Traitor Continued

by stacieblue45

Hey guys just continuing a masterpiece that needs a lot of love. Yugi Mutou is a young normal male teenager, who loves adventures and games. However, he's a trainee in the International Vampire Hunter Association. With tension building between the hunters and vampires, Yugi is given the assignment to get 'close' with the royal court of the vampires and discover their secrets.

2. 1-8

Preface

TraitorPosted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/11478402.

Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

Multi

Fandom:

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Summary

Yugi Mutou is a young normal male teenager, who loves adventures and games. However, he's a trainee in the International Vampire Hunter Association. With tension building between the hunters and vampires, Yugi is given the assignment to get 'close' with the royal court of the vampires and discover their secrets. But what happens when he become rather 'attached' to the leaders of the Vampire Kingdom? Is history repeating itself?

Notes

Title: Traitor.

Rating: M.

Genres: AU; Alternate Universe, Drama, Romance, Humor, Tragedy, Friendship, and Supernatural.

Warnings: Sexual content, Mature language, Character deaths, Violence, Some Gory Descriptions.

Main parings: Mobiumshipping. (YMxYYxPA) And other side shippings.

Summary: Yugi Mutou is a young normal male teenager, who loves adventures and games. However, he's a trainee in the International Vampire Hunter Association. With tension building between the hunters and vampires, Yugi is given the assignment to get 'close' with the royal court of the vampires and discover their secrets. But what happens when he become rather 'attached' to the leaders of the Vampire Kingdom? Is history repeating itself?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or any brands of cars, phones, games, or other trademark items or songs used in the making of this story. They all belong to their respective owners. I merely created the plot.

AN: I posted this story on my Fanfiction account back in 2014, but I decided to upload it to my AO3 Account! Enjoy! C:

Night 1: An Evening Party

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Night One: An evening Party.

'What is this? '

Violet hues gazed through a pair of black binoculars, watching what might have been the lamest evening party in the twenty-first century. Yugi Mutou, the human spying on what was a birthday party for the current vampire ruler's birthday, could have sworn it was something from the early nineteenth century than modern times. The people in the social gathering were doing nothing more than chattering, dancing formal ballroom dances, sipping from wine glasses, while listening to what Yugi thought was Vivaldi. The only thing that was keeping the 'snooze-fest' from traveling back in time, was the lack of white powder wigs and giant Victorian dresses.

"Hmmm. They call this a party?"The seventeen year old with abnormal gravity defying tri-colored hair, whispered into the small wireless microphone strapped to his slim neck by a black leather dog-like collar.

He heard a sigh of frustration come through the clear tactical earpiece he wore, and couldn't suppress the grin slowly creeping onto his face.

"Yugi-" Rebecca Hopkinz, his technician for his current mission, started in an un-amused tone. "It's a vampire soirée, what do expect?"

"I don't know… a carouse? From the way Yami acts at school, one would think this would be a lively party with plenty of alcohol, sultry girls, and loud dance music. Not…something so formal," Yugi tore his gaze away from the party and started to survey the area, particular focusing on the lacking security. "For such a big event, you would think the watch would be a little bigger."

" I don't think the Prince is big on guards, like his former lover," The hunter's technician spoke over the sound of her fingers typing on a keyboard. "Get ready to hop the fence, there's an opening after the next guard passes by. Make sure you have the concealing stone, you'll need to hide your scent he's going to be passing rather close by you. "

" 'Kay, " Was all the human used to reply to the younger teen, as he slipped deeper into the bushes he was hiding and packing up his gear into the black backpack he carried. He double checked to see if the blood red concealing stone was still hanging around his neck from the chain necklace it was on.

Yugi relaxed, finding he had everything he needed before taking his time to think about his objective. Get inside, get into the basement, find the rumored 'tomb', and get documented proof of it. It sounded simple, but this was actually a very complicated and dangerous task. Nothing was simple about sneaking into a vampire's lair, especially the estate in which the current leader of the vampire race inhabited. This could very well be the last night he would live. So many things could go wrong over just a few rumors, but it would be worth it. The adrenaline rush was a high Yugi strive for, when he volunteered willingly for the low ranking missions for the I.V.H.A. Just thinking about the thrill a mission gave him was making goose-bumps rise on his skin. The vampire hunter trainee's fingers twitch slightly in anticipation for his mission to officially start.

"All right Yugi, you're clear. Head over the fence, and sneak in through the ground floor window on the left when you reach the estate. After that, I'll turn things over to Lady Kujaki. "

Rebecca hadn't finished her second sentence, by the time Yugi had sprang up from his hiding place in the bushes, climbed the rather tall black iron fence of the Muran estate, and landed safely on the other side. The moment his black leather boots made contact with the grass, Yugi started sprinting quickly to his entry point. He was way ahead of his teammate by several plan phases. He had to be, because this mission was like a game of chess. At least, it was in his mind. Each move was made with a purpose, each foot fall was contoured by guards and servants moving another step closer towards him. If he made just one wrong turn or hesitated in the slightest, he was going to be dead meat. Or worse, a leech's next meal. He treated everything like it was a game, because Yugi had never lost a game in his life. There was a reason why he was given the nickname The King of Games.

Carefully prying the closest ground level window open, Yugi scrambled through it and closed it back softly. He took a moment to stand straight and brush off his sleeveless black v-neck shirt, and his black leather pants before observing the hallway he was in. Thankfully the lights were on, allowing him to see clearly. "Okay, I'm in Mai. Which way do I go? Left or right?"

"At least someone calls me by my first name! Yugi, you actually make me feel young compared to Ms. Overly-tactfulness here in the van with me. Go right, then swing a left at the next hallway opening. Careful of stray guests and servants. They might be look for some 'alone space' or a snack," The upbeat voice that could only belong to Mai Kujaki spoke a little too loudly, causing Yugi to wince but he did as he was told.

He took the left, before quickly scrambling back in the direction he came from panting slightly. "Mai! The party is that way! Could I have a detour, so I'm not turned into a human party drink, please?" Yugi quietly hissed into his mic, peaking around the corner to observe the party and make sure no vampires were coming his way.

"Damn, give me a moment. I'll get you a new route, Yugi-dear, " He could hear the shuffling of the estate's blueprints as Mai looked through them for a different route to the basement.

Peeking around the corner, Yugi's violet eyes curiously watched the party guests while searching for the man of honor; Yami Sennen, or the 'Prince' as he was labeled. Though the human didn't quite get the title of the royal vampire. He wasn't related to the late ruler in any way, nor were his parents a king or a queen. Well, that was what Yugi gathered from most of the rumors at school. He hardly knew anything about the current leader of the vampires, despite going to the same school as him, and even sitting next to him in the only class they shared. Yugi had a passing thought of actually trying to get to know the guy while they were at school, but he quickly allowed that thought to go to the trash bin in his mind. If he were to try to befriend Yami, it would just end up hurting him later on. Either he would become a food source for the other, or would get killed for having ties to the International Vampire Hunter Association.

"Just go straight, Yugi. At the end of the hall take a left there, then there should be a door to your right. It's a servant entrance to the basement, go down through it," Mai instructed sounding a bit unsure, but still had a confident tone her voice.

Snapping out of his small daze, Yugi made a noise of acknowledgment before starting a light jog down the hall. He was careful not to create too much noise from his light run, while his mind was on high alert. Within just two minutes, Yugi found himself opening the door Mai had spoken of and descending down the stairs at a brisk pace.

"-ome. It's a shame he hasn't took up a new mate. At this rate. he won't be able to create an heir for the throne and our system will be in shambles."

'Dang it, servants.' He had just reached the bottom, when his human ears picked up the faint female voices of servants. Yugi silently swore to himself as he began to think of a possibly alibi for why he was down here and how he would react to them. He bit his lip lightly, before an idea popped into his head. Taking out his phone, Yugi pressed it to his ear before speaking nonsense into it.

"Non, non, non. Vous m'écoutez. Mon 'maître' et je, sont à une célébration très importante en ce moment. Nous n'avons pas de temps pour être le bavardage de note loin de votre affaire stupide*" He uttered out randomly as his ears picked up the faint sounds of high-heels clicking on the ground. Oh how he hoped for this move to work. He was dangerously close to check.

" Yugi what in the world are you saying?" Mai questioned him through the earpiece he wore in his phone-less ear.

The teenager made no notion to reply to her, instead he acted like he was getting bored. As if his imaginary caller was speaking in a monotone voice that was going on and on. Yugi's eyes glanced down at the dim lit floor displaying two shadowy figures who, looked like they were in a hurry. He gulped, swallowing his nerves as his heart started pumping faster and his adrenaline high was starting to kick in. The human lifted up a hand to feel the concealing stone that hung loosely around his neck and settled snugly in the dip in between his collar bones. He knew it worked but now, was the time to test how well it could mask his scent.

"Are you ignore me, Yugi Mutou? I swear if you are, I'm-" Yugi was barely paying attention to Mai's annoyed voice in his ear nagging him until there was a loud thud from her side of the connection. He had the brief thought of asking if she was okay, but the sight of something with coming around the corner kept him from doing so.

"Excuses, excuses. Jou n'y serait jamais d'accord, anyways. Ah! Il semble que j'ai la compagnie maintenant*" Yugi spoke once more, his violet eyes catching the sight of two young maids standing in front of him with their arms holding a basket of clothing each.

He had spoken on impulse, hoping to fool the two flawlessly as he pulled the phone away from his ear. His violet eyes skimmed over the two females. One kissed by the sun, and the other blessed by the moon. The females were like polar opposites in looks. One girl having dark hair, tanned skin and dark blue-green eyes; while the other had fair skin, white hair, and bright blue eyes. Oddly, both of them seem to resemble two duel monster cards he know very well.

Yugi gave them another look with his eyes, taking them in from head to toe before placing the phone back to his ear. "Je vous rappellerai, au revoir monsieur.*"

The tri-colored haired male glanced at his phone and pretended to end the call, by sweeping the pad of his thumb across the touch screen. He held onto the device as he gave the female maids before him, a curious and confused look. "Is there something wrong, misses? I apologize if I'm in your way," Yugi faked his apologetic tone, and stepped aside for the young women, making a gesture for them to head up the stairs past him.

The tan one of the two maids made a move of continuing up the stairs before placing her basket of white clothing down on the third step. Damn, he just got his hopes up too.

Yugi stiffened slightly when she held her chin with her right hand, and started to walk around him, as if she was inspecting him. The intense focused gaze she was using to look at his body from head to toe, was starting to make Yugi feel a little self-conscious for once, while he wore the clothing the Director had chosen for his missions. The vampire hunter trainee opened his mouth to speak, but instead of his voice coming out, a sweet soothing feminine voice covered his up.

"Is there- "

"Mana, stop checking the poor guy out like that. Leave him be so he can call the person he was talking to back," It was the white-haired female who had spoken before he could.

Yugi watched cautiously as the girl referred to as 'Mana', stopped looking at him to turn towards the other maid.

"But Kisara, he's got a cute butt! Just look at how round it is? I'm so envious. " Her voice was slightly deeper than the other female's, but she had a more aloof and playful tone to her voice.

Despite the embarrassing statement that the tanned female had spoken, which made Yugi blush rather darkly, The human felt like she could be a person he could befriend. Well, maybe outside of his mission.

"Right, just like all the other men in the estate," Kisara, the white haired one, spoke sounding a bit sarcastic as she laughed lightly at the other female. "I apologize for Mana's actions, sir. I hope you finish up your business soon. You wouldn't want to miss the rest of the Prince's party. Come on Mana, let's finish up so we can go wish Yami- I mean The Prince, a happy birthday. "Kisara lead the other maid away, while still holding on to her own basket.

Yugi watched wearily as Mana picked up her basket of clothing and started rambling on about how she was going to 'breath life' back into the dead party upstairs. The human male found himself smiling lightly from over hearing her statement. He wished he could go back upstairs to see just how the girl known as 'Mana,' could make the boring evening party fun.

It wasn't until he heard the door that led upstairs close, did he drop his guard and exhaled heavily. "My butt isn't cute ... is it?"

" Oh ho ho, look who's talking to us again-" Yugi blinked as he heard another loud crashing sound that had cut Mai off for a second time, followed by muffled shouts and grunts. Figuring Mai had fallen out of one of the chairs in the back of the van that was being used as their temporary command base, the 'spy' kept quiet and leaned back against a wall waiting for the commotion to settle down a bit.

" I'm sorry Yugi, Miss Kujaki wasn't too pleased about you not speaking to her. Don't worry though, I'll explain to her the dangerous situation you were in," Rebecca's voice seemed to have a hidden meaning behind her words as she spoke him. Yugi pressed his lips together. He could only imagine what Rebecca had done to their superior. The golden-haired girl did have a known record of not being the best one to control her temper.

"No problem, but where am I heading to now?" The human looked to his left then to his right, the hallway was barely lit and he was having a hard time making out details. He felt like he was in some cheesy remake of an Indiana Jones movie from the old stone walls of the underground hallway.

"Miss Kujaki says to go to the right, and then make a left at the three-way path intersection. Where ever that is."

"Great," Yugi sighed as he turned left and started walking down the hallway, taking his time. He was sure his next path would be coming up soon, so why rush things?

---

Two hours. Two hours and thirty-three minutes, that was how long he had walked around in what was now, some ancient looking underground passageway. When the basement of the Muran Estate had turned into some dark tunnel lit by torches, Yugi could not tell you, however he could tell you that it appeared as if the dark corridor just kept going, and going, and going… It seemed like it was a never ending path.

"I hope the Director gives me a foot massage after this. My soles are dying from this agonizing walk," Yugi complained into his mic for what was the millionth time.

"You've told us this, five minutes ago," Rebecca replied sounding bored.

In the background Yugi could hear the theme song to Mario Karts 7, making him pout. Here he was, killing his entire Halloween night to find some stupid room that was rumored to have the body of the late vampire Pharaoh. And what was Mai and Rebecca doing? Playing a game of Mario karts on his Nintendo 3Ds. Life was so unfair.

Yugi huffed rather childishly as he continued to press onward. Gradually, he noticed the passage he was walking was starting to grow wider and slightly brighter. Grateful for the change in scenery, Yugi picked up his pace, going from to a sluggish walk to one that was slightly rush. Eventually, the human had broken out into a light run, hurrying to reach the end of this tormenting adventure. This was definitely not the adrenaline rush he was looking forward to. Yugi had expected booby-traps like concave walls, trap doors, large pits filled with snakes and spikes. Not this agonizing long walk underground that had nearly lead him into hell.

A sigh of relief finally escaped Yugi's mouth as he came upon the three-way path split. Without hesitating he took the left path. "It looks like I finally got to go left!" He announced to Rebecca and Mai excitedly.

"That's great, let us know when you've found the door," Mai replied sounding in deep concentration.

"Yeah, tell us when you've found the door," Rebecca echoed Mai, before uttering a curse with Mai's victorious evil laughter in the background. Neither of the females had shared Yugi's excitement for a new development in their search.

The tri-colored haired boy shook his head lightly, sighing as he started down the new path. Not long afterwards, Yugi found himself enveloped in pitch black darkness. Not a single source of light around him.

Muttering a curse, the vampire hunter trainee continued walking while searching for his phone, which he had placed in his back pocket after using it to help him not look suspicious. Just as he pulled from his pocket, Yugi had ran into something with hard surface, knocking him back of steps and causing him to drop his phone. "Damn it!"

"Are you okay Yugi?" Rebecca's concerned voice echoed in his ear as his hands went to cradle his face.

"Y-Yeah. I will be," He said rubbing his sore nose and forehead. "I just ran into a wall, or something," The teenager bent down and started to search for his phone, finding just next to his left shoe.

Pressing the lock button top his phone to turn his touch-screen phone off of sleep mood, Yugi was relieved to find his screen unbroken when it lit up. He then proceeded to shine his phone's dull light in front of him, to investigate the object that nearly broke his face. His mouth dropped slightly when he came face to face with an old dark wooden oak door.

"Well, scratched that. I ran into a door," He stated to the females, using his phone to examine the ancient looking entryway.

"Great! Go ahead and get the mission over with. Miss Kujaki has already fallen asleep on you," Rebecca's voice was filled with joy, sounding perked up from the hours of boredom.

"If I can find the handle. It doesn't look like the door has one…" Yugi stated as he narrowed his violet eyes at the place were handle had been. Setting his backpack down on the ground, Yugi began to look around the area for something to open the door with. Odd as it was, he spotted a crowbar not too far away from the wood and iron entry point. The human was quick to scoop the metal item up into his hands. He toyed with it, getting a feel for the weight of the tool before shoving it between the actual door and wall, and then pushed against the crowbar, hoping to pry the door open. Unfortunately for him, it didn't budge a bit. When his mind picked up on that key fact, he paused for a moment. The human spat in each of his palms and rubbed them together. He then grabbed the handle of the crowbar and pushed it back with all the force he muster up from his short stature, his face turning red from the strain of the action. This time, he was rewarded with a loud creak as the door slowly started to crack open. Dropping the crowbar, Yugi moved closer to the door and wiggled his fingers into the small crack he had pried between the door and the frame it was connected to. He grasped the dense wood and started to pull on it with all his might.

After several minutes with his teeth clenching and grunting while he pulled on the heavy door, Yugi was finally able to get the door to open half way. It was enough for him to be able to get into the room hidden behind the ancient door. Yugi hoped what was ever behind the door, was worth all the hell he went through opening it. His fingers burned from the small splinters that were embedded in his fingertips. The teen pushed the dull pain into furthest corner in his mind. He would deal with it later. He still had his mission for the I.V.H.A. Scooping up his backpack, Yugi squeezed through the small opening he had created.

More darkness cloaked Yugi's path. Although at least this time, there was the flickering of candle light not too far in front of him.

"Find anything interesting and noteworthy?" Rebecca asked over the sound of Mai snoring softly in the background.

Yugi blinked, nearly forgetting the fact he had worn the earpiece. He shook his head too himself as he kept walking forward at a steady pace. "No not yet- AH!"

One moment his foot was on the ground and in his next step, Yugi found himself nearly falling to his doom as the stone floor beneath him gave way. If he hadn't grabbed the edge of the the pit so quickly, there would be no doubt he would have fallen to his death.

"Yugi!? Are you okay?" The vampire hunter tech's voice was frantic, like she had just received the biggest scare in her life. "Do you need back up? I can send-"

"I'm fine! I just slipped that's all," Yugi quickly cut Rebecca off. He didn't lie to the girl, but he wasn't telling the truth either. "I just wasn't paying attention, I'll be okay."

The human huffed out as he pulled himself over the edge. He couldn't be any more thankful for Physical Education class then right now. It looked like the chin-ups actually did come into some use in his life!

Once he was safe from falling to his death, Yugi once more pulled out his phone, shining its light forward to look at the path of him. A small smile formed on Yugi's face, while his eyes had an excited look to them.

The passageway before him was like a giant maze. Ironically, it reminded Yugi of the obstacles his grandfather described to him during one of his archaeologist stories about the Egyptian pyramids. If they were anything similar, Yugi would have to be light on his feet and use his head to pass through his 'challenges'.

Not too long afterward almost falling to his death, Yugi came face to face with his last challenge. After balancing on beams, avoiding trap-falls, ducking under swinging axes, and scaling a few stone slabs; the young human was facing the hardest of them all. The dreaded 'which way to go', challenge.

There was two possible routes for him to choose from, one that was on the right, and another that went left. Yugi look both ways, noting how each route was lit by torches. Putting his phone away in his back pocket, Yugi took in the little details the fiery light source revealed to him.

The left path looked like it lead to the city's sewage system. The limestone walls and flooring had turned into concrete, and Yugi swore he could hear the faint sound of rushing water; not to mention the smell in his current position was putrid. He also noticed that the fiery glow wasn't as bright as the right pathway. Speaking of the second pathway, the human could help but notice how much more elegant it was. Though the age compared to the other path seemed far older.

The limestone flooring slowly morphed into smooth basalt tiles, and the walls became fine aged white limestone. On the walls, the torch light had illuminated the detailed picture cravings that Yugi instantly recognized as hieroglyphics. The teen's interest were sparked, and he finally made his choice. The young vampire hunter trainee went right.

The tri-colored haired teen took his time walking through the hall filled with history, literally. Yugi found himself trying to make out the ancient written language with what knowledge he had learned from his grandfather's books. As his fingertips graced over the well engraved writing, the human couldn't feel any more lucky than he already did. If he could spare some free time, Yugi would definitely come wandering back down here to study the scriptures more closely. He had a passion for the ancient Egyptian culture, much like his beloved grandfather has. One could say it runs in the Mutou family's blood.

Yugi wished to the deepest parts of his heart he could just take his time to decipher the ancient language, so he could learn the stories it told on the walls of white limestone. However, he was on a mission; one he was sure was already close to being discovered. Just thinking about his mission reminded him of his partner and supervisor. It had been some time since her heard Rebecca's voice through his earpiece. Pausing his stride, Yugi checked the gadget to make sure it was functioning properly. He even spoken into his microphone a few times in hopes to get an answer. After ten minutes of trying to get some sort of reply and looking over his tactical headset, the human came to the conclusion he was just simply out of 'range' to communicate with the other members of the I.V.H.A. Yugi had a feeling that he needed to hurry up this little spy game of his, otherwise he would be the cause of unneeded bloodshed on yet another Halloween night

Much to Yugi's surprise, the ancient looking corridor started to expand and soon, he came face to face with a set of limestone double doors. The sight of them made Yugi's stomach pull with dread, it seemed like he was going to have to exhaust himself once more to get pass a set of doors…again! The human adjusted the backpack on his shoulders, before placing his hands on both doors and preparing himself to use all his might to push them open.

'Okay Yugi, push on the count of three. One, two, three!' The human counted himself off, before using all his strength to push the doors open.

Unlike the first door he came across, the limestone doors opened with just barely a push. Thus, it caused Yugi to fly through the double doors, lose his footing, and the ground was more than happy to greet his face as he collided with it. Yugi groaned as pain caused stinging in his face. With eyes squeezed closed, the human pushed himself up into a sitting position and held his face tenderly in his hands. He rubbed his small nose with his palms and checked his forehead for any bumps. Luckily his nose wasn't broken, out of place or bleeding and his forehead, was just tender with no knot. Despite that, Yugi knew he was going to have a headache for sometime.

Pulling his hands away from his face, Yugi had to blink twice before he could actually believe the sight before him. He rubbed his eyes, before slowly standing to his feet while gawking at the ancient room.

Gold. Gold, silver, priceless gems, royal Ancient Egyptian styled clothing, limestone and pink granite elegant jars, basalt tablets, papyrus scrolls, and many more ancient artifacts along with a few more modern items littered the Egyptian tomb like room. To think, this was what the vampires were hiding so deep down underneath a simple estate. It aroused far too many questions in Yugi's mind; though his main question was, why? Why hide this? Why was this room so special it needed so many traps to prevent it from being entered? It made no sense to him.

With a quiet sigh, Yugi shrugged his backpack's straps off his shoulders and placed it on the ground. "Better get this over with." He spoke while he crouched down next to it, unzipping the black bag and pulling out a rather nice looking Kodak camera. One from the new addition in the PixPro series.

The human opened up a small compartment on the bottom of the silver digital camera, before placing an SD card inside for the pictures to be stored on. Once it was inside securely, Yugi dug inside his book bag a bit more, and pulled out yet another SD card, this one was for his personal photos he would take after getting a few shots for the Association. He quickly pocketed his personal memory card before kicking his book bag to the side, and starting his 'mission'. Yet it was more like busy work to keep him, a trainee, out of the hair of the higher-ups. Not that Yugi cared much, some of these assignments he went on turned out pretty cool. Such as this one, for an example.

He started with the doors, taking several photos from different angles before moving on to the room itself. Yugi's photos ranged from the floors, to the walls, the unique items, and to the roof. He took a photograph for every inch at every angle. Something he was sure the Director of the Association was going to appreciate when he actually cared to look at Yugi's work. The human teen would admit his photography skills weren't the best, but he did take some nice pictures from time to time.

Feeling like he had taken enough for the higher-ups to examine, Yugi turned his camera off before replacing the memory card with his own and setting about to taking a few pictures for himself. He also did a little exploring on the side, reading what little hieroglyphics he could understand.

Yugi just happened to be examining some writing on the walls, when he noticed smoothing a bit off about the section he was looking at. His violet irises had spotted a nearly perfect line running from the floor and half way up to the high ceiling.

Yugi ran his right middle finger over the line with his lips pursed in bewilderment. "Now that's strange. What's with this line?"

His bafflement only last for a few short minutes when the concealing stone he wore around his neck, began to burn his skin while glowing with a dull light. Wincing, Yugi retrieved the trinket, and held it tenderly by its chain. The stone itself was only seven centimeters long and two centimeters thick, however, it felt like it weighed a ton when it started to glow with the odd light. Yugi wasn't sure of what to think about the weird event. He merely kept looking at the stone, hoping it would stop acting oddly. But when three minutes of waiting passed, Yugi's hand was cramping up from holding the stone for too long. It seemed like whatever 'this' was, it wasn't going away anytime soon.

Yugi allowed the concealing stone to rest back on his chest, this time on his shirt for protection. He felt a little discomfort from the heat it produced, but nothing like the burning sensation he had felt before. He quickly returned to examining the line from before, and noticed it was a gap between the walls. Curious, Yugi moved away from it in hopes to find another gap. His mind was restless at the idea that the perfect crack in the wall was by some chance, another passage he could explore.

Instead of finding another gap in the wall, Yugi's round violet eyes caught sight of a small indention in the wall just a half a meter from the perfect gap in the wall. Just as he was about to place his finger tip on the small cut out in the wall, the concealing stone he wore started to burn him even more. Yugi hissed loudly and held the small blood-colored stone by the chain it was hanging from.

"Could you please stop burning me? It hurts you know?" The human snapped at the inanimate object as he held it away from his body.

Trying to ignore the blinding pinkish glow from the stone, Yugi examined the cut out's shape and size. Odd it was shaped just like his-

The gears in Yugi's mind started turning like a well-oiled machine.

Without taking his concealing stone off his being, Yugi placed the charmed object into the small hole. Maybe this was the reason for its annoying behavior, and perhaps it would calm the stone down, while helping him discover what the gap in the wall was.

Barely a second after Yugi had placed the stone in the wall, the light it gave off intensified before dimming into nothing. Yugi blinked when nothing else happened, wondering it was just a fluke of some sort. Right as he removed his stone from the hole in the wall, Yugi felt the ground start to shake and heard the sound of stone rubbing against stone. Looking back towards the gap in the wall, the human's eyes doubled in size as he watched part of the wall sink down into the floor.

'So the gap is an entrance to a secret passage! Sweet!'

When the section of the white limestone wall stopped sinking into the ground, Yugi allowed his concealing stone to fall back on his chest and ready his camera. A smile crept up on his face as he received the all too familiar tingling feeling throughout his body. Yugi slowly walked towards the new entryway, finding that the corridor it hid was lit by a dull torch-light. He was about to take a step inside the passage, when a strong gust of wind suddenly blew passed him.

A human's sense of smell was something that was completely inferior to that of a vampire, however, Yugi didn't need to have a vampire's sense of smell to catch 'wind' of rotting flesh. The mysterious gust of wind had left Yugi nearly emptying out his stomach. It took him wrapping an arm around his stomach, his free hand over his nose and mouth, and all the willpower he had in his body; just to not vomit. His eyes watered from the stench, his stomach tying into knots over and over again. Yugi thought he was going to drop to his knees at any moment from the strength of the smell.

Determined to keep going, Yugi held his breath and used his shirt to cover his nose and mouth. It wasn't a perfect protection, but it was good enough for him to try resist the urge to puke, from the scent of decaying flesh.

Yugi marched as fast as he could through the dim corridor. Through his brisk and quick walk, he was quick to notice why the scent of decay was present, there was literally rotting animals lying around on the floor along with the decayed bones of humans. The sight caused him to shiver and he refused to take any pictures of them to keep as a keepsake. He didn't need to remember such a horroifying sight, nor show his grandfather when he return home later that night.

The human let out a sigh of relief when he reached the end of the hallway of horrors and now stood in a grand room. His eyes darted around the room in awe, and before Yugi knew it, he was starting to take photographs of everything he saw. From the colorful walls of hieroglyphics to the stone sarcophagus lying on a white marble platform.

Unlike the other room he had been in earlier, the walls in this chamber had the hieroglyphics painted on the wall, depicting a story of some sort. They were colorful, well-kept, and barely had any fading to them. It was obvious someone had been attending to the paintings. Keeping them vivid by touching up the fade areas and making sure no imperfects could be seen.

As he made his rounds around the room, Yugi finally came across the sarcophagus that inhabited the room. He carefully took pictures of the stone coffin, not wanting to knock it off its perch on the marble pedestal like structure. The young human pursed his lips in a confused and displeased fashion as he looked at the face of the sarcophagus. It was empty of any facial features, impossible to tell what the person it held looked like. But by analyzing the ancient scriptures engraved in the sides, Yugi assumed it was someone who had held a lot of influence in the vampire court. It had to have been someone important.

He bit his bottom lip while he thought over the idea of opening the ancient coffin. He knew such a thing was considered taboo and frown upon, but he curious to see if there was an actual person inside. If there was a person inside it, the vampires wouldn't have left the face of the sarcophagus blank…right?

After setting his camera on the ground, Yugi placed his hands on the stone. He exhaled softly, ridding himself of his nervousness before he started to lightly push on the lid of the stone flesh-eating coffin.

While the human teenager pushed on the lid, he was surprised by how easily it moved with the little effort he put into it. When the faceless sarcophagus lid was off the stone coffin, Yugi paused to take in the insides of the coffin. He grimaced.

"Another coffin, what is this Ancient Egypt? The rooms were pretty cool and all, but is it really necessary to seal a body in two coffins?" The human spoke allowed to himself. His alto-pitched voice echoed in the emptiness of the room as he picked up his camera and snapped a picture of the golden coffin in the shape of a humanoid form. Again, the face of the pharaoh like coffin was deprived of all physical features, but the clothing portions of the coffin had faded paint. Placing his camera down on the ground again, Yugi allowed his finger to brush over the golden coffin. His mind was at war with itself, fighting over the option to open the coffin or just leave it be and start heading back to Rebecca and Mai. He knew they probably already had contacted Director Pegasus, and were possibly getting a search team to invade the vampire evening party and search for him.

Still, Yugi choose to make them worry for a bit longer as pressed his sweaty palms on the edge of the golden coffin and started to push its cover off. What was the harm in staying for just a few more minutes?

The human was sweating by the time he manage to get the top of the golden coffin to budge even an inch. Surprisingly, the golden sarcophagus' lid weighed more the giant stone sarcophagus it laid dormant in. Finally, after several minutes of pushing and a few two-minute breaks, Yugi manage to get the golden cover off of the coffin and was face to face with a body.

The human had already prepared himself for the sight of a rotting, dead corpse, however, the body he was currently gawking at was far from decomposing. He didn't even look dead!

The young vampire hunter trainee had seen a lot of dead bodies in his short life time; his grandmother, father, mother, friends, cousins, and even some half decomposed strangers. He knew what a dead body would look like, at least what human dead bodies should look like. But this person, this male, just looked like a peacefully slumbering vampire who, appeared to be starving. His beautiful sun kissed skin plagued by the deathly ill color of ash grey, was proof enough for Yugi to confirm that this man, this beautiful man was a starving demon.

Other than the tan skin he harbored that was ashen from lack of blood, the vampire appeared to be perfectly fine and alive. That was what the human had thought, until Yugi spotted the old dagger embedded into the male's chest that had left a large nasty dried blood stain on his tattered linen tunic.

The human blinked in bewilderment as he gazed at the dagger, before trying to muffle his laughter.

'Seriously? Wow, this is hilarious! This guy allowed himself to get sealed in stasis!' The human picked up his camera and started taking a few pictures of the vampire before him. He couldn't believe that this vampire had been thrown into a coffin, just because he was stuck in stasis; a temporary immobile state. During the first part of his hunting training, Yugi was taught of the four known ways a vampire could die: starvation, dismemberment, burning, and a specific type of blood poisoning.

Although Yugi found it highly funny that the vampires had confused stasis for death, and he somewhat pitted the sleeping vampire for it. He was good-looking with an angular face, high cheekbones, long eyelashes, and hair similar to his own spiky tri-colored mane. He also had well tone muscles under skin that had to have been a beautiful golden tan. The human's joy slowly disappeared from his being as he studied the vampire more closely. Lowering his camera down from his face, Yugi found himself reaching out and allowing his fingers to graze the 'sleeping' vampire's jaw line.

"He's cold, but there's still some warmth there." He spoke out loud in a soft tone. The statement caught himself off guard, he hadn't expected the words to escape from his mouth.

'Ah, well at least no one was around to hear it.' He thought to himself, as his hand went to cup the vampire's face. He smiled softly, his violet eyes gazing at the vampire with fondness and sadness as he looked down at him. The male vampire truly was beautiful. Although all vampires had physical beauty, this one somehow appealed to Yugi, even without the use of compulsion or hypnosis, like most of the species used to lure their human prey in.

Yugi's eyes glanced over the vampire's body and frowned. The vampire's fingers were completely gray, along with his feet that were bare. At first glance Yugi hadn't noticed it, but now that he was paying more attention to the details; the human could tell that this vampire wasn't far off from dying of starvation. Giving his appearance, the vampire was fairly young, but was sealed several hundred years ago at the least. That meant he most like hadn't had actual human blood in centuries. Of course Yugi could release the seal, and the vampire could on his happy way and go feed, but he was a starving vampire. And Yugi was... well, a human with fresh blood flowing through his veins. He would be dead before he could even realize what was going on, not to mention he would have released a blood thirsty monster into the world.

The human removed his hand from the vampire, and took a few more pictures of him, before coming up with an idea. Perhaps he could carry this guy out of here and get him to a local Blood Bank and start feeding him. The human shook his head at the idea, Rebecca and Mai would turn the vampire over to I.V.H.A. and the vampire would be exterminated. Something, Yugi was against. Slaying rouges, he would do if in danger, but killing a vampire that was innocent and helpless? No, there was no reason too. They were living humanoid creatures with souls too, they just had a different way of living. He would be a murderer if he ever did such a thing.

Coming up with plan to ditch Rebecca and Mai, Yugi had started to try and lift the vampire out of the coffin when his phone started going off rather loudly. Groaning, the hunter and training placed the sealed vampire back down and pulled his phone from his pocket.

He rolled his eyes when the caller ID showed a picture of Mai blowing an air kiss towards the holder of the phone and her name scrolling across the top. Yugi released a soft sigh before using the pad of his thumb to unlock the screen and pressed the phone to his ear. "Mai, I'm sort of busy at the moment. I can't really talk-"

"YUGI! Get out! Get out now! Something has happened, the nobles are in a panic, the guards are frantic, and there's rumor of the scent of the previous vampire ruler! You have to get to the van now! You're in danger!"

Yugi blinked several times, his heart rate starting to pound abnormally hard in his chest. "What happened to cause them to go so haywire? Nothing down here has happened-"

"I just told you! Our inside sources told us the Prince went rigid along with the court, and then Yami started crying out about the 'Pharaoh' and freaking out. That's when the other vampires picked up on the scent and started screaming and crying out in anger! You have to get out of there! " Mai interrupted him sounding stressed, tired, and slightly scared.

Yugi glanced down at the body lying in the coffin and felt his throat get tight. He prayed that this guy wasn't who he was thinking of. If so, he could be considered a dead man.

"I understand, I'm leaving," With those final words, Yugi hung up on Mai and re-pocketed his phone.

The human sat his camera down and quickly started covering the vampire back up, with the lids of each coffin. Once that was done, Yugi picked his camera and took off towards the other room. Not even, bothering with covering his nose as he passed through the hallway of rotting flesh.

The moment he was back in the room he had left his backpack in, Yugi rushed to the cut out in the wall and placed his concealing stone inside of it, hoping the wall would close again. When the wall started to raise into place, Yugi pulled the stone out and headed to his backpack. In a rush, he threw his camera inside, not caring what happened to it at the moment, as he zipped it up and placed the black bag on his back and took off through the double doors.

Yugi knew he couldn't leave the way he came, there was too much commotion going on for him to sneak out through a window. His legs ached as he sprinted down the corridor that he had once took his time to go through. As he approached the two separate paths, Yugi simple went straight. Heading straight into Domino City's sewers, Yugi tried to speed up his run when he heard voices faintly yelling from maze like hallway he had just passed. He ran along the concrete siding of the sewage line tunnels, until he found a ladder leading up to the surface. Not caring where it lead out to, Yugi climbed the ladder and carefully pushed to metal top overhead out of his way.

Once on the surface, Yugi scrambled to his feet after getting fresh gulps of air and taking in his surroundings. He quickly looked around him, before sighing heavily when he notice he was alone and safe for now. The human took off his concealing stone and placed it in his left front pocket before checking his tactical earpiece and mic, making sure they were functioning properly before he tried to contact Rebecca and Mai.

"Are you guys there? I made it out. Are you two safe?" Yugi asked hoping the two female vampire hunters were safe. After all, they were just observing his mission and helping him with the routes.

"Finally! I was about to call the director and request the stealth force for a rescue mission!" Yugi's tense body slowly began to relax at the tone of Rebecca's relieved voice. "Where did you end up at? We'll come get you."

"Uh…" Yugi looked around before spotting the back entrance of a popular destination that was the common place for hangouts with his friends. "In front of the arcade that's in the downtown district," He finally told her as he started to make his way over to the popular hangout spot.

"Okay. But how did you end up all the way of there when we were on the outskirts of the city?" Rebecca's voiced questioned him before she spoke to Mai telling her the place in which they would be picking up Yugi.

" I don't know, to be honest," The human's voice was dull as he ran his hands through his unique gravity defying hair. "I guess the underground passage I used goes pretty deep into the city."

"Possibly," Rebecca responded seeming distracted by something.

Just as Yugi rounded the corner that would put him in front of the well-known arcade, he spotted the familiar headlights of one of the iconic I.V.H.A.'s black Ford E-350 Recreational Van. He didn't waste a second as the van came to a screeching halt in front of him, to open up the front passenger side door and enter the vehicle.

"Well, that was quick," He spoke happily as he shrugged his backpack off and sat in the floorboard before buckling.

It was only after he had the safety restraint on, did Mai take off towards their main headquarters and Rebecca sprung up from her seat in the back of the van to hug Yugi around the neck.

"You are NEVER doing a mission like that again. God Yugi, I thought you were dead when we lost connection with you," The golden blonde hair girl spoke, as she rubbed her light tan freckled cheek against Yugi's pal one.

The seventeen year old male couldn't help but laugh lightly at his friend and close teammate. "Yeah agreed, it was kind of freaky down there. There was this corridor filled with traps, and one after it that was filled with dead rotting animals," He informed Rebecca, avoiding mentioning the sealed vampire he had found. He was going to keep that his little secret, and perhaps once things had calmed he'd go down the sewers and revisit the male. Yugi didn't want to admit it out loud but, he pitied the vampire. He knew not all vampires were bad and the vampire he encountered, appeared to a pretty harmless man.

'He couldn't be too powerful. Jeez, he allowed someone to stake him with a dagger and rather unprofessionally too.' It was funny to him though, at first he found the seal vampire to be a fool for getting sealed, and now he pitted the creature.

"Yugi? Hey Yugi.. Yuuuuugiiiii!" Rebecca started shaking the boy rather harshly trying to pull him from his thoughts.

"Huh?" He blinked, tilting his head back at his superior.

"I asked if you took any interesting personal photos from this mission," The older vampire hunter repeated to him and poked his cheek. "Well did you?

Yugi swatted Rebecca's hand away giving her a disappointed smile. "Sorry, not this time around," He lied. He couldn't let his secret out, he wasn't about to send the sealed vampire to his death. Well, bring him closer to it. The guy was already starting to lose his muscle mass from the lack of nutrients.

Yugi heard Rebecca's disappointed sigh. "I'm guessing it wasn't that thrilling then, " She muttered sitting back down in her seat.

The male turned around to face Rebecca's pout face with a sad smile, while Mai looked back at her through the rear view mirror with narrowed plum colored eyes.

"Beca, stop pouting you look like you're a child, " Mai spoke up taunting the other female. "You should avoid such actions, if you don't men will never think you are an attractive fifteen year old."

Yugi blushed at Mai's taunting comment, and turned back around to stare at the front windshield. He was already counting down to when Rebecca would blow her fuss at the other blonde haired woman with a body that could cause any man to drool. Even a homosexual one.

"I'm not a child! " Rebecca snapped, "Just because I was pouting, does not make me a child. You pout all the time, Kujaki!"

"Yes, but it's cuter when I do it, Hopkinz," Mai tease her younger teammate and stuck out her tongue towards the rear-view mirror.

For the remainder of the ride to the Vampire Hunter headquarters, Yugi had remained silent and attempted to tune out the annoying bickering between the two females. The moment Mai had parked the van, Yugi had the door open, was out of the car with his backpack already on his back, and making his way inside the massive building that was just three floors shy of being taller than the Kaiba Corp skyscraper. He didn't bother with waiting on the other two females, knowing all too well that they would be out in the van for the rest of Halloween night arguing with each other.

"Welcome to I.V.H.A.- Oh Yugi, the Director is already waiting for you in his office. Go ahead and take the elevator up to it, " The kind-hearted receptionist greeted him.

Yugi smiled at the woman and gave her the proper thank you and greeting, before briskly walking towards the elevators. He pressed one of the arrow buttons and an elevator to his left opened up. Without hesitating, he entered the elegant elevator and pressed the button for the 'Twenty-ninth' floor.

Yugi finally allowed himself to relax as the elevator's door closed and he slowly started to rise. The teenager closed his eyes, listening to the relaxing and simple elevator music. He couldn't remember how many times he had road in this very same elevator, only to be calmed down by the odd upward motion and the calming music. It was like his own mini sanctuary after near-death experiences and stressful situations.

In the past year – the only year he's been serving in the association – Yugi had come into a totally thirty seven situation where he had nearly lost his life. Thirteen of them landed him in some sort of cast or brace, while only three had sent him to the hospital with life threatening conditions. He considered himself lucky, because most trainees didn't make past their first year and here he was, one year, three weeks and five days into his training period. He only had till his twentieth birthday then he could be inducted into the hunting association as a full member. Then perhaps he could carry out his grandfather's goal for him. The man was the only family Yugi had left, and was much too old to be dealing with vampire slaying issues. It wasn't good for the old man's overall health. It was partially why Yugi had joined the I.V.H.A., it was to take the old man's place and recreate the association from the inside, out.

With a soft ding, the elevator's doors opened up to reveal a luxurious lobby. Although it may appear appealing to the eyes, Yugi knew it wasn't all that 'glorious'. It was mainly used to inform a family of the death of a vampire hunter, or if one had been turned, missing, and so on. It only served the purpose for providing comfort for the grieving families. He and his grandfather had been in this very lobby when his parents passed away on their last mission.

On the other side of the lobby, Yugi had paused in front of a set of beautiful dark oak wooden double doors. He sighed through his nose, and patted his right pocket, making sure he had the Director's photos still, before he knocked on the door loudly.

"It's open," Came a muffled replay, and Yugi reluctantly twisted on of the doorknobs and pushed the door open.

"You wanted to see me, Director Pegasus?" Yugi greeted the Director of the Domino branch of the I.V.H.A.

"Ah, Yugi boy come in, come in. Have a seat. You've had quite the night, I heard, "A man, nearly six feet tall in height, with pale skin, long silver hair that covered his right eye; gestured to one of the two black leather club chairs station in front of his large desk.

"Yes, sir," Yugi replied rather timidly as he took his seat in front of Pegasus' desk.

Pegasus Maximillion J. Crawford was a man who was loved, respected, and feared by many in the I.V.H.A. He was man of power, someone who had the ability to influence anyone he wanted to. Pegasus had power in every aspect a human could have. Money, political, and through just sheer body strength. There was a reason why the I.V.H.A branch of Domino didn't allow a person to just 'quit' their job within its ranking, and Pegasus was it. He made sure the only way you left the association was through a body bag.

Yugi's violet eyes cautiously watched Pegasus as the man pushed a bowl of assorted candies towards him. "Here, have some. It is Halloween and you are still are a child. I'm surprise you actually had took this mission up. I thought you would have wanted to go 'Trick-or-Treating' with your friends."

"It was a Halloween party, and I figured I could always hang out with them another time. Plus, I kind of guessed you would make me do it either tomorrow night, or during a school day. I'd rather just get it out of the way," The teen stated in a timid and dull voice. Normally Yugi had a confident tone to his voice, no matter who he was talking with. But Pegasus was a man he feared. He feared what he could do to him and his grandpa, if the director ever became upset with Yugi.

"Oh, you know me so well child, " Pegasus teased while he gave Yugi a smirk with a sinister glint in his one visible brown eye. "But enough chit-chat. Tell me what you found tonight," He held out his hand, as if asking for something.

Yugi reached into his pocket and pulled out the SD card that held some of the pictures he took, but none of the ones that held the images of the sealed vampire. "There wasn't anything that was a 'major' discovery. Just a room filled with unique items from various time periods. Most were from the Ancient Egyptian era. "

" Was there anything…odd about these items? Or any other rooms?" Pegasus asked, leaning forward slightly.

Yugi shook his head, showing faked disappointment. "No sir. "

A heavy sigh came from Pegasus as he placed the SD card in one of his desk's drawers. "That's fine, at least there was something, and you got out safely while Yami and some of his subjects had an 'episode'."

Was that what Pegasus was calling it? An episode? From what Mai had told him Yami thought the former king had come back, or something along those lines. Yugi eyed the candy bowl on Pegasus' desk, hoping his mind would get off the subject. None of it was his business. He was just a human.

"Oh, that reminds me, I already have your new mission assigned to you," Yugi perked up at Pegasus' words, his violet eyes shining brightly with confusion and excitement.

"Another one already?" The tone the teen used was that of simple surprise. Normally he had to wait two to three weeks for a new assignment.

"Yes, but this one might take you a while to…complete. It's challenging, but nothing you can't handle I'm assured. It is just a bit tedious."

"Then may I have the overview of it, so I can see what I am having to do?" Yugi asked sitting up a bit straighter.

"I've already sent it to your home. You should have it by tomorrow, if not sooner. Now go home and rest child. You'll be needing it," The Director spoke kindly and ruffled Yugi's hair. "Goodbye, Yugi boy."

"Good night, Director Pegasus," Yugi said rather wearily as he stood up to leave his office, however, as he left, Yugi couldn't help but feel as if he was going to be regretting being given another mission so soon after on he had just completed, despite his excitement for it. It was a very unpleasant feeling.

---

"Grandpa, I'm home." Yugi announced his presence, as he entered the Kame Game shop through the back door. His voice sounded tired, and he looked twice as worse as he sounded. The young teen toed off his boots by the back door, as he locked it back. Glancing at clock on a nearby wall, Yugi sighed at seeing how late he had stayed out. It was almost 2:30 am, he wouldn't be surprised if his grandpa had already called it a night.

Yugi slowly started to shuffle his feet forward towards the stairs that lead up to the living quarters of his cozy home. He took the steps of the stairs one by one, being careful not to slip in his socks on the slick hardwood surface. He didn't need to be out of commission for his next mission before even starting it. That wouldn't go over too well with Pegasus. Reaching the top of the stairs and opening the small white wooden door, Yugi was surprised to see his living room and kitchen lights on and his grandpa cooking away in the kitchen while watching the television in the living room. Yugi laughed lightly at how his grandfather took advantage of the open floor plan.

Hearing his grandson's quiet laughter, Solomon Mutou turned around and beamed a warm smile at Yugi. "Welcome home, my boy. Your dinner's almost done, so go wash up," The old man instructed the seventeen year old boy before looking down at his skillet and stirring the stir-fry simmering in it.

"Okay, Grandpa," Yugi said cheerfully as he dropped his backpack next to a chair at the dining table, before scurrying off towards the nearest bathroom to wash up for his late night dinner.

When he returned from the bathroom, with a clean face and hands; Yugi caught the sight of his grandpa's signature yakisoba stir-fry and licked his pale pink lips. His grandfather's yakisoba was one of the few stir-fries Yugi would actually eat. For some reason, if a stir-fry wasn't made by his grandfather, Yugi wasn't be able to stomach it. It made sense while looking at the 'bigger picture', Yugi was a very picky eater.

Taking a seat in front of his food, Yugi picked up his chopsticks and gave a quick thanks before digging into his food. As the delicious food touched his taste buds, Yugi let out a moan of pleasure. He closed his eyes and slowly chewed his food before swallowing and taking another bite, savoring the amazing flavor.

Yugi heard his grandfather's well aged laugh, and tilted his back to see the old man staring at him as he placed the skillet into their dishwasher. "Enjoying the food?" His grandfather asked with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Yugi gave him a goofy smile and nodded his head, before going back to his objective of cleaning his plate.

"So how was that mission of yours? Did it prove to be better than hanging out with your friends on Halloween?" Yugi's Grandpa finally asked, aft Yugi had finished his food.

The teen leaned back in his wooden chair, as his grandpa took the seat next to him on his right. Yugi gave a shrug of his shoulders as he stared up at the ceiling, still tilting his chair back.

"Not really, but I didn't really have a choice. It was either on Halloween, or during a school day and risk being exposed. Which we both know, I can't let that happen," Yugi stated sounding a bit tired from just the thought of his friends discovering his affiliation with the vampire hunters. He couldn't let them know, they would think he was a backstabber, even if it was for the greater good.

"Jou's a vampire, Ryou and Malik are claimed feeders, then there's also Honda whose lover is a vampire too-"

"Calm down Yugi, it'll be fine. I'm sure you'll never have to come face to face with such a dilemma," His grandfather reassured him. "I was in the same boat as you when I was your age, believe it or not," Solomon said confidently, boasting about his younger days.

Yugi smirked and placed his chair back on all fours before looking at his grandfather in taunting way with one eyebrow raised. "Yes, but your boat was the human male chasing all the pretty tails out in the world, mortal or not, " Yugi replied teasing the old man.

The younger Mutou succeeded in gaining a dull blush from his grandfather and an angry pout as the old man waved one of his hands in denial. "Nonsense. Now, back to your mission. How was it? Not too challenging I expect."

Yugi smile grew as he leaned down to his backpack and started to look for his camera from earlier. "It was actually pretty cool. Boring for the most part, but it was cool towards the end of it, " He informed the old man as he continued to rummage around in his back bag. " The area I was told to explore had a lot of stuff from the ancient Egyptian era. One of the hallways had nearly a million different stories about the many pharaohs that controlled Egypt. But there was this one room that was cluttered in artifacts. Tablets, jars, vases, jewels, golden coins, clothing, crowns, papyrus scrolls, miniature obelisks, dried fruits that were preserved, and the walls were telling a story about this great pharaoh who ruled two separate kingdoms at once with a mighty fist. It was amazing Grandpa! Here-" Yugi finally found his camera and sat back up. He scrolled through the pictures, all the way up to the beginning of his personal pictures and leaned the camera's digital scree towards his grandfather and started to slowly go through the pictures.

Yugi watch his grandfather's eyes light up as he glance through Yugi's pictures. Though as they started coming closer to the photos of the sealed Vampire, Yugi pulled the camera away and placed it down the table. He didn't say anything right afterwards, his mind was starting to swarm with thoughts of the sealed vampire alone. His mind wondered just how much time the male had left. Minutes? Hours? Days? Years? Hit bit his bottom lip slightly in concern, that's one thing he didn't know about the death of a vampire. How long it took for starvation to actually kill them.

"All right kid, spit it out. What's bugging your mind?" Yugi's grandfather pestered his grandson sitting up a bit straighter. " And don't try to brush it off either. I can tell you're wanting to say something, so out with it. "

The teen frowned at his grandpa, before picking up his camera and flipping through his pictures till he found the full body photo of the sealed vampire. He gazed at it a moment, before placing the camera in his lap. Yugi took a deep breath before he exhaled rather loudly and looked at his grandfather with concerned eyes. " Say ….if a vampire is sealed, can they still starve to death?" Yugi asked his grandfather reluctantly avoiding making eye contact with his elder.

Yugi heard Solomon make a sound of deep thought as the elder closed his eyes and scrunched up his face while he thought. "Yes, because essentially they are just in a comatose state, well that is the easiest way to explain it. If you think about it, even a human in a coma needs nutrients, which the hospital provides via I.V, so the human would stay healthy. However…" Solomon paused thinking harder, by this time Yugi's eyes were on his grandfather curious about what else he had to say, "A vampire can typically go without blood for a year, perhaps more depending on age, before they actually die from lack of blood. Though I believe during stasis, they can live up to centuries without blood. At least that's what one study showed."

