hardly thick enough to hide all of it away and so he had put on shirts with collars that rested slightly higher to block what little skin it couldn't. When he had been asked, it had been almost common sense to blame it on the cold weather.
Now Yugi meticulously worked to unbuckle the strip of leather. He was still well aware of the possibility of pain. He had not felt that frostiness around his throat at any point. It was likely that his neck was just as wounded as it had been formerly. He wasn't willing to risk the pain that was guaranteed to follow if he tugged it off too quickly or reopened the wounds. The very idea of it was almost enough to make him want to puke.
His hands were shaking lightly as he moved to flip the metal buckle and pull the tongue from where it had kept it firmly in place. The gauze he had used the choker to keep in place scratched lightly against his throat uncomfortably. The tape pulled at his skin lightly and he hesitated. It did not feel so terribly painful at the moment but he worried all the same. Fingers still shaking and eyes glued to his reflection, Yugi swallowed thickly as the buckle folded back and he was able to undo the strip of leather he had pushed through the loop. He pulled the choker away to look the bandage over and nearly puked as his eyes wandered over it. The white gauze was stained a brilliant, violent dark red in the center and the outsides painted dark, milky yellow almost like a urine stain. The tape was off-white in color, with an almost greasy appearance like what came with a clear discharge or a slice of pizza in the microwave.
He swallowed thickly and slowly picked at the bandage, ignoring how heavy and weighted the material felt. The tap tugged gently at his skin and the noise of it peeling from the flesh surrounding the wound made his ears ring. It was almost as if it were roaring viciously in his ears like a truck coming to life. He swallowed harshly once more and felt his shoulder lock momentarily, a soft but sharp ache cutting through his skin. His shoulder must not have been as healed as he had originally assumed, or at least not his arm beneath it. He ignored the thought, instead pulling at the medical tape again.
Despite the slow and careful effort he put into the task, he couldn't help but make his skin burn with each attempt. He recognized his skin was growing bright red. The air stung as the tape pulled more adamantly. In the mirror Yugi found himself swallowing hard. The wound was pulled and some clear discharge was slowly oozing outwards. Small touches of bright red like a glittering gem were beginning to follow. He could see where he would need to clean the skin in order to see just how much more he would need to do with it and to simply check all of what might have healed and what had failed to. Maybe he would need to clean and then disinfect once more. Or possibly he would find that the wound had healed itself as it had seemed to do with his shoulder and ribs.
He dropped both the bloodied gauze and the choker away to the floor. His neck was a light white and pink line across his pulse which was smeared with blood turned brown in its dried out state. The tape had left mass amounts of residue across his skin and the area around it was bright and furious in its pink hue.
His arm was beginning to throb now, demanding his attention, and Yugi felt his stomach flip and somersault violently. He swallowed thickly as he continued looking his reflection over. He could not see anything in the mirror that hinted at how progressed his wound had become. Yugi looked at his arm next, reminding himself momentarily that he had bandaged it entirely to his wrist. The top of his shoulder and collarbone had been given a layer of gauze and tape as his neck had. He turned his eyes on the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing and then towards the knob's reflection. He turned towards it fully in order to walk over and turn the lock.
When he turned back to the mirror he found himself hesitating momentarily. His stomach twisted and burned faintly, his throat aching as his head rang with alarm. What if he found something far from desirable when he looked over each of his wounds once more? He almost didn't want to risk finding out anymore. If he found something he could not handle, then what was he meant to do with himself?
He pushed the thought away immediately, hands shaking for a split second. He would not allow himself to be scared away from it all. He had to check on them and make sure that none of his fears became anything worse than they had already once been. He pulled the hem of his shirt before he could think it through more fully, swallowing harshly before finally tugging it over his head as quickly as possible. The pain shot through him instantly, his head swimming momentarily as he drew in a sharp breath. The cotton brushed against the tape and caught for only a moment but it made him flinch nonetheless. His mind was spinning violently as he dropped it to the floor. He would have to try to look at his head wound later, when he had a handheld mirror to use it to angle the reflection into the large bathroom glass.
The tape had been wrapped around his bicep and just above the joint of his wrist. The gauze had been layered five times in order to stop any chance of it bleeding again, ensuring that his clothes would not be ruined if it discharged. His arm was throbbing far more noticeably. His heart was beginning to quicken and the pain was becoming more intense. He drew in a deep breath, swallowing hard and exhaling sharply once.
He flinched harshly as he began to dig his nails beneath the tape against his skin. He hissed out a breath as it pulled at his skin violently. Yugi swallowed thickly as his eyes burned and his arm began to feel almost as if it were being pushed into an open flame. As he was beginning to pull at the gauze he could feel his skin peeling and pulling upwards with the soiled medical bandaging. His head was spinning again, his senses rushing with a disoriented confusion. He staggered lightly to the side but held his balance by some miracle. His breath came out in a sharp exhale, his stomach flipping violently as a smell swarmed his senses, threatening to suffocate him as he saw blood beginning to ooze down his arm.
The muscles were moving beneath his skin in sharp tics and shuddering jerks. The spasms were brief but he could feel something hot beginning to frail down his skin. He didn't have to look to recognize the sensation of blood having his wound once more. He was expecting to see the bright red when he began to pull the bandage away completely. What he was not prepared for was the additional discharge that immediately met his eyes. Something pale yellowish white was amidst the darker rivulets of color which were quickly vacating the serrated and risen, raw and pink, skin of the wound. He blinked in horror at the sight of it as his head began to feel light and dizzy.
By the gods, he was discharging pus.
It was coming in more than just a rather liquid discharge. It came in clumps almost as if it were large cotton balls soaked in alcohol and their shape deformed. Thankfully the skin surrounding the wound was not darkened or discolored. Yugi drew in a deep breath and swallowed thickly as he looked the wound over. All four massive gouge marks were discharging now. The skin was more fully raised in the middle two than the outer. A bubble of yellow-white with mars of red and pink made the pus more vibrant and disgusting to his vision. His stomach tossed violently. His head swam, vision dancing, and he swallowed hard again. Almost all of the wound was covered in blood and touches of pus now.
He ground his teeth together violently and narrowed his eyes into slits. He was disgusted by the sight of his arm, how horrifyingly dark pink it had become in color. He hadn't pulled the bandaging away completely but he could see even with the shadows that each inch of his skin was uniform in shade. Something hard made his throat ache horrendously. It threatened to close up from the strain and shock of the entire situation.
He gagged at the new, sour and bitter stench that crept into his nose. His eyes watered with the slow burn that accompanied it. His throat ached once more and he fought off the impulse to puke as he drew in another breath. It was disgustingly infected. He could actually, trulysmellhow bad it was. He could gauge the very severity of it all by the rotting smell and the bitter, sour edge that came with it. The undercurrent of sweetness was enough to make his head spin. From the smell alone he could tell immediately that there was lots of pus beneath his skin and the exposed muscles were dying.
Instead he found himself thinking of the wolf-dog, that disgusting smell that had followed it. The stench had been terrible even though the muscle had not seemed to be decayed. Yet there was still that terrible wonder that came with the realization. Was the smell something to do with the werewolf trait? Maybe the wound appeared and smelled worse than it actually was. Or, maybe, as he had thought before, it was some kind of defense mechanism like a skunk.
Yet he truly doubted that now. He was bleeding and pus was oozing from his wound. That hardly seemed like a natural defense now.
And from what he remembered the last time a wounded limb had smelled so terrible they had been forced to amputate. With a wound so hideous they would have attempted antibiotics and constant monitoring. Then they would finally resent to the last thing they would ever want to do. Many of the amputated limbs looked as his arm did.
Yugi shook his head in a violent jerk of a movement. He was not about to lose his arm. He refused to allow such a thing to happen.
He had yet to hear of a werewolf with a missing limb. And Hollywood had always come up with stupid sh*t at times. A three-limbed werewolf was not one of those things. He could name many stupid things where werewolves were involved, because he was and had always been for more into the "beasts" than he ever had vampires. He knew of all of the popular literature, movies, comics and shows that existed of the mythological animal. A werewolf with only one arm had never been so much asmentioned. Curiously the small teen wondered with a morbid fascination and small bit of excitement if werewolves could truly regenerate a lost limb.
The excitement turned into an almost disgusted shame as he swallowed harshly. An insidious sickness seemed to creep through him violently as he looked at the wound once more. He did not want to lose a limb—ever. Whether regeneration was possible or not, the idea of a lost limb disgusted and terrified him more than anything.
