Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Curse of the Moon Chinae ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Notes: This fic was originally written for A Dragon Lair's Annual Horrifyingly Haunted Halloween Challenge. (The address for A Dragon's Lair: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A_Dragons_Lair.) It didn't win, but here it is for your enjoyment nonetheless.

Warnings: Yaoi, blood, gore, and character death.

Also, there are two original characters included in this fic. They are both characters from my novel series (in the making, but novel series nevertheless). So as not to spoil it now, I'll include links to their biographies at the end of the fic.

Night had long set in. There were no sounds-- All was still. Not even the song of crickets or the noise of traffic could be heard. There was something ominous in the air-- Something was there that nothing else wished to encounter. The lonely wind blew, rustling dark strands of hair before glowing golden eyes. From his perch on a large branch of an evergreen tree, the golden eyed figure's gaze sliced through the darkness, scanning the frame of the sleeping city. An evilness shone in those eyes as he spoke. "He's here."

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"He's here already?" Jounouchi ran through the apartment he shared with his father, looking frantically for his left shoe. "Damn it, he wasn't supposed to be here for…" He ventured a glance to the mounted clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes ago…" An unsettling feeling gnawed at his stomach just as the second of long honks from a car horn outside blasted through the windows. "Fuck, I'm in trouble." He began to panic, looking around and shoving various things , chairs, tables, couches, out of his way in his quest for his shoe. When he finally found it underneath the kitchen table, he grabbed his wallet from the counter and dashed outside where a rather flashy black limousine was waiting for him.

"Hey, babe," he greeted, plopping down inside next to a highly perturbed brunette. "How's it going?" Quicker than the eye could follow he dove into his wallet and offered said brunette a five dollar bill.

"I told you not to call me that," Seto Kaiba responded, snatching the bill from his hand. "What took you so long this time?"

"Thought you were coming later," Jounouchi shrugged as the limousine shifted into gear and began cruising down the street.

"You used that one on... August 12th," Kaiba stated firmly. "Are you running out of colorful excuses?"

"August…?" Jounouchi echoed. "You gotta memory like a hippo, Kaib."

Kaiba's thin eyebrow arched, but he decided not to say anything. He had come to terms with the mental capacity of his puppy. "It was you who decided when and what the movie would be, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," the blonde responded, fidgeting with the collar of his green jacket. "But you always wanna leave so damn early."

Kaiba stared straight forward. "I prefer to avoid the crowd," he said.

The limousine came to a stop right in front of the doors of the downtown movie theater. Not only was it the largest theater in the city, but the cleanest, the flashiest, and of course, the most expensive. As Jounouchi got out of the car and looked up at it, he could only thank his lucky stars that Kaiba had offered to pay for it. He smiled to himself. That was right… Kaiba said he would pay for everything-- Food and drink included. Good thing Jounouchi had been careless enough to forget to eat breakfast this morning.

"Come on, puppy," Kaiba beckoned, standing near him on the curb, his long white coat spreading out behind him. "The people across the street have noticed the limo."

Jounouchi glanced over his shoulder at four young women watching the two of them and whispering to each other excitedly. The blonde smirked slightly, then conspicuously took Kaiba by the arm and led him through the front door. Kaiba growled slightly, but allowed Jounouchi to continue. It made his puppy happy when he allowed him to nurture his own ego, and when Jounouchi was happy he was less likely to act out and draw unnecessary attention to the both of them. They approached the ticket desk, Kaiba paying for them both while Jounouchi's gaze wandered over to the refreshments counter. He practically dragged the brunette over, shouting an order of a large bag of buttered popcorn, some nachos, a large Dr Pepper, and a package of Gummi bears before he even reached the counter. Kaiba paid for it all, ordering himself a medium sized water before strolling down the hall to a theater at the end. Jounouchi followed, somehow balancing his new treasures in his arms and went in as Kaiba held the door open for him. Kaiba smirked slightly to himself. It would only make sense that Jounouchi's only talent was to balance tremendous amounts of food at once. Of course it also took a great deal of skill to down all of it before the movie got halfway through and go back for seconds as he was known to do. The two young men took seats in the very center-- A compromise between Kaiba wanting to sit in the very back and Jounouchi wanting to sit in the very front.

"And what is this film you've picked out for me about?" Kaiba asked, crossing one slender leg over the other.

Since Jounouchi already had a mouthful of popcorn, he had to wait a moment for his answer. "Vampires."

"That's it?" Kaiba frowned. "No plot at all?"

Jounouchi shrugged, dipping a nacho into the cheese accompanying it. "Who needs a plot in a vampire movie? Blood, sex, gore, sex, that's about it."

Kaiba huffed and leaned back into his chair, pushing it into a half reclined position. "If you know what happens already, why did we come here?"

"Hey, vampire movies may be predictable but they're still cool," Jounouchi responded with a mouthful of nachos.

Kaiba's frown deepened. "You have cheese on your chin, puppy."

"So? It don't bother nobody but you," Jounouchi said, smiling at him. Kaiba chose not to answer and instead laid his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes.

"Who is singing?" he inquired after a moment.

