Chapter 11- The Personal Guards

Yugi was sitting in the throne room with six other vampires in the room. These were all vampires that he knew that he could trust.

"You all know that one of the council members was executed for trying to rape my brother's mate, do you not?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, Emperor. We all have heard about that." a nearly bald vampire with a ponytail at the back said.

"Good. I asked you all here because I have a job for you. There are threats against my mate, brother's mate as well as Joey's, Malik's, Otogi's, and Ryou's." Yugi said.

"Emperor, are these threats from the council?" a vampire with long brown hair asked.

"Directly, no, but the council went to great lengths to learn who I was mating. After what the one did to try and find out, I do not wish to take any chances." Yugi said.

"The council is nothing but a bunch of traitorous bastards!" a black-haired vampire said.

"I know that. I do not want to take the chance that they may try to have something done to any of them. We all know how the council feels about humans. I worry that they may try to do something." Yugi said.

"What is it that you wish from us?" a black-haired female vampire asked.

"I need you all to guard them. You will all be given a specific one to guard. If we cannot be with out mates at the time, then you will guard them. I will not take a chance with their lives." Yugi said.

"Yes, Emperor." all six said.

"Shada, you will be guarding Joey's mate, Seto. Isis, you will guard Malik's mate, Marik. Karim, you will guard Otogi's mate, Honda. Rishid, you will guard Ryou's mate, Bakura. Hitomi, you will guard my brother's mate, Atemu. Mahado, you will guard my mate, Yami. Do you all understand?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, Emperor." the six said.

"Good. Your duties will begin today. Remember. Nothing is to happen to them. Where they go, you go. If you think that someone is a threat, watch them. Anyone tried anything to them, subdue this person and have them taken to the dungeon." Yugi said.

"We understand, Your Majesty." Mahado said.

"Good. Your duties will be announced at a meeting later today." Yugi said.

"Emperor, if I may ask, is there any time that we will not be needed to guard them?" Isis asked.

"The only time will be when we are with our mates. Even at nighttime, you need to remain tier guards until we come to our chambers at night." Yugi said.

"Yes, sire." Hitomi said.

"The meeting will be after lunch." Yugi said.

The six vampires bowed before they left the room.

Isis looked a great deal like Ishizu because they were sisters. Isis was a warrior vampire while Ishizu was healer.

Mahado was Isis's mate as well as one of the most loyal vampires in the kingdom.

Rishid was Ishizu's mate and was just as loyal as Mahado.

Shada was Rashid's brother and his mate was a Hitomi, the other female guardian.

Hitomi was the youngest of them, but she had proven her loyalty on more than one occasion.

All six were vampires that Yugi would trust his life with if need be. He knew without a doubt that they would not fail in their duties to protect Yami, Atemu, Marik, Bakura, Seto, and Honda. He also knew that if something were to happen to one of them, it was because the vampire was killed in the line of duty. Yugi did not see any of these vampires dying because he knew that they were among the fiercest warriors in his kingdom.

'I know that they will not fail. Yami and the others will be safe with them guarding them. I know that this will anger the council, but I feel it is necessary. It's not unusual for people so high up to have personal guard for their mates. The council will be angry because they will know that it is impossible to have something done to them.' Yugi thought.

Yugi stood up and walked down from the throne. 'The council can think whatever they want. I'm not letting them do anything to any of them for any reason. I know that the council wants to have someone on the throne who they can control and who will do exactly what they want without any regard for anyone else. I won't let them do anything. I won't let the council win.' Yugi thought.


Atemu, Heba, Bakura, Ryou, Marik, Malik, Seto, Joey, and Yami were all in the lounge.

"Where is Yugi at?" Joey asked.

"He said that there was something he had to do this morning. Something about guards." Yami said.

"Oh. I bet I know what it's about." Heba said.

"What's that?" Malik asked.

"Well, since the council was so low as to try and rape Atemu to find out who he was mating, Yugi decided to give each one of you a personal guard." Heba said.

"Meaning what?" Bakura asked.

"Whenever we can't be with you, that guard would be there. Their job would be to protect you at all times." Heba explained.

"How would we know that they are trustworthy, though?" Seto asked.

"Yugi knows which vampires he can trust and which ones he can't. The truth is that there are more vampires that would side with Yugi than the council. He knows who is loyal to him and who is loyal to the council." Joey said.

"If Yugi even had a sliver of doubt about a vampire, he wouldn't assign them to protect you. He would have to be willing to trust them with his life before he would trust them with anyone else's." Heba said.

"Well, that's comforting." Seto said.

