A/N: Hi guys! Here's another Vesperia story, a short multi-chap this time! This is a request made to me by OlivineWK, so this story is also dedicated to her. :) Thank you!

Like always, I have some warnings to give! This story contains malexmale interaction, so if you don't like, please go back the way you came! This story is rated M for sexual content, blood and some swearing. That's about it! You're warned!

The pairings in this one is Zagi/Yuri with mentions of Flynn/Yuri.

Summary: When Yuri falls from Zaude, Zagi is the one rescuing him from a sure death instead of Duke. Now Yuri's fate is in the hands of his enemy, and he can only escape under two conditions. But can he really yield to the assassin's demands?

I own nothing apart from the storyline of this fic. The rest belong to Namco.

I won't keep you any longer, so enjoy this first chapter!

Lost Souls

Chapter 1: Conditions

Yuri stood on the large platform on top of Zaude, watching the Adephagos appear in the sky. As much as Yuri wanted to curse Alexei for summoning that… thing, he cursed himself too for not being able to stop the madman in time. Yuri sighed in frustration, knowing he had his work cut out for him now. He had to find a way to get rid of this monstrosity somehow.

Yuri was wondering about what his guild's next course of action should be when he heard the distinctive sound of clinking armor resounding from behind him. Yuri's thoughts immediately flew to Flynn, his best friend and lover, and he called his name as he turned around.

Yuri never, not for even one second, suspected it could have been Sodia instead, Flynn's second in command, coming at him with anger and murderous intent. Yuri never saw the hit coming since he was too surprised by her appearance.

Before Yuri even had the time to realize it, a burning pain flared in his abdomen, just under his left ribcage, cutting off his air supply. Yuri's gray eyes widened and he stared at Sodia's horrified face, who seemed to realize only now what she did, dropping the bloodied knife she just used to stab the vigilante.

Yuri did not manage to utter a single word as he stumbled backwards, his hand flying up to cover his bleeding wound. His feet soon hit the edge of the platform and Yuri found himself falling freely from the heights of Zaude, with not even as much as a silent scream.

Yuri's consciousness had almost evaded him when his body harshly broke the surface of the water. The strong impact with the cold water was enough to make him lose consciousness while he slowly sank into the depths of the cold ocean. Because of that, he was never aware of the strong arm pulling him back to the surface and onto a small boat that was anchored near Zaude.

Yuri regained a sliver of consciousness when he was forced to spit out the water that filled his lungs. His eyelids slowly fluttered open for a split second and he looked up, his blurred gaze making up nothing more than colors; a strange mix of pink, yellow and black. As pain shot in his abdomen again, Yuri weakly moaned in pain and his eyes rolled in their orbits before he lost consciousness again.

Excruciating pain flaring in his abdomen is what woke up Yuri again. He moaned in pain and struggled weakly against what caused the pain to worsen. A strong arm pinned Yuri's shoulders to the soft surface on which he was lying – surely a bed – and a face came into Yuri's vision.

However, Yuri still could not make up the features of the person as his vision was blurred with pain. The swordsman felt his entire body burn uncomfortably and it was all he could do not to scream out his pain. A few seconds later, the pain was too much and Yuri passed out again.

After this, Yuri often woke up in little episodes, but each time he did, he was delirious. His entire body was burning up with a strong fever and hurt all over, but mostly at his abdomen. Sometimes, something cold covered his forehead, and that was the only thing that could soothe his pain. It never lasted long, however. Yuri would trash and writhe on the mattress when the pain flared up again, only to fall asleep when exhaustion took over.

Yuri could not tell how much time passed while he was lost in the throes of his fever. When it finally let up early in the morning, three days after his fall from Zaude, Yuri slowly opened his tired eyes and the first thing he saw was a foreign ceiling made of wood.

Yuri frowned and moaned softly in pain as a strong headache pounded in his head. Where was he? Why was his memory empty? Yuri could not remember anything no matter how hard he tried.

