It took Vector almost two days before he was able to get back up again. Two days of half consciousness, in which he had a feeling that he wouldn't have had the presence of mind to answer anything but the truth if anyone had asked him a question. Nasty, nasty stuff. Truth serum and muscle relaxant all at once.

Luckily, Yuma hadn't been alone again for those days. Good thing the kid had so many friends.

Vector tried not to think too hard about what he was doing as he stood himself back up and regained his balance. Tried not to think too hard about the fact that the plans spiraling through his head were all about Yuma, about keeping the idiot out of trouble, about keeping people like Katto from getting too close to him, about making sure he never made that broken face ever again—

Because if he thought too hard about it, he would start to question his own sanity.

"Let's go together."

"You're not going anywhere, idiot," Vector hissed. "Not on my watch. Not ever."

Perhaps it was true. Perhaps he couldn't function without some kind of obsession.

He wasn't sure he regretted this one right now.

There would be no waiting for Katto to make his next move. It was time for Vector to take the initiative.

He found Yuma with the others on their way to school that morning. Yuma was such a goddamn idiot. He was so happy to see Vector again after two days that he didn't notice Vector unclipping the deck box from his belt while the younger boy hugged him again. Geez, he was huggy.

The deck was held tightly against his chest, under his coat, as he made a new excuse to flit away after his second hello. It was easier this time, as Nasch was giving him a suspicious look and Merag and the other Barian Emperors weren't much better.

Now all there was to do was to wait for his prey.

It didn't take long. Katto separated from the group after they headed to school, since he "went to a different school." Fucking liar. Vector watched his face distort back into a scowl as soon as the others were all out of sight. He stalked away past Vector's hiding place.

"Oooy," Vector said in a singsong voice. "Are you looking for something~?"

Katto froze. His eyes flicked to were Vector was standing in the alley. Where he was danging Yuma's deck box from one finger. Katto's eyes narrowed.

"How did you—"

"Guess my fingers are a little more nimble than yours," Vector laughed. "You want this, don't you? That's what you've been after the whole time."

Katto frowned.

"What are you up to? Aren't you Yuma's friend?"

The question actually surprised Vector. Yuma's friend?

"...Guess I am," he said, finally. "Which is why I'm confronting you, Katto-kun."

"This looks like you're offering me the Numbers," Katto said. "Not confronting me."

Vector grinned. Perhaps some of his madness showed through, because Katto flinched a little.

"You want them?" he said, quietly. Predatorily. "Duel me for them."

And he laughed as he ran down the alleyway. He heard Katto swear, and then the sound of feet taking off after him. Yes, good, follow the bait.

Vector didn't stop until he had reached the dead end. He had chosen his battlefield carefully—enclosed, isolated, only one exit. He turned with a smile to face the red-faced Katto.

"What the hell are you up to?" he said. His hands twitched towards his jacket—a weapon, perhaps? "You're trapped now, asshole. What's going to stop me from just taking them?"

"What indeed?" Vector asked, feeling almost giddy. Oh it was good to be doing something again, something annoying and irritating and harmful all at once! "So what's it going to be? Will you duel me with the Numbers on the line?"

Katto hesitated. Then he smirked.

"Why should I have to?" he said. "When I've got you cornered?"

Oooh, this was going to be fun.

Katto's hand dove into his jacket and he pulled out a small flip knife, clicking it into place. Vector was almost disappointed.

"Really? A knife?" he said. "At least make it interesting and make it a gun."

"Shut the hell up and hand them over," Katto said.

"Out of curiosity, is this what you planned on doing to Yuma eventually?" Vector drawled.

Katto shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, does it? I have more than one way of retrieving the goods I'm sent for. Hand them over or I'll cut up your pretty face."

"Ooooh, you think I'm pretty?" Vector said, clapping his hands to his cheeks with a giggle. "How nice of you!"

It was obviously that Vector's madness was starting to unnerve Katto—good. He liked the vaguely nervous look on the boy's face. Vector's grin widened as his hands dropped to his sides again.

"It does matter, actually," he said. "What you were planning to do to Yuma. Because that'll change my...reaction to things."

Katto approached slowly, knife in front of him. He held it expertly, that was for sure. At least he knew what he was doing.

"If you hadn't interfered that last time, he wouldn't have to get hurt," Katto said. "Just go out for a little while, tell me where the other Numbers were, I'd take his without a fight. You made things more difficult."

