Dear god, I'm going crazy. But this fic is both for my own happiness, but is mostly a gift fic forMomo-chan-Hinamori in exchange for the awesome gift art she made for "Unattainable Salvation" It will contain her ocs and mine. so if you don't like ocs, please do not leave any hateful comments.

anyway, please enjoy and I will be updating Salvation as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh and, by consequense, the characters. I do not own Avia or Pax, but I do own Celeste

The stars and street lamps provided just enough light into the alley between two buildings in the city of Domino. It was still dark enough that the two figures taking refuge in it were sure to not be seen by anyone passing by, but in the dim light, it was possible for one to make out the shape of the other.

"Fuck Akefia. How much longer are we going to have to wait? They aren't gonna show cause they are a bunch of pussies." The spikey haired outline whispered harshly, flicking his eyes in the direction of the alley's opening. His arms were crossed in front of him and he leaned against the brick building. The other man in the alley sighed annoyingly, cracking his neck and drawing his red trench coat more tightly around him against the chilly fall breeze. "I told you Marik: five more minutes, then we'll leave. As much as I agree with you on those statements, it's common courtesy to give your rival five minutes. You know that."

Marik muttered something about being a fucking hardass, but stayed where he was. They stayed there in the silence, watching the occasional person or pass by, totally unaware of the two. When cop car passed by, both stiffened slightly, but relaxed when it kept on going. For the most part, the local law enforcement kept out of their business, leaving the mafia gangs to their own devices, but if a fight were to break out in public, they would step in and severe consequences would be administered.

This is why both Marik and Akefia were a bit anxious inside. They had come here to settle a score with their rival gang and had been surprised that they had chosen to meet here. True, this was their territory, which added another stress to the two, but it was so public that if they got too loud, the cops were sure to find them.

Five minutes passed and, seeing as Marik was starting to fidget and get restless, which meant he would then become extremely psychotic and impulsive, Akefia was about to tell him they would leave when two figures appeared at the other end of the alley behind him. This instantly caught their attention and both heads snapped around, their bodies following suit, to face the newcomers.

The figures moved out of the mouth of the alleyway and down the narrow path, coming to a stop a few feet in front of them. The one closest to Akefia spoke first. "So you did show up? Good. Now give us back our items you bastard." Akefia chuckled and shook his head in a mocking manner. "Dear Bakura, I think you mean our items. And you shouldn't insult someone before the fight. It's not nice." The white haired man known as Bakura snarled and slipped his hand into his coat pocket, finger just brushing the handle of his knife when the sound of a gun being cocked caught his attention. From under the black trench coat he wore, Marik had produced a handgun and had it currently pointed directly at Bakura's heart. "Don't even think about it." Before Bakura had time to come up with a comeback, his companion pulled out his own gun and had Marik's head dead square in his sight. "And you shouldn't forget that there are four of us Marik"

Marik chuckled and aimed at the other man now. "Why, my dear Malik, I didn't forget you were there. I was just ignoring you, my pathetic excuse for a brother." This incited a growl from Malik, but they were prevented from further quarreling by the interruption of one annoyed Akefia. "Enough. You called this meeting, you made your demand, we say no. It's over and done. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have more pressing matters to deal then two whiny brats wanting back what doesn't belong to them." He turned, signaling with a jerk of his head for Marik to follow, and both men headed for the opposite end of the alley, only to be cut off by the appearance of a large group of men. Scowling, Akefia turned back to face Malik and Bakura, who both shared smug looks. "What the hell are you playing at? You said this was a leaders meeting only." Bakura just shrugged and replied sadistically. "It's called lying Akefia. You should know that, since you're so good at it." Behind the two, more men appeared blocking both exits from the alley. Beside him, akefia heard Marik spitting out curses in their native tongue and the rustling of his coat told him he was reaching for the second gun he carried with him.

He reached into his own red coat and pulled out the handgun hidden inside. This wasn't going to end well.

Not too far away, maneuvering her way through the throngs of people was a young woman. The raven black hair hung around her head, gently flapping in the occasional breeze. While the grey trench coat she wore seemed ordinary enough, what she wore underneath she preferred not to let the general public know about.

