Author's Note: The world is a vampire. At least, that's what the world would have you believe nowadays. In a time of shitty vampire stories (Twilight) and just barely decent vampire films (Abraham Lincoln), I decided to finally delve into this part of the fantasy realm. I do believe this topic has already been approached by my fellow Bakura fiction writers. But, then again, people have been writing about vampires since Mr. Stoker.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bakura or Yugi. I do not own the concept of vampires. I also apologise if I've offended people by speaking down about Twilight. I know a couple of you are fans. :/

He had to be careful. As the hunter tread and tripped on the overgrown path, he collected all the facts in his head.

Bakura was one of the hardest targets. The White Devil was the seventh strongest member the clan, but only a step down from the leader in the chain of command.

Yugi had questioned why the vampires had made Bakura second in command when he wasn't even one of the top three strongest. "I thought they valued strength. And, if he's number two, one of his duties would be to protect his leader, right?"

Yugi's master had nodded and waved a hand, urging him on.

"The leader is the strongest and it takes at least three of us to even scratch him. But if he wanted someone to deter enemies by fighting, he could just enlist the stronger ones.

Again, his master had nodded.

"But ... The leader obviously wants someone capable of protecting him in a different way. If its not physical strength ... It's mental strength?"

At that point, Yugi had lost himself in "strength" and "power," and he had made a confused face. He didn't understand, but his master had given him one slow nod. "Exactly. Damascus doesn't just like his strength. He values it, yes, and understands that it's helpful, but he also likes a quick mind, and agility. All of his sons have fought with pure brute force, but Bakura is different. What he lacks in muscle, he makes up for in speed and thought."

"Did you ever fight him?"

"Yes. Do not underestimate him. Bakura ... " he had paused to find the right word. "He likes to smile. He doesn't like to get dirty. He will run circles around you until you tire. Only THEN will he attack. DO . NOT. TIRE."

His master's farewell words rang in Yugi's ear as he approached the massive, ornate door of the house on the hill.

Yugi took a deep breath before reaching up, grabbing the large, lion's-head knocker, and giving two rapid bangs.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders as a cold December wind blew through him. Maybe it was psychosomatic, but he thought the weather was colder here, by the house, than it had been at the village, just a mile east.

Eventually, there was a sound of scraping metal on the other side of the doors and the ancient wood creaked as the two sides parted.

Yugi was greeted by the pale face of a servant in a black outfit. She bowed her head demurely and stepped aside, letting him in.

"Mr. Motou, I presume?"

Yugi scratched his nose. "Yeah, that's me."

"If you would follow me please? The master is waiting for you in the study. If you would hand your cloak to Marianna." The girl waved to another servant, who had appeared without a sound. Yugi had to forcefully stop himself from jumping. He unhooked the silver pin around his neck and, as he handed the cloth to the maid, he pocketed the clasp. He tried to close it and put it away discreetly; no need for the maids to think he didn't trust them.

Which, of course, he didn't.

When he had removed his shoes, he padded after the first girl. The coolness from the stone floor seeped up through his socks and he felt like he had just walked into a trap.

He shook his head in annoyance and fingered the necklace around his neck, the pin in his pocket, his rings, and the hidden dagger tucked in his pants belt line.

Yugi was focused too much on his thoughts and didn't notice that the servant had stopped. He bumped into her and, in an effort to step away, accidentally brushed his hand against her back side. Yugi blushed profusely and mumbled a thousand apologies.

The girl just smiled down at him. "Most people find the master to be very intimidating," she said. "Would you like a moment before going in?"

Right, it was business time. Yugi straightened himself up. He traced the shape of the cross under his shirt and stuck a hand into his right pocket again, feeling reassured by the cool silver on his fingertips. "I'm ready," he stated, nodding for her to open the door.

As the girl pushed the door in, Yugi returned his hands to his sides quickly. In his haste to look more natural, he unhooked the pin and it grazed his finger. "Ouch," he muttered to himself. He looked down and noticed that it had cut him. There was blood welling up in the small injury.

That was the first thing that Bakura saw when his guest entered. He tucked the observation into the back of his mind. Beside him, his brother growled softly and Bakura knew that he had seen it too. He shot a swift glance at the other man, silently saying, "Not a word."
Then he stood up and spread his hands as he walked around to the front of the desk.

Yugi thought he looked like a human businessman and it unnerved him. All of his other targets had had an animalistic look about them. He hadn't had any qualms about killing them since it was clear that they weren't entirely what they said they were.

But this man was a completely different story. If Yugi hadn't known any better, he would have thought Bakura was just an ordinary heir of a rich family.

Quickly, before he could freak himself out anymore, he extended a hand. "Hello. I'm Yugi Motou. We had a meeting today." Yugi had averted his eyes to the floor, so he didn't see the way Bakura tilted his head curiously to the left.

"So we did," the master of the house confirmed. His voice was sweet and lilting. Yugi looked up in surprise. He hasn't expected such soft tones. The man smiled, his head straight again. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Motou."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Bakura," Yugi said. He tried to get his mind in order and focus on the task at hand. He didn't want to get distracted by diversions, like soft voices and human-looking faces.

