Author's notes: Yo readers. I'm finally back with the next chapter. Exams are long over, and I managed to get the subject combinations I wanted so much that I'm so happy. Well, I could actually update this story earlier, but due to some unforeseen circumstances that depressed me for a while, it got delayed, so I appreciate those of you who waited so patiently for this chapter!

Well, seemed like I'm not bashed by the lemon in the previous chapter, meaning that it's a good sign. Thank you for all my reviewers and those who actually took the hassle to continue reading this story until today! Hugs and kisses to all of you! Well, here's chapter 19. Read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story.

Kaiba paced around his study room, hands clenched, teeth gritted tightly together. He refused to believe what he had witnessed yesterday. Hadn't he warned Atemu about that bloodsucker? Why had he chosen that bloodsucker over him? Couldn't he, the Hunter, sense that there's something terribly wrong with Bakura?

This couldn't go on. It must be stopped, and he, Seto Kaiba will put a stop to this. Grabbing his bag, he stomped out of the room and made his way to school, heart and mind set.

Yuugi was making his way to school alone. He was extra early today and was alone due to the fact that Atemu didn't return home for the whole of yesterday's night. He would have called the police if it's not for the phone call this morning from Bakura saying that he was with Atemu and he was fine. Though knowing that Atemu was with Bakura, his heart still wasn't at ease, and he wanted to reach school faster to see him in person.

He was worried for his brother. Ever since Atemu had discovered he was the vampire hunter, he had risked his life to protect the citizens by hunting down the vampires in this town. Yuugi was terribly afraid that he might never see his brother again after a night's hunt; therefore he always made it a point to wait till Atemu gets home every night. Recently, Atemu seemed to be having recurring nightmares. Although he hadn't mentioned it to him, he could hear him panting and occasional cries at night. Yuugi had wanted to ask him about it, but was afraid that it might upset his brother.

Yesterday's incident had proved that his theory on the nightmares had been correct. It was so frightening to see Atemu suddenly jumping up from his seat, screaming bloody murder and rushed off. It absolutely wasn't anything Atemu would do in the past. Something must have happened to cause this transition. Something terrible…

On another note, Yuugi was quite worried for Grampa too. It had been nearly three months since Grampa had went to the supposedly overseas trip, and he had not made any forms of contacts to reach them. Could it be that something had happened to him during the trip? He had the slightest idea that Atemu always seemed to be avoiding the topic when he mentioned Grampa. Could it be that Grampa was hiding something that he didn't want him to know, therefore he told Atemu not to tell? Or could it be Atemu not wanting to tell him something?

Sighing, Yuugi felt his heart heaving. There were so many problems for him to worry about! He wished Ryou was around to listen to him rant all these problems like he always did in the past. However, Ryou seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth just like how Grampa did. What the hell was happening now? Everyone around him seemed to be disappearing slowly, and Yuugi couldn't help but think it's no coincidence. Was it Atemu's involvement in the vampires that caused this to happen?

Sucked in his thoughts, Yuugi failed to notice the black limo that was tailing him at the street. He was about to make a turn to a short cut to get to school when men in black suits appeared out of nowhere and captured him just like how kidnappers did in bad movie rejects.

"Let me go! Let me g-"

Before he even knew it, he was thrown roughly into the black limo, only to come face to face with somebody unexpected—Seto Kaiba.

"Shh…don't cry…"

Atemu was wrapped up in Bakura's arms as Bakura patted his back softly, his lips on his ears as he muttered words of consolation into them. He had woken up once again due to a nightmare, and though Bakura was comforting, he did not feel alright. His face was streaked with tears once again, and he began thinking this must have been a daily routine for him nowadays. He was frightened by the nightmare. It was even more vivid this time. In the nightmare, he was in an abandoned factory. Everything was very dark, but somehow, his five senses seemed to have improved dramatically, enabling him to see well, even in the dark. He could hear movements in the shadows as well, the movements of small mice scurrying pass.

Although he couldn't remember what the nightmare was mostly about, he could still feel the fear in his heart, because one thing for certain, in the nightmare, he was a vampire. To be clearer, he is looking out through a vampire's eyes, and this vampire felt familiar to him. If it's not for the sudden jolting awake of him, he would have remembered who the vampire was (or so he thought). It was rather lucky that Bakura was with him at that moment, or he'd have gone berserk from the terror.

Rubbing the tears away from his eyes, Atemu forced a smile up his face as he told Bakura he was fine, and he needn't worry. Bakura's eyes lingered on him for a while before he ruffled Atemu's hair and released him, letting him rest on the bed.