Yugi nodded thoughtfully absorbing the information his grandfather had given him. "And how do you reintroduce blood back to a vampire who's been starving for a long period of time?" His eye had a look of fascination and determination in them.

"Half a pint a day, then gradually increase it to two pints. Why are you curious about this all of the sudden?" Solomon questioned his grandson, with a stern look he knew that the boy would squirm under until he blabbered out the truth. And that was just what Yugi did.

The human teen fidgeted in his seat, eyes darting from his grandpa to his camera, then back again. He hated how that look made his feel guilty for something he hadn't done yet.

" I-I…. I came across a vampire that looked like he had been sealed away and forgotten. His body showed signs of starvation and he looked too….'peaceful' to be some criminal. So I figured I could start helping him out by going to the local Blood Bank and picking up some blood for him," Yugi fidgeted some more, "I would be lying if I said it wasn't out of pity, because it is," He unwillingly admitted.

Solomon shook his head. "No, leave them be Yugi. If they are showing signs, then that means they are dead Yugi. Plus if it is starving, the vampire won't be sane when it wakes. They'll lose their morality, and be unstoppable bloodthirsty monster till their thirst is quenched. Which could be centuries."

"But Grandpa if you look at him-"

"Yugi Mutou, I said no!" The old man snapped. He didn't even bother to look at the digital photo Yugi tried to show him.

"Just listen to me, Grandpa. I'm only trying to save this one's life, he doesn't even look that old!" The teenager showed Solomon the picture, hoping it would help persuade the old man. Instead, it did the exact opposite.

Solomon's dark violet eyes widened and his nostrils flared as he gazed at the picture Yugi had of the sealed vampire. He visibly shook with fear and anger as he glanced at his grandchild.

"Where… did you find him?" the old man said through clenched teeth.

"The sewers. It was part of my mission-"

"DON'T EVER GO BACK." Solomon snapped, " That man is a monster that deserves what he is getting. If I even catch one blood bag here, or any evidence that you have been messing around with… with that creature, I will beat you rear-end till it's raw and bleeding!"

"Why!? What's so bad about this vampire? He's dying alone and helplessly, Grandpa! Why can't I just give him enough blood for him to live few more years?!" Yugi raised his voice at the man that raised him since his infancy years. His own irritation soaked his words.

"Because that man is the late Ph- It doesn't matter! I said you are not to go near him, and that is final Yugi!" Solomon hissed and glared at his grandchild, "Now go to bed, you have school in the morning. "

Standing from his chair, Yugi silently stalked up another set of stair that lead to the third floor of the home and headed straight to his bedroom. He was irritated at his grandfather for forbidding him from helping someone who was helpless. He loathed how his grandfather was being overprotective just because he knew something Yugi did not. Damn elders. Just because they knew a few more things than others, they thought they knew everything. Well, if his grandfather wanted to be that way, then Yugi would just show him that he was wrong.

The teen entered his room and shut the door behind him rather forcefully before turning on his light. He stalked over towards his nightstand and placed his camera down on it before he went to his dresser to grab some pajama pants. He would just get up earlier tomorrow morning, and grab his shower before heading to school. Maybe he could even tame his hair into some form of a ponytail so it was out of his way for once. Stripping down to his boxers, Yugi threw his dirty clothes into his hamper before slipping on his pajamas. Yugi shuffled his feet towards his light switch and flicked it off before heading to his bed.

The teen crawled into the warm safe haven and tugged his blankets around him as he rested his head on his pillow. His eyes went to stare out the skylight in his ceiling as his mind tried to calm his many emotions and thoughts. Most of the pertained to the beautiful 'sleeping' vampire he had met that very night. Sighing, Yugi put the thoughts aside. He would deal with them later, for right now sleep was trying to overcome him. And so far it was winning as his violet eyes slowly drifted close and his stressed mind welcomed slumber.

Chapter End Notes

An: So, this chapter is a total of 12, 991 words.
That's about average for this story. Which will be ranging anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000 words per chapter. Yeah, that's right, you'll be getting nice beefy chapters.
Anyways, I hoped you like it. I'll update the story again soon! We'll be meeting several new faces next chapter, including the official introduction of Yami!
Please review, follow, and fav and give kudos!~

TRANSLATIONS:

Non, non, non. Vous m'écoutez. Mon 'maître' et je, sont à une célébration très importante en ce moment. Nous n'avons pas de temps pour être le bavardage de note loin de votre affaire stupide. ; No, no, no. You listen to me. My 'master' and I are a very important celebration at this time. We do not have time for chit-chatting away about your stupid case.

Excuses, excuses. Jou n'y serais jamais d'accord, anyways. Ah! Il semble que j'ai la compagnie maintenant. ; Excuses, excuses. Jou would never have agreed, anyways. Ah! It seems that I have company now.

Je vous rappellerai, au revoir monsieur. ; I'll speak with you later, good-bye sir. (loosely translated.)

Night 2: A Night Out With The Boys.

Chapter Notes

Thank you for the hits, kudos, and reviews!
This chapter is 12,138 words long, and a bit slow in some spots. But I'm gonna make it up to you guys in the next chapter.
Chapter three is when the real stuff happens, and there is major fluff with the King and Yugi next chapter!
This chapter mentions underage drinking!

Yugi felt like he was one of the living dead, and not the good kind either. He felt like a zombie and could probably pass for one, with the dark circles and bags under his eyes from lack of sleep from the previous night. This was all the Association's fault. Giving him these ridiculous missions that hardly have a point in them, and causes him not to be able to peacefully fall asleep until three hours before he had to wake up for his school day. Most of the members were already taunting him about his lack in the height department, but Yugi couldn't help that! Not many members of his family had grew past five feet and eight inches. It also wasn't his fault Pegasus assigned him the ridiculous missions that prevented him from getting the proper rest a seventeen year old male should receive. One of these days he hoped he could get at least one night that he could rest for a normal eight hours or more.

For now, Yugi would just have to deal with the short power naps he could get in between morning homeroom and the start of first period, much like he was doing now.

Yugi rested his head on his arms, which were folded on his desk to make a makeshift pillow. The seventeen year old's face was buried in the crook of his elbow as he attempted to catch up on his sleep peacefully. He had be successfully doing so undisturbed, until he felt an arm wiggle its way round his neck and place the human in a very light choke-hold.

"Wakey, Wakey Yug'-" Whomever was speaking to Yugi was unable to finish their sentence, as the human, bolted up from his seat his desk. With skill no normal teen had, Yugi was able to escape the choke-hold by turning his head to the side, dropping his chin down, stepping to the side, and giving a harsh tug on his captor's arm. Yugi could have simple stopped there, but being half asleep caused the hunter instincts the I.V.H.A had drilled into his head, to go into full overdrive.

Yugi dropped his weight making his center of gravity lower than his opponent's. Using his hips, the shorter male trust back into his captor and tugging on the person's arm. Effortlessly tossing the person over his shoulder and slam them on their back in the space between his desk and the next row of desks.

Yugi was about to finish off his opponent with a final blow to the crotch from his foot, when he spotted the familiar shaggy dark golden blonde hair and honey brown eyes gazing up at him with bewilderment. Yugi blinked several times before his groggy mind registered just who he was staring at and immediately released his best friend's arm and placed his foot on the ground from its raised position.

" Jonouchi! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I honestly did not mean to do that to you," Yugi offered his hand to his best friend, helping him of the ground while a horrible feeling of guilt settled in his stomach.

" It's cool man, no harm done," Jonouchi spoke with a light laugh as he grabbed Yugi's outstretched hand. "You should now it takes a lot more than just a body slam to the ground to hurt me," The blonde stated with a smile as he stood to his feet and dusted off his dark navy blue high school uniform.

Jonouchi wasted no time try and cheer his best friend up, by flicking his nose to get Yugi's attention when his deep violet eyes had flickered to the ground. "Where'd you learn a skill like that, pal? Cause I have to say that was pretty awesome!" The blonde haired vampire praised Yugi and slung an arm over the boy's shoulder and ruffled his hair. "Come on, tell me, Yug'!"

Yugi squirmed and laughed lightly as his hair was ruffled and attempted to hold Jonouchi's hand still with his two smaller ones. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you, Jou!" The teen said through his laughter and finally caught Jonouchi's hand and pushed it away from his head.

"I had a self-defense class I took over the summer. It taught humans how to defend themselves against vampires," Yugi told Jonouchi. "They might overpower us with strength, but a human can easily turn a vampire's strength against them!" The human didn't lie to his best friend, he just couldn't. Not even about the missions he had to go on for the I.V.H.A although, Jou knew nothing about Yugi having any affiliation with the association.

The human just couldn't break the news to his best friend, or any of his friends. Back when he first sworn in as a trainee for the Vampire Hunters Assosiation, he would have told the blonde with his intentions clear; he was only joining the hunters in his grandfather's place. But life had gotten too complicated. At that time eighteen months ago, Jonouchi had went missing for a total of seven and a half months and no one could locate him. Not even Jou's precious little sister, Shizuka, had heard from her beloved big brother. While the blonde teen had been missing, Yugi had joined the I.V.H.A. with high hopes that he would be able to track down his friend easier with the hunters' connections. Jonouchi had everyone worried, until the day he showed up at school with the Prince and Ryou and Malik's vampires.

Back then, Yugi hadn't care that Jou had been turned into a vampire, his best friend was still in this world, that's all that had mattered. As time passed though, Yugi had soon come to terms that with Jou no a vampire and their other two friends having being feeders, meant he couldn't share his secret training to them. The three would always share their low opinions of the hunters, claiming they were unjustified and racist; it rendered Yugi silent about the major development in his life. And since then, the human bared his secret alone.

"Well, you'll have to show me some of those move! I need ta' use them on Moneybags one day. That'll teach em', for calling me a mutt!" Jou said energetically, getting in to a fighting stance similar to a boxer's. "I could show him a thing or two then! I'm tired of being pushed around by that dick!"

Yugi laughed and shook his head, retaking his seat behind his desk, as Jou took a perch on top of it with a goofy grin. The blonde gazed down at Yugi with soft golden eyes, his smile slowly shifting into a frown. Catching the change in Jonouchi's demeanor, Yugi cringed, already knowing what his friend was about to say. It was most likely going to be about the big Halloween event Jou had attended last night. Personally, Yugi could really go without a story about the boring party, witnessing it from the sidelines in secret had been enough for he had to sit through a detailed recalation of the boring party, the human would definitely fall asleep during his friend's tale.

"You know, last night was really borin' for me," Jou started off, making Yugi pressed his lips into a thin line before the human tried to apologize, " Jou, I'm really sorr-"

"Ah ah, let me finish my lovely human friend," Jou said patting Yugi's head, earning a groan from said human. " Yeah, so last night by far not on my best nights eva' list. Cause, none of my pals were there to liven things up with me."

"Wait, Ryou and Malik weren't there?" Yugi asked bewildered as he leaned back in his chair.

"Nope, " Jonouchi answered with a bitter tone. " Bakura said he had just fed from Ryou the day before, and wasn't risking him being out in the open with so many vampires around; and Malik was forbidden to go by his sister, who Marik claimed was being overprotective for not letting her baby brother go out with vampires on Halloween night," The vampire explained in a bored fashion leaning back, while bracing his upper torso. "Which is why all three of you are going to be making it up for ditchin' me on Halloween night," The vampire flashed Yugi a devious grin with a playful glint in his eyes.

Yugi smiled back at him and raised an eyebrow out his friend. "Oh, we are? And whose house will we be torturing until the early morning hours?"

"Not a house, Yug'. It's which club, we will be terrorizing on this lovely Friday evenin'," Jou corrected him as his grin started to reveal his stunning white teeth. "And that shall be the infamous Club Cosmic!"

The human's mouth dropped slightly in amazement. To think his best friend got them into the most popular nightclub in Domino city was a miracle. "How did you get us into Cosmic, being under aged and on such a short notice too?!"

"I have my sources and natural charm to thank for that," Jonouchi boasted with a smug smile, feeling proud of himself.

The blonde was basking in the glory of what he had achieved for only a short time before he was hit on the back of the head lightly. "Ow! Who did that?"

Turning around, Jonouchi came face to face with the Prince of Vampires, Yami Sennen.

Normal vampires and humans would have bowed to the high-ranking pureblood vampire and gave him a proper greeting, but Jou wasn't a normal vampire nor was he a human anymore. Instead, the blonde narrowed his eyes at the vampire before him while rubbing the sore spot on his head. "What the hell was that for Yami?"

Yugi's violet eyes widened at the sight of Yami Sennen, before he immediate looked away from the man. His heart was pounding fast in his chest, worried that last night was about to come back in bit him in the butt. What if his concealing stone hadn't worked? What if the royal recognized his scent in the basement of the estate? What would he do if he had to make a run for it? He couldn't possibly jump out the window, their classroom was on the third story, and he would just kill himself if he did that. There was also Jonouchi too. I f Yami had indeed picked recognized his scent, then how would Yugi explain it to Jou?

The hunter in training was pulled out of his troublesome thoughts by his friend's abrupt shaking and pointing at the royal vampire. "Tell him, that it ain't so, Yugi! Tell him my charm isn't in fightin' with Moneybags!"

The human blinked his violet eyes, completely confused by what his friend meant but he complied nonetheless for their friendship. "Um….It's not?"

For some reason, Yami found it appropriate to laugh at his response, which irritated Yugi to no end. He may have been a little out of it when he replied, given that he had been worried about matters that could have ended his life it went bad, but that didn't give a stranger permission to laugh at him. Especially in public.

"Well now that is very, convening Jonouchi," Yami's deep voice teased Yugi's friend. At first Yugi felt his anger flare up in his chest and was ready to snap at the other, but he soon heard his best friend's rough laughter mix in with Yami's deep chuckles. The sound of Jou's mirth started to automatically calm Yugi down. The human couldn't help but wonder why Jou was laughing along with the Prince of vampires of all people. Rationally, Yugi couldn't find anything that the royal would have said that Jou would have found funny. Maybe it was some unspoken vampire custom? But, it was more likely that his friend had been laughing at the anger that was apparent on Yugi's face.

"So Yug', what drinks do you think we should try at Cosmic? There's bound to be some crazy stuff there that'll be fun to try!" Jou asked his friend smiling at him.

"Well I think-"

"I recommend the Blood Redemption," Yami interrupted the human to offer his suggestion.

"Hmm, really? The name kinda sounds a bit too classy for a guy like me. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"The name is classy, but trust me on this Katsuya. The drink will make and heavyweight a lightweight with just one glass, and give you a buzz you'll be craving for at least two weeks."

"Sweet! I'll try it out man, though there's also the Pharaoh's revenge, I wanna give a try. I heard it was pretty good too, " Jou replied carrying on the conversation that had been meant for him and his best friend, but was now having it with the leader of the vampire race.

Yugi felt as if he had been forced into a third wheel position when Yami was actually the third wheel in this conversation. The human sunk down in his chair with a light sigh while watching Jou engage himself into the conversation about different types of vampire alcoholic beverages. Yugi knew what he felt wasn't jealousy, no, he knew the envious emotion fairly well, and normally refused to let himself feel as so, however, the human did feel like he was being ignored.

Yugi looked up at the clock in the front of their classroom, noticing how it was almost time for class to begin. Staying silent as the two vampires talked and hardly noticed him, Yugi went about gathering his things for his first class, before the bell for first period rang.

Ding Dong, Dong Ding!

The moment the bell rung, Yugi heard his friend groan in annoyance and the human couldn't help but laugh at him. "What's the matter Jou, did you not do your homework again?"

"No, that's not it," The vampire waved Yugi's question and slide off his desk. "I got sidetrack, no thanks to the Prince here," He jutted his thumb in the direction of Yami. "I was meaning to tell ya the details for tonight, but I'll relay them to ya' later at lunch. Is that fine Yugi?"

"Yeah, that's cool," Yugi spoke trying to mimic Jonouchi's style of speech, earning a laugh from his friend.

Jou raised his fist up and Yugi did the same before hitting them together. "All right pal, I'll talk to ya' about it at lunch with the other three goofs," The blonde vampire said and waved to his friend as he claimed his seat.

Yugi smiled to himself at the thought of hanging out with his friend in the evening. It had been at least four weeks since all five of them, (Jou, Malik, Ryou, Honda, and himself) had hung out together and it was needless to say, they were way over do for some bonding time. And what better way to celebrate their reunion than at Cosmic? For that, Jou was close to a saint in Yugi's mind. Even though the blonde was one of the farthest people from even being was so grateful to his friend.

That reminded Yugi, he should probably thank Jou. Looking over in the direction of his friend, Yugi spotted the rowdy blonde vampire already engaging himself into another verbal argument with the one and only, Seto Kaiba. The human bit his bottom lip to suppress his smile. He would just save that 'thank you' for later. He knew how much his best friend enjoyed his fights with the CEO of Kaiba Corporation.

As Yugi started to direct his attention back towards getting his things ready for his first class period of the day, his eyes strayed towards his peer sitting next to him. Clearly the violet orbs were disobeying his mind, but that hushed up as he started to notice the small details of Yami Sennen.

The hunter trainee had never truly spent any time to actually take in Yami's facial features. He couldn't care to give the pureblood a second glance, despite how yami's overall appearance demanded to be stared at. This man was stunning, which was no surprise since most vampires had beautiful features to attract humans, but Yami was defiantly one of the finest looking ones around. It was similar to the way the sealed vampire Yugi had the pleasure of meeting last night, influenced him. Both of their physical feature captivated Yugi's mind like no other vampire's would.

The more Yugi thought about how the two held many similarities, the more the human secretly gazed at the regal hair was almost the same, beside Yami's crimson tips that faded into violet at the base of his neck where the sealed vampire's did not. The two both had sharp noses, but Yami's was more pointed. They both had high cheekbones, angular faces and thick eyelashes. The only actually major difference the two shared, had to be their skin tone. Where the sleeping vampire had beautiful caramel colored skin plagued by an ashen look, Yami had silky smooth skin and his skin was free from the signs of-

Yugi's violet eyes narrowed at the visible discoloration of Yami's slim fingers. That was rather odd sight. A pedigree, a pureblood vampire, showing even the slightest signs of starvation. How could that could have gone by unnoticed by the royal court, but be notice by a human?

"Do you need something from me?" Yami's unmistakable deep voice rang in Yugi's ear like a group of church bells ringing in the evening.

The human blinked his eyes, forcing them to look up into crimson eyes that looked slightly disgusted. It made Yugi want cringe and slap the look of of the vampire's face, however, he refrained from doing so and made himself look uninterested in the vampire.

"No, I was just thinking," He replied, sitting up in his seat, turning the pages of his note-book to the last section of notes he had last wrote down.

"Mind voicing your thoughts then? You had to be thinking about something that involved me since, you were staring so intensely at my hands. You've made me quite curious now," The vampire pressed on, seeming rather interested in what Yugi had to say.

Yugi gazed at him from his peripheral vision, not wanting to look the male in the eye. "I do mind," The human stated defiantly. "I don't have to share my private thoughts with you."

The seventeen year old human tried his best not look smug when he took in the appalled look on Yami's face. He didn't want the others think he was enjoying himself while he argued with one of the most powerful vampires in the world. If he did, that would just cause unwanted attention to be drawn to him.

"Human, it would be smart if you just told me what you were thinking about," Yugi heard the pureblood snarl with aggravation thick in his tone.

"Well here's a hint-" Yugi started off, turning to face Yami directly and pointed his index finger discreetly at Yami's slightly discolored hands. "Why don't you go to the local blood bank after school, and get some nice 'O' negative blood to drink," The human clamped his mouth shut after the words had slipped from his mouth. He instantly felt himself regretting them, but refuse to apologize, not when he meant them despite his regret.

Yami's crimson eyes widened at Yugi's words, before the vampire twisted his head away from the human and hid his hands underneath his desk. "Mind your own business and be quiet," He muttered under his breath.

"With pleasure, if you do the same," Yugi replied softly, avoiding his eyes from Yami.

Tension settled over the two, both refusing to look at the other. Yugi couldn't help but regret his choice of words, his first actual conversation with the 'Prince' and he practically showed no respect for the other. Something that was not normal for the human teenager. Yugi started to blame it on his lack of sleep and the irritability it caused him to have, but he knew better than that. Even if he had gotten more sleep, he and Yami still would have snapped at each other most likely.

When his teacher entered the room, all chattering ceased and the entire classroom stood to greet their teacher, and bow into class. Glance at Yami to his right while bowed to the teacher, Yugi let out a sigh before closing his eyes. He could already tell his school day was going to be a very stressful one.

---

And how right he was.

By the time Yugi arrived home, the human could barely even function. His mind was so exhausted from all the class work throughout the day and from the tension battle between him and the Prince of the Vampires. Not to mention his legs were aching from all the running they did in P.E., even though the human was actually a decent runner. He figured that this was his life's way of punishing him for entering a tomb of a seal vampire, without really knowing if the vampire was dead or not.

The teen quietly unlocked the back door of the Kame Game shop before entering his home. The teen didn't bother with taking of his shoes as he made his way upstairs, forcing his legs to take the stairs two at at time. He would take his shoes off once he got to his room, his grandpa wouldn't mind him wearing them in house.

It was odd though, his home was never this quiet; nor was the game shop closed at this hour of the day. The teen couldn't help but wonder if his grandpa had stepped out to run into town for something. It confused the teen, but also cause him to worry for the old man's safety.

"Grandpa?" Yugi called out in a questioning tone as he entered the upstairs part of his home. "Are you home?"

Silence answered him back as he ventured into the kitchen. Yugi was slightly relieved as he placed his school bag on one of the dining table's chairs, though he couldn't help wonder where his grandfather had ran off to. Opening the backpack up, Yugi peered inside to find the bags of blood he had purchased on his woy home, had made the journey safely. It was a good thing too, he didn't feel like explaining to his grandfather why his school bag would be drenched in blood. That conversation would have not ended well.

Looking up from his schoolbag, Yugi's violet eyes spotted a familiar red manila envelope sitting on the table, along with a neatly folded sheet of notebook paper laying on top of it. Yugi smiled as he leaned over the chair his back pack sat in, and his fingertips pulled the piece of paper and the large formal envelope closer towards him until he could actually grasp the items in his hands.

Unfolding the notebook paper, Yugi started reading it first, knowing already it was a note from his beloved grandfather.

'Yugi, a new shipment arrived today at the docks, so I went to pick it up. I closed the shop early today so don't worry about opening it when you get home. I'll keep it open a bit later than normal, tomorrow to make for the lost time. Also, it seems Max sent you quite a bit details this go around. I haven't touched it, other than when the mailman handed it over to me when I signed for it. Remember to be careful, just because our family's 'curse' avoided my generation, doesn't mean it'll avoid yours. I'll be home late tonight. Leave a note if you're going out, so I'll at least know where you went. - Love Grandpa.'

Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes at his grandfather's protective words. That was just his grandpa's mind playing tricks on the old man, their family wasn't curse. His grandpa was just lucky he wasn't mauled by a vampire before his retirement. While his parents and other relatives weren't as lucky. They just happen to die after getting too involved with vampire affairs. His parents were prime examples of that, or so his grandfather had rambled on about after their death.

Yugi moved his school bag out of its chair, and sat down. He laid the manila envelope and the note down on the table as he ran his hands through his hair and exhaled. He didn't want to have his parents' death in his head, not when he was determined to stay out of major harm, and especially not with him about to open the envelope that had the top secret information about his next mission. Although, Yugi highly doubt it was of any significance to the association's actual plans. He normally just got stuck with busy work that gave him the taste of what the work real vampire hunters are assigned.

The seventeen year old undid the metal clasp on the envelope and quickly pulled out the classified information. Yugi's eyes widened slightly when he seen not one sleek black folder, but two of them plus a three page letter and a smaller white manila envelope. Yugi felt his heart grow heavier as he looked over all the materials. These were items his grandfather normally received when he had a 'special job' as the old man called it, to do. The trainee wasn't sure how to react other than frightful that he was being sent out to a battlefield to be killed. Was it possibly Pegasus had figured out that he lied to him and was punishing him by giving an actual hunter's mission? Yugi prayed not. He wasn't ready yet, He still had at least another two and half years before he could 'graduate' from the hunter training program and go on a real field mission.

Biting his bottom lip nervously, Yugi picked up the three page letter. His mind was coming up with several possibilities that the letter could possibly state. He felt his muscles tense up and he started to quiver slightly. The boy closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, holding his breath. 'Calm yourself, it's just a 'tedious' mission by the Director's standards. Nothing more, nothing less.' The human exhaled after he felt calm enough to read the letter. His muscles only relaxed slightly, but at least he had stopped shaking.

His violet eyes finally reopened themselves and glanced down at the neatly typed words in Times New Roman.

'Yugi Mutou, I am well aware this is not the normal necessities a trainee is given for a mission, but this, in all aspects, is no normal mission. Before you call me wondering if I got a hunter's mission mixed up with yours, please read this entire letter. It'll clear the confusion you must be suffering from. You are a smart child, I'm sure you can figure out a few of the missing details.' So Pegasus was already several steps ahead of him, how lovely.

'This particular mission is going to be challenging, long, and may even get on your nerves, however, you should never once drop your guard while on it. This particular objective I am assigning you, could very well kill you once you start it. Typically for these types of assignments, I would have given to a hunter who has completed their training, met all requirements, has been pledged in and entered into our database. But due to the properties of this mission, it calls for a skilled personal that is not pledged in to the Association or in our database.'

Yugi sighed through his nose and closed his eyes for a brief moment, and swore under his breath. His mind was already putting 'two and two' together. The human just knew, this was not going to end well and had feeling he might have to knock on deaths door a little earlier in his, just like every generation in his family. Maybe the curse mumbo-jumbo that spills out of his grandpa's mouth every time he had a mission, was true.

Reopening his eyes, Yugi skimmed through the rest of the introduction with his violet eyes, not really reading any other warnings. It was the same things that Pegasus always preached in his mission briefing letters. Just faked caring words that held no value at all.

Finally, after flipping to the second page, Yugi found where his actual mission briefing was stated. He sat up a little straighter as he read the short statement:

Your mission is to be the International Vampire Hunter Association's source of information on the inside, our direct link to Yami Sennen and the royal court.'

Yugi drew in a sharp breath and clenched his teeth, restraining himself from saying anything just in case his grandfather walked in at any given moment. His violet eyes were still staring at the twenty six words with hatred that could kill, despite the teen's normal pacifistic attitude. The more he glared at them, the bigger headache he got and small hints fear started to plague his mind.

He couldn't get close to Yami in such away. They were complete opposites who hated each other, just like oil and water. Today had been proof of that. There was just no way he could unless-

The human's eyes grew wide before he fumbled around with the briefing letter, hoping to find a loophole out of the thought that had just occurred to him. He reluctantly started to read where he left off. If he couldn't find a way around becoming a Feeder; his grandpa was going to kill him if he couldn't.

'In order to become our inside source and not be discovered immediately, you will be cut from all ties that may link you to having a possible current connection to the I.V.H.A. Other than a monthly meeting at the end of each month, starting after the upcoming New Year, you will have no contact with the base or any others associated with our organization currently. I only wish to have information about the court's major plans, important occurrences, and all rogue information. To acquire those details will not be an easy task . You must befriend a vast number of vampires that are a part of the royal court and become very close to Yami Sennen himself. I recommend you becoming The Prince's Feeder, even if it is against our rules, I will overlook your status as his feeder and still consider you for a possible enlisting candidate in the future.

Over the years, the I.V.H.A. has discover that vampires do put a great deal of trust and care into the ones the feed from. As Director of the Domino branch and the Eastern Representative of the I.V.H.A., I believe it would be in your best interest in becoming Yami Sennen's Feeder, for your own protection. Vampires have their own rules regarding human feeders, most of them are in place for protection of the human. Royals are no exception for these rules, and therefore, you will be safe and remain safe at the side of Yami Sennen.'

Yugi let out a shaky breath, clenching the letter tightly in his hands, causing the paper to wrinkle and threaten to tear. Pegasus didn't disapprove it, instead he encouraged Yugi to walk straight into the jaws of potential death.

The human found himself bitter from the fact, he practically was being tossed into the enemy's lines as a human meat shield. He placed the letter, now crinkled, back into the manila envelope before placing the black folders and photo envelope back inside the tan encasement. He would deal with this…'stuff' later. He couldn't let his mood become foul because he had received orders that was making him 'butt hurt', as Jonouchi would say.

Standing from his seat at the dining table, Yugi grabbed his schoolbag off the floor and the manila envelope. He tried to rid himself of his sour mood by thinking about his plans for the night. He wasn't going to let the I.V.H.A. ruin his plans of fun for the night. They could rob him of a long life, but the Association wasn't going to steal what little fun and immature moments he could have during his life. Yugi would make sure of it.

---

After taking a long hot shower, changing out of his navy blue school uniform and into something more fitting for tonight's outing; Yugi was quick to leave his home and rush to meet his friends at the local park. He was determined to push everything related to his vampire hunting life, out the back door of his mind for this one single night. He was going to enjoy his time with his friends and not give a single damn about his darkening future.

With just ten minutes of navigating his way through the orange lit streets, Yugi arrived at the park his friends had arranged to meet at. His face lit up happily and nearly every ounce of stress left his body as his started to run towards the two familiar figures with their back to the setting sun.

"Jonouchi! Malik!" The seventeen year old greeted the two as he slowed his run down to a brisk walk and came to stand in front of his two friends. Yugi's face held a genuine smile as he high-fived both of the other males, who greeted him back.

"Bout' time you showed up, " Jou teased light-heartedly.

"Mhmm, I thought Jonouchi was going to have go drag you out of your house. But I can see why you were running a little late-" Malik's sharp pale lavender eyes looked up and down Yugi's body, twice. "- You look good."

Yugi gave a light shrug at the comment, and smiled casually. He wasn't dressed too fancy, but he wasn't in rags either. The vampire hunter trainee wore a violet short-sleeved Ralph Lauren polo, a pair of dark skinny Levi jeans, matching flat top violet Vans, and topped it off with a black Denali fleece North Face jacket. Yugi's gravity defying hair had been tamed and pulled back into a low ponytail with his bangs framing his face as normal. "I figured this would be appropriate for tonight. You guys look rather stunning yourselves."

Yugi's violet eyes picked up on both Jonouchi's and Malik's choice of attire. He had to admit it, his friends looked good in the clothes they dawned.

Jonouchi wore a stunning white Calvin Klein fleece hoodie with a light blue T- shirt underneath, loose dark jeans hung from his hips, while his feet were covered by a gray and white Adidas sneakers. Yugi thought the outfit complimented his best friend greatly, bringing out his honey colored eyes and outlining his taut build perfectly, while Malik had a gray slim fit long sleeve Alfani v-neck covering his torso, faded slim fitting blue jeans, and a pair of black and gray Super Fly Jordan's. Leave it to Malik to make him feel under-dress, the Egyptian never had to worry about old styled clothing every touching his body. His vampire and also lover, made sure he had the some of the best clothes in the fashion something was trending, Marik always made sure Malik had the option in his wardrobe.

"Sure do, but you're the one that's gonna blow the crowd away," Jonouchi leaned in towards Yugi, taking a large whiff of his scent. His eyes fluttered closed, before reopening to reveal scarlet hues that had a craving for blood. "You're wearing the cologne I bought cha' last year."

Yugi's body stiffened, trying to force his hunter instincts to remain calm as Jou's eyes expressed his desire and need for fresh source of blood. 'It's just Jou, he's not going to hurt you. Calm down.' It used too much of the human's willpower for Yugi just to act normal, smiling and giving a simple nod. "Yeah, I thought it would be perfect for tonight."

Malik laughed lightly in the background. "We're supposed to be hanging out with each other Yugi, not chasing some tail!"

"I don't think Yugi would like the kind of attention his cologne might draw."

Yugi had been debating if he should have slapped Malik on the back of the head when Ryou, their white-haired brown doe-eyed friend, appeared before them. Yugi's eyes brighten up when his trio of best friends were finally completed. The seventeen year old wasted no time to greet his friend with a bright smile and with an excited. "Ryou!"

The British white-haired male smiled as he waved at his Japanese friend. "Hello," He greeted sweetly, before brushing off his stunning outfit.

Ryou was dressed in a soft blue cashmere Club-room v-neck sweater with a white button up dress shirt underneath, fitting khaki pants hung from his hips secured by sleek black belt and light grey Sperries covered in his feet. Trust Bakura to not allow his lover to go out without dressing in anything less than a hundred dollars. Yugi thought the vampire was spoiling his friend, but he knew better than to think the special treatment would go to his white-haired friend's head. Ryou wasn't the type of person who'd let himself be spoiled by such treatment.

Yugi's eyes flickered to Jonouchi when he notice his friend wrinkling his nose slightly and eyed Ryou. "Shada is followin' you?" Joey's odd New York accent questioned Ryou, confused.

The fair skin human rubbed the back of his head, before looking of his shoulder then back to Jou. "I suppose so. Kura had asked him to keep an eye on me."

"So that means stalkin' ya from the shadows?" The vampire out of the four friends asked, flicking Ryou's nose lightly.

"In Bakura's standards, that's gotta be a yes," Malik answered Jonouchi before the British male could even open his mouth to defend Shada.

Yugi was oddly silent, his eyes focused on the shadows and the dim figure of a person highlighted by the setting sun. Although normally he was quite relaxed and free from any of his instincts the I.V.H.A. had forced him to learn and uphold, he couldn't relax with an unknown vampire lurking behind him. He hated turning his back to a stranger he didn't know. How could he be sure that they wouldn't attack him when his defenses were lowered? Forcing his eyes to stop searching for the mysterious vampire, Yugi was eager to ditch the looming potential threat.

"How about we ditch those standards then? Just for tonight?" Yugi whispered softly, hoping that the vampire following Ryou wouldn't overhear the words with his keen hearing. "We could take a few complicated routes and I could give Ryou my family's concealing stone. He won't be able to find us that easily then."

Malik smirked and raised an eyebrow at Yugi, before walking over to the shorter teen's left and resting his arm on his shoulder. "I like that idea. Let's stir up some trouble and cause our vampires to worry a bit. Plus it'll be so much fun and Marik looks rather hot when he's pissed off. "

"But-"

"But nothin'' Ry'! " Jonouchi interrupted Ryou and placed his hands down on the human's slender shoulders after coming to stand in front of the white-haired male. " I think we should cause Bakura to squirm a bit, he's been too cocky for my likin' lately and needs to be ruffled up. Plus, Shada's a bit of a buzz kill," The golden-haired vampire stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "That guy even puts Moneybags asleep in those meetin' things they do."

Yugi gave Ryou a reassuring smile when he seen the worrisome look in the British male's soft brown eyes. Shrugging away from Malik's arm, Yugi closed the small distances between him and Ryou and touched his arm gently in a reassuring way. "Ryou, nothing bad will happen to us. You have Jou, Malik, and I to keep you safe. We'll protect you even from Bakura's wrath," Yugi winked at his friend and fished his concealing stone out of his pocket, he was glad he never went anywhere without it.

The human carefully placed the chain over Ryou's head so the blood-red stone would rest around the other teen's neck soundly. Ryou smiled at Yugi first, then to Jonouchi and Malik. "Right. Very well then, if we wish to cause some hell then we should get to it. We don't need to waste our night way."

Yugi, Jonouchi and Malik's faces were lit up by bright grins as Jonouchi lead the way towards Cosmic with Malik hot on his heels and Yugi with Ryou right behind him. "All right ladies~" Jonouchi's spoke in a sing-song tone. " Let' ditch this motha fucka!"

---

Cosmic was the nightclub of all the nightclubs in Domino City.

There was a reason the club was so famous in the teen and young adult population that made up Domino City, and Yugi was quick to find out why. Cosmic was a large establishment in the center of downtown Domino City and just the exterior alone, was enough to wow the human. The building was made from black stone, neon lights outlined the large entry doors of the club and flashed a verity colors in time with the thudding music from inside it club. In clear elegant writing, the name of the club was displayed in a brilliant white. Four large security guards were station outside the nightclub, maintaining the club's order and only allowing those with paid tickets and reservations in. They reminded Yugi of bodybuilders on steroids, it even caused him to wonder just how they got muscles that big.

While following Jonouchi's lead into the club, the hunter in training was surprised to see how easily he and his friends were able to enter the club through the reservation Jou had made. He wondered how the blonde vampire could obtain entrance so easily to the club, however, that thought was quickly wiped from Yugi's mind as his friends and himself entered the main floor of Cosmic's two-story extravaganza.

The nightclub's interior was nothing in comparison to the exterior. Everything looked like it had been made from crystals or had been crystallized in some way, shape and form. Lights of blues and purples flashed wildly to the beat of Touchin', Lovin' by Trey Songz. Humans and vampires alike, were crowding the large dance floor and trying to awaken the dead with their dancing, cheerful screams, and chatter. On the left side of the nightclub, a large bar was serving every type of drink imaginable in the world, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

With violet eyes wide open, Yugi was barely able to take in his surroundings fully before Jou turned around and faced the three humans. The vampire's face could pass for the definition of excitement as his arms gestured to the clubs magnificent interior. "This Is Cosmic-"Jonouchi's eyes shifted from their normal honey gold color to a bright scarlet for a second time that night, "-Now let's raise some hell!"

The three hours that Yugi and his friends had spent in Cosmic had rushed by them all too quickly. The human was having too much fun with his best friends and god, how it made him miss the nights before he enrolled in the I.V.H.A.. The ones that he and his friend used to terrorize the streets of Domino. Those days had been so much fun.

So far, Yugi had only had one mixed alcoholic drink to Jonouchi's five, Malik's six and Ryou's three, however, the shortest out of the four was already buzzed from one drink. His smaller body seemed to be unable to handle the rather strong alcoholic beverage as well as his friends. But Yugi was far from being drunk. He was just juiced, filled with energy that seemed to never fade in the slightest. Even with all the dancing he had done on the dance floor.

Ryou on the other hand was beyond drunk, with Malik completely wasted and passed out in one of the club's booths in the bar area, and Jonouchi was still sober and strong and flirting with a few girls. The tipsy British teen was a sack of giggles who, was constantly trying to seduce Yugi into dancing with him. Though Ryou's clumsy and sluggish movements were making it impossible for Yugi actually properly dance with him in the night club, but Yugi was patient. Enjoying this hilarious moment in his friend's life as he tried help sway his hip to the beat.

As Don't tell 'Em by Jeremih started to fill Comic's first floor, all of Yugi's intentions for helping his drunken friend regain his dancing skills, left his mind. His body swaying to the sweet tones of the song, his violet eyes drifted close as his mind zoned out and his body moved on its own to the rhythm of the music. Every bit of tension had left Yugi's body, his muscles completely relaxed to help him flow from one move to another. The seventeen year old let his mind focus on the English lyrics as he danced to the beat.

'Know you say you down with it

Won't tell 'em how you hit the ground with it'

Yugi dipped down low towards the ground before straightening up and flexing his torso slightly. His overall movements were graceful and erotic, fitting the theme for both the club's atmosphere and the song itself. He was just about to pivot on his right foot, when he came face to face with Bakura. The albino vampire that was Ryou's boyfriend.

Caught off guard, Yugi stumbled back and fell backwards on his ass. His violet eyes gazed wide-eyed at Bakura who didn't look too thrilled with Yugi.

"Did you really have to give him that?" The rough voice of Bakura asked as the vampire dropped Yugi's concealing stone in his the human's lap.

Yugi quickly pocketed his concealing stone, not wanting it to be stolen or get lost. "Well, did you really have to have a vampire stalk Ryou?"

Bakura tsked and scowled at Yugi like he was the gum on the bottom of his shoe. "I do what I want, a human's opinion doesn't matter to me," The vampire snapped harshly. "Especially when one forces me to run around the entire city after receiving word that Ryou scent had been lost!"

Yugi stood up, noticing Ryou hanging on to Bakura's arm. He dusted off his clothes and looked Bakura up and down, taking note of the black trench coat and black dress slack he wore. "Jou was the one who got your tracker lost, I just made sure he couldn't find out where we went."

"Well how about you make sure I can find my food first, before doing such stupid acts! I will kill the three of you the next chance-Hmm!" Bakura was silenced when Ryou placed his lips on his angry vampire's pale lips. When the white haired human pulled away, he sluggishly bobbed Bakura on the back of his head with a glare. "You are not to kill anyone, understand 'Kura?" The human's words were slurred, but the firmness in them was still there.

Yugi heard soft muttering from Bakura before he watch the vampire place an arm around Ryou's waist and tugged him close. The human averted his eyes from Bakura's dark eyes that were the color of dried blood, he wasn't sure how he would react if he seen the vampire shooting him a threatening glare, however, that didn't keep Yugi from shooting Ryou concerned glances through his peripheral vision. When the two white-haired males were out of his line of sight Yugi sighed and started to make his way towards the round booth Malik was passed out at ,and where Jou was enjoying a small blood absinthe.

With a pout sulking pout on his face, Yugi sat next to the sleeping Malik and watched Jonouchi drink the alcoholic beverage with a disappointed pout. As if asking him what was wrong, Jou raised a questioning eyebrow, never pausing his gulping.

"Ryou was stolen from us by Bakura," Yugi verbalized with a sadden tone as he poked Malik to see if the sandy blonde haired Egyptian would stir. When Malik didn't move, Yugi concluded the poor guy was out for the night, and wouldn't wake up til hours later with one hell of a hangover.

Jonouchi sat down his drink with a sigh and cleared his throat several times. "Well that's just fantastic. I guess party time is over then, huh? Cause I'm nearly drunk. Malik is over here snoozin' the night away, and you're uh...Did you even have a drink?"

" I had one, it was strong enough to give me a bit of a buzz, but not enough to make me drunk," Yugi replied picking up a pen on the table for Jou to sign his check with, using it to draw and write on Malik's face.

The vampire did his best to muffle his snickers as Yugi's horrible artistic skills covered their friend's face in drawings that looked like a ten-year old had drawn. Setting the pen down Yugi smiled as he took in his work on Malik's face. He knew the other human would get him back at a later date for drawing 'stick' penises on his left cheek and a horribly drawn chibi headshot of Marik on his forehead with hearts and "I love you's" written around it, however, it was worth it.

"So I'm guessing you'll be taking him home then?" Yugi asked as he watch Jou sign his check, before adding a few of his own drawings to Mailk's right cheek.

" Yeah pal, I'll take him. I doubt ya' could lift his fat butt, anyways, " Jonouchi teased Yugi with a playful snicker and a bright smile.

The human narrowed his violet eyes at his friend before pushing Malik over so he was leaning against Jonouchi. "Hey! I threw your ass to the ground this morning. I'm sure Malik, isn't as fat you! There's a chance I could carry his butt longer than your fat one. "

"I'm all muscle Yug', there's no fat in me," Jou said playfully shoving Malik towards Yugi. Not wanting their sleeping friend to use him as a pillow. Yugi pushed Malik back towards Jou before the Egyptian could even slump over towards him.

Jou quickly slid to his left, avoiding Malik 's leaning body which eventually just slumped over till he was laying down on his side where Jonouchi had been seated earlier. "Hah! Ya didn't get me!" The honey blonde-haired boy said in victory with a smile stretching from ear to ear. Yugi on the other hand groaned, frowning in defeat.

"Cheater," The human seventeen year old said as he scooted out of the booth while Jou dragged Malik out as he too, exited the round booth.

"I ain't a cheater, I was just usin' my resources," Jonouchi said triumphantly as he tossed Malik over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It stunned Yugi to see their Egyptian friend was still a sleep even after such rough treatment.

Shaking his head with a brief smile, Yugi followed Jou out of the nightclub. "Whatever you say, Jou." The human nudged his best friend lightly in the side.

The two walked together up until they had reached Kame Game shop. Even though Yugi was more than capable of walking home by himself, he was grateful Jou decide to walk him home. It allowed him to have extra time to talk with the other male, and make sure he was at least somewhat sober. After standing in front of Kame Game shop for ten minutes just talking, Jonouchi and Yugi finally said their goodbyes and parted ways.

As Yugi entered his home and retreated to his room, the day's events started to slowly flood his mind as if it wanted to remind him of his obligations he had. The violet eyed teen sighed heavily as he enter his room, a feeling of uneasiness over flooded him. And for the first time in a very long time, Yugi wished he wasn't at home and alone. He didn't want to face his mission, just yet. He didn't want to have to start planning his will in case he were to die in the upcoming days. Yugi wanted to escape his reality for an hour more.

His eyes glanced towards his sock drawer out of desperation, as he remembered a possible way to temporarily escape his reality.

---

He seriously couldn't believe what he was doing. Sneaking back into the basement of the Muran estate through the city's sewer system, in some of his best clothing with a pint of blood hidden in the backpack he carried during his last mission. The fact he had actually he managed to make it back into the tomb like room filled with the luxurious items from past centuries, was rather surprising to Yugi. He thought there would have been at least something blocking his way since his last visit, but nothing had been done.

When he reached the area where the secret tomb was located at, Yugi placed his backpack down on the ground and unzipped it. This time he had come prepared, for the nauseating smell of decaying animal flesh and the darkness it was cloaked in. After pulling out a simple flashlight, a scarf, and a white medical mask from the first-aid kit he brought; Yugi closed up his book bag and placed its straps back on his shoulders. Yugi wasted no time covering his mouth and nose up with the white mask and wrapping the lower half of his face up with the scarf. It wasn't the best protection from the horrible smell, but it would work…hopefully.

Yugi held onto his flashlight in his left hand while he used his right one to insert his glowing concealing stone into the small cut in the white limestone wall. Just like last time, the ground started to shake violently as part of the wall started to sink down into in floor. Once the shaking stopped Yugi ventured into the dark corridor and flipped on his flashlight. The human avoided shining it towards the floor, instead he allowed the light to reflect against the walls of the tomb. Not even two steps into the corridor Yugi found another indention in the wall, just like the one in the other chamber. Allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, Yugi placed his concealing stone into the neatly cut out hole. Once again, the ground shook as the wall behind him started to close up his exit.

Yugi pressed his lips into a thin line, before he turned back around and started to walk towards the room that was like a king's chamber inside one of the ancient Egyptian pyramids. He hoped his cell phone had service in this place, just in case he was stranded here. If anything were to happen, he would call Jou. Although he might get in trouble for being in such a place, at least he could get out with coming out in a body bag or worse, become part of the rotting flesh on the floor. That was the last thing Yugi wanted to do.

Once he finally entered the large secret chamber, Yugi felt all his worries evaporate almost into thin air. It left his mind with so many questions how the room could just simply take his worries away like that, however, it didn't faze his body movements on bit as his legs and feet propelled him in the direction of the faceless stone sarcophagus. Dropping his black backpack onto the ground next to the marble pedestal the coffin sat on top of, the human pulled off his scarf and mask and shoved them into his backpack, along with his flashlight. With that done, he stood up straight and started to shove the top of the stone coffin off. Yugi made quick work of the stone coffin's top, already having it off the stone sarcophagus and revealing the gold faceless pharaoh like coffin inside, in just three short minutes. Yugi wasted no time with pushing the golden coffin lid off too.

In half the time it took for the first time he opened up both the coffins, Yugi found himself face to face with the sealed vampire. The human felt his pale pink lips pull into a small pitting smile as he reached a hand to gently rest on the 'sleeping' vampire's right shoulder. The presence of this man was overwhelming for Yugi. The atmosphere of the vampire was like the one his friends created around him when he was having a bad day, or from when his grandpa would hug him when he came from school when he was little. It even reminded him of one of the few memories he had of his deceased parents. It was just so…so relaxing and warm. 'Why is it like this?'

Yugi's smile fell into a slight frown as his bright eyes dulled slightly. "Why do you…make me feel like this? I…I don't even know you, yet…yet…" The human trailed off. He could think of the words to say.

'Why am I even speaking out loud?' Yugi's facial expression turned into confusion from the question ringing in his head. His mind was in chaos searching for the answer until one possibility seemed to explain the unexplained. Compulsion.

Yugi's heart rate seemed to go into a frenzy from the thought of compulsion being a possibility. He breathing started to become uneven as he desperately tried to convince himself that wasn't the reason. He couldn't be under the influence of compulsion, he just couldn't be.

"It's not possible right? I'm not being used by you, am I? It is not possible. It. Is. Not. Possible," His legs felt weak. Not wanting to fall, Yugi took a seat on the edge of the marble pedestal that held up the sealed vampire's coffins. "The Association taught all of us, hunters and apprentices, that seal vampires could use compulsion. They even showed us how to detect and resist compulsion even if a normal healthy vampire attempted to use it on us! It's nearly impossible for me to be influenced by compulsion. Bakura, Marik, Seto, even Jou cannot use it on me! So then why…"

The moment Yugi made eye contact with vampire's peaceful face, Yugi realized he was just simply just overreacting about his thoughts to himself and talking out loud.

The seventeen year old male groaned and ran his hands over his face. "I'm going insane. I must be from all this stress," He peered back down at the sealed vampire and felt his face soften a bit. His pulse slowed and his breathing started to even itself out again.

Yugi let his hands drop to his lap, while his head tilted up to gaze at the dark limestone ceiling. "I don't know you, or even know if you're alive. But you're able to… to make me feel so at ease. It's so confusing," Yugi verbalized his thoughts, not even caring that the words were flowing straight from his mind and out his mouth without a single thought more. "I know you must be somewhat import to the royal vampire family. I can gather that much from this-" He gestured his hand to the room he was in with the sealed vampire, "- and how my grandpa reacted to your pictures. He called you a monster, which is odd. Grandpa never calls any vampires a monster, expect rouges. Though he did start to call you something else. I think it started with Ph-" Yugi closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side in thought.

"Ph….Ph….Pharaoh? Well, that would make sense. The walls around us all speak about a great pharaoh of two kingdoms. Was that you?" The human looked down at the vampire, when he received nothing but the echo of his voice as an answer. He pouted slightly and shook his head. 'He's sealed, duh,' He thought before looking down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs."Never mind that question. I forgot you can't answer, s-sorry," Odd how he felt the need to verbalize his mistake and apologize to a living corpse. Yugi was seriously pondering the thought that he may be going insane, or the alcohol in his system was causing him to act so weird.

"Pegasus, the Current Director of the I.V.H.A. branch here in domino gave me a new mission today," He muttered quietly, suddenly feeling fear start to prickle in his core. "I… I'm not quite sure what do for it, to be honest. Nor, am I mentally ready for it. Ho-How can I be? I'm throwing away everything for this. If I…if I go through with this, I can't join as an official member of the Association. And If Itry to change my mission he'll," Yugi paused and took a deep breath, not finishing that sentence.

"He wants me to become the Feeder of Yami Sennen. But how the hell do I do that? Why the hell would I even want to do that?!" Yugi's hands curled into fist as he thought about becoming a personal juice box for the pure blood vampire. He bit his bottom lip hard from anxiety. "I've come close to dying a handful of times since I decided to take my grandfather's place in the Association nearly two years ago. Each mission I had been assigned up to now, I was able to keep a positive outlook that I'll come back alive and hell, I even loved the thrill of being in the jaws of something dangerous. But now…I can only see my death at the end of this mission."

His eyes started to sting with the threat of unfallen tears, but Yugi quickly wiped them away and blinked his eyes rapidly to keep them from falling. "This…I think I'm actually scared," The human let out a forced laugh and looked over his shoulder and down at the sealed vampire. His left hand reached out and grabbed the vampire's cool one. He knew this wasn't something he shouldn't have been doing, holding the hand of a sealed vampire's corpse, but Yugi needed the comfort for the moment.

"I bet you were scared when that dagger was plunged into your chest. I wouldn't be surprise if you were scared right now. I know I would be," Yugi felt himself smiling fondly at the vampire laying in the golden coffin. "Being alone for so many years, starving and having no one's comfort until now, when this strange human boy comes out of nowhere. Then he just starts dumping all of his problems on you…" Yugi trailed off before starting to laugh softly at himself. "Scary and annoying, I guess that's how I would explain it, " He explained to the vast emptiness of the small tomb.

"But enough of that mess," Yugi gave a finally squeeze to the vampire's hand, before pulling his own hand away. "You're starving and I've kept you from your food long enough."

Leaning down, without standing from his perch on the marble pedestal, Yugi manage to grab his backpack by one of its straps and pull it up into his lap.

The human unzipped his backpack and began to dig around inside the bag until he found the pint sized bag of warm blood. He smiled happily when he felt the squishy warm package in his hand and quickly removed it from his bag.

"Here it is, some nice-" Yugi paused his speech and squinted his eyes as he read the official labeling of the blood bank on the bag of blood. "-'O' negative blood. Heh, now that's ironic," He muttered the last bit to himself. Just earlier that day he had told the current leader of the vampire race to go drink the same exact blood type.

