AN: Thank you for the reviews, faves, and follows. Over a hundred...just wow.


Night Ten: Monsters!


Two males; one tall and tan, and the other short and pale. Both had tri-colored hair that defied the laws of gravity, but one was human and the other, was clearly some different kind of creature. The evidence was as clear was the glass windows in the Director of the International Vampire Hunter Association's Western branch's, office. Pegasus Maximillian Crawford was a very busy man and this, this mess he was now having to deal with, was the last thing he needed on his long list of tasks. When Pegasus had set the Mutou kid out on this 'mission', he was merely trying to coax out the location of the Original, out of Yami. Never did he think that Yugi would become a target for the enemies of his enemy. If he had foreseen it, then he would have never placed such a valuable soldier on the front line. It was a drastic mistake on his part.

Brown eyes re-watched the different security films pulled up on the monitor of his iMac desktop, examining the footage once more. They focused on two figures, Yugi Mutou and the other lad he happened to be with at the time. The Director watch them with pure interest and curiosity. From each of the different camera perspectives, it was easy to spot the rogue vampire stalking his precious informant and his friend. However, it was very easy to define that the unknown male was the one leading Yugi away and eventually, was the one to pull the human along when the mall exploded into chaos. It was the unknown male, who pulled the hunter in training away from a dead child and into the safety of a bathroom. It was that same unknown male, which the camera's had caught, who had killed the rogue, and had a black mist absorbed the creature into his shadow. It was also that same male, who gazed directly at the closest camera watching his performance, when all five cameras trained on the excitement went blank with an eerie static

Pegasus had no idea who this young man was, but he was completely convinced that the male was not a normal human, if he was even a human-being at all. The Director, so intrigued by this unknown male, used one of the camera angles capturing the man's face; to help conduct a search for the unknown person in the I.V.H.A.'s database of residence living in Domino City. Pegasus zoomed in on the man's face and cropped it, to copy it into the database on his computer. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice familiar facial features. A sharp nose, an angular face, sharp crimson eyes, high cheek bones, and golden bangs that resemble lightning bolts in a raging storm; it was almost like this person was Yami Sennen. The silver haired male clicked his tongue and cracked a smile as he gazed at the unknown man.

"He must be tired of being the spotlight or, he didn't want to intimidate his new feeder. Such a clever child, that Yami-boy is," Pegasus spoke out loud to himself. He wouldn't outrule that this tan man could perhaps be someone else other than Yami but, the vampire hunter was convinced that this man was the beloved Prince of the Vampire kingdom. With that in mind, Pegasus reached his pale hand out for the phone on his desk. He was going to make a few calls before bringing in the Mutou kid for questioning. He needed to first, identify the unidentified male and prove it was Yami in some sort of disguise.

Just as he started to dial the number for Domino City Mall's security, the Director's secretary paged him on the small intercom in his office. "Director, this is a reminder you have your video conference with the Eastern branch representative in five minutes. He will be contacting you shortly," the woman's gentle voice was followed by a click, signaling the end of the announcement. Pegasus sighed through his nose, placing his office phone back in its dock. He pushed away from his desk in order to stand up. He needed to make is office slightly more presentable, rather than the mess it was currently in from all the paperwork he had to sort through and look over.

The International Vampire Hunter Association's Eastern branch representative, wasn't someone Pegasus particularly liked to deal with. For a person who was supposed to be professional and mature, the Eastern representative was anything but that. He made Pegasus look just as serious as Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba corp. After hiding his unfinished stacks of paperwork from the sight of his webcam, Pegasus tinted the widows of his office before returning to his seat at his desk. The I.V.H.A. representative for the western hemisphere, ran his hands through his silver hair, fixing it to look more presentable. Pegasus then adjusted the black tie he wore, and dusted off his signature red suit. Once he was finished with his final preparations, the vampire hunter signed into his Skype account.

The moment he was logged on, Pegasus as immediately invited into a video call with his colleague. Preparing himself, Pegasus clicked the green 'join call' icon, and braced himself for the talkative man.

"Max, my good friend! How have you been? It's been so long since we've last spoken to each other, since the last Gathering, no?" Dartz Ironheart, the representative of the Eastern branch of the I.V.H.A., greeted Pegasus with a lack of respect.

The silver haired man faked a warm smile for his light teal haired colleague, "It's been far too long, Director Ironheart. I am well, and so is the Japan Headquarters. Nothing major has happened among our ranks."

"Oh? Is that so?" The Eastern representative hummed out in a skeptical tone. Through the video chat, Pegasus could see the man looking rather smug as he leaned back casually, in a black leather chair. "The story traveling through the grapevines, say otherwise, Pegasus. Such as you're having an increase in rogue activity?" Pegasus' brown eyes widened slightly. Just how did this man know about the unexpected growth in rogue vampire sightings in Domino? He had yet to even upload his reports into the database of the I.V.H.A.

Pegasus narrowed his eyes slightly, though he remained relaxed as he gazed at the man in the video call. "I was unaware that you knew of such details when I have yet to report them. I assume you must have some connections in my district," Pegasus said calmly, "May I know the name of this person?"

"Such a serious and uptight man you are, Director Pegasus. When I was told about your struggles with the rogues, one of my field agents just happened to be passing through the area you reign over. No fear my comrade, besides, the branch in Denmark is also having its problems with rogues increasing. It looks like the pest are starting to gain some numbers, perhaps there is a coup d'état in progress? Maybe the rogues are tired of being suppressed by an ungrateful and unworthy ruler?"

"Both you and I, know that is not possible, Dartz. Rogues have no intelligence, they are vampires who have succumbed to their blood lust and have lost all sanity and sense of morality. They are creatures who cannot think for themselves and let their instincts drive them. They are not capable of such elaborate things, there must be some sort of disease spreading through packaged blood," Pegasus immediately shot down Dartz suggestion.

"Or maybe there is someone moving freely under Yami's nose? Perhaps a person within the Sacred Guardians or maybe it's the missing king who went insane and abandoned the Vampire Kingdom?"

Pegasus couldn't help but laugh at the idea of the lost king being the mastermind of the plot, even Dartz joined in on the small round of laughter. "No, the king couldn't have done it. His whereabouts were located ten, almost eleven, years ago. Remember the Mutou couple I sent to your front lines?"

"The famous researchers?"

"The one and only, they were caught helping Yami with trying to revive the 'lost king' and needed to be punished for their betrayal. It was an unfortunate to lose such brilliant minds, and so young too," Pegasus sighed. The silver haired male shook his head in disappointment, "they could have been famous and maybe, even would have found a way to transformed vampires into humans."

"Speaking of the Mutou family, their son, didn't he recently get accepted as the Prince's personal feeder? Oh my, how his parents must be proud and his ancestors turning in their graves, " Dartz snickered, " he'll be introduced to the public on New Year's eve, at this year's Gathering. It'll surely be an interesting event, am I right?"

Pegasus sighed, although everything was going according to his plan with Yugi becoming Yami's feeder, it technically wasn't the orthodox way a hunter would go about to spy on their enemies. If Dartz discovered the Mutou boy's true purpose, both of them would be in a heap of trouble, Yugi for breach the hunter's code and ruining a vampire's trust for their feeder; and Pegasus for breaking the treaty.

"Yes, you're correct my friend. I've actually been keeping an eye out on the child since his parents' death. I'm rather sadden that he went to Yami's side before I got the chance to properly bring him into our ranks."

"He must have his grandfather's fighting abilities then, if he was someone you, the infamous Maximilian Pegasus, kept an eye on," Dartz interrupted with a bored tone. "I hope he has the skill to handle the life he's chosen. Not only will he have his hands full with our men trying to get at him, he'll be dealing with the vampire creating all the rogue vampires."

Pegasus's eyes widened with shock, "Someone is creating the rogue vampires? Where did you get this information from, Dartz? Why haven't you shared this information sooner? If we can track down the rogue vampires' leader, then we can exterminate them at their source! And finally, we'll be able to deal with our main objective of annihilating Yami's forces! "

"Calm down Max," Dartz made a calming gesture with his hands through their video chat. "I only discovered it earlier this morning. One of my men captured a rogue and made him spill the important information. However, now that you know this information, keep it to yourself, Director Pegasus."

