Ookay, lets do some math. I got over 100 reviews in chapter 8... And passed
200 reviews 4 chapters later. Whoa. That's lots of reviews, I'd say! Did
the little notice of so few reviews in ch 11 have something to do with how
much I got in ch 12? Well... I can't seem to make up any other reason for
it, but that's just so...odd.
Many hugs and thanks to Black-Magic-Spellbinder (I have high hopes that from now on I'll be able to update more frequently), Ru-chan (*smiles widely* yep, Marik's just so great, isn't he?), Jadej.j (ooh, lots of things happen next ^^), Silver Dragon (yep, it seems you didn't miss that one. I myself am surprised at how quickly I sometimes write...), Yami Tenshi (B/R coming right up! All the couples except S/J are included in this chapter), firey jazz (*thinks hard* I still don't get how this is so different of all the other vampire fics...), Sailor Comet (drifting? Yeah, I kind of see what you mean by that. I'll try to fix it!), highqueenofthegods (you really like Amenhotep? Now that's a surprise... I didn't think anyone would), Diamond (thank you!), firedraygon97 (*thinks* you know, I think my ideas just pop to my head whenever I start writing... At least I don't think on the plot any other time than when I write), Renee the Rabid Squirrel (lemons? *blushes* Weeellll, I'm not so sure about writing them... I'll keep it in mind, though), Lady Kaiba (my 'as soon as I can' hasn't been really quick of late, but it will improve as of now!), r*a*d*i*a*n*y (ehhh *sweatdrops* you certainly write long! And review many chapters! I don't know what you should review about, though, you have made a good job so far, why don't you continue as before? ^^ *blinks* oh, and sorry about the wait...), Silver Lily (^.~ oh yes, a suicidal Marik is very interesting!), Lilliana (oh you really think so? *tries not to burst from joy*), Neko-chan (well, I personally don't think it to be so great, but whatever you say ^.^), Jadesaber (... okay, this isn't really soon, but whatever), Dark Lady Setsuna (*eyes widen* I think your review is pretty hard to answer O.o), Kerena Darklight (thank you for your compliment!), Jade Indigo (what part exactly is confusing you? Maybe I can shed some light on it ^^), Seventh Sage (*laughs* oh don't kill off my Ishtar, I'd run out of things to write if he wasn't there to meddle with things ^-^), MaidenoftheMoon (nope, 'hunter' isn't the queen, 'hunter' is a he. And yes, there was regular Marik and his yami talking... oh, and the plot? Well, you see the hunt kinda _is_ the plot... not all of it, but most O.O), Dyslexia (I will continue, no matter how infrequent my updates have been of late -___-), Slice (hey, you were the one with the cool story *smiles widely* delicious story, yes... ^^), FluffCat (thank you!), Phoenix (it seems too many reviews this time I can only answer with a big 'thank you' ^.~), Naturi (I've been thinking of letting Yami drink from Yugi... It might come to that eventually, with some delicious side effects!), Hotaru the Demon Goddess (^^ What more can I say...), Gothic Angel Sierra (oh yes, poor Yugi... He'll have to go through some pretty hard stuff in this fic...) and Betrayal (send vampire Yami after me? *is silent for a moment and then smiles widely* oh yes! Yes! Please do! ^.^)
Ooh, those answers take up nearly a page x.x And they took almost an hour to write.. . At moments like this I wonder why I even bother. I thought that it would need some clarifying, so here's a little notice to readers... Marik means the regular Marik! His yami is referred to as Ishtar! It just seems as if some people didn't get it yet *mumbles something*
Slaying the Dreamer, chapter 13: Bloodsuckers
---Marik POV---
I sat on my bed, trying to retrieve the peace of my mind. The vampire - a vampire? How did I manage to get messed up with something like that? - sat on the floor next to my bed, looking at me with intense eyes.
"You know, I suddenly have a strong desire to feed"
I turned to him, my breath catching in my throat. He had threatened me with that earlier, and even though I felt like he wouldn't hurt me, who could be sure with a madman? For a madman he surely was, there was no doubt of it in my mind. Ishtar - that was the name he had claimed - rose from the floor and leaned towards me.
"Surely you wouldn't..."
"Why? After all, I don't have to kill you. Perhaps you will even enjoy it... Don't worry, I'm pretty good at estimating how much I can drink to leave you alive. Give me your hand."
I looked at his serious expression, and scuffled a little way away from him.
"I won't."
He sighed deeply, like _he_ was the victim here. Which was completely ridiculous.
"Don't be such a coward. Give me your hand, Marik."
Slowly, inevitably, my mind began to bend to his point of view. What would it hurt, he _said_ he could stop, didn't he? He seemed to notice my hesitation, and grinned.
