Night Fourteen:

Bonding


Violet eyes opened in a panic and Yugi sat up alarmed and filled with terror. The human lifted his hands to his face and began feeling his entire body, making sure that he was still whole and not grains of sand just waiting to be carried away by the furious breath of the wind. His eyes followed his hands, but the young male immediately noticed his body was not his normal appearance and his surroundings were not of the beach house Yami had reserved for the evening.

Yugi's mind went numb as he observed how his cream-like olive toned skin had darkened into soft tan that resembled a slightly lighter shade of Atem's own sun-kissed skin. He wore no shirt, and his body and the liened kilt he wore was caked in dirt and some questionable stains that had dried a dark brown. Yugi was still in a state of fearful shock, when an unknown man entered the room made up of dried mud bricks, and began speaking to him in a formal manner.

"Neb-i*, I come bearing news of our recent deployment."

Yugi's body moved on it own accord, enlisting more fear and adding confusion to the human's delimma. His body relaxed, his legs crossed in a casual seating position, his elbows rested one on each of his two knees while his hands cradled his face. Yugi's eyes were forced to look at the man before him.

"Go on, let us hear then. Amun waits for no man, and Aten will return to the sky soon," Yugi commanded-no, that not been his voice or his words. The words were far too harsh in tone to be his, and his voice had been too gravelly and held a foreign accent.

"Very well, Neb-i, the men-"

Yugi felt his eyes roll unwillingly at the title the man spoke with, before his odd body sighed heavily and interrupted the older and polite man."No formalities are need here." The rough voice of his body told the man seriously." Outside of our operations I'm nothing more than a common artisan worker, so use my name. I dislike being called by the same title as those heathens enjoy clinging to."

"Very well," The man hesitated, clearly unsure how to approach his superior without using a formal title. "Heba, sir, the men you sent to the Houses of Per-wadjet* have return. They bring back the fangs and hearts of the nobles young and their mothers."

Yugi felt his spirit grow cold. This couldn't be happening….

Heba's mouth pulled into a sinister and triumphant grin, proud of the victor of the men he commanded. "The slayed?"

"We lost three men in the raid, but our forces did not dull. Six child demons, two she-devils, and nine underlings. It was a grand victor, the High command will be pleased."

"A grand victory it was! We will celebrate by watching their hearts burn in a blaze and paint the sands with their ash. Go, tell our sweet Nerfer to craft amulets from their fangs and bless them in Amen-Re's name!"

Yugi could feel Heba's excitement over the deaths of innocent children, the deaths of their mothers and protectors. He begged, pleaded for this illusion to end, for him to be freed from this torture. He did not want to feel the joy for killing an innocent soul, even if they were vampire. Yugi wanted to close his eyes to the "knowledge" he knew Heba was forcing upon him. This was not something the human had been prepared for, to relive Heba's life in his point of view.

"I shall, sir Heba, but there is another...task that requires our utmost attention," The broad shouldered and bald haired man notified his commander. " The words speak of Per-a'ah's* forces. The scouts claim to have seen signs of his arrival in Per-wadjet before the Aten's return. We-the men, are fearful of our camp's discovery. The scent of Blood is still fresh on their hands."

Heba's joyful presence completely vanished and he frowned at the news. "Not good. He wasn't due to give chase til' the next season." The tan male that resembled and held Yugi captured in this vision, bit on his right thumb as he thought about their situation.

"He must have caught wind of our actions after the last raid, he's too close for our entire camp to escape safely at once, and if we flee into the city the civilians will give our identities away through their damned heka*..."Heba spoke aloud, voicing his thoughts for his messenger to hear.

Yugi could feel the determination to save his men, to come out as the victor in fleeing from the state, through Heba. But, Yugi was confused by the former feeder of his own vampires. The man before him acted as if this mirage of Heba had held some kind of power before he had became the royal feeder, like a general in an army, not the servant the text had claimed him to be.

"Abasi," Heba spoke up in a commanding voice, sounding far to similar to Atem for Yugi's liking. " Tell the men to clear the camp aside for the ten deserters. You are to have the healers and inured set out on the horses to the east, those who aided in the raid and are stained in blood are to burn their clothes and purify their scent with water, then have them follow the Nile upstream. The rest will scatter in pairs of two and no more than that. We shall regroup in two tendays* in the south at granite quarries. I will stay here with those unfit for the cause and stall the royals."

"But, sir, you are our greatest asset to our cause! Without you, we would be lost and if your mind falls to them-"

Heba cut off Abasi, that was what the man had been called, by standing and crossing the room from the pile of furs he had been seated upon, to a wooden chest. The human calmly opened the wooden storage unit and smirked as bundles of linen with a green stalks and pale indigo flowers and buds were revealed to the older man. Heba reached into the chest filled with the bundle of plants and pulled out a stem for display. "Think little of me, do you not Abasi?" Heba teases as he pressed the flower to his lips and drew in a deep breath, filling both his and Yugi's noses with the scent a sweet aroma.