Pegasus smiled cunningly, and laughed to himself. "Do you honestly think that I would leak such important information? Director Ironheart, you are sadly mistaken if you think that I, The Western International Vampire Hunter Association's Director, would allow such information fall into the hands of Yami's intelligence. This information gives us the upper hand, we can use this to our advantage!"

"That's the spirit, my old friend!" Dartz clapped his hands together, "We can give their Prince a little bone to chew on until us, the real top dogs, rise up and reclaim our spot on the top!"

"Ah, but what kind of bone will last a dog such as Yami?" Pegasus thought allowed, trying to think of a diversion that would work for Yami.

Dartz let out a joyful and slightly sinister sounding laugh. "Oh, I know one thing that will keep Yami busy for a very long time! What about that beast? The one that Yami is infatuated with?"

Pegasus raised an eyebrow as his lips pulled into an unbelieving smile, "You want to use the Lost King as bait to keep Yami occupied?" Their conversation had oddly circled around back to the 'king'. It was making Pegasus start to wonder if Dartz had some intelligence about the man that he, did not have.

"Yes and no. From one of our inside sources, the cute blonde haired maid from my branch, you know the one," Pegasus crimson slightly, trust Dratz to bring up old stories from the past. "She reported to me that his body had disappeared from the place where Yami had hidden it. A big uproar had happen, something about shadows flying around and Yami getting attacked by them-"

"Why do you not tell me these things when they occur, Dratz! Do you forget where his body was at? His body was in my territory, not yours! If he's gone, either the monster has been revived or worse, another monster like it will be born soon! I made a promise to protect the people under the watch of the Association. How can I do that when my co-leader keeps a secret about an Original possibly being out of the prowl?" Pegasus had snapped.

The very thought about having a vampire as dangerous as an Original, walking the very streets of the city that his headquarters were located at, terrified the man. His hunters, they were in danger, their families were in danger. Then there was Yugi, he was potentially in the most danger. Being claimed as Yami's feeder could very well mean that the Original might want to take a bite out of the kid to see why his mate had been attracted to him. He needed to warn him, he had to warn the child of the threat against his life.

When Pegasus had first assigned him this mission, he merely wanted to use Yugi as tool to Yami's destruction, but he now seen the fault in his ways. He only sent the kid to his death quicker than if he was just recruited him as a normal hunter. In all of their databases, the I.V.H.A. has never recorded a feeder living more than a couple of days after being fed from by two vampires. This child, the Mutou family's' last child, was going to be dead if the Original had awaken.

"…ou need to calm down. At your old age, exciting yourself so much will only lead to poor health. It's no big deal. We'll simply track him down and-"

"Dartz you are an utter fool! How do you expect us, mere humans, to take down the creature that is the true vampire? Not even his own kind can kill him easily, how do you expect us as mere humans to do such a thing? It. Is. Impossible," Pegasus emphasized, hoping to get the point across into the other male's thick skull. Even killing just normal purebloods, were a challenge to the most skilled hunters.

"No, no. We aren't going to kill him. We will leave that to Yami, Director Pegasus. It'll be like hitting two birds with one stone. We'll agitate the Prince a little, before setting him on his precious Lost King. Perhaps we could even drop false hints about his whereabouts so Yami will go chase after him even quicker. It'll be simple and safe, just trust me. I would never endanger my own men if I didn't think we couldn't handle it."

Pegasus felt uneasy; this was surely not the best course of action, but Dartz's theory wasn't bad. Yami would be compelled to either see his past lover, or end his terrorizing to preserve the 'good image' he had built on top of the royals' twisted past. "I suppose it would not hurt to try and distract Yami with him, as long as no causalities are included."

"Excellent! I'm glad to have your cooperation! I shall formulate an actual detailed plan after the Gathering. Speaking of the Gathering, that's what we are supposed to be discussing in this video call! Although I won't be attending as normal, I had a few ideas for you to use. Why not go with a more modern black-tie event? I'm tired of hearing my men complain about the themes that come from the 1800's. It'll be 2015 this upcoming year. I'm sure you yourself are tired of the boring ballroom feel."

"You have no idea, but the calming air from the old ages seems to keep the vampires at ease. However, I see no issues with updating the musical selections to the more modern music, as well as attire. We aren't apart of the Victorian ages. I'll see what changes I can have to make the living dead, more living than dead," The older director said with a pleasing tone, "Maybe I'll add my vineyards' wine to list of drinks."

The two spoke about the Gathering that was to occur on New Year's Eve and other topics that strayed from the actual affairs of the I.V.H.A., for more than two hours. Once Pegasus had officially ended his conversation with Dartz and logged off of the video calling network, the secretary from the first floor paged him over his personal intercom, "Director Pegasus, Solomon Mutou is here to speak with you. Are you free to speak with him?"

"Pegasus smirked, pleased that the elder had actually shown himself and not reject his offer. Perhaps he was thinking that this meeting was going to be about his grandchild and decide that should be the reason he would show, it didn't matter to Pegasus though. He wanted to have Solomon come out of retirement to help with rogue control. The old man had been his best slayer and no man or woman, has changed that.

"Send him up, I'm free to speak with him. Make sure he comes alone," The Director replied to the female with a confident tone. He would have the old man back under his control, even if it meant he had to threaten the Mutou child's life to get his point across. He need the Red Ace again, his triumphant card.


"Recite the rules of feeder subjugation!"

"Rule one," Yugi ducked his head to avoid a left hook punch to his face and countered it by a jab combo to the practice pad Otogi was holding. "A feeder must always follow his vampire's command. It is for their protection. Rule two," he bent low to sweep his trainer's feet, "Never question or talk back to your vampire. It's disrespectful to the one who holds your life in their hands. Rule three, never abandon your feeder. It'll kill you both after the bond is established. Rule number four," Yugi threw a roundhouse kick to Otogi's right kidney, which was skillfully blocked.

"Do not attempt to escape the bond. It is lethal to both parties. Rule number five, never resist a feeding," he dodged a spinning back kick from Otogi before trying to land a blow on them man with an uppercut to the jaw. "Number six, never harbor secret from your vampire-OW!"

A hard blow from a crisp side kick that he did not see coming, had Yugi bending over and clutching his stomach. He looked up at Otogi wincing in pain, "What was that for?"

"Rule number six is never lie to your vampire, get it right," The dark haired vampire scolded Yugi, sighing through his nose from his disappointment and shaking his head with his arms crossed over his chest. "At this rate, you're never going to learn the rules and have them memorized before the Gathering. You're going to embarrass the Prince and yourself, if you keep up this rate of progress. You're getting nowhere and fast."

"It's not my fault, blame your leader for it. How the hell was I supposed to know that I had to memorize the entire feeder hand book then recite it at this Gathering thing? If he would have told me sooner, I could have had at least the first twenty rules memorized. But no, Yami had to go and tell me this morning like it wasn't important at all," Yugi huffed, standing tall again and putting his bare hands back up in a fighting position. "Not only that, he's making me train like a MMA fighter! He's forgetting I'm a human and not some kind of immortal demon spawn like he is."

"You're forgetting I'm a vampire too and not a demon spawn," Otogi pointed out, "And that this is for your own protection. So try not to have such a sore ass about it. This little game was your idea in the first place."

"I know, I know. Thanks again for doing this for me, Otogi. I really appreciate it," the human thanked his vampire friend. "If I was stuck with anyone else, I might have been driven mad by blind rage."

Otogi's jade green eyes shone with mirth as he smirked at Yugi, "I think if someone else was your trainer, you wouldn't have survived past the five minute mark in free-sparring."

"Oh yeah?! Are you challenging me, Ryuuji Otogi? If you are, I won't turn you down and I'll show you that you're wrong about me!" Yugi's violet eyes were bright with the thrill of possibly another win to the many victories he had acquired through his seventeen years of life, " I may be shorter than you and a human, but that doesn't mean I can't last more than five minutes in a free-spar!"