"Look. Yugi knows who to pick. He knows how the council is, and he knows which vampires he can trust with our lives, and which vampires he can't trust. Whoever he picks would have to be completely loyal to him." Ryou said.

The door to the lounge opened, and Otogi and Honda walked in.

"What's going on?" Otogi asked.

"Yugi planning to make sure we're protected." Bakura said.

"Come again?" Honda asked.

They explained about the guards to Otogi and Honda.

"I, for one, think that it is a good idea." Otogi said.

"You do?" everyone asked.

"Sure. Yugi knows which vampires are loyal to him, and he's not going to assign someone that he knows is not completely loyal. Besides, with the duties that we have, we can't be with them all the time. The council is a bunch of traitors who wouldn't think twice about killing our mates. This way, there is someone there to protect them no matter where they go at all times." Otogi said.

"It does make sense." Malik agreed.

"Well, given that we don't stand a chance if a vampire attacks us, it would be a good idea to have someone there to protect us. And you would all know if they were trustworthy or not." Atemu said.

"Yeah. We would." Ryou agreed.

"Well, if they're trustworthy, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea." Honda agreed.

Heba looked outside to see what time of day it was. "Well, we should all head to our rooms for lunch. Yugi set a meeting for after lunch, and everyone in this room has to be there this time." Heba said.

"Good idea. Yugi hates it when we're late." Joey said.

The groups left the lounge to head to their separate room.


Yami walked into the room he shared with Yugi and found that Yugi was already there.

"There you are, Yami. Where were you?" Yugi asked.

"I was at the lounge with the others." Yami said.

"Okay." Yugi said.

It wasn't long before a servant brought their lunch to them.

/I wonder when he's going to announce about our guards./ Yami thought, not realizing that Yugi could hear him.

"How did you know about the guards?" Yugi asked him.

Yami jumped. He turned to Yugi wide-eyed. "I-how-how did you know that I thought that?" Yami asked.

"Oh. I forgot to explain about the mind link." Yugi said.

"Mind link? What's that?" Yami asked.

"It's a mental bond that is forged when a vampire mates with anyone. You and I could actually communicate mentally. All you'd have to do is think something, and I would know it." Yugi said.

"So, you could be somewhere else and I could hear your thoughts?" Yami asked.

"Yes. We can also sense what the others feel when the link is open. It's how Heba knew that Atemu was in trouble the day that councilman tried to rape him." Yugi said.

"Oh. It happens to all vampires." Yami said.

"Yes. You can block the link. Its better not to, though. It's how we know that you are in danger. You can also block off your feelings from the other without blocking thoughts." Yugi said.

"How do you do all that?" Yami asked.

"It's not something you can learn to do overnight. Heba's still teaching Atemu to use it. I'll teach you how to do all that. It will take time, but you'll learn." Yugi said.

"Okay. It seems strange, though." Yami said.

"You get used to it. Now, how did you know about the guards?" Yugi asked.

"Oh. I mentioned that you said something about guards this morning, and Heba was telling us about you having guards to guard is now." Yami said.

"If you learned it from Heba, then that's fine." Yugi said.

"Yugi, won't the council disapprove of this?" Yami asked.

"Probably, but not for a real reason. It's not uncommon for people in the high positions that Heba, Malik, Ryou, Joey, Otogi, and I are in to have guards for our mates. We're all trained warriors, so we don't need them. It's in the law that we can do that, though, so there's not a whole lot the council can do." Yugi said.

"Is that what this meeting is about?" Yami asked.

"Yes. I'm announcing who it is. You don't need to worry. They're all vampires that I trust." Yugi said.

"I know. You wouldn't let a vampire that you didn't completely trust to guard us." Yami said.

The two finished eating their lunch.

Seeing that they still had some time before the meeting, Yugi said, "Yami, since we have a while before the meeting, why don't we work with the mind link a little?"

"Okay." Yami said.

"What I need you to do is just try to send a thought to me." Yugi said.

"How?" Yami asked.

"Just think about something and direct it at me." Yugi said.

Yami started to try and concentrate.

"You don't need to strain yourself. Just think of something." Yugi said.

Yami nodded. //Who is my guard?// Yami asked, not knowing if it would reach Yugi or not.

Yugi smiled. "That wasn't that hard, and you'll meet your guard soon." Yugi said.

"So, it worked?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded. "Yes. I heard you just like you can hear me." Yugi said.

"Okay. I guess that wasn't so hard." Yami admitted.


The time had come for the meeting.

Yugi, Heba, Joey, Malik, and Ryou all sat in their usual seats. There was a sixth seat was there for Otogi. There were also smaller seats there for Yami, Atemu, Seto, Marik, Bakura, and Otogi to sit in near their respective mates.