"That's it... Just give me your hand, and I'll take care of the rest."
I couldn't remove my eyes from his at this point, it was like I had been hypnotized or something. To my horror my hand twitched on the blankets, sliding to his outstretched one.
His grin widened, and with the way his eyes were glowing, he looked madder than ever. But truly, what was madness? A difference in the normalcy that was all around us in _normal_ days? But wasn't it just natural to have something different, and it made life exciting, too...
My fingers touched his tentatively, caressing the dark skin. He laced his fingers with mine, drawing my hand to him. I watched, wrapped in an unnatural calm.
He looked at me, suddenly serious, and raised my hand to his lips. Shockingly, I felt the sharpness of his fangs against my wrist along with the softness of his lips. But they didn't draw blood, merely touched the skin over my veins. I felt how his warm breath touched the tender skin, actually making me want something more. How could I have let this happen?
His mouth traveled along the skin of my arm, inevitably reaching my shoulder, and from there to my throat. I gave a little start when he stopped for a moment and made as if to bite me, but then his mouth continued its journey to my mouth, effectively blocking anything I might have said.
His tongue darted out and licked passionately my closed lips - closed mostly because of the shock having him do this caused, if I had had time to think on this, I might even have kissed him back. As it was, he drew back, and I could see him grimace.
"This is no fun this way! I'll come back when you feel a little better, you'd better be ready then"
I was left to stare at air as he vanished, and I could hear footsteps from the hall, and finally the door closing. It wasn't until then that I remembered Isis, but my mind was in too much turmoil right now that I could have done anything about it. And Ishtar had said she would be fine.
I took a more comfortable position and - amazingly - drifted to sleep.
---Bakura POV---
I smirked at the boy standing timidly next to me. From the outside, I was myself, whatever that was, but in the inside I was in turmoil. I really hadn't expected the human to say what he said. I _really_ hadn't. And that made me nervous.
I had thought him to be just one more ordinary victim, someone to play with and then discard, but even when I sank my fangs to his throat I had doubted myself. Was this really necessary? Was it right to do something like this? I had never thought on these topics, and why I had begun now? Because of one human boy I couldn't cast out of my mind. He was there, all the time, making me think. Making me ponder on the injustices of my life, all the wrong I had done to people along the millennia.
What gave me right to do all that?
For all that I had done, was this to be my punishment now? To be captured by a pathetic human, ensnared in his mind, his odd behavior, the way he looked almost exactly like me... The fact that we shared the Ring...
And now I had done it again. Gotten all wrapped up in my thoughts, not paying any kind of attention to my surroundings. The human looked at me, worried. Sneering in contempt with myself, I snapped at him.
"What're _you_ staring at?"
His eyes widened, but then he shook his head, and looked hurt. Now what I had done? The human crossed his arms and stared at me intently. Then I noticed it... he wasn't the least bit afraid anymore.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to fend off the warm feeling spreading all over my body. He wasn't afraid? But how could that be, everyone was afraid of me... At least everyone had been, for such a long time that my memories of the time before were nearly forgotten, laying somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, collecting dust. What need could I have of them? At the moment I was deeply regretting ever letting the knowledge of how to deal with unafraid people float away from me.
What could I do now? Everything I did was based on that fear my prey so easily was consumed in, I didn't know how to behave...
"What are you going to do now?"
The calm voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I had done it again, drowned in those disturbing things going through my head.
I didn't answer him, except by walking closer to him. In fact very close, our bodies were almost touching. I felt the heat he radiated, his fragile human heart beating in his chest. He must have felt how cold I was, the danger he was in, yet he didn't move. Looking at him very carefully, I licked my lips, looking for something to say, or do. Could I simply follow the path I had taken the last night...?
It wouldn't feel right.
"What have you done to me, human?"
"I haven't done anything. All you are going through has been brought upon you by yourself."
"Really? Then why don't I believe you?"
"Perhaps you're afraid."
I leaned towards him, taking him into my arms. He placed his hands on my chest, and I suddenly felt really nervous. Trying to shrug it off, I brought my lips into contact with his throat, feeling the veins carrying the essence of his life pulse beneath them.
Finding the little scars I had made last night, I pressed my fangs through them tasting once more the sweetness of his blood, and the bitterness of his memories. Oh yes, the contrast, that's what made it so alluring. On one side I was overwhelmed by the taste, flying somewhere far away - perhaps in heaven, while the other side of me went through the pain and hurt of his memories, weighing me down from my heights, pulling me to hell.
Taking a deep breath I fought down a persistent urge to drink him dry, and bit my own tongue. I wouldn't leave scars this time, it just wouldn't be right. My blood would heal him.