"Hmm? Are you sure about that Mutou? I'll admit that you seem like a good fighter for someone who isn't into violence," Otogi teased and prodded Yugi's forehead with his index finger, "but do you have what it takes to fight against a vampire who's had years of experience of fighting?"

"Just because I don't condone violence on a daily basis, doesn't mean I'm not capable of standing up for myself."

"Says the kid who walks into class with a new batch of bruises every day since our first year of high school."

Yugi felt his eye twitch with aggravation, "Why would I fight back against a bully, if that what makes them strive? It's best to ignore them and give them no reaction," The young human huffed at the end of his statement, making his irritation known. "Besides, the bullying was lightening up until Ushio target me."

"Uh huh, I bet you were just too weak to even block a simple punch," Otogi taunted purposely.

Yugi's eyebrows furrowed and a slight blush appeared over his nose out of frustration as he scowled. "I was not!" He snapped, his feet already closing the distance between him and Otogi, his hands balled into fist at his sides.

Without much thought, Yugi went in for a low hard jab to Otogi's ribs. It wasn't a bright idea and afterwards, he felt his hand come in contact with the harden flesh, he instantly regretted his brash action. "O-Otogi, I-I didn't mean it."

The punch hadn't phased the vampire much, but it did manage to catch him off guard. "Oh no Mutou, that jab was a declaration of war. We're going to settle this matter like men."

Immediately following Otogi's words, Yugi was put on the defensive against a barrage of punches and kicks, several of them hitting him in his midsection. It didn't take long for the human to catch on to the vampire's intentions and he was soon reversing their roles, placing Ryuuji on the defensive. They continued to spare like this, each forcing to other to defend not long after they threw an assaulting combo. Each male had their own ways of getting the other with dirty tactics. Yugi staying in close to cut off Otogi's use of his kicks, and Otogi using his height to keep Yugi's hands up for protection. By the time ten minutes had past, Yugi's muscles were screaming from fatigue and their training session for the day was coming to a close. Finally after another five minutes, Otogi ended the match feeling exhausted too.

"I was…I was wrong Mutou. You're a feisty thing for a small human," The vampire panted out, with a proud smile on his face.

Yugi beamed with pride, though he was covered in sweat. "Thank...you. You...you're pretty good yourself."

Otogi couldn't help but laugh at the slouched human that was exhausted and out of breath, "Well, yeah, now go shower. We're done for the day. I'll see you tomorrow."

Yugi blinked slightly confused as Otogi suddenly dismissed him and turned to leave, then he remembered that his friend must have others to help train. "Okay, I'll see you later then, Otogi," The human said as they parted ways, Yugi heading for the locker rooms and Otogi toward the weight lifting station.

Once inside the male locker room, Yugi wasted no time grabbing one of the free towels and soap bars offered by the gym, and headed towards the showers. As he entered one of the shower stalls and closed the stall's door behind him, the human couldn't help but sigh softly from his exhaustion. Yami was worrying too much about him, making him take private lessons for fighting, following him around like a sappy little puppy, pressuring Yugi to let him inside his home…It was making the human worry that there was something that neither the hunters or Yami, was telling him. Was there something he should be worried about? Something that was placing his life in danger? Was he and his grandfather in trouble? What about Atem? Was the trouble with Yami's men, hunting Atem down with the sole purpose to kill him? Was that why Yami was so hell bent on doing all these unnecessary things?

Yugi shook his head and lightly slapped the sides of his face with both of his hands. "Get it together, this has nothing to do with your life being endangered or Atem," the human spoke quietly to himself. 'It's just Yami being over protective of his food source...' Yugi face twisted into an expression of disgust. He would prefer if his life was endangered over the latter.

Sitting his towel and soap on the small bench, Yugi stripped out of his sweaty clothing, before grabbing his bar of soap and entering the shower area, making sure to close the shower curtain behind him so his towel and clothes didn't get wet. Turning the shower on and to the temperature where the water was all but causing his skin to blister from the heat, Yugi closed his eyes and allowed his sore muscles to relax as the hot water washed away all of his tension. It was so blissful and most of Yugi's worries evaporated as the dirty and sweat was cleansed from his body. As much as he wished he could stay under the warm water, Yugi forced himself to quickly wash off. At the moment he couldn't afford to spend a great amount of time in the shower, he had to get home to Atem.

A regretful shiver ran through Yugi's body as he lathered his body with soap. Both his grandpa and himself, had left their vampire guest alone in their house. Neither of them could have the vampire accompany them to their destinations, though Yugi didn't know why his grandpa had rejected the very idea of Atem leaving the house with him. The elderly man was just going grocery shopping, but that wasn't the issue here, it was the matter of leaving a vampire that had hardly any knowledge about how modern technology works, alone...in their house...full of modern comforts. They left a man who blew up a urinal because he thought it was the source of some kind of evil and wanted his blood, in their house!

Rushing to finish bathing, Yugi quickly washed off the soap suds and skipped on shampooing his hair. He would do that tonight before he went to bed. Once finished, Yugi turned the water off and exited the shower. He dried off his body with care, making sure he wasn't dripping water before he wrapped the towel around his waist and gathered his dirty clothes. Returning to his locker, Yugi grabbed the bag that contained his fresh change of clothes in it; a simple long sleeved white t-shirt, a fresh change of boxers and socks, and a pair of dark skinny jeans. He wasted no time re-dressing and applying on a fresh coat of deodorant before shoving his dirty workout clothing in his draw-string bag. He then sat on the floor and slipped on his shoes, his normal pair of black and white Nikes. Finally dressed, Yugi forced his damp hair back into a messy ponytail, before he exited the locker room with his belongings. His fear for the safety of his home, drove him to hurry back home and make sure it was okay, and had survived an afternoon alone with Atem.


When Yugi arrived home, he was relieved to find the building still standing and the insides almost undisturbed since the last time he had seen it. The only difference was instead of Atem sitting at the dining table and eating breakfast, he was lounging on the couch with a piles of his grandfather's books surrounding him and having his nose shoved in one of them. He was still dressed in the slim fitting yellow athletic shirt and black basketball shorts from the previous night. The sight was very shocking for Yugi, it surprised him that the vampire hadn't caused some chaotic mess that resulted in his house burning to the ground. He must have misjudge Atem, due of his behavior when he first woke up to this world and his reactions during their shopping spree. Perhaps, the vampire had grown accustom to this world he lived in now.

"I'm home," Yugi announced, placing his bag of dirty clothes by the door that led down stairs to the game shop, as he kicked of his shoes. "How was your day, Atem? Not too boring, I hope, since you've been here alone."

No reaction came from the pureblood, who was reading one of the thick books about vampires history that Yugi's grandfather kept around. Judging by how the thickness of the pages on the right side of the book, Atem had almost read the entire thing. Yugi sighed and shook his head, he understood that the books his grandfather had collected of the years could be very interesting and addicting, but that didn't mean Atem couldn't give a proper hello to him. Coming closer to the vampire, Yugi knelt on the ground in front of the couch Atem was laying on.

"Hey," he spoke up in attempts to gain the attention of the vampire. It failed miserably.

"Hey, Atem… … Hello? … … O' righteous King of The Vampires, are you there?! … … … paging Pharaoh Atem, your human host is trying to hold a conversation with you."

Not once did the former Pharaoh look at Yugi, his eyes were focused on the words written in the book he was infatuated with, and were flickering back and forth as he comprehended their meaning. Eventually, Yugi resulted in lightly poking at the Original's face until crimson eyes blinked and Atem finally turned his head to face Yugi.

"Oh, Yugi, welcome home."

The human smiled at the vampire and nodded before leaning forward slightly, to get a better view at what Atem was reading, "I've actually been home for a while now, you were just a little absorbed in this book. Have you been reading it the entire time since Grandpa and I left?"

Atem didn't bother with sitting up or putting his book down, instead, he started reading again, but was keeping the conversation with Yugi. "I have, I want to learn as much as I can about the happenings while I was … away. I was only limited to Yami's current thoughts when I had access to his mind. It would be very hard for me to run my kingdom as I am now, I need to gain information about everything that has transpired since my leave."