"I'll go take a shower first before going to school. Do you want to join me?" Bakura queried, his eyes shining mischievously.

"I wouldn't want to be assaulted by you again would I?" Atemu replied, indicating to his sore body, only earning himself a stroke at his groin, causing him to convulse violently before beating Bakura's hand away in feigned anger.

"So that means you're not coming?" Bakura sighed in disappointment that Atemu knew was fake and went to the closet to grab a fresh set of uniform and a towel.

Atemu rolled to his stomach and watched Bakura's action with his head resting on his hands, elbows propped. "I might consider to, if your behaviour meets my expectations."

Bakura smirked as he crossed the room and bend to his knees, facing Atemu, hands cupping his face, pulling him for a kiss. Atemu blushed and tried to squirm back, but decided to give in. Hell…even after making love to Bakura, he still felt shy around him. Bakura's thumb swiped his lips as he leant closer for the kiss, which Atemu had anticipated, then pulled back suddenly, a victorious grin etched on his face.

"There! Does it meet to your expectations, my dear?" Bakura chuckled as he proceeded to the bathroom.

"You! Don't ever wish that I'll go in!" Atemu exclaimed indignantly, face still flushed.

Bakura replied with a laugh and closed the door, leaving Atemu feeling stupid and embarrassed by the encounter. Huffing, he laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling and at the dim yellow light. It seemed to be getting brighter and brighter as he stared at it, making him annoyed. Turning his gaze away, he listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom.

Bakura let the water run down his body as he leant against the wall, one hand in his hair, thinking hard. He admitted he was acting rashly the day before, but thinking back, he found it all worthwhile. However, this made things difficult to end. Would he really bear to kill Atemu? Or perhaps he could forget about the revenge and let life goes on normally with Atemu?

It was a special feeling he had with the Hunter. Something so different and new, that it scares him sometimes. He had felt a special connection between him and the Hunter, a connection that seemed too painful for him to break. Earlier on, he could feel his new pet, Ryou, stirring. It was normal, as he was the one who blooded him. With Ryou turned, his plans seemed to take another great step ahead to the downfall of Atemu. If he had known this would be happening, he would not have turned the boy.

Frustrated at the situation he was in, Bakura could only growl angrily at himself. A sudden flash of movement alarmed him, caused him to spin around. He had not heard Atemu entering, so what was it? Eyes scanning around, he saw nothing, but a misted mirror and the usual facilities you can find in a bathroom. Frowning, Bakura scanned the area once again, and found himself in shock.

There, at the foggy mirror, he could see a faint replica of himself, staring back with equal shock.

"Who do you think you are, manhandling me in this manner? I demand an explanation!" Yuugi said, displeasure etched on his face as he glared at Kaiba. Through the window, he could see that the limo was slowly proceeding to their school.

"Shut up and listen to me kid," Kaiba snapped impatiently. He had no time to dilly dally and play Mr. Nice Guy to Yuugi now, especially he had something so important on his mind.

Still keeping a scowl on his face, Yuugi leaned back onto the seat opposite Kaiba and waited for him to finish whatever he wanted to say.

"I know I have made a very bad impression, but I still-"

"Cut with the crap."

"Okay. The reason I have you here is to inform you that I think your brother is in danger." Kaiba looked steadily at Yuugi, whose scowl got cast away and was replaced with a look of worry immediately.

"What do you mean by he's in danger? Bakura just called me this morning saying that he's with him and was fine," Yuugi scoffed.

"Could we have a civilised talk? I wouldn't want you to keep shooting at me with that unfriendly tone of yours. Bakura's the reason why I say he's in danger. I suspect that he is a vampire, and he's out to harm Atemu, that's why he's going so close to him now," Kaiba said, his eyebrows knitting together at the mention of Bakura.

Giving a harsh laugh, Yuugi replied, "Don't joke with me. My brother would know it if Bakura's a vampire."

"If he had the ability to know it, he wouldn't have whore himself to that bloodsucker!" Kaiba bellowed as he punched the side of the car, face contorted with anger.

"You take that back! My brother isn't a whore! You of all people should know, you bastard! If there's anyone to blame, you're the main culprit! If you had not hurt him that way, he won't have gone to Bakura or any other one! Tell you what; I think he's better off with Bakura too!" Yuugi yelled back with matched fury, eyes blazing. He won't have anybody insulting his brother, especially Seto Kaiba.