"Lycoctonum*?! Are you mad? Neb-i You can not be suggesting that we consume poison to keep our minds safe, it'll destroy our revolt!"Abasi exclaimed in shock.

"Nothing of the sorts," Heba dismissed and closed the chest, still holding the single flower of Lycoctonum. "My lover has many talents and manage to come across this secret, of course, it was while using said talents when charming a beast of blood in noble clothing. Brew the petals of the flowers from across the Great Green with those of the Nile's white lotus, and then consume one mouthful of that brew; It will keep our minds sound and ours for a full day," Heba boosted proudly and handed the flower to his messenger. "Pass the contents of my chest out to every, man, child, and woman in our camp. It is only to be used in the most disastrous of situations. I have already brewed some for myself and the men staying. Now go, Abasi."

Yugi watched the events that unfolded next with mixed emotions. The human had no idea what to think as he watched Heba help his underlings flee, other than the prisoners of "war" changed to a stake in the ground. The caring acts and the picking tones Heba used while seeing his men off, was contradictory of the man who had laughed at the demise of the children and mothers of his enemies. It made Yugi question his own opinion about his ancestor. Heba, so far, was just trying to protect the ones he cared for. When the sun rose and day broke in the east, the camp had been cleared and Heba was coaxing beer laced with wolfs-bane and white lotus, down the throats of the five men that he had been left with.

The men were grateful, but their eyes were dark with hatred for the human Egyptian with wild spiky brown hair and golden bangs that framed his face. Smiling softly, Heba silently unchained each man, one by one, till all five were free. Immediately, one man when freed tackled the smaller man to the ground and pinned him to the ground by his neck.

"Why free us, Nu* !? After you allowed your men to take us from our homes, force us from our family and friends, and then kill our brothers before us?"

Heba didn't struggle, his body was limp as he gazed at the man pinning his smaller body down, a wicked smile forming at the corner of his lips. "For redemption. I see the end of this battle in sight, your king will come out victorious, and instead of being coward and running, I'd rather face my sins head on. So I ask you, beseech you, do as you wish to me. I only ask that you spare my life so that your king, Per-a'ah, may give your kin proper justice and damn me as he sees fit."

"Fine," The man who had pinned Heba stood to his feet, but pulled Heba to his feet by the neck. A sinister smile appeared on the man's face, his rotten teeth adding to the darkness in his smile. " We shall beat you till Ra's decent, but don't worry, Behau*, we'll make sure you are alive when our almighty King comes to reap you of your life."

The five mean used their former restraints to chain the defeated Heba to the same stake they had been restrained to. He didn't struggle, or prolong the action. Heba willingly allowed the iron chains to confiscate his freedom and force his arms behind his back, and kept his body pressed against the wooden stake. While Heba had been calm about being chained up, the young male couldn't calm himself as he received the worst beating of his life.

Fists connected with his face repeatedly. Lashes from a whip tore at his torso. Kicks and scratches littered his back and had screamed, cried out to the gods as his body was forced to endure the sins he committed. Welts covered his body from the blunt forces. His eyes began to swell, blood poured from his nose that had be cracked repeatedly. His tongue was split from being bitten when a punch had hooked his jaw harder than the rest, when he cried for mercy. The whip threaten to tear his skin, gashes were already forming on his left bicep from the repeated lashes. His skin was read from forming bruises and the marks from the assaults on his body. The pain was unbearable and every punch, kick, lash, and scratch Heba endured, Yugi felt littering his own body with the sinister touches of assault.

Through his swollen eye, Heba spotted the dust cloud formed by trampling horses, and smiled. He could barely bake out the white horse that served as a symbol of the king's presence on the battlefield. Sand was shoved into his open wounds harshly with inhuman force, and Heba scream a ear-piercing sound of agony. This only made his assaulters cackled and shoved more sand and even spat into the young man's wounds. They continued to beat him, torturing the male. One male with long hair had picked up a sharp stone and pressed it against the flesh of Heba's neck, slowly cutting his skin and forcing the precious red liquid of the human body, to flow freely from the wound, before shoving his fingers brutally into the wound.

Heba's body trashed against the stake and his eyes were closed from pain. But as soon as the crippling pain began and the meaty fingers of his assailant dug into his flesh searching for his windpipe, it was over. The hand vanished, the assault stopped, and Heba was left to suffer the aftermath of his brutal beating.

The human struggled to breathe, choking on his own blood. Heba felt a tender touch being placed on his throat and cringed, not expecting the gentleness. The male immediately prepared for the worse, but when the touch left and was replaced by something warm and moist being dragged across his throat, the human forced his swollen eyes to open to see why his beating had stopped.

