Once again, I can't seem to keep my own deadlines. Oh well, here's the sequel to Soul Eater! Hope you like it!

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Soul Eater

Part 2

Author: Shamise

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The night air was crisp and the wind sped past eagerly. Yuugi could feel the restless pulling of the lingering spirits as the barriers thinned with the rising of the full moon. His heartbeat fluttered nervously at the thought of what he would be doing tonight; his first solo exorcism.

Grandmother Youko had finally decided that after two years of training Yuugi was skilled enough to become a successful exorcist (or onmyoji, as she preferred to call it). She still believed that Yuugi would be the only person able to rid him of his parasite. To be completely honest, Yuugi didn't think that it was such a good idea. All the exorcists that he had been taken too were now drained of all their psychic power. Some had even fallen into comas.

Yami, as the parasite insisted to be called, seemed to grow along with Yuugi and it could feed off of Yuugi if it so desired. Starving it had a negative effect, and Yuugi himself had been put into a week long coma after trying so. Grandmother Youko had found him unconscious repeatedly in a cemetery when they hadn't known that the parasite had to fed regularly. Those times were the scariest for Yuugi. He would wake up, having no idea where he was or how he got there and there would be no natural energy around him. The parasite would also be stronger than when he was last awake.

'Aww, you still want to get rid of me? That hurts.' Yuugi barely suppressed a cringe as the parasite spoke. He could tell that it was excited, rather like a high breed dog ready for the hunt, and that made Yuugi all the more nervous.

'Symbiote.' Yami purred darkly into his 'ear.' 'I take nothing that you don't give.'

There was no way Yuugi could hide the shudder that rattled his spine. His temper flared after a moment as he thought about what was said.

"Give?! What about you hiding away in my body?! Did I give you that right?!" His fists were clenched so tightly in his anger that they turned bone-white.

"Yes." The parasite whispered, completely cutting off Yuugi's anger. "By completing the Puzzle you released me from my prison and accepted the terms of the contract."

"Contract?" Yuugi muttered, hunching his shoulders against the wind as the temperature dropped. He started to walk forward into the cemetery, feet crunching on the dead grass. A sense of foreboding filled the air as the thought of what this 'contract' could entail. He had read about humans who made contracts with demons, and in the end the human was always the one to suffer.

'I am no demon, Yuugi.' His parasite hissed. 'I would not have survived so long if I had been such a lowly creature.'

Yuugi, despite his fear at the tone the parasite spoke with, filed away this information away. Grandmother Youko had always referred to him as a 'Soul Eater' but he had thought it was just a specific type of demon.

A new feeling spun around the air, causing Yuugi to halt in his footsteps. He glanced around the tombstones, searching for the source of this sense of maliciousness. He reached for a paper-charm (Grandmother Youko insisted he start with these) and ignored how the parasite's mood switched once again. There was no room for slip-ups, and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

The wind, which had been blowing rather steadily, suddenly stopped and Yuugi waited only a moment more.

Now!

Yuugi sprang into the beginning mantra to reveal the spirit's lingering form. He flung his hand out in a wide arch, fingers spread wide and palm facing away from him. About halfway through the motion, something akin to static electricity stabbed his palm.

There.

Not allowing himself to think about how his hand stung now, Yuugi moved into the second stage of the mantra. Little orbs of light appeared around his chest as he moved his hands into the proper signal.

This is just too easy. Yuugi thought as those orbs of light, a unique quirk to his psyche, hunted down the running spirit. The hand motions switched into the next set as he bound the spirit.

Right arm up. Left sweep to the side. Bend the wrist and step forward.

The orbs of light struck out, elongating like serpents. They left blinding scars against the night sky, driving past each headstone to flush out any more ghosts that came out.

In response to the light, a dark colored mass rose hissing from the ground like a polluted fog. Yuugi could feel the adrenaline release into his bloodstream the instant it materialized. A confident smile lit his face; this was the part he had come to look forward to. The adrenaline, the rush of triumph as he finished off a spirit was a truly exhilarating feeling

Racing forward, Yuugi charged headlong at the spirits. He yelled the final incantation and struck his right hand directly into the center of the fog. The spectral energy burned his skin like acid, but he made no move to step back. He grabbed the semi-solid center, a common phenomenon when multiple spirits converged like this, and yanked it out with a grunt of exertion.