Shaking his head and suppressing a round of laughter, Yugi looked down at the sealed vampire. All humor was drained from his body when he realized the problem he was faced with. How was he supposed to feed the vampire who was trapped in a stasis?

Yugi placed the bag of blood in his lap and held his head in his hands as he thought, making a humming sound in the processes.

It had been brief but, Yugi's mind thought of using the 'baby-bird' method. By the time he full processed the thought, Yugi was cringing and his stomach was doing tiny flips. He was definitely not going to put someone else's blood in his mouth and the transfer it into the mouth of a vampire who probably hasn't had his teeth brushed in hundreds of years. There wasn't anything or anyone in the entire universe that could make him do something so repulsing.

'There's got to be another way,' Yugi thought to himself, recovering from his first idea.

After a few minutes of think to himself, Yugi finally settled on a suitable way to feed the sealed vampire. The human placed the blood bag on the vampire's right thigh before he slipped off the pedestal and stood on his feet near the tan male's upper torso. "Okay Pharaoh, –I hope that's okay for me to call you that- I'm going to sit your body up and have you lean against me."

With his verbal warning given, Yugi leaned over the coffin and forced his right hand to go under the vampire's upper back, while his left hand grabbed the vampire's left shoulder. Slowly, Yugi pushed the vampire's back up and pulled on his shoulder to make it easier to lift the man up into a sitting position. The process was painfully slow. With every inch Yugi moved the vampire upwards, the human could hear the faint sound of joints popping in resistance. Yugi feared he was causing the vampire pain from moving him after possibly having gone centuries without movement. Once 'Pharaoh' was in a sitting position, Yugi removed his hands from the vampire so he could climb behind the man. Though his plan met a flaw when Pharaoh's upper body started to lean back threatening fall back. Yugi scrambled quickly into an awkward position on his knees in the golden coffin, just in time too as the vampire's body fell backwards into his chest.

The human let out an "Umph!" as he caught Pharaoh with his chest and steadied the vampire by grasping his shoulders lightly. "Well, it went better than I thought," Yugi verbalized as he shifted Pharaoh's body slightly to his right so the vampire's head was leaned back onto his shoulder.

Hesitantly Yugi's hands roses so his fingers rested on the vampire's lower jaw. Very slowly, Yugi began to massage the flesh there. He worked his way up the man's face then moved his way down to his upper neck. He could feel the tense muscles slowly relax through his gentle touches, just as he hoped.

Once Yugi was satisfied with how relaxed the muscles felt underneath his fingers, the human returned his left hand to Pharaoh's jaw, while his right held the vampire's head still. "If this is painful, I'm sorry. It's worth it, just keep that in mind."

With extreme caution and care, Yugi lowly started to force the vampire's mouth open by pulling his mandible down with his left hand. The still stiff muscles made it impossible for Yugi to get the sealed vampire's mouth to open fully, though he was able to get his milk chocolate lips to part enough where Yugi could wiggle the blood bag's connection tub to his mouth.

Yugi smile proudly at his work and patted the dirty but soft tri-colored hair the vampire possessed. "All done," He could like the vampire was some small child getting a bandage on a small scrape. He tilted the vampire's head back, causing the human to instantly regret the action.

Yugi started gagging from the horrible smell of 'morning breath' this vampire possessed. It was twice as worse as the smell of rotting animal in the corridor between this chamber and the other one it was concealed by. The human's eyes were watering from the sheer intensity of the smell of Pharaoh's mouth. Yugi turned his head away from the vampire to try and fill his nose with clean unscented air. Finding it to be useless, the human resulted to breathing in and out of his mouth. Yugi swore on his heart, that he would die if were to smell that god-awful breath again.

Grabbing the bag of 'O' negative blood from Pharaoh's lap, Yugi carefully twisted the clear cap off of the bag. He squeezed the bag lightly, to make sure the blood flowed freely out of the connection tube. Finding no problems with the flow from the bag to the outside world, Yugi gentle placed the tube into the vampire's mouth and started to squeeze the blood into his mouth slowly.

The human's face was one of disgust, a combination from feeding the vampire blood and from the man's horrible breath. While he let the blood fill Pharaoh's mouth, Yugi thought about the strongest type of toothpaste brand there was. If Yugi was going to feed this vampire blood again, then he was going to make sure the vampire had minty fresh breath. Not one that smelt like a pig's butt that got sprayed by a skunk. Yugi would let the man die where he was if he had to smell that bad breath everyday.

Yugi look down at Pharaoh and spotted a small trickle of dark maroon coming from the vampire's parted lips. Removing the blood bag's connection tub from the sealed vampire's mouth, Yugi recapped it. Blinking, Yugi looked at the bag with interested eyes seeing it only halfway full. He put the blood bag aside smiling at the new information he had gathered. 'One mouthful equals half a pint. Interesting.'

The human used his thumb to wipe away the blood falling down Pharaoh's chin before gently closing the vampire's mouth and holding it close. Slowly, Yugi sat the vampire straight up and tilted his head back at an angle. He rubbed the Vampire's throat softly helping the blood to slide smoothly down the humanoid creature's throat. Yugi leaned the vampire back against his body after having him sit straight up for two minutes. Not even five minutes afterward Yugi could feel Pharaoh slowly warming up.

At first, he thought it was his own body heat warming the vampire up, however, even when he removed himself from the coffin and laid the vampire back down; Pharaoh's body warmth continued to grow warmer and the ashen appearance in his toes and fingers started to dull slightly. Yugi's eyes glanced at the sealed vampire's face and found it to look even more peaceful than before. Excitement caused Yugi's eyes to light up and a bright grin from ear to ear to appear on his face.

"Take that Grandpa! He's not dead, this guy is just hungry," Yugi said aloud rather loudly with pride for his good deed in help the vampire out. After placing the blood bag back in his black backpack, Yugi reclaimed his perch on the marble pedestal. He outstretched his hand towards the vampire's head and started to comb through his fingers through the man's dirty hair, frowning. "Guess it's been awhile since you've bathed properly..." Yugi idly stated as he leaned his upper torso against the outer stone coffin. His eyes drifted closed as he continued to stroke the vampire's hair.

"I'll give you a bath, or at least wash your hair sometime…when you're…stronger…" The human's voice trailed off as his mind started to become haze from sleep. Eventually, Yugi had fallen asleep leaning against Pharaoh's coffin, dreaming about buying the vampire a toothbrush to cure nasty breath.

Night Three; GAME OVER

Chapter Notes

AR:
This chapter was a total of 10,902 words!
The first part of the chapter is one of my favorite scenes.
It's adorable, funny and kind of disturbing too.
Anyways, thank you for the support! Please leave a review and thank you for your support!

Six weeks had passed by quickly since Halloween night, and Yugi haddn't found another place that could give him the same sense of comfort by being at his nameless friend's side. When he first noticed the way he felt around the sealed vampire, it had left his mind in a daze for several weeks. It left him confused. He never felt comfortable around a vampire unless, it was Jonouchi. Marik and Bakura were nice when they wanted to be, but the two shared this certain sadistic look that had Yugi always on edge. There was also Seto Kaiba, who frankly, just intimidated Yugi with just his very breath. The human knew even if he wasn't a vampire, he would feel just the same. And then there was Yami Sennen...

Yugi hated being in the same room with the vampire leader. It wasn't Yami personally, though the cold attitude the vampire had when every he spoke with humans didn't help make Yugi like him very much, but it was the essence of what Yami was that kept Yugi's body on high alert. Yami was leader of the vampire race, a pureblood vampire with the fate of being the next Original. An Original vampire is a vampire that hales from the first bloodline of vampire kind. The blood only exists in vampires that are heirs to the first vampire, and are the strongest of the race. Blood that could possibly be flowing through Yami Sennen's very body. That is why Yugi does not like the male. Yami could most likely be the deadliest creature in the world.

It wasn't until last week, that Yugi had come to the conclusion why he could feel so…so comfortable around this person, whom he had no clue about other than what the wall paints depicted. Yugi found relief being around him. It was his escape from the stress in his life. He didn't have to hide his double life around this vampire. He didn't have worry about losing his trust if he spoke about his experience with the I.V.H.A. No matter what happened to him, he could always vent to the sealed vampire as an outlet. He didn't have to worry about the consequences of his actions for once in his life. Nor did he have worry about the vampire going on some rampage just because of him.

The human didn't have anything against his actual friends who were there for him twenty-four hours of everyday, but he couldn't just bother them with his personal problems. He's known Jonouchi since he was in his first year of grade school, and if the said vampire caught whiff of Yugi being distressed, the blonde haired male would surely go berserk until he caught the culprit. Something Yugi couldn't afford at the moment. He needed to be able to walk the city streets alone so he could provide care for the sealed vampire and, despite how much he loathed it, focus on his mission objective from the I.V.H.A. Even if it meant he had tolerating the fools who, for the past five weeks, have been brutally taunting him for just a bit longer.

He would have told Ryou, but Ryou would end up having to spill out that secret to Bakura who, in return, would flap his big mouth about Yugi being bullied. That's how Malik found out about his Christmas present early last year, because Malik had been told by Marik, who had heard the information from Bakura. Yugi trusted his friends, however, their lovers were a completely different story.

That's why he was grateful for something that confused and scared him. Pharaoh, the sealed vampire, was like a gift for him to treasure. The only thing he could do back as payment for offering a little escape goat from the stresses of his life, was to help this vampire revive. It had been Yugi's driving force for the past five weeks.

Relief swelled in Yugi's aching muscles as he dropped the heavily pack plastic grocery bags down on the ground, next to the marble pedestal holding up the stone sarcophagus. An audible sigh left the human's lips as he dropped his black backpack to join the plastic shopping bags. His navy blue school blazer was soon to follow as the young man took a seat on the ground.

"Finally, I can relax."

Yugi leaned his back against the marble pedestal that supported the limestone sarcophagus and closed his eyes. The human allowed himself to relax and release some of his pent up frustrations from his school day It was a small reward for himself, for avoiding Tetsu Ushio and his small group of vampire fiends. Something Yugi considered to be a miracle. Maybe someone from the afterlife was looking after him, or lady luck had decided to grace him with her presence for the afternoon. Either way, Yugi was grateful. It was less bruises he had to hide and more time for the ones that littered his arms and torso already, to heal.

After his short five-minute break, Yugi stood up and dusted off the navy blue dress pants of his school uniform. He looked down at the stone coffin and grimaced. Opening up the pharaoh's coffin was going to be a pain today, literally. As the human pressed his palms to the cool stone and eased it off the coffin and carefully propped it up against the wall, his biceps screamed in protest with a burning pain. It took him a good ten minutes to just remove the lid of coffin and to lean it against the limestone wall that was behind the sarcophagus.

Yugi paused to give his arms a rest as he gazed down at the golden Egyptian coffin with no face. "I swear, when you finally wake up, you're going to have to repay me big time," Yugi calmly stated and patted the flat face of the golden sarcophagus. "I can promise you that, Pharaoh."

The trainee drew in a deep breath through his nose before he started to open up the second coffin, repeating the same process as he did with first one.

After what felt like a painful eternity, Yugi somehow managed to prop up the golden casket top. The fact he managed to get the heavier top to lean against the wall was unexplainable, especial since he, a tired and damaged human, did it by this vampire had a special effect on him?

He was exhausted, but the sight of the vampire he had been feeding and taking care of everyday for past six weeks, had convinced his mind otherwise. Yugi's eyes lit up brightly and his lips turned into his signature warm grin as he gazed down at the sealed vampire. The difference between the first time he had feed the unknown male and now was like night and day. There was no gray present on the vampire's body. His skin had gained most of its beautiful bronze coloration back and his hair was softer and brighter. The vampire seemed to be more 'alive' than he did dead. For that, Yugi felt proud of himself.

"I see you're doing well today, Pharaoh. " Yugi greeted the vampire taking a seat on the edge of the marble pedestal. Talking to vampire no longer bothered Yugi, now that he knew more about the sealed state of the vampire.

The human had broken his 'no contact' condition of his current mission, to do a little research about sealed vampires. Despite his normal honest self, Yugi had lied and asked to use the I.V.H.A. database for a school research project. Yugi was lucky that Pegasus had bought his little white lie. He was granted full access to Domino's IVHA research data base for said 'research'. It was there, Yugi learned that the vampire in his care was very much alert and conscious, while being in a stasis.

According to several scientific conclusions from different scientists worldwide, all vampires were conscious during stasis. Their minds were still active, while their bodies were shut down and immobilized. In a majority of the year long experiments, the vampires went mad from lack of socialization and had to be dealt with by execution. Yugi wasn't about to let six weeks of work go to vain, just because he neglected talking to a person trapped inside their own body. If he had to just talk to himself to prevent a blood lusting monster from going crazy, then so be it. It was better than having the man before him suffer, along with many others when he would be released.

The human placed his hand palm on the vampire's forehead and his smile grew even bigger. The pharaoh was warmer today, almost as warm as Yugi's own body heat. Withdrawing his hand, Yugi made sound of approval and patted the vampire's shoulder lightly. His violet eyes did a sweep of the sealed vampire's body, noting that everything had improved. At this rate, Yugi was sure that the vampire would be able to wake up in time for the New Year.

"It looks like we both accomplished things today, "Yugi stated sounding cheerful as he looked down at his feet that barely touched the ground from his perch. "You no longer look like a dead man, and I avoided being a dead man," He said jokingly.

The teen glanced down at the shopping bags that nearly cost him and arm and a leg to bring to the chamber the sealed vampire inhabited. "I brought the supplies to give you a bath. You desperately need one. I cured the bad breath by brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth out, now it's the body odor's turn. Also-" Yugi leaned over the vampire's head and brushed a small cobweb from the male's golden bangs of hair. "-You're collecting cobwebs in your bangs."

Figuring he had said enough on the subject, Yugi stood up from his seat before going to the plastic bags that contained the items he would need for a task. Just as he bent down though, Yugi froze when he spotted the slow rising of the vampire's chest and the fall that followed, just as slow. The human's heart beat echo in his ear, as he straightened up and gazed at the vampire in shock.

"Did…Did he just take a breath?" Yugi spoke his thought aloud. The seventeen year-old watched the vampire for several minutes in silence, before shaking his head and concluding that he had possibly just imagined the entire thing. But the human's eyes didn't leave male's torso, instead they focused more on the dark brown, nearly black, blood stain around the dagger imbibed in his chest. Not only was this poor male dirty, but he was also in need a change of clothes. Something Yugi didn't bring nor had he thought of.

The human frowned in disappointment. He wasn't going to wash a possible pharaoh, then place him back in old soiled clothing that could pass for rags. He could just leave him bare but Yugi knew for a fact it wouldn't do any good for either of them. Despite having no care if another was bare or not around him, Yugi didn't not want to be flashed every time he opened up Pharaoh's coffins. He also figured the other male would like something to keep him warm and hide his nakedness from others, Yugi knew if their roles were reversed, he'd hope for the same.

Thinking about where he could find a pair of clothes, Yugi's mind remembered the chamber filled with odd items, and the human felt the urge to search for something the vampire could wear there. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to search the room full of priceless artifacts, but figured since he had nothing else to try, he would go hunting for clothes in the clutter of the large chamber that concealed the one he was in now.

"I'm going in the other room to look for something for you to wear. I'll be back," Yugi informed the vampire while his right hand went to grab his concealing stone that hung loosely around his neck. Giving the Vampire one last look, Yugi quickly left the male to venture into the room holding the variety of items from different time periods.

---

Yugi's search for clothing was taking him much longer than he originally thought. Mostly because his mind became sidetracked with each new item he picked up. He just couldn't keep from examining the unknown items from eras way before the current present time. It was only after he had combed through nearly half of the items piled in the room, did Yugi finally find some clothing that thought were suitable for his nameless 'friend'. The human had gathered a cream-colored linen shenti, a deep red sash along with a golden belt to hold it in place, a matching red cloak and a brightly decorated matching wesekh collar to hold it in place. The human also located a simply made loincloth before he concluded his search for clothes.

Happy with the items he had found for the vampire, Yugi returned to the room that resembled an Egyptian King's inner tomb chamber. The human was quick to reopen his passage way to the sealed chamber, enter it, then close it right afterwards. Yugi no longer had to hold his breath as he travel in between rooms, the trainee had taken care of that little problem last week by disposing of the rotting flesh.

When his violet eyes landed on the unconscious form of the vampire, Yugi pressed his lips together in a thin line. His mind suddenly starting to regret not finding something to cover the man's torso, however, it was pushed to the back of his mind he reassured himself it would be easier to dress him since there was an ancient knife stuck in the fool's chest.

Placing the clothing items gently on top of his schoolbag and out of the way, Yugi pushed up the sleeves of his white button-up dress shirt. The human was already squatted down low to the ground, pulling the jugs of warm water out from plastic bags, followed by soft hand towels.

"I found you some clothes," Yugi said sounding dull as he pulled out a small pail that children use to play with in sand. "I didn't find anything for you to wear on your chest, mainly because I wasn't sure how I would even dress you with it. I'm sorry," The young teen spoke with sympathy as he filled the small pail with warm water, before searching his bags for the travel sized bathing kit he bought.

Smiling with victory once he found the three bottles wrapped in plastic, Yugi couldn't help but laugh lightly at the scent of the body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. All three were a sweet Shea butter and almond scent for ladies. When he had first bought it after school, he felt terrible because it was the only body washing travel sized kit available at the convenient store he went to. Though now he found it humorous to be using such 'girly' smelling soap on the masculine man. He just hoped the vampire wouldn't mind it too much.

After squirting a reasonable amount of body wash into the pail of water, Yugi mixed it with his hand and moved it to the side so it wouldn't get spilled as he undressed the immobilized vampire. A task Yugi knew was going to take a bit of maneuvering on his part.

"I'm going to start taking off your clothes now…I'll be careful," Yugi spoke gently to the vampire, running a soothing hand through the male's dirty hair. He could only imagine the things running through the mind of the vampire he was doing his best to help. The vampire must be cursing at him mentally with hate and anger, or appreciating his help. With steady hands, Yugi started to unclasp the golden bands on the arms, neck and legs of the sealed vampire. With the old metal off of the vampire's skin, Yugi's hands went to remove the two golden belts that were secured on the vampire's hips. They felt around the smooth surface of the elegant pieces jewelry, before find the ridges that indicated their end and beginning. He unfastened the belts with care, being careful not to damage them as he placed it on the floor to join the other golden items. All that left Yugi with, was getting the knee-length sleeveless tunic off of the vampire's body without doing any harm to the area around the dagger.

Thinking of the quickest way to remove the clothing from the vampire, Yugi started to pull at the seams of the tunic gently, ripping the old linen with ease. Little by little the linen gave way, and eventually Yugi had tore the tunic down the side from its neck line to the bottom. Slowly, the human started to pull the tunic off of the front side of the sealed vampire's body. He gently eased the dagger's hilt through the hole it had created in the linen before slipping it all the way off.

Violet iris were locked on Pharaoh's chest as Yugi's brain slowly registered what it was seeing.

Painful. That was the only word Yugi's mind could think of as he gazed at the effects of the dagger. Veins were bulging underneath the beautiful tan skin Yugi admired, throbbing with an unnatural and erotic heartbeat. There was a nasty black discoloration of the veins that looked like a chaotic spider web over a large portion of the vampire's chest, however, that wasn't the worse part. No, the actual area the dagger had been thrust into was the most pitiful sight Yugi's eyes had picked up on. Blood that had poured from the wound had hardened around the dagger into a black crystal like form, keeping it in place and preventing it from being removed. The vampire's skin w was slowly rotting away from the dagger, leaving a gaping hole in his chest with the connective tissue and muscles visible and exposed. Unknowingly, Yugi reached his hand out to touch the crystallized blood, only to find it warm and wet. Not cold and dry, like he had predicted it to be.

The human felt the muscles around his stomach start contracting as his heart quickened its pace as he pulled his hand back and found bright crimson blood staining the tips of three of his five fingers. His eyes refused to look away from the blood on his fingers and his chest started to ache. This seal wasn't like the others Yugi had read about. No, this seal had the purpose for killing its victim slowly. Or at least that's what Yugi concluded by the way the vampire's body was reacting towards the magic that inflicted it. Not even the few seals he was taught to use in emergencies could do this much damage. In fact, Yugi didn't think any seals used by a human could cause this much damaged to a vampire. It had to be inflicted on this male by another one of his species, but why? What purpose had this man been place under such a cruel spell?

Yugi so badly wanted to release the vampire from his seal. Although his mind warned him against it, repeating over and over in his own head that the beast could still be craving blood. But how long would he have to wait? Would it be days, weeks, months or years before he could finally allow this person live his life again? Yugi looked down as he wiped the blood on his fingers off on his navy blue pants. His violet eyes spotted the small bucket full of warm soapy water and it instantly reminded him of the task he had been previously doing before…before… The human bit his lip and pushed the negative thought to the back of his mind. He was sure the vampire was bound to be cursing him out mentally. He hadn't said a word since removing his clothes, nor done anything since.

Yugi grabbed one of the soft wash towels and soaked it in the warm soap water before wringing it out. He stood up straight and avoid looking at the vampire's chest as he moved closer to the male's face. He gently started to wash the vampire's face with light gentle scrubs. "Sorry… I… I got startled by the dagger in your chest. Whom ever did that to you…I hope they received the justice for harming someone so cruelly."

Yugi's voice was barely a whisper, thought he knew the vampire could still hear his words. He continued to wash the vampire's face with the soapy water till he deemed it clean. He placed the small towel into the pail of soapy water before grasping a new one and one of the two-liter jugs of warm water. Carefully, Yugi doused the towel with the water, before setting the jug back on the ground and went back to scrubbing the sealed vampire's face free from both soap suds and dirt. It amazed Yugi how much the vampire's skin seemed to glow in the dim light after it had been cleansed. It made him wonder briefly if it made the vampire feel as refreshed as he look.

Yugi smiled as he placed the wet washcloth on the side of the golden sarcophagus before squatting down to grab a third towel. Once in hand, Yugi stood up and started to gently pat the vampire's face dry so he wouldn't catch a cold, odd as that might be, Yugi was concerned the other could still get sick despite being trapped under a seal.

The human wasted no time and quickly started to repeat the process of his sponge bath method to Pharaoh's neck, shoulders and arms. He worked the stiff muscles as he scrubbed the vampire's beautiful copper skin clean. His scrubbing became gentler as he reach the vampire's torso, he washed the delicate skin on the sealed vampire's chest in a slow swirling motion. He avoided the swollen black veins and the left side of the vampire's chest altogether, just skipping to the male's toned stomach where Yugi was greeted by well-defined abdominal muscles.

When the time came for Yugi wash the unknown male's genitals, the human had a hard time keeping his face from turning red. Several times he had to remind himself that this was not the first time was had washed another man's private regions. Yugi had washed his grandfather twice like this, two years ago when the old man had his hip replacement surgery. The memory made the young male shiver to his core as did his best not to cause any unwanted 'problems'. As soon as he had finished washing the vampire's genitals, Yugi quickly placed his wash towels down and cover dressed the man in the loincloth he had found. Lucky for Yugi, it wasn't too hard to tie the simple piece of cloth. Though if he tied it right or not, was completely oblivious to the human. He just wanted it to cover up the other male's penis, instead of having it out in the open.

Yugi quickly finished washing the rest of the vampire's body, excluding his untamed hair. The human reclaimed his seat on the marble pedestal holding up both sarcophagus and released an exhausted sigh. He used his arms to hold himself ups, before glancing at the pharaoh like vampire and tilted his back slightly for a better viewing angle of the 'sleeping' man's facial features. The way Pharaoh looked now, was like he could open his concealed eyes at any moment. Yugi so desperately wanted that. He wanted to learn what the man looked like with open eyes. He also wanted to know the vampire's name, that why he could stop referring him as 'the vampire' and 'Pharaoh'. It made Yugi feel like he was downgrading the person he was caring for, to a rouge's level. Something he knew was an insult to vampires of all classes.

Yugi squeezed the hand of the vampire he was gazing down at, before he stood back on his feet to start washing the dirty hair of the vampire.

The human hoped that this man wasn't a rogue, or his life was going to ending far too short.

---

Yugi was grateful for the fact he had packed a hoodie into his backpack this morning before school. Washing the seal vampire's hair had proven to be more difficult than he had predicted and the human had mostly gotten the water on himself, rather than on the vampire's wild spikes that were strangely similar to his own. He had succeed in getting it clean, but it had cost him his dry white dress shirt that was a part of his school uniform. But that small sacrifice was for the greater good of the male he was helping. And despite the trouble he went through just to get the vampire's wild hair clean, it had been a fun experience with a beautiful reward.

Yugi tugged on the end of his teal colored hoodie, trying to block out some of the Mid-December chill starting freeze his wet shirt underneath it, as he walked home. The streets of the west side of Domino were deserted. In a strange way, it made Yugi feel relaxed, but it also caused him to pay more attention to his surroundings. It was too quiet in this part of Domino, normally the residences of the area were still driving or walking home from their jobs, but there wasn't a sign of life around. Even the shops and houses had a look of abandonment to them.

A violent buzz from his pants pocket made Yugi pause his stride. The human blinked curiously as he looked down at the pocket his cellphone was resting in, as his left hand went to retrieve it.

With his phone in hand, Yugi's large violet eyes looked at the urgent message on the screen on his phone from the IVHA, reading:

'Code RV6-47A05 has been issued. All members and apprentices report to your designated areas.'

Yugi's body tensed slightly. He understood the exact meaning of the code issued out by the Association, something most humans did not. It was the symbols for a warning about a group of newborn rogue vampires had manage to enter the city, or that had been born within the city. It explained why everything looked deserted on this side of town, people were hiding. Everyone, but him. The message must have been released through a broadcasting network while he was leaving the sealed vampire's chambers.

The vampire hunter apprentice cursed under his breath and shoved his phone in his pocket. His hands grabbed the straps of his backpack tightly and he started a brisk pace home. He briefly wondered just how rogues had managed to get into the city. The Vampire Kingdom had a firm grasp on the city borders! Cursing under his breath, Yugi cleared his mind of any distractions and focused on what he needed to do.

'Get home. Get Grandpa into a safe place. Walk, don't run. Don't gain yourself any unwanted attention.'

Yugi stayed out of the light, and tried not to stir his scent too much in the air. He could have used his concealing stone to hide his scent concealed, were it not being used to mask the scent of blood on his ruined school blazer. Thanks to his own clumsiness, Yugi had spilt the leftover blood from the sealed vampire's feeding, which he had bumped up to a pint and half from the pint he had been feeding the vampire for the past three weeks, all over his navy blue school blazer. It was going to be one heck of a conversation he was going to have with his grandpa when it got washed, but that was the furthest thing on Yugi's mind right now. He was focused on getting home safe and getting out of danger.

The human's breath was caught in his throat when he heard the faint sounds of footfalls behind him. Biting his bottom lip, Yugi forced his heart to keep its calm beating. Although it was failing miserably, when another distinct set of footsteps joined the ones already behind him.

The seventeen year old kept his gaze forward, head up confidently as he quickened his pace. His ears were focused in on the footfalls trailing him, trying to decipher if they belonged to a human or one of the deadly creatures of the night. He couldn't tell though, the strangers trailing him were making it hard for him to tell from just footsteps alone. Some were heavy, while others were faint as the wind's whisper. It caused Yugi to curse in his head as he turned left and started traveling down a road he hoped was more populated than this one.

His hopes had died just as quickly as they had appeared, when Yugi found this street too, was empty from any pedestrians. The teen with gravity defying hair walked normal as if nothing was wrong, although his heart was racing with panic. Worried thoughts made his mind unclear for any rational idea to be conjured, as paranoid scenarios started to clutter it. He held on tightly to the teachings of the International Vampire Hunter Association had implanted into his head, along with the few tricks his grandpa had taught him. Hoping, praying, it would be enough to defend himself and let him live another day.

Yugi remembered both of them telling him to never run when being tracked by a vampire, it would only provoke their chase even more. Yet, with the current situation he was in, the bigger half of his mind was screaming for him to run as if the Devil himself were chasing him.

'Screw it! I'm running!' Yugi thought after he turned right at the next street intersection.

The moment he was on his new path, Yugi's legs surged him forward. The muscles of his lower body were warmed up quickly with each of his panicked footfalls. Lactic acid created a mild burning in his calves and thighs, but it was nothing compared to the beats he had endured with Ushio and his two thug like friends. His chest burned from his lungs being forced to take in the harsh cold air of the outside world. His own harsh footfalls against the pavement of the side-walk, was all Yugi could hear. It created a false hope that he was outrunning his stalkers. It even made the young male turn his head over his shoulder to see if had lost them. The distraction caused the human's lithe body to smack into an object that was hard as a stone wall.

The force of Yugi's impact, caused the human to tumble to the sidewalk with a painful groan when the new aches and pains erupted in his body. When Yugi manage to sit up and open his violet eyes to gaze at what his body hit, Hell froze over the teen's world.

Tetsu Ushio, in all of his chaotic glory, was hovering over Yugi. As if he didn't already look like junior-high student, Ushio with his oversized build made Yugi look like a primary school student. With hair black as coal, skin like pale cement, and eyes bright red like the fires in Hell; Ushio was a man who struck fear into the hearts of his normal victims before evening uttering word. His method of drinking from humans was weeks of constant mental and physical abuse until they broke and gave in to him. It had worked every single time he had applied the method beside with just one human. Word had got out that Ushio was losing his touch because of the one little human who was able to tolerate his abuse, had yet to cave in after the normal two-week period. Instead Yugi had made him drag out this game of his for a painful five weeks, and still the human had refused to give in. It sicken Ushio that a human was beating him at his own game, and Yugi was aware of that.

Instead of making a rush to get up or try to run again, Yugi simply smiled up at Ushio with the grin he used every day to greet his friends and classmates. "Hello Ushio, how are you this evening?" The human tried his best to act casual as he tilted his head slightly back to get a better view of the vampire's face. He immediately wish he hadn't when he got a good look of Ushio's eyes.

The whites of his eyes were fading into black, they had already achieved a dark gray look to them. His irises were glowing a blood-red in the dim light of the night. It was a dead giveaway of the signs of a vampire turning into a rouge. Those deadly eyes made Yugi briefly think of the vampire he was caring for. What if Pharaoh's eyes were like Ushio's? Dead and beautiful at the same time? The eyes of a true killer.

"Oh I'm well, Yugi. In fact, I was just making my way to the game shop your grandfather owns to see if you wanted to 'play' tonight. But, it looks like you came to me instead. Isn't that nice of you?" The vampire spoke with a sinister smile as he gazed down at Yugi, licking his lips.

Yugi gave a nod of his head as he pushed himself up off of the sidewalk, ignoring the protest in some of the muscles in his legs. "Well, I wouldn't say came to meet you…" Yugi began, while he put distance in between him and Ushio, backing away cautiously. "I was on my way home from the arcade and just happen to run into you."

The human's violet eyes glanced past Ushio noticing the black and red eyes of the monster's goons. No wonder the attacks on his personal being began to become later and later in the day. All three of them were not far off from becoming rouges. "I wouldn't mind it if you just let me not 'play' today. I have a lot of homework that needs to be done."

Yugi started to backing up farther and farther away from Ushio. When he deemed it a safe distance, he pivoted on his heel and prepared himself to sprint away from his bully, however, Yugi was deprived that chance when the other two rogue vampire who accompanied Ushio, where in front of him in a blink of an eye. The human quickly back away from the two, putting an even amount of space between him, Ushio, and the other two vampires. He was trapped.

Ushio's dark laughter made Yugi's heart skip several beats from fear. He held onto the straps of his backpack even tighter, debating on what to do while his eyes flicker back and forth between his captors. Though he wasn't given much time with Ushio's annoying voice broke his concentration.

"Are you scared? Are you? You should be, you pathetic little brat! Tonight is the night your cute little baby face will be erased from this world! By the time I'm finished with tonight's 'game', everything will have ended for you!"

Yugi clenched his jaw and grounded his teeth together as he fought off the fear Ushio was trying to implant in his mind with compulsion.

Yugi thought of every possibility he could, but nothing could prove to be good enough for an attempt of an escape that would succeed against three mad vampires. The human could feel his mental strength giving way to Ushio's fear and that scared him even more than the fear Ushio was trying to compel him feel. The human's breathing started to become distressed as he realized that this could be his last moments alive. Though he reminded himself that he couldn't die like this, he still had a mission to complete. If he did die, it would be at the hands of Yami Sennen or a member of IVHA. He would not die here. Yugi refused to!

The human did his best to get his fear under control again. He thought back to the calm feeling that he felt with the sealed vampire and the warm feeling his friends gave him in times of need, keeping it in his mind as he shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and placed it on the ground.

"I'm scared, but not because of you," Yugi calmly stated allowing his fear to be ebb away as he spoke. "I'm more afraid of what my friends will think, if I was found on the streets looking like roadkill." He gave Ushio a falsified confident grin, "I know scarier vampires than you, Ushio. I'm intimidated by you, yes. But scared? Ha! Every day I talk to vampires that a hundred times more terrifying than you!" Yugi said confidently, standing feet shoulder width apart and his arms folded over his chest as he glared at his bully. "In school, I sit next the leader of your race. You know that right? You're nothing compared to him."

"Those puny nobles and purebloods are nothing but fools! None of them are stronger than myself!" Ushio commented arrogantly as started to crack his knuckles. "Yami is only the leader because he was a good fuck for the previous pharaoh, who died by a human's hands, ha! The very creatures he wanted to 'coexist' with, got him killed. All because he found one that was a looker and could ride dick well. He just couldn't resist trying to appease you lowlifes. If I was leader, I would enslave every last human and drink the blood of humans every day without showing them mercy."

Yugi shook his head at Ushio's words. It was true Yami had been the previous king of the vampires' lover, but Yugi highly doubted that the man had died by a human's hands, the man had gone missing per say the high school's history textbooks. Only Yami and the royal court knew what truly happened to the previous leader of the vampire race. "Ushio, that way of thinking will just get yourself killed! You're already on the verge of becoming a rogue vampire, stop before it's too late for you!"

Pain erupted in Yugi's core as a punch with the force of a freight train, crashed into his stomach. The pain caused Yugi's knees to buckle and force him to kneel on the ground as his arms cradled his lower torso. Coughs echoed in the silent night over load laughter from the rogue vampires, causing Yugi to swear violently under his breath.

The human glared at his attackers, before trying to stand on his feet, however,he was forced back to the ground when a sidekick to his kidney area, made his body and the ground eager to get to know each other better. A cry of pain came from the human along with more coughs as he laid on the ground, though Yugi refused to just lay still on the ground. He wanted to stand up for himself, and fight back. Although he loathe violence and was not much of a fighter, Yugi figured it would be better to defend himself, rather than let these monster stomp on him like he was a bug beneath their shoe. They weren't living beings with a sense of morality. Ushio and his friends were beyond saving now.

When he was on the balls of his feet, Yugi spotted a kick from one of Ushio's fiends aiming for his stomach. The human ducked low and used his right leg to sweep his attacker's own leg. Yugi was rewarded with a harsh thud as the vampire fell to the ground hard. There was no time for Yugi to celebrate, however, as the other rogue with Ushio tried to rush him with a right hook to the head. It was too easy for Yugi for block with his left arm and jab his knee into the vampire's growing. It was a dirty tactic, hitting a man in his 'baby maker', but everything was fair game when it was a life or death situation.

With the two men down for the count, Yugi had planned on running for it until he found himself in an unbreakable hold just moments later. His arms were pinned to his back by someone's death grip, while a large calloused hand was pressed against his neck firmly.

Hot breath ghosted past Yugi's ear as a set of dried cracked lips pressed against the shell of one of his sensory organs. "Game over, brat."

---

His body was a bloody, swollen, and bruised mess from the nonstop beating the rogue vampires were giving him as Ushio held him still. Everything hurt, everything throbbed and nothing was left free from pain. Even so, Yugi refused to give up. The human was determined to live, determined to outlast the vampire that were tormenting him. He never stopped struggling to get free from his captor.

When the barrage of punches and kicks had finally stopped, Yugi was relieved when Ushio's grip had loosened. It gave him a chance to escape from the monstrous creatures.

Waiting only a brief minute after the beating had stopped, Yugi mustered all the strength he could to elbow Ushio hard in the stomach. There was a loud grunt, followed by the hands on Yugi's arms and neck disappearing. With his body free from Ushio's grip, the human forced his legs to sprint away from the scene as fast as they could carry him. but it was a wasted effort.

Yugi was only able to make it about three feet before Ushio's massive body tackled him to the ground. The human tried to avoid from his head hitting the ground though he only succeeded in doing to opposite. With a sickening smack, Yugi's head hit the sidewalk. Blood pooled on the bed of his tongue, while there was dull ringing sound in Yugi's ears. His vision was distorted as the world spun around him, the human tried to focus on the closest street light, hoping the world would stop rotating around him.

"You just bought yourself a one way ticket into hell, Yugi Mutou," Ushio spat out as his tongue slipped out of his mouth to lick the left side of Yugi's neck.

The moment Ushio's slimy muscle came in contact with his skin, Yugi lost it. His body began to quake, his confident and strong façade broke and Yugi's final pieces of hope began to crumple. This was it. He was going to die, despite having given his all to prevent such a thing happening. His strength had been extinguished and he couldn't out run his of frustration and fear threatened to fall from his eyes. He was going to lose this game, despite having won so many rounds before this last one.

Yugi's violet eyes caught sight of blurry dark figure several feet away from him and his attackers. As a last resort the seventeen year old began to squirm underneath Ushio's weight and screamed to gain the stranger's attention. "H-Help! Help me! Please, I'll do anything!"

"There's no one here that's gonna help you, pretty boy. Now just stay still and cry for you mother," The rogue vampire chuckled darkly against Yugi's neck and pressed his fangs against Yugi's skin, taunting the human for what was to come.

His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ear and Yugi couldn't help but try to move his neck away from Ushio's mouth and protect it from its pending doom. The human's eyes stung and his cheeks became damp, but he refused to let Ushio or his thugs see the tears that stained his face. He wouldn't let them see his weakness. He wouldn't let them think they won. Because Yugi wasn't going to give up, not until the very end.

"Please! Anyone, please help me!" He cried out once more, eyes focused on the dark silhouette in the distant.

Two screams was released in sync after Yugi's plea. The human had barely heard the sounds, before a warm liquid had splashed onto his cheek. Violet eyes grew wide with terror and he struggled even more against the vampire on top of his body. Yugi heard Ushio growl low in his chest, vibrating against the human's back and felt Ushio sit up, but the vampire still had him pinned down to the ground by his thighs. It gave Yugi false hope that the other was going to leave him alone.

"I'll come back to you shrimp, let me take care of this thorn in my side-" The rouge vampire's word became painful gurgles and moans that were meant to be words, words which Yugi now couldn't understand.

Yugi was confused by the painful groans coming from Ushio and jumbled up words, but his mind didn't dwell on it. With Ushio currently distracted, Yugi managed to pull his legs free from Ushio's hold with a few strong tugs. The moment his body was able to move again, Yugi struggled to his feet and quickly moved away from Ushio and towards his schoolbag. The human didn't look back as he struggled to get to the bag. Only when he had reached his bag, did Yugi dare to turn his head and look back at the vampire that was attempting to kill him.

The round violet eyes that were nearly swollen shut, widened when Yugi manage to recognize the person with their fingers buried deeply into both sides of Ushio's neck. It was blurry image, but Yugi knew the wild tri-colored spiky gravity defying hair and pale skin.

It was the pureblood vampire, Yami Sennen.

As if the other vampire didn't know Yugi was watching, which the human knew the other was aware of, the pureblood twisted Ushio's head pulled. Not a second later, Yami was rewarded with beheading the rogue vampire with the sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones crackling.

Death was something Yugi was used to hearing and thinking about. He had been told countless of times that his fellow trainees had passed away and others. He's attended funerals and even saw his share of dead bodies. But the young human had never witnessed a person dying. Especially not in the way Yami had just killed Ushio in. Tears cascaded down the human's cheeks and his hand quickly covered his mouth as he watch the traumatizing event.

Blood stained the street in a thick crimson pool that only grew as Ushio's body spewed blood from his neck as it fell over. Yami dropped Ushio's head, letting it fall to the ground and roll. Unable to look away, Yugi watch with horror as the disembodied head of his attack joined the grotesque sight of his comrades.

The two vampires that had been accompanying Ushio were no more. They weren't even whole anymore. Yami had dismembered them, spilling as much blood as possible. Blood was flowing into the nearest drainage hole in a metallic red river. Arms and legs had been tossed into the street, the heads of the vampires were at Yami's feet, while their torsos were bits of bone and flesh scattered across the sidewalk. Or at least, that's all Yugi could assume it was, he didn't want to think about what the pureblood had done with their internal organs. Slowly, the pool and river of blood expanded, touching the tips of Yugi's shoes.

Unable to handle what he was witnessing, Yugi dropped to his knees and bent over at the stomach as he vomited into his hands. Gastric acid, his lunch from school, and blood flowed from his mouth and hands down to the concrete ground. Yugi simple stared at the foul mixture, unable to look at anything. His teenaged mind was strong, but not strong enough to deal with sight of a bloodied battlefield. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think about anything about how Ushio's head been easily riped off his body like Yami had been uncapping a soda bottle.

It wasn't until the sight of black boots with faint traces of blood on them appeared in his vision, did Yugi look up. His terrified violet hues met sadistic crimson irises that sent Yugi's heart into a frenzy. The human immediately tried to back away from the pure blood vampire, however, his legs refused to moved as the trembled with pure fear.

He should have been thrilled with being this close to Yami Sennen. After all, his mission was to get close to the vampire kingdom's currently leader. But there wasn't an ounce of joy in Yugi's entire being as he was knelt in front of the pure blood. Yugi only felt fear from the other male's presence. Nothing about Yami made him feel safe or joyful. The vampire before him had the appearance of a demon, a starved one at that.

When the vampire's body knelt so his eye level was level with the human's, the world went cold for Yugi. Yami's blood covered hand reached out and tilted Yugi's head back, and the human stopped breathing while his body trembled and his mind realized that he was not going to survive this.

Never, never had Yugi felt as weak as he did now, with his life in the hands of a leech. He couldn't remove his eyes away from Yami's piercing red ones, as if it was some hypnotic trance. Slowly he felt his body unwillingly relax and his mind go clouded. A soft voice in Yugi's mind was cooing for the human to sleep, his eyes were all too willing to obey as they started to drupe with exhaustion. The teen was just about to give in to sleep, when a spark in his mind went off.

Automatically, Yugi's eyes went back to being wide opened before he Scrambled to his feet and backed way from Yami as much as he could. "Stop it! Get out of my head! Get out! Get out! GET. OUT!" The human scream as loud as he was able to, pressing his palm against his temples while squeezing his eyes shut. "Stop it! I refuse to do what you want me to do!"

Yugi's protesting had caught Yami of guard. When the human had reopened his violet hues, he surprised to see the shocked look of a now standing pureblood vampire. He noticed the crimson irises flickering with mixed emotions, before they hardened into a narrowed stare. "How did you know I was using compulsion?"

"My…My best friend is vampire. Have you forgotten that?" Yugi answered the pureblood with a soft whisper, his breathing still uneven with no pattern to it. Although Yami seemed to not mean any harm, Yugi refused to let his guard down, he refused to be calm.

Yugi seen Yami's lips move but failed to hear the sound of the red-eyed male's voice. The action made Yugi uncomfortable. A pale hand reached out towards him, but Yugi was quick to grab Yami's wrist with his own hand before the vampire could touch him. Just as Yugi had grabbed Yami's wrist, the human found his hands being held above his head and his body being forced back till the human's back hit a brick wall. Yugi struggled against Yami's viper like grip.

"Let me go!" Yugi snapped, trying to pull his hands free from the vampire.

Yugi was answered with silence from Yami. Though as he examined the face of the vampire, Yugi notice it was strained as if Yami was fighting against something or he dealing with a look quickly dissolved as the vampire started to lean forward.

Instantly, Yugi began thrashing in Yami hold when he noticed the vampire starting lean closer to him. He heard the predator growl in annoyance as his grip tightened on both Yugi's wrist and chin. "Relax." Yami spoke in a honeyed tone.

Unwillingly Yugi's body relaxed, though his mind was still as restless. Yugi drew in a sharp breath and would have shaken violently if his body would have listened to his mind. "W-What did you do to me!?" Yugi asked his voice unnaturally even as he stared at Yami with terrified wide violet eyes.

"I made your body relax, it'll be easier this way…." The vampire trailed off as he nuzzled the left side of Yugi's neck with his cheek and nose.

"Stop it!" Yugi's voice cracked as Yami started to lick his neck in the same fashion as Ushio, however, it wasn't as rough or taunting. Before Yugi could open his mouth again, Yami had used his free hand to cover Yugi's mouth like a muzzle.

Immediately, Yugi started screaming his protests into the hand, trying to make Yami release him or draw attention to them. The human tried to kick the vampire, but he couldn't feel the lower half of his body. In fact, he couldn't feel any part of his body from his neck below. It was strange feeling that sent Yugi's mind even more into turmoil.

His fear, unfortunately, was completely wiped from his mind the moment a burning pain exploded on the side of his neck. He was being pierced by not one set of fangs, but two. Yugi could feel it as Yami's fangs sink deeper and deeper through his skin and muscles until they pierced his carotid artery. Only then, did the pain ease up slightly as Yami's venom started to numb the area. The human felt Yami retract his fangs from the small holes that he had created in the side of Yugi's neck, before he started to suck on the flesh and extract Yugi's blood.

The vampire had only took one mouthful, before Yugi started to feel light-headed. His pulse slowly throbbed at the back of his skull while Yami drank heavily from his body. "Please…stop," He spoke weakly against Yami's palm, hoping the vampire would listen to him, but no such thing happened.

After Yami's second mouthful, the vampire pulled away from Yugi's neck and closed the wounds he had created by flickering his pink muscle over the four tiny holes in the human's neck. Relief flooded Yugi's mind. He was still alive. Somehow, he had managed to survive and was still living.

He would be able to go home and see his grandpa again-

Yami's fangs sank back into the flesh of his neck for a second time. This time more painfully.

The human's screams were muffled against the vampire's slim hand. Yugi felt his body burn with the heat of Yami's venom entering his body for a second time, but the heat was slowly extinguish as more of his blood was stolen from him. Causing the human to grow cold. He was bitten for a second time… a second time! Yugi felt his body grow heavy, but his mind still functional and vividly alert. A second time being bitten meant his fate was he survived this, Yami would be forced to take him as a feeder. The leader of the vampire race couldn't undo what he had done. He also, couldn't ignore his own law. Yugi was going to be stuck as Yami's feeder until he died.

After Yami had pulled away and healed the puncture wounds, Yugi's neck still burned with a painful fire. It was the only feeling he felt in his entire body as his mind became dull and his spirit defeated. The painful scorching sensation made Yugi think he had fallen into the deepest pit of Hell. Which, he might as well have been thrown into in actuality. He was going to be a feeder, he couldn't reverse that. He was going to living a condemned life now, the hunters, the ones he had trained with, would soon be after his head. He would be marked as a traitor soon.

Something dropped to his the eyes he hadn't realized he had closed, Yugi had to physically look down to notice it was his arms. When he glanced back up to look at the male that was only taller than by inches, Yugi was stunned to see Yami covering his mouth with a hand and several meters away. The human tried to stand up straight without using the wall behind him as support, only to have his legs give out from underneath him.

"Damn it! It wasn't… I can't believe...Fucking Hell!"

A cursing voice brought Yugi back to his senses. It took several seconds for Yugi to even realize he had fallen, let alone to figure out his was on his side on the cold concrete. His mind had blacked out without the human even noticing.A dull throbbing erupted throughout the seventeen year old's body, which made it hard for Yugi to use his limbs. Yugi opened his mouth to call out for Yami to come help him, but voice that came forth wasn't his.

"Prince!" A disembodied voice that held nothing but concern for Yami, echoed loudly in Yugi's ears. So much, it was causing the human a headache to join the other aches and pains he had.

Yugi forced his eyes to focus. He noticed a pacing pair of legs in black leather, and figure in white robes approaching the pacing person at a brisk pace.

"There you are, the rest of the court has been looking for you. There are rogue vampires on the loose it's not safe for you to be… Well never mind it seems you've taken care of them yourself."

Yugi had turn his head and strain his eyes just to see Yami shrug his shoulders and look away from the figure in white robes, which was now turning into a blur of white due to Yugi's failing vision. The unknown voice started speaking again, this time too soft for Yugi to make out words. It displeased him, he wanted to know if this new comer was threat to him or not. He so badly wanted to rest and give into the growing darkness, however, he could hardly do such a thing lying on the sidewalk in the middle of December after getting mauled by vampires.

The human closed his eyes as the small headache had erupted into a massive migraine, in hopes it relieve some of the pain. Finding it to of no help, Yugi reopened his eyes, only to find himself face to face with an unknown face.

Yugi jumped and his eyes did a quick scan of the person in front of him. Sharp gray eyes, a slim sharp nose, thick eyelashes and odd markings on the corner of the stranger's eyes, Yugi's mind was quick to match the stranger's face to one of the men in the profiles Pegasus had supplied him with. This man, Yugi recognized as just simply Mahaad, one of the six members on the royal court. He had been the late pharaoh's best friend, at least, that's what the profile had said. Yugi didn't coward away from the man, instead he welcomed the vampire's close contact as he gently touch Yugi's forehead. From the background information that he had on Mahaad, the man was only to be feared if provoked in the wrong way. Yugi trusted to information Pegasus had given him, hopefully this male could help him get away from Yami for the time being.

Yugi observed the light frown on Mahaad's face, before he stood and moved away from Yugi to face Yami who still was pacing some distance away from Yugi. "Prince, you've done no harm to him. He was just in shock when you lost control. I'm sure he'll be fine once he's calmed down and has a good night's rest. For the mean time we need to get the human to Isis, otherwise he may succumb to his injuries."

Yugi's mental resolve crumbled at Mahaad's words. "I am going to die?" He had to force the quiet words out, but their meaning was just as powerful as if he had struggled to get them out.

Yugi watched as the noble vampire turned around and gazed down at him with an unsure face. The Egyptian priest looked perplexed as he struggled for words to reply with. "I..I'm not entirely sure. My anatomy and medical knowledge of humans is far from the best. I'm only assuming the very worse so we can get you care quicker."

Yugi was somewhat relieved that Mahaad could barely tell what a human's breaking point was, which meant he could better than the other male thought. The human forced his gaze upwards to look at the dark sky filled with dazzling stars to relax his mind.

"Okay," Was the only reply Yugi gave back to the male as his purple eyes searched the sky for a familiar constellation. A distraction he hoped would keep his mind from being haunted from his hellish experience with Yami.

His stargazing was interrupted when Yami had gently eased Yugi into his arms, carrying the human bridal style. Yugi's eyes flickered to the vampire's face finding it deprived of any emotions as his terrifying red eyes focused on the path he had started walking. Yugi's mind was slightly grateful for Yami's appearance. Although the man had bitten him without his permission, the human concluded it was the rightful payment since Yami, had saved his life. Because of him he could live another day. Hug his grandfather again, talk to his friends, finish his mission and complete his goal to help the seal vampire his life back.

After several minutes of Yugi just simply staring at Yami, the pureblood vampire had finally glanced down at Yugi before looking back up and away. "I made you mine…"

The human felt a lump clog his throat from Yami's words and he curled his hands into light first. That was right, Yami had claimed him as feeder the moment his fangs had pierced the human's neck for a second time. The human swallowed the lump in his throat and took in a shaky breath.

Ushio was right, everything had ended tonight. Everything was over now. One slip up, and he would have nothing. No friends, no home, no family, and no life. Yugi had treaded on thin ice and fell through. It was only a matter until the sharks gobbled him up. The human could only imagine the horrors that awaited him after tonight. His chances at a normal life, were gone. Now he would have to spend every day gambling with the Devil, until the day he finally did lose. Or at least, until the Devil realized he had already lost several rounds ago.

The human let out a soft laughter that sounded melancholy, at his thought before finally uttering his words of defeat. "Game...Over."

Discovery

Chapter Notes

Definitely not happy with this one, it's more or less a filler chapter, but still important and relevant.

Total word count: 7,958 words.

Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and faves!

Violet eyes gazed up at a coffered ceiling, while Yugi tried to figure out what to do from here. Last night, was a foggy memory to him. He could remember the events and even still hear the voices clearly, but the faces and objects were blurry and the voice where just jumbled sounds to him. Everything had just been too much for his brain to process. Even now, after a sleepless night and hours of solitude, he still couldn't bring himself to expect that he was now the personal 'juice box' of Yami Sennen, the ruler of the Vampire Kingdom.