Two fiery red eyes burned into Heba's deep violet ones. Yugi immediately recognized the man as the Pharaoh he save, Heba's king, Atem.

"So you live, then would you explain why your mind is silent but your eyes loud?" Atem's deep voice spoke with a regal authority, but held a underlying curious tone.

Heba held his tongue. He hadn't...he wasn't told how intimidating the presence of this man was. The human wasn't prepared for this confrontation and felt his knees shake with fear. He part his lips to speak, but couldn't utter a word. The king was dressed in the finest clothes Kemet's lands had to offer. A pristine white sleeveless tunic that reached to his knees clung to the monarch's body and was secured by bright blue and red sashes along with a golden belt around his waist. A vivid red cape extended behind him, and pooled into a puddle of blood red silk behind his feet. His exposed arms and legs were covered in bands of gold, each of his fingers adored at least two rings or more, solid gold earring hung from his ears, a precious usekh collar* made of gold, lapis lazuli, and rubies rested on his shoulders and draped across his collar bones. A pendent of an inverted pyramid, twice the size of Atem's own hand and made of solid gold hung from his neck by a leather strap, and a golden crown with the eye of Wadjet and the wings of the almighty Horus, was donned by the king. A symbol not for the human domain he ruled, but for the race he commanded. He was a figure power, every inch of the man screamed power and attention.

While Yugi could feel Heba's fear and could hear his desperate thinking to separate himself from the king, Yugi was in awe and had been comforted by the presence of the King. If could have willed himself to talk, he would have poured his heart and fears out to the man, and plea for help. But instead he was stuck, forced to obediently watch was Atem grasped Heba's chin and tilted his head side to side, up and down, examining him for any abnormalities.

"This human can repeal me, strange. He may be too daft for the gift to affect," the king spoke in a taunting voice. "What think you, Mahaad?"

Yugi instantly recognized Mahaad, and watched the man, who hadn't changed at all, even his formal white robes of a priest; approached the king and the human bound to the stake with irons. "I believe it is to work of a toxin," the priest spoke swiftly, breathing in the air near the human. "Lycoctonum and...lotus seem to be mixed in his blood. Either he was poisoned or he is shielding his mind, my per-a'ah."

" Interesting," Atem spoke in thought, his autumn eyes burning into Heba's violet hue and straight into Yugi. The human notice how these eyes, the eyes of the king who had ruled two lands, were full of life and unchecked rage. Beautiful and deadly.

Heba came out of his stupor while Atem and Mahaad casually discussed what to do with him, and the human glared at thing, before using what strength he had left to pull his chin out of the king's grip. Atem, who had turned his attention away from the boy's face to examine the rest of his battered body, was now gazing fiercely at the human who dared to pull away from said nothing and only glared at the man before him.

Atem's fiery crimson eyes narrowed at the boy. "Stubborn one," He commented before turning his back to the boy and leaving to inspect the rest of the abandoned camp, leaving Heba free to inspect his surrounding and search for the men who had been beating him relentlessly. The human found them not even a meter from where he was bound to the stake, their body motionless with death.

"Remove him from his bindings. He will return to Waset* and shall face trial against the items. For now, Mahaad you shall see to his wounds and take care that he does not perish on the trip may know of the murders that befell my people last night." Atem's retreating form and flickering red cape was the last thing both Heba and Yugi saw before the world dissolved into the void darkness.


Yugi's eyes opened abruptly for the second time, this time he was greeted by the popcorn ceiling of a modern day room.

The human forced himself to sit up, his body protested with stiff muscles from sleep and the lingering sting of pain from the illusion had created and his body was heavy and covered in a cold sweat. The human repeatedly pinched his arm, trying to persuade his mind that he was no longer trapped in the fake memories of Heba. He was awake, alive, alone,and safe. Still fearful for his own sanity, Yugi reached for his neck, grabbing the chain of his concealing stone and tore it from his neck. The human then proceeded to toss it in the top drawer of the yellow beach room's nightstand, slamming it shut after the task had been accomplished. Only then did Yugi allow himself to calm down enough to notice that both Atem and Yami was missing from the room. Funny, he felt like the two vampires were so close to him, that they were practically breathing down his neck.

Yugi pushed the gray and yellow quilt away from his body and left the warmth of the bed. He put the nightmare into the deepest corner of his mind, away from his the forefront of his mind, and brushed off the weird claustrophobic feeling he had. He had more important matters to concern himself with. Such as washing off the remainder of makeup from his face and the sweat and dirt of yesterday; he was in desperate need of a shower.