He shook his head sharply once more. Hollywood werewolves didn't even seem much like the ones he was probably going to become.
Yugi pushed the thought away with new determination and pulled the rest of the bandage away again. The sound of the gauze pulling from his skin was that of a thunderclap. His flesh was caught in the hideously stained bandaging. The dried blood had sewn his wound to it, the exposed tissue caught and binding.
He swallowed back the scream that threatened to tear through him. Blood welled from the wound viciously like a fountain. The wound was by far more aggravated than it had originally been. The marks looked twice thick and tenfold as red as they had been. Pus bubbled out once more in thick trails of milky white and soft pink. Horror made his stomach drop and his heart sink. The wound was just as deep as it had been. There had been nothing to help heal it in the least. But, with that realization, he had to wonder how it was that his broken ribs and collarbone now seemed okay. And was it possible that the scratches had somehow managed to get worse in the two days since the attack?
He hissed softly in irritation as he ground his teeth together again. He shook his head at the decayed smell again. He thought briefly to pull his shirt over his nose to stop its assault on his ability to smell but his senses were so keen that he doubted it would help at any rate. He attempted smaller, shallower and quicker breaths but the scent was burned into his nose and his throat ached with the stench that still swamped his lungs.
He swallowed back some bile at the sight of it and the intense amount of blood that was still rapidly flowing from the torn skin. Yugi exhaled roughly through his nose to expel some of the disgusting scent. Immediately he wished he had grabbed a towel before he had begun to do this. He needed something to soak the blood up with, and the gauze was all but ruined on one side rather than the other. Some of the off-white yellowish discharge had gotten to the other side, however, and he wondered if it would be capable of drinking up the bright red blood.
Then again, all he needed to do with that was hold it to the wound until he could get the disinfectant baby wipes and the first-aid kit and black towels from beneath the bed. Then, when he had all of that, he could simply wash away some of the dried blood and search the contents in the kit after wiping away all of the blood and pus. He may not have had the tools he needed to perform a surgery to possibly remove the dead tissue but he felt he wouldn't have time to do it without getting caught in the meantime. It was early—he could tell that much by the sound of his mom and grandpa's even breathing—but if they woke up and thought to check on him after what had happened before, he was sure he wouldn't have an explanation. With the door locked they would rightfully assume something was wrong. And he would never have an explanation because it was always extremely rare for him to lock his door like this.
He slipped the soiled bandaging off his wrist and quivered when he saw the mess of blood and pus. Swallowing harshly, Yugi moved to twist the soiled gauze dressing and press it into the wound. He choked on a loud whimper as the material pressed onto the gaping cuts. The pus came more violently with the motion, almost as if he had pressed into some zit by accent and it had popped immediately due to the immense pressure. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head sharply as he tried to push the image away.
He glanced over minutely at his reflection before quickly stepping towards the bed again, eyes already singled towards where he knew the kit was hidden. He was happy that he had put it in such a way that he could easily pull it out with his left hand. He would have to make it quick because he was almost completely sure the dressing was going to fall out at any moment. He crouched quickly, snatching under the bed without looking, and clutched the kit and the towel that he knew lay on top of it. He tugged and nearly cursed when his right arm touched the bright yellow comforter. A smear of blood and an almost static-like noise met his ears as he pulled away with a cringe. The metal kit let out a soft whisper of noise as it slid across the floor easily, the carpet fibers a gentle rustle in the back of his mind.
His stomach clenched as he pulled his arm to himself again once more and watched as the bandaging dropped to the floor. Ignoring the new sting he had acquired and the intensity that had bloomed with the hit to the blanket, he snatched the towel and pressed it firmly against the wound. Again the pain made him flinch violently and his head swam momentarily. He gagged at the smell in his nose and his head felt light and charred as if it had been seared too fiercely to recover. He didn't doubt that the fibers would be soaked through in only a few moments but he ignored the idea and the horror it represented in order to latch onto the kit. He dug his nails beneath the lid and pulled upwards, flipping it open and taking inventory of the items inside.
He recognized the two absorbent compress dressing, twenty-five adhesive bandages, the set of adhesive cloth tape, five antibiotic ointment packets, five antiseptic wipe packets, two bottles of aspirin, the sterile gauze pads, and the instant cold compress. The other handful of items inside made him blink before he ignored them to grab the antiseptic wipes with a small coil of relief in his stomach.
An antiseptic wipe was said to be a lot gentler and cleaner than alcohol wipes—and certainly baby wipes. When he used them he was hopeful that he would be far less likely to start screaming. But he was almost certain that five antiseptics would be too little to do much for his task. He was hopeful that it would work out well enough that he would not hurt himself worse than he already was.
It took him twenty minutes to even truly put a dent into it. He was listening for any sign that his mom or grandpa was waking up. He immediately regretted the idea that he did not have scissors to clip away the rotted flesh. The edges of each of the wounds were yellowed, the insides rather blackened. He thought it would have been beneficial if he snipped the ends of the torn flesh. A cleaner liquid was now slipping out of the wound but it was quickly being overcome by yet another wave of yellow pus and bright red blood. He cleaned with a baby wipe and ignored the harsh sting that came with it, already far too used to it to notice it for more than a second. He would have to get more antiseptic wipes at some point.
He pushed them down into the exposed muscle as they would have done had it been an animal. It would have been gauze soaked in honey rather than a baby wipe but he had no other way of cleaning it. They came back red and slightly blackened as well as creamy in color and he swallowed hard, bile rising in the back of his throat once more. The smell that came with their removal was enough to push his stomach into overdrive, tossing violently.
When he finished, the gouge marks were hardly clean by any means. He was both oddly relieved and thoroughly disgusted by this realization. He wiped it down once more time and then began to pull some gauze from its container, folding several of them and pushing them inside. He wrapped another thin layer around and followed with the tape. The newer layering was a small bit tighter around his skin and cut into his mobility somewhat but he had already suspected that would be the case.
Only after cleaning the ruined material away did Yugi realize that the infected smell was now gone.
"He has some serious nerve damage," his mom commented, holding the small brown and white puppy up for his scrutiny. His eyes immediately fell upon the strange angle the mangled paw was held at. The entire joint was covered in bright green bandage up to the elbow but the mobility was far from stunted. Yugi watched her momentarily, unsure of whether or not he should get any closer. "He has this bandage on him because of the way he drags his leg across the floor when he walks. He's actually worn a massive amount of sores on the limb and even popped quite a few blisters because he can't feel it."
Yugi blinked at the explanation and both pity and sympathy made up the grimace on his face as she looked the joyous puppy over. "So how far are you planning to amputate? The whole limb or only halfway?" he asked uncomfortably as he swallowed thickly.
"I'm not sure yet. We're going to have to undo the bandage and look it over before we can make any decisions," she said with a small, almost nonchalant shrug. The small canine squirmed in her grip and scrambled to twit around and kiss her face. Her eyes were sharp and studious as they bore into Yugi's, almost as if she could see the discomfort and fear that was slowly growing inside of him. It was almost as if she knew about the burned school uniform and soiled bandages and the wound on his arm which he still worried might eventually come to require amputation. That was, of course, impossible and the idea nearly made him roll his eyes. "I'm thinking we're most likely going to have to remove the whole limb. The way he drags his leg now makes me think there isn't much else we can do."
He nodded once in response and resisted the urge to swallow hard. Did wolves survive in the wild with a missing limb? Was that possible for them with their constant travels and hunting? He highly doubted it. The thought almost made him laugh bitterly. Dogs had it that much easier in life. And he really didn't think his mom would like taking care of a werewolf with three legs. He couldn't imagine anyone would. Even if canines were one of the most adaptable species in the world—if notthe, in all actuality—he thought a werewolf was hardly something that could take into consideration being so easily subdued as a common dog.
A month ago he would have been laughing at himself for thinking something so stupid. Four years ago he would have been ecstatic with the idea of turning into a werewolf. Who hadn't wanted to be a vampire or a werewolf when they were younger? He had outgrown the idea when he fourteen and generally ignored them safe for the idea of horror movies which, on rare occasions, proved to be worth a watch. The occasional book with them as a subject proved to be enjoyable. He mostly read books and watched movies about them because Anzu seemed to like them whenever they had romance in them. He then had an idea of what she was talking about when she brought them up in conversation with him. If not for her idea about how hot werewolves were in media like that he would have long since left them behind completely.