Despite that though, Yugi was truly grateful to the vampire. Yami had saved him, when he didn't have to. He could have just allowed him to die by Ushio's hand, but he hadn't. The pureblood vampire and a priest from the royal court last night, had also made sure Yugi had been given proper care. Yami had carried his limp body to the Muran estate, much to Yugi's demise, and from there he was given perhaps the best care he had ever experienced from a healthcare worker. But Yugi wasn't even sure if the woman had experience in the medical department. The medical practice she had used on him was by far, the weirdest thing he had ever experienced.

Isis, as Yugi recalled the name of the beautiful tan vampire's name to be, had used magic to cure-all the wounds that covered his body. A warm light had covered her hands as she gently touch the bruising on his pale skin, though her hands had been ice-cold to the touch as she healed the dark contusions on his skin. Although it had taken what felt like a bazillion hours for her to heal each and every last bruise on his body, it saved the human from having to endure four painful weeks of naturally healing. For his cuts and the scraps that the beating had caused on his body, Yugi wished he hadn't been born after the disturbing method of healing.

With every cut he had on his body, Isis had poured hydrogen peroxide on the wounds then forced Yami to seal them by running his tongue over the broken areas of the human's skin. Although the cleaning solution didn't burn him when it was applied, the feeling of Yami's tongue licking him was enough to scar Yugi for life. Apparently Yami hadn't been too fond of it either. With each time the vampire had went to close one of Yugi's cuts Isis had cleaned, the vampire had either gagged, groan, spat, or cursed under his breath. Yugi figured hydrogen peroxide and blood wasn't a tasty combination for a vampire.

The only thing that Isis couldn't heal for him was the annoying concussion he had gained when Ushio, decided to tackle Yugi like an American football player. She only gave him two weak over the counter painkillers and told him not to sleep that night. That was the last thing she had done for him before giving him a full tablespoon of pure nastiness. Yugi would have spat the horrible stuff that was causing his taste buds to suffer, had Isis not place one of her lovely hands over his mouth. She had said it was a 'one time only' thing, until she was able to get the blood replacement shot available for him. Yugi, however, still doubted the women's words.

After Yugi had been full cared for, Yami had escorted him silently to one of the guest rooms. Yugi couldn't remember if the vampire had spoken to him or not before he had left Yugi to himself for the night. If he had Yugi's mind hadn't registered it. Still, it wouldn't have mattered much even if Yami had something to him. Yugi still wouldn't have paid no heed to his words, he had been too wrapped in his thoughts last night to hardly pay attention anyone who spoke to him. Hell, he was still like that now.

The human laid on the dark brown and gold comforter covering the soft queen sized bed he was sprawled on, as he tried so desperately to think of his first move for this 'new game'. How long had he been thinking about what he should do next? All night, most likely.

Yugi bit his bottom lip as he realized he had never made it home for dinner, let alone come home at all. Finally prying his violet eyes from the ceiling, Yugi allowed them to drift to the window, spotting small rays of light soaking through the cream-colored curtains, indicating that it was morning.

His grandpa must be worried sick about him. Rogue vampires had entered the city, Yugi had failed to show up, and no doubt the streets were Yami had murdered the rogues and Ushio at, were still caked in body parts and blood. The old man was most likely thinking that his only grandson, the only family he still had alive, was dead.

Yugi sat up and looked down at his soiled uniform pants and hoodie. While he was now physically unharmed, his clothing told another tale. One that involved blood spills and a few meetings with the ground. His pants could be saved after a few 'spin cycles' in the wash, however, his hoodie was completely ruined from Yami's method of feeding. The entire left side of the teal hoodie's collar was stained a dark red. Yugi had known vampire feedings could get a bit messy. but hell, did Yami really have to ruin his clothing? He had liked this hoodie, and now Yugi was going to have to get rid of the ruined jacket and find a replacement.

With a soft sigh, Yugi laid back down on the soft bed before reaching for his phone in his pants pocket. He mentally prepared himself for having a voice box filled calls from his grandpa, and that was exactly what he a received when his phone revealed his missed calls, voice messages and text messages.

Yugi felt guilt overwhelm his body as he spotted the outrageous amount of missed and ignored messages overloading his phone. One hundred thirteen text messages, forty-seven missed calls, and thirty-three voice messages were awaiting for his attention. A majority of the phone calls had been from his grandfather, while the rest came from Jonouchi, Honda, Ryou, and Malik. His grandfather must have called his friends in hopes they might have known where Yugi was. And knowing them, Yugi figured they must have spent their night outside looking for him.

Yugi was too afraid to look at his text messages or listen to the voice messages left for him. He didn't want to hear or read about the suffering he had caused the people he loved dearly. Instead, Yugi simply wanted to relieve it. He only wanted to soothe his grandfather's worries, and allow his elderly mind to rest. Climbing off the bed, Yugi scrolled through the contacts in his phone until he found his grandfather's number. Yugi hesitated as he walked towards the two large bay windows the room owned.

His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he pressed the call button and held the device up to his ear. Yugi closed his violet eyes to fight off anxiety and tried his best to calm himself. This was just his grandfather after all. Nothing to be fearful or nervous about until after their game of Twenty Questions, then he would have to get an earful of scolding from his grandpa.

Yugi didn't have long to compose himself. On the second ring, the shop's phone had been picked and silence settled over the phone line.

Aware that the shop's phone did not have caller ID, Yugi cleared his throat before he spoke up."Grandpa?"

"Yugi," His grandfather's voice sounded relieved and exhausted but it still held to power to make his anxiety disappear.

"Hi Grandpa," Yugi's body felt a strange sense of relief as he greeted his grandfather.

"Oh thank God you're all right. Do you know how much you had me worried, child? Jonouchi and I have looked all over the streets for you! Where are you, Yugi?" Yugi opened his eyes and started to explore the guest room he was in, bit by bit while he listened to every word his grandfather spoke and cherished them deeply.

The human paused his walk when his grandfather asked him where he was. Immediately Yugi was reluctant to answer, he wasn't sure how his grandfather would react to him being at the home of the vampire leader. The large modernized palace was anything but safe.

"I'm… in a safe place, so don't worry Grandpa," So then why did he call it safe? The human gazed at a picture frame that was deprived of any sort of photo. Yugi frowned at both the silence in his ear and at the fact that someone had neglected to put a photo in the frame.

"Child-" Yugi prepared himself for a scolding when he heard his grandfather's tone and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Tell me where you are! Don't make my stress load heavier. I'm already way past my limit, boy, "Yugi cringed from the angry voice his grandfather used with him. His grandfather hardly ever got angry with him, but it seemed Yugi was starting to make a new habit with igniting the old man's fuse.

Yugi braced himself against the closest wall and sighed heavily. "Grandpa, I can't tell you exactly where I'm at," It was more like he couldn't bring himself to tell the old man where he was. If his grandfather found out he was in the Muran estate, the old man would have a heart attack. "I'm safe. There's not a bruise or cut on my body so please Grandpa, just calm down. I'll be home as soon as possible," Yugi tried to reassure Solomon, knowing very well that he was perhaps going to have repeat those very words several times to get the man to believe him.

"Fine," Yugi smiled as he heard his grandfather sigh in defeat. "If you cannot tell me where you are, that's…okay. " Yugi could tell the words were forced out of his grandfather's mouth. "However, that doesn't excuse you from telling me why you weren't home for dinner last night."

"Grandpa it's a really long story-"

"Yugi Mutou, you better make that long story short then. If I don't know why you weren't home last night in the next five minutes, you can kiss your new Duel Monster's dueling disc goodbye!"

The seventeen year old's jaw dropped in disbelief. His grandpa wouldn't cancel his pre-order, he prayed he wouldn't. That punishment would be even worse than last night! "Okay, okay! I'll tell you, just don't do anything to my pre-order!" Yugi could practically see the smug victory grin on his grandfather's face in his mind. His perverted grandfather never played fair.

Yugi moved from the wall to sit on the edge of the full-sized bed. He kept quiet for a brief moment as he tried to sum up last night into a short story that neglected much of the details. "I was on my way home from the arcade last night and I was confronted by…a group of rogues-"

"Rogue vampires!? Yugi-"

"Let me finish, Grandpa!" The teen snapped slightly annoyed by his grandfather's interruption. Let out a sigh, Yugi mumbled a soft apology to his grandfather, before trying to finish his story without any more interruptions. "Three rogue vampires had been tracking me and the trio confronted me. I thought I was going to die, even with fighting them off, but I was saved by another vampire. I'm grateful for that. He rescued me and because of that, I can live another day," Yugi looked down at his lap. Telling his grandfather that he had been attacked by rogues was the easy part. Now he had admit to his grandfather that now he was some vampire's personal blood bag.

" I...I…" He couldn't say the words. Not to his grandfather, not out loud.

"Yugi my child," Solomon had started to say, but the teen quickly cut him off.

"Ibecamesomevampire'sfeederthatIbarelyknow. YoucankillmewhenIgethome, ifIevergethome! ThisguyisreallyimportantandIhighlydoubthe'sgoingtoletmeout!" His words were jumbled and mashed up together, making no sense even to himself. However, Yugi felt a massive amount of relief flood him after he had voiced the gibberish.

"Child, I have no idea what you just said. Could you repeat that?" Yugi's relief shattered. His eyebrow twitched and a strained smile appeared on his face as his mind registered that his grandfather hadn't been able to understand a word he had said.

"N-No problem Grandpa. No. Problem," Yugi forced himself to say, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. Hopeful this time his grandfather could understand him. "The vampire that rescued me, claimed me as his feeder."

Silence fell over the phone line, making Yugi wonder if he had lost connection to his grandfather. Just as he pulled the phone away from his ear to check his service bars, he heard a yell roar from the speaker in his phone. Yugi was all but frozen by fear as he slowly brought the phone back to his ear. "G-Grandpa?"

"Who claimed you!?" The old man snapped at Yugi.

"I don't…want to say," Yugi said sounding ashamed as he felt the familiar feeling of guilt return to him.

"Yugi, I don't care. Out with it, so I can try to protect you from the Association!" Solomon raised his voice sounding frantic and Yugi knew exactly why. IVHA had a strict policy of no feeders. If a member or hunter in training were to be bitten, they were to be killed. Even if the person wasn't turned or a feeder, they were still killed. He was the only exception or at least, that's what Pegasus had him believing.

"Grandpa I'll tell you later- HEY!" Yugi's head snapped around when his phone was rudely yanked from his hand. The human's round violet eyes widened for just a millisecond before they narrowed at the culprit that stole his phone from him. It was Yami.

The pureblood had his typical poker face on; an emotionless mask that displayed no emotions towards anyone or thing. The only different about it now, was the protective look that glossed Yami's dark crimson eyes.

"Who's this?" Yami asked while pointing a finger at Yugi's phone.

"It's my grandpa, now give it back!" Yugi did his best to try to grab his phone from Yami. Although he was only a few inches shorter than Yami himself, the human still couldn't reach his phone when Yami held it above his head.

"Is he related to you by blood?" The vampire questioned as he gazed down at Yugi with burning red glare. Yugi felt all fight drain from his body when those wine colored eyes met his eggplant colored irises. It was an odd feeling, one Yugi could only prayed that wouldn't be felt every time Yami looked him in the eyes. It made the human want to submit, something Yugi refused to do.

"Y-Yes, so could you please give it back-"

"Hello, this is Mr. Mutou correct?" Yugi's mouth dropped when the vampire had placed the phone to his ear and started to casually speak with his grandfather. Just because Yami was the 'Prince' and the current ruler of the vampire race, did not give him the power to take the phones of humans and start speaking with their grandparents.

As Yami started to parade around the room still talking to Yugi's grandfather in casual tone, Yugi silently glared him down. The human tried his best to make his silent anger known to the other male, but Yami seemed completely oblivious to it. After five minutes of silent glaring getting him nowhere, Yugi stood from the bed and tried to take his phone back from Yami. Just as his hand had grazed the surface of the cellular device, Yami had switched it to the other ear with missing a single word Yugi's grandfather had said and had Yugi's arms pinned behind back with his free hand.

"I understand Solomon. Your grandson will be home before dinner with plenty of time to do his chores. I'll be hanging up now," Yugi squirmed against Yami's grip as he listened in to the remainder of their conversation. The human had paid enough attention to Yami himself after the call, to notice the hand slipping his phone into the rear pocket of his soiled navy blue slacks until it was too late.

"W-What are you doing?" Yugi stuttered as he tried his best to get Yami's hand out of his back pocket. He didn't have to put in too much effort because Yami's hand removed itself just as quick as it had entered, without lingering.

"I was giving you the phone back," The vampire replied, releasing Yugi's arms before moving away from the human to take a seat on the edge of the soft bed.

Yugi rubbed away the soreness in his wrist and arms as he watched Yami cautiously. "Well you could have just handed it back," The human argued looking at the light red fingerprint marks Yami had left on him.

"I could have, but I didn't." The vampire's red eyes watched Yugi's hands rub away the marks he had left on the fragile creature. Although his facial features did not show any emotion, Yugi could see the sliver of regret lingering in those crimson red eyes.

Yugi blinked when he thought he saw Yami's face soften, though he saw no such thing when he refocused his gaze on the male's face. He looked away from the vampire to notice a pile of neatly folded clothes placed on the center of the bed. Yugi felt own coldness slowly ebb away, resulting in a soft exhausted sigh leaving from the human's nose.

"Are the clothes for me?" Yugi asked sounding hopeful as he took a seat on the opposite side of the bed, away from Yami.

"They are. It's some old clothing that I don't wear anymore. The pants might be a little long on you, but the shirt should fit you fine," The pureblood replied his red eyes looking down at the clothes before glance back up at Yugi. His face was still deprived from emotion, but Yugi could hear kindness being hinted at in the 'Prince's' deep voice.

"Thank you," Yugi replied smiling as he reached for the clothes and pulled them into his lap to examine them at a closer range. Yami had given him a simple white button down dress shirt and a pair of black dress slacks. The shirt appeared like it would fit him just fine, however, the pants were obviously going to be too large for the human. It was a good thing their school required the male students to wear black belts, otherwise Yugi would have to be holding the slack up with his hands as he walked.

Silence filled the room as Yami continued just to watch him with his intimidating red gaze. At first Yugi hadn't been bothered by it, but the silence was making the haunting gaze of the vampire unbearable. Yugi did everything he could think of to distract himself from Yami. He twiddled his thumbs, looked everywhere but at Yami, and he even started to count how many photo-less picture frames there were in the room.

"How are you feeling? Do I need to get a healer for you?" Yugi was caught off guard when Yami had broken their silence. When he turned to look at the vampire, he found Yami looking up at the ceiling instead of at him. It pleased Yugi somewhat to know the vampire wasn't looking at him anymore, but it also disappointed him that the vampire refused to show his emotions.

"I actually feel better than I did before I encountered Ushio," Yugi responded to Yami, assuring the vampire that he was fine. "I have you to thank for that, I guess," The human laughed nervously and offered a small smile to Yami, who still refused to look at him. The vampire had only hummed in acknowledgment to his praise, not even bothering with actual words as silence settle of them again.

Not wanting to have to deal with the silence of the room again, Yugi started to bombard Yami with the question that had been plaguing his mind."Why did you help me last night? You could have just left me there to die, but you didn't. Why did you make me your feeder? Why not choose one of the girls at school who practically beg to be your personal blood bank? Why me?" They were silly and typical questions, Yugi knew that. But he had to have them answered. The human couldn't stand having the senseless questions cluttering his mind and preventing him from figuring out how to deal with this mess he had gotten himself in.

Yugi watched as Yami shifted, leaning forward and resting his head in his hand while his elbow was propped on his leg. "I'm still trying to figure those things out myself," The vampire answered sounding unsure. "The biting had been accidental. I allowed my instincts to take control when I was checking your body for broken bones. Marking you as my feeder was the only way I could prevent myself from draining you completely in that moment," Yami answered before he let out a soft chuckle and looking over his shoulder at Yugi. "You told me yourself that I needed some good 'O negative' blood. I just happened to snag some 'AB positive blood' instead."

Heat flooded Yugi's cheeks and there was nothing he could do to stop the bright blush from forming. The human looked away laughing nervously. "I-I did say, d-didn't I?" He stuttered feeling embarrassed that his rude comment from several weeks ago was being used against him.

Louder laughter from Yami cause Yugi's blush to burn brighter and the human tried his best to regain his composure. "Yes, you did, but enough of this" Yami spoke in a tone only Kings possessed as he stood up from the bed and started to walk towards the door. "You need to get dress, we have much to discuss with the court. "

"Wait!" Yugi raised his voice to catch Yami's attention as he stood up from the bed as well.

"Yes?" Yami acknowledged Yugi, turning to face the human with arms crossed over his chest.

Yugi looked down at his black and white tennis shoes as he put his thoughts together, before he lifted his gaze to Yami. Purple orbs burned brightly with confusion as he gazed at the Prince. "Ushio said something last night, something that has me baffled," Yugi started, his eyes observing Yami carefully. "Ushio said the former ruler had died by the hands of a human he trusted. Is that true?"

Yugi instantly regretted his question when he witnessed Yami's physical reaction. The vampire had stiffened, red eyes dilated and Yami became even paler than he already was. Yugi instantly realized the look Yami had on his face that was normally emotionless. It was devastation.

The vampire's head dropped so the golden bangs that framed his face, casting a shadow over his eyes and prevented Yugi from seeing most of his face. "No. He wasn't…he wasn't killed. The human had just…taken him away from us," The pureblood sounded defeated, like he had lost to greatest evil in the world. "At- Our Pharaoh," Yami quickly corrected himself, "Was taken from the entire vampire kingdom, the human kingdom he ruled, and from his loved ones. A mere human cannot kill someone like our king. The human had just… made it impossible for anyone to reach our beloved. Even I couldn't reach him or bring the king back to us…"

Yugi didn't know why, but he found his legs moving his body closer towards Yami's rigid body. His hands had minds of their own as they grabbed a hold of Yami's that had been curled into a tight fist. "I'm sure that when he's ready, your king will return to you. You've been trying your best to keep everyone and everything in order for him, while also awaiting his return so patiently. He's grateful, I'm sure of it. "

Those weren't the words Yugi had wanted to speak, instead they had just came out. None of things he was doing were what he had wanted to do in order to comfort Yami. Not a single one. Nor was this warm feeling of gratitude that was causing his heart to beat twice as fast.

Yugi bent his knees so he could look at Yami's eyes and flash him a kind smile. That had been the plan until his hopeful grape colored eyes met the angry cherry colored eyes that belong to Yami. The smile instantly faded and all traces of the odd feeling that had invaded his body without permission, had vanished. Regret was the only emotion that Yugi felt, as Yami yanked his hands away from Yugi's.

"What makes you think I'm doing all this for him?! To hell with that bastard! He's just being self-centered, laying around and collect dust all day while I'm doing all of his work! And why? Because he was stupid enough to drop his guard! Especially during the revolts! The only reason why I'm even wait for that fool to come back, is so I can make him pay for the three thousand years that I've been forced to live in misery!"Yami spat while turning on his heel and headed for the door.

"Hurry up and get dress, Mahaad will be here in five minutes to escort you to the conference hall. We'll discuss your role as my feeder in there," Yugi dumbfoundedly nodded to Yami's words, too worried he'll say something that he hadn't meant too if he opened his mouth again.

Without another word, Yami had opened the guest bedroom's door and exited with harsh slam following his wake. Leaving a flabbergasted Yugi behind in his wake.

Just what the hell had happened?

---

Dead.

Yugi was emotionally, mentally and possibly physically dead. He now understood the reason why Yami had been so livid by the fact his lover had left him. That poor vampire had to deal with five unrealistically boring people every single day, with topics that were probably less interesting than the one they had discussed; his role as Yami's feeder.

Yugi felt like he was the happiest person on earth when Yami had finally dismissed their meeting after three agonizing hours of introductions, stating the rules, and debates about how he should be treated. Maybe the vampire could sense Yugi's mental health depleting the longer he stayed and listened to the five court members bicker.

Despite the debates, the court members seemed fairly nice to Yugi. He had already met Mahaad and Isis the night before and unknowingly, he had met Shada too. It seemed like the bald headed Egyptian vampire knew Yugi too, since he gave the boy a glare and shook his head rather slowly at him. Yugi made a mental note to apologize to the man for getting him lost and losing Ryou's scent.

Then there were the two Yugi had only been able to read about from the profiles Pegasus had supplied him with; Karim and Aknadin. The two hadn't said much to him when they introduced other than Aknadin who stated that he had been the previous pharaoh's only remaining blood relative. Something which Yugi had learned that Pegasus' profile didn't state. It also made Yugi wonder why Yami was in charge while Aknadin should have been the one to assume the throne.

Though none of that mattered now. What mattered was, how much longer he had until he was going to be able to relax in his own bed again. Yugi so desperately needed sleep, he looked he was part of the undead with the dark circles and bags under his eyes.

When Shada had stopped the 2014 Audi S5 3.0T Cabriolet he had used to drive Yugi home, under the orders of Yami of course, the human had failed to notice they were at his home until the passenger door had opened. The action brought Yugi back to reality where he unbuckled his seatbelt and thank Shada as he climbed out of the car. When the Egyptian vampire handed him his schoolbag, Yugi perked up and smiled fondly at the man as he took the bag from him. The human offered another 'thank you' to the vampire before he all but ran, to the back entrance of Kame Game shop.

When Yugi reached the shops' back door the teen was startled when the door swung open before he could even grab ahold of the doorknob. Immediately, he was pulled inside the rear of the shop and into a crushing hug. Yugi instantly knew who had captured him in the painful hug, there was only one person who he was close with that could cause a hug to be this painful.

"Jou… you're crushing me…"

"I don't care, Yug. Ya deserve this for makin' us worry so much!" The scruffy blonde replied as he effortlessly started to carry Yugi around the shop, heading upstairs with the human still in his death grip.

"Jonouchi, I can't breathe! "Yugi gasped out as he pushed against the vampire's chest trying to get free from his best friend's lung crushing hug.

When the two had reached the official living quarters of the Mutou household, Jonouchi had reluctantly released his small spiky haired friend. However, Yugi wasn't off the hook just yet, as Jou started to search the teen for any damages that might have been caused by his disappearance. Groaning Yugi shoved his friend way playfully as he tried his best to avoid Jou's mothering.

"Yug! Come back here, I want to make sure Yami hasn't defiled ya!" Jou yelled as he started to chase Yugi around the house.

The human dumped his backpack on the dining table before running into the living room where he was greeted by Ryou and Malik, quickly the new feeder jumped on the couch in between the other feeders and used them as his personal shields. "Help, I think he's trying to eat me," Yugi said playfully as he pushed Malik closer to Jou.

"How is feeding me to Jou supposed to help?" Malik protested as he scooted away from Yugi with a smug grin.

Yugi pouted as Malik deprived him of protect, but it wasn't there for long as Ryou stood from the couch to separate Jou and Yugi. "Don't worry Yugi, I'll protect you from Mother Jonouchi"

A roar of laughter filled the house from both Malik and Yugi as Jonouchi blushed heavily from Ryou's joke. The blonde vampire turned his head away, sulking as his best friends laughed at him. "I'm not anyone's Mamma. Ya'll got that?" He snapped before sitting on the couch.

"Y-Yeah, we understand you perfectly Mamma Jou!" Malik said through his laughter stirring another laughing fit from Yugi and causing Ryou to start laughing.

A huff came from Jonouchi as he rolled his eyes at his chuckling friends. "Yeah, Yeah. Keep laughin' at me and call me 'Mamma'. You know 'a mamma' whoops their children's ass right?"

This time all four friends start laughing together again after Jonouchi's comment. By the time their fun had ended, Yugi felt like he had to pee, Malik had collapsed on the floor still having a fun laughs ripple through his body, Ryou was in the bathroom and Jou had a proud grin stretched from ear to ear.

"So Yugi, we heard you're Yami Sennen's feeder now. What does it feel like belong to the world sexiest and most powerful man alive?" Malik asked once his laughter had finally been tamed.

"First of I'm not 'owned by him and second, how do you know about that?" Yugi looked at his friend with confusion.

"Your grandfather told us Yugi. Right before he went out to go shopping, if I recall," Ryou answered him returning from the bathroom while wiping his hands on his pants.

'So that's why he's not here,' Yugi thought to himself before leaning back against the couch. "Honestly, I don't feel any different other than being tired. A woman named Isis told me I couldn't sleep last night, so my energy levels are running extremely low, " He finally replied to Malik's question seeming deep in thought.

"Isis must have been worried that you could have had a concussion. Normally she's all about us feeders getting a proper amount of rest each night, " Ryou responded to Yugi taking a seat on the armrest of the couch.

"What about the biting part?" Jou asked as he sat up looking at Yugi with curious eyes. "Did it hurt?"

The human cringed as he remember the process of Yami feeding from him. Gently Yugi touched the left side of his neck with his fingertips. His violet eyes dulled a considerable amount, as the memory of pain swirled around in his head. "It… hurt a lot. " 'Like Hell's flames had swallowed me whole and then the Devil started to stab my neck with a pitch fork.' Yugi had only said the last part to himself but the way he look, was sure to make his friends realize the tremendous amount of pain Yami had put him through by biting him.

" Really?" Malik spoke up seeming somewhat in disbelief. "I didn't hurt the first time I was bit by Marik, nor any other times for that fact."

"Maybe Yami used his lower fangs by accident," Ryou claimed as he looked at his group of friends with his soft brown eyes. " Bakura said that purebloods have lower and upper fangs, he even showed me his. But he said that technically the lower fangs are for tearing and shredding, not for drinking blood."

Yugi let out a hysterical laugh before covering his face with his hands. "No wonder why my hoodie was covered in blood!"

Jou let out a loud laugh and pulled Yugi close for a side hug. "You got yourself a little piggy, pal!"

"True! But not the biggest one, that title belongs to you!" Malik teased Jou.

"At least I don't have to feed weekly!" The blonde vampire cooed in victory, placing his feet on Malik's back.

"Wait weekly? You mean I have to feed Yami weekly?!" Yugi looked at his friends as if they had just told him the world was ending tomorrow.

"Yes, it was a law passed about ten years ago by the court. All noble and pureblood vampires who have a feeder must feed from them weekly to keep up their strength. Yami had rejected it because it wasn't traditional, but he was overruled by the last Muran family member. It's not that bad, both Malik and I have to feed out vampire weekly. It's actually kind of relaxing in a way," Ryou explained to Yugi with a smile.

Yugi merely shook his head and looked away. "That's easy for you to say. Ryou you have been Bakura's feeder for nearly three years now and Malik has been Marik's for two," The violet eyed boy complained as he used Jou as his personal pillow.

His friends simple looked at Yugi not uttering a word, nothing they would say could help him as he adjusted to the idea of being Yami's feeder.

---

Not long after Yugi's grandfather had arrived back from shopping, Jou, Malik and Ryou had left. The three all had made up excuse for them to leaving, knowing very well their friend need time alone so he could rest. Although Yugi was lacking sleep, he didn't wanted to sleep yet. Instead, Yugi wanted to do a bit of research on the previous pharaoh. He wanted to at least figure out what had happened to the male. The way Yami had worded everything, he made it seem like the previous ruler had willingly left, which didn't settle right with Yugi. The human was lucky his grandfather had an entire study filled with books connected to the royal family of the vampire kingdom and Ancient Egypt. Or else his curiosity would have had to wait until after he caught up on sleep.

It had taken most of dinner time for Yugi to convince the old man to let him use the old study to dig up a little background on the former vampire kingdom ruler, but he managed to do it. The seventeen year old had quickly finished his food his grandpa had fixed, washed up his dirty dishes before bolting upstairs to his grandfather's study.

Yugi wasted no time when he got to his grandfather's study. Although he had little knowledge about the previous ruler of the vampire kingdom, Yugi knew the exact books that he could find a biography on the man. Not having to look to hard to find them, Yugi collected the two books he knew that the pharaoh would be located in and sat down at the wooden desk his grandfather kept a cluttered mess.

The first book Yugi had decide to search through was a massive record book his grandfather had, that had every rule of each vampire king, excluding Yami. Yugi opened the book's cover and he quickly started flipping through the pages, skipping several generations till he reached his goal; the last recorded rule in the vampire kingdom.

The young male was fairly surprise to find the pages of this section of the book looking worn out, however, he was more surprised by the paper he found shoved in the book at the beginning of the Ruler's story. Briefly forgetting about his research on Yami's former lover, Yugi leaned back in the uncomfortable wooden chair he was seated in. The seventeen year old examined the old piece of paper folded up several times so it could be hidden within the book. Knowing the piece of paper most likely he to deal with Yami's past lover; Yugi placed the old parchment to the side, making a mental promise to look at it after he read all he could about this pharaoh.

Atem, Son of the late pharaoh Aknamkanon, is a ruler that will be remember for all of his glorious deeds he did during the short three years of his rule. Inheriting the throne at the young age of sixteen, Atem wasted no time after his coronation and had quickly started to try and improve the human kingdom his family had been ruling for several generations.

Yugi had to reread the two introductory sentences to makes sure his mind had processed the words correctly. Something was definitely wrong with this 'pharaoh'. His history classes at school had taught him that the normal vampire king had ruled for at least a hundred years before either retiring or being killed off, but this king didn't even make it past a human's lifespan! As Yugi continued to read, he was surprised to see how much the former king was able to accomplish in just his first year of ruling.

Pharaoh Atem was a remarkable king, fair and just in his ways. Although he was one of the few remaining in the royal bloodline, the young king never thought much about it. He was a very modest man when it came to his family's power. Never abusing his titles as Pharaoh for the kingdom of Khemet and the King of the Vampire race. The young Pharaoh tried his best not to favor one single species, siding with both vampires and humans and some time, he would choose to remain neutral. He was the king that lessened the rift in between the two races. The pharaoh established rules to insure safety for both humans and vampires, so they could possibly co-exist in the world.

When droughts came, Pharaoh Atem shared his water with the people. When famine struck, he supplied his people with his food and fresh grains and seeds to plant. When a plague started to kill off the humans and taint their blood, he sent out his healers to aid the sick and gave them warm beds. Pharaoh Atem was considered to be a pharaoh of peace during the first year of his reign. However, groups of humans started to raise against his rule shortly after his first anniversary as Pharaoh.

Yugi had skimmed through the second year Atem had ruled, he was already well informed about the revolts the humans created. The International Vampire Hunter Association taught about them to their recruits trying glorify it as what had led to their formation, and school had hit the highlights as apart of their learning curriculum. The rioting was horrible, innocent vampires were killed along with innocent humans that were thought to be vampires. Yugi had never once thought the retaliation against the vampires was a 'glorious thing' instead, he loathed it.

Finally, after several pages of skimming through history he already knew, Yugi found what he was truly after. The last year of Atem's short reign. It held so many answered that awaited to be discover by Yugi. Focusing himself back onto his goal, Yugi resumed reading Pharaoh Atem's biography.

Not long after Atem had defeated Zorc, the pharaoh had announced that he and his mate had took up a human to be their personal feeder. The human's name was Heba. He had been just a common servant with the palace's walls and had worked in the kitchen with the cooks. Heba was the first official feeder Atem had laid claim to, along with his lover.

The human stopped his reading again, soaking in the new details he was learning about. Based on what Ushio had spoken about in his crazy state and what Yami had told him, Yugi concluded that Heba, must have been the human that caused the ultimate demise of the previous pharaoh. Yugi shook his head lightly before letting his eyes focus on the dull pages of the old record book once more.

Heba was given special treatment, he was allowed more privileges as the King's feeder. He was allowed to have his own servants, command servants, access to most of the palace and had been allowed to speak to the king and his lover without having to request an audience. It was known and confirmed by the 'Prince' that Pharaoh Atem, Heba, and himself had a 'relationship' together, which was kept quiet. The Prince claimed the feeder had 'charmed' his way into an intimate relationship with the royal couple, thus lowering their guards. It was a perfect method for getting in close for the kill.

Only two weeks after the Pharaoh's own birthday, Pharaoh Atem had been feeling fatigued. Thinking it was from lack of blood in his system, his court had suggested he feed from Heba. Agreeing, Pharaoh Atem he left to go fetch his feeder. When the pharaoh failed to return to the meeting he had been attending, his cousin High Priest Set and close friend High Priest Mahaad, had excused themselves to look for the pharaoh. When they found the Pharaoh, it had already been too late. The priests were witness to their pharaoh's murder. Heba had jinxed a dagger using a spell only for the use of a high class vampire, and sealed the pharaoh. However, he had perished from performing such a crime shortly after, depriving the pharaoh's people their revenge.

Yugi couldn't wrap his head around the event that ended Atem's reign as king and as pharaoh. He could believe that a mere human that was a feeder, could use a spell created by vampires for vampires to seal off the Vampire King! He just couldn't. There was just no way a human could do something like that.

Yugi closed the record book, sliding it to the side as he picked the old piece of paper he had found in the book. Some of his questions had been answered, but many more had aroused in his mind. One of those question pertaining to 'Pharaoh', the sealed vampire Yugi had been caring for. A question wondering the possibilities of his sealed vampire being Atem.

His mind protested the idea. Although, some of the hieroglyphics in the sealed vampire's chamber told stories similar stories to those written in the biography. The human wasn't sure what to think about the eerie connection. If the man he was working so hard to save was Atem, Yugi wasn't sure what he would do. He wasn't even sure if he could communicate with the male, if he was indeed, Pharaoh Atem. Yugi fiddled with the piece of paper in his hands before unfolding it with a clouded mind. He just didn't know what to do.

When he was finished unfolding the piece of wrinkled paper, Yugi's heart felt like it had stopped beating.

In his hands, was a life like drawing of the sealed vampire he had discovered when he had invaded Yami's home. Nearly everything matched with the memories Yugi had from caring for the vampire. The high cheek bone, the slim pointed nose, the full lips, thick eyelashes, beautiful tanned skin and even small the dimples were present in the drawing! The only minor difference was Yugi's vampire's eyes were closed. The drawing's vampire had open eyes that were a vivid red. Yugi couldn't believe what he had just discovered.

Everything was slowly starting to make sense. Why the vampire had been placed in a faceless sarcophagus. Why so many traps had blocked the main entrance to the tomb like rooms. It even explained why his grandfather had gotten upset him for going near the vampire and warned him never to go near him again.

The vampire was the lost king. It was the beloved Pharaoh Atem.

The Pharaoh.

Chapter Notes

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The sun had yet to rise above horizon when Yami arrived at Kame game shop. The pureblood wasn't sure why his instincts had forced him to wake up from the peaceful slumber he was having. They welling at him, screaming at him that a person was in his room. But nothing had been there when the vampire had checked for an intruder, it was only him and the shadows he had lived with for so many millennia. Unable to go back to sleep, the vampire prepared for his day early and left to go to his ..feeder's home. The was how he had came to stand outside the Mutou household in the bitter cold.

Yami leaned against the glass doors of Kame game shop and tugged his dark navy blue school blazer tighter around his torso. He could hardly tolerate having Yugi as his personal feeder. It wasn't the boy in general, it was just his family that Yami could not stand. They were a family of unfortunate vampire hunters, and he had no doubt that the child he claimed had been aiming to be one too. Many of the Mutou family had been a thorn in his side since he relocated the vampire kingdom's capital to Japan two centuries ago, however, those poor foolish humans had their own turn on them a number of times. Be it because they had been bitten, been seen talking to a vampire, aided a vampire, or had annoyed the leader of the IHVA to the point where he sent them on a suicide mission. It was a family of bad luck.

The vampire closed his eyes recalling the many Mutou hunters he had witnessed being murdered or had seen their dead bodies. Some had been by the hands of his men, a few were killed from swarms of rogues but most of them, were killed by their own comrades. There was a death that he had witnessed perhaps a little over a hundred years ago where a fellow hunter had staked the human in the chest, who had protected Yami from the incoming attack. He was never given a chance to figure out why the human had saved him. The pureblood had tried to do the same for the fool, but either his venom was poison to the young man, or he succumbed to his wound before Yami's venom could reach his heart.

Then there was the most recent death in the Mutou family; the deaths of Takahashi and Tomi Mutou. Yami's jaw clenched tightly when his mind remembered the archaeologist and his wife who was a physician for both humans and vampires. Twelve years ago, Bakura had somehow met the two. It was through him, Yami had ask if the couple would help with reviving his sealed beloved. He clearly remembered the two looking as if they weren't going to accept his offer, yet Tomi had said she would help in any way possible. Takahasi had agreed too, and used his skills to search through records and familiarizing himself with the enchantment keeping the King sedated.

For two years they had worked together in a trio, functioning like a well-oiled machine. Tomi had examined Atem's physical health, Takahasi did his best to track down any records that connected to the human who had placed the Pharaoh in such a powerless state. While Yami, supplied them with anything and everything they needed and also helped Tomi to maintain the King in good health. He remembered the way those two humans made him feel so clearly, it sickened him. The inferior creatures had gave him false hope, made him feel like that he was like a second son to them. He…felt attached to those humans. Like he had once been with Heba before he had sealed him in cold blood.

The Mutou couple had finally came upon a lead, one which Tomi had discovered from analyzing the spell that seal had originated from. Her words were sorrowful, when she announced to Yami that the only way to break the spell was if someone with Heba's blood pulled that dagger out of the Pharaoh's chest or if he was to gain enough power through drinking human blood for the next millennium. Takahasi had spent his final days looking for anyone with connections through a mostly 'pure' bloodline to Heba. When he finally had discovered something, both he and Tomi had been deployed into a sudden field mission by the Hunter Association.

Yami he known those two had joined the IVHA, after all, he was the one who pushed them to do it so they could use their secret files. The pureblood wasn't thinking clearly back then. He didn't think about the outcomes if the hunters discovered those two were secretly working for him. He didn't know if the IVHA had known from the very start or had discovered it in the short year the two had been a part of the organization, but their timing had been very…inconvenient for Yami. He was so close to being able to reunite him and his lover when the order had been issued. Yami had sent men to the area the Mutou's were deployed to and ordered them to search for the couple. He had accompanied the 'mindless' foot soldiers in their mission, but by the time he found the Mutous, it was too late.

It was a very bad day for him. Not only had he 'lost the King twice', he lost all information to even attempt to try to revive him. Takahasi was knocking on Death's door and Tomi not far behind him, when they were found. They had been mauled, covered in bite wounds. Their necks had pieces of flesh missing from a vampire that had tried to rip out their jugular vein. Tomi was crying, using her remaining strength to cradle her husband's head in her bosom while she pleaded to Yami to save her husband. He had tried to save Takahasi with his venom, but much like the first Mutou he had tried to save a hundred years prior to Takahasi, he died before he was able to become one of the undead. Yami had wanted to try and save Tomi next, but she refused. Before the human had the rest of her life force drain out into the ground below her, Tomi had spoke a vaguely about what had happened. Her weak voice still haunted Yami's memory as she told him of her hellish end. The group of hunters they were with, abandoned the Mutou couple and angered vampires had took turns feeding from the two, after they had blindly walked straight into a coven.

Betrayed by their own kind and left to die. That was the entire past of the Mutou family. Their hunters had been thorns in his side when they killed of his men. But they also became deep wounds when their lives were out of reach. He had allowed three different Mutous to die because he hadn't been quick enough to save their fragile lives. Was it his fault that they died? No. Yami didn't see it as his 'fault'. If anything, it was their fellow hunters' fault. They turned their backs on their comrades and killed them like it was nothing. The members of the International Vampire Hunter Association were almost as chaotic as Bakura and Marik when those two killed, but in a much different way. Bakura and Marik never killed in cold blood, however, Yami believed the Association only killed in cold blood.

Not only was the Mutou family blood stained on the hands of the eastern hemisphere IVHA's representative, but they were also guilty of breaking into his home and trying to steal the Millennium Puzzle out of his room on the night of birthday. Yami growled softly at the memory. He should have increased security like Mahaad had suggested. He wouldn't have to smell some foul human otter on the one thing he was able to keep of Atem's, nor would it be in pieces now. His lover's scent still lingered on the magic item, and was something Yami refuse to allow to wither away despite how time wanted to erase it from existence.

After his men had apprehended the culprit for 'tainting' the only piece of Yami had left of Atem, the 'prince' wasted no time on dwelling what he should do to the human. He tossed the rat into his dungeon to rot away with time. Even now, almost two months later; Yami still didn't know if the pathetic human was alive or not and wasn't going to bother with finding out if he was. Again, that fool's death was not his responsibility. He should have known better than to venture into Death's home and think he'll make it out alive while stealing something of great value.

The ignorance of humans appalled him.

The faint sound of a throat being cleared caused Yami to open his eyes and toss an uncaring look over his shoulder to see an elderly man bundled up in a thick tan jacket, bulky blue jeans, and snow boots on. The pure blood's eyes quickly recognized the scowling old man as Yugi's grandfather. Without being told to, Yami stood straight and moved out of Solomon Mutou's way. The current leader of the vampire kingdom relocated himself to stand in front of the iconic red sign of Kame game shop, leaning against it while crossing his arms over his chest.

His crimson eyes watched Solomon with the intensity that a predator had when it was stalking its prey, but Yami's gaze lacked the hostile intentions. Never once did they leave the elder's form as Solomon exited his warm home to sweep the outside of his shop, making it tidy for the business day. Although Yami's eyes were watching the old man, his mind was certainly not paying attention to him. His mind was busy with thinking about things that held no significant purpose.

"Is sitting outside my home in the cold, going to be a habit of yours?"

Yami blinked, focusing his gaze on Solomon, who was casually sweeping the sidewalk while sparing Yami a single glance. "Well are you going to answer me boy or stand there waiting for the end of the world?" Solomon calmly asked Yami after the vampire had yet to say something within the passing minute.

The royal huffed lightly turning his head away from Solomon to look at the sun that had finally started to bless Domino with its warm rays of light. "I have no intentions of telling a human what my habits are. Especial a fool that is a retired hunter," Yami's deep voice sharply answered Solomon, while he closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Watch that tone of yours, boy! You maybe the king of your race, but that doesn't give you the right to be rude to your elders of other races," Solomon forewarned.

"Solomon, you are no elder of mine. My age is far superior to your own."

"Age is but a number, child. It's the maturity from those years you've lived, that makes up your true age."

Yami kept his mouth shut, not having the energy to argue with the stubborn old man. In the past two days since he's claimed Yugi, the 'Prince' was slowly losing all of his energy to put up a fight against the determination of the Mutou family. Yugi being the main culprit why he could barely hold his own in an argument against him or his grandfather. They both always knew how to get the last word in on a conversation, much to Yami's dismay.

When the smell of Yugi's favorite lavender scented bath soap could be faintly detected by Yami's sensitive sense of smell, the vampire released a heavy sigh, disturbing the semi-quietness that had settled between him and Solomon. He had only a few minutes left to prepare himself for his daily never winning battle.

The soft sounds of Solomon's broom bristles scraping against the pavement slowly came to a stop, causing Yami to turn his back towards the man and finding him staring at him with a look of curiosity.

"Speak, Solomon," Yami gave the man permission to speak, although the human didn't need such thing.

Holding on to his broom tightly with one hand while his other settled on his hip, Solomon cleared his throat. "You're giving up the throne," His words were a statement, not a question. "I have a close friend who has a seat in the council. He told me that you will no longer be the 'Prince' in anymore in the upcoming future."

Yami noticeably flinched from Yugi's grandfather's words. For a moment he was unable to respond, having had forgotten about the topic of him giving up the throne when he had claimed Yugi. This was a conversation Yami particularly did not want to have, not when the subject would be painful as rubbing salt in reopened wounds.

"It's not something the human population should be concerned about. If you're trying to get information out of me, you're better off speaking to a dog," Yami spoke softly, unwilling to discuss the subject with Solomon. Not when he himself, was unable to accept the truth of what it would mean if he gave up the throne. The return of the pharaoh would never come and those who have been patiently waiting for him like Yami, would lose hope just like Yami had.

"I would be since, a dog make better company than you," Solomon's comment earned a low growl and a scowl from Yami. "But a dog doesn't have the power for letting something my son and his wife died trying to protect and help with. Something that I had even attempted to solve, stay alive," The old man spoke as he started to sweep the dirty away from the front of his shop, once more.

Yami's lips were drawn into a tight line as his body tensed. "That is the thing, it's already dead, Solomon. When they died, so did my hope of ever trying to find anyone connected to that traitor and unsealing him. For ten years now, one of the guardians has been bathing the pharaoh in animal blood while I was told to stay away. Every time I even ask about him, I hear the same thing over and over; 'My Prince, I'm doing the best I can, but our Pharaoh seems to not be taking well to the animal blood.' I'm tired of waiting on a lost cause. If that man wanted to be here –" Yami gestured to their surroundings, "- then he would have done so at the first opportunity."

"But this temporary peace the hunters and your kingdom have at this moment, if the person I am thinking about is the one to take your place, then this life we live now is doomed," The old human stressed, though he never seemed too worried about it.

"I'm aware- "

"Bye Grandpa!"

Both Yami and Solomon watched Yugi zip straight pass them with a piece of toast shoved in his mouth and his hair still damp from his morning shower. Yami let out his second heavy sigh of the morning, before his eyes landed on Solomon. Not a trace of emotion could be found in his wine red orbs. "The Pharaoh was in the past, I am the present. The Future of others, is not mine to control," With his finally statement spoken to Solomon, Yami turned on his heel and went after Yugi at a brisk pace.

---

Never in his life had Yami been forced to use his advance speed in order to catch up with a mere human, but he had also never encountered a human quite like Yugi before. When the pureblood vampire had finally caught up to Yugi, he wasted no time to grab Yugi's wrist, forcing him to stop his sprinting, and removed the half eaten piece of toast from the human's mouth.

"Hey! Give that back, you're going to make me late even more than I already am!" Yugi complained as he tried to swap his toast from Yami's hand, which was holding it just barely out of his reach.

"You're not running late. Also, if you're planning to run to school while trying to eat this, you'll end up making yourself sick or choke on it," The vampire stated as he stood on his tips of his toes and rose the piece of food above his head as Yugi stood on his.

"It takes me thirty minutes to walk to school and, I won't get sick or choke on my toast, if I run and eat at the same time. I've done it several times before you butted you way into my life," The young human argued back as he jumped and succeeded in snatching his toast from Yami's hand. "Ha! Victory is mine."

Yami rolled his eyes at Yugi's boasting and he watched with a bored expression as the human took a large bit out of his toast before starting to take off running again. Yami had hardly any trouble keeping up with Yugi as he jogged just an arm's length behind his human. He knew the only way to get Yugi to listen to him without using compulsion, was to either gain the boy's trust, or let him learn the hard way. Since it was obvious Yugi hardly trusted him just like he couldn't trust the human, Yami figured he would just let Yugi do as he pleased until-

The sound of coughing plus Yugi stopping in mid-run, made Yami force himself to suppress the victorious smirk trying to creep on to his face. He pushed the joyful thoughts to the back of his mind as he gently patted Yugi's back, and help him cough up the piece of toast that had unfortunately blocked the seventeen year old's airways. When Yugi had manage to cough up the food, he spat it out onto the sidewalk to rid himself of the half digest food.

"I told you," Yami claimed proudly and allowed his victorious smirk to appear on his face. For some reason, he found it highly amusing that Yugi attempting to glare at him, but the look could hardly be called a glare.

"Just...Just because I'm your personal 'juice box' doesn't mean you have to baby me, Yami Sennen. I'm seventeen years old, I'm more than capable of handling and caring for myself," Yugi clarified for Yami after he recovered from his chocking experience.

"Are claiming that you're not my responsibility?" Yami asked, his hands shoved in his pocket and raising an eyebrow at Yugi. His amused smirk was still plastered on his face.

"Yes!"

"So then, you're responsible for making yourself late. Not me," Yami spoke in a taunting voice, which had Yugi confused.

The vampire watched as Yugi checked his phone and the look of devastation slowly appeared on the teens face as he realized there was no way he was going to be able to make it to school just by walking. As much as Yami wanted to see Yugi scramble to get to school, the vampire had his own things to attend to after he made sure his feeder had gotten to their school safely. Just as Yugi had tucked his phone into one of his back pants pockets, Yami had picked Yugi up and tossed him onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Don't worry about being late. Since you are my feeder, it'll look bad if both you and I didn't show up to class. People might…'talk'"

"D-Don't joke about that stuff Yami!" Yugi scowled him while he squirmed against the vampire's awkward grasp. "And could you put me down, please?"

"Maybe once we get to the school," The royal taunted before taking off towards Domino Public High School using his supernatural agility.

It had taken Yami on a mere two minutes to reach the high school, where it would have taken Yugi thirty minutes to reach the educational hellhole. The pureblood was pleased with himself. He wasn't known for his speed, but he had gotten to the school grounds in record breaking times. Actually, Yami was one of the slower purebloods in his kingdom, but of course, only the Sacred Guardians knew about it. Though most who have seen Yami run, described it as if he was traveling like the speed of sound. Unfortunate for Yugi, he had to experience the insanely fast movements with hardly a warning.

When Yami had place Yugi gently down on his feet, the pureblood watched with a baffled expression as Yugi sprang to the nearest trashcan to vomit up what little food was in his stomach. The smell of bile overwhelmed Yami's sensitive sense of smell, causing his nose to burn and his own stomach threaten to spill out whatever it contained. With watering eyes that burned, Yami cover both his mouth and nose with his right hand as he went to aid his feeder. Although he was highly opposed to helping the source of the unbearable stench, but Yugi was his feeder and it was Yami's job as a vampire to make sure Yugi's health was at least an 'okay'.

"I forgot how much vomit stinks," Yami muttered to himself sounding nasally from his covered nose.

Yami backed away from Yugi as he straighten back up wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

The human had a look of disgust on his face. "That wouldn't have happened if you didn't use that vampire speed of yours."

The pureblood vampire lowered his hand from his nose and mouth as he glared at the human. 'Does this human believe the fault of him getting sick, is mine only? Ignorant brat.' Yami sighed through his nose, before tilting his head up slightly as he cast his gaze downwards at Yugi. "I wouldn't have been forced to pull such a stunt, if you were had woken up when your grandfather had originally woke you," Yami kept his face void of all emotions as Yugi blushed from embarrassment, or so the prince assumed.

"How do you know that?" The human questioned the vampire sounding somewhat stunned.

"I heard him trying to wake you up before he came outside to sweep the shop this morning," The vampire didn't lie. Although he had been wrapped up his thoughts before Solomon had joined him outside in the cold, Yami was still conscious of his surroundings. Which included some of the Mutou's interior residence.

The vampire watched Yugi's facial expression become clouded with disgust and a hint of horror. "You were standing outside my house that early? Do you not have better things to do in the morning, other than stand outside someone's house."

Yami thought for a moment brief moment before shaking his head. "At the time, I did not. I suppose the only think my mind wanted me to do was be near you."

For perhaps the first time since Yami had claimed the boy as his personal food source, Yugi was completely silent as he glared at the vampire with pure disgust. The look made Yami's un-beating heart jolt in his chest. The vampire's face soften from its emotionless mask and was replaced by worry and confusion. For a fraction of a second the human made him fear that he had done something wrong or unjust. " Did I…do something wrong?"

Yugi shook his head before turning on his heel. "Nothing, ...Stalker."

Cold. Yugi's voice was ice cold and pierced Yami in the chest with his final word. He a stalker? No, that wasn't possible. He wasn't stalking Yugi in any way. The human was already his food source, there was no reason for him to try and hunt a prey that had already been hunted. Unless the human meant another definition….

Yami's pale facial complexion burned a feverish red as his mind finally made the connection between his earlier actions and Yugi's words. "I'm not obsessed with you!" The pureblood vampire blurted out at his human, however, Yugi was already far from him by the time the words had escaped him. Crimson eyes scanned the front courtyard of Domino high school until they landed on the lithe form of his troublesome human conversing with sandy blonde haired Egyptian.

Uncaring what conversation Yugi was holding with the male that Yami recognized as Marik's feeder, the prince stormed his way towards Yugi, seething with silent rage.

"I am not some obsessed follower!" Yami abruptly snapped at Yugi, interrupting whatever he and Malik had been speaking about.

The human looked away from his friend to Yami, with an amused smile on his face. "Then would you care to explain why you were outside my house before Grandpa had even made it out there?"

Yami growled at Yugi's taunting tone. He knew the human was just being playful, trying to get on his nerves. Sadly, it was working. "I just was Yugi, I do not have to explain myself to a human."

Turning to Malik, Yami eyes took in the male's entire appearance, from head to toe. "Watch this troublemaker for me today. I have a meeting to attend to," He ordered the other human, knowing he would follow his command.

"Roger that, Princy," Malik gave Yami a playful salute with a teasing smile, much like Marik's own trouble causing grin.

Yami rolled his eyes at the human. Why humans were such weird creatures, eluded Yami's mind. He gave one more glance towards Yugi, his annoyance had dimmed a bit as he gazed at his human.