An unearthly shriek died upon the air as the spirits were dismissed from the physical plane of existence. The wind returned and the tree frogs started to sing. Yuugi grinned, panting and just a little tired but content now in the cool night air. Perhaps he would get out of doing chores for a night since it went so well.

One last thing.... Yuugi thought as he began to gather the residue energy left from the departed spirits. This had to be done because, unlike the actual soul of the spirit, all the memories and feelings that were attached to it got left behind. This could potential cause damage to the energy balance of the Earth.

Without warning, his parasite surged forward with a laugh of dark glee. Yuugi closed his eyes with a shudder as a pitch-black fog wafted from his skin. It was extremely weird to watch such a thing emerge from his own skin, yet have no control over it. Within moments, Yami had receded back into Yuugi's soul, saturated with the energy Yuugi had been going to disperse. Yuugi glared at a random tombstone. He hadn't intended for this mission to end in a feeding session for the parasite.

Spinning on his heel, Yuugi walked back towards where he had locked his bike up at (Grandmother Youko made him do everything on his own this time. She bluntly refused to give him a ride.). It would most likely take about forty to fifty minutes to get him, and he was ready to go to bed.

...Now that he thought about it, he was unnaturally tired. The spirit he had exorcised wasn't exactly a difficult one, and, thanks to Yami, he didn't have to use any energy to disperse the residue. What? There seemed to be something pulling at him.

"Stop it." He murmured, suddenly swaying on his feet. Yami had just eaten so why was he feeding off of him?! But...this felt different too.

'Stop what?' Yuugi's temper rose at the parasite's tone of voice. He sounded as if he had no idea what Yuugi was talking about!

What happened next went too fast for Yuugi to follow. Yami probed his psyche and instantly Yuugi knew it wasn't he who was draining him. Something foreign grabbed onto his soul and violently ripped him from his body.

'Yuugi!'

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Cold. Why was it so cold? It felt like he had just walked into the snow with only a t-shit and shorts on. His movements were sluggish, and he fought to open his eyes.

Dazed purple eyes slowly took in their surroundings. He was completely surrounded by darkness; not even a single speck of light could be seen anywhere. Despite the absence of light, Yuugi could clearly see himself. His skin had taken on an extremely pale hue and all of his color had been washed out.

Similar to him, he noticed that there were other people here too. Young and old, men and women, there were even people from different time periods too. They all seemed void to each other, curled up in a fetal position with a blank expression on his or her face.

What's going on? The last thing Yuugi remembered was exorcising that spirit in the cemetery. He had felt unnaturally tired...then he was here.

Fear curled around his heart. He couldn't be dead; this wasn't death...was it? Yuugi didn't know and that made it all the more frightening. Had a rouge spirit got him? Did he have a heart attack?

Help me. he whimpered. He wasn't ready to die yet; he still had to find a way to get rid of the parasite. He just wanted to be normal again!

Anybody, please! Panic gripped him and tears flowed unbidden from his eyes. Desperate for any kind of help he cried out one last time.

Yami!

Suddenly, there was a horrible ripping sound accompanied by a scream of pain. Yuugi tearfully looked up to see a giant gash in the black landscape; a solid, blood-red line. A hand, bright with color, grabbed the sides of this gash and pulled with a ferociousness that scared him.

A creature, fierce and wild, surged through this tear. Skeletal wings encompassed the entire area, drawing forth the unresponsive souls. They went without little fuss, but Yuugi, on the other hand, did not.

Reaper! Yuugi's mind screamed. Death had come for him. He tried to protect himself with what little chants came to mind, but they only served to draw the death creature's attention to him.

Blood-red eyes lit up in recognition at this struggling form, and with one swoop of those deadly wings, it was upon him.