Celeste came to a stop on a street corner, pausing briefly to look up at the star pricked sky, thanking anyone who was listening that she didn't have to take anyone home tonight or go home with any of them. She had only had to dance tonight. True, while it did bring as much money as a purchase did, she would rather dance every night for the rest of her life then have to sleep with a client every other night. Sighing, she stepped from the curb onto the street and had made it to the other side before a cop car, sirens blaring and lights flashing speed by, going down the street she had crossed. She paid it no mind and continued on her way.

Her fairly large apartment lay in one of the more decent sides of this town, paid for of course by her share of the profits and by her roommate's, no, her roommate's other side, profits as well. Passing by a small alley that she knew dead ended, a small noise caught her attention, causing her to stop at the entrance. The alley was surprisingly lit quite well, not enough to see small details, but enough to make out shapes. Not too deep in the alley, she was surprised to see the outline of two human shapes. Now, even in this decent neighborhood, there was still the threat of gang activity and despite her senses that told her to keep going, she stepped just inside the alley, allowing her eyes to adjust before moving forward a little more. From the way the figures were sitting, she had a feeling they might be in trouble or hurt and she could at least make sure they were okay. After all, she would want someone to help her if ever anything would happen.

"Umm… Excuse me, but are you alright?"

Akefia groaned softly, clutching at his right arm. Damn, it was just a graze but the bullet wound was beginning to sting. Marik was also nursing a small graze to his left leg. They both considered themselves lucky to not have gotten any serious wounds and to have made it out of the alley like they did. It had involved both him and Marik taking out four of the men who were blocking the entrance nearest to them then running like hell.

They had ended up in this alley, slumped against the wall. Marik uncovered his bleeding wound, then put the blood soaked piece of his shirt he had ripped off back over it. "Little fuckers. I swear to god I'm going to find their punk asses and slaughter them." Akefia chuckled, looking over at his long time gang partner and the only person he would ever admit without hesitation as being his friend. "You're going to have to wait a while for that. First priority is to get back to our side of town and recuperate. But, I doubt that will happen tonight. They will probably be combing the streets for us." A short huff from his friend told him that idea didn't sit well with him. "Yeah, yeah, but tell me: Where can we hide when this is all their territory?"

Akefia didn't reply, as he was now more fixed on the alleyways entrance. Someone had just stepped into the entrance. His whole body tensed and his hand instantly went for the gun lying at his side. Shit. They move fast. Marik saw whoever it was too and mirrored Akefia's movements.

"Umm… Excuse me, but are you alright?" the figure called in a low, distinctly female voice. Akefia visibly relaxed, but remained alert. As far as he knew, Bakura and Malik did not have any female gang members and while both did take the occasional whore, they didn't have any permanently attached women. This was both a disadvantage and advantage.

Marik relaxed his stance slightly less, narrowing his eyes. He was still on edge and would take a while to come out of it. "What's it to you?" This earned him a glare from akefia, who took over the discussions. "What my companion means to say miss is that we are fine."

The female came closer, into their visible sight range, a small smile on her lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's just that while this is a mostly decent neighborhood, we do have gang problems and they like to go after anyone they find who seems to be in trouble." He let his eyes roam all around the figure in front of him. The trench coat she wore hid what he really wanted to see, but from what he could tell in the dim twilight, she had a good looking face. "I see" a plan had begun formulating in his mind. Rising slowly, and carefully, to his feet, his six foot height easily towered over what he guessed was her five foot seven height. "And you're not prying at all. It's nice to see that there are still some caring people in this world. Which begs me to ask you something. My friend and I are new here and, consequently, had a run in with these gang members you mentioned. We were kind of injured. Would it be too much to ask if we could possibly have your help?" He wasn't lying about the run-in or being new here, but he had formulated an ingenious plot and making it sound all dramatic was sure to gain sympathy from her.

He wasn't surprised when a small "Oh!" issued from her mouth. "Oh dear. Well… If I can help you in anyway, I would be glad too. I've been in your position before. Come on, I'll take you back to my apartment and you can get a better look at your injuries." Voicing his appreciation, he turned back and offered his hand to Marik, who stood up, giving him a questioning look. They both followed her to the entrance of the alley.

"How far is your apartment" Akefia asked, not wanting to have to be out in the open for too long. She pointed at a nearby building. "That's it there." They stepped out into the more visible light and Akefia got a better look at the young woman. She had black hair and extremely light green eyes and her face was quite pretty, the gold eye shadow and kohl lined eyes only adding to the beauty. The coat she wore was fairly nice too, which made him wander why a well-dressed girl like her was living in this part of town.