Without another word, Yami left the humans to themselves but not before he heard Yugi asking Malik if he had pushed the vampire too far. A smile graced the royal's face as he retreated. Only if Yugi had knew how long it had been since someone had actually taunt Yami playfully, then maybe he wouldn't worry as much.

---

Dear Yugi Mutou,

This letter's purpose is to serve as a reminder for Yugi Mutou until, our scheduled meeting is to take place after the New Year Celebration. There, we will discuss what you've discovered and your next course of actions.

I congratulate you on your rapid development in your assignment. I did not think you would be able to obtain that status as Yami's personal feeder in such a short time. In all honesty, I bargained for you not achieve the status for at least a year into the mission. I realize that the events leading up to him claiming you, were not something a young man your age should have went through. Please note that although you now are no longer eligible for any of our benefits, due to your claiming, we, the International Vampire Hunter Association, are still expecting your full cooperation for the mission your were assigned. If at any point you do not wish to do so any more, we will respect your decision. However, the price for backing out of this mission, is a steep one. It's with a heavy heart that I must inform you, if you were to at any point abandon your mission, 'forget' your objective, or perhaps decide to inform Yami Sennen or any being with ties to him of your objective that I, Pegasus Maximillion will inflict the following punishments as I see fit :

I- Yugi Mutou will be placed on the neutralization list were his presence shall be ordered to be annihilated.

II- Solomon Mutou, retired hunter, shall be requested to serve our beloved hunters once more.

III- Yugi Mutou will be reassigned a new mission, one often given to hunters of high ranks.

IV- Yami Sennen shall be attempted to be assassinated and the evidence will be planted on one of the following: Solomon Mutou, Ryou Bakura, Malik Ishtar, Anzu Mazaki, Jonouchi Katsuya, Honda Hiroto or Ryugi Otogi.

V- Evidence supporting a falsified claim of Yugi Mutou being a spy for enemies against the Vampire Monarchy shall be released.

VI- The friends and family of Yugi Mutou shall be accidently 'involved' in a vampire hunt and may suffer casualties.

VII- Yugi Mutou may experience similar situations as he had with the rogue vampire Tetsu Ushio, but with humans.

VIII- Friends and family of Yugi Mutou may be expelled from the country, as a result of him failing to perform his duties properly.

IX- Yugi Mutou will be forced to suffer the effects of a vampire's venom, through unwilling injection.

I do not wish the enforce these punishments, but I will do as needed for the greater good of mankind. Yugi, you and your family have proven yourselves to be excellent hunters. Please, do not fall to the same fate that many of your ancestors had before you. It would be a pity if I lost yet another young Mutou to their own foolishness. Remember, you took up the oath of a hunter's apprentice, you are our trainee, our young kin. Although you will be unable to become a full-fledged vampire hunter, you are still a member of this family. Your heart is with our hearts, we are your ONLY allies. Do not be fooled by false acts of kindness. For there is no redemption for a traitor.

-Sincerely, Director Pegasus Crawford of the IVHA Domino City Branch, Eastern Hemisphere Representative.
This was the sixth time that he had read the letter Pegasus had sent since. He had received the important message from his grandfather when he had returned home from school. Immediately, Yugi had went upstairs to his room, locking the door for privacy in case his grandpa decided to be nosy, so he could read his message in private... That had been four hours ago.

Now, Yugi sat in the simple black office chair that was stationed behind his desk. The teen's feet were placed on his desk as he leaned back in the office chair, and with an arm tossed over his eyes. Still dressed in his school's uniform that was now wrinkled, Yugi appeared to be distressed mess. His skin was almost pale as Yami's, his hair had bits and pieces separating themselves from his main spikes, there were dark circles under his eyes and Yugi couldn't focus on one single thought. So many of them were going through his head at once. It was just a jumbled up mess.

What the human felt was beyond anger, he couldn't even place a name for what he felt. Even after reading the letter so many times, Yugi just couldn't accept the threat. He did not care what Pegasus did to him or Yami. Yami would be able to handle himself, he was probably used to death threats. And Yugi had always accepted the thought, since he enlisted as a hunter's apprentice, that he could possible live a very short life. The human wasn't scared of death.

What made Yugi upset, was the fact the director was involving his loved ones. That disturbed Yugi and caused him to feel even more fear than when Ushio had tried to kill him. His friends and his grandpa were the people who had help shape him into the person he was today. They were his world and without them, Yugi wasn't sure he would be able to live his life any more.

He was a kind human being with confidence to stand up for himself and for his friends. He had compassion and mercy towards those who claimed to be his enemies, and he could hardly kill a fly. He tried to get along with others and treated everyone as equals, regardless of race. Yugi's friends had also helped him out grow his timid ways, though he still had his bashful moments. His friends and grandpa helped him when his weaknesses got the better of him.

His friends were his family, and his family was his life, along with his favorite card game; Duel Monsters. The human so badly wanted to scream out his frustrations, to tell at least one person about his fears, his worries and ask for advice. Ask for help to protect his fragile world. He knew if he asked, his grandpa or one of his friends, would have been willing to listen to him vent his frustrations. But he couldn't tell them about this. He couldn't put their lives in danger because of his desire to be selfish and revive himself of his stress. There was only one person he could possibly speak to about this, but he was a five-thousand year old sealed vampire that Yugi had been forcing himself to go feed ever since he discover that the vampire was or had been, the previous ruler of the vampire kingdom.

Just thinking about the vampire that had been sealed away, started to calm Yugi's restless mind. The human allowed his eyelids to slide close over his violet orbs and a faint smile tugged at his lips. He enjoyed his moment of peace before deciding that perhaps, it would help ease his stress if he were to go see Atem. Since just thinking about him seemed to make his mind clear.

Opening his eyes and uncovering his face, Yugi stood from his chair and stretched out his arms above his head as he did so. Soft pops came from his stiff joints and the letter in his hand crumbled as he made a fist. Yugi placed the ruined piece of paper on his desk before moving towards his closet.

Since the bath he had given Atem two days ago, Yugi had yet to return to the pharaoh's chamber wearing his school uniform. He wasn't going to risk spilling blood on his school uniform again, especially when the one he was currently wearing had been his spare one. After locating a pair of light gray sweatpants and a yellow long sleeve Nike shirt with the words 'Just Do It' written in a dark grey, Yugi tossed his choice of clothes on his bed before stripping down to plain white boxers he was wearing. The seventeen year old male with wild gravity defying hair was quick to change. Once his pants were on his hips and his shirt was tugged over his slim torso, Yugi grabbed his phone off his nightstand and placed it in his pocket before snatching up his red concealing stone and clasping it around his neck.

Yugi took a deep breath as he grabbed the letter from Pegasus, folded the piece of paper, and then shoved it into his pocket as well. He couldn't risk leaving it incase his grandfather decided to be noisy. After grabbing his wallet off of his neatly made bed, Yugi finished his business in his room and cut the lights off as he exited to head down stairs.

Once down stairs, Yugi start to feel slightly guilty for leaving as the smell of steak, carrots, sweet onions, and zucchini being grilled, filled his noes. The human had to swallow the extra saliva pooling in the bed of his mouth as he headed towards the coat closet in the living room.

"You finally grace me with your presence after being locked up in your room, and now you're leaving before dinner is done?" Yugi heard his grandfather's voice echoing from the kitchen as he tugged on a thick black Columbia winter coat.

"Sorry Grandpa, I just need to go out for a bit," Yugi apologized sincerely as zipped up the thick jacket.

"Go out for what?"

"To clear my head and buy some Christmas gifts. You know it's just a few days away. "

"Oh, well then, we better go back over what do if you encounter a vampire alone at night," Yugi groaned softly at his grandfather's words. He understood why his grandfather was being overprotective but the 'precautions' he wanted Yugi to do were a bit on the extreme side.

Emerging from the kitchen dressed in his daily clothes of a pair of overalls, a plain collared shirt, with an orange bandanna holding back gray spikes similar to Yugi's; Solomon pointed his wood spoon at his grandson. "If you notice someone following you, what do you do?"

Yugi sighed before perking up and giving his grandpa answer filled with energy, "I must not try to confront them. Instead I should seek refuge in a largely crowded area and call either Yami or Jonouchi for assistance."

"Good! Now what do you do if a vampire tries to use compulsion on you?"

"Resist it at all cost and contact either Yami or Jonouchi to come aid me in escape from the vampire," Yugi said in an all knowing tone giving his grandfather a confident grin with challenging eyes. Even if this was boring, Yugi was going try to make a game out of it.

"What about if the vampire had pinned you against a wall or in an ally?" Solomon's own challenging smile and dark violet eyes tried to rival Yugi's own passionate expression.

"I'll do all I can to escape before calling Yami for help. If he doesn't pick up I will call Jonouchi or scream for help."

" What if they bite you?"

"Scream as loud as I can to gain someone's attention, before forcing the vampire off. I'll need to call anyone as soon as possible, before calling the VP."

"And what's the Vampire Patrol's emergency number?"

"Twenty-two, sixteen," Yugi said confidently placing his hands on his hips confidently.

"What about if a vampire tries to seduce you?" Solomon's voice was dark with a playful lust, succeeding in creeping out his grandson and causing him to become embarrassed.

"T-T-That's not a part of the situations we did-discussed!" Yugi stuttered out as he backed away from the old man with a light blush on his face and his violet eyes wide with horror.

" But what if it happens, child? What would you do then?" Solomon pressed teasing his grandson.

"I-I'd decline and tell them I'm not interested."

"But what if you are interested in them?"

"I'll still decline," Yugi said firmly, standing his ground. His face was serious as he crossed his arms the best he could when wearing a puffy winter coat.

" But what if you can't?" His grandpa interrogated him, heading back into the kitchen as Yugi became flustered from his grandfather's words.

"I'll still do it!" He blurted out stubbornly before walking towards the door that concealed the stairs that lead down to the shop. Yugi slipped on his black and white tennis shoes that were settled by the door.

With his shoes protecting his feet from the cold, the human opened the door and started to head down to the shop. "Bye Grandpa! I'll be home before midnight."

"Be safe!" Yugi heard the faint sound of his grandfather's voice over his footsteps going down the wooden steps.

The human smiled when he reached the bottom before turning around to yell back up that stairs at his loving grandparent. "Don't worry, I will!"

---

Yugi was grateful for convenient stores, especial ones that was meant to be convenient for vampires. There was an endless amount of types of blood to choose from and it made the human feel less guilty about having not brought Atem's normal bags of blood with him.

He had completely forgotten about grabbing the last two remaining blood bags from his underwear drawer before he left his house, for Atem to drink. His grandfather had made him completely forget all about the sealed vampire's own dinner. Yugi didn't even remember about the vampire's 'food' until he had passed the convenient store the first time. It was probably the reason why his grandpa refused to let him have a pet when he was little. Yugi could be forgetful at times.

'Hrmm,' Yugi's eyebrows were tightly knitted together as he combed through the aisles to find anything that was anything like human blood and not animal. He felt like he was searching for a needle in a haystack, human blood was nowhere in sight on the store's shelves.

"Excuse me, but may I help you find whatever you are looking for?" Yugi blinked twice and lifted his gaze from a bottle of sweetened lion's blood that he had be examining, to find the source of the female's voice that had spoken up.

His violet eyes finally located a beautiful dark brown haired girl with gorgeous gold irises that resembled the sun. Yugi simple nodded at the female, having trouble finding his voice at the moment. "Uh…yeah. I was looking to see if you carried any human blood."

"We do, but it's kept in the back to avoid it from spoiling," The girl's bell like voice rang with laughter at the end of her sentence before leading Yugi towards the back of the store. " What type would you like?"

Yugi's check were dusted a light pink as he followed the playboy bunny material girl into the back of the store. If she wasn't wearing the store's unappealing uniform, Yugi was sure the girl would give even Mai a run for her money. "Something that'll help restore one's energy quickly. I have a friend that needs to regain his energy back," Yugi replied to the female fiddling with the end of his black winter coat.

"Sounds like he needs 'AB positive', one or two pints?"

"Two please." Yugi said blushing lightly as he caught another glimpse of the woman's high cheekbones and plump lips. 'Definitely hotter than Anzu.'

"Is that all you want, Hun?" The store's clerk asked with a sweet honeyed voice that sent a chill through Yugi as she pulled the blood packets from a freezer.

" I actually was thinking about buying a bottle of lion's blood to try, which do you recommend?" The human asked trying to will the warmth in his cheeks away.

The beautiful vampire was silent as she thought and lead Yugi back to the main part of the store towards the aisle Yugi had been in previously. "I think you'll like this one."

The clerk picked up a solid black bottle with a silver silhouette of a lion sitting on top of a rock. With silver writing the bottle was inscribed with 'Leo' at the top and 'Pure lion blood, feel the rush of a king.' on the bottom.

Yugi looked over the product for himself before smiling at the clerk. "I think I'll get this one, then."

"Great! Just a fair warning in advance, it'll give you a bit of a jolt when you first drink it. Just in case you're friend has never had lion's blood before."

Yugi nodded his head and followed the clerk up to the register to pay for his items. When he had finish paying for the item's Yugi was surprised how cheap the blood was. He figured it would have been more expensive than he spent at the local blood bank, but it was cheaper. The store clerk was even nice enough to warm up the blood Yugi had just bought, before placing it in a bag and wishing him a goodnight. Yugi gave her a similar farewell with a light wave before continuing his journey to Atem. He hope Atem liked lion's blood as much as he did for the blood of a human.

---

He was unsure for the reason why, but since the moment he had entered the sewers that acted like secret passage to Atem's chamber, Yugi's heart was pounding in his chest fast and heavily. It made human feel anxious, but Yugi was certain the feeling wasn't his. In desperation to try to slow it, Yugi pressed the bag of lukewarm blood to his chest in order to warm up. His uneasiness start to bring back his earlier thoughts that had come from Pegasus' letter, which was crumbled up in his pocket. Picking up the pace, Yugi was almost running as he made his way to his 'sleeping' friend. He didn't like this feeling. He felt…helpless, like there was nothing in this world he could do other than be Pegasus' loyal lapdog.

By the time he actually reached the room in which the entrance to pharaoh's chamber was hidden in, Yugi was out of breath. He had also confirmed that this feeling wasn't his own. No, it had to belong to the vampire that was sealed away. For the human felt the sensation grow with each step he took and peak when he came to stand in front of the secret entrance to Atem's inner chambers.

It wasn't normal. Something was, the human just knew it. Normally by this point in his visit, Yugi could feel the calmness the pharaoh's presence had naturally. But as he stood staring at the limestone wall in front of him as he tried to calm himself, he could only feel a massive discomfort of pain in his chest. It felt like he was being stabbed in the chest himself. Fearing for the worst, Yugi hurried to reveal the entrance to Atem's chamber.

The moment the slab of wall had opened enough to allow Yugi through, the human leaped over the remainder of the sinking wall and quickly closed it before rushing down the dark corridor towards Atem.

"I'm here! I'm here! Relax, calm down. I've got you dinner and desert, Pharaoh," The teenager tried to sooth the pure blood, his voice was unconvincing; filled with worry and hysteria.

When Yugi spotted Atem's sarcophagi open and the pharaoh visible just as he had left him yesterday, Yugi relaxed slightly. But his body tensed again when he spotted a black and purple mist that was seeping out of vampire's chest where the dagger was embedded. The human quickly rushed to the vampire's side, dropping the bag of warm blood at his feet as his small hands reached out to cover Atem's gruesome wound, hoping to prevent the dark mist from flowing out.

"What the hell is this?" The human cursed out of confusion as he tried to prevent the smoke like substance from escaping the Pharaoh's body.
'Release me!'
Through his own feelings, thoughts, and the feelings that the vampire was forcing onto him through compulsion; Yugi heard the voice just faintly, but clear as clean water. The two distinct words were only but a whisper to Yugi, but the stress emphasized on them by the dark voice that uttered them in his mind, made it known that they were being yell. For a long time, Yugi did not move. Unable to decide on what to do. Either he could listen to the voice or ignore it and do what he had originally plan first. But the human didn't know what either outcome would lead to.

Eventually, Yugi decided it would be safe to feed the vampire first before doing anything else. If he did release Atem, then hopefully the blood he was going to give him would keep the pureblood's bloodlust sedated for the moment.
'Release me.'The whisper in his mind was louder now, like tortured cry of help.

It pained Yugi to resist the plea as he bent down and grabbed the first bag of blood, uncapped it's top and leaned Atem up so he could get the warm substance in the man's body.

" I'll release you but first, drink. I promise, I'll try to unseal you," His voice was shaky, concerned for the other.

As much as he didn't want to be scared, the human was. His hand quivered as he squeezed blood into Atem's mouth, and the other one shook Atem lightly as it supported his torso. When Yugi got the first mouthful to be swallowed by Atem, he felt the room grow deathly cold. The extra emotions in his body left, leaving him to deal with his own. It made him even more fearful, this time with worry that something was seriously wrong with the vampire other than wanting to be set free. Not wanting his mind's un-optimistic views distract him from the task at hand, Yugi forced his mind to focus on Atem. Remembering things such as when he first discovered the vampire and how he discovered his name just a day ago, which he had yet to tell the pharaoh.

"So Pharaoh," Yugi spoke up, trying to keep his voice uplifting and calm. "I found out who you were…err are, the other day. It was a lot to take in, so it's the reason why I hadn't spoken much in my previous visit," The human admitted truthfully, he really hadn't spoken much to Atem other than tell him hello and goodbye.

"Your name is Atem. That's what my grandpa's book said and I have to say, it fits you nicely," The human continued to speak softly as he finished off the first bag and helped Atem to swallow it before reaching for the second one. "You were a great pharaoh who brought nothing but peace to this world and only wanted it, at least, that's what the history books say. He even had a picture of you in there too, maybe that must be why he reacted so badly to your picture when I first showed it to him," Yugi bitterly laughed.

The human repeated the same process as he done with the first bag of blood, letting the red liquid fill the vampire's mouth to capacity as he talked to the other. "Also, you have a lover who still is alive and well. I'm not sure that he's too happy about the fact you're still sealed. Actually…I'm not even sure he knows you are down here. He seemed…none too happy or pleased with you, when I brought it up. I think that was just his loneliness speaking for him. But I can see where he's coming from. I would be pissed too if I had to work my ass off for three thousand years because my lover got himself killed or close to it," The human laugh as he placed the blood bag on Atem's lap and tilted the man's head up so it was easier for the blood to go down the vampire's throat. " Yami and I…have been growing closer these past few days. We don't have the best relationship, but since he claimed me as his feeder…"

Yugi went silent as he lowered Atem's head and the familiar calmness Atem normal held, washed over him. The human sighed blissfully relieved that the warm feeling was back. He was happy and because of that, he decided to give Atem the last half of the second blood bag.

"You know, I used to not like him. Not one bit. He always interrupted my and Jonouchi's conversations, snored during lectures, treated others like they were a lower beings, and how he always seemed so cold. But I think I'm understanding why he's does those things," Yugi admitted to Atem, removing the empty bag from the pharaoh's mouth and tossed it on the floor before tilting his head up and back so the blood could be swallowed.

"He's trying to distance himself from others so he doesn't get hurt again, at least, that's my hunch," Yugi spoke as he simply held Atem. The human gazed down at the slumbering vampire, his eyes softening and the human smiled at the other's peaceful face. He used to think this man was foolish for getting placed under a spell, but now Yugi had only respect for the vampire. "I may have to do the same things Yami is doing," The human looked away from Atem, his smile turning into a depressed frown. "Director Pegasus will threaten the lives of my family and friends if I don't comply with his orders," Yugi fell silent as his grip supporting the Pharaoh tightened.

"Truth is, I don't want to do this. I don't want to spy on the council or Yami. I don't want to be Yami's feeder, and I certainly don't want to be an obedient hound for the Hunter Association. But if I refuse to, if I go against the hunters, everyone I care about will be endangered. I also won't be able to get the chance to make my grandpa's dream come true. I won't be able to reform the IVHA and get rid of its corruption." Gently, Yugi lowered the handsome vampire back down into a laying position, and one of his hands grabbed one of the pharaoh's for comfort. "I just want a happy life. That's all I want. "

Releasing Atem's hand after giving it a squeeze, stood up straight. His eyes fell onto the rotting wound in Atem's chest and the human cringed at the sight. The black smoke was oozing from the spot the enchanted dagger was embedded in the King's flesh.

"I'll… I'll remove the dagger now." Yugi spoke firmly, his eye not leave the object.

Anxiety began to creep up on him, despite the calming effect the vampire had on him. Taking a deep breath, Yugi used both of his hands to gripped the hilt of the dagger enforcing Atem's felt the smoke like substance curl around his hands and holding them in place. Yugi allowed his eyes to look down at the grotesque wound on the vampire's chest. The black veins emerging from the rotting flesh and crystallized blood, were visibly pulsing. Much like an erotic heartbeat. The black and purple mist had thickened when his hands were placed upon the dagger, clouding his vision and making it difficult to breathe. If it was this bad now, what would it be like when he tried to pull this ancient weapon out of Atem?
Release me. I must wake up. I must. Death will befall me if I do not.'
Yugi felt the mysterious words in his head calmed his anxiety, he wasn't sure how or why and nor did he question it. He had a objective to complete. He needed to remove this seal and save Atem from falling into Death's hands.

Tightening his grip on the dagger, Yugi allowed his eyes to close as he focused on calming his heartbeat. He was going to release Atem, nothing could change his mind. If he were to die after this, then oh well. Pegasus wouldn't have to worry about having to deal with him or have any means to harm his grandpa and friends. Because Yugi wouldn't be there to suffer the pain.

Opening his eyes, Yugi gave no warning as he gave a harsh jerk on the dagger and leaned pack as he pulled. Sounds of the crystallized blood cracking and blood splattering filled the room, along with Yugi's pounding heart. He had only barely pulled the dagger out of the pure blood's chest when the small melee weapon turned into ash.

With his grip suddenly gone, Yugi stumbled backwards clumsily. He backpedaled to keep his balance, his eyes were firmly closed and already expecting for his body to come into contact with the ground at any moment, but it never came. Instead, his back had bumped into the wall across from Atem's sarcophagi.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground and his balance restored, Yugi opened his eyes to look at his hands, baffled. Dark gray ash dusted his palms and blood had been splattered on the back of his hand. Looking up from them and towards Atem, Yugi's mouth opened slightly and his violet iris dilated.

The black mist that had been escaping from Atem's chest was now oozing out of the opened wound and slowly started to fill the chamber. Yugi pressed his body closer to the wall as the mist started to build even more, until is caused the entire chamber to become pitch black. Erasing all sources of light from the lite torches. It was like Yugi had closed his eyes expect, he was positive they were still wide open.
'Thank you.'
He heard the voice, but his mind paid no attention to the comforting words or the calm feeling they emitted. His mind was in shambles. Not even the calming effect Atem held over him, could be felt through the thick mist, as Yugi panicked.

He was going to die. The human just knew it. Even as he rubbed his eyes, the darkness did not go away, instead it seemed to grow darker than black. So dark, Yugi thought he was hallucinating when he spoted a light from the direction where he had last seen Atem's body.

Yugi felt his chest becoming warm as the light started to grow intense and the darkness began to turn into a large void of nothingness. The brighter the light, the darker the darkness, and the warmer his chest grew. The trend continued what felt like years to Yugi, until the warm feeling in his chest felt like it was burning right through his skin and the light had consumed him.

The intense light made Yugi close his eyes to prevent it from damaging his retinas. Yugi reached for his chest grabbing at his jacket where the burning was the most intense. The human wish his death would come quicker than this. He couldn't stand the burning pain much more, it was going to drive him mad if didn't receive relief any time soon.

The human let out a harsh cry of pain as the light was starting to seep through his eyelids and he couldn't take the burning pain anymore. He wanted to die, he was wishing for death. If Atem was going to suck him dry, he better do it soon or Yugi was going to end this life of his before the vampire could.

Laughter.

High pitched squeals and giggles filled his ears along with a slur of words that made no sense to Yugi. Unknown voices came from all directions speaking in a language Yugi couldn't even register. The accents were like nothing he had ever heard of before. Foreign, unknown.

The high pitch voices started to morph. Becoming deeper in pitch with age. Soon they became murmurs of annoying unknown chatter that gave Yugi a headache. He tried to make out what they were saying, but it was of no use. He did, however, detect one voice out of the others that he thought sounded familiar. He focused more on that one single voice, trying to pinpoint where he knew it from.

Yugi's heart fluttered with hope when he recognized the low pitched voice. It was Yami's, he was sure of it. But it lacked his normal cold tone. His voice had traces of warm emotion, playful aloofness, and contentment. He sounded happy, which was...odd. The more he heard this style of Yami's speech in the unknown language, it made Yugi even more eager to know what was making Yami speak in such away. It was so different to him, almost as foreign as the tongues he spoke in.

Yugi couldn't keep up with time as he focused in on Yami's beautiful voice. It wasn't haunting like it was when the male spoke with Yugi, but it was kind to whomever he had been speaking with at this time. There had been a slight absence of voices when Yami's finally drifted away. But a deeper one, like the voice that had been pleading in his head earlier, soon took its place as it spoke to silence. There was dull thud in the middle of the voice's speech before gagging and coughing was echoing around Yugi. When the coughing stopped deadly silence filled Yugi's ears.

The human couldn't feel anything or even think, as he awaited in suspense. His patience was awarded when a loud ear piercing cry nearly caused him to go deaf. There was crying, apologetic murmuring before voices of anger caused the cries to be silenced and forgotten. Through the anger another loud shriek, this one not as high pitch. When the new cries started, Yugi was able to distinguish the voice as Yami once more. Surprisingly he knew the word he repeating over and over.

It was the name of his former lover.

Yami's cry grew louder as a soft voice much deeper than his own, started to mumble words that were meaningless. The Prince moaned, hiccupped, muttered unknown words in a pleading voice, wailed and howled out in pain. It seemed like Yugi's vampire's grief was never going to end when, it was abruptly silenced.

The light behind Yugi's eyelids started fade, but as it did, noisy chattering began to fill own ears. The human's head started to throb uncontrollably with the worst headache he had experienced in his seventeen years of life. As the chattering started to quiet down, Yugi could make out the words. Even more so he knew some of the voices that were speaking. It was a mixture of Yami, Mahaad, the healer Isis, Bakura, Marik, Shada, a grumpy Aknadin, and…

"I'm not doing this for you, it's a favor...for the brat you made your mate."
His grandfather's voice softly whispered in annoyed tone. Yugi's mind was sent into confusion before another voice had spoke up and demanded his attention.

"Good morning Atem! And how are we feeling today? Can you try speaking to Yami through your bond?"
It was his mother's soft energetic voice. Warm and caring just like the last time Yugi had heard it over the phone before…

"Ah, Pharaoh. It's good to see your condition is stabilizing. You'll be able to break this enchantment up if you continue to fight. We'll do our best fighting from this side."

His father's proud and confident tone practically was being yelled in his ears, before it faded into many more conversations between his mother and father as the spoke to Atem as if he was talking back to them.

When the voices had faded out completely and were no more, the light that had been blinding Yugi, finally disappeared. The moment he could feel his numb limbs again, the human fell to his knees.

Yugi felt like his world was crashing down on him as he struggled to open his eyes, only to have a harsh stinging sensation try and prevent him from doing so. He ignored the dull burn as he forced his eyes open to gaze at the darken room he was in. No bright light and no dark mist, just the dulled chamber that the former pharaoh's sarcophagus was in. Not even a single torch on the white limestone walls with colorful hieroglyphics, was lit.

Vaguely, Yugi remember the burning sensation that had plagued him until he was focused on the strange voices. Unzipping his black winter coat, Yugi slid it off groggily. A dull light on his chest caused Yugi to narrow his eyes as he looked down at his concealing stone. Yet again, the stupid gem had tried burn him alive. The human was about to take the precious stone off so it wouldn't try to make him combust into flames, when Yugi felt the stone pulse and send the discharge through his entire body.

Yugi allowed the bright burgundy colored stone to fall back onto his chest. He remained completely still as the pulsing continued flowing from his family's precious heirloom and echoing in his body. The odd phenomenon continued for several minutes never slowing down, but was steadily increasing in tempo with each passing second. When the pulsing became rapid, Yugi realized that the thumping feeling wasn't coming from his gem instead it was coming from a different source.

For the first time since he pulled the dagger out of the pharaoh's chest, Yugi allowed his eyes to gaze at Atem's sarcophagus directly. The stone casket was visibly throbbing with the quick and even tempo. Slowly, a tanned hand started to rise out from the two coffins. It gently came to a rest on the edge of the sarcophagi. Yugi's breath was caught in his throat as he watch Atem's other hand mimic it's twin. Finally the vampire's torso slowly began to rise from the uncomfortable stone that had been its home for thousands years.

Violet eyes watch with pure amazement and fear as the pharaoh forced his body to move at a sloth's pace while he started to regain his ability to move. When the vampire was sitting upright, he stretched his arm above his head, popping the stiff joints that had been neglected for millenniums. The sickening snapping sounds struck fear into Yugi's very soul with each firecracker like pop. It was proof that he had possibly just woken up a beast.

Tan legs bald of hair and soft uncalloused feet swung over the edges of both sarcophagi with ease before Atem's hands helped ease himself down to the ground. The pharaoh didn't let go of the edge of the sarcophagi until his heels were firmly planted on the ground and his knees stopped wobbling from the weight of supporting their owner's body after years of neglect. It was amazing to see how the purest of purebloods manage to crawl his way out of what was his own 'grave' and stand on his two feet again. Without ever opening his eyes to see what he was doing.

Yugi watched in silence as Atem just stood there, unmoving as his eyelids twitched several times. After five long grueling minutes the delicate flaps of skin with long bold eyelashes fluttered open, blinking several times before the pharaoh's eyes were revealed.

Dulled maroon pierced into bright amethyst.

Nothing was said or done as Atem just simple gazed Yugi in the eye from the distance they were at. The human felt all fear evaporate from his being as he watch the groggy pharaoh barely be able to support himself standing. Slowly, Yugi pushed himself up off the ground to stand, he tried to compare their heights from the distance.

So far, he could tell Atem was either tall as Yami or perhaps a little taller than the current leader.

A hoarse sound that sounded like a dying cat, echoed through the room. Yugi noticed Atem's lips moving fairly slowly as he tried to force his voice to come out and form words Yugi couldn't understand. The human spotted his plastic bag from the convenient store on the ground by Atem's right foot. He smiled remembering the bottle of lion's blood he had bought for the man to enjoy. Maybe it would be easier for him to talk, if the pharaoh drank some of the liquid.

"Atem," Yugi spoke clearly with a bright smile.

Upon hearing his name, the vampire's eyes gain some brightness as he stared at Yugi with a dull expression. The human kept his smile as he pointed down by his right foot. " There's a drink in the bag if you want it."

The pharaoh tilted his head to his left in confusion, before glancing down in the direction Yugi had been referring to. Slowly Atem bent over at the waist, and outstretched his right hand towards the bag. From Yugi's point of view, Atem appeared to be fine as he leaned over to reach the bag, however, when the pharaoh expectantly fell over and landed on the floor with a sickening thud, he was proven wrong. Shock and worried for the vampire, Yugi to sprint towards the royal.

"Pharaoh are you all right?!" Yugi questioned the vampire out of concern as he fell to his knees in front of the man's face.

When Atem started to push himself up off the ground Yugi tried to help, only to have his helping hands smacked away from the royal and an annoyed red eyed glare sent in his direction. Again the pureblood spoke in unknown syllables to Yugi in his hoarse voice as he weakly pushed himself off the ground and into a cross-legged sitting position with his hands placed in his lap, the same annoyed look on his face. The pharaoh made a noise of clearing his throat before straightening his back and started to speak in his own personal language again, this time with clarity. The only thing Yugi was able to understand from his dialog was the name 'Heba'. This man's tormentor.

Yugi's face was one of bewilderment as Atem's words went in one ear, and out his other. When the human didn't say in anything in response the vampire growled as his face started to turn red from anger. Yugi would have said the look of anger on Atem's face was cute, if he wasn't a pureblood vampire that happened to be the previous ruler of the vampire nation. Another sharp slur of words came from the Pharaoh's mouth, his voice hinting at his frustrations as he made an effort to pronounce each syllable of his unknown language to Yugi.

Still unable to understand Atem, Yugi took a wild guess that the vampire could possibly be dying of thirst. He grabbed the plastic bag before pulling out the lion's blood and showing it to the pharaoh. "Are you thirsty?"

The Pharaoh gaped at Yugi in horrified astonishment before he slammed his palm into his forehead. Violent hisses escaped from Atem's lips before his gaze landed on Yugi's.

'Are you even listening to me, human? Or am I not clear enough?'Atem's deep sinful voice echoed in Yugi's mind like a beautiful haunting melody.

Yugi's mind went on lock down when the human realized the vampire was speaking to him in his own head. His violet eyes were locked on Atem's form with fear as he tried to keep calm and reassure himself it was just a form of compulsion. If he was lucky, he would be able to find a way to block it out of his head soon.

"I can't understand a single word you speak, Pharaoh," Yugi replied softly, keeping a brave appearance as he informed the agitated vampire.

"What about now? Is my Japanese correct?" The pureblood replied in perfect Japanese and not the gibberish he had spoken earlier.

"I-It's perfect!" Yugi exclaimed in a dumbfounded tone as he leaned forward slightly, holding the blood of lion's blood close to his chest. His violet eyes were sparkling with astonishment.

"I learned it from Yami, anyway, we must leave," Atem tried to stand up on his feet, but quickly found himself falling back down to the ground. Swears were muttered as he forced himself onto his knees and he attempted to stand once more. When Yugi offered his help a second time, Atem didn't turn it down, although the human could tell the vampire was reluctant to accept it.

"Unfortunately it seems not all of the damned seal hasn't released my ability to move yet. You'll have to escort me out of the gods-forsaken place. We must hurry now," Atem spoke fluently though his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"Okay, but why do we have leave here in such a hurry. Shouldn't we wait till the spell that sealed you has full released you from your binds?" The human suggested as he placed the taller male's arm around his shoulders, and his own arm around Atem's waist.

"No time. The council members, Yami, and the Sacred Guardians are on their way down here. Apparently I was…a bit flashy with my revival. Now go, Heba. "

Yugi did as he was told without hesitation, although confusion filled him mind to the brim. Atem had just called him Heba…why?

"My name's not Heba," Yugi corrected the vampire as he helped Atem walk out of his tomb like chamber, "It's Yugi."

"Hmm. So you're not Heba?" Yugi swore he heard disappointment in Atem's voice.

"No, I'm not Heba," The human replied, glancing Atem. "He's dead. He died almost directly after you were sealed." 'Or so my Grandfather's books say.'

The pharaoh sighed softly through his nose, and Yugi noticed the soften look of sadness on the pharaoh's face before he was caught by Atem who, glared at him though he seemed more tired than anything else.

"Yugi, was it?" The pharaoh asked stopping his slow walk with Yugi. They hadn't even made it to the exit of the dark corridor.

"Yes, what is it Pharaoh?" Yugi asked waiting on Atem to start walking again, knowing the activity must be exhausting the weaken vampire.

The pharaoh said nothing as he started to walk. It wasn't until Yugi pulled out his concealing stone to open the passage when did the vampire speak up.

"Why is it you have the stone made of my blood?"

A Very Long Night

Chapter Summary

AN: One hell of a chapter. I had to cut it some, so the ending is a bit awkward. It went from 19,000 words to 14,000. I added the part I cut to the next chapter. It just seemed to flow better there.

Next chapter is a very fun one, and it's one of my favorites in part one of the story. =w=

Thank you for the lovely reviews. They are beautiful Also the favorites and follows make my happy too.

Please continue to R :')

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Yami sighed softly through his nose as he leaned back in a throne that he did not want. Why did he even have to be here? What was the point of making him sit in an uncomfortable chair for hours, while trying to fight of the boredom that was driving him mad? He hated having to attend these pointless council meetings. The heads of the ten noble families only bickered about how to obtain more blood, whose offspring would marry who, and the current events happening to the humans. None of it pertained to Yami. He could care less about humans and marriages. Although, now he had to care somewhat thanks to his newly implanted pain in the ass.

Him having to claim Yugi as his feeder, was his own stupidity; no one else's.

Yami's face scrunched up in annoyance from that brief thought as his eyes flickered around the room, hoping to find something to distract him from the monotone voice of the current noble speaking and his agitating thoughts. His red eyes scan each of the Sacred Guardians. Mahaad appeared to be sleeping, propped up against one of the dark stone walls in the room with his eyes closed. Isis, Shada and Karim were alert and attentively listening to the nobles' useless words. Lastly, Ahknadin was staring rather harshly at the newest member to join the ten noble family heads; Seto Kaiba.

Yami allowed his own eyes to land on the young noble pureblood. No doubt Ahknadin was comparing this young male to his own son, High Priest Seth. Yami leaned back in his throne, crossing his right leg over his left knee. He had to actually try to keep the smirk off his face as he recalled the late priest.

Seth had been a man of many things; a priest, a son, a cousin, a rival, a friend, a guardian, a pharaoh and… a lover. He had been the one there for Yami when his lover had been lost. He was the one who assumed the role of Pharaoh for the humans so peace in the land could be kept while Yami, assumed the throne as king of the vampire race. Although, Yami could never accept the title of king himself, Everyone had quickly made the change from Atem to Yami, despite referring him to Prince and not King, per his own request. Seth had been the only person who had treated Yami as he had, before Yami was forced to take up the role of leading a race.

The leader of vampires closed his crimson eyes as he he remembered the high priest he cherished so much.

Seth was the one who helped him rebuild himself, the one who help him pick up the pieces of his soul that had been shattered when his mate had been killed. He taught the uneducated Yami how to rule and gave him a purpose for living on. It took centuries for Seth to help build Yami back up to sanity and retain some of his old self, but he had done it regardless.

One would say Seth had the patience of a saint, but Yami knew for a fact the man could hardly wait for anyone or thing. Even to this day, it still confused Yami why Seth of all people, stayed with him through the many dark years following the fall of Pharaoh Atem. However, the vampire was grateful for having him by his side. If Seth hadn't have helped him out, Yami would have fallen to a rogue status and the kingdom would have lost a third king with in a single decade.

Yami shuttered physical when he thought about becoming a vampire of rogue status. They were nothing but beings who were driven mad by their own selfish desires, blood lust, and had lost their sense of mind. Creature that were given the nickname 'rogues' because of the way they had abandoned the path of sanity and morality. They didn't give a damn about who they killed or how, as long as they got what they wanted, which was most of the time blood. It was because of their selfish behavior and cruel ways, that the vampire kingdom had lost a great man and the true heir to the throne.

Once upon a time, High Priest Seth would have been the one sitting in the very throne Yami was in. However, that been a dream that died almost two decades ago when Seth was killed. It was a second time a precious life had been ended before its peak because of his own arrogance and naivety. Yami couldn't help but wonder if had Seth lived, who would have be sitting on this throne now. Would it have been himself, Seth, or could it have even possibly been Atem? The man that Seto Kaiba resembled so much, had been the one who had found Solomon Mutou and asked him to research the seal place on the Pharaoh. It had made Yami one step closer to the lost king and his chance or peace.

Opening his eyes, Yami's gaze was directed to a dark corner to his right. There he spotted the only two people who knew of his true pain; Bakura and Marik. Ironically those two had once been Atem's enemies back when he was pharaoh and ruler of two kingdoms. Now, they were his personal 'guard', in a way. When Yami wanted something done, those two were the ones to get it done without having to make a big 'event' of it. The prince couldn't list all the people he had those two assassinate for him. They were lethal killers and surprisingly, good friends. Although at the moment they didn't appear to be either of the two. Bakura was kicked by in a chair snoring rather loudly and drooling as he slept through the meeting and Marik, was clipping his toenails and flicking them at the sleeping Bakura.

Yami's lips puckered slightly as his face became un-amused. Marik was going to sweep the estate and Bakura was going to mop it, to compensate the mess they were making.

"Your Majesty, are planning on answering us anytime soon or are you to busy sleeping on the job?" The stern voice of a leader echoed in dark conference room. Red eyes flickered to the side, to see the priecing blue eyes of Seto Kabia glaring at him.

"You impudent brat! How dare you speak in such an improper way to speak to your king!" Ahknadin bellowed out in any angry voice at Seto Kaiba.

Yami merely rolled his at the two of them and smirked at Seto Kaiba as he straightened his posture. " Ahknadin your yelling isn't necessary and perhaps I was, Kaiba. I've found myself growing more… tiresome since I have took up a feeder. Now, what was I needing to answer?"

Whispers from the leaders of the ten noble families echoed around him as the head of the Tsukumo family stood up from his chair, and turned to face Yami while resting a hand on the dark oak table all the head were seated around. "My lord, many of us were wondering about the thief that your personal guard caught on the night of your birthday celebration. What happened to him and what had he tried to steal?" Kuzuma, the head of the noble Tsukumo family, asked the leader of the vampires in a stern voice that was unwavering.

Yami's smirk vanished as he became more serious as one of the noble families asked about the unfortunate event that occurred during the celebration of his birth. He didn't want to speak about the event, but he had no choice but to speak of that night.

"The human was sent by the Hunter Association, and had attempted to steal the Millennium Puzzle which had belonged to the former king, and is one of the seven items used to keep the power of an Original tamed. He was stopped and the millennium item was recovered, but due to the human's clumsiness, the puzzle unfortunately was shattered back into its original pieces," Yami looked stressed as he told the noble purebloods about the puzzle, but his voice was casual. He rested his right elbow on an arrest of his throne and held his head with his hand. "The human was apprehended and is currently waiting trial, and I will work on restoring the Millennium Puzzle to its normal state once the situation has settled and the Gathering has passed." Yami added, he was already making mental preparations for the first round of questions and hope to have quelled some of the noble's questions.

"It was shattered?! What will happened to the power of the original that was sealed inside? Is that the reason there has been havoc and a sudden increase of rogue vampires?" Dartz, the head of the Ironheart family, asked angrily as he bolted up from his seat. "Do you realize how much danger our families are in because you had refused to bury that damned item along with its brethren, with the Pharaoh!?"

"Dartz, I suggest-"

"Lord Ironheart, none of us are in any danger from the Millennium Puzzle breaking, or any of the other Sacred Millennium Items," Arthur Hopkinz, the head of the Hopkinz family interrupt Yami, before the royal could raise his voice at the noble.

Yami kept quiet to let the elderly pureblood speak for him. Although he was more than capable of explaining the Millennium Puzzle's power himself, the prince could feel his anger starting effect his state of mind. Plus, Arthur rarely spoke during a meeting and Yami was interested in how he would explain the functions of the items.

"The Millennium Puzzle was simple an object that kept the Original's power in check, and kept the Original's mind sane from the shadows. It also uses the power it absorbs from the Original to fuel the other six Millennium Items which, the Sacred Guardians uses to protect our ruler and kingdom. When the puzzle is shattered, the power inside the item is distributed into the remaining six items or returns back to the Original vampire that constructed it. Therefore the item is of no danger to us, and nor did it cause the increase of rogue vampires. I suggest you pay better attention to these meetings so that would at least have basic knowledge such things, " Arthur snapped.

"And I am told by the mouth from an old man who lost his granddaughter to the hunters? I cannot fathom how your family is even allowed to take a part on the council, after that incident. You human-hugger."

"Dartz!" Yami bellowed out, anger thick in his voice. "If you do not stop speaking such vulgar words within my presence, I will have you thrown from this meeting! Do you understand me?"

The Prince angled his head upwards slightly, his crimson eyes burning bright with an angry blood red regal gaze. Yami watched as an evil aura surrounded him as Dartz looked away and mutterer a quiet "Yes, my king," before he took his seat.

"My prince," Yami blinked turning his attention towards Isis, struggling to compose himself despite his fury. "The Millennium Items we Sacred Guardians carry, have not received any additional power since the puzzle's breaking. It may be possible the former king could have inherited the power and could have-"

"Nonsense," Yami cut her off in low tone, lacking any trace of hope. He dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. "You have heard the daily reports from High Priest Ahknadin and your Millennium Necklace is unable to see a future for the previous king. The Pharaoh is either dead or close to it."

Yami turned his head away from the female vampire to avoid seeing her appalled face. He knew very well that the words out of his mouth would spark another huge debate, however, he was confident he would win that debate. Afterall, he always won in the end.

"Dead? Then there's no hope for reviving the king then?" The head of the Fudo family, Akari Fudo, questioned Yami over the loud chattering among her fellow noble household representatives. Her question cause an eerie silence to fall upon the dark conference room. The kind wife of the late Fudo family head, Yusei Fudo, had unintentionally place the burden of great stress upon her ruler's shoulders.

Yami felt his non-beating heart grow heavy as he tried to gather a logical thought to explain why he had uttered such words to one of his guardians, and in front of the noble families too. There was no way for him to take back those words, or to redeem himself. As he thought over his word choices silently, he could hear the whispers from the ten heads of the noble pureblood families.

"Is this why he suggested that he give up his claim to the throne?"

"No, this isn't true. We all know an original cannot be killed by a mere seal. Unless that human had done something to him before he…"

"Maybe he's dying of old age?"

"Originals do not die from old age. They're immortally young."

"But if Atem does die or is dead, doesn't that make Yami the next Original? He was the last person to consume Atem's blood and is his mate."

"Fool, Yami is no longer our Pharaoh's mate. He broke their bond when he shared a kiss with the late Priest Seth! It has been voided!"

"How do we even know that our beloved Pharaoh is dead? The only one who has seen his body since Lord Seth's death is Priest Ahknadin, Pharaoh Atem's uncle."

"And Yami has not either?"

"We banned him after the Mutou Family were discovered as members from the I.V.H.A. Do you not remember that you had cast your vote for that decision too, you old fool?"

"Enough of this senseless babling, let us hear Yami's reasoning for why he believes the Pharaoh to be dead, and if this is the reason why he wishes to abandon the throne."

Yami tried to avoid all the piercing glares from the ten members that made up the royal council. He kept his head low, looking down at his lap while his hands gripped the ends of his armrest with a grip as stronger than a viper's. How could he respond to them? How would explain his reasoning to them? His normally calm and composed self was starting to be chipped away by the haunting memories of both his pharaoh and his high priest.

Atem was his former mate who had saved him when his family had crumbled, gave him a home, and a future. Atem was also the first true friend he had; they had grew up together, fell in love with each other, and had almost died together. However, Seth had prevented Yami from trying to die after Atem was sealed away. Seth had gave Yami a reason to live on after Atem, a reason to move on and hope that Atem would come back to them. But Seth was also the one who had told him it was impossible for Atem to be revived, even when the Mutou family discovered a way to undo what had been done to the Pharaoh. He was the one who told him that the hope they had, was wasted because Atem could have easily undone the seal himself, despite what the Mutou researchers had said. Seth had been the one to tell him it was time to retire Atem and his legacy, to let Atem die the death he wanted.

"I was told that the Pharaoh wished for his death and there was no possible way to unseal the Pharaoh, by High Priest Seth not long before he had passed on," Yami spoke faintly, but confidently. Although he didn't say it loudly, all listening ears in the room were able to hear his words of admitted defeat. It was as if their wounded ruler had started to revert back to the coward he was right after Seth's death.

" Prince, Lord Seth was not in his right of mind then. We all know this, even you," Mahaad spoke up, proving that he was not asleep. "Both you and I, were Pharaoh Atem's closest friends. We know Atem, the man behind the crown. He would never wish for such a thing with the blessed life he lived."

"What you call a blessing, was a curse to him," Yami growled lowly, lifting his face so his eyes filled with remorse and anger could glare into Mahaad's confident and calm grey ones.

"Only you see it as such, Yami. You think you were the only one who suffered greatly from Atem's sealing, but you weren't! How many times must I tell you this? Seth had lost a cousin, Ahknadin a nephew, the entire vampire race lost their king, friends lost their companion, you lost a lover, and I lost a brother! For two thousand, nine-hundred and twenty years, you acted like a wounded puppy and refused to let go of him and of what had happened. You were ruled by your emotion and neglected your duties as Atem's heir. When we –" Mahaad placed his left hand over his chest and gestured to his fellow guardians, "Were forced to move on directly afterwards. We had to keep our own suffering in the dark, while continuing our duties of serving the vampire kingdom and Kemet. We weren't given the luxury of grieving for him!"

Yami did not look away from Mahaad instead, his glare intensified as the Egyptian priest continued his outburst. "We are faithful to you as our leader, but we are also faithful to Pharaoh Atem as our friend! You may think that he is dead simply because of Ahknadin's reports, Seth's words, and the loss of your human researchers; but you cannot tell us that our friend, our king is dead off of some silly reports and a dead end! Not until his flesh has rotted away and his bones have turned into ash!"

"What proof do you have that Atem is alive then!?" Yami snapped at Mahaad when the vampire had finished his scolding. Mahaad's words were like old news to Yami. For the past seventeen years he had been hearing the same thing, in similar versions, every time Atem was brought up. Yami had heard Mahaad's annoying speech so much, he couldn't stand hearing the former king's name being uttered from that man's mouth.

"You say I believe the words of false reports to make the conclusion my mate is dead, but you're wrong Mahaad," Yami stood from the throne he sat in so he could gaze at Mahaad in the eye without looking up at the male. "Atem's blood runs through my veins, have you forgotten that? Since the death of Seth, Atem's blood has been growing stronger within my body with each passing day. That is all the proof I need to confirm the Pharaoh is knocking at death's door!"

Tension filled the conference room as Yami and Mahaad glared at each other. Stormy grey eyes battled silently with the fiery glare of crimson colored hues, hoping that perhaps Yami would might understand that the hope for Atem's revival was not a lost cause.

"Mahaad, I understand your feelings, but you do not feel the pain I feel, each passing day when my body burns stronger with the blood from my former lover. It is a constant reminder that he is indeed dying! For the past week I've been feeling like my body has been tossed into Hell's eternal fire. It's a sign that, that fool's death is-"

Darkness. The conference room was cloaked in pure darkness and screams of surprise came from the ten noble purebloods.

"Don't panic! The power has just went out," Shada's voice boomed loudly.

Yami's eyes blinked as he gazed around the darkened room. He could make out the faint outlines of the inhabitants of the room, but it wasn't the only thing he could make out in the darkness in the windowless room.

Unlike humans, vampires had better sight in the dark since originally they had been nocturnal creatures. It was one of the few reasons why Yami was able to see the angrily swirling dark matter slither along the walls and flooring of the conference room. The pureblood felt anxiety pulse through his body as he watched the black matter come closer and closer towards him.

Shadows. They were shadows.

"Prince, please call off the shadows. There's no need for them," Karim instructed Yami as the holder of the Millennium Scales, tried to calm the noble purebloods.

'S-Shadows…? How? When? I didn't…' Yami's body was frozen in place. He hadn't called for the shadows and even as he tried to call them off, the black substance didn't vanish. He couldn't wield them to go away.

"Yami, call them off! Please!" Isis' frantic voice plead with the pureblood, but was of no use and the shadows began to creep towards table of noble pureblood vampires. The Prince was far too absorbed in his state of shock to acknowledge the plea.

The only vampires able to control the shadows were the Originals and those who had inherited their powers. The Originals were the direct decedents of the first vampire, the royal family. The Muran family had once had several Original vampires within its members, but throughout the early years of the vampires existence, they had decided to only allow two Original vampires at a time in the world, to exist. It had been a decision to keep a balance of peace among the vampire race and to prevent a divide within the race. The two Originals would rule together and maintain the peace and balance of the vampire kingdom, instead of it being overpowered by so many. The only Originals considered alive though, was himself and the former king. Atem, however, was sealed away and rendered powerless and was slowly dying. Therefore, the shadows should have been listening to him unless…unless…

"PRINCE, PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU!" Isis screamed at Yami while trying to fight off the shadows with her Millennium Necklace, much like the other living Sacred Guardians were doing with their own Millennium Items.

"Useless. It's useless, I can't control them," Yami's voice was faint and cracking with fear. He couldn't control them. He couldn't fight the shadows off, he was vulnerable and at their will. His body motionless as he struggled with the sudden lack of power.

"Yami, you're the only one who is able to control the shadows. You have to stop them!" Shada confirmed for the prince, hoping that Yami would call off the assault. The shadows were starting to overpower the Sacred Guardians.

The pureblood royal closed his eyes and tried to force the shadows to stop with all the power that Atem's blood allowed him to use. Shada was right, he was the only one who could stop this. The only one who could stop the assault of the dark matter and protect the noblemen of the ten noble pureblood houses.

When Yami reopened his crimson eyes, he could see his guardians all protecting the nobles in a corner of the room, along with his two assassins. He aimed his palm towards the group, silently asking the shadows to return to him. His command was ignored and answered with a violent hiss.