Licking the last drops of the crimson liquid from his throat, I pulled him even closer, and whispered to his ear. I could feel him shiver as my hot breath tickled his sensitive skin.
"I am never afraid, you remember that. You are mine."
I withdrew, my mind going through the possibilities staying with him would offer, but determined to leave him alone for now. As I opened the door, I could hear him whisper something.
"Everybody is afraid sometimes. And if I am yours, then as surely you are mine. Do not try to deny this, I can feel it."
Slamming the door shut behind me, I walked to the distance, needing to be anywhere else but with him right now.
I was his...
---Yami POV---
Glancing nervously at the human walking silently by my side, I tried to figure out a way to get out of this. I couldn't do it, to drink blood from something while he was watching. I could understand his reasons, but were they really enough?
I sighed deeply, not able to smother the feeling of wrongness.
"Yami..."
"What is it?"
Against all hope, I wished Yugi would let me free of this snare. I simply couldn't do this, completely impossible.
"You're wavering, aren't you. Perhaps you should think it this way: if you cannot even do this, then what else will you run away from?"
"What would be so important that I couldn't leave it out? I woke only a couple nights ago, it's not like I would have had time to make enemies. Bakura isn't so hard to handle, and neither is Seto."
"I... I just have this feeling that something's going to happen soon. Like someone's watching me all the time, watching _us_. And it isn't pleasant."
I wasn't about to say it to him, but I had the same feeling. But I hadn't thought it to be important enough, with all the other stuff that was happening. And the old prophecy? It clearly stated that someone _was_ coming after me, if Seto was right and it referred to us.
What would it change? ...Nothing. I still didn't want Yugi to see me feed. The said human stopped and sighed deeply.
"Who am I kidding. You're obviously not up to doing it."
Somehow his words were the most offensive thing I ever heard. Why was he doing this to me? I couldn't do it, and that's it, he shouldn't put me through this torture. I didn't have to stand still and watch him pity me.
"Think I'm a loser, do you? Well I got news to you, I can do whatever I fucking well want to!"
I could feel my eyes get all red from the rage that was suddenly welling inside me, drowning all logical thought. How dare he...? I opened my mouth so that my fangs were visible, and advanced on the short boy. He merely stood there, dazed. Easy prey.
Lifting him up so his throat was in easy reach, I sank my fangs to that inviting, soft flesh. Hot blood gushed to my mouth, and I swallowed it, the first drops of human blood I had had in ages. But in my rage I didn't think on this, I only thought of my hunger, letting the instincts of a predator take over.
His blood was life, that's the only way I know how to say it. Pure life, flowing into me from his wounds, raising memories I knew I didn't want to have.
I tried to push them away, but didn't manage to do it, and was helplessly washed away in the tide of blood.
---Flashback WARNING: bloody violence and a cold-minded vampire---
I had been a vampire, a filthy bloodsucker, for a few weeks now. I had killed to satisfy my thirst, I had pretended to be a good little boy and did everything the queen asked me to. And still they hadn't stopped guarding me. I couldn't get my revenge on them by myself.
And for this reason I was pacing back and forth in my little chamber, trying to make up a plan of some kind, when I was interrupted. The door opened to reveal Bakura, the tomb robber I had ordered to be executed, and a dark-skinned man. I had seen him before, wasn't he hired by my father to do something?
After the shock of seeing them burst through the door, I realized the thing that most bothered me. They were both vampires now.
"What...?"
The tomb robber shut the door quietly, and the other vampire made shushing motions.
"Not so loud, we mustn't allow anyone to find out that we're here!"
"Do not worry, pharaoh. We want to help you, despite of you being the reason we now are what we are. And other things. The queen really picked the wrong persons to anger."
I grinned. This was turning out quite well, after all.
"We have everything planned, we just couldn't contact you earlier. Wanna kill some of our kin?"
The one with darker skin laughed. The white-haired boy I had thought to be gentle laughed too, sounding crueler than him. I couldn't help it, I joined them. This was going well, indeed. Nothing could stop us, if the others were even somewhat near as strong as I.
---Time lapse---
We made a fine sight, marching along the tunnels of this maze vampires had made their home. I was leading our little group, the blood of my 'guards' staining my hands. Killing other vampires was more satisfying than I had thought, it brought such a sense of accomplishment that nothing I had ever felt before surpassed it.
The other two, who I had now named 'Tomb Robber' and 'Guardian', were walking after me, wearing nearly identical grins on their faces, droplets of vampire blood all over them.
Hunting, searching, killing, we stalked the dim tunnels, leaving nothing but death after us. We enjoyed it immensely, letting go of any fragment of humanity we had left, burying it in the deepest recesses of our minds, thinking only of one thing. Revenge.
