• Crimson Tears (cont.)

    The girl watched him leave, satisfied that the man hadn’t passed her and got upstairs. She didn’t feel like disappointing Yugi and was in absolutely no mood to do so. She carefully stepped upstairs to check on him. She slid her hand through the door and cracked it open. She looked in and watched Yugi. She smiled as she saw the rise and fall of his chest. She smiled and went back downstairs. She hid behind the couch and transformed into the black dog. She loped back upstairs and lied near his bed. She sighed in content.

    As morning came by, so did the loud noise of Yugi’s alarm clock. Shadow growled in distaste. She got up and glared at it. She growled, “Shut up, you stupid piece of c**p!” She took it in her jaws and shook it. She waited until the alarm died down and put it back. Now the thing looked like a horrible jumbled mess. Shadow suddenly realized that Yugi was going to need it. She gulped and looked around. “Gotta hide it! Gotta hide it! Aw, shoot, he’ll kill me!” she whined. She grabbed it and tossed it into his closet. She sighed and sat down. She looked at Yugi and then outside. She muttered to herself, “I need to wake him up…” She sat near his face and licked gently. Yugi stirred and opened one eye.
    He asked, “What are you doing this early? It’s Sunday…” Shadow whined and nuzzled his hand. Yugi asked, “What is it? Do you need to go out?” Shadow’s tail wagged a thousand miles as she shifted her weight impatiently. Yugi crawled out of bed. He lost his footing and fell. Shadow, out of instincts, formed into her human form and caught him. Yugi looked at her in surprise. The girl paused and looked at him. She stammered, “Y-you…you fell and…” Yugi was too shocked to see such a quick transformation in front of his very eyes. He sputtered, “You! You-you’re Shadow?!” The girl sighed and nodded.
    She stood him up and dusted off his clothes. She told him, “You shouldn’t have seen that, though. I was acting out of instinct…” Yugi asked, “Then if you’re dog form is named Shadow, then what is your real name?” The girl told him, “My name is Kyaserin…” Yugi muttered, “I see…but why a dog all this time?” Kyaserin told him, “I was looking for a place to stay. But at every chance I get, I’m either tossed out or just beaten to death until I’m out of the human’s hair…” Yugi asked eagerly, “But why me?” Kyaserin told him, “There’s something about you…that makes me feel like there’s a chance that I could belong here…” Yugi looked at her sadly. He told her, “All this just for a home…” Kyaserin looked at him. She pleaded, “Please don’t send me out there! I don’t want to keep searching and the give up and die! This is the only safe haven I’ve found so far!”
    Yugi responded at once, “It’s okay! I’m not going to send you out in the streets like that!” He wrapped his arms around Kyaserin and told her, “There’s no way I’m going to send you out there!” Kyaserin looked at him. She whispered, “R-really…?” Yugi told her, “I’m not going to be some cruel person and send you out in the streets with nothing but fur and a collar around your neck…” Kyaserin smiled and hugged him, her first in a lifetime. She whispered, “Thank you…” Yugi hugged her back. He told her, “You’ve been too loyal to my family. Now I return the favor once more…” Kyaserin smiled.
    Yugi and Kyaserin immediately parted when Yugi’s doorknob rattled. Kyaserin jumped back into her dog form and sat by him. Grandpa Moto entered and told Yugi, “Your friends Joey, Tristan and Tea are outside waiting for you.” Yugi smiled and responded, “That’s great.” He turned to Shadow and told her, “You get to meet my friends.” Shadow barked and wagged her tail. Yugi raced downstairs with Shadow at his heels. He rushed out the door, racing to his friends with Shadow running after him, barking and panting happily. Tea, Joey and Tristan spotted them and smiled. Joey bent down and told Yugi, “Look there! The black dog’s all better now!” Shadow barked and pounced.
    Joey laughed, shaking her head in his hands. Shadow smiled. Even in her dog form, the smile was huge and radiant. Yugi started laughing. Joey sat up and asked, “So, who are you again?” Shadow yipped. Yugi told Joey, “Her name’s Shadow…” Joey nodded and asked, “You were Kaiba’s dog…thank God Yugi found you, huh?” Shadow barked and gently took Joey’s hand into her jaws. She stayed careful not to bite hard. Tristan ruffled the dog’s ears. Shadow let go of Joey and panted happily. Tea bent down and looked at Shadow. Shadow stopped and studied her for a minute. She yipped and reached to nuzzle her hand. Tea reached and rubbed her muzzle. Shadow whined softly. Tea commented, “She’s such a sweet dog…” Shadow smiled a bit bigger. She could get used to this.
    Tea asked Yugi, “You ready to go to the new arena?” Yugi and the boys nodded. Tea and Tristan led the way. Yugi and Joey fell into place with them. Shadow barked and charged ahead. She turned to Yugi and growled in discontent. She knew Yugi better and seemed to tell him, “Get up here! You’re Pack Leader!” Yugi asked, “What, Shadow?” Shadow groaned and grabbed his sleeve. She pulled him up front with her and snorted in satisfaction. Yugi laughed. “Oh! You wanted me to lead!” he exclaimed. Shadow barked. Yugi told her, “Okay, okay…” He ruffled her ears and started walking. Shadow followed.
    As Yugi and his group loped casually around Battle City, a squad of Noble soldiers passed. Shadow felt a strange air around them and growled. Yugi and the group stopped. Yugi asked Shadow, “What is it, girl?” Shadow growled, eying the men warily. Yugi turned to look at them. He paused for a moment and then looked back at Shadow. He spoke softly, “It’s okay, Shadow. They mean us no harm, understand?” Shadow whined and licked his hand. She did not like them at all. Yugi suggested, “Just ignore them. They’ll leave you alone as long as you don’t bother them.” Shadow snorted.