The Prince's eyes widened at the sinister sounds coming from the black matter. 'Rejection? They rejected me?'

Yami's narrowed his eyes at the blackness covering the entire room, but the areas surrounding him and the nobles. Determined to stop the darkness from consuming them all, Yami cursed to himself silently before biting the base of his thumb. The moment he tasted his own blood on the tip of his tongue, he withdrew his hand away from his mouth and aimed it at the shadows surrounding the guardians and nobles. "I order you to return to me at once!" He called out to the darkness.

The hisses of the shadows stopped, much to Yami's delight. Even more so when the darkness started to peel away from the other vampires in the conference room and slither towards their master.

'Blood. Blood of the master. Stolen blood of the true ruler. Return it to us!'

"What!?" Yami's barely had time to register what the shadows had hissed out loud, before the darkness that had once been creeping towards the nobles started to rush towards him at a rapid pace like a mass of angered snakes.

The pureblood wasn't given the chance to dodge the shadows' oncoming attack. The black matter had wrapped itself around his ankles by the time he tried to take his first step. Quickly, the shadows began to cover Yami's body. Consuming his legs, feet, torso and arms. The shadows felt like they were freezing his body. Although his body was burning with the overwhelming power from Atem's blood, the shadows did not soothe the internal flames. Instead, they cause the flames that burned Yami from the inside of his body, rage into a blazing inferno. The pain was so intense, that it actually had made the vampire gasp out like he was being suffocated as his breath was stolen from him.

"Prince!"

---

"Yami, what's with that face? You look like you ate a spoiled date again. Are you worried about something? Come on, out with it!"

That voice, the language…It couldn't be could it? No, there was no mistaking a voice with that type of concern and carefree tone. The definitely was Atem's voice from when he was younger. Back before their life had became a living Hell.

"Leave me alone, Atem. A prince shouldn't be concerned with someone like me."

"Oh? But it's a prince's duty to serve his people and you Yami of the Sennen coven, are a part of my people and you are my friend. Therefore, you are at the top of my list to help. So out with it before I make you tell me!"

Yami couldn't help but smile to himself at the fond memory. Although all he could see was a blinding light and was numb from the blazing fire inside his body, he could picture the events playing out in his own memories. It was a memory from when he had just started living with Atem in the royal house. They were both about the same age at the time, Atem only being two summers older than Yami. It was the day Yami had learned about his parents. What had truly happened to his small family.

"Is it true Atem? Is it true what the council and Per'a'a said about my mother and father?"

"…I'm not sure Yami, but if it is, you're not like them. You are warm, brave, kind, and noble"

Yami could still feel the warm hug Atem had given him for comfort. "You're definitely not like them, Yami."

The voice died away from his ears, although Yami could still hear the young voice from when he was a child along with Atem's faintly in his mind. The beauty from the dead language he used to speak and sometimes he still did with the Sacred Guardians, was still present. Even after years of neglect. His mind shuffled through the simple memories he shared with Atem when they were little. Silly pranks, stupid petty fights, Atem's crying face from being scared of the dark, his beautiful goofy smile, the false bravery he tried to show Yami when they got lost in the outer city of Theebes… it was all memories Yami had forgotten about through his years of grieving. They were his sweet blissful memories that contained his moments of true happiness.

It was memories of the great friend he had shared with Mahaad and many others.

Yami continued to listen to the soft voice from the long forgotten memories of the past he had created with Atem. Some of them were silly and cheerful, others sad or angry. All of them were precious to him and for the first time since Seth's death, Yami felt a sense of peace and happiness.

However, the warm fuzzy feeling he was enjoying ended quickly, when he heard Atem's voice that was deeper and more mature than the his higher-pitched childish voice. The words his former lover was speaking didn't make since and Yami couldn't place it to any of his memories. And from years of neglecting his native tongue, Yami had even forgotten some of the words his former lover was speaking.

"As crown prince, I accept your request my Pa'rah. My duty is to the people of my land and if I have to... I will….Even if it … Very well…I…"

The voice replying to Atem spoke gibberish, but in Yami's mind though he knew it was the commanding voice the late pharaoh prior to his lover, Atem's father. Yami closed his eyes to avoid from being blinded by the bright white light any longer, as he focused on Atem's and his father's conversation. He couldn't make sense of it and why could he hear their voices if he had no memories of being present for their talk. And their words.. he had forgotten their meaning over the many years of neglect. Just what was going on?

"Yami, I'm having to leave Theebes for a while. Will you wait for me? "

Yami felt something tug at his heartstrings when he heard Atem's deep voice and could understand it once more. He knew this moment better than the back of his own hand.

"Do you have to leave? When will you be back? The day of my birth is just-"

"Yami, I know. I won't be able to make it back in time for it. But, I'll bring you back a gift for each day I was gone to make up or it."

If his heart could beat, Yami knew it would be pounding harshly against his chest as he started to recall this moment from his memory. He could feel the heat of blush fresh on his cheeks, despite the burning pain in his body. It was a moment in his life he wished he could have avoid of being so immature. Then perhaps, he wouldn't be living this damned life he was now.

"No! Gifts do not matter to me, not if you're not here with me. What is the point of celebrating my life if the person who matters the most to me, cannot even be by my side so we can enjoy it together!? I'd rather chance my life and risk death by traveling with you so we can be together on my day of birth!"

The pureblood bit his bottom lips and squeezed his eyes closed even tighter. He could still vividly remember both his own embarrassment and Atem's as the prince caught onto Yami's words.

"E-Eh?! Yami do you… does that mean…you like me?"

"NO! ...I...No Atem, I don't like you…I mean…I …I do like you… just… It's just… How can I enjoy myself when not everyone is here to celebrate with me?"

"So… you do like me?"

"I…I…"

"It's okay Yami, I like you too."

"Pr-Prince Atem…"

"Ah ah ah, what have I said about titles Yami?"

"Only to use them in front of the council, but you can't be serious. Can you? You're betrothed –"

" I like whoever I like, not some cow who gets picked for me just because they have the finest equipment for breeding. "

When the voice were no longer present in his ears, Yami could only wish that the memory in his mind would vanish from his focus. Confessing one's love to another had been one thing, but Atem himself took it a step forward and had forge the bond between themselves that night. They were stupid and young, but by gods was it the best birthday gift he had received, even though Yami regretted it.

The voices from his past came and went as he relived the many memories he had forged with Atem. It was starting to overwhelm Yami. It felt like he was just the normal seventeen year old from five thousand years ago. It made him wonder why he had given up on his mate, why he didn't wait on him, why he had moved on. Nothing he and Seth had was ever like what he had shared with Atem. So then, why had he –

"Yami, I want you to meet Heba."

Reality came crashing back to Yami, when the deep voice that belonged to Atem echoed around him.

'No. No. No. No! Not these, please don't make me remember this, please!' If the flame eating away at his body would have allowed him to move, Yami would have been pulling out his hair. Just from one simple innocent sentence, Yami's living nightmare was unleashed. His mind was flooded with memories of Atem, Heba, and himself together, Heba alone, and Heba and himself together. He wished Atem would have never introduced them. He wished Atem would have never saved that filthy human during the dark war!

As he battled with himself, Yami could faintly hear them. The last words Atem spoke to him: "Heba…is he…here? Yami… I love... –"

Those last words. That was what haunted him. Even at the end, Atem was wondering where that devil was. He never finished his sentence either. What was he going to say? That he had loved him? That he had loved Heba or perhaps, both of them? How could Atem love Heba, after the human put a dagger made of silver through his heart? Why was he wondering where he was? Why did he look so concerned in the end? Why? Why? Why? Why?!

"What's going on? My body….It…It won't move! …..Yami!? Damn…I can't see, just what in Ra's name is going on?!"

Fear and confusion. It was faint, but he could hear it in Atem's voice as it forced its way into his hearing. Never in the fourteen years he and Atem spent together, had he heard such a tone of voice being used when he spoke. Just what was going on around him?

"Yami is this a game? If so, I'm done playing it…Yami? Why won't you answer me? Can you not hear me? What about my emotions? Can you not feel them?"

Memories from after Atem's sealing, flashed in Yami's mind. The strange feelings he felt when nothing around him could cause them. The unexplained fear, anger, loneliness, chest pain, overwhelming sadness, tiredness, longing for someone's touch, and his uncontrollable mood swings. Had they all been…his doing? Were those Atem's feeling and not his own?

"What language are you learning? It's odd. …So it's the language your mother's family spoke? This Japanese…is a part of your native tongue?"

"Ew, you like that? Raw fish and rice? It's putrid. Nothing like the sweet meat of a lion."

"So you…we're staying here then? I still get my own bed. You'll still sleep with me at night, right?"

"This place, there's no scent. This bed feels like stone. Yami, are you coming to see me today?"

"What are you… Yami! Don't you dare! My Ieb, do not let Seth break our bond! You must see through his deceiving ways! Yami! Please, I beg you, hear my voice just this once! Yami! YAMI-"

Yami lost all feeling in his body. Even the inferno he was cursed with, had died out. His mind continued to fill with the voice of his former mate. Questions, comments, demands, pleas, praises, and words of comfort. All had been death to his ears yet, had been spoken through their bond as mates. He wanted to believe so badly that this was Atem's true voice, that these words from their dead language were true. But... he couldn't believe them.

A part of his mind reminded him need to pull out of this. He needed to stop this silly dreaming, this silly wishing. A small portion of Yami's consciousness continued to stress this even as it screamed or him to just stay in this dream with his lost lover. But Yami knew he couldn't stay. These words were lies, fabricated by the shadows that had attacked dreams that tried to get him to hope and long for his dead lover. Evil nothingness that were just but a figment of his wishful imagination.

"Release me."

"Release me!"

"Release me, I must wake up, I must. Death will befall me if I do not."

He was pleading. Did that mean he was dying? Was Atem dying… or had he already died? The pureblood noticed the blinding light his eyelids was starting to fade away. This was all just…make believe. So of course not, Atem wasn't dying. He was already dead and finished suffering. Although he had told Isis that Atem was dying, and Seth had told him Atem had wished for death… he had never believed it himself. He just could bring himself to acknowledge the Pharaoh dying. He couldn't bare to think Atem was suffering still. That's why… he wanted to give up this throne. He couldn't lead his kingdom into a brighter future if he was still clinging to a false reality where his lover never suffered. He wanted out of his rule so much, he had even dragged Yugi into this mess.

The human had looked so much like Heba, Yami thought it was the traitor when he had first laid eyes on him. But through their small conversations during the school day and learning about him through Jonouchi, Yami was quick to conclude he wasn't him. That didn't mean the council would know the difference. None of them had been there to see Heba's true colors, only the Sacred Guardians. The noble only seen the detailed drawing of that sinister human and learned to hate him through the story that was passed down to them through their family and through Yami. At that time he made up a stupid plan to get thrown out of power by claiming Yugi, but look at what good it did. The council had applaud him for being able to claim a human with such similar looks!

"Thank you."

Thank you? What did that mean? Was that because he admitted his weakness to accept the reality of Atem suffering? Or had Atem finally been able to move on?

"Now then, have you realized your misdeeds Yami?"

Yami's eyes opened with a jolt. His surroundings were dark, unlike the bright light that once blinded him before. He could faintly hear someone calling out to him, trying to gain his attention but was failing miserably. The pureblood's mind was preoccupied with trying to figure out what miss deed he had performed.

What misdeeds had he done? He had loved Atem, and been upset with his loss of the man. He had help from Seth with recovery and even tried to save a few human lives along the way. He had even became close with others he used to have conflicts with in the past. He couldn't think of any major misdeeds he had committed in his life other than those that centered around Heba and the Mutou Family.

"You're blind. Could you not see the wrong in your actions? I allowed you to relive those memories for a reason, Yami. You betrayed me."

'Relived…betrayed…'The Prince searched his mind and memories for a point in time where he could have possibly betrayed someone. It would have been easier if the hissing of the shadows restraining him was silenced.

"It saddens me that you refuse to acknowledge the crime you have committed against me, and our shared disrespected us!"

'Refusal to acknowledge a crime?'The second after Yami relied the words in his mind, he was rewarded answer. The memories he shared with Atem became a reopened wound, along with the memories of himself allowing his mate's cousin to steal a kiss from him. The moment he remembered the kiss though, his lips began to burn as if acid had been poured on to them when they were chapped. Yami growled painful and closed his eyes as he tried to endure the pain.

Pain. He felt pain for kissing someone without the permission of his mate. He felt pain because he never was forgiven for his crime and had fracture the bond with his mate. His mate that had been sealed away and cut off from life. But Yami had never felt the pain when he had kissed Seth. Why was he feeling it now as the shadows hissed at him to remember the moment he and Seth had shared a deep connection? The was a beat of silence as everything clicked into place for Yami's mind.

Atem was free.

The missing magic, the out-of-control shadows, the voice yelling at him, the burning pain throughout his body... It was all of his doing! All of it was Atem's fault!

"You selfish asshole!"

"Oh? I'm a selfish asshole? That's quite amusing. Please, inform you Pha'rah why this is. "

As he started to regain his strength, Yami tried to force himself up off the ground. He managed to get to his feet before accepting an offering of help from a bronze colored slim hand. The pain from his lips disappeared, only to be replaced by his entire body combusting into an intense inferno. The sudden pain coursing through his his body, prevented Yami from giving the eerie voice his smartass retort. Instead the painful burning sensation actually forced a soft whimper of pain from the Prince. It was quiet, too soft for a human's hearing to pick up, but undeniably most of the vampire in the conference room with him was able to hear it. At the very least the Sacred Guardians had.

"Prince? What's happening?"

"My friend, what's wrong?"

"Are you ill?"

"Yami where are you hurting? I'll heal your injury just tell me where-"

"Enough, please just leave me be," Yami forced the words out of his mouth, not caring if he sound like he was in excruciating pain.

"But –" Isis began, but Yami raised his hand to silence her.

"Isis, this is not something that can be healed with your magic," He struggled to keep his voice strong and as possible as his crimson eyes glared at the swirling shadows in the room.

No, no amount of magic could heal this pain. Not unless a true Original were to extinguish the flames that were licking at his internal organs. Never had he given thought to him being on this side of Atem's anger. To think just having a simple kiss stolen from him, to have allowed himself to move on and commit one small sin with another, was able to make the pharaoh this pissed of. It was just stupid and petty. The dead being angry at the dead, Atem should be taking his anger out on his cousin not him.

"You allowed it to happen Yami. You fell for his tricks. It wasn't stolen, you gave it away."

'Enough. It doesn't matter anymore Atem, Seth is dead! 'Yami hiss in his mind at the former leader of the vampire race. His body trembled with pain as the flames started to use the blood flowing freely in his veins as fuel. These shadows were his mate's Ka* seeking revenge on him. They had to be. The way the Sacred Guardians were fawning of their ill prince was proof enough. Their ears were deaf to the angry voice of their former king, to the shadows.

"Hmph, dead eh? Who stole my kill from me then?"

The angry hissing of the shadows started to give way and Yami could identify some of Atem's true voice. Oddly enough it was making some of Yami anger towards the man ebb way. The voice was almost comforting even.

'Rouge vampires. He was killed by them,' Yami informed the shadows and closed his eyes. He couldn't take it much more; this silent suffering. He couldn't afford to let the leaders of every noble pureblood family see him cower in pain. He could never show them his weak side. Atem knew this too, but damn, why'd did he have to try to get him to break in front of the nobles. 'Are you going to kill me?'

"Tempting, but no. I plan on making you suffer for your ignorance. I'll make you submit and beg for forgiveness. I will reclaim my throne which you have stolen, in front of all and show them how weak you truly are. "

'I didn't take it from you – '

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-

Yami quickly moved away from the Sacred Guardians stumbling as he backed away. His hands quickly went to his chest. His right hand digging into the flesh just above the area his heart was located in while his left one, tried to muff the deadly sound.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum...Ba-dum. Ba-dum... Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

"That...liar. H-He's … is trying to kill me."

His words were not rushed nor did he have a sense of panic in his tone he spoke. It was merely a statement of realization. Although it made sense to Yami, it confused the rest of the vampiress in the room. It caused panic for the Sacred Guardians. To hear such words escape from the Prince's mouth, was like observing his death. Even more so, when they had to witness Yami clawing at his own heart with his fingernails.

"Stop this madness Yami. No one is trying to kill you," Mahaad was the first to speak as he took ahold of Yami's hands and forced them away from the pureblood's chest. "If someone is, you need to tell us and stop making such a fuss in front of the nobles," He added in a hushed whisper.

"Hey Bakura, are watching this too? I think the Prince has lost it again. What do you think?" Marik's taunting voice asked his partner-in-crime as he leaned back in his chair and watched Yami's downfall with a sinister smile.

"Nah, he's not lost it yet. He's taking his sweet time with this one. Kingy wants to make em' suffer bad. Didn't you hear it?" Bakura added emphasis to the person of subject with the purpose of catching the attention of the nobles and the guardians.

"So that was his then? The Prince's heart?"Karim spoke with true shock in his voice.

" Mhmm, and what a beautiful sound it was. Oh? Will you listen to that, looks like Pharaoh decide playtime was over. He's even made it have a steady beat."

"Oh the sweet agony the prince must be in!" Marik kackled.

"What are you two idiots babbling over?" The cold tone of Seto Kaiba interrupted the taunting conversation the two assassins were having. His face showing no amusement nor any emotions other than announce. "If you two know what is going on here then please, enlighten us. Otherwise, quit your useless chatter."

Growling Bakura turned his head away, while Marik silent debated if it was worth killing the Kaiba family's head. Apparently it wasn't worth the energy.

"You fools have failed to notice these shadows, aren't controlled by Yami. If Yami couldn't tame them, then who else is the one person in this world who could?" The albino vampire leaned back in his chair and looked over his shoulder to watch the reactions from person to person.

Eyes varying all shapes, sizes and colors widened slowly as the realization slowly settled in.

"Impossible." Bakura frowned when it wasn't Seto's surprised voice that answered him back first. Instead it was Ahknadin, the Guardian who had been in charge of taking care of Atem.

"Oh? And why is that?" Marik question with a grin that could rival a demon's.

"He's dead! That child is dead. I killed him five years ago!" Ahknadin let his tongue slip and immediately, all eyes went to him. Even Yami's fearful crimson orbs.

"Opps, looks like the cat's out of the bag Bakura!"Marik said in an innocent joking tone as he smiled at the 'last' Muran.

Even through his pain and suffering Yami managed to conjure what little strength he could, to pull away from Mahaad's grip and aim his fierce angry glare at the eldest of the Sacred Guardians as stood on his own drentched in a sweat.

"You…You…Tried to kill him? Your own flesh and blood?!" His voice was one of disbelief as he bared his fangs. "Ahknadin!"

"So you didn't know of this? Interesting. "

There was soft chuckle from the voice of the shadows and with it, Yami's un-beating heart started to beat more pronounced until it was racing.

The pureblood dropped to his knees, unable to support himself as his heart thudded violent in its race. His vision blurred as he watched Atem's uncle run from the room. The fire within his body had slowly died away, but Yami's stomach was twisting into knots. The pureblood felt like if he even attempted to move any move his muscles, he would only collapse from the effort. With the sickening feeling in his stomach and his aching muscles, it wasn't hard to piece together Atem's motive for torturing him with this amount of shadow magic. The Original was forcing Yami to participate in a blood removal ritual.

"Now, give me back my blood!"

Yami, wasn't going to try and stop Atem as his heart started beat even faster and caused more pain to explode from his chest. Yami couldn't stop the Pharaoh even if wanted to, not this far into the removal process. And even if he could, he wouldn't.

Atem had allowed Yami to drink from him, just like he had allowed Atem to partake in his own blood on occasions. It had been a sign of their love for each other, but now that love had died with Atem. It only made sense that Yami gave back the blood that belong to Atem. But was it really necessary for the Original to take it from him in front of the nobles? That was a silly question he already knew the answer to. Of course it was, it would mark the end of Yami's rein and the resumption of Atem's, unless the other was blind to see there were others in the room.

The pureblood felt a sharp cramping pain in his lower abdomen that forced him to use both his hands and knees to support himself. He could feel the bile rising in his throat although, Yami knew it wasn't the gastric acid. It was something entirely different. He could already taste the sweet bitterness in his mouth. It was mixture of his own bitter blood and Atem's sweet and spicy elixir.

The vampire swallowed, hoping to keep the substance down for a little longer so he could get a few words out. "Marik, Bakura; I order you to capture Ahknadin and escort him to the prison cells. Alive. "

He watch the two smile at him happily then at each other, before running off. May the gods have mercy on Ahknadin's soul when Bakura and Marik had their way with the man. Though Yami knew they weren't going to spare the man. He'll just have to wait to give the man his punishment, when they would meet in Hell.

Just after Bakura and Mairk had vanished from his sight, Yami gagged and heaved as he choked on the blood that was being forced from his body. His crimson eyes became watery as a natural reaction from his dry heaving. The atmosphere around him grew colder as his skin became clammy. The nauseous feeling that overpowered his body and senses had caused all of Yami's thoughts about his 'image' to exit the building.

He didn't care if he would look weak. He didn't care if one of the ten leaders from the pureblood families looked down at him because of this. Sometimes even the strongest of men fall. He had seen Atem countless of times in his weakest moments, the same with Seth and some of the members within the Sacred Guardians. Yami was not expectation to this.

Yami felt his stomach give and unexpected lurch, the final push his body needed to vomit up the giant quantity of blood that was Atem's.

Sweat dripped from his forehead as he panted harshly in attempt to catch his breath, when the thick burgundy liquid finally had ceased to be regurgitated. The rapid pulsing of his undead heart slowed to a halt and allowed some of Yami bodily aches to ease away. After using one of his hands to wipe at his eyes, Yami watched as the blood he had just puked up along with the shadows in the room, started to evaporate. It disgusted him knowing that the blood he had just vomited was going to be possibly re-digested by Atem if the man was truly alive. His stomach gave another threatening lurch.

He hoped Atem wasn't going to drink that. If he did, that man's standards would have fallen even lower than a rogue's.A thought crossed his mind after he compared his former mate to a rogue vampire. Perhaps that was the reasoning behind this attack. It was very well possible Atem had lost his reasoning and had fallen to the demonic state.

"Prince!" The concerned voices of the Sacred Guardians and some nobles flooded Yami's eardrums. He leaned back, so he was sitting in a seiza* type style. He ran his left hand through his hair, pulling his bangs away from his face so he could enjoy the coolness that washed over his exhausted body. He made no protest as both Isis and Mahaad searched his body and Ba* for any wounds. Their cooling hands with heka* flowing freely from them, ebbed away his fever and slowly replenished his strength.

When the two were done, they both looked at him with questioning eyes, which Yami sighed softly at. He could feel the awaiting stares of the nobles glaring at him from all directions.

"Before you ask any questions –" Yami started before pausing to clear his throat. " I want to confirm something first. "

"Which is?" The head of the Yuki family asked in disapproving voice.

"I wish to see the late pharaoh's sealed body. Naturally, the ten nobles plus the guardians will accompany me." Yami replied with a calm voice, never lowering or raising his volume.

"Then let us take a vote," Arthur Hopkinz declared, "All in favor of letting Yami see Atem, say 'Aye'."

Out of ten nobles leaders, nine called out a soft "Aye", allowing Yami to go visit the body of the sealed king.

Yami sighed through his nose as he eased himself to stand on his feet. This was going to be a long evening. A very long evening.

---

Atem's mind was obviously somewhere else that much, was clear to Yugi. Had it been because of the seal's magic or if the vampire had gone into shock, the human couldn't pinpoint.

Yugi had noticed that as he helped the vampire walk along the dark streets of Domino City towards his home, Atem wasn't paying him even the slightest attention. It wasn't just now Yugi was noticing the absence of his companion's mind. He had come to that conclusion just before the former king of the vampires had asked him of his concealing stone.

Atem was acting very strange in Yugi's opinion, of course, he had no right to judge someone which he only knew stories and the sleeping form of. Still, Atem had taken his revival in stride, like he had predicted it or already knew what the world he wakening in to would be like. Perhaps now Atem was absorbing the world around and what had happened to him nearly three-thousand years ago. Maybe he hadn't noticed it at first, the fact that he had missed out on witnessing millenniums with his lover.

Yugi's violet eyes glance to the left, to the Pharaoh. Why did he even unseal this vampire in the first place? He had no connections to Atem that he knew of. He should have killed this man the moment he saw him, yet, he didn't. Instead, Yugi gave him his live back while risking his own. He was going to be a vampire hunter! Well he had been close to becoming one before…

Yugi shook his head not wanting to remember anything involving Yami biting or the letter which, was still crumbled up in his winter coat that Atem was now wearing. Yugi had resumed looking in the direction he was traveling when he remembered the bulk apparel item. He nearly left his coat there when he Atem was escaping and glad he didn't. The temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up a nasty chill. He doubted he could have found any winter clothing in the cluttered mess of offerings to the vampire, which was why Yugi was now freezing instead of Atem. Sometimes the human wondered if his selflessness traits were a curse instead of a blessing.

The human let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the familiar dim glow of the illuminating word 'GAME' above the entrance of his family's game shop. Just in time too, he thought his upper body was going to freeze. His yellow longsleeved shirt was doing little to trap in his body heat, however, his shoes and jogging pants were doing a fantastic job of it.

"Where are we?" Atem's deep voice raspy from years of neglect, questioned Yugi as the human forced his way and the vampire through the back entrance of the game shop.

"We're at my house. Where else could I take a half dead vampire?" Yugi replied in a casual tone as he released Atem, letting the vampire support himself as he closed and locked the door back.

"Your home…it looks –"

"Odd? Strange? Different?" Yugi finished for Atem with a smile as he towed the man towards the stairs that would lead the two up to living part of the home. Just as Yugi placed his foot on the first step, he paused in fear. How the heck was he supposed to explain this to his awaiting grandfather upstairs?

" Yes, but I was going to say like a shop of some sort. I've seen some like this in Yami's memories –"

"I'm doomed," Yugi interrupted Atem once more unknowingly as his body almost quivered with fear.

"Would you stop that?!" Atem snapped in an irritated tone. "Human have you forgotten that I am rightful ruler of the vampire race? I will be forced to punish you for your disrespecting ways if you do not stop interrupting my speech! Do you understand me, human?"

"I understand you, but…" Yugi trailed off fear thick in his voice, " Grandpa is going to put me through Hell for this."

"I will personally put you in Hell if that is what it will take to get you to respect my title, Human!"

"No, no, no, no, " Yugi turned to face the Pharaoh, not even trying to hide his fear. "You don't get it, Pharaoh. My grandpa he's…he's my guardian…my parent so to speak. Atem-I mean Pharaoh, imagine the worse punishment your father did to you when you were young and multiply that by ten." His distressed look seem to cause Atem joy from how he smirked, but it soon faded with Yugi's words.

"You're grandfather punishes you worse than ten lashes with a whip?"

"Possibly although, I haven't been spanked since I was thirteen," Yugi replied and shook his head. "However this, will warrant a more severe punishment."

"Like lashes on your chest and having to treat them yourself?" Atem tilted his head to his left in confusion.

"W-What!? No, oh God no. My grandpa would never do something like that! Not even to a vampire!" Yugi blurted out a little too loudly.

Atem narrowed his eyes and straightened his head to its normal angle. His bright fiery red eyes burned with unverbalized question as he watched Yugi. " You said 'possibly' earlier. Is not what being 'spanked' means?"

"No, that's when your hand makes contact with another person's rump. Why on Earth would you –" Yugi's hand collided with his forehead as he realized just exactly 'who' he was speaking with. A vampire from the ancient times.

"Never mind," The human sighed heavily, dreading his grandfather's reaction to when he came back with no Christmas presents and instead, the vampire king. He was so grounded.

Yugi started to climb the steps ascending towards his actual home. When he was half way up, he noticed the absence of footsteps behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Yugi spotted Atem standing still on the floor with one foot on the first step of the stairs. The vampire dawned an awaiting look, as if he expecting something for the human to say or do. The look itself was all the reminder Yugi needed before he was laughing to himself at his foolishness. He had forgten about the 'politeness' of vampires. Even when they were kings of dead civilization, the rule still applied. How funny.

"I'm sorry," Yugi had to muffle his silent snickering and try to hide his small quivering smile. "You can come in, Atem. Just try not to cause too much trouble."

Those simple words were all the vampire needed to beginning his ascending light steps up the stairs behind Yugi. "It is Pharaoh Atem, your majesty or my king, to you."

Yugi released another sigh and nodded his head. "Yes, yes. However Pharaoh," Yugi started pausing at the closed door at the top of the stairs. "You do realize you're no longer…" Yugi didn't finish. He didn't want to offend the royal pureblood when he was only trying to help the man out. Again he found himself questioning why he was doing that, but the question brushed off when the same calming feeling he had been practically begging for earlier in the night, washed over him.

"I'm aware, " Atem's voice was even and calm, not even a trace of any negative or positive emotion lingered in his tone. "You seem to know who I am so therefore, I expect you to still use my titles. Seeing how I know nothing of you other than you're a human who resembles a dead human and carries a stone created from my blood. By the way, " Atem narrowed those fierce eyes of his at Yugi. " Have you answered my question yet?"

So he really had been out of it earlier. "I did, but you didn't seem to be… paying attention at the time."

"I was –" Atem seem to cut himself off quickly before releasing a heavy sigh, along with some pent up tension.

"Correct, I wasn't paying attention. I was dealing with a problem, one that need my undivided attention the moment I was able to be released from my captivity. But what was your answer, Heb-Yugi?"

Yugi didn't question the vampire he explained himself, nor did he pay attention to the vampire's slight mistake concerning his name. "My reply earlier was that I wasn't aware that my concealing stone was created from you blood," Yugi used a hand to lift said gem off his neck and gaze down at it with a fond smile. I knew it was made from the blood of a vampire who wanted to protect a human, but I had no idea it was your blood. It's kind of ironic don't you think? "

Atem eyes seemed to glaze over, his fiery blood red eyes started to cool and dull into to a deep maroon. Yugi watched in bewilderment before Atem looked at him with an emotionless poker face that could rival Yami's. "It is, but that doesn't explain why you have it," The vampire pointed out in an uninteresting voice.

Yugi looked away, not wanting to explain a second time, but had no choice in the matter. "It…It came into my possession after my father died. It's an heirloom that's been passed down in my family for generations. Only the –"

"Yugi? Is that you? " The human groaned when his grandfather's voice spoke over his own. No use in trying to buy time now. "Hurry up, your dinner will go bad. Also, is that someone with you?"

The human teen winced and felt the prickling of fear claw its way back to the surface of his mind. He gave a look to the Pharaoh, a serious stare he normally only used when he went out on missions for the I.V.H.A. "Not a word, not until I explain myself."

He received a last nodded from Atem, "I shall be quiet then."

With an appreciating smile Yugi opened the door to the apartment above the Kame Game shop. " Yes Grandpa, it's me. I brought a friend home, I hope it isn't too much trouble."

---

Silence. Thick, heavy and complete silence that has lasted for the past hour with look that could kill.

His grandpa was pissed, beyond pissed. Yugi was scared to the point he thought he might wet himself, and Atem was…well he was being the calm and collective pharaoh he was brought up to be. Not showing announce of care, empathy or regret. Sad thing was, Yugi had known why too. This wasn't his problem it was the human's, he just had to sit back and watch the show.

None of this was in Yugi's favor and Atem staying true to his word and keeping quiet, wasn't going to get him anywhere. At least he had survived the worst of it or so, Yugi thought.

At first, Solomon was friendly welcoming Yugi and his 'friend' with a warmth and offered them food and comfort from the cold. The moment Solomon's darken version of Yugi's eyes landed on Atem's recovering frame, he had fell eerily quiet before the menacing look of the long dormant vampire hunter revealed itself. It was the first time Yugi had seen such a nasty and unexplainable expression on his grandfather's face. It was a look that was on most of the faces of killers when a murder was about to be committed out of anger. It had instantly made Yugi wished Atem had killed him, rather than confuse him for the dead Heba and acted like a newborn baby deer trying to walk.

Nothing had been said since his grandfather's greeting. Not even as he had silently beckoned his grandson and the oddly obedient observing vampire to follow him into the living room. Yugi knew his grandpa was waiting for him to explain himself, but the human couldn't vocalize his thoughts into words. Not with the death glare he was receiving from his only living relative and a deadly unstable vampire sitting next to him on the couch to his left. There was nothing to explain other than the 'why' he had done it and even Yugi himself, wasn't quite sure why he even had. Maybe it was some trait or desire he had adopted from his deceased parents.

"I hope you realize the situation you're in, the both of you," His grandfather's fierce voice finally spoke up, cutting the thick tension in the room with words and only bring birth to even more tension.

" I-I do Grandpa –"

"No you do not, young man," Solomon words caused Yugi to press back into the couch and cower away like a defenseless puppy. "If you had and knowledge of what your actions, you would have left that man underneath the Muran Estate. Did you even consider the consequences you and I would be forced with, Yugi Mutou? Because of ignorance and failure to listen to me when I TOLD you to not go near this man anymore, we could be facing our deaths! Not only have you force my well being into this mess of yours, you have also put Jonouchi's, Mailk's, Ryou's and Atem's lives on the line. Are you aware what is going to happen when Yami finds out that you released Atem and brought him here? No better yet, the I.V.H.A.?"

Yugi kept silent, letting the words of his grandfather sink in as he curled his fist in his lap and looked at them with a regretful gaze.

"Muran Estate? What place is that? Why does it hold the name of my coven?"

"I will answer your questions later, Pharaoh. For now, please remain quiet while I enlighten you and my disobedient grandson on our current situation," Solomon's voice lost some of its edge when he spoke to Atem.

"Very well," Yugi looked up to see Atem wearing an uninteresting look on his face as he crossed his left leg over his right knee and his arms were folded over his chest. "Continue with you lecture, Solomon."

Yugi wasn't sure how to react to the fact that Atem knew his grandfather's name without an introduction. Then again, Yugi didn't know who or even why his grandfather knew about Atem. Maybe it had to do with some about when he heard his voice when he had released Atem from his seal.

"Disregarding that brief interruption, do you not realize that we now have to hide the Pharaoh away until the seal has worn off? That time varies for each vampire, you know this Yugi. The association had trained you well, you just fail to apply that knowledge to the situations in your life."

"I forgot about the relapse time until after I pulled the dagger out, Grandpa." Yugi tried to defend, however, it only made his sound guiltier.

"I don't care Yugi, " His grandfather firmly stated. "The fact still remains. We now have to hide this fool in our home for what could be hours, days, months and even perhaps, years. I could just have him tossed out onto the streets for the fresh pickings of any patrolling vampire or hunter, but," Yugi heard his grandfather sigh through his nose followed by a short pause. "If the fool goes out and gets himself killed before Yami has even seen his face, then you releasing him was in vain. Someone needs to clear up the boy's mind."

"Excuse me?" Atem spoke up, his dark maroon eyes glaring at Solomon as if the elder had offended him. "I am not Yami's caretaker, " The pharaoh stressed sounding annoyed. "He clearly can handle himself and make decisions on his own. Regardless of anyone's reasoning. Mine included."

"I never implied you were his caretaker. The prince is a grown man, he can take of himself. After all, he is a fully developed vampire unlike some," Yugi immediately picked up on his grandfather's taunting. The same taunting the old man did when he first had learned his grandson had lost his virginity last year.

"Grandpa I don't think –"

"Do not speak of that so lightly," Atem's voice was dark and commanding, it was a voice of a commanding general better yet, a Pharaoh. "You may have been a man to help weaken my seal, but your discoveries from it should be kept silent. Not even Yami knows of some of the things you discovered in your research," Yugi watched as Atem's cool composure slowly started to crumble underneath his fake regal mask. The man's fist coiled tightly then released over and over again. His eyes were calculating as if there was a way out of this situation or how to turn it back into his favor. "I was young, reckless, and paranoid back then, but I do not need the world to know that. It would be wise if you would just be silent on that subject."

"So you are planning on succeeding your father," Solomon stated, not questioned as he stood up from his seat on the couch in front of Atem and Yugi. The elderly man folded his hands behind his back. "When do you plan on accepting your title as the true Original?"

Yugi's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words spill out of his grandfather's mouth. An Original, a vampire that is directly related to the first vampire born into the world. The leech of all leeches, the king of all monsters; a true demon from the deepest pits of Hell.

The human teenager scooted to the far side of the couch, away from his tan doppelganger. He really did awaken a monster and unshackle it from its binds. Any negative repercussions from Atem's actions were now going to be sins Yugi had to bare. How many lives were going to be lost because of his act of selflessness? How many lives were going to be up rooted because he pitied a vampire?

Tears of terror prickled in Yugi's eyes. He was going to be a murderer. He, a failed excuse of a vampire hunter, was going to be the reason of so much bloodshed and hatred.

A sniffle from Yugi was all that was need to draw the unwanted attention of both Atem and his grandfather. The human teen could only simply stare at Atem with his amethyst eyes in pure fear. His voice refused to work the way he wanted it. His body was shaking instead of moving to cover his face and tears, no matter how much he tried to keep them from appearing, they kept falling and streaming over his cheeks in warm rivers.

"Yugi, what is wrong with you?" Solomon's worried voice asked calmly as he moved to his grandchild's side and tried to comfort him. When he reach his tender loving wrinkled hand out towards Yugi, the boy flinched away to avoid the touch.

" Monster…I-I …I-I've unle-leashed a…a…"

"Monster," Atem finished Yugi's stuttering and choked up mess of a sentence with one calm word. When Yugi looked at Atem, really looked at him, he notice his features had soften and made the man almost look sympathetic and apologetic. "Yes Yugi, you unleashed a monster into this world. But what truly makes me this monster you speak of?" Yugi's eyes never left Atem's form as the vampire's face turned away to look down at his own hands. "Is it my fangs? Is it the blood that runs in my veins? Is it my desire to protect my mate from any more pain? Is it my desire to protect my people? Or is it my image? Does the appearance of a Pharaoh scare humans that badly? Enough to cast away all morals to send me out of this world, even if it meant taking their own life and a life of a loved one? Humans…your kind is such a 'funny' race."

Atem's words had been soft, a drastic change to his and his Grandfather's sharp words to each other. Slowly Yugi began to calm down and as he did, he could catch the traces of the helpless and loneliness feeling from when he went to visit the vampire. When his body stopped shaking, Yugi felt his grandfather pull him into a warm embrace, something he hadn't done since Yugi's parents had died.

"Yugi, my grandchild, you didn't unleash a monster. The pharaoh… He's gentle towards our kind. You've read about him. He also hasn't come of age as a vampire as of yet, am I right Atem?" Yugi's Grandfather's kind voice was soft again, it was normal.

Atem looked away shyly as if the old man had complimented him too much. " Gentle is not… the word I prefer to be use for describing me. I was just maintaining the peace my father had wished for between the two races. And… I have now, but until the seal's heka* has worn away, I'm unable to become a 'mature' vampire. "

Fear still linger in his being, but Yugi did open up to the vampire who also appeared to be hurting. The human sniffed again, wiping his face free from his tears and any stray mucus drooling from his nose. "So you haven't lost your baby fangs, yet?"

Yugi heard his grandfather's rusty warm laughter in his ear and his own soft giggles started up when Atem turned to face him, eyes wide and a read face to match them. "S-S-Shimon said it was different for everyone! It has been a very long time since I've properly fed from a human and I only did it twice in my lifetime before I was sealed! So I haven't had the chance to lose them!"

Yugi's giggles turned into full blown laughs at the sight of the most powerful vampire being embarrassed. It made him wish to forget Atem was the cruel creature he was.

"It's okay Pharaoh," Yugi's grandfather started off. "The females in this era fawn over men with small fangs."

"S-Stop that! It is not funny," The original vampire ordered, not liking the playful taunting, his face a bright shade of red like his vivid eyes.

"Okay, Pharaoh," Yugi said once he had calmed his laughter and wiggled out of his grandfather's arms.

His purple hues were joyful though his fear was still present but as the landed on the black bulky winter jacket Atem wore, he began to wonder why the Pharaoh hadn't taken the jacket that was obviously too small for him, off.

"Aren't you going to take the coat off?" Yugi asked as he slid closer to Atem by just a hair. "It's warm in the house, you don't need to give yourself a heat stroke."

"I was raised in a desert and lived every day under the watchful eyes of Ra. A piece of clothing isn't going to give me a heatstroke. Also, I'd rather not disturb you with the sight of my rotting flesh healing," Atem replied bluntly as he hugged the jacket tighter around himself. "I'm doing my best to hide the stench of it so no 'unwanted' guests will appear on your doorstep."

Yugi gave a nod to Atem and a bright smile. "Okay then," The human respected the fact the vampire before him was trying not to scare him or his grandfather. However, Yugi wished his grandpa would have too.

"You have a wound from that seal? Than that just won't do," Solomon spoke up, disapproving Atem's method of healing. "We're going to treat it so it can heal properly and maybe, you'll be lucky if it doesn't scar. Letting it heal up after years of sitting and rotting isn't the brightest idea. It'll get infected, if it isn't already, " The old man lectured the former king before grabbing his wrist and pulling him off the couch. "You're getting a proper bath, disinfectant and wound dressing. It won't take long."

Yugi watched as Atem followed behind his grandfather like a lost duckling. It was odd seeing the man who ruled over a race and a nation be pushed around and not even retaliate. Maybe the king was just too tired to fight back.

Yugi pushed himself off the couch and headed towards the kitchen to warm up his dinner. Just as he stuck the plate of food his grandpa had fixed him to nuke it, their house phone began to ring.

'I wonder who that could be. Probably Jou with a question about his homework.' Without hesitating Yugi went to the answer the wireless phone stationed in the living room. Just as the phone was on the third ring, he picked it up and pressed it to his ear to greet whomever was on the opposite end.

"Hello?"

"Yugi, I see you made it home from school without a problem," Yugi drew in a sharp breath. It was Yami's low voice echoing in his ears although, compared to Atem's he sounded nothing more than a child pretending to be an adult.

"Yes I did. Why are you calling this late?" The human casually asked. Although Yugi silently questioned how the vampire had even received his home phone number.

" I need to feed from you. Be free tomorrow evening."

"Yami, I have plans tomorrow, " Yugi quickly blabbered out, the painful memory from the last time Yami bit him was scorched into his mind. He didn't want to suffer it a second time. "Can you schedule it later?"

"Cancel them. I don't want you going out alone."

"Who said I was going alone?" Yugi snappily replied, not like how Yami was trying to seize control of his life.

"I know for a fact you're not going with any of your friends, Human. Bakura and Marik have both their feeders on lock down and Jonouchi will be with Seto doing a task for me."

"I'm going with…" Yugi trailed off. Damn, who was there to tell Yami that he was going without being caught in a lie.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT STUFF? GET THAT AWAY FROM ME –" CRASH!

"Yugi what's going on? Are you safe?" Yami's tone almost sounded concerned rather than panicked. Almost.

"I DO NOT CARE SOLOMON. IT BURNS WORSE THAN HELL'S FLAMES!" Ah. So his grandfather had introduced the glory of rubbing alcohol to their guest.

"Yugi, I'm coming over –"

"No, no. It's fine, my cousin is just trying to get away from my grandpa," Yugi laughed nervously, trying to make an excuse for the loud background noise. "Like I was saying, I'm going out tomorrow with my cousin and Christmas shopping. We've had this planned an I'm not –" Yugi winced and paused as another crash from upstairs interrupted him, " Not going to cancel my plans."

"It's not safe. There's…" Yami seemed reluctant to tell him something.

"There's? " Yugi repeated before checking his phone in case the I.V.H.A. sent out a warning about any rogues. Nothing.

Silence, there was shuffling on the other side of the phone line. "Yami?" Yugi called out slightly, thinking the vampire had hung up on him.

"It's Isis, Yugi," The familiar female voice came drifting over the phone line.

"Oh, hello –"

"I'm only saying this because it is for the Prince, but Yugi, tomorrow you need to come feed him when you get the chance. He's very low on his own blood and needs the nutrients."

Yugi blinked confused. 'He's low on blood?' "Okay I understand, but… what happened to him?"

Again silence was his answer before Isis sighed. "He was attacked. That's all I can tell you. We will speak more about it tomorrow. Good evening." – Click!

"Ah wai– She hung up…" Yugi pouted slightly, before placing the phone down and went to grab his food from the warm microwave.

"Come back here you dirty vampire! Your wounds need to be cleaned!"

"No! You're crazy! Get away from me, your Pharaoh orders you!"

The teenaged human sighed as he sat down at the dining table with his food and began to eat. The chaos upstairs was still going on by the time he had finished and cleaned his dishes.

"This is going to be a long night. A very long night," Yugi grumbled before heading upstairs to try and end his grandfather's and Atem's roughhousing before one of them ended up getting hurt.

Chapter End Notes

Kemet: The Land of two Laies, what we know as Ancient Egypt.

Ibe; According to the Rossetta stone, Translating some of the Egyptian language to Greek it is. Ancient Egyptian for heart, the Egyptians believed that life revolved around the heart; aka the house of the soul an knowlege.

Heka; the Ancient Egyptian word for magic, though it was more commonly seen as a type of manifestation of one's Ka' or life force.

Panic At The Mall

Chapter Summary

WARNING; Chapter contains character nudity and gore.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The annoying dull sound of his alarm clock's digital siren going off, was the first thing Yugi thought about as he was rudely yanked from his slumber. The human groaned as he turned his face into his pillow and nuzzled the plush item, while he felt around for his pesky alarm clock. His hand slapped around on his nightstand like a fish out of water before he finally achieved his goal by hitting the snooze button after several failed attempts. He didn't want to get up just yet, Yugi wanted to milk his Saturday morning for all he could. Being a high school student and part time store clerk for his grandfather's game shop, Yugi often didn't get many days were he could sleep in. It pure bliss when he was able to seize the opportunity, much like he was now.

The seventeen year old nestled deeper into his mattress trying to coax his mind and body back into unconsciousness, however, it was a useless effort. His bed was much too warm and his mattress was sagging more than usual. No matter how much he willed for sleep to take over, he just couldn't get comfortable enough for himself to slip back into slumber. The human let out an irritable huff while his eyes fluttered open. He didn't wait for the hazy fog disrupting his sight to clear, as he started to push himself up off his bed.

Just as he started to sit up, Yugi noticed an odd sensation near his hips. Something was applying pressure around his waist. Something warm, something that felt like an arm trying to keep his body pinned down to his bed. Looking down at his waist, Yugi was quick to spot the bronze arm that had a tight hold of around the midsection of his body. Yugi's heart sprung into a violent gallop as his violet eyes strayed away from the arm to the face of its owner. Yugi's large eyes widened with surprise as he took in Atem's peaceful sleeping face. How had he crept into his bed? Atem had been asleep in the guest room and Yugi was positive that he had locked his bedroom's door before he went to sleep last night.

The human winced as Atem's arm squeezed his body gently with a gentle soft mutter coming from the Pharaoh. It hadn't hurt, but it was unexpected. Yugi's eyes started to trail lower down Atem's body when the vampire shuffled closer to him. Swelled pectorals were covered by a poor excuse of a bandaging job that also, blanketed a well chiseled abdomen. No doubt that was his grandfather's handiwork. The elder wasn't exactly known well for his 'perfect' care with wounds.

Yugi's eyes swept over the visible 'V' in Atem's lower abdominal region and the young human's face burst with heat. The human's heart started racing even faster than it had before, almost threatening to burst through his rib cage. Atem was in his bed naked...and was clinging to Yugi in his sleep.

"AHHHHHH!" Yugi pushed and thrashed around as he tried his best to get away from the nude and unconscious body of the Original vampire.

"…What the hell, Yami?" Atem's annoyed groggy voice question aloud as he rubbed his sore side from where Yugi's right heel had just kicked him.

'THUD!'

"Eh?" Sitting up, the vampire used a hand to rub the sleep from his eyes as he watched Yugi tumble around on his floor, trying to get as far away from his bed as possible.

"I-I could ask the same thing, Pharaoh!" Yugi shouted at Atem, his face a vivid red as he pointed his index finger directly at the Egyptian.

"How dare you-"

'Bang!'

"I heard screaming, Yugi! Are you alright?" Solomon asked in a panicked voice after he forced his way into his grandson's room, armed with a broom.

"He was naked in my bed!" Yugi immediately informed his grandfather, his index finger still pointed at the former pharaoh.

A huff came from Atem as he sat up cross legged on Yugi's bed and crossed his arms over his chest. His maroon eyes closed and his eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. "My actions do not warrant such rudeness from a mere human. I will inform you I was not given a change of clothing so I fail to see why you are reacting in such an immature fashion to my nudeness, " Atem's eyes snapped open glaring at Yugi as if he was a speck of dirt soiling his new pair of shoes. "My nudity should not matter. As a commoner, you should know public nudity is common among the within the working class and children."

"This is Two-thousand-fourteen A.D.(2014), not same the time era you are from! People don't just walk around without clothes on, Pharaoh. Let alone climb into someone else's bed in the middle of the night!" Yugi corrected the vampire, his face still burning with a bright blush.

Atem looked away from Yugi and avoided eye contact from Solomon as well. The ruler was silent, allowing Yugi's words sink in and be repeated in his mind. His expression softened a fraction, though it still contained its scowling appearance. He knew very well he was no long in the time period of his 'people' or of his rule as king. Atem was no fool. He had seen the way the world moved on and morphed without him through the eyes of others and now, his own.

When he was revived, he had used up most of his power just to remind those so called 'noblemen' and Yami, who held the real power over their heads. He had struck fear into their hearts and in the process, implanted more hatred into Yami's. But, the Pharaoh had also seen how the world had changed in politics and how it was governed. The only thing that didn't change, as far as Atem was concerned, was how the human race still seemed to fear and rebel against the vampire race.

Yet, this human boy in front of him still had the audacity to imply he didn't know that he was living in a more advance time then from when he had been previously living. It reminded him of too much of Heba, making the Pharaoh long for the presence of the feeder and for simpler times.

"Yugi, " The building tension in the room quickly dissipated when Solomon broke the silence with his calm voice. "Old habits die hard, even harder when you have to adjust to a new environment. It takes time to adapt to the unknown, also it's rude to point at people. " The elder man smacked his grandson lightly on the back of his head. "Now apologize to Atem, my rude child."

Yugi tenderly rubbed the soreness from his grandfather's hit away as he looked at Atem apologetically. The vampire was still refusing to look at him, but Yugi didn't blame him. He hadn't been considerate of the other male's feelings. Even though he was a vampire, he still had feelings, or at least, Yugi thought so. Maybe it was just his 'hunter' instincts causing him to treat the vampire with more cruelty than he did around others.

'Or maybe, it's because you see Yami in him. You fear he'll bite you, just like Yami had done.'

Guilt overcame Yugi and he looked away from Atem. He couldn't deny his thoughts, he did fear Atem would try to feed from him. He was just using that fear as an excuse to be cruel. Yugi detested himself for it too.

"Pharaoh, I…I'm sorry for being..." Yugi trailed off trying to describe how he had treated Atem this morning; judgmental, accusing, unfair, rude. "For being mean, " He finished.

Yugi watched as Atem's maroon eyes glanced at him. The vampire tilted his head up slightly, gazing down at Yugi as if he was the dirt he walked upon. "I accept your apology, on one condition. You bathe me, redo the dressings or my wound, and fetch me some proper clothing to wear."

"H-Huh?" Yugi stuttered, his face almost completely red from Atem's request with a dumbfounded expression.

"Help me prepare for the day. Need I be any clearer?" The vampire rephrased not even attempting to hide the annoyed tone that was soaking his sinfully deep voice.

"No, but why do you want me to give you a bath? Can't you wash yourself?" Yugi questioned and looked down at the blue pajama bottoms he wore, pinching at the fabric nervously.

"My servants or Yami had normally washed me, and since neither are available, you will have to do it, " Atem explained in a monotone voice. "It should not bother you too much, you have bathed me before when I was sealed."

The broom his grandfather held, fell to the ground with a clatter as the old man covered is mouth to mute his snickers. Yugi on the other hand, used his hands to cover his face and hide away from the humiliation. That was his secret to share, not Atem's. How did the vampire even know that he did that?! He was unconscious! The human groaned, if he could remember that then it was very possible Atem knew everything that came out of his mouth and did around the other why he was sealed.

Still laughing lightly, Solomon picked up the broom he dropped and started to head out of Yugi's room. "I'll fill the bathtub up with warm water for you two, play nice now."

Yugi lifted his head from his hands and gawked at his grandfather with horror. "Grandpa!"

The retired hunter's joyful laughter filled the house as he traveled down the hall to the bathroom, he didn't even try to muffle it like last time.