He supposed now that it was actually a good thing that he knew the Hollywood werewolf too.
"When did you want to do this?"
She didn't even blink. "I have appointments until eight. We'll do him around ten."
Yugi nodded again, watching the puppy with a somewhat distant focus, mind already racing with the idea of what he might do with himself if it was ever necessary to have his arm taken off. He could not even wrap his head around it all. If he was superstitious he would have assumed that it was some kind of sign meant to warn him that he would have to do the same. He could have easily been suspicious that it was all leading to that decision. But his logical mind merely sneered that he was worrying about nothing. His arm would heal. It would be as good as new, just as his ribs and hip had mended themselves.
Maybe his arm would be hideously disfigured but he knew it would heal, just like the puppy's when they had sewn the cut together after his limb was removed.
In ten hours the puppy would have three legs instead of four. Maybe in ten hours his arm would be fine again. He could always hope.
Those ten hours passed in something of a daze for him. His mind was still on the idea of what it was that becoming a werewolf might mean for him when he was barely even beginning high school as it was. And then, what about a career or whatever afterwards? Then he had begun thinking about witch trials and eventually the FrenchWerewolf-Witch Trials and more fantastical things after that.
With his mind in every direction as it had been, he had missed it when ten had initially come around. It was not until ten minutes after that he finally glanced at the clock next to the bed he had been seated on all day. He scrambled downstairs to change into long-sleeved scrubs and hurried to the surgical room. The puppy was already shaved and anesthetized and one of her technicians was helping with the tools. She glanced up as he entered but didn't speak as Yugi came over to see what in all was happening at the moment.
The leg that had been bandaged made him want to cringe. It wasn't nearly as bad as his arm but it was clear more than just the paw needed amputation. The pads had been stripped down and looked raw and pink, the dew claw completely ground to the quick. The carpal joint was showing through the skin, all of it bright reddish pink with an almost tail-like dash of skin visible through the white fur. The nails were all ground down and the top of his paw was completely pink. None of it was rotten, however, and Yugi couldn't help the relief that coursed through him at the realization. His owners must have been cleaning the wound and changing the bandage often because it hardly looked as bad as it could have been.
The procedure was a silent affair. The lack of communication and noise—outside of the monitors and the giggly wire his mom used to saw the bone off—made him want to puke. He was at least used to mild conversation around instructions. His mom was usually keen on that because the beeping tended to drive her insane. He couldn't tell if she was upset with him or something else entirely as she began to stitch the incision back together.
It took twenty minutes after the puppy was awake and whimpering in his cage for her to finally speak again.
"Who the hell was Ushio?"
He stopped abruptly where he had been about to lock the crate and swallowed harshly. His eyes flickered around minutely and his stomach dropped. She must have been planning to use the surgery as a way of talking to him about it. Maybe the tech had gotten too invested in the pup to be deterred from the amputation and so had shadowed despite his mother's unspoken frustration. No one was around anymore considering the time and without his grandpa around to diffuse the situation, she was going to abuse that window of opportunity.
"Ushio…?"
What was there to really say about him?
"Yeah, the boy whosebodywasleft on our doorstep," she snarled, patience snapped.
"They figured out who it was already?" He blinked stupidly as he turned his head towards her, shocked out of his mind. Had they already found out? He didn't truly think that it made much of a difference when it came down to it but he did have to wonder if the connections had been made. Did they know about his presence with Kokurano too or was that yet for those to discover?
Her eyes narrowed, a skeptical and somewhat disapproving expression crossing her face as her gaze burned into his. Yugi backpedaled rapidly, unsure of himself, and then swallowed thickly with realization. The time spent in the kitchen with the investigation crashed through his mind violently like a scared horse escaping its pasture.
"I…Ithinkthis was once Ushio," he had initially stammered when asked if he recognized the other male. He had been chewing his thumbnail and shaking his head in a cold shock. "It's…the same shirt he was wearing when I saw him after school…But…I…Hisskullwas crushed!"
"Ushio?" one of the officers had asked in confusion
"Tetsu Ushio…He g—wentto my school…"
"Yes, well, I would say the wound was probably caused by some kind of wild animal or…perhaps a group of them. Some kind of…coordinated attack. He…seemed to have been nearly disemboweled and left on your doorstep. We have no way of knowing at this moment whether he was killed elsewhere and dragged here as if he might have possibly been here for whatever reason."
Yugi squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to push the memory away but it refused to leave him, his voice cracked as it whispered, "Oh gods…"
"And you all heardnothing?" the second detective asked almost skeptically.
"No…I woke up to a weird scratching noise. I thought maybe one of the animals downstairs had gotten loose. I went to check on it and…"
"Our bedrooms are all up here," his mom was saying in his empty mind, the words echoing strangely in the darkness behind his eyelids. "We were both fast asleep until we heard Yugi screaming like he was…"
"And you have no idea who might want to kill Tetsu Ushio and dump his body on your doorstep?"
"N-no…I…"
"Well, I don't think any of you could do it—"
Not yet, Yugi thought, focusing on the sound of the puppy whimpering pathetically as he drugs began to slowly fade from its system. The noise was enough to pull him back into the present as he opened his eyes to face his mother once more. "I…I guess I didn't get enough sleep. I…" He shook his head after a moment, unsure of how to finish such a statement.
She ignored the comment. "Who was he?" she demanded.
"He was…something of a bully. He liked to pick on people smaller than him. He was the leader of the Disciplinary Committee at school—"
"No, Yugi. In relation toyou, whowashe?"
He blinked and then frowned. "He was the Disciplinary Committee's leader at school. We had gym class together and he liked to poke fun at me," he replied dismissively, shrugging after a moment when he saw her eyes narrow further. "I didn't know him very well. I only ever interacted with him in class."
"So thenwhydid his body end uphere? Why onourfront steps?"
Yugi stared at her stupidly for a moment. Was he merely paranoid or was she actuallyaccusinghim? "How thef*ckwould I know, Mom? I'm not a f*cking animal!"
"No, but you've been acting strangely lately. Ever since that damn hybrid showed up—"
"Are youhonestlyblaming adogright now?" he asked incredulously, staring at her and shaking his head slowly. "You can't be—"
"No, I'm not blaming adog. I'm merely stating the fact thatyouhave been actingstrangelyever since the hybrid showed up." She bulldozed him when he began to open his mouth to make a rebuttal. "And you've been getting worse ever since it got loose."
He stared at her again, silent and growing furious. When she spoke the last two words they were coated in disbelief, a mounting frustration. He didn't even have to bother with her tone because her eyes were hard with a glaringly obvious distrust of the statement. He had always known she didn't believe him when he'd insisted that was what happened. She still believed it was his fault because his hallucinations had screwed everything up.
"So what exactly is it that you're saying?" he finally hissed, steeling himself for the moment she finally said it.
Kasumi rolled her eyes in response to the way his shoulders were unconsciously rising. "Yugi, I just want to know how he was connected to you. I want to know why he was placedhere, onour doorstep, ofallplaces," she said slowly, voice even and almost eerily calm as her son narrowed his eyes and his shoulders rose further. She knew there was something he was failing to tell her. Normally Yugi was levelheaded, even when he was accused of something or other. He never got so outright offended, not unless he was guilt of keeping secrets. His tell had always been in his eyes and his affronted behavior, how rapidly it developed. "Was there something going on between the two of you?"
Yugi gave her a thoroughly disgusted look, barely resisted the urge to curl his lip back. "I alreadytoldyou," he snapped in annoyance, sighing loudly a second later. "I didn'tknow him very well. He and I didn't even have the same circle offriends. Why he wound up here isnothingI have an answer to—"
"You're lying."
He stopped short, unable to fully comprehend the statement she had just made. She wasn't accusing him anymore. She was stating a fact. She was sure of it, so certain that Yugi nearly quaked as they looked at one another. His mom merely watched him and then slowly shrugged with a shake of her head. He was still frozen in place and fighting away the urge to shiver when she walked off.
"Well, I don't think any of you could do it." The officer's voice was followed by something of an annoyed sigh. "Tetsu Ushio was torn apart by some kind of wild animal. We know he often ran around late at night,longpast the curfew placed when Miss Miho's body was discovered. What we have yet to figure out iswhofound his body and put it onyourdoorstep."
