Chapter 2

Caught

Centuries have past of living in the shadows of the unknown with only their kind as company and to never interact with mortals, only for the need to feed. Ever since the two had fatally harmed two humans in the past, Yami and Atem both swore that they won't feed off of human blood as much as possible. Instead they fed off of the blood of animals.

It had been a few nights since the last time they fed themselves over animal blood. They had consumed enough to hold them over for a few nights before the next time they'll need to feed. However, depending on only animal blood for too long is not healthy for any vampire, either newborn or centuries old counts. Knowing that they had lived off of nothing but animal blood for way too long, a few vampires that are friends of the two started to become a little concern for the two.

And so, after talking about who would approach the two lonely vampires, it was decided that the ones to talk to them were Bakura and his newly transformed mate, Ryou. Bakura and Ryou were also identical with both having white hair with Bakura's more spikier while Ryou's was smooth and they both had brown eyes with Ryou's being more gentle while Bakura's had a rough edge to them. The two had met a year ago and have been together since then. Bakura didn't transform Ryou until a couple nights ago, when it was time for him to feed and Ryou convinced him to take his blood and even change him so they were always together with daylight no longer keeping them apart along with the fact that Bakura is a vampire anymore.

Finding the two alone in the library of the manor they were taken to by their creator and lived in forever, with Atem sitting by the black grand piano he loves to play and Yami holding the silver violin he also enjoys playing. In fact, the two were kind of musicians as mortals and they still play their ideal instrument to ease their loneliness and to simply enjoy the music they create together. With a sigh, both albinos approach the two and Bakura said with a semi-gentle tone, "Hey you two."

Not lifting their hanging heads, Yami was the first to speak, "What is it, Bakura, Ryou?"

"We only came to check on you guys." Ryou reply with a more gentle tone than his mate had just used.

"We're fine. We were just about to play some music by the time you two arrived." added Atem as he ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the keys. Many vampires know that Yami and Atem are the most talented musical vampires in existence, both being charmers with their music.

To get back to why they were there in the conversation, Ryou went with the concerns all of their friends have for them. "Look, Yami, Atem, we and the others have been watching over you two. We've noticed you've been living off of nothing but animal blood for too long and we are all concern about you two."

Sighing to know that their friends have been worried about them, Yami said, "Ryou, you should know that Atem and I have been trying to avoid human blood as much as possible."

"Especially after we had killed those humans while out feeding that time." Atem added when he finally turned to face their albino friends.

"And you should know that living off of animal blood for too long is not healthy for vampires. It's like how some humans that eat nothing but fruits and vegetables without having some meat every now and then is bad for their mortal bodies." reply Bakura.

Sensing that their half of the argument would only be a lot harder to shut down, both tri-colored teens sigh in defeat and said, "The next time we go out to feed, it'll be on human blood."

Glad to see that they've given in to the fact their friends are worried about them, Bakura and Ryou smiled and left the two in peace. Back to being alone in the library, Yami slumped into the sofa he is sitting in. "Maybe we should start feeding off of mortal blood for now on since we will only worry everyone."

"May as well, Yami. Now how about we play some music to get our minds off of a few things." said Atem as he went to face his piano again.

Bringing the violin to settle against his neck and on his shoulder, Yami reply as he prepared to start playing with his best friend. And so, after taking a moment to gather their thoughts, Atem started by playing a low but sad tune with Yami soon following with a just as sad tune. The music the two always play were about their sad and lonely existence as vampires.

Far off in the distance from the mountains of Japan, a young teenage boy with gravity-defying star-shaped hair with amethyst tips, a black base, and blond bangs with a little forelock hanging in the center of his forehead, amethyst eyes filled with nothing but pure innocence and a warm light sat by his bedroom window, listening to the beautiful yet sad and faint music coming from the mountains outside of his home city Domino. Young Yugi Mutou had been listening to this beautiful music ever since he was a little child.

Yugi had a strong sense when it comes to emotions. He can easily tell how someone feels and feel the mood in music. Especially when he hears the music coming from the mountains, Yugi could easily tell how whoever is playing the music feels and Yugi just felt terrible for the ones playing the sad music. There have been times where Yugi had wondered who could be full of nothing but sadness and plays music with that same sadness.

The moment the music ended and Yugi looked out into the starry-night sky, the young teenager heard his bedroom door open softly and he heard an old tired voice, "Yugi, why are you still up?"

Turning for a brief moment, Yugi saw it was only his grandfather. "Hey grandpa. Did I wake you up?"

"No you didn't. I had gotten up to get some water when I heard the faint sound of music. You must have been listening again."

"Yes, I've been listening every night the music is played. It's just so beautiful, yet really sad."

Shaking his head, Sugoroku then said, "I will never understand how you are able to understand emotions like that."

With a shrug, Yugi reply, "What can I say? I'm just really gifted, I guess."

Chuckling, Sugoroku faced his grandson and said with a warm smile, "Well, you get some sleep my boy."

"Okay, good-night grandpa."

"Good-night Yugi." with that, Sugoroku left his bedroom to get the water he wanted and get back to bed.