Jounouchi paused from his snacking to listen to the music coming in through the speakers in the high ceiling. "Sounds like…" he said, crunching on every word. "…Madonna."

"God, somebody shoot me now," the brunette mumbled.

"Hey, nobody forced you to treat me to a movie," Jounouchi told him, then took a long drink of his soda.

Kaiba arched an eyebrow in his direction, his cerulean eye giving him a strange look. Jounouchi stopped drinking when he realized what the look was for.

"Damn it all, Kaib. Can't you take me out without being prodded by your kid brother? Just once?"

Kaiba leaned over toward him. "So I don't take you out enough. I make up for it, don't I?" He took one of his slender fingers and wiped the persistent cheese that still clung to Jounouchi's chin, then ever so delicately licked it off. Jounouchi blushed slightly and turned away.

"Come on Kaib, not here," he said, running a hand through his long, blonde bangs.

Satisfied, Kaiba returned to his comfortable reclined position just as the lights began to dim. The mention of sex always shut the puppy up about other things.

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It was dark by the time Jounouchi and Kaiba exited the movie theater. They stood in front of the door for a moment, taking in the brisk air of the night before Jounouchi inquired, "Where's the limo?"

Kaiba gave him a look. "I thought we could take a late night walk, puppy. Is that so bad?"

"What? Are you crazy?" Jounouchi asked in shock. "You wanna walk around at night after seeing that movie?"

Kaiba smirked. "What's the matter, puppy? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I did see a fucking ghost! Several of them actually. Weren't you paying attention during the damn movie?"

"I was," Kaiba replied. "It was just a movie, puppy. And the night air might do you some good."

Jounouchi shuddered slightly. "If you say so, Kaib. Lead the way."

The brunette nodded once and began walking down the dimly lit sidewalk with Jounouchi right beside him. The blonde shivered against the cold wind, keeping as close to Kaiba as the other would allow him to. In this way they walked in silence, taking in the night sights and sounds. Crickets chirped in the nearby bushes, somewhere an owl hooted to itself. Kaiba's long strides were quick and precise and Jounouchi found it a bit difficult to maintain the closeness he desired with the brunette.

"Kaib, slow down man," Jounouchi said, a whine entering his voice. "I can't keep up." He had barely finished his complaint when Kaiba came to a complete stop and Jounouchi went crashing into his back. "What the fuck? That's not what I meant…" He looked around Kaiba's tall frame and found another young man blocking their way.

"Excuse us," Kaiba growled fiercely, being as polite as it was possible for the CEO to be.

"No, excuse me," the man responded. Jounouchi watched him, eyeing him distrustfully. For once the blonde was at a loss for words as he looked him over. He had short tan hair and a very thin frame. He wore black leather pants and black boots along with a black leather vest that, despite the cold, opened to reveal his bare chest. His skin was fair and pale, but what unnerved Jounouchi the most was the man's glowing golden eyes. Those eyes glared at him, saw straight through him down into his soul. He shivered again, but this time not from the cold.

There was silence between them for a moment. Complete silence. To Jounouchi's shock, he realized that the streets were dead quiet. The sounds of the night had vanished completely in the darkness. Kaiba's icy blue eyes met those firey golden ones, but the brunette's lost the battle between them. Kaiba was forced to look away, and Jounouchi watched in amazement. Not many people had the ability to intimidate Seto Kaiba.

"What exactly do you want?" Kaiba inquired of the man.

"Not much," he replied. He took a conspicuous look around them and Jounouchi followed his gaze. The three of them were completely alone on the empty sidewalk and the only light came from a flickering street lamp several feet away. Jounouchi felt uneasy standing there in the man's shadow as he glared at them.

"If you're looking for trouble, I can assure you that my friend here and I can take you down easily," Kaiba said, a threatening growl in his tone.

"Heh," the man sneered, which soon became a full laugh. His white teeth gleamed in the darkness almost as brightly as his eyes. Jounouchi's own eyes widened at the sight of the length of the man's canine teeth. They were too long in the blonde's view, especially after seeing that vampire movie. They were not quite as long as vampire fangs, but they were long enough to make him too nervous to respond to him.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "I must have missed something amusing," he stated.

The man smirked. "You humans are so pathetic," he said, his eyes never leaving Kaiba's face.

Jounouchi gulped. "What-- What do you mean by that?" he stammered.

"Easy Katsuya," Kaiba warned. "He's just trying to scare you." Kaiba's usual smug look settled on his face. "I bet he's nothing but another movie go-er out to have a little fun."

The man's smirk disappeared. "You think so, huh?" he said. His voice was much more intimidating and threatening than before. "You wanna call me at it?"

"Kaib, I don't think we should be here," Jounouchi whispered into the brunette's ear. "This guy means business."

"And since when are you afraid to jump into a street fight?" Kaiba retorted.

"You'd better listen to your little friend there," the golden eyed stranger stated, then smiled coldly. "It's more fun if you run."

"I don't run from anyone," Kaiba growled firmly.