A soft clicking and something of a gentle scratching made him sit up straight. His mouth was pasty and dry as his eyes widened drastically. His stomach dropped violently and a tremble passed through him. He swallowed harshly and nearly flinched when he caught a small thud nearby. At first he feared the wolf had returned and found its way into his room and nearly puked in horror. But then he realized immediately, his head snapping around and hands pressing against the cool surface of his metal desk, when his fingers brushed the plastic that it was only his pencil that had fallen. He wanted to vomit again when the clicking noise met his ears once more. He pressed his back fully into the small wooden chair, the cool surface making his spine tighten further as he barely resisted the urge to shiver.
The wolf wouldn't have come back in brought daylight, would it? There was no way they were foolish enough to show up as a canine, right? Surely even they realized that a dog reported to the police for pick up due to the absence of a collar was going to most likely be tested extensively and then possible euthanized?
It had not even been a full twenty-four hours since Ushio's body had been left on his doorstep so how could they possibly even consider that it might be safe to do such a stupid and reckless thing? If it still had a human mind beneath a wolf's pelt then it was obvious they would never do such a thing. Risking their life in order to hunt him? That hardly seemed even slightly plausible.
Regardless, he remained where he was, listening closely and straining his ears to catch the sound once more. It took several minutes for it to finally come again and Yugi felt his spine loosen almost in satisfaction. The Shiba Inu pup must have gotten out of his cage again. He had been managing that for a little while now, sneaking out and running as quickly as he could around the small room. His new parents were supposed to be picking him up later now that Yugi actually considered it.
He listened a little more, focusing on catching any bit of conversation. Nothing came to him and he finally forced himself to his feet. The soft scuffle of the cast against the tile and the click of the nails made him smile in amusem*nt. He was definitely one of Yugi's favorite patients.
When he got down there, he expected the small canine to be at the door waiting for him. He was excited to see that curly tail wagging so quickly it would give him whiplash. What he got was an empty room. When he stepped inside and looked around, there was nothing to be seen. The animals were actually asleep, both puppies pressed into the walls of the crates that divided them almost as if they were trying to touch each other through the bars. The mother and her babies had been moved back to the emergency clinic when they had seemingly caught a respiratory infection while at the main. And now she was curled up with them; Yugi was well aware that his mother would soon end up calling some of her various connections among the foster system and have them all placed together.
The scene and that thought to accompany it was peaceful enough, but his stomach was flipping violently. What had been the source of the noise if not one of the animals? It had come from inside the house; there was not a single doubt in his mind. He would not have caught it so clearly and assumed it was the puppy if not for that fact. If it was not one of the animals inside of their cages, then what could it have possibly been?
He swallowed and cleared his throat out of nervous habit. He glanced at the door, relieved to see that it was still locked. If it really was the wolf, coming to kill him as its next meal, why would the door have been locked again? And why would it be hiding? There was not as much room as it might have seemed from the outside and the space was open as it was so that any animals they allowed to exercise could be seen and found easily if needed to be put back in a hurry. So a wolf would have been very quickly noticed had it been there. If it was there with him he would have known it, not only by sight he realized after a moment. He might have even been able to catch its scent or maybe hear its breathing while it watched him.
He looked around only once more and then hurried back up the stairs.
"So, uh…if you don't mind my asking"—I'm almost certain I will now, Yugi thought as he glanced over at Jonouchi with a raised brow—"what happened the other night?"
"The…other night?" he repeated in confusion, blinking at him.
The blond gave him a somewhat quizzical look. Did Yugi really not understand what he was asking him? Surely he hadn't thought those stares he had gotten all day and those whispers whenever he was close by had been for nothing? He furrowed his brows when his smaller friend blinked at him again, just as mystified as he had been moments before.
"With Ushio? Hisbody? You know,showing up at your house?"
"Well, aren't you thekingof tact?" he snapped dryly, rolling his eyes in avid annoyance. He sat back more forcefully against his chair's backrest. When he had invited him over for tutoring as well, he had not even considered he might ask about that. He had hoped that his friends would at least think before they even attempted the subject—which, thankfully, only Jonouchi seemed willing to do. "Thanks for the subtlety. Ireallyappreciate it, Jonouchi."
He cringed slightly at the statement, swallowing hard and giving him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, buddy. I wasn't really thinking when I asked."
Yugi had the impulse to sneer at him that he never did, his entire mood thrown out the window where gusts made the glass rattle. Instead he shook his head and looked at the workbook in front of him. He was supposed to show the blond just where he went wrong with his test in math while doing his own twelve pages as an example in the meantime. His pages would be turned in and Chono would accept that as his make up assignment instead. She had not wanted to be implemented by the school board as negligible as a teacher since she had not bothered to show up before curfew that day after school. Because of this she had this deal with him and Yugi had readily leaped at it.
He guessed he did at least have one thing to be thankful for as far as Kokurano's death went.
"Let's just go ahead and start on—"
"What? No way! You can't just dodge—"
"Katsuya, I asked if you wanted to come over so that I could tutor you, not to sit around and gossip," he spat, ignoring the stunned expression on the other teen's face. He didn't want to talk about Ushio. He was dead. They were getting him ready for his burial. Yugi honestly just didn't care about it all anymore. The media had messed up in telling where the body had been found and by whom. He had been anything but oblivious to all the attention he had received in school. That could happen there but he wasn't about to endure it in his own home. "We're not talking about that."
"But—"
"No. We're not. End of discussion."
Jonouchi rolled his brown eyes. "Yes, mother," he murmured, an almost spiteful edge creeping into his tone. The sound of it was enough to make Yugi stiffen and narrow his eyes in displeasure. If he didn't like it, then he could get the f*ck out. He wanted Ushio and this new wolf as far from his thoughts as conceivably possible. He had spent far too much time scared of it all to bother with it again. If the wolf came, then it came. Otherwise there was no reason for him to spend every waking hour terrified of such a morbid possibility. There were enough terrifying things in his head without that lingering there too.
He focused on the workbook instead of the blond, glancing at the yellow sticky note Chono had written his assignment on. Yugi was nothing if not well aware of the way Jonouchi was put off beside him. The entire air around him seemed almost like static, pulsating in clear frustration towards Yugi's reluctance. His shoulders were raised slightly, his arms crossed, and he was leaning back against the chair with an annoyed expression. If not for the way he could clear see how pissed he was even from the corner of his eyes, Yugi would have initially assumed he was sulking.
"Okay, so do you have the sheet she gave us for homework?"
A long minute of silence passed and Yugi furrowed his brows before slowly turning his head in question. The moment their eyes locked he felt as if he had never regretted anything nearly as much.
"You're seriously not going to tell me?"
"What?"
"I'm yourbest friend, Yugi!"
"Oh my f*cking gods—" He drew in a deep breath and reached up to cover his forehead with his palm. He was right. He was his best friend. And he had no plans to tell him. It wasn't anything like when Jonouchi had pestered him into admitting he had a crush on Anzu. Ushio was dead and his body was found in the middle of the night at his house. He still had yet to figure out who this new wolf was and why they might do such a thing. Was it a message? A warning? A truce?
"You're right, Jonouchi. You are my best friend."
The blond nodded happily in agreement with the statement. "Exactly! So you should tell your best friend all about it!"
"No, that's even more reasonnotto tell you."
"What?"
"For your safety."And possibly mine.
"No f*cking way! You can't just—"
"Oh, but I can just," he snarled, voice hardening and bordering something almost akin hatred. "And if you don'tlikeit, then you canf*ck off."
Jonouchi's mouth fell open as Yugi glared back at him. In another circ*mstance the small teen would have blushed, embarrassed by his crudeness, and the blond would have been laughing. But the other boy was completely serious and he could see it in his eyes that he was not about to tell him anytime soon. Yet, even with this knowledge keen in his mind, he could not help but push one more time.
"Seriously? You won't even give me a hint?" he whined, watching him closely for any sign of his resolve slipping.
He blinked once in a slow, drawn out movement, and then narrowed his gaze into slits of blue-violet. "f*ck. Off."
Jonouchi barely had time to blink before Yugi had dropped his pencil with a loud thump, slammed the paperback shut, and stood up. His eyes were cold and far from amused when he turned away and headed off into his room without a glance back. Gawking after him, the blond listened to the lock click into place and awkwardly reached down to grab his backpack and pull it into the chair next to him. So he was definitely never going to get this story out of him anytime soon.