With a mind still groggy from the aftermath of his horrendous night of sleep, Yugi made his way to the bathroom conjoined to the master bedroom. The human was only briefly awed by the pristine white room with grey and yellow accents, before he quickly set to work of cleaning himself from the dirt of last night. Yugi tugged off his white collared shirt and tossed it on the floor. He paid it no attention as he shrugged out of his boxers and turned the shower's water on to a scolding but comforting temperature. He opted out for hunting down soap to clean his body with, to lazy to search for the bathroom for it. Yugi merely scrubbed himself thoroughly with the warm water till his skin was turning a red from the rough and irritating action. The teen made sure his entire face was free from the dreaded makeup he had been forced to wear and his hair was free from the products the stylists had used in it. Once he deemed himself cleaned, the human shut the water off and left the comfort of the shower. Grabbing one of the decorative towels hanging off a hook on the white wall of the bathroom, Yugi towel dried his wild hair before patting the rest of his body down.

Yugi had just pulled his boxer back onto his body, when he caught the glimpse of his reflection in the foggy mirror of the bathroom. Leaning over the sink slightly, Yugi used the towel to wipe the mirror clean from the steam-produced- fog, to reveal his reflection. He sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth when he noticed how red and swollen the left of his neck was, but what disturbed the human the most, was the two menacing holes on the side of his neck. The human felt a rush of regret flow through his entire being, a foreign and sudden feeling. Trying to ignore the guilty that had settled into a empty feeling in his stomach, Yugi proceeded to look at the right side of his neck, to find it was only slightly red and the bite mark that claimed that side of his neck were much smaller and even showed signs of healing. The human touched the bite mark tenderly, finding that it was still sore from being abused by the rough actions of the vampire that had feed off his blood. Yugi sighed in defeat and let his hand drop from his neck. "No going back now," He told himself, his eyes looking at his own reflection.

Heba's reflection, for a brief moment, taunted Yugi in the mirror before other blurry images flashed before him. Yugi was immediately confused, but rage boiled in his blood from an unknown source and the human felt the uncontrollable urge to hit something or someone, a feeling that was completely foreign to the human. Trying his best to ignore the strange emotions he felt, Yugi bent down to pick up his discarded shirt.

"Oh for the love of," Yugi groaned aloud in annoyance, finding the white dressed shirt stained with blood on both shoulders from the vampires' feeding last night. "They could have at least not ruined my shirt. I don't have a second change of clothes, idiots." Leaving the bathroom with his ruined shirt balled up in his hand, Yugi went back into the master bedroom to tug on his grey dress pants so he could at least have some article of clothing covering his body other than his boxers. As he pulled the trousers over his legs and hips, Yugi felt multiple emotions begin to clash within him. He was suddenly feeling angry, sad, thrilled, guilty, annoyed, confused, and even slightly aroused!

The human dropped his ruined shirt on the ground and used both hands to tug on two separate locks of his golden bangs, groaning in annoyance. 'This is so frustrating!' The human was finally painfully aware of the results from his actions last night. This had to be the bond that was forged by having both Atem and Yami feeding from his body three times. Yugi had never felt so many emotions clash within him at a single time. It was exhausting!

Leaving the bedroom, Yugi began his miniature manhunt for the two vampire's responsible for his current emotional turmoil. Luckily, the vampire's hadn't been hiding from the human and Yugi found the two in the kitchen bickering with Atem pinned against the back wall by Yami,who held the former king by the throat with one hand. Yami's other hand was armed with a frying pan, threatening to beat the other vampire with it. Yugi stood just out of sight in the hallway, observing the scene unfold. Atem with a confident smirk, and Yami with a deadly scowl.

"You just love making everything a game, don't you, you bastard?" Yami hissed at the man he held against the wall.

" And what if I do? It makes coping with the stress of a kingdom much lighter," Atem replied coolly, not falling for Yami's provoking tricks.

"So then your subjects are just pawns to a means of an end? An expendable casualty you think nothing about? Like Mahaad? Like Yugi? Like me?"

"All pawns are mourned when lost, and you are well aware I never thought of a living being as a piece of a game. Unless, we are talking about the nights when we laid together. Then you were the king I had happily placed in check," Atem responded with a lustful tone in his voice.

Yami's dark crimson eyes narrowed, "You perverted old man. Don't try to bring up such filthy things to try and save your own ass."

"I am not old. I had just witnessed the beginning of my nineteenth year before I was sealed, remember? We celebrated it together, under the stars with Heba."

" Oh, I remember," Yami snarled. " You're older than me, still making you a perverted old man."

"Still calling the kettle black while you are the pot," Atem tossed back with a roll of his eyes. "How childish."

"I am not perverted!" Yami snapped, a blush dusting his fair skin." I didn't beg for sex every night, unlike someone!"

"I wasn't the one who begged for it first," Atem replied back with his smirk only growing. "I clearly remember it was you who asked to be in my bed, and you even took yourself with my being not having to lift even a finger."