He slowly turned his face to the side and took in the sight of the small room he was resting in. The walls were made of the same material than the ceiling. A bed, a chair and a small bedside table were the only furniture in the room. The door at the other end of the room was closed and prevented Yuri to see beyond it. He did not recognize this place and it confused him even more.

As his senses slowly came back to him, Yuri was aware of being tucked underneath some heavy blankets. He could feel that he was barefooted and only wore a pair of pants. Yuri frowned at that, confused. What happened? And why was he feeling so damn weak?

Sighing in frustration, Yuri decided that it did not matter in the end. All he needed to do was get out of here and find his friends. Yuri tried to sit up in the bed, but he cried out in pain at the unbearable sting of pain suddenly shooting up in his abdomen. He fell back on the mattress and his hand clutched the bandaged wound at his left side. The memories of how it happened came back to his mind in a rush.

Sodia… that girl tried to kill him back at Zaude.

A humorless smile stretched Yuri's lips at that. He got to hand it to her; she was ready to do anything to protect Flynn. There was only one thing she did not take into consideration when she tried to kill him, though: it was too late for that. Yuri and Flynn were lovers. She would hurt Flynn deeply if she killed Yuri right now. She should have tried that before their relationship deepened to such a level.

Then again, she had no clue about it. Nobody knew about him and Flynn being lovers, except for maybe Judith. The Krytian was too clever. She probably knew about their mutual attraction before Flynn and Yuri were even aware of it themselves.

Still, Yuri thought he was pretty lucky. No, who was he trying to fool? It was not luck that had protected his life; it was the fact that Sodia's resolve was not made of steel. If she had really wanted to kill him, she would not have missed a vital spot. This is what saved his hide.

And apparently, the one who brought him here and bandaged him up also played a part in saving his life. That really sparked Yuri's curiosity. Who had saved him?

He searched his memories, but not once was he able to clearly make up a face in his mind. He had no clear memory since his fall from Zaude. Yuri wanted to at least thank his savior before leaving to return to Brave Vesperia. Whoever saved him was surely there, somewhere inside this cabin.

Yuri closed his eyes, trying to rein in the throbbing pain in his wound. He grabbed the headboard and used it to heave himself up into a sitting position. The pain his action caused made him bit his lip hard to stop the scream from getting past his lips. Yuri could not let such a wound get the better of him. With that thought in mind, the dark haired male dangled his feet over the edge of the bed and touched the ground.

Still taking support on the headboard, Yuri slowly pushed himself to a standing position. His legs shook under the effort, but Yuri stubbornly kept going. When he made a first wobbly step, a vivid sting of pain twisted in his wound. Yuri cried out in pain and collapsed on the ground, his back against the bed.

Yuri's hand instinctively covered his wound and he felt something moist under his palm. His eyes lowered and when he removed his hand, Yuri saw the bandage around him slowly turn crimson as the wound reopened. Yuri clenched his teeth hard.

"Shit…" he cursed as the pain grew to a new level.

Sweat broke up on his forehead and he felt the sure signs of a fever coming slowly, but surely. Yuri closed his eyes and cursed against his own weakness. It seemed he was in no shape to be out of bed yet.

The sound of the door opening made him snap his eyes open and look in that direction, thinking he would finally get to know his savior's identity. Yuri froze when he saw someone all too familiar in the door frame, someone with pink, blonde, and black hair; someone who had never ceased to stalk and pursue him since their first confrontation… Zagi.

Yuri kept staring blankly at the assassin, thinking it was his slowly growing fever making him hallucinate. Zagi could not be the one who had saved him… right?

The assassin wore one of his usual crazy smiles. He chuckled as he left the door frame and slowly walked towards a completely paralyzed Yuri. Zagi squatted in front of Yuri and kept smiling at him in that creepy way of his.

"You seem surprised to see me, Yuri," he stated in a sugary tone.

Yuri glared at the assassin and he unconsciously pushed his back against the bed, trying to put distance between him and Zagi.

"What are you doing here? Did you kill the one who saved me?" Yuri asked in a slightly breathless tone, not able to hide his wince at the pain coursing through him.

Zagi raised an amused eyebrow at that. "So you're assuming I'm not the one who saved you? And what if I was?" Zagi said with a slurred voice.