Climbing into bed, Yugi gently stroke his pet cat Amethyst in a way to not wake her up. But she opened her beautiful purple eyes the moment she felt her master touch her. Smiling down at the beautiful and sweet pink cat, Yugi said in a soft tone of voice, "It's okay, Amethyst. I'm just bidding you good-night." The reply he received was Amethyst purring and rubbing her cheek into his hand. Giving the feline a kiss on her forehead, Yugi lay down on his bed and fell asleep with Amethyst curled right into his side.

The next day, Yugi is hanging out with his friends before he needs to run a few errands for his grandfather later. At the moment, the group of five were having lunch at Burger World. Actually they had one more friend but he had disappeared about a year ago. It was believed that he was killed since no one could find the body. Sure he comes across their minds every now and then, but Yugi and his other friends try not to talk about it.

And so, while his friends talk about different things, such as possible job opportunities and colleges they have applied to, Yugi isn't really paying attention to the conversations. Instead he had his full attention on the mountains that were off in the distance from the city. With the music he always listens to at night that came from the mountains on his mind, Yugi let out a sigh at the thought of the music.

Noticing the look on Yugi's face while her boyfriend explained to her brother and his best friend about his business with his game shop, Shizuka just had to ask, "Is something wrong, Yugi?"

Being snatched from his thoughts, Yugi turned toward Shizuka and said, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking."

Aware that for the past few nights there have been music being played somewhere in the mountains outside the city, Otogi then added, "It's the music from the past few nights right?"

Nodding, Yugi reply as he glanced back toward the mountains, "Yes, every night when the music is being played, I always listen closely. Whenever I listen, I could feel the sadness coming from the ones playing the music."

"I'll bet you want to find out what is at those mountains and who or what is playing that music." added Jonouchi.

Letting out s sigh, Yugi reply with a nod as he kept his gaze on the mountains, "Someday, I will learn what is beyond the mountains and who is behind the sad music." As he thought about those two mysteries, Yugi is unaware that he may find out sooner than he thinks.

And so, a few hours past with them hanging out in the arcade and walking in the park, the sun is just about to set completely behind the mountains when the group was just getting ready to part ways; Honda was going to meet a new girlfriend at her favorite hang out spot, a dance club known as Dancing Shadows since she loves to dance, Otogi and Shizuka were going to catch a Dracula movie, Jonouchi was going to get some groceries for the small apartment he and his little sister Shizuka live in, and Yugi was going to start taking care of the errands his grandpa needed him to do.

With his friends off to do their own things, Yugi started on the errands with him setting up advertisements around the city for a few games from his family's game shop, do a little bit of grocery shopping, just any of the normal things his grandfather needed for the shop and the house. It is close to 10:30 pm by the time Yugi had finished running the errands for Sugoroku. He prefers to walk rather than catch a taxi to get home because he loves the outdoors and being able to stare up at the night sky without having to look through a window and his sight being cut off by the roof of the car.

While Yugi walks the still busy sidewalks to get home, not really listening to anything but the typical city noises from chatting pavilions, to honking cars in the heavy traffic when he had noticed a group of four, two guys and two girls that were ahead of him by a few paces enter an alley way. Yugi had noticed that the two guys had identical hair styles like his own but were tipped in crimson and not amethyst. At first Yugi thought they were twins until he saw that one of the guys had tan skin and not pale like the other guy. Turning his attention to the girls that went with the two males, Yugi remembered that they both had long blond hair, so he thought that those two were twins.

With him just about to get those four off his mind, Yugi had just stepped where he could see inside the valley when he saw slight movement at the corner of his eye. At first he was only turning slightly to see what the movement was when his eyes and his body froze at the scene; with the light of the almost full moon to help him see, Yugi saw that the two guys had super sharp canines just pierce the skin on the girls' neck where their necks and their left shoulders meet with the girls looking like they were enjoying the moment as the two males drink their blood.

As he sucked on his hypnotized victim's blood, Yami's eyes opened just slightly when he sensed another presence near-by. His eyes glanced around until they stopped on a boy who stood just outside the alley with eyes wide with fear. While Yami kept his eyes on the boy that looks so identical to him and Atem with the differences being that his hair is tipped in the same amethyst color as his eyes and he had a cute forelock to make up for the lack of lightning bolts and he appeared so innocent and pure like a young child as he slowly removed his fangs from his victim's neck, Atem soon felt the boy's presence and saw the horrified expression in the boy's amethyst eyes. Seeing that expression, Atem immediately removed his fangs.

The two kept their eyes on the boy as they set their victims down on the ground slowly, hoping to not scare him off. The boy did not move, he just stood there, a look of complete horror across his face. That look meant only one thing: he had just caught two vampires feeding when these night dwellers were never suppose to be seen by humans.

When Yami made a small step toward him, the boy stepped away from the alley way and started to run away, afraid that the two vampires might come after him next. As they watch the boy who had witnessed them feeding run away in fear, Yami and Atem could only curse themselves over the fact that they had been caught. They both knew that now that they had been discovered, the fear of their kinds secret existence will be revealed, Yami and Atem both knew they had to act fast before the boy reveals their dark world to the mortal world.