"You mother fu-"

"So Yami caved first?" Yugi butted in as he emerged from the hallway, just in time to before Yami's rage took control. The human thought, no, he could feel that the pure blood was close to beating the shit out of the pharaoh.

"That's none of your business Yugi!" Yami snapped at the human, releasing Atem to turn and face Yugi with a fuming anger, his scowl, however, was damped by the bright blush on his face.

The king erupted into a fit of laughter, to Yami's displeasure. Yugi on the other hand, was enjoying the scene he was starting to tell the difference between which emotions belong to who. Yami made his way toward Yugi, after shooting Atem a dirty look over his shoulder and abandoning the pan he held on the island in the middle of the high-end kitchen.

Placing both hands on Yugi's shoulders, Yami looked directly into the human's violet eyes, his blush as dark as his crimson eyes. "Yugi, you will forget this entire conversation regarding Atem's and my own past."

"Excuse me?" Yugi voiced both his confusion and aggravation, he could feel both Atem's overwhelming amusement and Yami's frustration grow.

Yami gazed into Yugi's eyes more persistently before he turned his head towards the laughing king " Explain, now you mischievous bastard! Why isn't persuasion affecting Yugi?"

Atem slumped over, holding up a hand, while his other supported his upper body against his knee. Yami released Yugi's shoulders to turn and face Atem directly, his arms crossing of his chest out of his impatience. By the time Atem had calm himself, Yugi had moved away from the younger vampire in favor to explore the kitchen for food. Although he seemed to be paying no attention to the two vampires, the human's ears were keen and listening to every word the vampires spoke.

" It is the law, Yami," Atem casually stated, and stood to his full height with a playful smirk. " My predecessors declared that no human bound to vampire can be influenced by another or their own. On top of that, any compulsions or commands made and enforced on the human prior to the creation of their bond, become negated and null." Atem's eyes flickered in color. For a brief moment, Yugi could have sworn he saw the same bright fiery gaze from the Atem in Heba's memories, rather than the cool maroon of his Atem; when he had looked over his shoulder to check on the two vampires. "Of course, this law has no affect on my person. They are beneath the superiority of the true king."

"If you're above the law, then why you were placed in a prisoner's seal? By a human no less," Yami questioned the Original vampire with a flat voice.

Yugi resumed his search for food, when he felt the growing anger of the older vampire come to life. Settling on a simple bowl of cereal, Yugi poured the food into the bowl while attempting to ignore the mess growing behind him.

"You know very well that enchantments differ from the ancient laws. I had no control over what befell me," Atem's voice was void of any emotions again, sounding like the stern king he had once been.

" Stop that!" Yami demanded. " Quit acting like you are the victim. It's insufferable. You have no one other than yourself to blame what happened to you. If you would have just left that human in the desert to rot-"

"And left our people to cower in fear and worry when and where their young would have been killed?" Atem finished for Yami, almost yelling at the man. " We discussed this many times before, Yami. I had my suspicions and that is why we both decided to keep Heba under watch until his mind was cleared of that toxin!"

"We? I had no say in the matter!"

"Ibek teftef hatyek mehy*," Atem hissed at his mate in a deadly tone. "All these years and you still feign your childish ignorance!" The former pharaoh moved closer to Yami.

"I'd rather have ignorance than have a corrupted morality," Yami coolly replied, standing firmly on the ground. " I may have forgotten your language, but I will never forget your two-faced self. It makes me sick just thinking about what you are!"

Yugi felt prickle his skin as Atem's rage topped Yami's and even began to influence the human's own emotions. Picking up his bowl of cereal, Yugi started his retreat back to the bedroom. Getting in between the two feuding lovers had already been one too many times for him. He wasn't about to do it for a second time, especially when his body was still recovering from their aggressive feeding from last night, hell, they hadn't even bothered to care for his wounds.

"Some mates they were, those two bicker more than elderly couples," Yugi mumbled under his breath, as he slowly made his way back to the bedroom. Unfortunately for the human, his comment had caught the attention of the two oh-so pleasant vampires he had been forced to care for.

The human was stopped in his tracks when Atem, almost magically, appeared in front of the human looking far from pleased.

"Something to say, human?" Atem asked, trying to sound threatening to Yugi.

"Leave Yugi alone, his stupidity nothing to do with your pettiness," Yami sighed from behind Yugi.

Perhaps Yugi would have coward away when Atem directed his anger at him, but the human's fear was masked by the wraith that was attacking him from three separate sources. The human held his tongue as he let his mind form a well thought out response. Clenching his bowl, Yugi's violet eyes burned into Atem's red ones, showing no fear for the vampire towering staring down at him.