The council was in there usual spots.

'What the hell are those damned humans doing here?! The Emperor never has the humans here, which means that whatever this meeting is about, it must have something to so with them.' Jordon thought angrily.

Yugi noticed Jordon's irritation. 'He can't stand the fact that our mates are here. He thinks that the meetings are for vampires only. He doesn't realize that I'm the one who decides who can be here, and who can't. Another reason why I will be glad to get a new council.' Yugi thought.

Finally, Yugi was ready to start the meeting.

"Emperor, what is this meeting about?" Jordon asked.

Yugi could hear the disdain in Jordon's voice and knew he would have to talk to him about it later. "This meeting is about naming the personal guard fro my mate as well as the others' mates." Yugi said.

"Sire, there is no need for guards. No one would harm them." Jordon said, hoping to prevent it.

"Really? You don't call the fact that one of the councilmen tried to rape my brother's mate to find out who I was mating a reason?" Yugi asked.

Atemu felt a chill go down his spine as he remembered when that happened.

"Sire, that was a one time thing. No one here wants any harm to come to them." Jordon said, sounding sincere.

'That's a load of bull.' Joey thought.

"Jordon, I feel that it is necessary. I will not take the chance that the same things will happen to another one of them." Yugi said.

"But to waste the skill of some of the guards? It would be a waste of their talent." another councilman said.

"Besides, it will take a long tome to find the ones to guard them." another councilman said.

'Good. We'll get rid of them before the guards are chosen. He'll never know we were the ones that ordered it.' Jordon thought, already plotting.

"There will be no needed. I have already chosen the guards." Yugi said.

This startled the council as they thought that it would take time to find them.

Yugi motioned for the guard at the door to let them in.

Mahado, Isis, Shada, Hitomi, Rishid, and Karim all walked into the room.

Heba hid a smirk. 'Brother, you are a brilliant one. Everyone here is completely loyal to you which mean that the council will not be able to do anything.' Heba thought.

"These are the ones that I have chosen to be the personal guard for them all." Yugi said.

"Emperor, they are some of the best warriors in the kingdom. We should not waste their talent on babysitting." Jordon said.

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "Jordon, do not test me right now. They are to be guarding our mates, not babysitting. Also, are you suggesting that we should settle on less skilled warriors to guard the lives of our mates? Someone less skilled might end up letting them get killed." Yugi said.

"No, Emperor. I am not suggesting that in the least, but they are the most skilled warriors on the kingdom. Their services are needed elsewhere." Jordon said.

"Where are their skills needed?" Yugi asked.

Jordon had no answer, and neither did the rest of the council.

"If you have no answer, then there is not one. We are not in a war, so their skills are not needed in battle. Each of them have been told what they will be doing, and they understand that they will be guarding the lives our mates, and they have accepted their new duties." Yugi said.

There was little that Jordon could say to change Yugi's mind.

'He will not change his mind. Nothing I say can change that, and I know these six won't betray the Emperor.' Jordon though angrily.

"Now, all six of these vampires will guarding them unless knew orders are given to them by me personally. Other than that, they know that this is what they will be doing." Yugi said.

"Yes, Emperor." Jordon said.

"This meeting is over." Yugi said.

The council took that as a cue to leave , and they did.

Yugi and the others walked down from their seats to where the other vampires were.

"I know you all know who they are, but your mates don't." Yugi said.

"I am Isis. I will be guarding you, Lord Marik." Isis said.

"I am Shada. I will be guarding you, Lord Seto." Shada said.

"I am Karim. I will be guarding you, Lord Honda." Karim said.

"I am Rishid. I will be guarding you, Lord Ryou." Rishid said.

"I am Hitomi. I will be guarding you, Prince Atemu." Hitomi said.

"I am Mahado. I will be guarding you, Prince Yami." Mahado said.

All six bowed to them.

"They know that when we cannot be with you, they will be guarding you. You'll be safe with them guarding you." Yugi said.


Jordon and the rest of the council went into the room where they always discussed things.

"Damn him! The Emperor already chose the blasted guards!" Jordon growled.

"I know! He chose ones that we cannot manipulate nor bribe into bringing harm to them. All six of them are completely loyal to that damned Emperor!" another councilman said.

"If he hadn't already chosen who would be guarding them, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. We could get rid of them before then, but now, we won't be able to get to them." a different councilman said.

"We could still hire someone to go after them. They would have to kill the guard and then kill the human." another councilman said.

"Don't be stupid! That would never work!" Jordon spat.

"Why not?" the councilman who had made the suggestion demanded.