And then we reached the doors to the chambers of one who called herself queen, Amenhotep. I reached out with my mind and slammed the doors open, striding in with the two others flanking me, guarding my back, you might say.
I immediately saw her, graceful and beautiful, but cold, rising from a soft bed covered with silk and her latest victim dead at her side. Walking up to her, I snarled ferociously. She was the reason I was now doomed to live in the night.
"Your rule is over, darling."
I had barely time to see the sudden fear in her eyes, when I reached out my hands and ripped her head off. Savoring the coppery smell of her blood that sprayed from her neck and stained me, I raised her head so her eyes were level with mine.
"Too bad that you tried to mess with me, you were a clever person. Well, perhaps not so clever, you _did_ try to mess with me after all."
I laughed and threw the pale head away, turning my attention to her floundering body. What a fool. I grabbed a table and smashed it to pieces, providing me with nice, sharp stakes. After a small well-aimed thrust, she was no longer.
"Okay boys. Lets head to the palace, I want my Items."
---Time lapse---
Finally. It's been too long, my precious treasures. Don't worry, I'm right here, I just need to get through that door...
I didn't care that I sounded like a madman, perhaps I was at the moment. We had just arrived to the room that held my Items, I was just nearing the door, when it opened and the High Priest stepped out.
Hissing in rage over the delay, I immediately pounced on him, holding his arms tightly to his sides so he couldn't struggle and sinking my sharp fangs to his throat, searching for that liquid I knew to be the reason for my tonight's behavior. I was immediately awarded with a strong flow of it, and the beat of the priest's heart quickened, pumping more blood out of his throat and into my hungry mouth.
When I felt the flow start to diminish, I gladly dropped his body and stepped over it.
"But weren't you and him friends or something?"
"Whatever"
"Do you want him to be changed then?"
"As long as he doesn't get in my way"
Snarling at the delay, I saw how Tomb Robber and Guardian glanced at each other and then bended over the priest. It didn't matter, I wanted my Items.
I walked into the room, and looked around. Where? Not on the table at least, it was empty. But there wasn't any other place they could be...
Nearly shaking with my anger, I turned to face the three beings behind me, and addressed the priest.
"Where are they?"
Bakura glanced at me.
"He's too weak to speak yet. Give him a little time to adjust to the blood we gave him."
Impatient, I walked out of the room to the corridor, and checked if any humans had been attracted to this area. No, no one was visible - not yet at least. But any moment now we could be attacked by the pharaoh's guard, and I doubted they would hesitate to kill me for what I did to them on the way here. Well, they _had_ been on my way.
"Sa Re..."
"What? Speak up, man!"
Seto took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his new senses, new way of living.
"The Items... They were stolen. They left a note, it was signed by some Amenhotep."
"Amenhotep?"
I could have howled of anger right then. She had taken my Items? She hadn't deserved the swift death she had had.
Tomb Robber and Guardian glanced at each other.
"It is certain, though, that she doesn't possess them anymore. We had considerably more freedom than you did, and we took the most out of it. If she took them, she must have given them away right away."
"I agree, Bakura. Could those rumors about some kind of a vampire who feeds on people's souls actually be true?"
"Then we truly are in great trouble."
It didn't matter to me who had my Items, I was going to get them back.
---End of flashback---
I dropped Yugi's body, the weight of it was suddenly too much for me.
No... I hadn't. Certainly not...
Dropping to my knees, I felt bloody tears fall to my face as I reached to Yugi. He was bleeding still, I needed to stop it. I dropped a few drops of my blood on the small wounds my fangs had left on his throat, and settled back to make sure it worked.
As the wounds closed, Yugi moved a little.
"Yami?"
I was crying openly now, barely able to answer with a voice that was now thick with tears and fresh blood.
"Yes, little one. I'm here, even though I shouldn't be. I never meant to do this!"
He reached out a hand and placed it on my knee.
"I know..."
His voice sounded terribly weak. I loathed myself for this, and somehow I knew that no matter what anyone said, I couldn't ever forgive myself.
"I'll take you home. You're in danger if I leave you here like this."
Gathering the strength that came from his blood, I took him to my arms and started walking, tears still flowing from my eyes.
---
AN: ehh... *sweatdrops* I didn't mean to do that to them... But at least the chapter's long... Dun hate me people! Everything will be fine once I get down to mending this. (Y. Shenya: Oh yes, and pigs can fly!) *screams* Aaaaah!!! Run, it's a ghost!!! (YS: Very funny.) ...Well, you haven't shown up for a really long time, what was I supposed to think? *mumbles something rude about untrustworthy yamis* Did you know that if I manage to write about four chapters in a week, I'll have this fic finished in four weeks? What an odd thought... (YS: because you've never finished any story?) *tries to ignore a certain pestering yami* Please review!
