Night Eight:
The Second Feeding
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 of 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.
ugi 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 wouldn't be having to depend on some human 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* 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…"
AR: A very late update that has ended in another cliffhanger. I'll check and correct any mistake at a later date, probably tomorrow or the day after.
I do apologize for the week late chapter. I experienced a computer malfunction while editing this chapter and caused me to end up losing it. I had to re write all of it from scratch. Then mother nature decided it was going to rain and freeze over night on the power lines connecting to my house, so I was out of power for a day. Also, my classes have started back up and I was loaded down with mountains of homework.
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! :'3
Edited on Nov. 1, 2016