"I see, if you plan on learning everything that's happened since your sealing, that's going to be hard using only the books Grandpa owns. I'll let you borrow some of my old history text books and maybe we can visit the local library to see what they have that'll help you," Yugi replied standing up from his spot on the floor. "I'm going to make us lunch. Is there anything you want to eat ?"

"Mmmm."

The human placed his palm over his right temple, as he looked down at the reading vampire with an exhausted expression. "Getting a direct answer out of you today, is like trying talk to Yami and not get glared at. I'll just fix whatever I find, then."

"Yami does not glare at people, it is just his natural look when he is thinking about the conversation, or when his spacing out. He tends to space out, becoming more frequent after I was sealed."

Yugi felt his eye twitch, the damn vampire had been purposely ignoring him for the book he was reading. "Well at least he's not a person who peeks into another person's mind without their permission, and compels them unnecessarily," Yugi threw back at Atem as he turned on his heel to go fix their food for lunch.

"I do not do that either. I only did it to you because it was a time of emergency."

Yugi rolled his eyes and started to go through the kitchen cabinets, searching for something both of them could eat. After he had raided the entire kitchen Yugi finally decided on fixing Ramen for the two of them, though it would take some time to prepare Atem's serving. Cooking for vampires always took longer than it did when it came to cooking just normal food, however, Yugi didn't mind it. He was used to the cooking method because of Jonouchi, he even learned how to speed up the process quicker by warming up the raw meats in the microwave oven for a brief amount of time, without causing it to brown or cook.

It took Yugi an entire hour for him to finish their lunch and by that time, Atem had finished the book he had been reading and was almost half way finished with another. As Yugi set the table, he looked towards the living room to see if Atem was still reading and was surprised by the sight of the vampire closing his book and standing up from the couch. Yugi could only guess that Atem had smelt the food and was too hungry to resist it. Returning to the kitchen to grab a few napkins for them, Yugi heard Atem ask an odd question as he took his seat at the table.

" Yugi, other than the day when we were at the mall; have you ever come in contact with one of those rogue vampires?"

"Well, I came into contact with a group of three vampires just before they fell to a rogue state," He answered Atem, returning to the table and setting the napkins on the table before taking his seat at the table. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"One of the books I read today spoke about their origins and how they started becoming more…frequent after my sealing. It also spoke about how they never let a prey escape, I just curious," Atem's voice was casual as he picked up the pair of chopssticks Yugi had laid out for him. With some difficulty, Atem started to eat the bowl of ramen Yugi had made for him. "How did you escape from them?"

Yugi was in the middle of shoving noodles into his mouth when Atem's unexpected question was asked. The human slurped the remainder of his noodles into his mouth before wiping it with a napkin. Yugi's bright violet eyes dimmed and his skin paled. Talking about that night, was not something Yugi had wanted to discuss. Yami had handled explaining everything to his friends and Yugi had only openly talked about the experience with his grandfather once. He wasn't sure if he could even tell Atem all the details. "Yami killed them before they could kill me. He took out all three of them under two minutes, I think. He was very quick and…didn't seemed to care that I was watching."

Atem seemed to be in deep thoughts after Yugi's answer, as chewed on a piece of raw meat soaked in the lion's blood Yugi had used for the soup's broth. Yugi took this opportunity to eat as much as he could stomach in case Atem decided to ask him to recall the gory detail, if he did.

"Did the trio of rogues have any connection to you before they started turning?" Now that was going in the opposite direction Yugi had thought the Pharaoh was going to take their conversation. It made the human think what the original vampire was piecing together in his mind.

"Uh, well, we weren't exactly on the best of terms. Ushio and his lackeys were the school's bullies. They would pressured humans to allow them to feed from them and it was a very physical persuasion. Eventually, Ushio turned his greedy gaze to me and tried to use the same method he did for previous victims, but I didn't give him the time of day. It must have bothered him that me, a human, would deny him of what he wanted," a faint smile appeared on Yugi's face and he gave a shrug of his shoulders as he started resume eating his noodles, "It didn't matter then, and it still doesn't matter to me now. How come you wanted to know?"

Atem placed his chopsticks down and rested his head in his hand. " I wanted to be sure of something before I started to assume."

"Be sure of what exactly?" The Original vampire closed his eyes, Yugi could tell something was bothering him, but he didn't speak on it. By the way Atem's posture had tensed at his words, he could on assume it wasn't something good.

"My theory for these creatures," Atem stated before continuing and opening his eyes to stare at Yugi.

"Comes from my personal knowledge, experience, the knowledge in the books, and your experience. I can concluded that what you call rogue vampires, are not… rogues, at least I think they are not. These creatures are very similar to a creature that we originals, have tried to prevent from coming into this world since it was decided that only two originals could exist at the same beasts that devours every living thing that has blood to give the life."

Yugi stopped eating his own lunch to fully digest what Atem had told him, "So, you're saying rogues aren't vampires who have fallen to their blood lust?"

"No, I believe they still are vampire that have lost control of their blood lust, but they might be failed monsters created from tasting the blood of an Original. At least, I think that is what these troublesome beings are," Atem's eyes narrowed, "If that is the case, I will have speed up my recover and reawaken my powers quickly. I will have to deal with the source of the problem quickly. It will only be a matter of time that world be corrupted by these creatures. Not to mention I must look into a few things before I reclaim my throne, it is for the best for my kingdom and humans too. First, I will need to capture one of these 'rogues' and question them thoroughly, one with enough intelligence to speak-"

"No!" Yugi slammed a hand down on the table, before he had even realized that he had lashed out at the Pharaoh. When he did, the young human boy blushed and slowly placed his hand in his lap,

"I'm...sorry, just the thought of having another person that I know lost to a rogue…it's not something I want to even allow to happen. Not again, never again."

"Understandable, but there is nothing to worry about Yugi. I am not as clumsy or as weak as a human, a rogue vampire could never kill me," Atem reassured the human with a bright smile, "I am flattered that you are concerned about my well-being."

Yugi's face grew a darker shade of red from Atem's words. He hadn't meant for Atem think of his words in that way, but there was no way he could change how the man interpreted his speech. "I don't think you understand your current position, Atem. You were able to take down a very weak rogue, one of the weakest ones in this world. If it was one of the stronger ones, such as a class A, you might have been seriously hurt or worse, killed. You still don't have your powers back or you're !"

One stern look was all it took for Atem to strike fear in Yugi's heart for mentioning the vampire's lack of full sized fangs. It also made Yugi think that the older male was going to reprimand him for his words, instead, Atem sighed though his nose and relaxed. He sat up straight and pointed towards the television, "Yesterday, you received a new…a new game of some sort for Christmas. Do you wish to play it with me?"

Completely taken off guard but pleased from the offer, Yugi smiled happily and nodded his head in agreement, "Of course! Let me clean up the dishes and you go put Grandpa's books back, then we can play it."

Smiling back, Atem nodded and stood up to go clean up the stacks of books he had by the couch. "Be warned, back in my prime, I won every game I took part in."

Yugi laughed lightly at the Pharaoh as he gathered their dirty dishes, "Oh yeah? Well old man, this is the twenty first century, the games are a bit different now."

The Egyptian crimsoned and his eyes went wide as he bent down to gather the books, "Old…Old man?! What has possessed you to call me such ?!"

"You were the one to say, and I quote, 'Back in my prime, I won every game I played.' You were speaking like my grandpa, Atem!"

The Pharaoh muttered a few curses in his native tongue, while he collected the stacks of books, "That is Pharaoh Atem to you, human."


"Do you mind explaining the controls for this game again, but a little slower?" Atem asked, after Yugi had excitedly explained how to work the controls of the Xbox One controller for the game Destiny. The vampire had only managed to comprehend the basic navigation controls and nothing else afterwards because Yugi started speaking as if he were an overly excited hamster.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just really enjoy games," The human admitted, rubbing the back of his head from his embarrassment. "Okay, so this one is to access your inventory and this one here is to make Ghost appear. The green is to jump, the blue is to reload your weapon, red is to crouch or slide, and yellow is to switch your weapons. The two small ones on the top of your control let you activate your special abilities. The left trigger will let you throw a grenade and the right trigger lets you shot your gun or to use your weapon in order to fight," Yugi explained to Atem, going over the main control for Atem again, pointing to each button as he spoke about them. "Did you understand better this time?"