"You didwhat?" Anzu demanded harshly, blue eyes narrowing furiously. Her hands rested on her hips, entire body angled to show her displeasure. Beside her Honda was shaking his head with disapproval.
"What?" he complained, throwing his hands up and rolling his eyes. "I was just curious."
"Idiot," the hazel-eyed brunet murmured, rolling his eyes in response. "Why the hell would youeverthink that it was okay to do something like that? You can't just go around pestering someone about something like that. Of course he told you to go f*ck yourself. I would have too."
"Actually all he said wasf*ck off, not to go f*ck myself."
"Well, inthatcase, I guess I'm telling you for him."
At another time the blond would have risen for the bait and wound up arguing loudly with him all morning in the middle of the hallway just before class. But now he was well aware of the fact that Honda was completely right. There was no way to actually talk about something like that and, if there was, it definitely wasn't the way he had handled it. Yugi had every right to be upset—he probably would have been too if he were in his shoes. So, instead of his usual response, Jonouchi lowered his eyes to the floor, a small bit of shame coursing through him. But he had always been loud and boisterous when he was curious so the emotion was more like a drifting wind rather than anything else. Because they all knew that and they all accepted it. That hardly made it right, of course, but, like with all self-depredation, came such common knowledge which, in turn, made him momentarily irritable.
Yugiknewhow he got when he was excited and curious. He also knew that all he really had to do rather than snap at him like that was simply redirect his attention each time he brought it up. He had not needed to tell him off like that.
Irritated now, Jonouchi glanced over his shoulder where he knew Yugi's class was. He would come walking out in a minute or two. His stomach twisted further and his mood darkened a small but steady amount more. The last thing he really wanted to do was have to deal with him when he came to see them like he always did. He didn't want to walk with him in their group as they went to their next classes.
"Yugi!"
The blond rolled his eyes, immediately turning away. Anzu sounded like some girl who was seeing her idol for the first time. She was even waving an arm as if she thought Yugi might somehow miss the fact that they were standing there waiting for him. As if they didn't do that same thing every single day as it was.
"Hey, guys." He sounded somewhat flustered and maybe a small bit out of breath. "What's up?"
"Just waiting on you like we always do," the blond stated, turning to look at him and surprising himself with how casual his voice managed to sound. Yugi blinked at him and something flashed briefly in his wide eyes. "And then we were all thinking about going to Burger World when school is over."
"Burger World?" the small teen echoed, eyes widening further. He blinked several times, mouth watering, but the usual delicious-looking meal that always sprang to mind when the restaurant was mentioned seemed suddenly almost strange and somehow foreign. It was a curious idea, something that made him tilt his head in wonder. This old, immediate image looked new and redefined, with more detail than he had ever truly taken account of. He could count every sesame seed on top of the lightly-browned whole wheat bun top and see the soft reflection of light from the peel of the single slice of tomato just beneath. There was a soft red under it, peaking outwards in that soft and shiny way that ketchup always did, disappearing where the onion lay with its soft white ringlets. The pickles were directly underneath, a handful of them hidden away from wandering eyes and cushioned into the melted gold of the cheese. The meat was a beautiful, solid brown with a glistening sheen that met the bun in a deliciously almost sinful manner. This new image made his mouth salivate more and his stomach twisted once in a hopeful shudder.
"Yeah, we were hoping that you would be able to come this time," Honda put in, hazel eyes turned to him with a tilt of his head. Yugi's expression was changing quickly as the words connected fully and for a moment he looked nearly sick. He blinked and the emotion was gone again as if it had never been. The brunet was watching him hesitantly think it over, his teeth working at the inside of his right cheek. "We could always do it some other—"
"I don't see why my mom would say no," Yugi cut in, though he could name at least three without even trying. But he would pretend to get her permission and then later tell her that his phone had died at school and he hadn't had the charger. She would be annoyed but not enough to reprimand. There would most likely be a single lecture that would drift away almost instantly when she realized that he already knew all of what she was saying.
Besides that, he doubted anything would happen at a popular fast food restaurant of all places. He doubted that this new wolf, which had obviously worked hard to kill Ushio without even a hint of their existence, would risk being found so easily. What would have been the point if it was going to expose itself only a few days afterwards? This wolf seemed—though he had not been exposed to it for long—far too crafty and cautious to do such a thing.
Perhaps that was only his perception because he was desperate to rationalize it all and to calm some of the fear he knew could easily wipe away all traces of logic if it was only given the chance. But he was not about to question it. He had no actual clue as to what it could all mean for him when it came down to it. There was no way to know anything about this new wolf that either wanted to eat him or scare him until he was unable to function any longer. He was already on high alert no matter how hard he tried to remain calm. He thought constantly of it behind him, silent and watching but mostly waiting. He recognized every noise in his house as claws clicking on tile and when the leaves shifted in the wind he was always caught in place with the horrifying idea that it was nearby, panting loudly so that he could hear and panic.
"Awesome, then let's all go after school." When Jonouchi glanced at him, Honda was watching him with a somewhat curious and slightly disbelieving expression. The blond barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the other boy. He was still upset, of course, but he wasn't about to make a big deal over it. There wasn't reason to. He would let it blow over because there wasn't much else to do with it.
The brunet was still giving him small glances, almost as if he was unable to understand it all, when they all met up to head to the restaurant. Jonouchi was ignoring him as well as he could, making mild conversation with Yugi instead. Anzu was a step behind the small teen but when he glanced over at her to give her a small smirk of amusem*nt he could actually see that their steps were in sync.
He snickered at the realization. Hadn't he read somewhere that that meanttrue love?
He opened his mouth to tease them but halted when he saw Yugi completely freeze. Mid-step with his right heel about to touch the ground, he was caught in place. His eyes had grown wide and his pupils appeared partially blown. His mouth had opened the smallest bit and his breathing seemed somehow labored. His head turned suddenly and his right foot flattened against the ground. His left ear was tipped downwards the smallest fraction and Jonouchi couldn't help but wonder if he was listening for something.
The moment passed as quickly as it had come. Yugi was facing forward again and his eyes were clearer, more focused, and he thought they looked sharp and almost angry as well. He didn't lag even once as he continued along with them, moving as if he had never stopped. His eyes were flicking every which way, however, and Jonouchi noticed slowly that his shoulders had risen slightly and there was a steady tension growing in his frame. But, when he glanced towards the blond, his expression turned into something of an uncomfortable grimace before it slipped away instantaneously when his eyes were off his face once more.
Even without having known him for so long or studying him, Jonouchi thought anyone who so much as glanced at Yugi would be able to determine that something was off. His stride was long and quick but far too stiff as he continued walking. He looked—to Jonouchi anyways—like the tin man in the olderWizard of Ozmovie adaptations. He shook the idea off almost as immediately as it had come. This was going to be another thing he would not be allowed to ask him about. He knew that without even thinking about it.
The alarm was getting louder in Yugi's head as they got closer to the restaurant. An instinct was telling him to be cautious. Another said to fall into his fight or flight. And the last told him to face it head on. When it came to the core of the situation, that final instinct was the loudest and by far the clearest. And even if it had been small and nearly smothered beneath the others it was the only one that made sense to him. The others were with him and he had been excited about it all day and there was no way to casually say that he was no longer in the mood like that. They would have assumed he was bipolar or that he was hiding something. Whatever little peace he had been granted beforehand with the Ushio incident would be immediately shattered.
Burger World was the most well-known restaurant in Domino City. It was the only fast food place in the city, with the next about a half an hour's drive. It was more of a hangout for teenagers after school than it was for adults. Most cuisine in Japan was healthy and so parents tended to be there rather than a fast food joint that bordered American with how hideous the nutritional values were. So Yugi was unsurprised to see just how busy it was without even entering the building. He could see the faint outlines of people through the windows and beyond that he could see cars taking up space in the parking lot.
The closer he got to the building the more violently his stomach twisted. His mouth was burning with blood where it came from the cut he had delivered his cheek. Insistently the instinct was growing louder, telling him to remain there. The fight or flight response was dying away without much resistance though it still warned him to bolt in an effort to preserve his life.