"Please, just Bakura," the man said, waving a hand. He motioned to the couches and walked over to that part of the room with Yugi. "I like to reserve the title 'mister' for my father. It really doesn't suit me."

Bakura took note of the number of silver jewellery that his guest had decked himself in. There was a large crucifix that Yugi had tried, and failed, to hide under his shirt. Aside from that, there was also a fine silver chain that hung closer to his neck and a thicker one that laid between the two others. Bakura counted a total of seven rings on the man's fingers and a single hoop on his left ear. The vampire smirked to himself.

Yugi settled on a red velvet couch and Bakura sat across from him in the matching armchair. The third individual sat quietly on the armrest.

"This is Akefia, my brother," Bakura introduced. He watched as the colour drained from Yugi's face. The vampires exchanged a look and the master of the house said, "Are you quite well, Mr. Motou? You look terribly ill."

If Yugi had felt like he was in a trap before, he could feel the teeth closing around him now. As he sat there, in front of the twin vampires, he realised that, somehow, they had known and that they had been waiting for him. "I'm fine," the hunter answered. He gave each one a good look over.

The one called Akefia was oddly darker skinned than either his brother or any of the vampires Yugi had killed before. Akefia looked like he had been tanning on a beach since the day he had been born. His eyes, cold and grey, contrasted with the warmth of lifestyle that his dark skin insinuated. He was the type that his master said made up the majority of Damascus' family - broader around the chest, taller and more muscular. Even under the three piece suit, Yugi could tell that he had the strength to crush five bricks underfoot as easily as a teenage boy would crush a soda can.

Akefia would rely on physical power in a fight. Yugi briefly wondered what his rank was. If he was in the single numbers, he wouldn't stand a chance. He would be both powerful and speedy. If he was lower, Yugi might have been able to beat him by using his small stature. The lower the rank, he found, the slower the creature was, if not less powerful.

He might have stood a chance. Might have. If it were a one-on-one fight.

The hunter switched his attention to the other one. Bakura was much worse looking than his master had said. Yugi had been expecting the physique of a lighter-than-average college student by his master's description. He was almost the exact opposite of his brother.

The second-in-command, rank seven vampire looked deceivingly weak with his scrawny arms and long, delicate fingers. If his white hair had been shaved off, his head might not have been much bigger than his palm. Where Akefia looked like he'd been under the sun since day one, Bakura didn't look like he even knew what the sun was. He was ghostly pale and, when the candlelight hit him right, he was almost transparent.

Yugi felt that his complexion was probably the same shade. "Let's continue our business," he said quietly.

Bakura raised his thin eyebrows in surprise, his dead brown eyes staring at the hunter curiously. Beside him, Akefia snorted.

"Don't be stupid," the bigger vampire retorted. "Surely you already know yo-?"

Bakura silenced his brother with a click of his tongue. He turned back to his guest. "Yes, let's. Tell me again why you've asked for this meeting? I seem to recall you saying something about writing a paper in the letter you sent, but excuse me if I've forgotten." He pointed to the table, which was strewn with papers. "It's been a long week."

Yugi swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He stared directly at Bakura and said, "I'm supposed to kill you."

At that, Akefia almost fell off the chair, laughing. "You can't be serious!"

Bakura just shook his head. "How blunt. You must have realised this wasn't possible."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Yugi replied, sullenly.

"Explain."

"You were su...supposed to be alone. I was supposed to arrive l...later at night so I wouldn't meet you until ... Until I killed you."

Akefia laughing on the floor was distracting. Bakura noticed that his guest couldn't stop glancing between Akefia and himself. He gave his brother a withering look. The other man took his time getting up from the floor and dusting himself off.

"I'm sorry," he said, though he didn't sound like he meant it. "Continue."

"Well," Yugi went on tentatively. "I arrived too early and then there was ... Him."

"And you are aware that you don't stand a chance."

"Ah ... Yes. You're much different than my master told me. You look weaker than I'd imagined, but I can only assume you're stronger too."

Bakura nodded, appreciating the young hunter's ability to realistically assess the situation. "Whatever your master told you, hasn't been true for nearly half a century."

Yugi gave the vampire a confused look.

Bakura stood up and went over to his desk. He picked up a pen and returned to the couch. Yugi followed the creature's actions curiously. Before he could ask, Bakura held the pen between two fingers. "I wanted to clarify. To show you what I meant."

"... What?"

The vampire dropped the pen in his hand and told the hunter the look at the pen. Yugi glanced down. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet the vampires' gaze. Bakura smirked. "Do you understand?"

"It's silver."

Bakura nodded and motioned for Akefia to blow out the candles.

The last thing Yugi thought was how terribly his pricked finger hurt.

A/N: Um ... What? I don't even ... I wrote this on my iPhone on the plane why listening to PSY. That's my excuse. So, other than the fact that it was more than a little weird, hope you liked it ...?

I realise that this is more of a Halloween fic and I'm a couple months late. Bear with me.

(P.S. - I can't believe I forgot to add this! Thank you to my TWO betas who helped me with this story. My normal Beta, who is beautiful and wonderful and RedShadowThief, who is my inspiration and friend. Please read her works, as they are wonderfully written, with great plots and really worth your time!)