With his grandpa gone, Yugi was forced to deal with the situation with Atem by himself. The bedroom was void of any conversation, only the sounds of Yugi's soft breathing and the running bath water could be heard. For a long time neither of the males said a word and kept their gazes away from each other.

Finally, Yugi stood from his seat on the ground and stretched out his stiff muscles. He took the chance to look at Atem, catching the vampire looking at him as well.

" I'm going to check on the bath," Yugi told the Pharaoh before he started to walk out of his room. The awkwardness between them was just like the weirdness he faced every time he seen his former girlfriend, Anzu Mazaki, with her new boyfriend and Yugi's close friend, Hirotoi Honda.

"Wait," Atem ordered, not asked. Yugi stopped in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "Why did it bother you to have me in your bed while we slept?"

Yugi turned his head away from Atem and looked down at the floor, wiggling his toes. "Well for one, you weren't there when I went to sleep, and two, you were nude. In this era it isn't normal to wake up next to a naked person unless…you know,…had sex or something close to it."

Yugi looked back up and at the original vampire when he heard a snort. "What weirdness. Just because a person is nude and sleeps within the same bed as you, does not mean it is going to lead to sex. Yami and I used to sleep together without any clothing, all the time."

"You and Yami are lovers. It's different for me and you because we hardly know each other."

"We are not lovers, we are mates," Atem corrected Yugi with a hostile edge to his tone.

"What's the difference?" Yugi leaned his back against the doorframe and watched Atem with a soft gaze. "You have to love each other to be mates, right?"

"Somewhat," For the first time, Yugi noticed the overall regal presence Atem possessed had vanished. His voice was soft, not suiting the vampire before him. "We were lovers a long time ago and that is how we became mates, however…" The vampire trailed off biting his bottom lip. Yugi took that as a sign Atem wasn't quite ready to discuss what the relationship had with Yami was.

"He moved on while you were 'away'," Yugi quietly stated with a sadden look. He exhaled before giving Atem a bright smile trying to lighten the gloomy mood. "I think the bath is ready. Shall we go freshen up, oh almighty Pharaoh?" The human gave a mocking bow to Atem.

The vampire's face refused to show his amusement, but Atem's eyes were betraying him as they shined with his amusement from Yugi's comment. Yugi could see his amusement flickering within those cool pools of red wine, and it made the Human's smile even brighter. "Then lead me to my bath, Yugi."

Yugi lifted his head, grin spread from ear to ear when he watch the vampire stand from the bed. The human stood straight and turned on his heel just before he caught sight of the vampire's lower parts. Just because Atem wasn't shy didn't mean Yugi would look, besides, he wasn't interested. He may have some perverse curiosity, but Yugi wasn't about to openly stare at another man's package. It would only make things more awkward between him and the undead king.

When Yugi entered the bathroom with Atem, the human could visibly tell Atem was disappointed. Though, the vampire never mentioned it aloud. It must have been due to the small size of the modern bath tub compared to the large baths from the era Atem grew up in. However, the size of the bathtub didn't stop the vampire from enjoying the blissfulness of warm water as he slipped into the bath.

Thankfully, the warm bath water was cloud from the bath salts his grandfather had added to the water. It meant Yugi didn't have to be flashed by Atem's penis as he washed the royal. He had enough of the sight when he had hand washed the pharaoh during his seal.

Yugi washed Atem's body in silence. He gently used soft washcloth to apply and rub in a vanilla scented body wash on to Atem's sun-kissed skin. During this time, he let his mind wander as he did the manual labor. His mind pondered over the fact how Atem had known that he had given him a sponge bath. Which meant his mind had been alert to the things occurring around him while he was under the seal. Then it could have very well meant Atem knew he was training to be a hunter and…and… Yugi started unwrapping the now soiled bandages with though yanks and harsh tugs as his mind started to worry about his secret's safety.

"H-Hey! Be easy undoing my dressings. I am still tender from my wound," Atem hissed at Yugi bring him out of his stupor.

"Ah!Sorry," The human's pulls became gentle as he discarded the bandages so he could properly wash the area.

When Yugi had finally disposed of all the bandages his eyes fell onto Atem's wound curiously. It was safe to say, the stab wound was not going to heal quickly, even for a vampire. The pharaoh's veins were still blackened from the seal's curse, however, they were no longer swollen. The wound itself though, hadn't heal at all. In fact, Yugi thought the flesh was still going to rot away. The skin around the wound was a dark grey coloration, the muscle tissue was blacken with bits of dried blood. Fragments of Atem's breast bone could be seen embedded into the rotten flesh, the only thing not black from decay.

Yugi didn't allow the awful site stray him from his objective of cleaning Atem's chest. True the sight made him want to empty out his stomach, but his mind was preoccupied with other matters and he had seen the wound more than once now. He began to wonder if Atem knew he was given the mission to become Yami's feeder and spy on the other. It plagued his mind knowing that the vampire could be in a close relationship with Yami and here he was, trying to get 'cozy' with Yami as the enemy. What if Atem was secretly planning on taking him out in his sleep? Could the Original possibly be plotting to kill him right now? Yugi had yet to even hold an official meeting with the Director, or even start on his mission's objective yet!

"Enough," Atem captured Yugi's wrist that was scrubbing his skin raw, in a grasp that was strong as steel.

The human blinked, lifting his gaze to Atem's. Ruby locked with amethyst while searching for something unstated. Atem released Yugi's wrist and reached out to take a firm hold of the seventeen year old's chin. He turned Yugi's head to the left, then to the right.

"What are you doing?" Yugi questioned the vampire as his head was forced up and the down. Just when Atem was going to turn it to the right again, Yugi's hand both constricted around Atem's hand like a python. "Would you stop that?"

Atem withdrew his hand, easily slipping it out of Yugi's tight grasp. He turned his head away from Yugi and sunk lower into his bath water until his shoulders were submerged. "You are distracted. What is plaguing your mind, Heba?"

Yugi puffed his cheeks out when Atem called him by that name again. Did he really remind the man of his attacker that much? Yugi wasn't a traitor, not like Heba was. He wouldn't attack someone in such a brutal way, especially when that person had been a kind king. Yugi would admit he could be considered a traitor, not that he was Yami's feeder, but he would never harm the man in anyway.

Yugi exhaled through his mouth in a heavy sigh, cheeks returning to their normal size. "How much do you know?"

"Depends on what you are asking about," Atem replied in a relax tone that was smooth as warm honey.

"I want to know if you remember the things I've told you during my visits," Yugi paused to calm his heart which, was starting to beat erotically. "I want to know how much you retain from that time."

Atem lifted up a leg out of the murky bathwater, examining his foot with little interest. For a while the vampire kept quiet, letting Yugi rage silently. It wasn't until when he noticed the human's violet eyes starting to darken, did he speak.

"I remember all of it. From the moment you first touched me, to just before you pulled the dagger from my chest. I can remember everything you did and said around me during that time, along with those who visited me prior to your arrival."

His words were simple with no hidden meaning. It was as if he applied no thought to them, they were so carefree and mellow. The effect of them though, only confirmed Yugi's fears and gave birth to more speculations within his mind.

"S-So you know about it then…"

"About you being a part of the hunter group that's been giving my people a hard time? Yes, I do," Atem stated simply and gave a shrug of his shoulders before lowering his leg back into the water. "You are of no threat to me. I've come to know your type of character. You have not the type of soul that could bring harm others, even if you tried."

"What about Yami? Aren't you…aren't you worried about me being his feeder."

"A little, but that is more for you than for him. While he and I were together, he had a hard time of telling when he had taken too much blood from a human. I'm only concerned he's going to end up killing my only servant. Also you did not want to become it, regardless of your situation."

Yugi found himself bracing his hands on the side of the bathtub, his left eyebrow twitching slightly. "Thanks, …I guess."

"You are welcomed. You won't have to fear death by his hands for long, Heba," Atem tilted his head back into the water, soaking his volcanic mane in the water. "Before you are officially claimed, I plan on stealing you from him."

Yugi wasn't sure what should shock him more. The fact he wasn't officially claimed yet, or how casually Atem just spoke of him stealing him away from Yami. He was stunned so much, his mouth was slowly falling open on it's own.

"Unless you like the taste of fruit flies, I suggest you close your mouth Heba. Flies do not make a good food source for humans," Atem spoke casually as he sat straight up in the tub and combed his hands through his damp hair.

Yugi snapped his mouth shut and quickly shook his head as he came out of his shocked daze. "What? I'm not claimed?!"

"You did not know?" The Pharaoh looked at Yugi curiously, as if the human was lacking basic knowledge. "A vampire doesn't officially claim a human until after the third feeding. It's during the third feeding when a bond will form between the vampire and human."

Yugi shook his head 'no'. "What's 'the bond'?" Ryou nor Malik had never mentioned it before to him.

"It is like a contract. The bond only allows the vampire to pierce their fangs into the human they are bonded to. They can drink donated blood and animal blood, but they cannot physically bite into another human being. Our instincts will keep us from doing so. One the human side, your species can only have the vampire you're bonded to drink from you. Anyone else and you'll go through a tremendous amount of pain that will not cease until your bonded vampire drinks from you again or, when you are dead," The Pharaoh spoke with Atem's voice dark, threatening to haunt Yugi.

"The bond also allows each party to be 'aware' of the other," The Original continued in an all-knowing tone. "The vampire feels the human's emotions, pain, and needs. The same applies for the human. They both have a way of knowing when the other is around and when they are in trouble."

"It's like reading minds?" Yugi asked Atem, trying to make a connection. The more he knew about this bond, the more prepared he would be when he was truly claimed by Yami. He had his secrets he needed to keep hidden.

"No, that is something completely different. You only know what they feel, nothing more," The Egyptian clarified, his voice soft.

Yugi relaxed and turned his back to Atem, pressing it against the bathtub and leaning his head back against the edge. His violet eyes were focused on the ceiling above him. "How do you know all of this Atem?"

Yugi heard water being splashed around in the bath as Atem turned his own back to Yugi. "A long, long time ago, I had been bonded with a human after claiming them. He was both mine and Yami's feeder."

"How?"

"It's…complicated to explain. Just know that it pertains to mated vampires and a lot of self-control," Atem answered truthfully.

Yugi brought a leg to his chest, wrapping his arms around it and resting his chin on top of his knee. "Was Heba your feeder?"

"Yes, he was."

"Was he the one who stab you?"

"…Unfortunately, yes."

"He sealed you," Yugi stated more to himself than to Atem.

"He…He did not act alone. Someone else was pulling the strings behind my 'death', " The confident voice of the king was shattered when Atem spoke of his sealing. "Heba…He was different. I assume he had his reasons behind why he sealed me..."

Yugi closed his eyes. "Yami thinks you allowed him to do it to you."

"Yami's mind has been tampered with, poisoned you could call it," Atem sighed. "He allowed himself to become corrupted by the very person who swore to help him unseal me. He got himself entangled in a web of lies, like a hard-headed fool," The vampire's voice was even. Never falling or rising with his words.

Yugi didn't respond to Atem's words instead, he stood and started to head for the door. "I'll be back, I'm going to search for you some clothes."

"Very well, it is about time I exited my bath," Atem agreed.

Yugi glanced back at the former Pharaoh of two kingdoms. It amazed him that even after millenniums had passed since he last saw the light of day, Atem was calm and adjusted to this 'new world' with ease. The strength of a king was truly, amazing.

---

"What in Amun's name is this?"

Confused, Atem led up the pair of black skinny jeans for Yugi to see.

"They're pants, Pharaoh," Yugi informed the vampire. "You did have pants back in your day, didn't you?"

"Of course, but…" The vampire made a face as he looked the slim fitting trousers with an unsure expression. " Just not like this."

Yugi tried to hide his laughter as he started to pull on his own pair of trousers. Atem was one lucky soul. If Yugi didn't have friends who left their clothes every time they decide to spend the night at his place, then the poor vampire would have been left to walk around in his birthday suit until Yugi could locate him something to wear.

Currently, Atem was holding up a pair of black skinny jeans that Malik had left at his home. The former Pharaoh had already tugged on the plain white short-sleeved V-neck shirt that belonged to Jonouchi and surprisingly, the shirt was just a tab bit big on the Pharaoh. The sight of the rightful king of the vampire race standing in an over-sized T-shirt while trying to figure out how to squeeze his long legs into a pair of jeans, was highly amusing. It almost made Yugi forget Atem was perhaps the most dangerous creature in the world.

Yugi smiled as he watched Atem struggle to put the simple article of clothing on as he checked his own attire out in the mirror attached to his closet door. He wore a similar pair of black skinny jeans slightly too long for his short legs, a long sleeved navy blue U-neck, with a lightweight gray fleece jacket. Unlike the vampire, he needed to bundle up for the cold temperatures. Yugi hated how fragile his body was compared to a vampire's. They never had to worry about getting ill, breaking a limb, or eating every day.

The human used his fingers to comb back his wild gravity defying spikes into ponytail, leaving his bangs free to frame his face. His violet eyes spied on Atem as he finally manage to get Malik's pants on his hips.

"On my desk there's a small box, it has colored contact lenses in it. Grandpa said you might want to wear them to hide your eye color," Yugi informed Atem as he tried to keep his spikes tamed in his ponytail.

"Contact Lenses?" The vampire questioned with a confused tone as he buttoned his jeans and carefully pulled up the zipper.

"It's… a cosmetic thing. They're little flexible glass discs that cover your pupils and irises. You can still see out of them, but they'll cover up your eye color," Yugi spoke unsure, unable to describe what a contact lens was to Atem correctly.

"Why would he think I want to conceal my eye color with placing glass in my eye?" Atem scoffed, turning the idea down. "Only Yami and the Guardians, and those alive during my reign; know who I am."

Yugi made a displeased face. Even if only eight people knew what the pharaoh looked like, he still felt uneasy. What if Yami had discovered Atem had been revived and had sent the Sacred Guardians after him? There was always a chance they could spot the former Pharaoh out in the crowd. "Still, I think it would be safer."

"Teh, you will be fine," Atem tsked. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am an original, the strongest vampire of my race."

"You're also still impaired by the seal Heba inflicted on you," Yugi pointed out with concern, not malicious intent.

Atem sighed softly through his nose. "I can still defend with the gift my ancestors have bestowed on me. We will be fine. "

Yugi crossed his arms over his chest and gripped both of his forearms tightly. He didn't believe Atem. He wanted too, but he couldn't. It wasn't just Yami that Yugi was worried about, he was worried about the I.V.H.A as well. His grandfather had a perfect drawing of Atem stuffed away in one of his Egyptology books. If his grandfather had a picture of Atem there was the possibility the Association could have one as well and be able to identify Atem. Then Yugi would truly have a flame under his ass that he didn't need.

A hand settled on top of his head, causing Yugi to look up and come face to face with Atem. The vampire had a true genuine smile on his face. It was small, but confident and promising, matching his eyes that were filled with an unknown determination. "You will be fine, Heba. Nothing will happen to you or your grandfather, not while you are helping me. I owe you. "

Yugi was stunned by Atem's words for a second time that morning. He couldn't believe that a vampire other than Jou, actually said they were indebted to him; a human. Yugi smiled to himself and gently removed Atem's hand from his head. His nervousness was slowly melting away as he held Atem's hand in both of his. His eyes had a bright look in them, grateful for the comfort for his silent distress. "Thank you, but I'm not Heba," Yugi looked at Atem with a warm playful glint in his eyes. "My name is Yugi, remember it."

"So you've told me, Yugi," Atem smirked to match that playful look in the human's eyes.

"Boys, breakfast is ready!" Solomon's voice called out to Atem and Yugi.

Yugi smiled with glee and grabbed Atem's hand pulling him along as he practically ran down stairs. "Come on you slow poke! You're going to love my grandpa's cooking!"

"Yugi I-"

"Ah ah ah, I already know what you're going to say," The human teen silences Atem by cutting him off. "I'm a hunter in training, I know a vampire's diet. Besides, one of my best friends is a vampire. Grandpa and I have almost master the art of cooking for vampires!"

Atem looked at Yugi as if he had just shit gold before him. The vampire shook his head as he took a seat at the dining table while Yugi ventured to the kitchen to fix their plates. "The world has changed to a strange place."

Yugi looked over his shoulder towards Atem and raised an eyebrow. The former king's words made the human wonder how the world was before Atem was sealed. He knew vampires and humans weren't like they were now. Human's used to be controlled by the vampires out of fear, like slaves. Now it was much different. Humans were fighting back or trying to live peaceful lives with the vampires. Yugi smiled as he started piling the food his grandfather had made for Atem, while the old man fixed Yugi's plate. "It must be weird to you. A lot has changed in…" Yugi trailed off trying to count the years that had passed in his head.

"Nearly three thousand years," Solomon answered for Yugi, stealing Atem's plate of food from his grandson and leaving the cooking area of the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah that," Yugi said pouting when his grandfather took the food away from him. Yugi then went about fixing their drinks; two glasses of orange juice and one class of warm ox blood.

Atem blinked as Solomon placed a plate of food in front of him, followed by Yugi sitting a glass of blood next to it along with a set of silverware. The vampire took a closer look at his food and was utterly shocked to find the incredible feast he was bestowed with. The pharaoh was presented with lightly deviled lamb kidneys smothered in a rich burgundy sauce, waffles glazed with a sweet smelling syrup, dried dates dipped in honey and lion's blood, and to top off this breakfast fit for a king; Solomon had even prepared a serving of candied pomegranate for Atem.

It was like he was back home again, back in Kemet.

The vampire didn't hesitate to start savoring his food. Picking up his fork, Atem started to cut into his lamb. The first bite exploded with flavor on his tongue. The meat was perfectly tender, still moist with the animal's blood. The sauce added an extra sweetness that bleed nicely with the bitterness of the lamb. From just one bite, Atem had become addicted to elderly man's cooking.

"It…it's amazing! Far better than anything the cooks from when I had ruled," The pharaoh complemented Solomon with such awe, he sound like a little child.

"See? I told you we almost mastered it!" Yugi said smugly as he started digging into his own food.

His grandfather had kept their breakfast simple but just as elegant as Atem's. Yugi's plate was filled with crispy bacon, eggs that had been scrambled with care and seasoned to perfection and two, fluffy buttermilk pancakes smothered in butter and sweet syrup topped with freshly cut strawberries. It was his favorite breakfast meal. Which was why Yugi was confused. His grandfather had prepared his favorite breakfast food the day after, he brought home a person that will most likely be the cause of both of their deaths. He wanted to ask his grandpa why he had fixed this meal for him, but he decided against it and just enjoyed the flavorful food.

They ate in silence, mostly because watching the former king eat was all the entertainment the two humans needed. Atem ate with a grace that was rare for vampires. He sat up straight, never slouching. He brought his food to his mouth rather than leaning in to meet his fork halfway. The vampire was clearly savoring each bite of his food and sips of his oxblood, like it might be the last time he would be able to enjoy the delicious food. Although to Yugi, Atem looked like he had a plate of road kill with some fruit. Nevertheless, the pharaoh was enjoying his meal to the fullest.

When he finished, Atem slid his dirty plate forward and folded his hand in his lap. His maroon eyes were no longer like a dark wine, they were a blazing crimson fire that was staring straight at Yugi as the human finished his own food. It made the seventeen year old feel self-conscious as he finished up his own breakfast. The moment he finished, Yugi stood and collected the dirty dishes from his grandfather and Atem. It wasn't until Yugi had placed them in the dishwasher along with soiled pots and pans, did Atem stand from his seat. The vampire kept to himself as he relocated to the living room and took a seat on one of the plush black couches that were far beyond outdated.

"Yugi, come comb my hair," Atem commanded the human, not asked.

Yugi took a deep breath and released it slowly. Asking politely for things was clearly never taught to the original vampire. "I will, just wait while I go get a brush."

"I'll get for you," Solomon offered standing from the table.

"It's okay Grandpa, I can get it," Yugi protested.

"No, no. Let me go get it for you. I need to start moving around a bit more. I'm getting too heavy," Solomon jested with a light merry laugh as he started up the stairs. "I'll only be a minute."

Yugi watch his grandfather leave before sighing aloud. "What was the point of that?" He verbalized his thoughts softly.

"To leave us alone," Atem answered, clear as day.

Yugi blinked, not expecting to get an answer especially from Atem. "Why would he do that?"

"I asked him to," Atem replied almost instantly. "It wasn't compulsion, if you were wondering. I just gave him the suggestion…mentally"

'Yeah right,' Yugi scrunched his eyebrows together at Atem's words. He knew the vampire had to have used compulsion otherwise, his grandpa wouldn't have offered. "Why do you want us to be alone?"

"I want to ask you how long you are willing for me to stay here," Atem stated with caution in his voice. It was like he had phrased his words very carefully. " I understand that me being here is a threat –"

"It's not a threat, it's the signature on my death certificate. You being here is breaking the code of the hunters," Yugi interjected.

"Then why bring me here? I didn't force you," Atem tilted his head back, gazing at Yugi with curious eyes.

Yugi avoided looking at Atem's eyes as he made his way towards the couch. "I had no other choice. I wasn't going to let you die." He took a seat next to Atem and leaned back into the softness of the sofa.

"You're free to stay here as long as you please. Just don't cause us too much trouble, okay?"

Yugi gave Atem a sideway glance, watching the vampire study the ceiling with his fiery eyes. For several minutes they stayed silent until Atem finally tore his eyes away from the roof above him to look at Yugi.

"Do you think I would make a good king in this time period?"

The question left Yugi dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what had compelled the man before him to ask it and had no idea how to answer it. Biting his lower lip, Yugi scanned Atem's red eyes with his violet ones. He wasn't sure what he was looking for but he hoped there was a clue of some sort in them. Some type of emotion that would help him answer the sudden question. There was none.

Releasing his lip that was now raw, Yugi sighed and averted his eyes away from the Pharaoh. "I'm not sure. I don't know you well enough to make that type of conclusion."

---

Domino City Mall was one of the many buildings in Domino City that was owned by the Kaiba Corporation. Commonly known as DCM, the mall was large three-story white building with almost every story known to man inside its maze like structure. For those who enjoyed embracing their inner shopper, DCM was their perfect haven and for those who loathed shopping, it was their living nightmare.

For Yugi, DCM was neither of the two. It was just the most convenient place to go to get both the shopping for Atem's clothes and for his friend's Christmas presents, out of the way.

He and Atem had been in the shopping complex for just over two hours. In that time, Yugi had managed to get Atem's measurements taken; discovered the vampire had an unhealthy obsession over gold and fake silver accessories; explained to the former Pharaoh what boxers were; and purchased the man thirteen different casual outfits, two formal outfits, four pairs of pajama pants, three packs of underwear with five pairs in each pack, five pairs of shoes, and the essential care products a vampire needed. Never in his life had Yugi been almost completely exhausted from shopping, but here he was now, slouching on a bench with ten different shopping bags surrounding him with hardly no feeling in his arms and legs.

He knew shopping for Atem was going to be a chore, but the Pharaoh turned out to be one of the pickiest men in the world! Nothing he had bought Atem could be considered 'cheap', all of the new clothing the Pharaoh had picked out had been 'top of the line' brands. Such as: Nike, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Calvin Klein, Under Armor, and several more. The cheapest thing that Yugi had bought Atem, was a Colgate soft bristle toothbrush.

Yugi didn't mind spending the high amount of money he did. When his parents had passed away, they had left him a quite a bit of money from their life insurance through the I.V.H.A. It was far more than enough to pay for his college tuition in the future, and even to be able to live a few years own his own comfortably. That was just adding to the monthly pay he received from the I.V.H.A. as a trainee, And although he had some money to his name, Yugi could still feel the aching pain of his wallet. Up until today, Yugi had hardly touched a single penny of the dowry his parents left him. Partially because the teen wanted to save up enough to let his Grandfather retire comfortably, once Yugi had found a stable job and finished a higher education. The other reason was simply that Yugi didn't want to others to think he was 'peacocking' or trying to gain the affection of others through what money he had in his bank account. When the human wanted something, Yugi used the money he earned from helping his grandfather with the shop. Not his inheritance or the money from the Association. This would be the first time he would use the money his parents left behind and hopefully, the last for a long time.

"Machines that spit out bottle drinks when you place paper in them, the world's strangeness keeps evolving with each place we visit. Here," Yugi opened his closed eyes, looking at the Diet Coke Atem was holding out for him.

"You didn't try to use your 'gift' to destroy the vending machine like you did with the escalator, did you?" The human asked smiling as he took the diet drink from the former king. By gift, Yugi had meant the ability of absolute control over shadows Atem possessed.

" No," Atem snorted as he sat next to Yugi, opening his own drink; a grape flavored Vitamin Water. "It was not black sorcery like that contraption from before," The vampire clarified taking a sip of his own 'water'.

"So moving stairs deserve to be destroyed, but boxes that spit out drinks are okay? And this is from a vampire lord who lived in Ancient Egypt where they had magical rituals and monsters?" Yugi asked unable to keep his laughter under control as opened his own drink.

"Precisely," Atem hummed after he swallowed his sip of water. He looked at the plastic bottle in his hand with an inquiring look before taking another gulp of the refreshing liquid. "This water is sweet. Are you sure it is meant for vampire consumption?"

Yugi paused in mid gulp, lowering his Coke bottle down. He looked at the label of Atem's Vitamin water, double checking that it was the vitamin water for vampires and not humans. "Yeah, you're good. It just has an artificial flavoring added to it."

Atem took another sip of his water after Yugi reassured him. He wrinkled his nose as the sweet and bitter taste of grapes splashed against his tongue again.

Yugi let out a round of light laughter from Atem's disgusted expression. At first the vampire looked at him as if he had lost his mind before rolling his eyes at the human. "My displeasure is amusing to you, joy," The vampire spoke sarcastically.

"N-No," Yugi said through his laughter. "Just the expressions you make are funny."

Atem sighed, shaking his head. "You are a strange human."

"You're an odd vampire," Yugi pointed out, nudging Atem playfully with his elbow.

"Only because I have not adapted to all of this," The vampire gestured to their surroundings. "I am baffled by how much everything has changed…I am not even sure if the human kingdom I once ruled over, still exists."

Yugi played with the cap of his drink bottle, twisting it between his index finger and thumb. "What was it like? Back in your time."

"Well, it certainly did not contain things possessed by black heka like the world is now," Atem stated casually, relaxing against the bench and holding his bottle of flavored water in his lap. "Kemet was a peaceful and beautiful. It hardly knew of a dark time under my father's rule and I continued his legacy. I remember there was a marketplace just outside per-rm, my home. It had a similar atmosphere like this one has, but the appearance was much difference. It was outdoor, with stalls lined up as far as the eye could see. The goods were handcrafted and unique. I would always sneak away from my studies or duties to go visit it the outer city when possible. Of course Yami would sometimes accompany me, but I mostly went alone for a temporary escape from reality. When Yami went with me, he was always uptight when we visited the market without the royal guards and dressed like lower class nobles. He was such a paranoid child!"

Atem paused taking a relaxing deep breath, closing his eyes and a slight smirk gracing his features. "I enjoyed the little freedom and the thrill that filled me when I left home. Interacting my people without worrying about upholding my title, it was and still is, an incredible feeling. It reminds me that I am not that much different from them. And the things I got to experience, it was nothing like what the palace had to offer. The smell of freshly baked bread, exotic fruits and creatures for sale, different types of cloths for trade, the light atmosphere, the buzzing of the crowds…"

Yugi smiled as Atem went on and on about what the shopping centers of his home were like. The vampire must have got so caught up in telling about his time that he switch languages and started speaking in his foreign language. Even though Yugi couldn't understand a single word Atem was speaking, he was content in just listening to the beautiful speech. It was something new, something he could grow used to.

Ten minutes passed and Atem was still chatting away, not even noticing that he was now speaking in only the words he understood. Yugi had zoned out, thinking about what Christmas presents he should give to who and where to buy them at. Both of the males were so absorbed in their two different trains of thought that the both of them failed to hear the female voice calling out to Yugi until it was too late.

"Cutie!"

"Ah!"

A female with familiar long wavy brown hair and sun-kissed skin had slammed into Yugi, arms wrapping around him in a bone crushing hug. "I thought I'd never get to see your adorable butt again!"

He knew this voice, but from where?

"Uhh…" Yugi wasn't sure how to respond to the female's words. They left him confused as he searched through his memories.

"You forgot me, didn't you? You go and become Yami's feeder and forget me? How rude!" The girl huffed, stand up straight and crossing her arms over her bosom. "I didn't forget about you, or your cute round butt."

'Cute round butt… 'Those words rang a bell in Yugi's mind, along with those blue-green eyes vividly displaying the female's disappointment.'Brown hair, tan skin, Blue-green eyes, saying my butt is cute…'

"You're Mana," Yugi announced with a click of his tongue. Yugi flashed her a smile his eyes looking at the girl fondly. " You never actually formally introduced yourself. I only know your name because the other girl that was with you on Halloween, I forgot her name, had called you by that."

The female laughed shyly, light pink tinting her cheeks. "Well I'm flattered you remembered anyways! But what are you doing here, Cutie? It's dangerous to be out and about all alone."

"I'm Christmas shopping with my cousin," He smoothly lied to the servant girl, while his gut protested against it. Yugi hated lying but there was no other way to protect Atem and himself if he didn't tell the small white lie. Plus, it was time to test out the alibi he had created for Atem. "Right, Heba?"

Yugi froze in place as soon as the name slipped from his lips. He hadn't meant to call Atem by that name, it just happened to slip out. He cast a concerned glance at Atem, only to see the vampire was locked in place with his red eyes wide and blazing with multiple emotions. Yugi bit his bottom lip nervously and nudge Atem lightly to gain his attention. He earned several blinks from the vampire and a confused glance.

"Uh, yes?" Yugi felt the contact of his hand slapping his forehead before he had even realized it happened.

Yugi shook his head before giving a fake smile to both Atem and Mana. "Spacing out again, Heba? You know that's not healthy habit, not at all."

He earned a glare from Atem, a silent threat that he would regret those words later. However, that didn't matter to Yugi at the moment. He was more concerned with getting rid of Mana as quick as possible without raising any red flags.

"You should listen to your cousin, Heba!"

'Eh?' Both Yugi and Atem gave Mana a questioning glance. The girl stood in front of them, feet spread shoulder width apart with her hands on her hips. Now that Yugi was clearly looking at the girl, he noticed she was wearing a black uniform dress. Almost like a maid's but lacking the apron and white frills.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, there's a very bad vampire on the loose!" The girl scolded Atem, tapping the tip of his nose with her middle finger.

"There's a bad vampire on the loose?" Yugi blinked in disbelief. He hadn't received any notice from the I.V.H.A. about any rogue vampires being in the area unless …it wasn't a rogue.

Mana looked around them, as if she was making sure that no one was paying attention to their conversation. After checking the area twice, she leaned in towards the two. "Last night, the former king attacked the Prince. He stole the blood of the Original vampire that was in Prince Yami's body. It left the Prince in really bad shape, at least, that's what Master Mahaad told me," She whispered softly. "It happened right in front of the leaders of the noble pureblood families too. The King made the Prince look insane. It work too, the noblemen didn't believe that it was the former king until they went to his chamber underneath the estate. They found it void of everything. No offerings, no sarcophagi, no scent, not even the torches in the inner sanctuary chamber were there. The only proof that the king had been there were the shadows that were still lurking around and hissing as they entered."

Mana back away from them an index finger to her lips. A silent gesture for the two males to not utter a word about what she had just told them. "Yami order the people who would know what the king would look and smell like to track him down. It's urgent we find him because…because Yami said there was a chance that Prince Ate-I mean the king, went rogue. He was starved by his own uncle for at least seven years and was potentially exposed to high concentrations of wolfsbane. The Sacred Guardians, Prince Yami, and Master Mahaad all came to the conclusion that he was revived by his thirst for blood and his anger towards Yami for fracturing their mating bond."

Yugi's body went cold. His entire body was stiff, immobile. They knew he was alive; they were searching for him; and they thought Atem was a rogue vampire! Yugi's body started to shake with small fearful trimmers. Atem had attacked Yami. Atem wanted to take him away from Yami. Atem was… He … He hated Yami and Yami, obviously hated him back. That was the only conclusion Yugi's mind could come up as Mana's word fully sank into his mind. That wasn't what why he was so fearful though, it was the fact Yugi had realized that he was stuck in the middle of their hatred. He was in the middle of a very dangerous lovers' quarrel.

"When he is found, what will happened to the king?" His body tensed even more when he heard how dark Atem's voice had become when he spoke his question. It was the voice of a sinful beautiful demon.

Mana's cheerful attitude dropped, her shoulder lowered and her eyes were glued to her black knee-high boots. "Master Mahaad said...He said…they were going to seal his soul in the puzzle. Once Yami reconstructed it," Her voice quivered, vocalizing a sadness that Yugi couldn't understand. "H-He…He can't…They can't kill him. Not like a normal vampire. So m-my master said he was going…going to seal his soul away with a powerful ancient spell then… then they dispose of the body where it could not be revived," Tears, real tears, fell from Mana's blue-green eyes.

Yugi slowly forced himself to forget his childish fears as the weight of Mana's answer to Atem's question registered in his mind. Yami planned on sealing Atem away again, and just after the Original had just gotten his life back last night. The human's violet eyes looked towards Atem. Said vampire was void of emotion, his face held no expression and his eyes were a dark burgundy that was almost black and locked on Mana's crying form.

"Y-You…You look a lot like him, Heba. Even your scent is…it's…" Mana's eyes widened, as she gazed directly at Atem. Not at the person Yugi introduced her as Heba, but at her long lost ruler; the king of vampires, Atem Muran.

Mana took a step back, her eyes shifting colors from their dark cerulean to an intense crimson. "Cutie get away from him, now. I-It's not safe. He's not your cousin. He's…He's –"

"A rogue?" Atem finished for her with a hiss. He stood up from the bench, arms crossed over his chest, dark colored eyes glaring into Mana's now crimson ones. "Has Yami fallen off his wagon? Mahaad and the others too?"

"N-No!" She protested, "They're still the same as the day you left us."

"I never left!" Atem snapped, "I was never gone and I am not a rogue. This human here – " He gestured to Yugi. "– Is the reason I am here now. He released me! Not the desire to consume blood."

He took a step closer to her.

Mana's eyes darted from Atem to Yugi. "Cutie," Her crimson eyes locked with Yugi's violet irises. "Why don't you come here, we need to get away from this man. He's bad."

Yugi's fingers curled around his drink bottle tightly. He felt that familiar push at his own mind along with Mana's sweet voice coaxing him to obey her suggestion. It was compulsion, he knew that unmistakable feeling. He could feel his mind start to be bent to her will.

The human stood to his feet, keeping his eyes locked with Mana's. Slowly he started to walk towards her, it made her smile reappear. She thought she won, she thought she had Yugi in her control… … … …

'Yeah right!'

Instead of going to Mana's side, Yugi took a confident stance in front of Atem. His normal kind round eyes held none of the warm emotions they often had, and instead, they were cold pools of anger.

"Compulsion doesn't work on me, Mana," Yugi spoke calmly, he uncapped his Diet Coke and took a sip. Not once, breaking their eye contact.

"W-What? " Her eyes were like large windows to her soul. Wide with fear and confusion and shimmering with drying tears. The dark haired girl started to shake. "I-It can't be possible…How…"

Swallowing his mouthful of the soda, Yugi gave her a soft smile. "I can't tell you, or it won't be a secret anymore."

"It's not a secret, Yugi. She knows," Atem stated in a monotone voice, his baritone vocals still edged with a sinister tone. "Apparently when compulsion does not succeed on a human, it means they have connections to the hunters. At least, that is what is going through her mind."

Yugi looked over his shoulder, giving Atem a baffled look, "You can read minds?!"

"Technically, no. But I'll explain later," The Original vampire brushed past Yugi, walking directly towards Mana.

Yugi moved to his left slightly, so he could watch Mana and Atem's interaction. His violet eyes studying the two. Mana was completely terrified as she gazed up at Atem with bright crimson eyes while Atem, was completely composed and calm. Not a single emotion had bled through his perfected poker mask. Not even through his eyes that were now brightly burning a blood red color. With caution and care, Atem lifted his right hand and took a firm grasp on Mana's chin, keeping her from looking anywhere but into his eyes. That small grasp on her chin seemed completely harmless to a person just simply passing bye, but Yugi knew the potential that small hold held. Atem held Mana's life in between his thumb and index finger.

"Listen carefully," Atem began with a voice that could woo the devil. He leaned in closer towards Mana, his lips barely touching hers. "You will not mention this to anyone. You will forget that you even saw me here with Yugi. You won't remember telling Yugi about why you were here or anything regarding me. You will leave this place immediately and tell your master you could not find a trace of my presence anywhere within this city. You will go home and sleep immediately after you tell your good-byes to Yugi. Do you understand my orders Mana?"

"I do."

Atem smirked proudly, pulling away and releasing Mana at the same time.

The moment Mana was free, she quickly skipped towards Yugi and clasped her hands around his hands and his drink. "It was nice seeing you again, Cutie!" She said with a bright smile her crimson eyes slowly fading back to their original blue-green hues. "I hope you have fun shopping for Christmas! Oh, which reminds you should get Yami these fancy chocolates from 'Ooh La la' called Midnight Delights, for Christmas! That's his favorite candy! He likes the ones in the golden package! Bye-bye now."
Mana let go of him, turned on her heel and skipped away. Not even acknowledging Atem as she passed by him. Yugi blinked before looking at Atem. The vampire was smirking so smugly one might think the vampire had just won the lottery.

"What the hell was that? What did you do to her, Pharaoh?" Yugi blabbered out once Mana's brown hair was out of his sight.

"I just used a little compulsion," Atem replied confidently returning to the bench and picking up his Vitamin water. He took a sip, rejoicing in the refreshed feeling it left him.

"A little? She went from terrified to happy in just one second! That was way more than just a little."

Atem shrugged his shoulders, lowering the bottle from his lips. "It's not my fault her mind has weaken since I have been 'sleeping'."

Yugi shook his head at Atem and gave him a disbelieving glance. He could practically feel the pride coming from Atem in tidal waves. The human started to collect their shopping bags filled with Atem's clothes. "Come on, we need to finish shopping."

---

Done. Finished. Objective completed.

He was officially finished shopping and Yugi, couldn't be anymore happier. He was practically radiating with joy as he and Atem left the popular candy store called 'Ooh La La'. He couldn't say the same though for Atem, the vampire was serving out 'his' punishment.

The first time Atem attacked an escalator, Yugi had looked it over as the vampire just being paranoid about the unknown. However, after he attacked one for the second time, trashed both a urinal and hand dryer in a men's restroom, and nearly destroyed an elevator full of people; Yugi had finally reached his limit with the Original vampire's 'over reactions' to modern technology. Therefore, Yugi forced the vampire to carry all the shopping bags that they had; all twenty seven of them. Yugi had turned a proud king into his personal pack mule.

"Are we finished now?" Atem asked groaning and shifting the shopping bags on his arms. "These plastic carrying containers are torturing my arms!"

"Yes and good, that means they're doing job," Yugi answered with a gleeful tone.

"What job would that be?"

"Punishing you. You almost destroyed the mall today. How would I explain that to Kaiba if you succeeded?" Yugi paused his walk, turning on his heel to face Atem. "Oh please forgive my cousin, Kaiba. See, he's not actually human or my cousin. He's you king that tried to murder your prince right before your own eyes. He thought the urinal was the source of black magic so he blew it up using his shadow magic!"

"That's not funny Yugi." Atem growled his eyes narrowing at the human. "I did not have the knowledge that it was meant to be pissed in!"

Yugi huffed and turned away from Atem, resuming his walk towards the mall's exit. "Well next time ask before you go siccing your shadows on something, Atem!"

"Do not use my birth name so freely!" The former pharaoh snapped at Yugi. "Would you like one of the Guardians to show up and try to kill the both of us?"

"Oh hush, you're just being drama queen now."

"D-Drama queen? I am not a queen of anything, I am a king! Nor am I the king of drama!"

"Says the man who signed his own death certificate by attacking his mate over a simple kiss," Yugi taunted, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.

"It was not just because of some kiss! I explain this to you when we went to that weird scroll store! Seth had alternative motives behind his actions and Yami was being a fool and falling for his tricks!" Atem defended himself." I also needed to cleanse Yami's body of my blood before those with evil intentions tried to succeed him as an Original."

"But was it necessary for you to do such a thing in cruel fashion and in front of the nobles?" Yugi questioned Atem.

"Of course! As they say, an eye for an eye; he cause my heart pain therefore, I bestowed him his own 'heart-ache'."

Yugi didn't reply to Atem's words. He didn't feel like continuing this argument he was too exhausted from this shopping trip to deal with a cranky vampire.

'Bizz, Bizz, Bizz!'

Yugi stopped his walk, and pulled out his phone from his left coat pocket. He slid his thumb over the unlock screen to read the email he had just received. With each word contained in the electronic mail, his eyes gradually started to grow wider.

'Attention! Code 'RV2 – 96C9' has been issued! Report to area 96 immediately! Code RV2 – 96C9 is to be taken seriously. This is not a drill. All available hunters are to report to Domino City Mall' southernexit immediately!'

"Yugi, let us go. We need to leave this area," Atem's voice pulled Yugi's attention away from his phone. The human nodded in agreement and tucked his phone back into his pocket before following Atem.

"There's two rogue vampires in the mall, all hunters in the Japan Branch of the Association were just notified, " Yugi whispered to Atem in a hushed voice.

"No, just one vampire, " He corrected Yugi. "There's only one."

"How do you know?" Yugi questioned the vampire, curious to know why Atem thought that there was only one.

"Because 'it' is stalking us," The Original's voice was barely audible, Yugi had to strain just hear it.

"I don't believe you," The human whispered back and started to turn his head to look over his shoulder.

"Don't look!" Atem snapped at Yugi, he grabbed the human's wrist in a painfully tight grasp while also continuing to hold the shopping bags. "You'll encourage the hunt."

Just as Yugi was about to reply to Atem's snappy words, a soft ding echo through the shopping complex several times before a voice started to speak.

"A RV2 code has been issued for this area. Please remain calm. I repeat; a RV2 code has been issued for this area. Please remain calm and got to the nearest store. Thank you."

The mall became deathly silent after the announcement. Nothing was said and hardly anyone move. Not until a loud shriek echo loudly through all three levels of the mall: "It's a rogue vampire! "

Immediately panic erupted. Screams, cries, shouts, and just pure chaos rang in Yugi's ears as Atem started pull him through the panicking crowd of people. Atem guided Yugi through the chaos while avoiding the violent pushing and shoving. It would have been easier if Yugi actually cooperated with him, rather than being dead weight as he stumbled in the direction Atem continued to tug him in. However, Yugi's eyes were trained on the one person not running around and screaming, a perfectly still woman with skin pale as snow.

He had never seen anything like her before. Her hair was a mess of blonde tangles and looked in need of a wash. Her skin held no color. Her irises were black as coals and surrounded by a pool of vivid red, staring directly at him. It made Yugi's skin crawl.

Yugi's eyes widened in fear as he watched the woman start stalking towards them. The rogue wasn't focused solely on him though. With so much fresh blood running around, her senses were going wild. Yugi's violet eyes watch with horror as the rogue vampire settled down in a crouch before tackling an innocent boy to the ground. Her elongated fangs tore into his flesh effortlessly, like a warm knife slicing through cold butter. His screams, Yugi would never be able to forget them as he watch the rogue evilly tear his flesh off bit by bit.

Why wasn't anyone helping the boy? Why? Couldn't they see he was being mauled to death?! Yugi couldn't stand it. Even as the sight started to grow blurry as Atem moved them farther and farther away from the rogue vampire, Yugi could still see the details vividly. Skin and muscle were being torn off with each bite, fangs were digging deeper with each bite as the rogue worked her way to get direct access to the young child's jugular. Blood stained the mall's marble floors an angry burgundy with a large pool of the life giving liquid that only continued to grow. Those painful screams grew weaker and weaker until they were faint murmurs and then a deathly silence.

He didn't save him. No one had saved him. No one had come to his aid instead, they all ran for their lives not wanting to be the rogue's second meal. Yugi should have done something. He should have pulled away from Atem and went to rescue that boy. He should have fought to save the boy's life. But he hadn't, Yugi had let him did instead. He didn't even attempt to go save him. He just watched, that's all he had done.

Yugi heard the sound of the shopping bags hitting the ground before he was roughly shoved to the ground.

"Curl up! Protect your head!" Someone barked at him.

He couldn't recognize the voice, but he did as he was told. Yugi was in a state of shock. His mind was looping the memory of the rogue vampire killing the young boy over and over. All he could see was the death of that child, the child he didn't save. His hands were soaked in the blood of an innocent life. He hadn't help, it was his fault, his!

"Calm down, Yugi. Breath. In and out, in and out," Someone's warm breath tickled his ear as the soft calming whisper tried to ease his worries away.

He could breath, but that child would never take a breath again. He should have been the one to die, not that child. Not an innocent kid who committed no sin.

'Yugi, calm down. It was not your fault. You could not save him, even if you tried. The first wound was already fatal. He was gone the moment he lost grip of his mother's hand. You did not cause his death, now relax.All will befine now,'The words of the soothing voice in his head ended put an end to the instant replay of the rogue vampire murdering a child. The memory was pushed to the further part of his mind as wave of blissful calmness cleansed his terrified mind. His mind became less focus on the traumatizing event until the teen had forgotten it completely. And slowly, he began to notice things around him that he hadn't known.

His body was sandwiched between the cold tile floor of a public restroom floor and a warm body that could only belong to Atem. He was in a small restroom, only meant for one person to occupy at a time. The light was off and the only sound was Yugi's uneven breathing and Atem's even breaths. Yugi closed his eyes and placed his cheek against the cool tile floor. He felt extreme mentally and physically exhaustion, but he knew couldn't rest, not yet at least. He still had to leave this mall without being killed by the rogue creating hell just outside the bathroom's door, go home and help Atem put his things away, and he also had feed Yami.

"Are you good?" Atem concerned voice whispered into his eyes, his warm breath ghosting against Yugi's skin.

"I will be, just…tired," He answered trying to sound strong and not like the coward he felt like.

Yugi felt one of Atem's hands press his head against the floor lightly and hold him there. "Stay completely still. Don't move not even when the door is opened."

Yugi felt Atem's weight vanish from his body, only leaving the cold as he took the comforting heat with him. Yugi heard a soft click followed by a small ray of light starting to illuminate the bathroom. He could hear heavy breathing, almost like panting.

"Blood. Need blood," The voice was sinister, demonic, and completely evil.

Yugi fought with himself and kept completely still just as Atem had instructed him to do. It became harder and hard not to move as the breathing grew louder and louder in his eardrum. It was almost as if the rogue was breathing directly into his ear. There was a cold gust of air against his cheek and Yugi's heart skipped several beats. He tried to tell him it was just a gust of wind from the air condition in the mall, but the tuff of air was blown on his cheek again…and again…and again.

It was breathing on him. The rogue now on top of his body, breathing in his scent.

"Alive. Fresh blood. Give me. Give me – Argh!"

A loud thud followed by a sickening crack caused Yugi to disobey Atem's orders and lift his head to investigate the sound. Just outside the bathroom, was Atem pinning the rogue vampire against the cement wall. Yugi watched with terror in his eyes as the creature covered in blood tried to bite at Atem's neck.

"Found you! I found you! Master will be so pleased!"The demonic creature cooed with joy as it broke free from Atem's grasp. "Must feed. Must have your blood!"

Atem didn't say anything to the creature as he dodged a slash from claws that was sloppily aimed for his face and chest. The creature continued to try to land any type of blow on the royal vampire. Kicks, slashes, pounces, punches, and bites were all avoided by the Original. He was light on his feet and even fast despite having slept for a thousands of years. However those quick dodges and narrow escapes were dwindling as time passed onward.

The rogue vampire once again pounced at Atem and this time, the purest of pureblood vampires didn't dodge the attack. He countered it with his own attack, flickering his palm towards the filthy creature driven mad by blood. His own shadow darted out towards the creature at the speed of sound . Just inches away from tackling the Original vampire, the rogue vampire was engulfed completely by Atem shadow.

"No! Must kill! Must kill the king! Must feed! Must drink! His blood, Master wants his blood!"The same words were repeated over and over at Atem as the rogue tried to fight off his shadow. The creature was just wasting energy as it wrestled with the black matter.

Yugi could tell Atem had enough of the insane vampire. The man's brow scrunched together in annoyance and let out a loud tsk. His hand outstretched towards the stretching rogue slowly start curl into a tight fist. As his fingers curled inward, the rogue screams became louder and even more painful. It was when Atem's hand was fully curled into a fist, did Yugi's start to notice how the rogue vampire's head started swell. The pressure in Atem's fist continue to grow while the rogue's head continued to expand slight until finally, it popped

Blood, bits of bone, and brain matter splattered in all directions, coating everything in red. Yugi's pupils dilated as he felt wetness splatter on his hands and on top of his head. Removing his hands from the back of his neck, the human brought them in front of his face. Dots of bright red littered the backs of his hands in small dots.

Yugi's body grew cold and his stomach twisted into knots, threatening to empty out everything he had consumed that day. Closing his eyes, Yugi fought with everything he had to keep his breakfast and Diet Coke down.'You've seen worse. Just don't look. You've seen worse. Don't look at it. ' He chanted the words over and over in his head. It was the truth, Yugi had seen worse. Atem making the rogue vampire's head pop just like a balloon under too much pressure, wasn't as bad as Yami dismembering Ushio and the other thugs in front of his eyes. Though both were equals in their gore.

Opening his eyes, Yugi mustered the strength to stand up on his legs, but he didn't do anything more. He kept his gaze on the original as Atem glared at the headless body of the rogue on the ground. His focused was on Atem although, was no better than the corpse; covered head to toe with random splatters of blood. Even so, Yugi tried to keep his eyes off the bloody corpse the best he could. That was until Atem started to poke the dead body with tip of Ryou's black and white Vans.

"Don't do that! Don't touch it!" Yugi snapped at Atem in a shaky voice. He was hoping he sound strong with the little bit of bravo he had which, was the exact opposite of what he sounded like. His hands were fist by his sides. Yugi was trying to not shake but the fearful quivers still occurred every few seconds.

Atem said nothing, but he did remove his shoe from the corpse. He used to pad of his thumb to wipe his left cheek, cleaning it from a small splatter of blood. When the vampire went to lick his thumb, Yugi closed his eyes and turned his head away from the sight. Why the hell is he tasting that?! Yugi swallowed, suppressing the bile that was beginning to rise in his throat. The human was starting to think the world wasn't strange, just Atem.

When Yugi reopened his eyes, the corpse was gone and Atem was gathering their shopping bags. Yugi looked at the original vampire and then back to the ground where the dead rogue used to lay.

"W-Where did the body go?"

"It is being disposed of," His answer was short and vague and Yugi didn't question it. The less he knew, the better.

"What…What type of rogue vampire was that? I…I've never anything like it," Yugi hugged himself, trying to keep his cool. He already had lost it once, he wasn't going to lose it a second time.

"I'm not sure," Atem replied calmly as if nothing had ever happened and offered a hand to Yugi. "Come, Let us go back to your home."

Chapter End Notes

An: I love the relationship between Yugi and Atem. It's interesting...

I hoped this chapter was enjoyable, I had a blast writing it. If you don't mind, I would like to hear what your favorite part of Traitor is so far.
I like the escalator part. I got the idea when I went to the mall and seen a little kid freaking out while riding one. I plan on bringing it up later on in the story.

I really, really want to give a shout out to all of my followers, favorite-ers, and reviewers.
You guys are amazing. I adore you and am very grateful for your support. I support all of you back and you send you love from characters who are gay and have starfish shaped hair.

Since this one was mostly Atem and Yugi, the next chapter focuses more on Yami and Yugi.
Also, the second feeding and some more fun events take place!

Thank you very much for your support.
Remember to read and review! :)

per-rm ; The great house, where the royal family, and nobles lived; also served as acting capital where diplomatic events were carried out. A massive palace with a noble community.

The Second Feeding

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Everything passed by in a blur of colors and disorientated shapes. Even so, Yugi continued to peer outside the window from the back seat of the taxi he and Atem were currently riding in. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since they entered into the white Toyota Prius, ten minutes ago. It was a tense silence between the two, as Yugi alternated from looking out the window to Atem, who settled for leaning against the car's back passenger door with his eyes closed.