Screeching and flailing, Yuugi fought against those hands as they grabbed him. His struggling, however, was futile for the creature only held him tighter, crushing him against its chest. Exhausted and hopeless, Yuugi could only cry as those wings surrounded him.

"I've got you." Yuugi froze at the creature's voice. It was a tone just shy of baritone, coated with the darkness of millennia and the knowledge of existing so long. it promised terror to those who didn't respect it, pain to those who opposed it, and death to those would tried to fight it. It was a voice Yuugi knew very well.

Yami?

Those hands held him tighter and crimson eyes looked down at his tear-streaked face. A serious and furious expression covered the parasite's face and it made Yuugi shiver in uncertainty.

"You are mine, Yuugi." his parasite whispered into his ear. "And I will never let you go."

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Yami glared darkly at the thief that dared try to take his human away. Dark energy crackled at his fingertips as he debated how best to punish the mere thought. Whatever he chose, it was going to be painful, and permanent.

Yuugi, thank the powers that be, was nestled safely back in his own soul, completely surrounded by Yami's presence. The human had not given the usual fight when Yami surrounded him with his energy, so he would make sure to feed him with some of the purified residue he had collected later.

He could only imagine how tiring it was for Yuugi to remain conscious inside the soul stealer's horde. It just proved to him once again that he couldn't have made a better choice for a partner.

If he had been in a better mood, he would have been overjoyed when Yuugi's tear-streaked face looked relieved when he realized that Yami had come for him. However, the nature of the situation easily took away any joy of Yuugi's reaction.

"What shall I do with you?" Yami murmured darkly. It hadn't taken long for Yami to defeat him, though he could honestly say that he was a slippery bastard, but the thief was newly awakened and Yami had just fed. Now, the thief was bound by Yami's power. Dirty white hair stood up in jagged spikes, it's length reaching the thief's waist. His frame was thin and wiry, not undernourished but there wasn't and ounce of fat to be seen.

Something stirred at the back of his mind. The human looked familiar. Where had he seen him before?

It was the brat who had summoned those spirits! The first night he had taken possession of Yuugi's body! Yami sneered. It looked like the brat's new found sensitivity had gotten a soul stealer stuck to him. Served him right.

"Stupid thief, I think I deserve some recompense for what you did." The thief glared up at him, unable to speak because of the bindings. "Do you know who you tried to steal from?"

Deliberately slow, Yami started to feed off of the thief, pulling at the energy that was the life force for a creature like him. The thief's eyes widened in recognition as that energy was taken from him. He struggled, diverting the souls he had collected in between him and Yami.

Yami laughed darkly. Pure souls stripped clean of the residue he normally ate. Each had a unique taste that he just couldn't get enough of and the older the soul, the better it tasted.

Suddenly, a still living soul was thrust at him. It's consistency hard against his tongue and its memories still strongly attached. He took a moment's pause to examine it and laughed when he recognized it.

'I've decided." Yami smirked. Reaching forth with his power he grabbed the thief's soul (if you could even call it that) and bound it tightly to the brat's, weaving the completely opposite energies tightly together. The body it was in convulsed painfully under the attack. "Now this brat's soul is your greatest weakness. Take good care of it; you never know when I might get hungry again."

He released the thief from his hold, watching disdainfully as it collapsed on the ground. He could not begin to express just how furious he was and he wanted nothing more than to obliterate the thief. But, on some degree, he believed that this was a fitting fate for it to become dependent on something so easily taken away.

Yami turned sharply on his heel and stalked away. His feet crunched on the grass underfoot and the sound echoed in the cool night. Skeletal wings, exposed high upon his back, spread wide to draw forth any spectral energy that was still floating around.

The thief glared at his back defiantly. Yami had a feeling that he wouldn't take this beating lying down, and Yami couldn't help but smirk. He did enjoy a good challenge.

He called his power unto him and in a flash of dark light, he was gone.

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"Leave me alone, you parasite!" Yuugi was mad- no, he was beyond mad. He was furious! "Go away!" He yelled, running through the house like the hounds of hell were on his tail. Make that one particularly dangerous, completely stubborn, and totally annoying hound of hell on his tail.