"It's your funeral," the other said. "That is, if there's anything left of you." Before either of them could react the man came upon them. He was incredibly swift, slamming his fist into the side of Jounouchi's head, knocking him to the ground. The blonde momentarily lost consciousness, and it took a moment for him to regain his senses enough to look for his brunette companion. Kaiba was no push over when it came to fights, but even so, as Jounouchi watched, the golden eyed man had him by the throat against the wall of a brick building. Jounouchi wobbled to his feet and ran as best as he could to assist his friend. But some unseen force knocked the blonde backwards into the side of the neighboring building, and he was thrown back into an unconscious state. For what seemed like a moment, he could not tell where he was. But then, he thought he heard someone call his name. He tried to respond, but could not find his mouth to do so. His body was lost and his mind swam alone in frigid darkness, hoping to come across anything familiar. It came in the form of a very welcomed voice.

"Jounouchi, can you hear me? Wake up, Jounouchi!"

The blonde's brown eyes blinked open, and he squinted against the light that shone down on him. He turned his head to the side and tried to clear his vision, but everything was blurry and unfocused.

"Where-- Where the hell am I?" he croaked, finding his throat and mouth much too dry for his comfort.

"Jounouchi, you're awake!" came the familiar voice again. "Don't strain yourself too much. Take it easy, okay?"

"Where the hell am I?" he demanded again with more volume. His eyes were beginning to focus and as he strained to see in front of him, he could just barely make out the outline of his good friend Yugi's hair.

"You're in the hospital, Jou." This was another voice altogether, but one he recognized as well. He tried to turn toward it, but his vision had not yet cleared and everything seemed to run together.

"Hospital?" he inquired of the voice, hoping to get it to talk again so that he could identify it.

"Yeah, you're lucky that guy came across you when he did. There's no telling what might have happened to you." This was yet another voice for Jounouchi to try and identify. They certainly were not making it easy for him.

"What guy?" he asked. "What happened?" He blinked some more, and finally he began to be able to distinguish different colors.

"Some creep must've kicked your ass good," said a mob of brown. "Left you in the alley by yourself."

"Then a man walking by happened to see you and called an ambulance," Yugi's hair added. "You have a concussion, so don't move around too much, okay?"

Jounouchi groaned as he began to get the feeling back in his body. "Damn son of a bitch…" he cursed, trying to replay the events from before. "Wait… He left me in the alley alone?"

"Yeah," said the brown again. "Must've knocked your head against the wall 'cause there was a bunch of blood there from what the guy said."

"Honda, don't tell him that," the other voice from before said. It was higher pitched than the other voices so far.

As Jounouchi's memories returned, he began to feel a sense of urgency. "He didn't-- He didn't see Kaiba anywhere?"

"Kaiba?" Yugi echoed. "He didn't say anything about Kaiba. And the police have already looked over the scene. Nobody said anything about him."

Jounouchi began to sit up but his body protested heavily and he collapsed back onto the bed. "Kaiba was with me," he grunted through the pain that was shooting down his spine. "There was some bastard guy and he attacked us both."

There was an uneasy pause in the room. Jounouchi could feel the tension moving between them all, and it only served to make him more anxious. Finally his vision cleared up enough for him to distinguish between his friends and the room they were in, and he turned to Yugi frantically. "We gotta find him Yug," he said, his heart and mind racing. "Who knows what that bastard did to him."

Yugi nodded. "I'll go and try to find the investigator," he stated, getting up from the chair he had been sitting on. "He wanted to be alerted when you woke up anyway."

"I'll go with you, Yugi," Anzu said, turning and following him out the door. Jounouchi watched them both go, then turned his attention to Honda who remained in the room with him.

"God damn, I hope he's all right," the blonde muttered, trying to hide his nervousness. But his hands were trembling uncontrollably, partly from his anxiousness, partly from the pain he was in.

"Kaiba's a big boy, he can take care of himself," Honda assured him, sitting in the chair Yugi had just left. "You shouldn't worry yourself about him now. You're hurt Jou, and you need to rest, okay?"

Jounouchi shook his head. "How the hell do you expect me to rest now?" he demanded. "I can't, not until I know Kaiba's safe." He shuddered slightly, but did his best to hide it. Honda seemed to notice, but said nothing about it.

"So who was this guy, Jou?" he asked. "Anyone we know?"

"No, never seen him before," the blonde replied. "He looked older than us by maybe ten years. He had light brown hair and… And these creepy gold eyes. I'd never seen anything like them before." He shivered at the vivid memory.

"Must've been a pretty big guy to bring the two of you down," Honda said, a look of wonder and curiosity in his eyes.

But Jounouchi shook his head again. "No, he wasn't. He wasn't much bigger than me, Honda, but he was fucking strong. Unnaturally strong if you ask me. The guy had Kaiba by the throat! And when he threw me into the wall…" He paused for a moment. "Wait… He didn't even touch me then. I was too far away for him to reach, but got slammed into that fucking wall so hard that… I don't even remember what happened next."

"Creepy," Honda said. "Sounds like a guy out of a horror show."

Jounouchi nodded. "That's what he was," he said. "That's exactly what he was."

End of Chapter One