    Tristan’s stomach growled. He asked, “Anyone hungry?” The group nodded. Shadow gave no consent; she wasn’t, but this was Yugi’s pack, and she would have to stay with them. She followed them at their heels. As they sat outside a small diner, a scream rang. Shadow had been lying under Yugi’s table when she heard the sound. She bolted up on her feet. She snarled, bristling her fur. Yugi and Tea looked at her. Tristan stood up and looked over to where Shadow was growling. He gasped as the same squad of soldiers raced down the street. A huge gang of mobsters were racing away from them carrying loaded guns. Shadow stopped growling and tore out from under the table. She grabbed Yugi’s arm and pulled him aside. She snarled viciously, trying to tell Joey and Tea that the people were coming this way. Tristan grabbed Tea’s arm and pulled her along with them.
    Shadow jumped out and formed human at once. She readied the daggers in her hands and charged. She threw each dagger at the charging mobsters. The sharp blades pierced through the men’s sleeves, creating huge cuts on their arms. The men skidded to a stop and dropped the weapons. Few of the guns went off. Kyaserin raced at them. The men drew switchblades and readied themselves. Kyaserin tossed and scraped each blade like they were nothing. A man pulled out a pistol and took aim. Kyaserin tossed her dagger and clogged the barrel. The gun exploded. The man dropped it. Kyaserin jumped in and sliced his chest. He fell.
    Two others raced at her. Kyaserin sent her daggers into their chests and pulled them free. As they buckled and fell into their bloody puddle of death, Kyaserin moved in for the other men. They yelled in surprise. Kyaserin snarled and let loose her daggers. They snaked through them and pierced each one in some weak spot. They fell severely wounded. Kyaserin asked anyone, “Who’s next?” She turned to Yugi and his friends. The faces they made was fear. She turned and saw the soldiers take aim at her. Kyaserin snarled, “I don’t have time for this!” She struck them with her daggers. One wielded a huge axe. Kyaserin jumped and landed at its end. She raced down and kicked his face, sending his helmet flying. She jumped off of him and landed on the head of another. She drilled her daggers into his skull and jumped off.
    She sliced her way through them, cutting them clean in half or slicing them into bits. They buckled at her feet. Kyaserin sighed; her work was done. She looked at Yugi. He was his friends were completely afraid of her. Kyaserin put her daggers away and reached for them. She pleaded, “Don’t be afraid of me…” Yugi stepped forward, like he was going to respond to her pleas. Tristan and Joey pulled him back. They told him, “She’s dangerous! Don’t go near her!” Yugi snapped at them, “I don’t care! She saved our lives!” He tore loose from their grip and raced at her. Kyaserin felt weight clamp around her ribs as Yugi held onto her for dear life. She looked down, surprised. Yugi looked up and told her, “I’m not sending you out alone again!!”
    Kyaserin asked, “Is this what you really want?” Yugi told her, “With all my heart…” Kyaserin smiled and hugged him back. Even in her high heels, she still could respond to his hugs. Yugi smiled. He turned to his friends and told them, “I’m not leaving her!” Tea, Tristan and Joey watched him for a while. They sighed and joined up with him. Kyaserin smiled. At last, she felt at peace.
    She looked up and saw Kaiba. She parted from them. Kaiba stepped up to them and asked, “Who’s the new girl?” Yugi told him, “This is Kyaserin. She’s Shadow, the dog you once owned…” Kaiba looked at Kyaserin. He burst out laughing. He asked, “Are you for real? This is Shadow? Honestly, where are you coming up with these silly ideas and beliefs?!” Kyaserin frowned. Kaiba asked her, “So, how old are you, Kyaserin? Eighteen, nineteen?” Kyaserin replied, “Seventeen…” Kaiba sneered. He asked, “Do you duel?”
    Kyaserin looked at Yugi and asked, “What’s dueling?” Yugi told her, “It’s a match between duelists of who has the better deck of cards…” Kyaserin frowned and said, “That doesn’t sound like fun…” Kaiba told her, “Oh, it is…when you whip someone else’s butt…” Kyaserin sensed that he was talking about Yugi. She snarled, “I will not have you threaten my master that way!” She aimed a dagger at his throat. She hissed, “Unless you wish to duel me, then do so!” Kaiba growled at her, “How can you duel? You’ve never fought before!” Kyaserin snapped, “I will!” She dropped her knife and shoved his arm.
    Kaiba grunted from the force. Kyaserin turned to Yugi and asked, “Does your grandfather have a wolf or dog deck put together?” Yugi asked, “Why?” Kyaserin told him, “…’Cuz I’m in…” Joey and Tristan’s eyes widened. They told her, “He’ll crush you!” Kyaserin snarled, “I don’t give a d**n about what he does! I want to duel, and that’s it!” The group backed from her. Kaiba sniggered. He told her, “Meet me tomorrow at the center city square at sunset…” He turned and left. Kyaserin watched him go. She told Yugi, “You’ll see what I can do…” She walked home with determination weighing on her shoulders.
    Kyaserin spent a long night strategizing her newly built deck. She gathered together a lot of dog, wolf and other beast cards that she could get a hold of. When she was satisfied, she formed back into Shadow and curled up at the foot of Yugi’s bed. She felt confident that she could at the least drain his life points to zero. She chuckled lightly. She snuggled up near Yugi and sighed in content, waiting patiently for tomorrow.