They made it to her apartment, Marik leaning on akefia for support as he limped. She was sliding the key into the lock, but paused and turned to face them, taking a moment to take in their appearance. They both had dark skin, which looked quite handsome with their violet eyes. One had spikey blonde hair while the other had messy silvery white hair. The blonde sported a black trench coat, khaki pants that were stained with blood on one leg, and what looked like boots. The other man wore a crimson trench coat, which was unbuttoned and hanging on only one arm, a white dress shirt underneath, navy pants, and dress shoes. "I should warn you: My roommate and I don't have…conventional jobs. We… we… it's hard to explain. Just…please don't judge." With that she turned back and unlocked the door, pushing it in and walking inside. The two followed her, curious looks on their faces.

The apartment was larger than they had expected... The door opened into a kitchen and to the right was a living room that could be reached by walking down a small set of steps. From the kitchen, a small hallway led back to what they assumed was the bedrooms and the bathroom. In the living room, a set of stairs led downward.

She set her keys down on the counter top before turning back to them. "If you don't mind, I need to change. There's some water in the fridge, so help yourself and there should be a first aid kit in the bottom of the closet in the kitchen. Those wounds need to be cleaned out and wrapped" she stated, eyeing the bloodstains from the wounds. Without another word, she turned and disappeared down the hallway. When she was gone, Marik walked to the fridge and opened it, finding the water she mentioned in the door compartment. "Akefia, what the hell are we doing here?" Opening the closet door and pulling out the kit, he replied "What do you think? Laying low. If we can convince this girl to let us stay here for a few days, then leave, Malik and Bakura will think that we had already left the area and won't have as many goons out. It will be easier to slip back into our territory." He set it down on the counter and opened it, rummaging through to find the gauze and antiseptic. He grabbed a paper towel and wetted it, then took off his coat and shirt, beginning to clean up the blood. "Oh." Marik replied, understanding now what his friend was planning. A smirk came to his face as he grabbed two bottles, let the door shut, and strolled over to where Akefia was now. "Guess what else that I saw in their? Vodka"

Akefia shook his head. "No Marik. We want this chick to like us remember? Stealing her alcohol would not be the best idea." They continued in silence, Akefia tending to his wound while Marik tried his best to clean up what he could till he could get to the bathroom, until a sound from the stairway put them on edge. The looked up to see a man stumbling up the stairs, obviously drunk. The man walked up into the kitchen, looking at them with his dazed eyes and smiled. "Yous a h-ere-e foor fuun tooo?" he asked, his words slurring together. He didn't wait for a reply and began heading to the door, swaying back and forth. "Wellls, have funs!" He opened the door, stepped out, and closed it, completely unaware of the shocked faces that watched him leave. "What the bloody hell was that all about?" Marik asked. Akefia shrugged. "Don't ask me."

"Who the fuck are you guys? Did Celeste bring you home?" came another female voice and standing at the top of the stairway was another woman. Her hair was the color of golden wheat and her eyes were a blood red mixed with brown. She was wearing a robe that left nothing to the imagination and underneath they could see a black and red laced bra with matching panties. Again, Marik had to shoot his mouth off. "And why the fuck do you care?"

The woman snarled and moved closer. "Watch your tongue sir. Or I'll cut it out and solve the problem for you." She smiled sadistically at that last statement, complete insanity and cruelty glinting in her eyes. A sigh came from the hallway, for Celeste had reappeared, now in a tight black tank top that, to Akefia's delight, hugged her body like a second skin, giving him more than a good idea of the figure that had been hidden under the trench coat. Needless to say, he was glad that this plan had come to mind. He was a little disappointed at the baggy sweatpants that only barely showed of the figure of her lower half, but that could be rectified.