Yuri felt confused by the assassin's words. Was Zagi insinuating that he was the one who saved him? As if Yuri would believe that! Zagi suddenly reached a hand towards Yuri and the latter harshly slapped it away, glaring venomously at his enemy.

"Don't touch me," Yuri seethed.

Zagi chuckled and quickly grabbed Yuri's wrist, yanking the latter forward until their faces were an inch away.

"I don't think that's the way you should act towards the one who saved your life," Zagi taunted, still looking at Yuri with his deranged smile.

Yuri growled and tried to yank his wrist free, but he was too weak. He kept glaring at Zagi, frustrated that he could do nothing else.

"Oh, so you want gratefulness? Okay, then. Thanks for saving me. Now get your fucking hand off me!" Yuri exclaimed with anger.

Zagi did not answer to his demand. Growing quickly frustrated, Yuri struggled again against the assassin, but a particularly painful tear at his abdomen had him cry out in pain and stop struggling.

Zagi jumped on the occasion. His arm closed around Yuri's waist and he lifted the wounded male from the ground with ease. He ignored Yuri's protestations and dropped him on the bed. Yuri tried to lash out at Zagi, but the latter roughly pinned his wrists against the mattress and leaned closer. Yuri snarled at his captor.

"Let me go or I'll fucking kill you!" he hissed, the threat very present in his voice.

Zagi's smile turned more amused as he leaned even closer and saw Yuri try to put some distance between them, struggling harder against the assassin's hold.

"I don't think you're in any state to be giving me orders. Now behave or I'll be forced to restrain you with other means," Zagi said calmly.

Yuri did not listen to him. He struggled harder, not even stopping when his wound throbbed painfully.

"Like hell I'd listen to you! Let me go, you bastard!" the vigilante fumed aggressively.

Zagi sighed and reached for the bed's headboard. "You're not giving me another choice," he said in a fake saddened tone.

Yuri frowned, wondering what the assassin had in mind when one of his wrists was suddenly yanked above his head and something cold closed around it. Yuri's eyes shot upwards and he saw a shackle closed around his wrist with the other part attached to the headboard. That fucking Zagi just chained him to the bed.

Yuri extended his leg and weakly tried to kick the bastard, but Zagi was quicker. He moved out of the way and laughed at Yuri's useless efforts.

"You're so feisty. Guess I'll have to remedy to that too," Zagi commented as he went to the bedside table and opened the first drawer, rummaging through it.

Yuri snapped his face to the side to see what the insane male was doing and his eyes widened with slight fear when he saw Zagi pull out a syringe.

When the assassin turned towards him, Yuri struggled like a madman against his restraint. Zagi ignored his antics and sat next to Yuri on the bed, approaching the syringe. Yuri snarled, glaring viciously at his enemy.

"Get that fucking thing away from me or I'll shove it down your throat!" he threatened, hiding his fear under a deep anger.

His words made Zagi chuckle darkly. "Now, Yuri. You're not being reasonable," he whispered.

Before Yuri had the time to see it coming, Zagi grabbed his free arm and pinned it on the bed, palm up. He quickly inserted the syringe in the crook of Yuri's elbow, pushing the liquid into the raven haired male's veins. Yuri winced in pain and cold horror washed over him while Zagi removed the now empty syringe.

He watched as Zagi wiped away the small amount of blood that seeped from his wound. As he did so, his vision suddenly became slowly blurred and the room seemed as if it was slightly turning. Yuri turned his face to the side and tried to focus his gaze on Zagi's face.

"What… what did you… inject me…?" he blurted out with difficulty.

Zagi leaned towards his face and his hand gently caressed Yuri's dark hair. The latter would have slapped it away if he had any strength left, but whatever Zagi gave him drained it all away.

"Don't worry; I only gave you a sedative. You gave me no choice. I can't possibly stitch your wound when you're struggling so much," the assassin explained on a strangely gentle tone.