He held the door open for them when he reached it first. It was as reflexive as blinking but his mind immediately leaped forward with the reaction. He inhaled deeply first, drawing in the scent of car exhaust and then grease and beef. Onions, sweet but with a stinging edge, made his head spin momentarily. What followed after was the scent of the tomatoes. Then he caught the mint of Jonouchi's breath as he chewed his gum, the gentle musk and sea-like quality of Honda's deodorant as he passed, a small but soft earthy smell following to remind him of Blankey. Anzu's scent was of cherry blossoms warmed beneath the sun and a softer baby powder undertone, familiar as it had always been and yet somehow different all at once.
His eyesight had grown sharp once more and his vision granted him that of the rough exterior of the asphalt and every tiny shadow that fell across its bumpy surface. The blades of grass in the parking lot were tinged with slight yellow, the stems growing paler. A small fly was moving in his peripheral where it had landed on the other door. He saw the tiny hairs and fractures where they resided on the glass. He even saw where the parking lot was darkened minutely from so many cars taking places between the white lines.
When he turned his head the smallest degree, he heard knives colliding with metal counters, the sizzle of meat, the boiling oil that the fries were dunked in, the slight shift of shoes on the linoleum and the constant stream of mindless chatter. Opening his mouth the smallest degree to catch anything he might have missed, the taste that plastered itself across his tongue was almost enough to cringe. Sweat and the harder scents of deodorants made him swallow reflexively.
He turned away from his attempt to identify whatever it was that had been upsetting him. Instead he followed his friends further inside and tried his hardest to ignore everything around him. But his eyes still caught the small silver hairs on one of the uniforms as the man began to pass them. He straightened when the man's nostrils flared as if breathing in deeply. The exhale that followed was brief and extremely concentrated and Yugi felt his body grow stiff with tension, eyes narrowing faintly. The man was tall, with a somewhat lanky appearance, but it was highly noticeable the muscle mass he possessed. Very slowly, as if struggling with the need to display control, the man turned his head and Yugi's shoulders rose instinctively to shield his neck.
The small teen felt something pulsing within his stomach, an angry wave like jostled water. It was growing steadily, his insides twisting as if to accommodate it. He breathed in roughly once and the sound that followed his exhale was almost like the purr of an engine. It did not grow louder, instead falling away again almost immediately, but it was enough to make his friends stop short and horror wash through him.
He wasgrowling, he realized as his stomach coiled tightly.
The other male came forward as if summoned by the noise. His eyes were wild, pupils blow. His jaw was clenched. His head was tilted slightly to the side. When he got within a foot of them, Yugi could feel it. He could feel each wave of power that pulsated towards them like rippling water. The intensity it bore made his bones flare with a heat that threatened to incriminate them. Yet he was still standing there, tense and somehow furious as the two of them stared at each other.
"You're in my territory." His voice was low and raspy like a smoker's. It curled its way into his ears like a snake lulled by a charmer. "Boy."
The sneer was enough to make him step back twice. It was more discomfort and caution than fear, but he could tell that such a reality was lost on the other male. His pupils had grown a small bit bigger and his lips had tugged back into a wide smirk.
Jonouchi and Honda were frozen in place, unsure of what to do. In another situation they would have jumped in to defend the smaller teen. But even they too could feel the immensity of his presence and so did not move. Out of the three of them, only Anzu moved, and that was simply to step back and unconsciously press herself into the neighboring wall. All three of them were watching almost mindlessly, tense and unable to look away.
The reality of the situation was crashing through him. He was unable to suppress the quiver that came from deep within his spine. Horrified, Yugi was both standing his ground by some strange miracle and giving off a distinctive fear scent. He smelled it just as well as the other male did. It was almost like an intense burst of heat and sourness that he thought seemed almost like rusted metal or stale mold.
The snicker that left the Burger World employee made every nerve in his body flare with anger. Self-preservation made him square his shoulders and brace himself even as he thought to flee. His heart began to speed up and his body flashed with a vivid, vibrant heat that threatened to knock him off his feet. Mouth growing dry and his jaw clamping, that soft purring rumble of a growl left him instinctively. His stomach tossed and the vomit was disgustingly tangible beneath his skin. His bones ached and surged with heated pain like touching a lit stovetop. The employee was reaching outwards for his throat, fingers spread to grab at his flesh. His head sped until it felt it might leap through his chest and onto the tile in front of him. With each twist of the muscle came that painful throb of something almost foreign in his system. He wanted to curl his lips back and snarl; every instinct within him screamed at him to do such a thing.
The man's knuckles had fine white and silver-tinged hairs. Each finger sported them in something of a furious bristle. His hand looked unnaturally large as it got closer. The fingers were long, the nails thicker than usual, almost talon-like in appearance. He could see burger meat and grease beneath, staining them a light brown that bordered orange. When he focused he saw the pulse of his veins along his knuckles. It occurred to him, staring blankly at such an obvious threat, that those nails could possibly cut through his skin without any effort to speak of.
The rumbling made a satisfying tingle of a sensation in the back of his throat. His tongue was vibrating with the sensation and his ears felt as if they might explode. His head had taken on a light, almost distant quality. The man paused, hand halfway to his throat, his expression abruptly unclear. Slowly his eyes lowered to his ribcage, honing in on where Yugi's heart was still racing threefold in his chest.
His pupils were dilating further, almost swallowing away any hint of veins or whites in his eyes. They were vibrating, terrified, and the small teen fell silent in confusion. His heart was pounding enough to sound like a racehorse on a track. There were four others accompanying it in his ears, and he knew the shakiest, crashing with the rapid surges of adrenaline, were the man's before him. The other three were too far out of sync and inconsequential for him to care to attempt identifying.
He recoiled violently as if Yugi had struck him. Silent and staring, the small teen remained completely motionless. His breaths were slow and long, pointedly made so by some instinct Yugi had no name for. Both of them froze in place and then startled. Yugi's head whipped around while the employee's rose and his mouth fell into a gape.
The noise passed through him like a drifting wind. Fire curled through his system instantaneously. The notes rose and fell in a haunting bay of a melody, somehow beautifully lyrical. He thought of running footsteps. The rapid rises and falls of the mind numbing harmony reminded him of his own heavy breathing. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. It was rising violently, full of fury and dipping so low that he almost thought it touched the earth.
A small whimper bubbled up into the air. Yugi turned his head only a fraction. The Burger World employee was quaking.
The outside song's pitch had grown high enough to echo a loud whistle, doubling almost as if another voice had joined it. The man was panting. The noise dipped low enough that it sounded vaguely as if someone were speaking in a dangerously soft tone. Yugi watched him twitch violently, almost drooling as he choked on spit in his peripheral. It drowned away into nothingness after several rises and falls. It sounded almost as if the animal were snarling.
When Yugi blinked the employee was long gone.
"What the f*ck wasthat?" Jonouch finally demanded after several long minutes. He was staring at Yugi but the small teen was still listening to the echo of the bouncing rise in volume that the noise had taken on before disappearing so abruptly.
He ran off. Yugi blinked slowly, his mind racing with the reality of such a statement. He glanced at the blond without much thought, finding that his brown eyes were narrowed and partially suspicious. He didn't blink again, his mind hurrying to reassure him of what he already knew. The man had stopped first because of his heartbeat. But he had fled because of that howl, which had sounded right when he needed it to. It was almost as if this new wolf were trying to protect him.
"I don't…" He swallowed thickly. His heart was slowing but his stomach was still pulsing. His hands were shaking. His throat constricted painfully and he made a low, choking noise that sounded faintly like a hiccup. Honda snapped into action as if jarred by the noise. Yugi barely had the chance to blink before a trashcan was pushed in front of him.
Blinking stupidly, another hiccup left him and he blindly reached out to grasp the can with shaking hands. He hurled violently and the pulsing in his stomach grew noticeable by threefold. He drew in a deep breath through his nose which made a sniffling noise as his eyes watered faintly. His throat burned with the acidic aftertaste and his mouth flooded with saliva.
"Thanks," he mumbled weakly, pulling his eyes away from the black bag and across the restaurant. He watched a few faces give him sympathetic grimaces. He saw a couple of disgusted employees. A manager flinched when they looked at him and realized he was watching. But that original employee, the werewolf, was nowhere to be found as he continued looking. Full of something akin a dreadful satisfaction, Yugi turned back to them and pushed the can back up against the wall.
"Does anyone else just want to call it a day?" Anzu asked in a somewhat shaky voice.