Many hugs and thanks to Black-Magic-Spellbinder (I have high hopes that from now on I'll be able to update more frequently), Ru-chan (*smiles widely* yep, Marik's just so great, isn't he?), Jadej.j (ooh, lots of things happen next ^^), Silver Dragon (yep, it seems you didn't miss that one. I myself am surprised at how quickly I sometimes write...), Yami Tenshi (B/R coming right up! All the couples except S/J are included in this chapter), firey jazz (*thinks hard* I still don't get how this is so different of all the other vampire fics...), Sailor Comet (drifting? Yeah, I kind of see what you mean by that. I'll try to fix it!), highqueenofthegods (you really like Amenhotep? Now that's a surprise... I didn't think anyone would), Diamond (thank you!), firedraygon97 (*thinks* you know, I think my ideas just pop to my head whenever I start writing... At least I don't think on the plot any other time than when I write), Renee the Rabid Squirrel (lemons? *blushes* Weeellll, I'm not so sure about writing them... I'll keep it in mind, though), Lady Kaiba (my 'as soon as I can' hasn't been really quick of late, but it will improve as of now!), r*a*d*i*a*n*y (ehhh *sweatdrops* you certainly write long! And review many chapters! I don't know what you should review about, though, you have made a good job so far, why don't you continue as before? ^^ *blinks* oh, and sorry about the wait...), Silver Lily (^.~ oh yes, a suicidal Marik is very interesting!), Lilliana (oh you really think so? *tries not to burst from joy*), Neko-chan (well, I personally don't think it to be so great, but whatever you say ^.^), Jadesaber (... okay, this isn't really soon, but whatever), Dark Lady Setsuna (*eyes widen* I think your review is pretty hard to answer O.o), Kerena Darklight (thank you for your compliment!), Jade Indigo (what part exactly is confusing you? Maybe I can shed some light on it ^^), Seventh Sage (*laughs* oh don't kill off my Ishtar, I'd run out of things to write if he wasn't there to meddle with things ^-^), MaidenoftheMoon (nope, 'hunter' isn't the queen, 'hunter' is a he. And yes, there was regular Marik and his yami talking... oh, and the plot? Well, you see the hunt kinda _is_ the plot... not all of it, but most O.O), Dyslexia (I will continue, no matter how infrequent my updates have been of late -___-), Slice (hey, you were the one with the cool story *smiles widely* delicious story, yes... ^^), FluffCat (thank you!), Phoenix (it seems too many reviews this time I can only answer with a big 'thank you' ^.~), Naturi (I've been thinking of letting Yami drink from Yugi... It might come to that eventually, with some delicious side effects!), Hotaru the Demon Goddess (^^ What more can I say...), Gothic Angel Sierra (oh yes, poor Yugi... He'll have to go through some pretty hard stuff in this fic...) and Betrayal (send vampire Yami after me? *is silent for a moment and then smiles widely* oh yes! Yes! Please do! ^.^)
Ooh, those answers take up nearly a page x.x And they took almost an hour to write.. . At moments like this I wonder why I even bother. I thought that it would need some clarifying, so here's a little notice to readers... Marik means the regular Marik! His yami is referred to as Ishtar! It just seems as if some people didn't get it yet *mumbles something*
Slaying the Dreamer, chapter 13: Bloodsuckers
---Marik POV---
I sat on my bed, trying to retrieve the peace of my mind. The vampire - a vampire? How did I manage to get messed up with something like that? - sat on the floor next to my bed, looking at me with intense eyes.
"You know, I suddenly have a strong desire to feed"
I turned to him, my breath catching in my throat. He had threatened me with that earlier, and even though I felt like he wouldn't hurt me, who could be sure with a madman? For a madman he surely was, there was no doubt of it in my mind. Ishtar - that was the name he had claimed - rose from the floor and leaned towards me.
"Surely you wouldn't..."
"Why? After all, I don't have to kill you. Perhaps you will even enjoy it... Don't worry, I'm pretty good at estimating how much I can drink to leave you alive. Give me your hand."
I looked at his serious expression, and scuffled a little way away from him.
"I won't."
He sighed deeply, like _he_ was the victim here. Which was completely ridiculous.
"Don't be such a coward. Give me your hand, Marik."
Slowly, inevitably, my mind began to bend to his point of view. What would it hurt, he _said_ he could stop, didn't he? He seemed to notice my hesitation, and grinned.
"That's it... Just give me your hand, and I'll take care of the rest."