"I see you have met Paxindra, my roommate. Pax, these are not clients." The blonde snorted, then sauntered past and made for the fridge, retrieving one of the bottles of vodka Marik had spied earlier. "Good. That means I can slaughter them without remorse." Celeste heaved a huge sigh and came into the kitchen from the hall. "Please don't mind her. Though, I should warn you, she does have psychopathic tendencies and will not hesitate to kill you. I'm surprised she hasn't killed me yet." The other woman smiled darkly as she grabbed a glass and poured the liquid into it before replacing the bottle back into the fridge and making her way over to the couch in the living room. "Can't. Hikari would get really mad at me and she's hell to be with when she's sad." She flopped on the couch, the robe falling around her and showing off more then what most people thought proper. An awkward silence persisted for a about a minute before Akefia cleared his throat and spoke up. "Wait. Hikari? And why did you say we aren't clients?" Celeste looked to Pax, who shrugged and went back to her alcohol.

"Well, you see, Pax there is actually not my roommate, per say. She is actually the alternate personality of my actual roommate Avia, who you'll meet in the morning." This was met with two very confused looks from the men. Sighing yet again, she grabbed a glass, poured herself some water from the fridge, pulled up one of the barstool chairs around the island counter and proceeded to explain. "Avia, you see, had some bad things happen to her. She ran away one night and, much to her surprise, discovered she had multiple personality disorder and while stressed that night, created an alternate personality. Since she is very kind compassionate and caring, her alter ego is sadistic, uncaring, and a killer. As far as she has told me, Pax killed her father, and then tried to find a place for her main personality to live. I needed a roommate, so when she showed up here, I didn't think anything of it." She took a pause to sip her water, then continued. "I was shocked to find in the morning that the girl who had come here that night had turned into the sweet personality. It took some getting used to, but…it's working. As for the clients…well" she looked down, staring at the table. It… it was always hard for her to tell people what she had to do for a living.

Pax took that opportunity to say it herself. "Celeste and I are prostitutes, though she works for a fancy ritzy club and I walk the streets. There. I said it. Jesus Celeste, I don't have a clue why it bothers you so much to say you get paid to be fucked for a living." She tipped back the glass, half chugging the burning liquid. Akefia raised an eyebrow, cocking his head. This was an interesting development. "Prostitutes eh?" Celeste nodded, looking up at him. "It wasn't my choice to become one. And I wish Paz wouldn't. It hurts Avia." The last part she directed at Pax, who scoffed. "But my life story needn't concern you. Were you able to get your wounds cleaned up?" Akefia had completely forgotten and looked down at his arm. It was still red and open, but the bleeding had ceased. "I did, but Marik needs the bathroom for his." She seemed to understand and smiled at the blonde. "It's down the hallway first door on the left. Might want to take the gauze with you. If you want, you can take one of the towels and wrap it around your waist. I can clean your pants for you to get the blood out." Marik nodded and muttered a quiet, but actually polite thank you, for he was actually indeed grateful, and disappeared down the hallway.

Pax watched the blonde go, leaving only after he had gone to put her glass away. "I'm going to sleep. And tell spiky head to sleep with one eye open cause I would totally love to see what he looks like with blood all over him." Celeste gave her a glare, to which she responded with a stuck out tongue. She departed back down the stairs into the darkened room that smelled of sweat and sex. She chuckled to herself as she pulled back the curtains that divided the room: on one side was another small couch and the other side housed her lavish bed. Flopping on the bed, she chuckled louder, the sound high pitched and full of madness. Well, this had certainly turned out to be an interesting night.

It was a few hours later. Akefia was now lying on the couch, Marik on the other couch next to him. He had talked to her, creating the lie that they had just arrived to the city and were looking for jobs, but had no money yet to rent a place. She had agreed to let them stay a few days till they could find a place. "It's no trouble." She had said. "The only thing I ask is that at night, could you, I don't know, step out. But not every night! I'll let you know which night. Pax will always have someone, but you can just wait till they go downstairs in my rooms if you wish. And I also ask that, if it's not too much, for a little compensation. Not much, just, maybe a few dollars or something like making food or going out grocery shopping."

Akefia lay there looking up at the ceiling. It was easy to lie to the girl. And yet… he shifted to lay facing out. He had many lovers, prostitutes included. Women fawned over him and he basked in it. And yet, he had never grown attached to any. Which kept rival gangs from kidnapping one to use as a hostage, but it also kind of disappointed him. It would be nice to have a girl. But he soon chuckled softly, so not to wake Marik. A gangster like him getting married? It was a laughable idea for sure. Feeling his eyes getting heavy, he let them close, falling into the dark comfort of sleep. He had other problems to worry about at the moment and even they could wait till morning.

Please read and review and Momo-chan, I hope you will like it!