"Yes, thank you Yugi'," Atem said with a smile that was bond to swoon even the coldest of hearts.

The human laughed lightly and smiled back, "Alright, it's time to kick some butt!" The teenage male announced, starting the game with excitement, by pressing the start button for Atem.

Although he wasn't playing the game himself, due to lacking a second controller, Yugi was still having fun just by helping the Pharaoh play the online game and watching the vampire's fits of excitement and rage. It was so painfully obvious that Atem was a gamer by heart. He caught onto the objective of Destiny quick and despite being a first timer to any type of video games, he had some great skills. His expression and the emotions he put into playing the video game was priceless, Yugi actually took his cellphone out of his pocket and began to take pictures of Atem's hilarious faces. The human was able to capture several photos of Atem with his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth, his eyes and mouth open during several fists of gaming rage, and even his moments of pure joy when he conquered an enemy base or killed them. Yugi had been half tempted to send the pictures to Yami, but then Yugi's and Atem's secret would be out, Atem living here in his home wasn't something Yami was aware of. Maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to show Yami these pictures sometime soon; when the three of them were together as friends. Hopefully that day would come soon.

Speaking of the devil, Yugi's phone vibrated and made a soft ding sound to alert him of a new text message; it had been from Yami. Curious about what the vampire had to say, Yugi opened his inbox to view the message without delay.

Sent by: Yami Sennen (xxx-xxx-xxxx)

Message: Yugi, don't forget about the Gathering on New Year's Eve. I want you to make a good impression in the vampire community.

How was your first day of training with Ryuuji Otogi? I heard it went fairly well.

Also, what are your body measurements?

Yugi's eyebrows pulled together out of confusion. Why did Yami need his body measurements? That was personal information of his that only Ryou actually knew. Yugi only knew he wore a small in tops, twenty nine in pants, and a size six and half for shoes. It made no sense to him, but Yugi replied to his 'dictator' regardless.

Sent by: Yugi Mutou (xvx-xxx-xvvx)

Message: If I forgot about the Gathering, you may have to make Isis check me for some kind of brain damage.

It was fine, I manage to last fifteen minutes against Otogi in a free spar! -insert proud emoji-

I'm not even sure myself. If you want exact measurements, ask Ryou. He knows.

After sending his message, Yugi placed his phone on the couch and stretch out his arms over his head. Atem's light chuckling caught his attention, causing Yugi to look at him and tilt his head to the side, "What's so funny?"

"It is nothing. I was just acknowledging how funny it is that the world has quickly changed from what it was when I was a ruler. So many changes have been made, as well as many new inventions have been created. We had nothing like cars, television, or even a device such as the cellphone that send letters instantly and allows you to talk to another person, no matter the distance. It is just so amusing and strange to me, when I can remember a simpler world clearer than clean water! This world even has more festivities than the world I grew up in," The Pharaoh spoke with a kind smile and joyful tone while running a hand through his hair.

"Ah, I have so much catching up on. I wonder… I wonder just how much Yami's appearance and personality has changed since the last time we spoke face-to-face. I wasn't able to see him clearly through my shadows, but I hope he is still young and youthful. I wonder about my friends, I am curious to see if they are still alive. I was also wondering how this world will accept a being like me, someone who has been gone from the throne for a very long time. In honesty, as a man, I am fearful of their rejection; but as a vampire, I find this change so…so damn hilarious! There is so much to learn about, so much to do! Perhaps, if I lived through the centuries and experienced this change, I might be able to grasp this strangeness, but I would then be bored out of my mind. But I am grateful... I am grateful for a curse! How funny is that? Me, the Pharaoh who allowed himself to fall for a weak mortal and get sealed by said human's hand; is grateful for his damnation, the loss of loved ones, and even making his other loved ones suffer for centuries!" Atem laughed, he chuckled loudly like a sinister hyena, echoing loudly in the Mutou's living room. "What a MAN I am! What MONSTER I am! I am thankful for my misery?! Who in this world be thankful for such a thing! It is just so fucking unbelieveable and amusing!"

"If it's so funny, then why do you sound like you're cursing yourself Atem?" Yugi's voice quietly asked, like the calm winds after a storm, soothing and concerned. "It's great that you are looking on the brighter side of things, but you don't seem to think it's truly funny."

The Pharaoh drew in a deep breath through his nose and released it out his mouth, closing his eyes and opening after he had calmed. His scarlet hues looked at Yugi with amusement as he smirked confidently. "I am, I am! Do you not see Yugi? I find my own pain amusing! Because without that pain, I would not be as blessed as I am now! My unbeating heart is filled with joy because I can live! I can live without the bindings of a pharaoh to the two worlds. I can finally be myself. My only regret is not having a grave for my dear Heba. I wish to thank him, but I vowed on his soul, to him, that I will kill the filthy vermin who had double-crossed me as a sign of my gratitude. I also have my gratitude to show towards Solomon and you, Yugi. Without you, I would not be able to live so freely and experience such a rich life. I must thank you-"

Yugi's phone's message alert interrupted Atem, ringing loudly to notify Yugi of another text message had received, "Um, could you excuse me for one moment? Thanks, Atem!"

The human quickly checked to see who had texted him, leaving Atem completely baffled by what the human had just said to him
.

Sent by: Yami Sennen (xxx-xxx-xxxx)

Message: Why the hell do you not know yourself, yet Bakura's feeder does? You are hopeless, even for a human.

Yugi growled slightly as his thumbs started to move quickly across his screen to form his reply for Yami. It wasn't his fault Ryou never allowed him to find out his body measurements. All tailoring actions and suits went through the British native, instead of Yugi. Apparently, his tastes in formal attire isn't up to the modern standards, according to Ryou.

Sent by: Yugi Mutou (xvx-xxx-xvvx)

Message: Don't blame me! Ryou never lets me know what my exact measurements are!

"Who are you sending an instant letter to?" Atem question, peering over Yugi's shoulder in attempt to read his text message.

"I was just sending Yami a message. He's being a nosy pest," Yugi informed Atem without a single thought.

The Pharaoh's joyful presence completely disappeared from him at the mentioning of Yami's name. It almost made Yugi wonder if talking to Yami was a bad thing to do in when Atem was nearby. Judging the way Atem had reacted and how he was currently giving Yugi a cold shoulder as he resumed his game, it had to be. While he observed Atem's sudden change in attitude, Yugi almost thought that Atem was acting like a spoiled child who wanted to keep his friends to himself. For future interactions, it would be best to keep his and Yami's social interactions a secret from Atem. It seemed like the Vampire King was still sour about his successor.

"Why are you –"

"How did your friends like their Christmas presents?" Atem quickly said, preventing Yugi from asking why his mood had shifted and changing the subject completely.

Damn, the Pharaoh was quick to avoid touchy subjects. It must come in handy when he was in tight spots. Not wanting to ignore the question, Yugi responded simply, "They liked them, actually, they loved it seemed. I guess I, I mean we, did a good job!"

Atem forced a light laugh, "I guess so, what about you? Did you enjoy your presents that you received?"

"Of course! I loved them all, they were really well thought out and creative. Ryou made a giant gift box made out of only Duel monster cards, Mailk gave me a massive collection of books about how to keep a vampire in line, and Jonouchi and the others gave me lots of candy in different shaped packaging! But it's kind of a shame, they went through the trouble to get so much sweets for me and I can't eat it all," Yugi said with a soft smile, "Sometimes, I wish it wasn't that way, but then again, it does keep me from eating too much junk food and fatty substances."

"Why is that? Can you not enjoy sweets?"

"No, no, I can but I have to watch the amount I eat. I'm a diabetic, so it's very easy for me to get too much sugar in my blood, or not enough sugar. It can throw my body out of whack," Yugi explained to the Pharaoh simply, not making a big deal over his minor health issue. Not everyone was perfect, in his eyes it wasn't something to be concerned over.