I couldn't remove my eyes from his at this point, it was like I had been hypnotized or something. To my horror my hand twitched on the blankets, sliding to his outstretched one.
His grin widened, and with the way his eyes were glowing, he looked madder than ever. But truly, what was madness? A difference in the normalcy that was all around us in _normal_ days? But wasn't it just natural to have something different, and it made life exciting, too...
My fingers touched his tentatively, caressing the dark skin. He laced his fingers with mine, drawing my hand to him. I watched, wrapped in an unnatural calm.
He looked at me, suddenly serious, and raised my hand to his lips. Shockingly, I felt the sharpness of his fangs against my wrist along with the softness of his lips. But they didn't draw blood, merely touched the skin over my veins. I felt how his warm breath touched the tender skin, actually making me want something more. How could I have let this happen?
His mouth traveled along the skin of my arm, inevitably reaching my shoulder, and from there to my throat. I gave a little start when he stopped for a moment and made as if to bite me, but then his mouth continued its journey to my mouth, effectively blocking anything I might have said.
His tongue darted out and licked passionately my closed lips - closed mostly because of the shock having him do this caused, if I had had time to think on this, I might even have kissed him back. As it was, he drew back, and I could see him grimace.
"This is no fun this way! I'll come back when you feel a little better, you'd better be ready then"
I was left to stare at air as he vanished, and I could hear footsteps from the hall, and finally the door closing. It wasn't until then that I remembered Isis, but my mind was in too much turmoil right now that I could have done anything about it. And Ishtar had said she would be fine.
I took a more comfortable position and - amazingly - drifted to sleep.
---Bakura POV---
I smirked at the boy standing timidly next to me. From the outside, I was myself, whatever that was, but in the inside I was in turmoil. I really hadn't expected the human to say what he said. I _really_ hadn't. And that made me nervous.
I had thought him to be just one more ordinary victim, someone to play with and then discard, but even when I sank my fangs to his throat I had doubted myself. Was this really necessary? Was it right to do something like this? I had never thought on these topics, and why I had begun now? Because of one human boy I couldn't cast out of my mind. He was there, all the time, making me think. Making me ponder on the injustices of my life, all the wrong I had done to people along the millennia.
What gave me right to do all that?
For all that I had done, was this to be my punishment now? To be captured by a pathetic human, ensnared in his mind, his odd behavior, the way he looked almost exactly like me... The fact that we shared the Ring...
And now I had done it again. Gotten all wrapped up in my thoughts, not paying any kind of attention to my surroundings. The human looked at me, worried. Sneering in contempt with myself, I snapped at him.
"What're _you_ staring at?"
His eyes widened, but then he shook his head, and looked hurt. Now what I had done? The human crossed his arms and stared at me intently. Then I noticed it... he wasn't the least bit afraid anymore.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to fend off the warm feeling spreading all over my body. He wasn't afraid? But how could that be, everyone was afraid of me... At least everyone had been, for such a long time that my memories of the time before were nearly forgotten, laying somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, collecting dust. What need could I have of them? At the moment I was deeply regretting ever letting the knowledge of how to deal with unafraid people float away from me.
What could I do now? Everything I did was based on that fear my prey so easily was consumed in, I didn't know how to behave...
"What are you going to do now?"
The calm voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I had done it again, drowned in those disturbing things going through my head.
I didn't answer him, except by walking closer to him. In fact very close, our bodies were almost touching. I felt the heat he radiated, his fragile human heart beating in his chest. He must have felt how cold I was, the danger he was in, yet he didn't move. Looking at him very carefully, I licked my lips, looking for something to say, or do. Could I simply follow the path I had taken the last night...?
It wouldn't feel right.
"What have you done to me, human?"
"I haven't done anything. All you are going through has been brought upon you by yourself."
"Really? Then why don't I believe you?"
"Perhaps you're afraid."
I leaned towards him, taking him into my arms. He placed his hands on my chest, and I suddenly felt really nervous. Trying to shrug it off, I brought my lips into contact with his throat, feeling the veins carrying the essence of his life pulse beneath them.
Finding the little scars I had made last night, I pressed my fangs through them tasting once more the sweetness of his blood, and the bitterness of his memories. Oh yes, the contrast, that's what made it so alluring. On one side I was overwhelmed by the taste, flying somewhere far away - perhaps in heaven, while the other side of me went through the pain and hurt of his memories, weighing me down from my heights, pulling me to hell.
Taking a deep breath I fought down a persistent urge to drink him dry, and bit my own tongue. I wouldn't leave scars this time, it just wouldn't be right. My blood would heal him.
Licking the last drops of the crimson liquid from his throat, I pulled him even closer, and whispered to his ear. I could feel him shiver as my hot breath tickled his sensitive skin.