Yuri answered nothing. He did not even have the strength to talk anymore. He could only moan softly in protestation when he felt Zagi's arms wrap around him to pull him into a sitting position. Yuri was maneuvered to lie against Zagi while the assassin undid the bandages he had wrapped around Yuri.

The wounded male wanted nothing more but to push away from Zagi's warm body, but it was impossible in his state. He felt like a ragged doll, trapped in this room and made to bend under the assassin's will. He felt utterly powerless and it unnerved him.

Soon, Zagi had finished removing the bandages and lied Yuri back down on the bed. The latter did not move a single muscle as he barely felt Zagi disinfect his reopened wound and redo the stitches.

The sedative was numbing his senses, preventing him from feeling too much pain. He was still vaguely aware of the assassin's warm hands working on the nude skin of his stomach and it felt so wrong that he wanted to shake them away, but he could not. He had no strength anymore.

Yuri was unaware of how much time it took Zagi to stitch and bandage his wound. Eventually, the drug's soothing effect dragged him to a state of light sleep.

When the sedative's effect began to wear off a little and Yuri woke up, the vigilante found himself lying on his back on the bed. His body felt numb and because of it, he felt next to no pain in his wound. His ears eventually caught a strange sound coming from his left. Yuri managed to turn his face to the side and his slightly blurred gaze fell on Zagi.

The assassin was sitting in a chair a little apart from the bed. He was currently busy sharpening his duel blades in silence. It seemed the assassin felt the weight of the gray eyes on him since he stopped what he was doing and looked straight back at Yuri. Soon, one of his deranged smiles appeared on his face.

"Are we feeling a little less savage now? Not that I mind much," Zagi asked tauntingly.

Yuri glared in return, and it held venom despite his weak state.

Zagi chuckled at that. "Glare all you want, Yuri. It's fun to watch," he commented.

Zagi's comment made Yuri glare even harder. A sudden shot of pain made him close his eyes in unrest. When he opened them again, pain shone in them as Yuri focused his now fast blurring gaze back on Zagi. He knew sleep would gain him soon again, but he needed to ask something before then.

"W… why…?" Yuri whispered with difficulty.

He knew Zagi would understand his question. Why did you save me? Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?

Zagi stayed silent for a while, only staring at his captive, his face betraying no emotions. He then rose from his chair and set his blades on it before slowly walking to the bed where Yuri was lying. The assassin stopped at the edge of the bed and the wariness he saw in the vigilante's eyes made him smile.

He leaned down and extended his hand until his fingers touched Yuri's soft strands of hair. If Yuri was not on the verge of passing out, he would have pushed that offending hand away, but he had no strength left and his body felt numb.

The last thing Yuri was conscious of before succumbing to the darkness were the words Zagi pronounced in a softly frustrated tone.

"You should know that by now."

When Yuri woke up the next morning at the rays of the sunlight seeping through the window, his memory was devoid of anything relating to the events of the day before. It was only when sleep evaded his eyes and that his gaze fell on someone sitting in a chair next to his bed did Yuri's memory came back at once.

And as it did, Yuri jumped up in the bed and brought his back against the wall, facing the demented assassin who was staring at him with amusement. Yuri hissed at the pain that shot in his wounded side, but he forced himself to ignore it.

He quickly noticed that his right wrist was still tightly shackled to the bed's headboard, but Zagi had replaced the bound with one having a chain, making more room for Yuri to move. The dark haired male growled menacingly, glowering at his captor.

"You better release me right now if you don't want to get hurt," Yuri seethed, confident in his threat as he had regained a part of his strength.

Zagi only snickered at that, not moving from his place.

"It would be boring if I just released you, Yuri. Besides, you still haven't properly thanked me for saving you. Without me there at Zaude, you would have sank at the bottom of the ocean and served as food for the fish," the assassin stated with a calmness that Yuri did not known him capable of and it destabilized him.

Yuri quickly got over himself. He looked confusedly at Zagi.

"I don't get you. I thought you lived to kill me! What would you gain from keeping me alive and trapped in here?!" Yuri asked rather briskly, unnerved.

The assassin sighed in response, which unnerved Yuri even more.