"In matter of fact, I do." Yugi spoke up, his eyes not leaving Atem's at all. "I'm sick and tired of you two acting like kids! I understand both Yami and yourself are hurt, but enough is enough. The past is in the past, now it's time to let it go," The human held his ground, not letting the sound of Atem's growl let his confidence waver. "The two of you have new responsibilities to uphold and for some of them you can't let your anger control your judgement! Both of you have a kingdom to calm and protect, and a feeder who you must also care for too. Now is not the time to be fighting, save your strength for your governing and enemies. Don't waste it on biting each other's tongues off!"

"What do you know?" Yami snapped at Yugi, causing the human to finally look away from the Original to the pure blood vampire. " You are the product of mistakes, both Atem's and my own. You have no right to talk down to us and act superior!"

The vampire grabbed Yugi by the forearm and yanked him hard to pull him closer, causing the human to drop his breakfast and shattering the bowl it had been in with a loud crash. "Do you think that you are so high and mighty? Just because I drink your blood? Ha! Don't flatter yourself. You, Yugi, are nothing more than a tool. A thing I use to keep myself strong. If at any moment you forget that, then I'll gladly remind you just who is in charge. I can end your life at any moment I want to!" The vampire squeezed the boy's arm, threatening to break the feeble limb with his tight grip.

The human grunted in pain and pulled at Yami's hold on his arm. "I dare you!-"

"Enough!" Atem's voice yelled as his hand grabbed Yami's wrist and forced the younger vampire to release the human. "Both of you are sorely out of line, if you do not end this-"

"Or what? You'll compel us both to be your obedient servants?" Yugi barked out, cutting the royal off.

"Of course, how else would he ever gain the trust of his comrades again or his throne?" Yami spat "Go ahead, make me your slave, your highness."

Atem fumed, his body tensed with his own anger. " You dare accuse me of bending the wills of others!?" The king roared with anger at Yami, the shadows in the kitchen flickering as they eagerly prepared for an attack.

"Why shouldn't I? You've bent Mahaad's and Kairm's will once before to get what you wanted!" Yami placed accusing finger on Atem's chest. "You've even bent your own father's will!"

"I did not!" Atem hissed and used a hand to shove Yami away from him and only succeeded in making the other stumble back a step. " You know nothing of my father! Your mind was bent by another not by my hand-"

" How do you know?" Yami cut the other off before Atem could pin the blame on another. "You were dead for millenniums! You laid in sleep while I had to endure the hell you created!"

"I've told you, I was there with you! I felt your pain, I seen your hell. You fought with you!" Atem defended.

"Bullshit!" Yami balled his fists up. "I should have never tried to resurrect you! I should have listen to Seth, it would have saved me from your curse and allowed me to still have the one I had truly loved with my own heart."

Yugi stepped away from the two vampire's fearful of Atem's reaction. He could feel the Original's sorrow flow through his bond with the man, but Atem's face was still a mask of anger. Looking away from the vampires, Yugi decided to voice his thought about the two.

"They way you two act, I'm starting to think your mating relationship had broke way before Yami had even slept with another person, or even before Atem was sealed," the human kept his eyes away from the two vampire and knelt down to clean up the mess his dropped breakfast had made. Carefully, Yugi picked up the shatter pieces of the cereal bowl.

"What do you know anything about our bond? I've barely spoken about Yami to you!" Atem snapped at Yugi. The human could his gaze staring daggers into his back.

"I'm tired of hearing you comment about my relationship with this bastard. First trying to be sympathetic with his sealing, then defending him, now implying how it ended.. It's starting to get annoying," Yami huffed, letting his annoyance and anger be known.

Yugi felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle and his cheeks puff out as he cut his eyes at the two vampires. "You know, I never asked to be involved either of you, but clearly you two seem to think different! On top of that both are you keep treating me as if I'm someone I'm not. Yami you keep me at a distant as if..if I'm the world's most lethal weapon, and Atem you even treat me like I'm someone who you've known your entire life. I… I can't take it. Both of you keep comparing me to him, to Heba, and I'm sick of it. I'm not him! Heba's dead! D-E-A-D, dead!"

He used the back of his hand to rub away the tears forming in his eyes before standing to throw away the broken bowl and left to go get a towel to clean up the rest of his ruined breakfast. Silence finally fell on the three and the anger and tension between them died away, leaving Yugi to finally be able to tell with emotion belong to him. While he could still sense some mixed negative emotions from the vampires, Yugi was exhausted. Their argument had zapped his strength away and the human was left with feeling like a shell of himself. After Yugi tossed the soiled towel into wash and finished cleaning up the mess, the human made him a second bowl of cereal and this time, Yugi took a seat at the small table in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that displayed the beautiful beach scene outside.