"I am never afraid, you remember that. You are mine."
I withdrew, my mind going through the possibilities staying with him would offer, but determined to leave him alone for now. As I opened the door, I could hear him whisper something.
"Everybody is afraid sometimes. And if I am yours, then as surely you are mine. Do not try to deny this, I can feel it."
Slamming the door shut behind me, I walked to the distance, needing to be anywhere else but with him right now.
I was his...
---Yami POV---
Glancing nervously at the human walking silently by my side, I tried to figure out a way to get out of this. I couldn't do it, to drink blood from something while he was watching. I could understand his reasons, but were they really enough?
I sighed deeply, not able to smother the feeling of wrongness.
"Yami..."
"What is it?"
Against all hope, I wished Yugi would let me free of this snare. I simply couldn't do this, completely impossible.
"You're wavering, aren't you. Perhaps you should think it this way: if you cannot even do this, then what else will you run away from?"
"What would be so important that I couldn't leave it out? I woke only a couple nights ago, it's not like I would have had time to make enemies. Bakura isn't so hard to handle, and neither is Seto."
"I... I just have this feeling that something's going to happen soon. Like someone's watching me all the time, watching _us_. And it isn't pleasant."
I wasn't about to say it to him, but I had the same feeling. But I hadn't thought it to be important enough, with all the other stuff that was happening. And the old prophecy? It clearly stated that someone _was_ coming after me, if Seto was right and it referred to us.
What would it change? ...Nothing. I still didn't want Yugi to see me feed. The said human stopped and sighed deeply.
"Who am I kidding. You're obviously not up to doing it."
Somehow his words were the most offensive thing I ever heard. Why was he doing this to me? I couldn't do it, and that's it, he shouldn't put me through this torture. I didn't have to stand still and watch him pity me.
"Think I'm a loser, do you? Well I got news to you, I can do whatever I fucking well want to!"
I could feel my eyes get all red from the rage that was suddenly welling inside me, drowning all logical thought. How dare he...? I opened my mouth so that my fangs were visible, and advanced on the short boy. He merely stood there, dazed. Easy prey.
Lifting him up so his throat was in easy reach, I sank my fangs to that inviting, soft flesh. Hot blood gushed to my mouth, and I swallowed it, the first drops of human blood I had had in ages. But in my rage I didn't think on this, I only thought of my hunger, letting the instincts of a predator take over.
His blood was life, that's the only way I know how to say it. Pure life, flowing into me from his wounds, raising memories I knew I didn't want to have.
I tried to push them away, but didn't manage to do it, and was helplessly washed away in the tide of blood.
---Flashback WARNING: bloody violence and a cold-minded vampire---
I had been a vampire, a filthy bloodsucker, for a few weeks now. I had killed to satisfy my thirst, I had pretended to be a good little boy and did everything the queen asked me to. And still they hadn't stopped guarding me. I couldn't get my revenge on them by myself.
And for this reason I was pacing back and forth in my little chamber, trying to make up a plan of some kind, when I was interrupted. The door opened to reveal Bakura, the tomb robber I had ordered to be executed, and a dark-skinned man. I had seen him before, wasn't he hired by my father to do something?
After the shock of seeing them burst through the door, I realized the thing that most bothered me. They were both vampires now.
"What...?"
The tomb robber shut the door quietly, and the other vampire made shushing motions.
"Not so loud, we mustn't allow anyone to find out that we're here!"
"Do not worry, pharaoh. We want to help you, despite of you being the reason we now are what we are. And other things. The queen really picked the wrong persons to anger."
I grinned. This was turning out quite well, after all.
"We have everything planned, we just couldn't contact you earlier. Wanna kill some of our kin?"
The one with darker skin laughed. The white-haired boy I had thought to be gentle laughed too, sounding crueler than him. I couldn't help it, I joined them. This was going well, indeed. Nothing could stop us, if the others were even somewhat near as strong as I.
---Time lapse---
We made a fine sight, marching along the tunnels of this maze vampires had made their home. I was leading our little group, the blood of my 'guards' staining my hands. Killing other vampires was more satisfying than I had thought, it brought such a sense of accomplishment that nothing I had ever felt before surpassed it.
The other two, who I had now named 'Tomb Robber' and 'Guardian', were walking after me, wearing nearly identical grins on their faces, droplets of vampire blood all over them.
Hunting, searching, killing, we stalked the dim tunnels, leaving nothing but death after us. We enjoyed it immensely, letting go of any fragment of humanity we had left, burying it in the deepest recesses of our minds, thinking only of one thing. Revenge.
And then we reached the doors to the chambers of one who called herself queen, Amenhotep. I reached out with my mind and slammed the doors open, striding in with the two others flanking me, guarding my back, you might say.