"But, Aibou! I just want to be close to you!" Yuugi cringed mentally and swore. Ever since that night at the cemetery a week ago, his parasite had been abnormally...clingy. Plus, he had also picked up the annoying habit of calling him Aibou. Yuugi honestly didn't know which one he hated more, the abrupt clinginess or the being called partner.

"Stop calling me that!" He shrieked. He knew without a doubt that the parasite was only doing this because it annoyed Yuugi, but still! Even when he was sleeping Yami wouldn't back off!

Yuugi suspected, on some level of his subconscious that he didn't want to acknowledge, that the parasite's actions were related to what happened at the cemetery; more specifically, his moment of weakness when he had called out for the parasite to help him. Yuugi hated himself for that.

Yuugi felt the parasite's ethereal hand brush against his shoulders, and he threw his body weight to the opposite direction. His shoulder hit the ground and he used the momentum to roll over and land on his feet in a crouch. Once his balance was restored seconds later, he sprinted off in a different direction.

Can't stop. Must keep running! He panted as he raced to the other side of the house. Yami hadn't caught him yet and he didn't want to find out what would happen if he did.

Laughter echoed in his head when he screeched to a halt a dead end. He was close to the entrance way and the doors that led outside, but he would have to get past the smirking spirit first. Yuugi's eyes searched frantically for something he could escape through. A window would do fine. There was a door to his right that led to Grandmother Youko's 'receiving room,' and it just so happened that there was a rather large window that was always unlocked and easily opened in that room.

Just as he lunged at the door, it swung open on its own. Yuugi, immediately thrown off balance, fell flat on his face with a loud 'thud.'

"O-ouch!"

Yuugi just lay there on the floor for a moment, trying to catch his breath and still the pounding in his head. His thoughts were still scrambled from the fall when a voice spoke up above him.

"Thank you for joining us, Yuugi." Yuugi snapped into attention at Grandmother Youko's voice. Shit! he swore. If he had just stumbled into a business transaction and made a fool of himself (and by default, Grandmother Youko) then there would be no living here peacefully for a long time. Trying to recover what little dignity he could, he jumped up to his feet and hastily bowed to his grandmother.

He sneaked a glance at the visitor, hoping that it wasn't one of their more wealthy clients. The visitor was wearing black dress pants with a blue, button-up dress shirt. His hair was white and it reached down almost to mid-back, the shorter cut bangs framing a pale face.

Yuugi's heart thudded painfully in his chest. He knew this person. He remembered that taunting, the bullying; how could he forget? There was something different about him now; his expression seemed softer, his eyes looked meeker. However, there was something hidden, something…malicious.

Ethereal arms wrapped around his shoulders and Yami's chin settled on the top of his head. The cord that tied them together tightened around him and his will to escape was suppressed. He was remembered, vividly, of the day after his first exorcism just a week ago. Yami had been wrapped around his soul so tightly that he couldn't even think of escape.

As Yami growled darkly above him something flickered in the air around Ryou. A ghostly, mirrored image appeared around Ryou. Its skin was definitely a few shades paler than Yami's and its hair was bleach-white.

"Thief…" Yami snarled in the air above him. Dark energy crackled in the air between the two creatures, pushing against the basic wards Grandmother Youko had set up. Yuugi could feel the pressure building in the air and around his soul.

"You remember your cousin Ryou?" Grandmother Youko was asking, oblivious to the danger in the air (either that, or she was just ignoring it). "As of today, he will be staying with us for a while. Please make him feel welcome."

Yuugi had a feeling that the semi-peace he had won so far was soon to come crashing down. Now he not only had his own parasite to worry about, but someone else's parasite was out to steal his soul. He turned his eyes skyward, burning a hole in the ceiling as he sent a prayer to the heavens.

Please let me survive this!

~(*)~The End~(*)~

A.N.: I hope you like this...The next chapter to Binding Circles in on its way, but it's fighting me a little. Dont' worry I'll post it as soon as I can. See you all later! -Shamise