Kaiba was speechless for a moment as Yuugi's words sunk into him. Yes, if it was not for him, this might not have happened. If-

"Let me out. I'm not staying here to listen to your barking. Let me out!" Yuugi cried as he pulled at the door.

"What about your Grampa? Don't you think there's something amiss too? I've checked, and there's no record of him leaving the country."

Atemu was looking at the teacher without really listening to what she was saying. Many of his classmates had come forward to ask him was he alright since yesterday's outburst, and he was quite annoyed by them. Bakura wasn't acting like his normal cocky self. Instead, he seemed to be brooding over something ever since he finished showering.

Today, the first thing he did was to find Yuugi and tell him he was fine, and when he reached the classroom, he realized Yuugi was with Kaiba in the classroom. Yuugi's expression was glum while Kaiba seemed to be rather smug. He asked Yuugi if Kaiba had disturbed him in any forms, but Yuugi merely shook his head and said he was glad to see him fine. After that, Yuugi seemed to be in a dark mood too. Unable to get Yuugi tell him of his problems, Atemu could only return to his seat in defeat.

Ryou was not in school yet again. That was weird for the pale-haired boy, as he almost never misses any class, even if he's ill. Troubled by the events that were happening, Atemu couldn't help but feel sick in the gut.

Yuugi was in a dilemma. Why had Atemu lied to him? Kaiba said Grampa hadn't even left the country, so where had this overseas trip come from? However, could Kaiba's words be trusted? Why would he worry about Atemu's safety anyway? He was the one who betrayed him! Why would he take the trouble to find out what had happened to Grampa?

What he could do now, was only to observe Bakura in silence. He had been doing that for the whole day, except at the times where they were in different classes. However, to do this was a painful job, because Bakura seemed to be able to notice him observing him. There had been times where he would turn his gaze from the teacher to him and hold his gaze. His eyes were a scary pair. Those brown eyes seemed to be like an endless pit, so unlike Ryou's kind ones and they unnerved him. To be serious, he had been jealous that Bakura had stolen his time with his brother together. He really was very jealous of it. Very. What would happen if Bakura was a vampire? Would Atemu stake him and come back to him as the big brother he had always known?

It's not possible for a vampire to come out during daytime; therefore humans were safe during the day. This was something that Yuugi knew from Atemu. However, Kaiba had claimed that Bakura was a vampire. This had gotten Yuugi confused. If Kaiba was right, why could Bakura come out during the day? Could Kaiba just be jealous, and wanted to spoil the relationship between Atemu and Bakura, or could he be correct?

The teacher had started handing out math assignments, instructing them to get it done, just when the school bell rang. Everyone was relieved that they'd be free of the upcoming hell as the teacher had wanted them to do the assignment on the spot as a practice for their exams just a fortnight later. People started packing their bags, and the teacher could only collect the assignments back, before dismissing the class and exiting the classroom.

"Hey bro, could we go home together today?" Yuugi approached Atemu.

"Sure, why not?" Atemu agreed, puzzled by Yuugi's question.

"I thought you might want to go with Bakura," Yuugi said meekly as Bakura looked up from his bag upon hearing the mentioning of his name. "It'd be okay for me to borrow my brother from you for the evening right?"

"Of course it'd be fine," Bakura replied as he hid a frown. He noticed that Yuugi had been acting peculiar today. He had been watching him from a distance, and Bakura could tell that something was on the kid's mind.

They bid each other goodbye at the school gate and went separate ways. Trudging back to the hotel, Bakura couldn't help but think about what he had seen earlier this morning. It wasn't possible, what he had seen. He wasn't supposed to have a reflection. That was impossible. Yet when he rubbed at the misty mirror, he could still see it. His reflection, though quite blur, but there's still a definite form and shape of him in it, staring back at him. What had happened? He tried remembering the previous encounters he had with mirrors. No, he had not seen himself in them the time when he was in the school toilet with Atemu or Kaiba though they didn't notice it. No. It only happened today.

Maybe, it's time to visit Letha again.

"Yuugi, why are you so quiet? Is there something wrong?" Atemu asked as they ate their dinner. It was queer for Yuugi to be not talkative. He's always chirping like a bird about many topics.

Putting down his bowl, Yuugi looked at Atemu. "Bro, tell me, where is Grampa?"

All the blood in Atemu seemed to have been drained. Did Yuugi realize what had happened?

"Kaiba told me this morning that Grampa hadn't even left the country while you told me he's on an overseas trip. Tell me bro, who should I believe?" Yuugi said quietly.