I immediately saw her, graceful and beautiful, but cold, rising from a soft bed covered with silk and her latest victim dead at her side. Walking up to her, I snarled ferociously. She was the reason I was now doomed to live in the night.
"Your rule is over, darling."
I had barely time to see the sudden fear in her eyes, when I reached out my hands and ripped her head off. Savoring the coppery smell of her blood that sprayed from her neck and stained me, I raised her head so her eyes were level with mine.
"Too bad that you tried to mess with me, you were a clever person. Well, perhaps not so clever, you _did_ try to mess with me after all."
I laughed and threw the pale head away, turning my attention to her floundering body. What a fool. I grabbed a table and smashed it to pieces, providing me with nice, sharp stakes. After a small well-aimed thrust, she was no longer.
"Okay boys. Lets head to the palace, I want my Items."
---Time lapse---
Finally. It's been too long, my precious treasures. Don't worry, I'm right here, I just need to get through that door...
I didn't care that I sounded like a madman, perhaps I was at the moment. We had just arrived to the room that held my Items, I was just nearing the door, when it opened and the High Priest stepped out.
Hissing in rage over the delay, I immediately pounced on him, holding his arms tightly to his sides so he couldn't struggle and sinking my sharp fangs to his throat, searching for that liquid I knew to be the reason for my tonight's behavior. I was immediately awarded with a strong flow of it, and the beat of the priest's heart quickened, pumping more blood out of his throat and into my hungry mouth.
When I felt the flow start to diminish, I gladly dropped his body and stepped over it.
"But weren't you and him friends or something?"
"Whatever"
"Do you want him to be changed then?"
"As long as he doesn't get in my way"
Snarling at the delay, I saw how Tomb Robber and Guardian glanced at each other and then bended over the priest. It didn't matter, I wanted my Items.
I walked into the room, and looked around. Where? Not on the table at least, it was empty. But there wasn't any other place they could be...
Nearly shaking with my anger, I turned to face the three beings behind me, and addressed the priest.
"Where are they?"
Bakura glanced at me.
"He's too weak to speak yet. Give him a little time to adjust to the blood we gave him."
Impatient, I walked out of the room to the corridor, and checked if any humans had been attracted to this area. No, no one was visible - not yet at least. But any moment now we could be attacked by the pharaoh's guard, and I doubted they would hesitate to kill me for what I did to them on the way here. Well, they _had_ been on my way.
"Sa Re..."
"What? Speak up, man!"
Seto took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his new senses, new way of living.
"The Items... They were stolen. They left a note, it was signed by some Amenhotep."
"Amenhotep?"
I could have howled of anger right then. She had taken my Items? She hadn't deserved the swift death she had had.
Tomb Robber and Guardian glanced at each other.
"It is certain, though, that she doesn't possess them anymore. We had considerably more freedom than you did, and we took the most out of it. If she took them, she must have given them away right away."
"I agree, Bakura. Could those rumors about some kind of a vampire who feeds on people's souls actually be true?"
"Then we truly are in great trouble."
It didn't matter to me who had my Items, I was going to get them back.
---End of flashback---
I dropped Yugi's body, the weight of it was suddenly too much for me.
No... I hadn't. Certainly not...
Dropping to my knees, I felt bloody tears fall to my face as I reached to Yugi. He was bleeding still, I needed to stop it. I dropped a few drops of my blood on the small wounds my fangs had left on his throat, and settled back to make sure it worked.
As the wounds closed, Yugi moved a little.
"Yami?"
I was crying openly now, barely able to answer with a voice that was now thick with tears and fresh blood.
"Yes, little one. I'm here, even though I shouldn't be. I never meant to do this!"
He reached out a hand and placed it on my knee.
"I know..."
His voice sounded terribly weak. I loathed myself for this, and somehow I knew that no matter what anyone said, I couldn't ever forgive myself.
"I'll take you home. You're in danger if I leave you here like this."
Gathering the strength that came from his blood, I took him to my arms and started walking, tears still flowing from my eyes.
---
AN: ehh... *sweatdrops* I didn't mean to do that to them... But at least the chapter's long... Dun hate me people! Everything will be fine once I get down to mending this. (Y. Shenya: Oh yes, and pigs can fly!) *screams* Aaaaah!!! Run, it's a ghost!!! (YS: Very funny.) ...Well, you haven't shown up for a really long time, what was I supposed to think? *mumbles something rude about untrustworthy yamis* Did you know that if I manage to write about four chapters in a week, I'll have this fic finished in four weeks? What an odd thought... (YS: because you've never finished any story?) *tries to ignore a certain pestering yami* Please review!