"That's exactly because I want to kill you that I kept you alive, Yuri. If you were to die in such a stupid way, I wouldn't have been able to fight you one more time. It would have been a shame," Zagi answered, and Yuri could feel he was being truthful.

He snorted at that. "Then how about releasing me then? It's not like I'll be able to fight you again if you keep me caged in here," Yuri snapped, his tone growing swiftly impatient.

Zagi rose from his seat and slowly walked towards the bed. Once there, he leaned his face bearing a demented smile towards Yuri who shrank against the wall as much as he could, ready to strike at the assassin if need be. Zagi was silent for a short while, merely smiling at his captive, taking delight in the confusion he could see on Yuri's face. Zagi finally talked after what seemed an eternity to Yuri.

"I never said I wanted to keep you trapped here forever. I'll release you under two conditions. The first one is simple. You're not leaving here until you've completely recovered. It wouldn't do if you couldn't join your friends because of your wound. As for the second condition…" Zagi trailed off in a whisper.

Growing impatient, Yuri opened his mouth to ask what it was about when the assassin reached a hand towards him. Yuri was quick to react. He extended his hand to slap it away, but the assassin predicted his reaction. He caught the vigilante's wrist in a strong hold and quickly grabbed Yuri's chin with his free hand, turning his face towards him.

Zagi smirked at the mix of anger and apprehension he could see in the gray eyes staring at him.

"If you want me to free you, you'll have to surrender yourself willingly to me," Zagi finished in a sultry whisper.

Yuri froze at those words and his eyes widened. Zagi could not mean what he thought he did… right? Zagi chuckled when he saw his captive's reaction. While the assassin kept his grip unwavering on Yuri's wrist and chin, he leaned in until his breath ghosted over the vigilante's ear, making the latter shiver.

"Don't look so surprised… I'm sure you understand very well what I mean. I told you; you haven't thanked me properly yet. And what I want in return is simple: you." Zagi whispered in a tone that sent dark chills down Yuri's spine.

Yuri violently shook his wrist free and tried to punch Zagi square on the jaw, but the assassin anticipated it and swiftly stepped out of harm's way, releasing Yuri. The latter glared at the assassin, his eyes promising him an early death if he as much as came close again.

"You bastard! How dare you ask that of me?!" Yuri seethed, anger and outrage dripping from his voice.

Zagi stood near the bed, his arms crossed and an amused smile on his lips.

"Because I can. I'm not asking for much. Think about it; one night with me in exchange for your freedom. It's not a bad deal, don't you think?" the assassin slurred with amusement.

Yuri glared even harder at the assassin. "If you think I'll let you fuck me, you're out of your fucking mind! I'd rather die than feel your disgusting hands on me," Yuri said with disgust.

Zagi chuckled darkly and leaned his face closer to stare deep into Yuri's gaze, but not close enough to be in harm's way.

"We'll see about that. You don't really have a choice, you know. You agree to sleep with me, or you stay here forever. It's your choice," he exposed with another chuckle, just before turning on his heels and making for the door.

By the time Zagi left Yuri alone in the room, the latter's face was deathly pale and a cold sweat broke all over his body, making him shiver uncontrollably. He realized fully that he had no choice but to yield to Zagi's demand if he wanted to get out of this hellhole.

A sudden flash of blond hair and blue eyes appeared in his mind and Yuri was immediately mad at himself. How could he even as much as consider the slightest bit to cheat on Flynn? Yuri would never forgive himself for doing this. No. He had to consider all his options to get out before considering yielding to Zagi's demand.

There had to be another way out of here. Yuri wanted to believe that.

Zagi returned an hour later into the room, holding a tray with food in it, as well as a pile of clothes. Yuri watched him with wariness while the assassin put the clothes on the bedside table before putting the tray down on the bed next to Yuri. The vigilante threw a cautious look at the food that smelled delicious for his starved and weary state, but he made no move to grab the plate full of food. Zagi snickered, which brought Yuri's attention on him.

"What?" Yuri asked briskly, glaring at his captor.

The assassin crossed his arms and leaned back against the bedside table.