Yugi blinked and frowned at the door, shaking his head. "Not really," he mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of saliva that burned his throat on its way down. Jonouchi and Honda both gave him unnerved glances that made his stomach twist again faintly. "I don't want to go home yet. We haven't even hung out—"
"You're sick, Yugi," the brunette said quietly, shaking her head. "We can all hang out some other—"
"No. That guy just made me nervous," he protested, feeling his stomach toss more violently. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and made a mental note to wash his face in the bathroom. "I'm okay though. I'll just get a water or something while you guys eat."
"Yugi, it's not that big a deal," Honda put in, watching him with a somewhat bewildered expression. "Burger World isn't going anywhere. We can come here again some other time."
"But we're already here," he tried, blinking and hoping that his desperation wasn't visible. Honda was right; the restaurant wasn't going anywhere. But they might be. After today he couldn't picture them wanting to be around him much longer. There was no way he could deny anything seeing as they had all witnessed it and they had heard him growling. He had no doubt that they knew it had come from him, though what they were telling themselves in the meantime he wasn't sure. Maybe they were in shock and had not entirely pieced together what they had seen just yet. When it came down to it, Yugi honestly didn't care. He just wasn't going to let what might be the last time they ever hung out together slip through his fingers like this. "And I'm not sick, guys. It was just nerves."
Besides, he had no idea if the werewolf was still there. If he was, then Yugi wasn't willing to risk them going their separate ways like this. He was unsure how much use he would truly be, but something about his pounding heart had initially made the man pause. And maybe just being a werewolf himself would be enough to make him hesitate. He nearly laughed at himself at the thought.
They were there for twenty minutes. Yugi washed his face and mouth out after they got a seat, relieved when they had not disappeared during his absence. Jonouchi and Honda both inhaled the basket of cheese fries and their burgers. Anzu haltingly ate a salad and lectured them about actuallychewingtheir food instead of swallowing it whole. Yugi sipped at his water and tried his hardest to ignore that their waitress had told her friend that she really hoped he wouldn't puke on her.
He made a point of not talking much in order to plan. He was unsure whether the employee may have left them alone or even exited the building. But he did know that it was far from over. He was nearby, Yugi knew.
He almost wished that they had stayed longer. His planning had become nothing more than reminding himself that he was infected. The reality of such a statement had finally come in full force and he felt almost dizzy as he walked with them. But he also knew that this new wolf that had murdered Ushio seemed to be on his side. If that howl was any indication, anyways. But where was it and how had it known he was in trouble?
"Guys, wait a second," he hissed as they began to turn the corner to start towards the clinic. They all stopped, blinking and turning to him as if they were expecting something strange to happen again. The thought made him bristle faintly but a faraway sense of sorrow swept through him. If they were already expecting it, what other things had crossed their minds? Was tonight really going to be the last they were all together?
"What's up?" Jonouchi finally asked, frowning at him momentarily.
He shook his head faintly. He had been trailing behind by a step or two, and now he wondered if that alienation was his own doing or if they were even aware of it in the first place. Trying not to let the fear show on his face, he quickly hurried to take the lead, listening. He prayed to every god he knew of that his newest theory about Ushio's killer was true. If that wolf didn't come to his rescue as it had seemed to earlier, then there was no telling what could happen.
Feeling sick to his stomach and putting his faith into something he had yet to see beyond its destructive nature, Yugi listened harder. There was another soft scuffling noise, like something brushing against metal, and his eyes narrowed. It was directly behind the dumpster a few yards into the alleyway. It was watching and waiting, staring at him from beneath the metal bin, he was sure. Yugi ignored the impulse to tell them they needed to head another direction. Doing so only gave the werewolf a chance to strike from behind. If this one had half the jaw and brain power that the other had then he thought he might end up just as Ushio had. The heightened senses had to be due to the infection, right? And if Ushio had not heard it before it attacked, then what hope did he honestly have?
The canine came out in a flash of shaded white limbs and silver and a darker color he had no way of identifying. It looked almost black but lighter by a shade or two and neither brown nor gray seemed to find his mind's eye. As Yugi looked at it, hoping once more that Ushio's killer might—for whatever reason—be his ally, he noticed the thickened saliva that was pooling from its powerful jaws. He wondered vaguely if perhaps it happened when they changed due to physical stress on the body. But, had Tomoya been foaming at the mouth when he had saved him from Ushio? He could not remember and trying to picture the sweet platinum blond in such a state made him queasy.
Maybe, he thought wryly, a grin begging to pull at his lips,it's because they're hungry.Maybe they salivate to make up for the food they have yet to eat.Or it could be the anticipation of a good meal, the promised sensation of meat filling their guts and their teeth effortlessly breaking through bone. Maybe the saliva makes it easier for them to eat prey that isn't part of their natural diet…
He had the instant urge to narrow his eyes at himself in irritation. His mind had backtracked without conscious decision.Theyhad becomeweand the new pronoun did nothing to make him feel any better. Frustrated, he found himself focusing more fully on the wolf before him.
The wolf lowered its head and its lips pulled back as it immense shoulders rose. Ears pricked forward slowly. Its tail began to rise. A snarl bubbled up, a low and hypnotizing noise. Yugi stiffened. His wide blue-violet eyes fell onto the animal's. The lips pulled back further and upwards. It seemed to be smirking, sneering. Its teeth looked as sharp as knives. Thick tendrils of saliva dropped from the canines. Its eyes crinkled in the corner with this new expression. Its breath came out in a rough, ragged huff. The air was misted with white. Yugi watched its pupils expand in the growing darkness. They glinted a strange gold-tinted gray. They were vibrating as they had at the restaurant. Their focus was bouncing but somehow fully on him.
It threw itself with a keen, disgusting grace. Yugi was unable to move. He was caught in its savage stare. Paws slammed into his stomach. His body tipped backwards instantly. The onyx pupils had lost whatever discolored film they had before. The slathering jaws opened. Hot liquid spilled onto his collarbone. Something in his mind stirred. It felt—for a single moment—as if a second pair of eyes had opened and another mind merged with his.
He lashed out. His right knee slammed into the slope of its ribs. The wolf cried out and lurched. Teeth chomped just centimeters from his face. Hot air gusted over his skin. He pulled his knee up again. The canine snarled and backed up a step. The violent rise and fall of the noise made his skin crawl.
He prepared himself to kick out. He could aim for the jaws or the chest. If not for its positioning and speed, he might have even tried for the neck. But the wolf was no longer focused on him. Its head was tipped upwards and its eyes were on the other three teens. His stomach clenched and his mouth grew dry with horror. What was he meant to do if it went after them? Did he try to get in the middle despite already being there? His heart skipped a beat and then raced violently. His ears were pounding as if he were listening to music too loud.
The wolf shot towards them. Yugi impulsively tried to look. For a horrible moment he was gleeful. There were four of them against one animal. If it bit one of them they would be forced to keep ties with them. He would be the only one to understand. He hated himself for the thought but his momentary blunder had done its work.
The animal collided with a shaken Jonouchi. The blond cried out as he and Honda were both knocked flat on their backs.
The canine whined and scrambled for its paws. Its pelt was twitching sporadically. Its ears were flicking every which way. Its sides shook with tremors. Its tail curled around the underside of its white belly. Another high-pitched cry left the animal as it staggered away several steps.
Yugi thought the collision had caused it to somehow limp. But its spine was arched too high. Its head was too low. It was quaking too harshly. He realized that its muscles were locked. It was quaking from the tension.
Yugi had not noticed it before then. His heart had been too loud and fast. His nerves had been too twisted. But now he heard it. It was drowning him with the intense hold it slipped over him. His mouth watered, eyes widening. The howl was sharp and vicious, rising and falling in billowing waves of power and authority. His spine tingled and his stomach twisted furiously.
The wolf lowered itself to the ground. Its ears were pressed back against its skull. Its pupils were wide and blown. Its jaws opened and its tongue lolled as it panted harshly. Every hair on its pelt quivered and danced. Its body shook violently. Its voice lifted in a distressed whimper.
The canine crawled forward a step. Then its jaws opened in an exaggerated yawn. The movement caused another reaction. A choking gasp of a wheeze was coughed out. Its throat contorted and its mouth flexed fully. Its tongue flickered outwards in a spasm. A large substance burst forth with a heaving gasp. A sickening splattering noise accompanied the collision. Yugi blinked and the canine fled.