Yugi let his eyes drift to Atem again, his purple hues taking in the exhausted form of his companion before going back to gaze at the scenery outside his window. His hands curled and uncurled into fist as they laid on his lap with disgust. He couldn't stand how calm his mind felt. It wasn't natural, not to him at least. When he reflected back on the events that took place at DCM, Yugi's mind would make the scene hazy then a voice would draw his thoughts and attention away from it. A low smooth tantalizing voice which Yugi had no choice, but to follow its command. It wasn't fair; he didn't ask for his mind to be tampered with in a way that made him unable to even focus on the traumatizing event. If Atem had not have saved him from the rogue vampire, then Yugi would be demanding him to let him remember the traumatic experience clearly. But for now, he could only politely leave the vampire to his moment of peaceful rest while he silently seethed about it. Yugi just hoped it wasn't a permanent effect from Atem's compulsion. Although it was one of the worst memories he had in his mind, it was still his memory to keep.

The human glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Pharaoh for the fifth time since the beginning of their cab ride. Everything seemed so off when he thought about Atem. It was nothing like the way he had been taught by the International Vampire Hunter Association, how vampires should act. It was like how his old self viewed vampires, before the giant mess he forced himself into. Back when his heart wasn't exposed to the cruelty of the world and he accepted everyone for who they were, regardless of race and ethnicity. Atem made Yugi feel the like he was in the presence of a close friend or a family member, not like the stranger and dangerous creature he was.

"We're here."

Yugi looked away from Atem, when the taxi driver spoke and the car slowed to a stop. His eyes looked out the front window to see the game shop just about three meters away…with a familiar black car parked by the front of the shop.

The vampire hunter trainee's breath hitched in his throat, unable to muster a response to the cab driver. It wasn't till he heard the sound of the car door opening, did he snap out of his daze. Violet eyes locked onto Atem as the vampire opened the car door and started to climb out of the car.

"Don't!" Yugi shouted, pulling Atem back into the car and scrambling over him to pull the door close with a loud slam. Atem's face was an expression composed surprise from Yugi's sudden rash actions. He was completely baffled by Yugi's retaliation to him getting out of the car, and slightly appalled that he dared to treat someone of royalty in such a rude manner.

"Is there something wrong? If not, pay up and leave. I got places to go and money to make,"The Taxi driver said rudely with a huff as he glanced at Yugi and Atem through his rear view mirror.

"Could you just act like we're not here and you're on break for a bit?" Yugi asked the driver as he attempted to shove Atem's head down, but the vampire was resisting to do so. "I'll pay you a hefty tip, just let us stay here in the cab until that car is gone," He nodded his head in the direction of the black Cadillac stationed outside his home.

"Depends how much that tip will be," The driver spoke over Atem's growl before he turned in his seat to look at the vampire growling wearily. "I don't think your friend there," He gestured to Atem with a nod of his head, "likes being manhandled."

"Stop touching me, Yugi!" Atem snapped at the human with venom in his voice, as he freed himself from Yugi's hands.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders before forcing Atem's upper body to hunch over, placing all of his weight on the man's back to keep him in the uncomfortable position. " He'll live."

Yugi felt more than heard the low grumbling from the Original vampire. He hated the fact that he had possible just awoken a sleeping monster, but he couldn't let it bother him when another monster was already awake and threatening his life. With the IVHA at his doorstep, Yugi couldn't take the chance of them spotting Atem. What if they knew about him too? Yugi wasn't going to hold it above the organization of vampire hunters. He knew that they had spies that had eyes and ears in many places. No doubt someone could have potentially overheard something about the 'long-lost' king's return.

"Get. Off. Now," Atem slowly ordered Yugi, articulating each word sharply, to highlight an unheard threat.

"If I do, promise me you'll stay low? I don't want to take the chance of 'them' seeing you. I'll be in loads of troubles, " The human spoke clearly to Atem with no harshness in his tone. " You will be too."

The royal vampire shifted underneath Yugi and pushed the boy gently off him. He straightened his back while his maroon colored eyes gave the taxi driver and icy glare, striking fear into the man's heart before he settled himself more comfortably in the backseats of the Prius. The Pharaoh then awkwardly slid down into his seat, low enough so his head couldn't be seen. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes stubbornly, like a child being forced to do something they did not want to. "Satisfied?"

Yugi smiled when the vampire cooperated with him.

Lowering himself to a similar position, the human hummed out his approval. " Very much so, thank you."

Atem said nothing afterwards and the car fell into silence. Not even the driver bothered to start a conversation, too busy with texting someone on his old Samsung flip phone. Yugi, however, kept a watchful eye on his adobe. Seconds tick by slowly, etching in to painfully long minutes. Finally after ten minutes of waiting, a tall regal man with long silver hair and sporting a stunning scarlet business suit that was demanded to be noticed. Yugi's violet eyes that were normally warm with emotion, were cold and void of any emotion as he watch the Director of the IVHA leave his home. The human chewed on his bottom lips anxiously as he waited for Pegasus climb in his car and one of his unneeded body guards to take him as far away as he could possibly get from his home.

"Who is that man?" Atem asked Yugi, apparently he had chosen to sit up and watch Yugi's biggest bully leave the comfort of the Mutou home.

The taxi driver snorted loudly and gave Atem a funny look. "How do you not know that man? That's Maximillion Pegasus, one of the most unmistakable faces in Japan! His face is plastered everywhere!"

Atem leaned back, his back pressing against the rear seat of the Prius. His wine red eyes glued on something outside his window. "Unmistakable? Plastered? I've never seen or heard of him before now. Yugi what was his business at your home's shop?" Atem said almost sounding bored with the conversation.

Yugi, still laying low in his seat, eyes shifted between Atem and the taxi driver. He was about to speak up, but the car's operator beat him to the punch. "How can you not know he face of your own enemy?! He's a triple threat to our kind! A former elite hunter, lots of power in a lot of place, not to mention he's the leader of Domino's branch of the IVHA and the Eastern Hemisphere's representative! Are you a new born?"

Yugi visible seen Atem's entire body tense at the insult. The human thought death had come to claim the taxi driver's life when Atem's head slowly turned toward the man with messy short black hair and chocolate brown eyes. The vampire's eyes were swirling with rage, once a cool maroon was now a flaming inferno of crimson. "Did you just call me something as lowly as a newborn just because I have no idea who someone is?"

Yugi felt his heart skip several beats out of fear and concern for the other vampire's own life. Atem's voice was cold as steel that was left out in a blizzard in Antarctica. Yugi could see a familiar black mist slowly crawling its way into the taxi from all directions. "What gives you the right to speak to me in such a manner!? I will have you know I am –"

"A very cranky vampire because I have yet to feed you, "Yugi quickly interjected, cutting Atem off before he could blow his own cover to defend his pride. Yugi sighed in relief when he notice the black Cadillac was no longer parked outside of the game shop. "Looks like it's safe to go inside our home now! Thank you for the ride, kind sir and please, excuse my friend's rudeness. He's only had animal blood this week," Yugi spoke in a rushed sputter. Pulling out his wallet and placing all the cash he had on him, into the man's hand before opening his door. He all but dragged Atem out of the car so they could get their shopping bags from the trunk and store them away in his room.

---

When Yugi entered his family's game shop, he expected it to see it running like normal with a few customers browsing the shelves. That wasn't the case when he entered the shop with his arms full of his Christmas gifts and Atem's clothes.

Instead, he was immediately bombarded by angered customers taking their frustrations out on him. One by one they spoke to him all relaying the same story; his grandfather had told him he need do something in the back for a moment and they've been wait for the past twenty minutes to be checked out. Sighing Yugi handed shifted the heavy bags of gifts and held them out to Atem. "Take these upstairs and place them in my room, please? I need to take care of the shop."

Atem gave an understanding nod of his head before taking the bags from Yugi and already making his way upstairs. "I will be in your room if you need me."

Yugi gave Atem's retreating form an odd look, raising his eyebrow questioningly. He was puzzled by why the former Pharaoh said he would be in his room. Brushing the thought aside to deal with later, Yugi maneuvered through the last minute Christmas shoppers to ring up their items and send them on their merry way. As he did so, it made him wonder just where his grandfather had wondered off to, leaving the shop unmanned. It wasn't like him to leave the cash register with so many customers in the store.

Settling behind the cash register, Yugi pushed his long sleeves up and started to scan the first of many items. When he finished giving their loyal customers the proper care the deserved and an apology, he was going to look for the old coop that was his grandfather and give him an earful about leaving the shop with no one to tend to it.

"Thank you, come again!" Yugi gave the final angered customer a cheerful goodbye before slumping back against the wall with a tired sigh. He completely exhausted, having to deal with the sass from some of the customers as he scanned their items and calculated how much they owed for their last minute gifts. His violet eyes looked around the store duly, almost all of their shelves were deprived of any merchandise. Yugi inwardly groaned at the sight that foreshadowed the back-breaking work he would be partaking in all day tomorrow. That is, if he could even move at all after this evening. The human closed his eyes, hoping to forget about the task he being forced to partake in this evening. The dreaded task of fulfilling his duty as Yami Sennen's blood source.

Yugi suppressed a groan as he forced himself to move away from his comfortable position slouched against the wall behind the game shop's store counter. He distracted himself from the idea of having his blood being stolen from him, by making his mind focus on the tedious task of tracking down his grandfather. He need to say thing or two to the old man about abandoning his post at the store during the holiday season.

Strange enough, Yugi didn't have look for too long before he found his grandfather in the very back of the shop in one of their storage rooms. Yugi found the old man holding a private conversation on the phone, oblivious to his surroundings as he spoke into the phone's receiver.

"For the last time, he will be home shortly. My grandson just went out to do a bit of shopping," Yugi made no motion to move when he heard the annoyed tone in his grandfather's voice. It seemed so foreign to Yugi, he hadn't heard that tone in a very long time.

Yugi blinked curiously as he watch his grandfather start pacing around the room with his eyes closed and a hand pinching the skin in between his eyes and on the bridge of his nose. "If I knew where he was, I would have told you that the first time you asked me, Yami," The old man's voice stressed, fighting to keep calm.

Yugi's tilted his head as he watch his grandfather walk in small circles, surprised by how the elder seem not notice his presence by the door. "It's possible he went to the mall, but you have nothing to worry about Yami. Yugi is as strong as they come, he can handle himself just fine," The old man said sounding slightly proud. Yugi couldn't help but smile lightly at the comment. Had it been someone other than his grandfather, he would have blushed and denied it.

The conversation between his grandfather and Yami continued on for several minutes. Although he was listening in on his grandfather's side, Yugi could tell little from the phone call. And other than having the information that Yami was looking for him, there was nothing for him to learn. His grandfather was only giving Yami 'yes', 'no' and 'I don't know', whenever the vampire must have stopped chattering. Unable to let his grandfather go through the torture of speaking to the vampire any longer, Yugi stepped further into the room to take over the call, however, he was frozen by his grandfather's words the moment he took his first step.

"What do you mean a rogue vampire was at Domino City Mall? There's no way a creature like that could get into such a highly populated area in the middle of the day."

Yugi kept still, so did his grandfather. He waited for his grandfather, not wanting to interrupt anything incase Yami was giving him information.

"If it was a false report of two class C rogues, then what was it?" His grandfather words sounded almost angered by what Yami was telling him.

"T-Twenty? Are you sure? Twenty casualties?"

Yugi's heart nearly stopped in his chest. Twenty casualties, twenty people who had been physically harmed or killed by the rogue he had watched Atem kill before his eyes. For only one rogue vampire, the number was high, too high. He hoped it was only minor casualties like someone being injured after being trampled over in the panicking crowd. He didn't want to think of someone else possibly dying from the attack.

The pause this time was longer and Yugi could see his grandfather starting to shake. " A-Are you implying…?" Solomon trailed off never finishing his sentence, but from his physical appearance Yugi could guess his words. 'Are you implying my grandson is dead?'

The seventeen year old could almost feel his grandfather's growing fear. Determined not to allow his grandfather think about the possibility of him even being dead for another second, Yugi walked towards his grandfather. Once behind the old man, Yugi tapped his shoulders and placed a fake scowl on his face, almost like he was angry.

Solomon's head turned to look behind him, dark violet eyes moistened by the threat of tears stared into youthful amethyst orbs. The tension quickly vanished from the room as Solomon offered Yugi a warm welcoming smile. Unable to fake his anger when his grandfather wore such a heartwarming smile, Yugi gave the old man his own goofy grin. "You forgot about the customers. You better be glad I got home when I did, no doubt they were about to wreck the shop!"

The elder mouthed a 'thank you' to his grandson as he waited for the 'Prince' to give him a chance to speak.

"Yami, Yami, Yammiiiiiiiiii!" The old man's cheerful voice called out to the vampire on the other side of the phone line. "Yugi is home now."

Not even two seconds after the words had been uttered from his mouth, Solomon was holding the phone out to his only grandchild. "Have fun and play nice, Yugi."

The seventeen year old rolled his eyes at his grandfather's teasing words before he placed the wireless home phone to his ear. He could be nice to Yami, but it didn't mean it would be any fun. "Hello?"

"Where have you been all day?! I've been trying to get a hold of you in every way possible! Did you forget about our plans today? I told you not to go out today, it is not safe to be wandering around the city unaccompanied."

Yugi closed his eyes trying to suppress the headache he already felt forming behind his temples. He felt slightly guilty, knowing his grand must have been putting up. "And I told you that I wasn't canceling them and I was going shopping with my cousin, therefore I wasn't alone. As for your questions, I was at a mall for most of the day with my cousin and no, I did not forget about our 'plans' today," Yugi let out and aggravated huff. "Lady Isis told me I was to come feed you when I was available."

Yugi heard a growl from the other side of the phone before a heavy sigh. "Are you available now?"

" No, I'm not," Yugi firmly stated.

"Human – !"

"I have to put my Christmas presents in their hiding spot before my grandfather tries to snoop," He quickly added, silencing Yami and earning a groan from the other.

"Having a claimed feeder is not worth this going through this."

Yugi felt his temper flare up at Yami's words. He wasn't sure if the other male even he had said them before they slipped out of his mouth, but it was too late now.

"If it is so bad, then go find a different human!" The hunter in training snapped into the phone. "I know very well, how your claiming works! You don't have to have me as your feeder! Not unless you've bitten me three times! So if you don't want to deal with me, then be my guest and just leave me be!"

"It does not work that way, and who told you about the clamming?"Yami quickly responded. "Was it Bakura's and Marik's feeders?"

"No!" Yugi shouted automatically. "It wasn't them it was another friend, one who you don't know of," His voice grew quieter and Yugi instinctively looked down at the floor. He wasn't sure why he did so, but it made him feel incredibly childish; Yami wasn't even in the room let alone in his home!

"Then I expect to meet this 'friend' someday,"Yami's low baritone voice left Yugi no room to argue, nor the chance. "The day I do, you can correct him about the claiming. After a vampire bites a human, one of three things must take place: the human is killed off; the human's memories are erased or, the human has to be claimed as a feeder, be it force or willingly."

Yugi swallowed dryly and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Can you just modify it so we don't have to do any of them?"

"It is not within my power to be able to bend such laws. It was put in place before my rule."

"You're the leader now!" Yugi pointed out, almost hysterical. "It's your law now; your kingdom! You're the ruler of the vampires Yami, can't you just look over it this one time? "

"I am not the leader of my race,"The vampire growled out lowly over the phone so low, it sent shivers down Yugi's spine. "I'm just a placeholder until the Sacred Guardians have found someone able to claim the throne. I merely just sit in the damn chair and look the part. The nobles and Guardians take care of everything."

"Because you're not an Original or from the royal family?" Yugi questioned.

"Precisely – Wait, you know of originals?"Yami sounded completely baffled by surprise.

"My grandpa has a lot books in his study that covers a lot of things on vampires," Yugi admitted casually. "It comes in handy for history class."

"Hnn,"Yami made a disapproving sound over the telephone's receiver but made no verbal comment.

Yugi felt irked by the lack of response though, he didn't act on it. The boy shook his head, trying to clear the growing vexation he felt. "Are you sure you can't at least try to convince them to let you out of this? I really prefer not to...you know, be bitten once a week maybe more?"

A heavy frustrated sigh followed by a soft thud echoed in Yugi's ears before Yami spoke in stressed voice. "This is not up for debate Yugi. You're stuck with this, just as much as I am."

"It's beneficial for you! Not me, who has to bare the pain of you feeding from me! Not to mention when the claiming is finalized I'll be stuck with you in my head! There's things I keep to myself that even my grandpa, doesn't need to know! I don't want one of my classmates, let alone the king of the vampires, to be evading into my mind! And I know for a fact, I do not want to know what goes in your mind either."

"What in the hell are you blubbering about? Nothing like that is going to happen! Obviously your 'friend' has clearly mislead your mind!" Yami declared, bringing back up the previous conversation.

"Even if that is true, I still trust his words over yours!" Yugi testified and made 'hmph' sound. He wasn't lying, he trusted Atem more than Yami, even though he only had been able hold a decent conversation with the Egyptian for only a day
.

"You're even more of mulish than the former king,"Yami hissed out in annoyance. "Even if you persist that I take someone else as a feeder, I cannot."

"Why!? Are you that afraid of your council? I could always say I have family connections to the vampire hunters, which could change their mind into letting me live a 'normal' life," Yugi tried to convince Yami. He was willing to get himself out of this mess by any means, even revealing that his grandpa and parents had connections to the IVHA. If Yami would reject him as a feeder, then maybe he could get of this mission. He wouldn't have to worry about being caught and treated as a criminal who committed high treason against the vampires, nor would he have to worry about the threats Pegasus has promised to carry out. He refused to have his friends dragged into this mess, but the thought of them noticing he was affiliated with the vampire hunters, plagued his mind even more.

Yugi could imagine their reactions and knew it wasn't far from what would truly happen if best friends discovered he had been training to be hunter in the future. They would be devastated, unable to accept the truth then attempt to ignore him or worse, think their friendship was merely nothing more than an act. He already knew the bitterness Malik held towards hunters, one of the senior in the association had all but killed Marik last spring. Yugi could still remember the pitiful state his close friend had been in and the bragging of the hunter as he 'slayed' one of Yami's elite guard. Not to mention there was also Jonouchi too, he and Yugi have been best friend since they were in primary school. Jou would be more than just depressed over the fact if his best friend was a part of a group that plotted his total inhalation; Yugi was sure he wouldn't even be the same person anymore.

"There's been no objections so far, the Sacred Guardians are already aware of your grandfather's previous engagements with the Vampire Hunters,"Yami firm voice stated, bringing Yugi's attention back to his current dilemma.

"What about if they try to kill me to get to you? What if other try to do the same?" Yugi purposed the situations to Yami, leaning against the closet wall to him. He could feel himself losing this battle quickly, his mental exhaustion from the day's events taking their toll on both his body and mind. "You'll be out of a feeder then."

"Me claiming you,"Yami began before sighing, all harshness leaving the tone of his voice. "Was for your own good. You've been provide full security every day until the day you are no longer my feeder. I won't hear anymore of this subject."

"But – "

"No 'buts', now go get ready. Mahaad is on his way to bring you here for our arranged meeting. He'll be there in twenty minutes."

Yugi wasn't left with any option but to obey Yami, the pureblood vampire had quickly hung up the phone after his words before Yugi could argue with him. The human released a frustrated groan before banging his head lightly against the wall. His mind screamed 'Why?' loudly as he collected himself. He would have lingered longer in the storage room, but he quickly reminded himself that he had left Atem upstairs in his room…alone.

Yugi shuddered at the thought of the ancient vampire with hardly any knowledge of the modern world, being in his room to be able to do as he please. Setting the wireless telephone down on one of the many cardboard boxes in the room, Yugi took off towards his room afraid what state he would find it in.

Yugi found himself zipping past his grandfather, not even noticing him as he rushed by. When he reached the stairs that lead to the living portion of his home, he took them by twos and nearly slipped twice before reaching the top. His fear for having Atem unsupervised in his room, propelled the boy to move faster, not bothering with removing his shoes as he made his way through his home. The human loudly rushed up the second flight of stairs and hurried towards his bedroom, finding the door only slightly ajar.

"Atem – " Yugi started to call out as he pushed open his door. The seventeen year old was half expecting to find the vampire going through his things or causing chaos, when he opened the door. Instead, he found the former Pharaoh curled on his bed, bags placed on the floor next to the comfortable piece of furniture, while Atem was completely passed out and snoring lightly.

Yugi sighed in relief, his shoulder sagging and his upper body sagging as the tension left him. Toeing out of his shoes, Yugi quietly tip-toed into his room towards his desk chair. His eyes never leaving Atem's unconscious form, even as he took as seat in the soft mobile leather chair stationed at his desk. He couldn't help but smile at the relax expression on the vampire's face. He looked harmless, peaceful just as the day he first spied him inside the sarcophagi but now, he was much healthier.

Yugi folded his arms on his desk and placed his head on top of them as he watched the sleeping Atem. His mind was making small comparisons to his current state to when he first 'met' the Pharaoh. His skin was a perfectly polished sun-kissed bronze, no longer plagued by the ash color tent of death. He was still frail, his body almost refusing to gain weight even, despite the proper care Yugi had been providing him. Overall, Atem looked healthy and alive. He didn't show any signs of distress or age. He was a perfect picture of exotic beauty and health, even with the slight drool dribbling down his cheek from parted lips.

The more Yugi examined Atem, the more and more he realized how the vampire didn't appear like a king. He was young, far too young to be a king in Yugi's opinion. Despite his true age of at least being three-thousand year old, Atem looked to be his age maybe a year or two more. His sharp facial features still had a slight roundness from his youth, giving Atem the appearance of an innocent sleeping teen ignorant of the cruelty of the world. Looking away from Atem, Yugi spotted a red letter envelope on is nightstand next to his full-sized bed. The human glared at it with annoyed violet orbs. 'Pegasus.' Said man's eerie face flashed into Yugi's mind. No doubt that letter concealed their first meeting date, however, Yugi was too lazy to bother with it at the moment. Turning his face into the crook of his elbow, Yugi closed his eyes hoping to catch a bit of rest before he was to depart to his dreaded 'feeding' with Yami.

When Yugi opened his eyes again, he greeted by the sight of his grandfather covering Atem up with an extra blanket from their linen closet. The boy sat up slowly, stretching his arms out above him as he let out a silent yawn. Yugi wiped his eyes, making sure he had no mattering around them. "Is someone from Yami's here yet?" Yugi asked his grandpa, his voice barely a whisper, mindful of the sleeping vampire on his bed.

Solomon looked behind him, nodding to his grandson as he tip-toed away from the sleeping Atem. "A man is wait down stairs in the shop for you," The elder whisper as he moved away from the sleeping vampire and more towards his grandchild. "What did you do to him?" The elderly man gestured his hand back towards Atem, "He's completely out of it. I've only seen Jonouchi-san sleep so deeply."

Yugi glanced at Atem, a smile attempting to pull his lips up in the corner. The sight of seeing Atem sleeping in his bed was surreal compared to the things Yugi had seen him do at the mall, it provided to remind him of the Pharaoh's condition. "His body must not have been used to the strain of carrying shopping bags," Yugi cover his mouth as he laughed lightly, "He's been laying in a coffin for thousands of years. It must have been torture for him." Although the words had left his mouth, Yugi didn't believe them himself. When they were at DCM, Atem seemed to be enjoying himself other than when he came in contact with items of 'dark magic'. Yugi hoped Kaiba wouldn't be too mad him for the small dilemma Atem created for him.

Yugi and his grandfather exchanged smiles before both of them exited Yugi's room, Yugi grabbing his black and white Vans as they left. "You'll watch him closely, right Grandpa?" Yugi asked with hope.

"Of course, I don't want him creating a mess with in my home. I'll be sure to keep one eye on him and my ears keen. You have nothing to worry about," His grandfather reassured Yugi and patted his shoulder lightly. "I'll make sure your playboy magazines won't get messed up."

"Grandpa!" Yugi nearly shrieked from embarrassment, his checks becoming inflamed from the unnecessary comment. The seventeen year old gave his grandpa an annoyed look before making his way down stairs. "I don't care if he looks at them, the Pharaoh wouldn't even know what they are. Plus I'm seventeen, I could buy more or get some from Jonouchi," Yugi try to sound confident in his words, but his embarrassment was making it harder to do that.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Yugi slipped on his shoes. He grabbed one of his light weight coats from the coat closet and pulled it on over his long sleeve shirt. Ready to go, despite his slightly messy hair, Yugi started to head down to the game shop, but his grandfather stopped him with urgency in his voice. "Wait Yugi!"

"Huh? What is it Grandpa?" Yugi replied, his head turned to the side so he could look over his shoulder at his grandfather.

"Today, the Director came…"

"And gave you a letter, which is on my nightstand still, " The boy finished his grandfather's sentence for him with a cheerful smile. "Don't worry, I'll deal with it when I get home from dealing with Yami," He reassured his only grandparent. "I'll be home later. I'll call you if I end up having to stay for the night."

"I'll be waiting for it. Bye Yugi, don't keep the man waiting too long," The old man spoke with a confident and teasing voice. "And don't let him take too much from you! I need a grandson who can help me stock the store, not a vegetable!"

Yugi smiled and shook his head as he started down the stairs to the shop. "Okay, bye Grandpa!" The human teen couldn't help but feel slightly anxious as he made his way down to the shop. He couldn't help but feel like his life was about to become more complex than he was even able to imagine, especially since Pegasus had shown up to his house personally to give him a letter and now he was on his way to the first feeding with Yami. Yugi could only hope his loved ones would be safe as he descended deeper into his own personal Hell.

---

The drive to the Muran estate was long and quiet. No words had been spoken towards him from Mahaad and it made Yugi wonder if he had done something to the Egyptian. Even when he gained the courage to speak up and ask if something was wrong, the priest was persistent in keeping up his silent game. Yugi noticed during the entire duration of their drive, Mahaad was gripping the steering wheel of his Cadillac ELR couple so tightly, his knuckles had turning white. It amazed Yugi when Mahaad finally released the wheel after they had parked in front of the elegant mansion, it hadn't been malformed by his viper like grip.

The tension that came from Mahaad made Yugi paranoid. He wasn't afraid of the man, but Mahaad's current attitude made Yugi second guess his first impression of the man. He had always liked Mahaad, he was kind, had a warm atmosphere surrounding, and was born with an odd taste of fashion. Today was an expectation, Mahaad was the 'Mahaad' Yugi had met last week. He was quiet, intimidating, and wore a black suit that resembled something a pallbearer from a funeral would wear. After they both exited the car, Mahaad escort Yugi inside the estate silent was the nonexistent wind around them. The moment the pitch black heavy double doors opened, Yugi came face to face with an emotionless Yami. His crimson eyes were blazing more than normal, and his skin paler than freshly fallen snow. He did nothing to help soothe Yugi's nerves instead, Yami terrified him. His blazing red eyes reminded Yugi of the sinister looking ones from the rogue he encounter earlier that day.

"Yugi," The way his name sounded when Yami spoke, was like a haunting lullaby as the vampire gently took his hand, "Follow me."

Yami left no room for Yugi to deny him, already using the human's hand to pull him along as he traveled deeper into the gorgeous home. Yugi want to try and resist Yami from forcing him to walk at such a fast pace, he wanted to enjoy and take in the elegant décor around him and admire its beauty. He didn't want to agitate the vampire, Yugi could already tell something was amiss with the pure blood. Although Yami wasn't the most well behaved person he knew of, Yugi had never encountered such forcefulness from the vampire. Not even when he tried to escape from him on their way to school this past week.

They traveled up a large flight of stairs, took several turns down enormous hallways before entering a dark room through just a simple white wooden door. The moment they were inside the room, Yami released his wrist. Yugi took advantage of the loss of Yami's grasp on him, by nursing his aching wrist with light rubbing from his other hand. He didn't understand why the vampire had felt the need to drag him the entire way to the secluded room, he would have followed him still.

"Why did you – "

"How did you escape from him?" Anger tinted Yami's voice, making it lower than normal however, it was still high than Atem's. The vampire started to stalk closer towards Yugi, and the human took a step back for every step Yami took towards him.

"Escape from who?" Yugi held no fear in his voice as he answered Yami's question with his own. He wasn't afraid of Yami, though the feeling of fear of Atem being exposed was starting to creep into Yugi's mind. Yami asked him how did he escape from a 'him', but Yugi knew several men that he had been able to escape from. Though he had a feeling that his close encounters with vampires that had nearly killing him, wasn't what Yami was referring to.

"Do not try to be ignorant with me, Human," Yami's voice spoke lowly, as he cornered Yugi against the wall farthest from the room's entry door and next to locked glass French doors. He placed his hands on the wall, one on both sides of the human's head. "You're covered in his scent Yugi, every inch of you. Now how did you escape from 'him'? Why didn't you tell me over the phone you came in contact with a rogue?"

Yugi's violet eyes gazed into Yami's bright crimson, wide with fear. Reaching up to his neck the human felt the tingling sensation of cold terror, he forgot to place his concealing stone on himself before he left his house. Yugi's heart started to speed up its tempo and he clenched the fabric of his jacket right above the muscular organ. "Because the rogue…she's…she's dead now, so it doesn't matter."

"Not a she, a he! It's a he Yugi, a male rogue!" Yami corrected Yugi, his hands moved to rest on teen's shoulders and squeeze them lightly.

"I wasn't near a male rogue!" Yugi defended himself. "I was only with my grandfather and a family friend who I went shopping with!"

"Tch," Yami's eyes started to glow brighter by some unknown force. "He probably compelled you to forget about your encounter, damn fool." Yugi struggled against Yami, pushing at the other's chest with his eyes closed. He pulled at Yami's arms, trying to remove his hands from his shoulders. The hunter in training struggled against the hold, trying to think of a possible way to get out of the situation. Yugi could feel poking at his mind by an unknown force, he knew it was Yami try to compel his mind and tried his best to think of anything other than about what Yami wanted. However, Yugi was finding it harder and harder to do such, his mind kept thinking about the panic at the mall. The unwanted memories kept flashing in his mind, masked by a static cover. He kept forcing the image away every time it popped up in his head.

'Yami is trying to see Atem, the Pharaoh, his lover! Don't let him see, he can't see that!' Yugi chanted over and over in his mind, not wanting Yami to peep at his memories of his day at the mall. He didn't want him to see Atem there with him, he had to keep the other safe. Safe from –

Yugi felt like a complete moron. Yami was smelling Atem's scent on his body, and from the information Mana had accidently released, Yami and most of the Sacred Guardians thought Atem was monster out for blood. The human took in a deep breath before using all of the strength his body could conjure up, to push Yami away from him. Surprisingly, Yugi felt the vampire's hands leave him and heard a soft 'umph!' Opening his eyes, Yugi found Yami several steps away from him, glaring with cold blood red eyes. Yugi tried to not let Yami's menacing glare get too him as he stood straight and curled his hands into tight fist at his sides.

"The. Rogue. Was. A. Female." Yugi firmly stated to Yami, his voice keeping even as it expressed his own outrage. His violet eyes swirled with raw emotions and dared Yami to challenge his statement.

Yami tilted his head up, smirking at the sight of the human trying to act 'tough' in front of him. "How do you know? Maybe he's influencing your mind so you think he was of the opposite sex."

"How do you know if she was a rogue vampire that you're mix up for another?" Yugi quickly responded, his eyebrow raising slightly at Yami. "Aren't you just assuming the worse?"

"I maybe," Yami started moving back to take a seat on the edge of bed Yugi hadn't noticed before. In fact, Yugi hadn't even noticed any detail in the room he was currently in. His eyes scanned the room quickly, soaking up the white furniture and dark grey walls. His eyes returned to Yami, seated comfortably on the edge of a king sized bed with four white wooden post that held up a dark grey canopy that matched the comforter of the bed. Only when Yugi's eyes had returned to his, did Yami continue to speak. "I rather be overly cautious than just assume everything is perfect. I was attacked brutally in front of the Guardians and the noble families, last night. I know the perpetrator's scent and voice very well," Yami pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yugi leaned back against the wall, more relaxed. He had heard both Mana's and Atem's versions of this story, but he had yet to hear it from Yami's. "Is that what Lady Isis, was worried about yesterday. You were attacked by a male rogue vampire?" Yugi tried to feign his shock, however, he wasn't the world's best actor.

Yami raised a questioning eyebrow at Yugi, looking uninterested in the boy's act. "I take it you already know this, but yes. He attacked me with his shadows and stole sacred blood that had been stored inside my body."

"Blood…The blood of the Original vampire I assume." Yugi added and looked down at his feet, not wanting to gaze into Yami's fierce red eyes. "Are you implying that the rogue who attacked you is connected to...to the 'Lost King'?"

"I am," Yami stated in a calm tone. It surprise Yugi somewhat at the fact Yami was actuallycalm despite him, his feeder who he barely knew, was able to make the connection of his attack to his former lover, who the public knew little about. "I believe that the former Pharaoh and ruler of the Vampire Kingdom was the one to attack me, and has fallen to his own blood lust."

Yugi allowed a pregnant pause to settle in the room after Yami's bold words, as he thought about how he should respond. He twiddled his thumbs as he thought, trying to think of something to that wasn't a lie, but kept him from admitting he unsealed Atem and had a direct connection to the man. A sigh interrupted Yugi's thoughts, causing the young human to look up. Yugi's violet eyes blinked in surprise as he spied Yami laying back on the bed his arms folded across his eyes. "How in the hell did that selfish bastard escape and not be completely insane? It doesn't make sense."

Yugi looked at Yami with violet eyes full of sympathy and concern. "Perhaps he had help from someone on the outside. Maybe they helped the former ruler escape instead of him going insane,"Yugi spoke softly watching as Yami sat up again to gaze at Yugi in bewilderment. The human could swear on his parents' grave that he saw relief in those vivid red eyes.

"Do you believe so?"

Yugi flashed Yami a smile and nodded. "Mhmm! I do. Grandpa alway taught me to assume the best and not the worse."

Yami looked away from Yugi, the relief leaving his eyes and once again, becoming cold rubies. Yugi wasn't sure what Yami was thinking, but the human was eager to move on from the subject. He could feel if they dwelled on it for too long, he would be seeing a side of Yami he would most likely want to avoid.

"So this claiming thing, how does it work exactly? I remember you said something about me becoming yours when first bit me, and you said my 'friend' explained it wrong…"

Yami's eyes glanced at Yugi, though his head never turned to face him directly. "Due to the law the former king's father created, a vampire who feed from a human more than once, or a pureblood who has used both lower and upper fangs to feed from a human; has to forge The Bond between the human and take them as their feeder. I accidently used both sets of my fangs when I fed from you…"

Yugi looked at Yami slightly confused. "And this is why who have to make me your official feeder now?"

"It caused you unnecessary pain, which I apologize for, but yes. This is why you are now my feeder, Yugi," Yami stated and averted his eyes from Yugi completely like a child. "Moving on," The vampire waved his hand dismissing any statement Yugi had to say. "The bond the feeder and vampire develop is only one that alerts one another when the other is distressed. It's only there for protection, nothing more. It also insures no one will be allowed to drink from the human other than the vampire who claimed them. The late king put the law into place and created the magic to end blood brothels. It also helped to keep the death rate of humans, down."

"So you can't read my mind?" Yugi said carefully, as he inched slightly closer to Yami with joyful relief in his eyes. "Thank God!"

The pureblood laughed lightly, it wasn't true laughter but one of faked amusement. "No, I won't be able to read your mind. Was that why you were so against becoming my feeder?"

Yugi shook his head. "It wasn't the main cause, but it was one of them. The others don't matter now," Yugi said shaking his head.

"Very well then, now come here," Yami ordered, his index finger making the universal gesture for Yugi to come to his side. The human hesitated, knowing what it would mean if he went to Yami's side. Going to Yami and letting him feed from his blood would mean, he was accepting the fact he had to spend most of his life as the man's personal blood bag. But Yugi knew he didn't have an alternative choice, he held no say so in his current situation. Between both Yami and Pegasus, Yugi was having to decide if he want to resist until he could no longer struggle, or go peacefully. He went with the latter, in hopes that maybe he could try to make oil and water combine together.

Yugi took tentative steps towards Yami, until his body was just a few inches away from the bed Yami was perched on. Yugi's arms remained crossed over his chest, his eyes cautiously observing the light smirk on Yami's face and his bright crimson eyes. "If you turn me into a living vegetable, you'll have to deal with my grandpa. He needs my help tomorrow in the game shop."

Yami reached out for Yugi, his hands going for the teen's hips and latching on to them. "I'll keep that in mind," He hummed before he pulled Yugi towards the bed then lifted him up and settled the human on his lap.

Yugi released an unmanly squeak when he was lifted up by his waist and forced to take a seat on Yami's lap. His back was pressed to Yami's front and the vampire's arms wrapped around his lithe waist to hold him in place. His normal pale facial skin started to morph into a bright red at the pureblood's actions. The warmth in his cheeks increased even greater when Yami nuzzled the left side of his neck in an almost loving way.

"What the hell are you doing?" Yugi asked with a sharp tongue and tried to pull away from Yami's embrace.

"It's better to feed this way," Yami responded and gave Yugi's neck an Eskimo kiss. "I'm trying to get you to relax, you're too tense. It'll hurt if you don't settle down."

Yugi blush darkened several shades when he felt Yami's nose rub gently against his neck. "Well you're doing to opposite of that and it's creeping me out. Stop it.\," Yugi complained and he moved his neck away from Yami, earning a low hiss from the vampire.

"How is it creepy?" Yami questioned Yugi, easing his grip on the human's hips. "I'm trying to provide comfort –"

"By nuzzling my neck like a cat?"

"Don't compare my instincts to a cat Yugi," Yami warned and started to nuzzle the human teen's neck once more, this time the nuzzling focused more on the area where his external jugular vein was located.

Yugi smiled as he slowly started to try and relax himself while ignoring Yami's physical gestures that did no help. The nuzzling switch to light feather like kisses and small nips to skin when his body relaxed and leaned back into Yami's, however, the moment didn't last long when the pureblood vampire emitted a soft rumbling sound from his chest.

"Y-You're purring!" Yugi busted out into a fit of laughter, bending over and holding his midsection. "Vampires must be part cat or at least, you!"

"Damn it Yugi!" Yami hissed and pulled the human back against his chest, holding him tightly as he pressed his cheek against the human's pulse point. "Just be quiet so I can feed. The quicker I'm finished, the quicker you can rest then go home. Deal?"

Yugi smiled as he leaned back into Yami, "Deal."

He allowed his eyes to slip close. Maybe being Yami's feeder wouldn't be so bad, not if the vampire treated him gentle like this. Yugi used a hand to cover his mouth and muffle his laughter when he felt Yami start his 'purring' once more, the action was never going to cease to amuse Yugi. The vampire finally removed one of his arms from Yugi's waist, using his hand to tilt Yugi's head up and to the right to expose more of Yugi's flesh. Yugi closed his eyes and removed his hand from his mouth so it could grip at the covers below them. Suddenly things weren't as amusing now that the reality that Yami was about to bit him started to sink in. Yugi could feel his heart kicking into overdrive as his adrenaline started to make his body hypersensitive. A familiar feeling calmed his nerves down as he thought about the adventures he encountered the high feeling of adrenaline, in. He was safer here in Yami's arms, than he was out there in the field of action.

"Good human," Yami chuckled under his breath and against Yugi's neck, causing the seventeen year old human to shiver. Yugi refrained from speaking out against Yami's false praise, too busy with distracting his mind from what was about to happen. The old joyful memories of surveying old battlefields and scoping out enemy territories provided useless when Yugi felt the pressure of Yami's top two fangs pressing lightly against his neck, directly above his pulse point and jugular.

"Relax, it'll be over quickly," Yami purred softly while the hand tilting Yugi's head up and out of the way, softly caressed the skin underneath the human's chin.

Yugi released his pent up breath when he did, Yami took the opportunity to sink his fangs into the soft skin.

There was pain, but it felt only like being pricked by needle. Once the sudden stinging sensation left Yugi's nervous system, the human only felt the awkward sensation of the vampire suckling on his neck. It sent a violent shiver done his back. "This… feels weird."

Yami's response was placing his hand over Yugi's mouth to prevent the human from speaking while he fed. It was roughly around that same time, when Yugi felt his head growing lighter and his body heavier. His eyelids started to struggle with staying open and his bright amethyst irises dulled as his vital fluid was drawn away from his body. Eventually, Yugi's body went completely slack against Yami. Mere seconds passed by at a speed that felt like years to Yugi while Yami drank heavily from him. When Yami removed his fangs from his neck, Yugi wasn't even aware the man had finished his feeding. Nor did he feel Yami's tongue sloppily lick the extra blood away from his neck wound before sealing it shut with his saliva. Yugi only felt Yami lowering him down to lay on the bed and something being pressed against the sensitive area where Yami's fangs had been. "Ouch."

"It'll be tender for a few day," Yami muttered as a response and gently making sure the bandage stuck to Yugi's skin securely. "Don't remove the bandage or move around for a few hours. You need time to recover." Yugi felt something warm and heavy pulled over his body as Yami spoke, before it was tucked around him. His lethargic mind slowly recognized it as the bed's comforter before he opened his eyes to look at Yami tiredly.

The first thing Yugi noticed about the vampire, was his eyes were no longer a bright fiery crimson but a beautiful mixture of magenta and violet. Yugi smiled at the sight, though he had no idea why. "Hey, has anyone told you, you have pretty eyes?" Yugi slurred out, not really registering what he was saying.

"Uh, no?" Yami looked at Yugi questionably.

"Well, you do and they do this weird thing. One moment they're blood red and then in the next, they're a different color. My cousin's eyes do the same thing, but his aren't as a dramatic change," Yugi blabbered out, causing Yami pounder if he had taken too much blood from the human. "I nice that you aren't you as reckless like him. At Domino City's mall today, I tried to take him on an escalator and he started speaking nonsense before these shadows attacked it and caused it to 'blow up' Like this – " Yugi sat up on the bed, his upper body swaying slightly as made and explosion gesture and a fitting sound effect.

"You went to the mall today? How did you survive the rogue attack?" Yami asked completely flabbergasted by the human's words.

"Aren't you listening? I told you he blew up a urinal. He also made someone's head pop. It went – Kaboom!" Yugi made popping sound with his mouth as he leaned forward, supporting his bodyweight on his hands and knees. His clouded violet eyes glaring at Yami's auburn gems. "He made such a big mess, Kaiba-kun's going to be furious. "

Not one thing uttered out of Yugi's mouth, did Yami believe. The pureblood vampire came to the conclusion that the human had become dopey from his sudden blood loss. The ruler couldn't come up with any other explanation other than, he had exceeded the safe amount of withdrawing blood from Yugi's body.

"Yugi," Yami started, pushing lightly on the human's chest until he was laying back down on the bed. "I'm going to go get Isis, stay here and don't move. "

"Icee? Can you get me one too?" Yugi asked his voice hardly forming words as his tongue failed to articulate them properly.

"No, I-sis. I said, I'm getting Isis," Yami corrected with an annoyed sighed.

"Okay, but you better bring me back my Icee. I want a strawberry flavored one," Yugi firmly stated as he turned on his side and pulled the blankets tighter around his small form, his eyes slipping closed from exhaustion.

"Behave and do as I say, and I might bring you back some shaved ice," Yami concluded shaking his head at the loopy human. He was going to have to be more careful, when dealing with Yugi. He didn't need to cause any damage to the human. If he did, Yami was sure Solomon would be on his case and that was the last thing the pureblood vampire needed. He already got nagged on a daily bases from the Sacred Guardians. Turning on his heel, Yami started to leave the room until Yugi mumbled something quietly.

"My name's not Heba, it's Yugi."

The words struck Yami straight to his core. He felt his stomach tighten slightly and the vampire clenched his jaw tightly. Yugi's slurred words of nonsense echoed in his mind and poisoned his brain, sending his mood southward faster than a plane sparling towards the ground. Had someone truly mistaken Yugi for Heba? There was no way someone who knew the murder could have mistaken Yugi for Heba, the human smelt nothing like him! Though the Prince could say the same for looks as well, but he couldn't even remember that demon's face. He remember bits and pieces of his physical features, but his face had been wiped clean from Yami's mind. The pureblood did acknowledge that they both had the same stubbornness, but that was where their similarities ended.

Sighing Yami closed his eyes and left the room, shutting the door behind him. "No, you're not him. You are nothing like him."

---

When his eyes opened, he didn't have a clue where his was. His surroundings weren't something he was used to. The darken room only lit by the little slivers of moonlight seeping through a window and a skylight above him, was foreign. It wasn't his room back at the palace, back at his home.

Scarlet eyes gazed blankly up at the bland ceiling of the unknown room, their owner's mind wishing for slumber once more so he could return to those happier times. So he could be with his illusionary lovers and not this lonely world.

Atem groaned when his mind refused sleep and his body slipped out of its numbing slumber. He used to beg to wake up from his slumber and here he was, wishing to go back to sleep. He hated waking up in a cold bed, absolutely loathed it. What was worse, was he could feel the pleasurable feeling of having his thrust sedate, coursing through is dry veins. A feeling that wasn't his own, but belonged to someone who he could never touch or reach out to. A constant reminder of what he had allowed to have happen.

With a heavy sigh, Atem kicked off the blanket covering his body and clawed at the odd clothes he wore. Slowly his mind began to function normally, the odd things seemed less odd, and the unknown objects became known. He was awake, alive three thousand years in the future with both his lovers gone from his side; one dead and the other plotting to kill him. It made him feel like it was one of the many nightmares the shadows of his family, forced him to bear witness to, but worse. He was actually living this nightmare.

The Pharaoh winced as he stretched out his stiff limbs, trying to force them to move for him again. His scarlet eyes watched his right arm dully as he extended it out then retracted it back towards its resting place at his side. His eyes picking up the slightest contractions and relaxations of his muscles. He hated how his body felt like a rusted machine lacking oil. The strain it took for him to move, was the most annoying feeling in the world. Having to actually concentrate on his movements were even more tedious than the meetings he attended to when he was Pharaoh! This was agony that came with old age, but physical, Atem wasn't old yet.

'If it wasn't for that damn spell, I would noy be having to depend on humans for care.'Atem hissed in his mind angrily, causing the shadows around the room to hiss in agreement. His eyes locked onto one of the swirling deformed black shapes along the floor and gaze it with a smoldering glare from his bright red eyes. "Be quiet, No one asked for your opinion," He snapped at the non living creature and sighed through his nose.

Atem appreciated the help from the two humans who catered to his need, no words could describe the feeling he felt for the two from their help. Solomon and Yugi Mutou were truly selfless beings, helping him and only asking for him to do a few things around their odd home on occasions. They gained no benefit by having him here with them. If anything, he was a threat to their lives and yet, Yugi still had fed him blood for a long period of time and released the seal placed on his immortal body, then proceeded to allow him to inhabit his home and even provided him with food and clothing! Even if this was still the time era he was accustomed too, Atem was sure no one else would have treated him to such noble hospitality. There were a few downsides to his new lifestyle, but Atem was very grateful to the Mutou family nonetheless.

For the first time in his life, he was being treated as a normal person, despite being an Original vampire and the rightful king of the vampire.

The vampire stood from Yugi's bed maneuvering through the bedroom in the dark with skill no human could obtain. His eyes looked for Yugi, his nose rendered useless since the boy's scent was mark strongly everywhere within the room.
"Yugi?" Atem called out the boy's name, hoping for him to acknowledge him… Two minutes passed and he received no answer.

"Hmm," Atem's curiosity of the modern world was starting to get the best of him. He moved through the room, mindful of the slight clutter on the floor from their shopping from earlier that morning. His lively scarlet eyes looked for familiar things and things that were new to him. The bed, dresser, and desk in Yugi's room were the only thing Atem could name with only a minimal amount of effort, but the rest of the items in Yugi's room were new things the Pharaoh was unsure of. Advance items that weren't available in his time, which Atem had no clue what they did.

The Pharaoh couldn't kept his hands off of anything in Yugi's room. His hands brushed against the cool surfaces of the room that had every texture non to man – well, known to him. While he was admiring the strange walls of the modern room, noting that they were not made of limestone but of some other smooth material, Atem came across something by the door that connected the room to the other parts of the home. The item was rectangle in shape, and attached to the light blue walls of Yugi's room. It was white with a little indention in the middle and a stick like thing pointing downwards.

"What is this?" Atem prodded the side of the small white lever. His eyes were filled with pure childish curiosity as he ran his finger around the object before placing his index finger under the lever and pushing it up.

'Click!'

Light blinded the Pharaoh and his body instantly tensed up as his eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden bright light filling the room. He blinked rapidly, looking around him then up at the ceiling.

"How is that possible?" Atem verbalized the question in his mind, though no one was in the room to answer him. The odd thing producing the bright light above his head seemed familiar to Atem, but his mind couldn't make a connection right away. He knew he had never personally experienced such a thing before and it made him wonder if he had witnessed this strange light before through the eyes of the Mutou family or Yami.

Closing his own eyes, Atem tried to search through his 'memories'. They were dull with age but he finally found a moment in time before Yami fractured their bond, where he had seen witnessed this light. His scarlet eyes reopened and Atem clapped his hands together as he smiled.

"Electricity. Some odd magic that can create little suns in rooms and run the odd contraptions that are in the world…I think," The pharaoh sighed, not understanding the concept of electricity completely.

He didn't have to dwell long on the matter, as a bright cheerful ringing alerted his sensitive ears and actually startled the vampire. Looking around Yugi's now lit bedroom, Atem tried to find the source of the odd musical ringing. He enjoyed it yet, found it highly annoying at the same time.

Spotting a familiar object lighting up on Yugi's desk, Atem smiled as his mind made the connection between the annoying music and the contraption that was lighting up. He remembered Yugi explaining it to him last night before they had retired. It was called a telephone and it played music when someone wanted to talk to you with some odd sorcery Atem was unable to up the telephone, Atem pressed the green 'TALK' button as Yugi instructed and held the phone up to his ear.

"Mutou residence. Who's speaking?" The Pharaoh mental praised himself for answering the phone for the first time and saying the words Yugi had instructed him to say. Pride swelled the Pharaoh's ego from accomplishing the simple task without a single mess up. It made him wonder if Yugi would be proud of him for answering the phone with such master.

"Is Solomon Mutou, there?"

Atem's smirk on his face fell, dishearten when the voice on the other line was asking for someone not around him. "No? I don't see him anywhere," He replied to the male voice looking for the elder.

"Who's speaking then? "

Atem froze up when the unknown voice asked for his identity. He pulled the phone away from his ear to glare at the thing with calculating eyes. He couldn't tell who the person speaking to him was. He had no vision of them, nor could he smell their scent. However the voice did sound familiar, but there was this faint crackling sound that caused him to not be able to properly distinguish it. Atem sighed lightly before placing the phone to his ear just to hear the annoyed "Hello?", the voice called out with.

"I'm Yugi's cousin, Heba," The Pharaoh responded, hating how he had to use his deceased lover's name as so. However, it was how Yugi had introduced him to people in the odd market earlier in the day. He was left with no other option, as much as it pained him.

"Heba?" The voice sounded as if its owner was in disbelief.

"Yes?" Atem replied smoothly, hoping the Ka(spirit) of his former lover would come after him for using his name in such ill manner.

"Nothing," The voice snapped aggressively, causing the pharaoh to growl lowly at the rude gesture. "Yugi will be unable to come home tonight, make sure his grandfather is aware of this." –Click!

Atem growled lowly and placed the phone back down on Yugi's desk, he was appalled by the pour manners the voice lacked. Although he was curious why Yugi wouldn't be returning home for the night, Atem brush the thought away already aware that the boy was most likely feeding his mate. The earlier sensation of feeding, was proof enough. Spotting a stunning red envelope on the small table next to Yugi's bed, Atem used it as a distraction from his thoughts lingering towards his old lover. The Pharaoh made his way to Yugi's bed, taking a seat on the edge of the soft mattress as he picked up the envelope.

Atem examined the envelope, remembering the times during his rule when he would receive something similar. He smiled to himself at the fond memories of sending letters out to his long distant friends. He wasn't sure what compelled him to carefully open the letter concealed in the red packaging, but as he pulled the letter free from its confinement he started to have an uneasy feeling as he unfolded the crisp parchment paper.

Odd characters littered the clean unwrinkled sheet of paper, odd characters that strangle made sense to Atem. The Pharaoh held the paper close to his face as his red eyes skimming over the first line of words on the sheet of paper.

"Dear Solomon Mutou…"

Chapter End Notes

I will say I think this chapter is decent, given that it was rushed and written when my brain was focusing on chapter ten. I hope You guys enjoyed it.

Thank you for the many reviews and followers, along with the favorites! The bring me so much joy!

Be sure to leave any type of review below, I would love it if I could pointers for what I could do better and what needs to be fixed!

Thank you all for the support!
This trash writer is very thankful for it! :'3

Afterword

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!

Traitor Preface Night 1: An Evening Party Night 2: A Night Out With The Boys. Night Three; GAME OVER Discovery The Pharaoh. A Very Long Night Panic At The Mall The Second Feeding Afterword