"The guards for those damned humans are the best warriors in the kingdom. Only Heba, Malik, Ryou, and Joey can surpass them in skill. If the one we hired wasn't killed, he would tell the Emperor that we were the ones who hired him. We can't do something that will get us caught." Jordon said.

"What should we do then?" another councilman asked.

Jordon gave a frustrated sigh. "For now, there is nothing we can do. Until the time is right to put the plan into action, we will have to stomach having these humans around." Jordon growled.


Heba and Atemu walked into their room.

"I am very happy." Heba said.

"Why?" Atemu asked.

"Because I know that all of you will be safe now. Those six are the most loyal vampires that I know. They won't let anything happen to you." Heba said.

"Then we will be safe." Atemu said.

"More than safe." Heba said, wrapping his arms around Atemu. "I'm not worried at all because Jordon was right when he said that they are the most skilled vampires in the kingdom. There is no way that anything will happen to you." Heba said.

"Glad to hear it. I guess they really are loyal to Yugi then." Atemu said.

"More than loyal. There is nothing to worry about." Heba said before he leaned forward and kissed Atemu.

Atemu raised his arms and wrapped them around Heba's neck as he deepened the kiss. Heba ran his tongue over Atemu's bottom lip, and Atemu opened his mouth to let Heba slip his tongue inside of his mouth. Heba roamed around the inside of Atemu's mouth before he coaxed him into a tongue duel. The two fought for dominance until Atemu finally gave up to let Heba win.

The two pulled apart when Atemu needed air.

"I feel safest with you." Atemu said as Heba leaned his forehead onto his own.

"I sensed that. Though I think that I know what else I would like to do." Heba said.

"What?" Atemu asked.

Heba then picked Atemu up into his arms. "Simple. When I'm done with you, you won't remember your own name." Heba said before walking over toward the bed.

Atemu smirked. "You always manage to do that." Atemu said.

Heba then threw Atemu onto the bed before he joined him.


"Um, Yugi. Can I ask you something?" Yami asked.

"Sure. What is it?" Yugi asked, looking up at him.

"Are those vampires that you're going to have guarding us trustworthy?" Yami asked.

"Very. I would trust them with my life. They are six of the most loyal vampires that I have. I know for a fact that there is no way that they would let anything happen to you." Yugi said.

"Okay." Yami said.

"You really don't need to worry. There is nothing the council can do. They may not like this, but they know that there is no way that they can bribe or trick them into doing anything for them." Yugi said.

"Would the council do that?" Yami asked.

"Without a doubt. That's why they wants less experienced vampires to be your guards. They knew that they would be ones that they could easily manipulate into doing something that they wanted them to do. I also knew that if I announced this before I had chosen the guards, the council would have tried to bring harm to you before the guards were chosen." Yugi said.

"Is that why they said it would take time to find the ones to guard us?" Yami asked.

"Yes. They thought that they could do something before that." Yugi said.

"What will they do now?" Yami asked.

"I don't know. All I do know is that you and the others will be safe now." Yugi said.

Yami nodded his understanding.


Yugi walked into the council chambers and found that Jordon was there with the rest of the council.

"Emperor, to what do we owe this honor?" Jordon asked.

"Cut the crap, Jordon. I know that you hate my guts, so don't try to kiss my ass. I don't need it." Yugi said.

Jordon had to bite back a smartass retort because he knew that speaking to Yugi in the wrong way could result in his death. "Then why are you here?" Jordon asked.

"I wanted to warn you that if you ever speak in such a way as you did today in the meeting, I will have you replaced." Yugi said.

"Emperor, I do not know what-" Jordon started.

"Yes, you do!" Yugi snapped, not in the mood. "I'm referring to the way you spoke at the start of the meeting. Do not ever speak with that kind of disdain in your voice ever again. It is no secret that you hate humans with a passion. The mates were in the meeting because it concerned them. Do not forget that as our mates, they have more power than you. If they are in a meeting, they are there. You have no say in if they are in a meeting or not." Yugi said.

"Emperor, I did not mean-" Jordon started.

"Jordon, I don't want explanations or excuses. Do not let it happen again. Do you understand?" Yugi asked. His voice left no room for argument.

"Yes, Emperor. I understand." Jordon said.

"This is a warning to you all. Do not speak like that in any meeting." Yugi said.

"Yes, Emperor." the council said.

Yugi left the room. 'I know that they hate me, but at least they know that I am not letting them do what they please. I won't tolerate any of this.' Yugi thought before heading back to his chambers.


Hope that you liked it. I decided to use mainly the priests as the guards. Also, Hitomi I just made up. If anything was unclear, let me know.

Next: Might be more laidback with not so much suspicions and evil plans.

R&R.