Yugi ate his breakfast in complete silence other than the few clings of his spoon making contact with his glass bowl. Yami had joined him at the table, but was focused on the waves crashing on the sandy beach, Atem on the other hand, favored to lean against a nearby wall with his eyes closed in deep thought. The human stopped eating to play with the remainder of his breakfast, swirling the cereal in the distorted milk.

It was Atem who broke their sullen silence first. The Original vampire chuckled lightly, before sighing heavily. " This is one hell of a start to a partnership," The vampire ran a hand through his spiky tri-colored hair, "I have made a such a mess of things."

Yami snorted at the king's words, and Yugi had to sit on his hands to keep from flinging a spoonful of milk and cereal at the pure blood prince. After sending a glare in Yami's direction, Yugi looked hopeful towards Atem, and quickly noticed the dark circles that had formed under the man's eyes. When had that gotten there? It almost made Atem look human.

"It's not entirely your fault," Yugi told the pharaoh and resumed playing with his food. "We're all at fault. Yami, you, and me. We're all to blame for this mess."

Yami said nothing and continued to stare out the windows, but Atem smiled from Yugi's word. "Maybe so, but the question is how can we fix this mess? I would prefer it if we could come to a solution that wouldn't involve us fighting every time either Yami or myself needs to feed."

Yugi pressed his lips together as he thought and played with his food. "What about setting ground rules? " The human teen offered with a smile. " We could layout the conditions of our...partnership. A promise to uphold to certain demands between each party."

Atem's mood brightened and the man left the wall to join Yugi and Yami at the table. "An excellent idea! Don't you think Yami?" Atem asked his mate with a soft smile.

Yami shifted in his seat. He didn't look at Atem, but he did nod his head, " I guess."

The king opened his mouth to snap at his mate for his lack of respect, but he silenced himself by looking towards Yugi for a distraction. "How do you propose that we start this arrangement?"

"That's easy," The human laughed lightly and pushed his bowl away from him and sat straight in his chair. He caught a glance of Yami glancing him in curiosity, though he still seemed set on acting like he didn't care for the conversation. Yugi took a breath before he spoke of his first condition. " I believe, for the benefits of all parties, that the discussion of Heba unless it pertaining directly to a current situation, should not be allowed."

Atem seemed shocked at first, but he quickly hid it behind a poker face of a formal smile. " I agree, for both the sake of peace and sanity, the conversations surrounding Heba should remain dead as the boy."

Yugi seemed pleased by the reaction and looked at Yami for his say in the subject. The vampire quickly averted his gaze back to the sea, but consented with a simple, "Fine."

"Very well, with that subject agreed on, I would like to state my own condition," Atem voiced his demand for attention. " I would like to make the demand that Yami, will renounce his claim to the throne as the sole ruler to the Vampire kingdom-"

"Like hell I'll ever let that happen-"

"Yami!" Yugi snapped at the vampire, his violet eyes glaring at the vampire."Let him finish before you deny his word," Yugi scolded the vampire.

The vampire glared at the human, before muttering curses under his breath and settling back down and staring out the window again. Pleased, Yugi gestured for the stunned Atem to continue with his demand.

"Right," The pharaoh coughed, his cheeks slightly tinted with red, " I would like for Yami to release his claim to the throne to me and then rule by my side as my vizierate, my adviser and second in command."

"Huh?" Both Yami and Yugi spoke in confusion, each mirroring a look of bafflement on their faces while Atem seemed please.

"I don't understand, I thought you wanted to steal the throne and punish Yami?" Yugi questioned the former pharaoh, earning another confused look from Yami.

"In a way, this is doing both while securing the Kingdom's trust and safety. I get the throne, Yami is punished by having to do all tasks I give him, and it will calm the fears of the public because Yami will be by my side and aid me in my rule. He is valuable. Without him, I could not rule with confidence and would be blind to my people's needs and desires. Therefore, Yami will help me with the politics of this age and day, while I handle the threats towards our kingdom. I am sure Yami will agree to this, after all, he will get to keep his titles and most of his power."

Yugi nodded slowly and turned his eyes to Yami, finding the man holding his chin with his right index finger and thumb, while his eyes, a brighter red than normal, stared at the table as he thought. When Yami still hadn't responded after some time, Atem spoke up again.

"By restoring control back to me, I shall take this burden from you, and then once the evil I fear is poisoning our kind has been vanquished, I shall have our bond completely removed so you have no lingering attachments to the Original's calling and can live your life as you will." The king's words caught Yami's attention, and pain was evident in his eyes as he lifted his head to gaze at Atem.

"No, that… what will become of me then? What will I be left with?" The pure blood asked the Original. " This life, serving this country, has been the only life I have known since I lost you. I've sacrificed too much to just abandon it at the first chance I get," Yami declared, his eyes never leaving Atem's. "I would only be granted empty freedom and no purpose for survival."