"Come on, eat. I'm sure you're hungry. There would be no point in me poisoning the food, if that's what you're worried about," Zagi said with a hint of amusement.

Yuri was tempted to refuse the meal since his pride dictated to him not to accept anything coming from the psycho, but he was famished and he knew that he would not regain his strength if he did not eat. With a quick glance at the smirking assassin, Yuri grabbed the plate and brought it closer. He took hold of the fork and took a piece of the delicious looking fish, bringing it to his lips.

Yuri stopped there, throwing another glance at Zagi, and when he saw that his expression did not change, he took the bite into his mouth. Surprisingly, the food tasted good. Maybe it was the fact that Yuri had not eaten in days, but in any case, Yuri found himself eating the food eagerly, feeling already better now that he had something in his stomach.

When Yuri finished and put the empty plate down on the tray, his eyes were attracted to Zagi, only to see the assassin staring intently at him with an indecipherable expression. It made the vigilante highly uncomfortable.

He was about to say something when Zagi seemed to shake himself out of whatever thoughts he was lost in. He plunged a hand into his pocket and produced a key before walking towards the bed. Yuri had the reflex to back away from the assassin, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Zagi grab his wrist to hold him still and insert the key in the shackle, deftly unlocking it.

When he felt his wrist being set free, Yuri stayed motionless, looking at the assassin with confusion. Zagi smirked at his captive before turning around and grabbing the change of clothes he had brought.

"Now come with me. I've run a bath for you and we have to change those bandages," Zagi said calmly.

He began to walk to the door and when he heard no sound coming from behind him, the assassin turned around to see Yuri still sitting on the bed, not having moved one bit.

Zagi folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, an amused smile appearing on his lips.

"I'm waiting, Yuri," he said with amusement.

Yuri glared at Zagi in return. "I'm not going anywhere with you. By the way, you shouldn't have untied me. If you think I can't break free of here now, you're mistaken," Yuri said, all of the muscles in his body already on edge while Yuri was preparing a quick escape.

Zagi chuckled with amusement as he left the door frame and slowly walked back towards his captive.

"Don't get me wrong. If you don't come by yourself, I'll force you to. As for your escape, I'm afraid it won't be possible without my consent," Zagi said mysteriously, not bothering to explain himself.

Zagi stopped in front of the bed, still smirking to the glaring dark haired male. "So? What will it be?" he asked.

Yuri snarled with anger at being mocked. His fist quickly flew towards Zagi's face, but it lacked his usual speed as the vigilante was not in top shape and was lacking his bodhi blastia.

Zagi took advantage of that. He avoided the hit and his own fist sank into Yuri's stomach, right over his stitched wound. Blinding pain swallowed Yuri and he cried out in pain while his vision got clouded with dark spots. He barely felt the arm wrapping around his narrow waist, lifting him from the bed before throwing him unceremoniously over Zagi's shoulder.

Yuri regained his senses only when Zagi began to move, leaving the room and strolling down the hallway of the small cabin towards the bathroom. Yuri struggled violently against the assassin, trying to make him let go.

"You bastard! Let me down right now!" Yuri exclaimed with anger.

Zagi only tightened his hold around Yuri's waist in response.

"Do keep struggling. I've got a nice view over here," Zagi said in a sultry tone, his free hand going up onto the back of Yuri's thigh to keep him steady.

Yuri immediately stopped moving while his face heated up in shame. A string of colorful curses escaped his lips, which made the assassin chuckle amusedly. When they got to the bathroom, Zagi finally let Yuri down, making him sit on the edge of the tub already filled with water. As soon as he was done, the vigilante brutally batted Zagi's hands away from him, glaring at him in a way that would have made any normal man run for his life.

However, Zagi was no normal man and it only amused him more.

Zagi put his hands on each side of Yuri, trapping the later between him and the tub filled with water. The assassin leaned closer until he saw the gray eyes turn darker and darker in a silent threat not to come closer.

"It wasn't so bad now, was it?" he asked his captive, mirth dripping from his voice.

Yuri growled in anger. "Fuck you!" he seethed through his teeth, which made the assassin's smile widen.