"Oh, bad me," Vector said, mock hitting himself on the head. "Bad, bad Vector. So rude, I should stop that."

"So yeah, if it had come down to it, I might have had to cut him up a little," Katto said, sounding particularly savage, grinning at the thought. "Wouldn't have minded, either. He's a goddamn idiot. He trusts me so easily, he fucking deserves getting screwed over."

Vector's smile faded very, very slowly. The world probably got two degrees colder, because suddenly, Katto's smile also slipped, and he shivered.

Vector gave him the tiniest, darkest smile.

"Why thank you," he said quietly. "I don't feel so bad about what I'm going to do now..."

Katto did not know what was coming. One moment he was standing in front of Vector with a knife, the next moment, he was slamming into the ground, the wind rushing out of him, and a foot slamming down on his diaphragm. He gasped.

Vector stood over him, lazily flipping the knife in his hands, considering Katto with a dark gaze. It felt, all of a sudden, as though all the shadows were alive. Snaking around him, watching with a dark curiosity.

"I could kill you," Vector said, in a dark voice that told Katto that he was absolutely considering it. "I could kill you, and no one would ever know about it. You see, I don't really exist in the government...since I only came back to life a few weeks ago, and I never had any documentation..."

The fear on Katto's face was absolutely delicious.

"So what was that you were saying? About Yuma deserving to get screwed over?"

"I—I didn't mean that—it's just a job—"

"Mmmm, you think that's a good excuse, huh?"

Vector leaned down towards him, letting the shadows grow and build, and coalesce into the vague shape of his ax-wielding ka monster. He drew the knife against the boy's face for a moment, letting it rest on his neck. For a moment, he imagined driving the blade all the way through, watching the blood splatter, the life drain out of his eyes, the terror frozen on his face for the rest of eternity, his limbs spasming underneath Vector's grip.

He almost did it. It was almost too tempting to ignore.

"Let's go together."

Yuma's face exploded into the back of his mind. The hurt that would be there, if he knew what Vector had done.

Yuma would have forgiven this bastard too, if he had known there was something to forgive.

Vector released his ka monster. He stood up and threw the blade to the ground beside Katto's head.

"Get up," he said. "Get out of here."

Katto didn't move for a moment, still staring death in the face. Then he scrambled to his feet, forgetting the knife.

Vector grabbed him by the collar first, before he could run. He pulled the boy's face in right by his.

"If you ever get near Yuma again, if you ever even think about touching him...I will not hesitate to kill you."

He smiled then, putting on his best Rei Shingetsu face.

"Are we clear?"

Katto nodded furiously, his face as white as his hair. Vector smiled again, and released him.

The boy fled. Vector watched him go with a little disappointment. Geez. He had gone fucking soft, hadn't he...?

After a few long minutes, he headed back to the end of the alley. The light that had been blocked by the buildings washed over his face, and he sighed. Well. That had been far too anti-climatic. Katto hadn't even put up much a fight.

"Gah! Where is it, where is it, where is it?"

Vector glanced up. He had to grin at the frantic face of Yuma as the boy barreled into view, scrabbling across the ground.

"Oy, Yuma-kun," he said, holding up the deck box. "I think you dropped something."

Yuma looked up. His face exploded into a smile.

"You found it!" he said.

He caught the box that Vector tossed to him and did a happy twirl.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he said. "Geez, I need to keep a better grip on my stuff! Thanks for finding it, Vector!"

He was such an idiot. Gleaming, young face that looked up at Vector, the dark, twisted, broken Vector that didn't deserve such a smile. Did he see that darkness? Vector knew he did. He had already, so many times. Yuma knew exactly what he was.

He smiled at him anyway.

"Gah, I have to get back to school! Sorry, Vector, I've gotta run! Talk to you later!"

Vector sighed with a smile. He bopped Yuma on the head.

"W-wha? What was that for?"

"Don't change, idiot," Vector said, walking past him.

"H-huh?"

But Vector was already walking away.

"He's such an idiot...he deserves to get screwed over."

Vector smiled and shook his head.

"Hell yeah he's an idiot," he muttered. "But he's my goddamn idiot."

And no one will ever touch him again.

He hadn't known what he was going to do with himself when he came back. He had never expected this to be the purpose that he found. But it didn't feel strange, and he no longer felt guilty about it. Because he knew for certain now, that he had found it:

The only thing that mattered.