He sat up slowly, blinking. The howling had faded into the usual nighttime noises. It was both disappointing and exhilarating to realize. Ushio's killer had to be the one doing this, right? They must have been the one protecting him. There was no other explanation. How it knew he was in danger was something else entirely. But maybe bringing the corpse reallyhadbeen some attempt at establishing an alliance with him?
His stomach flipped with a disgusted yet giddy satisfaction. He spun around to face the others fully but his joy died away as quickly as it had come.
"What thef*ck?" Jonouchi spat out, brown eyes narrowed and furious as they bore into his. "Whatwasthat?"
Yugi remained silent, unsure of what he could possibly say. Anything he thought to offer made him sound idiotic and insane. But his silence could be just as condemning, he realized as the blond's jaw set furiously and his eyes flashed. He looked as if he wanted to knock him out. He looked as if he might want to beat him bloody.
Because herightfullyblamed him for the situation.
His eyes flickered towards Honda who appeared hyperaware, as if he knew everything around him and would be able to handle it if he only thought to try. When his eyes fell on Anzu he felt his stomach sink violently and his mouth grew dry. He swallowed harshly and his throat constricted painfully as he took in her terrified expression. There was such horrible fear there, and he did not know whether it was directed towards him or not.
He would never blame her if such emotion was directed towards him. In her place or Jonouchi's he would easily have felt the same. It was the only reason he did not grow offended with their stares. He didn't have the right to feel such a way when he knew exactly what it was that was going on. He wondered if maybe it was visible on his face, in his eyes. Maybe they knew and saw it in his expression somehow.
"Does it matter?" Honda bit out, voice somewhat harsh and bordering hysterical despite his apparent calmness. He was staring at Yugi with slightly narrowed eyes, expression keen and sharp as if he were trying to see inside of him. Did he realize he knew? "I don't reallycare to knowwhat the f*ck that was."
The small teen impulsively nodded but the movement seemed lost in the darkness. He bit his cheek until it bled and then narrowed his eyes faintly. His mouth flooded and he swallowed at the harsh metallic taste which burned his tongue. He breathed in roughly, almost as if he were panting, and then swallowed hard once more. Tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, Yugi kept his eyes lowered now. He didn't want them to see his sudden hope, his growing desperation. Was it possible that maybe—by some miracle—they might still stay with him, remain his friends? The thought made him swallow hard again and he smothered the urge to drown himself in this new, rather implausible, possibility. If he could truly somehow keep them all from turning away from him, however…
"C-can we stop talking about this—please?"
Anzu had her head down and her attention on the asphalt. Her voice was choked and small. Her hands were shaking finely, barely noticeable in the dark.
Yugi's first instinct was to try to comfort her. He wanted nothing more than to find the words to reassure her that it would all be okay. But he could think of nothing to say and his lungs felt constricted and tight. His entire chest felt as if it had been hollowed out and the organs replaced with stones. With a somehow uneasy jerk of his insides, the small teen shifted in his place to put his palm on the ground and brace himself. He pushed himself upwards, ignoring the jolt that pulsed through his shoulder and arm, and drew himself to his feet.
His legs felt unnatural numb, almost as if he were unsteady and about to collapse. A distant, drifting tingle swept through him. Cold prickled at his senses like pin needles. For a moment he thought maybe he had been on the ground for far longer than he had originally assumed. He shifted his weight somehow shakily. Jonouchi was watching him with a somewhat distressed expression, as if he wanted to ask if he was okay but was at war with himself because of his mounting anger.
Abruptly the blond turned his head away as if just looking at him was somehow disgusting. "Let's get out of here," he snapped, glancing around once and then hurrying towards where he could see a streetlamp not too far down the street. Honda and Anzu did not hesitate to follow and Yugi felt his stomach twist fearfully. With Jonouchi playing the leader right now and the other two being so willing to follow him without pause, how easily could the blond turn them against him if he only thought to do so?
He glanced backwards, unsure of whether he wished to run off when they weren't looking and find his own way home or if he was looking for the wolf that seemed to be watching out for him at the moment?
But there was nothing there to greet him. There were only shadows which seemed endless in depth. He swallowed thickly, searching the darkness almost dutifully. His stomach clenched and his mouth felt dry as he wondered at what it was he was hoping to find.
The walk home was a silent incident. Yugi kept to the back, occasionally glancing over his shoulder. He felt as if the more he tried to find the animal, the more likely the odds. There was a scene of disgusting and horrifying excitement that made his body tingle with each new step forward. It was pitched away with a sensation of brutal heat the moment they neared his house. He breathed in roughly only once, his stomach sinking. Had they gone this way because of what had happened in the alleyway? Were they trying to protect him? Or were they trying to get rid of him?
He didn't open his mouth to question such choices. It was either stupidly foolish or one of the smartest ideas any of them had ever had.
When they stopped, he did too. He stood as close as he dared, unable to make himself move any nearer. They were watching each other, almost suspiciously, and Yugi felt himself growing more crestfallen than he had originally been. He forced himself to refrain from blurting out a pathetic blunder of an apology. He was not willing to explain it all. And he was altogether too scared to even think the words and mold them into the sentences he needed.
Now was the moment. Jonouchi and Anzu were going to turn away from him. He forced his mind to draw itself to a blank. He wanted absolute clarity for such a moment, despite the terrible pain it would bring him.
When he looked to the blond, awaiting his anger and suspicion, he found himself preparing for a blow that failed to deliver. Jonouchi sighed loudly, the noise rough and harsh as he watched Yugi for a single moment. "Look, I don't know about you guys, but I would rather pretend that thisdidn'thappen," he announced. His hands were shaking as he curled them into fists and discreetly shoved them into his pockets. He let out another deep exhale and then forced his shoulders to relax from their tense position. "I don't want to talk about this—ever."
Honda's eyes flashed. His jaw set. He looked ready to argue and both of the other two boys prepared themselves. But the words that left his mouth were far from it. "I'd rather not either," he murmured, glancing at Yugi and away just as quickly.
"What?" Anzu whispered, eyes wide and face pale as her expression folded into one of horror. "We can't just pretend nothing happened back there! Yugi almost got hurt—"
"No, that's fine."
Yugi had not realized it was his voice that spoke the words until all of them were staring at him in open shock. He blinked, steeling himself against the way that the brunette was staring at him with such horror. He blinked and then shook his head, ignoring the twist of his gut as he chewed his cheek.
"I don't want to think about it, either."
Jonuchi sprang at the new opening, but Honda looked mildly upset with the statement. Yugi almost wanted to apologize for his words because now he understood the brunet's change of expression. For whatever reason Honda had been hopeful that Yugi would be the one to side with Anzu and argue where his own fear made it impossible for him to do so. Feeling cowardly and disgusted, he glanced at Anzu from his peripheral and nearly vomited. She was growing angry, watching him closely and appearing almost as if she might snap at any moment.
"Great. Then it's settled—"
"That thing could havekilledyou!" the brunette spat furiously, shaking her head wildly. "It could have killedanyof us!"
It could have killedallof us, he corrected her silently. His eyes flickered towards the door of his house and he thought to run then and there. He could leave Anzu to her astonished anger. It would not have been hard. Curfew was coming as it was, a drawing darkness that demanded attention. He could say his mom needed his help. It would be so easy to turn and flee away from it all.
"I don't want to talk about this."
He didn't want to talk about anything. Everything in his life seemed to weigh so much, threatening to suffocate him as it tried to face him down.
"I just…I agree with Jonouchi and Honda." He turned back to face her, eyes pleading. "So can we just…drop it?"
He felt like sobbing, both hideously relieved and disgusted with himself. He was a coward, wishing nothing more than to lie down and somehow sleep away what he felt was choking him. Staring into her eyes, he really wished she would understand. He wanted her to somehow realize his terror and desperation. He could never stand it if they turned away from him and he was willing to do almost anything within his power to prevent it. The loneliness he already felt welling within him at the thought of their absence made him feel as if his knees might fold beneath him.
She didn't understand his silent pleas. He knew when she hesitated and chewed her bottom lip. Anzu had no true concept of what he was asking of her. She knew only that he needed her to agree despite how much she hated the very idea. She was torn between loyalty and concern, and slowly her expression began to change. Her brows drew together. Her teeth pulled on her bottom lip noticeably. Her hands began to fidget and pull at her jacket sleeves.
Finally, ducking her head, she sighed. "Okay."