"You rather trust that guy than me?" Atemu asked in disbelief. So that's what Kaiba had told Yuugi. How dare he!

"You left me with no choice! You refused to tell me anything about Grampa and now you're blaming me for doubting you? Tell me! Did something happen to Grampa? Did he tell you not to tell me anything?" Yuugi shouted back as he banged the table with his fist.

Feeling a headache working its way to his head, Atemu stood up calmly.

"Yuugi, listen to me. I didn't want to hide anything from you. You must understand I did this for your best interest, but-"

"Just shut up! It must be Bakura who had manipulated you! You even whore yourself to him! You can as well just forget that I'm your brother and go kiss his ass! I don't give a shit about what you mean by my best interest!" Yuugi couldn't control his anger, and the words flew out before he could even take them back.

Wide-eyed, Atemu couldn't believe what he had heard. He could feel his temper rising up too. He wasn't a good-tempered person so start with, adding on to the headache he was having now, and many nights of insomnia, he felt himself yelling at the top of his voice too.

"Whore myself? Who do you think you are to judge me? I've done everything to protect you, protect this family, and this is what you thought about me? This is what you had felt? Do you know-"

"What do you know? Do you know ever since you've became a vampire hunter, I'm the one worried sick every night you went out for a hunt? I'm the one who always stayed up late till you come home, just to make sure you're not lying somewhere, waiting to rot? Do you know the fear I always had when you didn't reach home on time? Have you ever thought about how I feel? NO! Of course you wouldn't care! You're too caught up in your own stuff! Now with Bakura, you'd almost never even care about me any longer! And now, Ryou had been missing! He hadn't been attending to school, and hadn't been answering my calls! Something might have happened to him, and all you'd done is to whore yourself to Baku-"

Slap!

Yuugi looked at Atemu in shock as he clutched his right cheek. Disbelief was written all over his face.

"Am I still your brother in your eyes? Why do you keep using that word on me? I had thought, of all people, you should have known me the best, and know that everything I've done was for your own good! Do you think I liked hunting those bloodsuckers? Do you think I enjoyed them bursting into dust in my face every time I staked them? DO YOU THINK I LIKED IT? DO YOU? WHY DON'T YOU GO TRY HUNTING THEM? WHY DON'T YOU TRY HAVING THEM DUSTED RIGHT IN YOUR FACE? WHY DON'T YOU TRY PUTTING YOURSELF IN MY SHOES? WHY DON'T YOU-"

"You had changed! You had really changed! YOU HAD NEVER HIT ME. NEVER! I HATE YOU! GOT THAT? I HATE YOU!" Yuugi yelled at him as he kicked the chair away and rushed out of the room. A huge bang was heard as the door was slammed on its hinge.

"DON'T EVER COME BACK IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!" Atemu yelled after him as he smashed the dishes on the floor and ran to his room, trying very hard to blink away his angry tears.

Running blindly down the darkened streets, Yuugi couldn't help but let the tears stream down his cheeks. He known he had been too harsh on his brother. He shouldn't have use that term Kaiba had used on him. He didn't mean it. He really didn't. It was all spoken out in anger, and he wanted to take those words back. He could see his brother was hurt by the things he had said. However, what he had said was true too. Atemu hadn't really been noticing that he needed his big brother at times too.

He really hoped that Ryou would be alright. Nothing must happen to Ryou. Nothing. He wouldn't let anything happen to him. He really hoped he would appear now and comfort him like he always did previously.

Crash!

"Ryou?" Yuugi said in surprise as he saw that he had collided with a familiar figure. From the dim lights of the streets, he was quite sure it was Ryou and not Bakura. He knew that Ryou had a smaller build, and he knew him by his scent. It was Ryou!

"Yuugi…"

"Ryou! It's you! How have you been! Ryou! I just did something very bad to my brother! I-Ryou?"

Ryou had captured him in an embrace, his head buried in the nape of his neck, sniffing him.

"Let me take all your troubles away from you."

Author's notes: So we're done with this chapter! My fingers were about to break from typing so much! Yay! I've made it up to you guys for waiting so long by making this chapter longer! Though I'm quite happy with the chapter, there's still a part that I don't quite like, and that is the part where Atemu and Yuugi was quarrelling. I'm not that good in quarrels as I don't get into them, so it's quite difficult to type that part out. What do you guys think about it? Yuugi seemed to be so OOC now… Well, tell me what you guys think about it!