The next morning…

Yugi fidgets near the end of the bed as Atem Van Helsing stands next to Mai as she sleeps soundly, checking her for signs of any possible reason for her current state of health. Seeing her neck, he stares at the marks, frowning and rubbing his chin.

"Hmm…two tiny puncture marks on her throat…"

At the sound of a door opening, Yugi looks over to see Kaiba walk in the room and stand next to him.

"Where's Tea?"

"She didn't want to be here with Mai in this condition, so Mokuba decided to take her out of the house to try and ease her worries." Kaiba sighs, worry finally starting to take its toll on him.

The two remain silent until the professor turns back to them, deep thought written on his brow.

"Do you have any idea what those marks mean?" Yugi asks, hoping for the best.

For a few seconds, Atem looks out the window and says nothing. Kaiba frowns as he realizes the news may not be as good as he originally hoped.

"Gentlemen…" the professor started slowly, "what I am about to tell you will shake the very foundation of EVERY medical precept you hold dear…" Atem motions for the two to follow him out of the room, making both Kaiba and Yugi share a bit of curiosity and a slight dread as to why they had to step outside for the news. Closing the door quietly, he makes sure they are alone before continuing.

"We have entered the realm...of the supernatural."

"Realm of the supernatural?" Kaiba huffs as he crosses his arms, not taking the news seriously. Yugi on the other hand seems slightly intrigued and waits for Atem to continue.

"Mai has been attacked by a creature that rises from its grave and sucks the blood of the living to prolong its own unholy existence." The professor's face and his mood showing he is dead serious. "What we are dealing with is…" he pauses as he tries to find the words to finish. "A vampire."

"Vampire?" Yugi's voice shakes nervously.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba chuckles softly as he shakes his head. "Modern science PROVES that-"

"To Anubis with Modern Science!" Atem starts to show irritation with Kaiba, his arms on his hips. "She has lost a great deal of blood, right?"

The two men nod andAtem opens the door again, quickly walking over to Mai and waving his arms over her body and the bed.

"WHERE did all the blood go? Look at the sheets, the pillowcase, her nightgown…Do you SEE anything?"

Yugi shakes his head while Kaiba opens his mouth to say something but stops as Atem gets in his face, his eyes narrowed.

"How does your modern science explain THAT? Can YOU explain it Kaiba?"

"Erm…no?" Kaiba scoots back a bit, not liking the professor in his personal space.

Atem turns to Yugi, making the young man shrink a little under the professor's glare. "Can YOU Yugi?"

"N-no..."

"NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN THAT!" Kaiba and Yugi jump with surprise at Atem's sudden exclamation. The three turn to Mai's bed and sigh with relief when she doesn't wake up. Yugi thinks for a second, trying to piece what Atem had said as the professor himself tries to calm himself down, a hand over his face.

"So, you want us to believe that a creature flew in from that window, bit Mai on the neck, and drank her blood?"

"Exactly…" Atem turns to the window, glaring at the outside world. "And tonight, the foul demon will return; it will suck on her life's fluid until it has drained her of her last drop. And if she DIES a victim of this unspeakable creature," his mood turns dark, "She will become one herself…"

Kaiba and Yugi share faces of silent terror at the thought of the possibility that Professor Atem Van Helsing is right. For a few seconds, neither of the three utters a word until Yugi takes a deep breath, resolve and determination replacing his terror.

"What can we do to protect her from this FIEND?"

Atem thinks for a bit before snapping his fingers, "Kaiba, do you have some books on the occult?"

Kaiba's mind races quickly and nods, almost running to his personal library with Atem in close pursuit. As they enter the library, Kaiba scans the shelves by genre until he finds what he is looking for and calls Atem over to him and awaits his orders.

"Do you have Transylvanian Folklore?"

"No…"

"How about The Theory and Theology of the Undead?"

"I have never even heard-"

"The Vampires of Prague?"

Kaiba growls in frustration, not finding any of the books Atem listed. "No!"

"…Do you have Nosferatu?"

Kaiba's eyes light up. "We DO have Nosferatu! It just came in the post this morning!" He rushes to his desk and hands Atem a book wrapped in packing paper. Atem opens it quickly and looks at the cover, making sure it's the right one.

"Thank Ra…"

"I forgot Mokuba ordered it a month ago…" Kaiba smirked, "Thought he was crazy ordering a book like that."

Atem checks the table of contents and flips to a page, scanning its contents. Upon finding something, he points to it with a finger.

"There IS a way to protect her!"

Kaiba looks over his shoulder, trying to see what they could do to protect his daughter's friend.

"The creature is repelled by garlic…"

Kaiba wrinkles his nose slightly, "How does garlic help?"

"Its purifying effect is anathema to the tainted soul of the vampire." Atem's face molded into a triumphant smile; the vampire would never know what hit him…