Atem on the other hand, didn't think the same way. "You're ill!? Have you told Yami about this illness of yours? He needs to know, as your vampire, it is his duty to make sure the feeder remains safe and healthy at all times. If you're not healthy, it can harm you when he takes blood from your body. This 'diabetic' can become a serious problem!"

"Calm down Atem, it's not as bad as it sounds!" He told the Pharaoh, placing a hand on his arm. "First off the disorder is called Diabetes, not 'diabetic'. Saying you're diabetic just means you have Diabetes. Secondly, I'm a type one diabetic, meaning my body does not produce enough insulin to convert sugars and starches into energy. Lastly, I use an insulin pen to help manage my blood sugar levels and keep it normal. It's actual a quick and painless method and hardly anything bad comes from it. Well, as long as remember to take my insulin, so now do you understand? I'm healthy and there's nothing wrong with me."

"I see, so you're not sick?"

"Nope, I'm not sick."

"Very well," Atem placed the controller to Yugi's Xbox One on the ground and turned to face the human. "If you are healthy, then can you do something for me, Yugi?"

Blinking, Yugi nodded slowly, unsure what Atem was going to ask of him. "Yeah, sure, anything you want Pharaoh."

Smiling brightly, Atem grabbed Yugi's shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. Scarlet hues searing Violet irises, as if the royal was going to ask something serious from the human. "Can you pull my hair back like yours?"

Stifling his laughter, Yugi manage to nod his head. That was all the Pharaoh wanted? Atem was truly an easy person to satisfy. "Sure, O' mighty Pharaoh Atem. I'll pull your hair back in a ponytail."


As Yugi sat on the couch and brushed Atem's tri-colored gravity defying hair, the two had settled into quiet, but peaceful atmosphere. The Pharaoh had moved to sit on the floor in between Yugi's parted legs with his back leaning back against the couch, and the video game had been turned off in exchange to watch the evening news. Although, it was being ignored as Yugi focused on brushing and Atem kept his eyes closed and was all but purring from the bristles massaging his scalp. Yugi took his time with brushing Atem's unusually soft hair, remembering the first time he had touched it. Even back when it was dirty from years of abuse, it still had been just as soft as it was now. The human took his time brushing the vampire's hair and getting rid of any tangles it contained, enjoying their moment of peace. It was almost enough to forget that Atem was perhaps the most dangerous being on the planet.

"You know, you smell a lot like him Yugi," Atem spoke up, breaking the silence between them, but keeping the peace.

"Like who?" The human asked, not bothered by the sudden deceleration and continued to brush the vampire's hair.

"Like Heba. When you released me, you smelt so much like him, that I wanted bite you the very moment your scent filled my airways. Not only that, but you look like him. Your faces are similar along with your hair, but Heba had a more mature face, he was older than you, slightly taller, and a little more muscular."

Yugi finished brushing Atem's hair, slowly running his fingers through the unique hair as he prepped it for the ponytail. "Why do you say that I look like him? Yami has never told me that I do."

"Because you do look like him, there's no denying that you to have some type of connection in your family tree. Maybe a cousin of some sort, Heba bore no children that I know of. Yami probably does not want to admit it or he's forgotten about him," Atem replied with a soft sigh, "Though, how he forgot such sweet tasting blood is even questionable to the gods. Heba's blood was sweeter than the sweetest wine in Egypt, he was like a forbidden fruit for vampires."

Yugi smiled as started to gather Atem's hair in his hands to form a low ponytail at the base of his head where it met his neck, however, he was having some difficulty with the unruly spikes. "What was Heba like Atem? I've only heard bad things about him, but you seem to know quite a lot about the good in Heba," The human wondered about the sinister human, voicing his inner thoughts without fear of the other's reaction. Yugi wanted to know Heba, even if it was through the words of the ones he lived with. After all, a human doesn't start out as a bad person.

"Heba was a stubborn mortal. At times he could be your opposite, though you both are very similar personality wise," Atem hummed out almost immediately after Yugi asked him was Heba was like, "He such a rowdy child, even after he was made mine and Yami's personal feeder; he still continued to fight back and resisting us. His temper, oh, his temper! It raged more violently than a typhoon, but just as beautiful! He was such a violent child for being a former slave. I think it was a blessing by the gods that he was never whipped. Yami and I had to put him in the dungeons for a number of days because of his out lashes. He was not like that for long, Heba eventually calmed down and became one of the most beautiful people this world has ever experienced. He was well liked by all. Like you, he was friendly and very caring. On the other hand, he did not like to show it and when he was caught, he would always deny it. It was as if he seen it as a weakness. He loved games, and loved challenging people even more. I think he had a special attraction for trouble and danger, much like a daredevil. He was so gentle with animals and children… Heba was the only person in this world that could get Yami to open up when something was troubling him, without having to put in a little something extra to calm him down. Even myself, became tranquil around Heba…Heba was the sole person we could rely on. He cared for us, we cared for him. Yami… all Yami would do when he was away, would talk nonstop about how much he loved Heba. He was… he was… a good soul, a tender and kind soul. That is why, I will find him. I will find the man who stole our happiness from us. The man who manipulated Heba, who forced him to do something against his will! I will steal his future away, like he stole!-"

Yugi cut Atem off by releasing his hair , placing one hand over the Pharaoh's mouth, and the other on the man's shoulder. "That's enough, I think I know what he's like now. Thank you, Atem."

He could bare to hear anymore. Atem's voice had been breaking up, almost like the male was on the verge of breaking down. The was the last thing he needed, an upset pureblood vampire.

The Original pulled Yugi's hand gently away from his mouth, then released it. He said no more and Yugi watched as Atem raised up an arm to wipe his eyes. He had been crying, but the human didn't say anything on it, instead, Yugi resumed running his hands through Atem's hair to finish pulling it into a ponytail. He did, however, try to change the subject. "How's your wound? Is it healing up properly?"

Taking a deep breath and releasing it, Atem replied in a calm and even voice, "For the most part, it is healed. Only a discoloration remains as of now. I believe it will go away in a few days, perhaps a week or so. It will scar, however, despite my regeneration capabilities."

"That's a relief, the first time I laid eyes on the wound caused by the seal; I thought you were going to die if the dagger was removed."

"If you hadn't been supplying me with blood, I would have. I would have turned into ashes," Atem replied to Yugi, wincing slightly as the human tugged his hair to get in the hairdo he had requested. "Starving while under a seal is a very painful death if you do not have something to distract your mind. The first time you feed me blood, I felt like I was in heaven and you were an angel saving me from my damnation. Ow, ow ow ow! Now you are a devil tugging on my hair!"

"Sorry, but if you don't hold still, it's going to get pulled even more," Yugi defended himself as he finished up Atem's ponytail. Once he was done, Yugi examined his work and frowned. Atem's bangs were already falling out of the ponytail, instead of letting the fall out when they did, Yugi went ahead and gently removed the golden bangs from the ponytail. "There, it's done."

Atem stood from the floor and stretched before making a disappointing look on his face. It had Yugi worried that the vampire didn't like how it had felt, "Yugi, when do you think you will have supper ready?"

Oh, he was thirsty.

Standing, Yugi grabbed a hold of Atem's wrist and started to drag him towards the kitchen, "If you're thirsty, you can just say so. There should be a bag of blood in the freezer or fridge. You know, you can get it yourself Atem. You don't have to ask since you're the only vampire in the house."

Atem didn't say anything back and Yugi turned his head to look at the Egyptian, only to find the man trying to hid his embarrassment. Smiling, Yugi shook his head slightly and released Atem's wrist when he reached their destination in the kitchen. After some searching, Yugi found a blood bag of 'A-negative' blood and handed it to Atem. "Here you go, Pharaoh. Drink up!"

Yugi had been expecting Atem to bite into the bag and start drinking, but it never happened. Instead, the vampire used his hands to play with the red liquid inside the bag, his eyes had faded to a dull crimson. When Atem never said anything nor did he start drinking the blood, Yugi became concerned about the vampire and bent down to look up into Atem's unfocused eyes. "Is everything okay? Do you need to go lay down and rest?" The human asked, worried for the vampire's health. He wasn't about to let the past weeks of nurturing Atem back from the dead, go to waste. If the vampire wasn't feeling well, Yugi was going become hell-bent on him getting rest and recovering.