"We'll get there eventually, Yuri. But for now, you should bathe before the water gets cold. I believe you can undress yourself? If not, it will be my pleasure to do it for you," Zagi whispered amusedly.

He did not miss the way Yuri lifted one of his arms in front of his chest as if to protect himself.

"I can do it myself. Now get the hell off me!" Yuri snapped angrily.

The assassin was not fazed in the least by Yuri's attitude. He pushed away from Yuri.

"I'll be outside of the bathroom. Come out when you're finished. If you don't, I'll just come get you myself," Zagi said.

Yuri answered nothing to that and he merely watched as the three-colored haired male put the change of clothes down on the counter and walked out of the bathroom, thankfully closing the door behind him.

As soon as he did, Yuri got up from the tub and frantically looked around the room, trying to spot something he could use to help with his escape. Yuri rapidly found out that Zagi had not taken any chances; the bathroom was devoid of anything Yuri could use as a weapon against the demented man.

Now that it was not an option, Yuri searched for another way of escape. His eyes fell on the window and his heart sank when he saw there were heavy, iron bars in the window, making it impossible to flee from there. It made Yuri remember that he had seen similar bars in the bedroom's window. Yuri quickly grew frustrated when he realized Zagi had carefully thought about everything to prevent Yuri from escaping.

The dark haired male sighed in frustration. Knowing he could forget about his plans for evasion – for the time being, at least –, he turned his gaze on the warm water awaiting him and he realized that a bath would indeed be a great thing. Yuri did not know how many days he was stuck in this cabin, but he knew he was there for a while and therefore, had not bathed in a while.

Resigning himself, Yuri undid the bandage around his wound. When he managed to remove it, he looked at his wound and grimaced. It seemed Sodia had really not missed him. A little more to the left and he would have surely been a dead man.

Yuri carefully brushed his fingers over the stitched wound. It was highly sensitive, but at least it seemed to be healing well. That was a relief. Yuri tried not to think about the fact he had to thank the assassin for that.

The raven haired male shed off his pants and underwear, throwing glances at the closed door from time to time to make sure Zagi was not coming in. Yuri did not trust the other man at all, and he had many reasons for that. One, Zagi was his enemy. Two, he was a freaking psychopath. And three, he had made it clear that he lusted after Yuri's body. It was as much reasons as to why Yuri was careful.

Once he got rid of all his clothes, Yuri slid into the warm water and winced when his wound stung at first. Soon, though, the pain was gone and Yuri sighed as he relaxed in the tub. He closed his eyes and as he did so, his thoughts began to swirl into his mind. He thought back at the day he and Brave Vesperia fought Alexei.

Were his friends alright? Did they manage to escape from Zaude? Did they all thought he was dead? It was surely the case. Yuri's heart throbbed painfully as he thought about Flynn. The news of his fall had surely destroyed him. The mere thought of Flynn thinking he was dead tore Yuri's heart apart.

No, it was impossible. Flynn had more faith than that! He would surely search for him all over the world before resigning himself to the idea that Yuri was dead! Yuri knew that his lover would not give up so soon. Still, Flynn was surely crushed by doubts.

Yuri knew it was not his fault, but he still felt guilty about it. He wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible and go back to Flynn. He would try everything he could to escape from here. He had to tell his lover he was okay.

Yuri sighed, feeling his body grow agitated once more. He quickly washed himself before leaving the bath. Throwing a cautious look at the still closed door, Yuri went to pick up the clothes Zagi left for him. Yuri was scared at first about the assassin's choice of clothes, but he soon saw that they were normal.

Zagi had left him a pair of black pants pretty similar to his own with a dark purple plain shirt. Yuri would have preferred to put on his casual clothes, but he had no idea what the assassin had done to them. He would try to find them, along with the rest of his equipment before making a break for it. He knew Duke would likely kill him if Yuri lost Dein Nomos too.

Yuri put on the clothing and brushed his hair before leaving the bathroom. He froze when he saw Zagi leaning on the opposite wall, smirking at him. Yuri glared in return, daring the man to try or say anything, but the assassin ignored it. He quickly advanced on Yuri and grabbed both his wrists before the latter had the time to do anything. Zagi brought the long haired male against him.