"I feel fine Yugi, I was just think about something," the vampire informed the human. "There is nothing for you to worry about." Atem blinked and gave Yugi a fake smile, his eyes clearing up and becoming a bright scarlet once more.

"What were you thinking about that had you so dazed?" Yugi asked, casually leaning against the counter while his violet eyes watched the former pharaoh in front of him. "It had to be pretty important if it can keep a vampire from satisfying their thirst."

"Well, in a way it is, but I am sure it was just a passing thought and nothing more."

"What do mean by that?" Yugi asked, almost sounding disappointed. "Come on, tell me Atem."

"That is Pharaoh Atem, must I keep correcting you?" the vampire snapped before he gave into Yugi's pestering, not looking very pleased about it. "I had a passing thought about if I drank directly from a human, then I, by some chance, might recover my powers and I would possibly acquire full maturity. In my entire life, never have I bitten into a human and drank directly from the bite mark during a normal feeding, not since I was a babe and a young child. When both my father and I had ruled, it was considered 'poor manners' for a noble or pureblood to drink blood directly from a human. It was savagery. Only Yami had consumed Heba's blood directly from his body, but in our private chambers. I remember him biting Heba and then drinking from the wound created by it. Yami would collect Heba's blood for me, by biting his wrist and letting the blood flow into a chalice. I only bit Heba three times, to ensure the feeder's bond was in place."

Yugi hummed to himself as he thought over Atem's words. It only made sense to Yugi, there was no flaw that he could see why this method wouldn't work to eradicate the rest of the seal's spell placed on Atem. After all, it was a vampire's instinct to bite into a human and drink from their body. "I see no reason why it wouldn't work plus, it is the natural way your kind feeds. If you want to, we can go to the local blood bank and see if we can get you a universal feeder that's not claimed by a pureblood for you to feed from."

The royal shook his head almost immediately after Yugi suggested using some unfamiliar human to feed from. It sounded very unappetizing to Atem. "I believe it has to be your blood I must drink, since you were the one to release me from the seal's full effects, and will you be my mate's feeder."

"No."

"I have not even told you all of the information yet!"

"No. No. Absolutely no. One vampire biting me every few weeks is enough, I'm not letting you drink from me too," Yugi firmly stated, leaving no room for persuasion. "Yami would kill me and claim I was dirty traitor like your lover-boy, Heba. I'm not going to be stuck in the middle of you two fighting. That will never be an option."

"Yugi, please," Atem spoke, his voice sounding sweet and smooth as honey, "If there was another way around this that I was positive would work, I would be using it and not double bonding to another human with Yami."

The human's eyes were gentle, but narrowed from the difficult position he was in. This was not supposed to happen. None of this was. He was supposed to have a normal highschool life, not living a double life as a vampire hunter, not becoming a pureblood vampire couple's docile pet. He was only Yami's feeder because it was his mission given to him be the Director. He was only to be someone on the inside, nothing else. Now... now he was almost being forced to give up his entire life because of Yami and now, Atem wanted him to give up what little freedom he had in his life for him. "Atem, I'm a part of the group that is YOUR enemy. If you take me as a feeder as well, it will not only look bad on Yami, but you as well. The world is not a kind place when it comes to a person's public image. Power or not, the public will rip you apart if they find a fault or weakness in you."

Atem let out a powerful laugh, smirking once he was finished."Yugi, I am the rightful King of Vampires, nothing scares me. No human, pureblood vampire, or these creatures known as 'rogues'; can make me tremble in fear. I have no fear and I am not worried about my image. I have the power to tarnish anyone's 'image' and then breathe life into it once it is ashes. I am only worried about this world and what will happen to it if I do not take an offensive against this evil tarnishing the beautiful name of the Vampire race!" Slowly, Atem approached Yugi, until they were just a few inches apart. He dropped the bag of blood on the ground and used a hand to grab Yugi's chin gently, and tilted his head upwards, making their eyes met. "By the time Yami discovers that you have also been bonded to me, I will have eliminated the option of killing you. He will be an obedient dog until he remembers his proper place in this world of ours.
"

"…Are you absolutely positive that this will work?" Slowly, Yugi could feel his body unwillingly being compelled to agree with the vampire before him.

"There is nothing in this world I am more positive of, than this."

"Are you sure? Because a moment ago it was a theory."

"Ra, damn it, Yugi!" Atem snapped, actually yelling at the human for a first time, "The moment since I opened my eyes and laid eyes on your body, I have wanted nothing more, than to sink my teeth into your flesh and devour your blood! I am a very patient and tolerant man, but I am at my limit! I am struggling to be near you and your grandfather while keeping a composed face. Unless you wish to see the face of a real monster, you would be wise and trust me just this once. If not, well… I cannot be sure of how much time it will be until I snap and maul you and your grandfather. Unless there is another you know of, then this will be the only thing we can do."

Fear. Fear for his life and his grandfather's life. Atem had made it clear that they wouldn't live long unless he experienced a true feeding and not solely surviving on bags of donated blood and animal blood. With no other options, Yugi looked the vampire dead in the eye. His violet orbs were steady showing none of the fear he felt within his entire body. He held his head high, not letting Atem's hand to support it.

"Fine. You can bond with me, but I still refused to be caught up in the feud you and Yami are having. You have to get yourself out of this mess. Just don't do anything stupid that will get us both killed by your mate, understand?"

Yugi felt his chin be released, but his eyes didn't leave from Atem's. Those beautiful deep scarlet eyes were a pools of warm fires, no bitter feelings were harbored within them, only gratitude and pure happiness were shining brightly with in the windows to Atem's soul. Yugi could honestly say he hadn't seen Atem's eyes or even his face, show this amount of emotion since he offical met the man. It made him wonder if he had ever been this happy around Yami.

One moment Yugi was staring into Atem's eyes, speechless and in the next; he was being crushed to death be the vampire in a warm hug. "Yugi, I am in debt to you. One day soon, I will repay you for all that your family has done for me. Your grandfather, mother, father, and yourself; I will keep you all out of harm's way when I reclaim my birthright!"

"Atem, my parents are dead," Yugi breathlessly stated as he returned the warm hug with an unsure one.

"Then I shall protect the family that you will potentially have in the future," The vampire corrected himself as he pulled away from Yugi with a kind smile lingering on his face. "Will it be fine if I drink from you now?"

The teenager looked unsure for a moment, but he eventually nodded his head as his only reply and pushed past Atem. "You can feed from me upstairs in my room. I don't want Grandpa to walk in on us with you drinking my blood in the kitchen. It might send him the wrong message, I'm not fond of my grandfather thinking that I'm a secret blood whore or something."

Atem couldn't help but laugh at the mental picture of Yugi becoming a blood whore, "As long as you do not bathe in blood, I believe you will be fine Yugi."

The human offered his own weak laughter to join Atem's strong and beautiful one. The human didn't believe that he was going to be fine at all. Slowly, but surely, he was being dragged deeper and deeper into and unforgiving Hell that he would never escape.


Yugi closed the door and locked it behind them when both the vampire and himself, arrived in his room. He didn't know if he would be able to carry out this death sentence of his. At least, not with Atem. He wasn't like Yami. Atem could kill him without even meaning to, it's been thousands of years since he had last fresh human blood, and it was his first time participating in a real feeding. The very thought of him biting into his flesh after millenniums of not biting a human, made Yugi want run to someplace where the vampire could never find him. Yugi hadn't even realized he was trembling until his feet left the ground and he was being held in Atem's arms bridal style.

"Calm down Yugi. You will make your heart rate elevate to the point where I will not be able to properly feed from you until it has calmed."

"I can't, I can't do this," The human sputtered out, grabbing the collar of Atem's athletic t-shirt with both hands. "What if you can't restrain yourself? What if you lose yourself and kill me?"

"Yugi," The Egyptian's calm voice slowly started, "I can handle myself. A vampire that is or the Original bloodline does not lose themselves to blood lust unless pushed to their absolute limit. It is something you will never witness as long as you are my feeder. I can promise you that," There was a lingering tone of doubt in Atem's voice, which Yugi could barely pick out through the confident ring of the vampire's baritone hidden uncertainty, only made the human even more uneasy.

Slowly, so very slowly, Yugi felt his body calm down and relax. He knew it wasn't himself doing the calming, but Atem. This was what terrified him the most, Atem being able to compel his body without his mind even knowing it was happening. The man could make him do anything he wanted, and Yugi wouldn't even notice that it was Atem's doing and not his own. Eventually, his pulse slowed to a normal pace and his breathing was calm and relax. It was unfortunate that Yugi's mind was still restless and unable to accept the idea of Atem feeding from him.

"It will be painless and quick, nothing like your first time with Yami. You will not even notice I have even pierced your flesh. I promise Yugi, so calm your mind and just trust me."

Trust him? Could Yugi trust the vampire? Could he have faith in Atem that he would let him live through this? The vampire nuzzled Yugi's neck much like Yami had done during their first feeding. When continued to repeat the action, Yugi's mind relaxed and the human let out a true round of laughter as Atem nuzzled his neck. He could trust this vampire, he would do it so he could live through this. "That settles it, the nuzzling and purring just has to be a part of vampire nature!"

"No, not even close, "Atem countered and halted his actions. "That's just something Yami does, it is very strange. I was only mimicking it to relax you."

"Oh. Then why does he do it?"

Atem sighed, looking like a very disappointed parent. "Because, Yami is Yami. He has very weird feeding habits. Never mention it outside of us three, okay?"

"Okay, Atem," Yugi responded, smiling at the newly gained information. Next time Yami made him upset, he would use the secret to his advantage.

"Now then," shifting Yugi's body to a better angle, Atem prepped the area he planned to bite with licks and small nips. Yugi hadn't felt a single thing when Atem's fangs pierced his skin, he could only feel familiar sucking sensation on his neck from when Yami had drank from his neck a few day ago. It was only for a few seconds then, Atem pulled away. Yugi was about to ask if their method had work, but his head was forced towards the side of his neck where Atem had just bitten him, exposing the other side of his neck. He felt Atem repeat the same licks and nips against the skin of his neck before the feeling of his blood being drained from his body, returned. Just like moments before, Atem withdrew after only a few seconds. The second time Atem had drank from him, left Yugi's head with a dizzy feeling from losing almost a pint of blood in just seconds. Yugi reached towards his face to cover his eyes, but he found himself being thrown on to his bed.

Startled and dazed, Yugi struggled to get hold of his mind before he pushed himself into an upright sitting position. His eyes went to the spot where Atem had been sitting, but he was gone. It didn't take Yugi long to notice the vampire standing in the middle of his room with his head tilted upwards. And if he hadn't seen the vampire's body that was glowing a blood red light, he would have needed to get his eyes check.

Something wasn't right with Atem. The light was growing more intense and darker in color as time slowly ticked by. A violent wind that had been conjured from the still thin air, began howling and throwing a tantrum within Yugi's room. Papers where flying through the air, his clothing hanging up in his room was threatening to take flight, his furniture shook violently and the pictures on his walls fell to the ground. Lightning, bright red lightning flashed around his room, threatening to take Yugi's very life if it struck him. Finally, they appeared.

Dark mist like clouds started to swirl around Atem and formed a powerful vortex in the middle of Yugi's room. It was obvious this was the vampire's doing and if he didn't stop Atem soon, his life and house would all be blown away.

"Atem! …. Atem, answer me!"

No reply came from the vampire who appeared to be unconscious as the violent storm grew stronger and stronger. Yugi watched in horror as the black clouds of mist hissed and spat words of some language Yugi had a hard time recognizing. They swirled tighter and tighter around Atem's body and as Yugi focused on Atem, he began to notice the small changes in the man. His skin seemed to be slightly darker, his nails were slowly growing into claws and there were black stumps forming on the vampire's back. The red light had faded into black and the powerful storm grew louder with each second. At this rate he would truly perish by the hands of the Original vampire.

On his nightstand, his family's concealing stone emitted a bright red like, catching Yugi's attention. The sight of the concealing stone was all the Yugi needed to spark an idea in his head. Reaching for the stone, Yugi went over his plan to himself. He would throw himself at Atem with the stone in hopes of bringing the vampire back to sanity. It wasn't the best of plans, nor was it very original, but maybe it would calm Atem down if he knocked him over and hopefully out. However, when Yugi's fingers brushed the surface of the concealing stone, his vision went white and all of his thoughts went blank other than trying to figure out where he had seen this light at before.

"You!"

The voice was loud and hurt his ears as it echoed in his head.

"Why did you lift it? Why? I placed him in that state for a reason, now look at what you caused!"

Was this voice Heba's? He was the one who had sealed Atem off from the world. It sounded so familiar too, like Yugi had heard it somewhere before. Yugi struggled to remember why, but his effort was in vain.

Just as quickly as it had come, the light vanished, letting Yugi's vision returned to normal as he took in the sounds and sights of the chaotic storm within his room. His mind wanted his body to stay still for a moment while he tried to figure out what had just occurred, but Yugi decided to listen to his heart and try to save himself and his home. Grabbing the blood red stone off of his nightstand, Yugi wasted no time getting to Atem. Holding an arm over his face to shield his eyes, the human made his way to the vampire. When he was close enough, Yugi used all of his body weight to ram his left shoulder into Atem's chest, successfully tackling the former pharaoh to the floor..

The storm immediately stopped when Atem's body and Yugi collided on to the floor of Yugi's bedroom, leaving a sudden silence that left ringing in Yugi's ears.

Yugi couldn't move at first, his body sore due to the harsh collision from tackling a vampire head on. Luckily, Atem was the one who moved first, sitting up and pulling Yugi into an awkward sitting position as well.

"Why the hell did you tackle me?!" The vampire cursed at the human as he looked over Yugi's for any possible injuries.

Scowling, Yugi smack Atem's cheek roughly, but not phasing the vampire one bit, "You were destroying my room! Just look at it!"

Not even a second after Yugi had slapped the vampire, Atem was sent into a violent coughing fit. Unsure what the cause of it was, Yugi offered his help to the Original by patting his back softly until the coughing subsided. Covering his mouth, Atem gave one more rough cough before spitting into his hand. Pulling his hand away from his mouth, the Egyptian smiled brightly before holding hand out for Yugi to see while smiling with his bright white teeth and new elongated fangs.

"I finally got my permanent fangs, see?"


AN :: So...long time no see eh?
I'm not giving any excuses other than that I've been slack on keeping my deadlines.
Therefore, I won't set a deadline for chapter eleven until I am sure I can get up by that day.

Thank you all for your patience and I know that this chapter, was well worth the wait. It was a major chapter and also, it's the last chapter with Atem in it until chapter Thirteen.
There's some good stuff coming up for chapters eleven and twelve and we are finally get closer to Atem's and Yami's reunion! I'm sure you guys will be crying by the end of that chapter!

Speaking of crying, I actually cried while writing chapter ten, mostly because I was think about a later chapter where the tragedy that Atem and Yami had to go through is explained.
It's not for a long time, but it still had me in tears. I just cannot wait for this story's climax, nor the up coming fun when Atem finally is able to have his throne back. Ah, it's good to be a writer.

One last thing, I want to truly express my gratitude to you, my readers. You guys are my bread and butter. From your kind words to the simple follows, they inspire me to keep writing.
Even when my head is clouded with writer's block, or I'm just simply writing; I always think about how much you guys will enjoy the chapter and the story as a whole.
Over hundred reviews, favorites, and follows...I feel blessed. When I first posted this story I thought I t would only get like 30 to 40 faves and followers and maybe 20 to 30 reviews. But you guys actually proved to me that this story was worth much more!
So thank you. Thank you for sticking with me and Traitor and giving me inspiration to make this story thrive and grow into something beautiful!

Edited on: Nov.3, 2016.