Yuri gasped and tried to get free, but he froze with widened eyes when he felt Zagi bury his face into his neck and smiling his nape.

"Hum… you smell good," the assassin whispered against Yuri's still damp skin, making shivers run down his spine.

It took only one second for Yuri to get a hold of himself. He violently shook himself out of the assassin's grip and pushed him backwards. Turning on his heels, Yuri quickly ran down the hallway and towards the entrance door at the end of the hallway. Yuri thought his equipment could wait; he needed to get out of here now.

Yuri never made it, though. Two arms wrapped around his waist from behind and brought his back brutally against the assassin's chest, halting his escape. As Yuri felt himself being dragged backwards, he struggled like a madman against Zagi.

"Fucker! Let me go!" he raged with frustration, planting his nails deeply into the assassin's arms.

The hiss of pain he heard deeply satisfied him and he dug his nails in deeper, trying to make the assassin loosen his grip. He did not take into account the fact that Zagi did not mind the pain, quite the contrary. The assassin tightened his hold around Yuri's waist and dragged him back all the way to the bedroom, ignoring Yuri's furious protests and curses.

Yuri was still struggling when Zagi brought him to the bed and forced him down on the soft mattress. Zagi pinned his wrists down against the mattress and straddled Yuri in a quick movement, cutting off any hopes of escape. When Yuri understood he was trapped, he panted under the effort he pulled and glared at the assassin.

"Let. Me. Go!" Yuri growled, his voice holding an edge of desperation.

He tried to get his wrists free by twisting them, but it was no use. Zagi was holding them in a bruising grip. The assassin leaned down and Yuri instinctively turned his face to the side, fearing what the madman intended to do.

His eyes widened when he heard Zagi finally talk; "Don't force me to hurt you, Yuri."

The tone had been serious, laced with disappointment and bitterness. Yuri did not understand why, since he could not see the assassin's face from where he was. The vigilante slowly turned his face back towards Zagi and he froze, unable to say anything. Zagi's expression was closed, and he was looking at Yuri with an emotion that the latter could not decipher right away.

It took him several seconds to be able to put a name on it: pain. Yuri did not know what to make of it, even less of the words he had said.

"Don't force me to hurt you, Yuri."

What the hell did that mean? Zagi, not wanting to hurt him?

Yuri was so confused that he did not even react when Zagi lifted his wrist and shackled it back against the headboard. Only when Yuri felt the cold sensation of metal around his wrist did he stare deeply into Zagi's pained eyes.

The assassin said nothing. He merely stared into Yuri's eyes that were filled with doubt and confusion. The dark haired male gasped when one of Zagi's hands softly caressed his cheek with the tip of his fingers, as if he was made of porcelain.

The touch was gone so fast, Yuri would have thought he had imagined it if it was not for the burning sensation the assassin's fingers left on his skin. Without saying anything, Zagi got off the bed and slowly walked to the door. A second later, the sound of the door opening and closing was heard, followed by an eerie and tense silence.

Yuri stayed unmoving for a long time, sprawled on his back on the bed, wondering what just happened. What was that he had seen? Why did Zagi seem so sad? Yuri had seen it in those eyes in the flicker of a second; he had seen sadness and longing, mixing with the unending pain.

He did not know the assassin was capable of such emotions and it troubled him deeply. Yuri did not know what to think of it all. He grunted in frustration and rolled on his side, his gaze boring into the door, as if he was waiting for the assassin to enter, bearing his trademark and usual demented smile.

However, he never showed up and Yuri was left alone in the silence of the room with his disturbing thoughts.

A/N: That's it for chapter 1! I hope you liked it and reviews are welcome! I'm sorry to tell you, however, that next chapter will take some time to be posted since I'll be working on my Collab fic with Saenda in the meantime and that school is beginning again. (Yeah for Japanese classes!)

So please, bear with me! I'll try to update as soon as possible!

So thank you to all of you who read this and see you soon!

Rose