"Then you can stay by Atem's side," It was Yugi who spoke up and smiled gentle at the distressed vampire. The human reached out to lay his hand over Yami's in a comforting gesture. " He's only trying to make up for what he caused, by giving you the option of living a different life."

Yami sighed and pulled his hand away from Yugi's, he gazed at the table almost looking defeated, before that gaze returned to it's normal cold crimson fire as he glared at Atem.

"I will only accept, if you accept my own conditions," Yami declared firmly.

"Very well, " Atem relaxed in his seat, looking more regal than he meant to as he crossed one of his legs over the other. " Let us hear your terms, then."

"Firstly, I will be your vizierate, as long as we have an equal say.," Yami immediately began listing off his conditions. "Second, I shall keep my title as Prince, but I refuse to be your prince. Our romantic relationship died the moment that stake touched your flesh. Unless I myself make an advance, I will not have any romantic involvement with you and after the public has calmed down, I want you to separate the mating bond completely, I'm not fond of knowing that you still have lingering attachments to it."

Yugi felt two separate waves of sadness collide with his own slightly depressed emotions. Although one was the bitterness of saying goodbye, and the other the feeling of losing a loved one. Sighing through his nose, Atem closed his eyes and nodded, before reopening them. "You have my word, Yami."

Yami visibly relaxed and even smiled when Atem agreed to his demands. When a calm happiness filled him from their bond, Yugi wonder if there was something that the mating bond had been preventing Yami from doing. Yugi was unable to find words or his voice to try and voice his second condition, luckily, Atem decided he would go ahead and finish the rest of his demands.

"There are a few other matters I would like to discuss, now that the major ones have been cleared," The king folded his hands in laps and closed his eyes, looking every bit like a king despite his missing regalia. "I would like to address just a few matters, most which concern Yugi."

"What about me?" Yugi spoke up wanting to know more about why he was now the new topic .

"Your involvement with the hunters," Atem casually stated, opening one eye to glance at Yugi. " Now that you are our feeder, you do realize that you can no longer identify yourself as someone among their ranks, nor can we allow you to have any current connections to them."

Yugi paled and avoided eye contact as dread pooled in his stomach. He had exactly told Yami about his involvement with the I.V.H.A. He could already feel the furry growing inside the vampire.

"You're one of them!?" Yami shouted in anger, standing from his seat and slamming his hands on the table. "Why didn't you tell me Yugi!? This is the breach in the treaty! If Pegasus knows he'll use it to wage war against us!"

"I-I'm not an official member!" Yugi quickly defended himself, a light pink dusting his face. "I was just an apprentice and was still in training."

" What difference does it make? You're one of them," Yami growled out furiously as he retook his seat slowly. "If we weren't bonded, I have every right in my mind to kill you!"

"Yami, calm down. I did not bring this up so you would kill our feeder," Atem noted, being diplomatic in the issue." I brought it up so we can discuss who to protect him from the negative affects of his operation, seeing how it will end in failure,"Atem's maroon eyes were locked on Yugi, not Yami as he spoke.

"Yugi was apart of the hunters long before he and you crossed paths. Influenced to join their cause after a friend had went missing after a reported vampire attack. Besides that, the leader of the hunters in our current location, though it wise to use the child of the very members that had spied on him, to spy on his enemies. Of course our Yugi had denied the mission, but was given no choice in the matter as the hunters decided to resort to blackmailing the human into submitting to their will. He was to become the royal feeder, then report once a month about the vampire movement in the world, but that will never happen, " Atem finished with his eyes narrowed at Yugi."Right?"

"I…I won't report in, as long as my family and my friends are guaranteed their safety from the hunters," The human replied steeling his nerves as he switched his gaze between the crossed Yami and regal Atem. "Can you promise their safety?"

"Yes," surprisingly, Yami was the one to reply. His anger still lingered in his eyes, but his body had become relaxed once more. " I will make sure all of your friends are well protected, along with your grandfather."

Yugi's eyes widened briefly, before he offered Yami a gentle and grateful smile." Thank you, Yami," Yugi almost whispered the the thanks, feeling both grateful and guilty at the same time. When the human continued watch the vampire, he saw how Yami soften under his gaze. Yugi had no doubt the other could feel his own emotions too.

"Yami and I shall take care of the hunters for you, Yugi, and offer sanctuary as our feeder, however, if you should cross us, we will cross you and feed you to your own demons," Atem warned Yugi with a harsh stare. "Understand?"

"Yes," The human nodded politely and obediently. He wouldn't abuse their trust, not after witnessing what the last human had done when he crossed the vampire leaders.

"Now, onto the subject of housing and protection…"

Their negotiation had continued on for hours, until all three parties were satisfied and Yugi mentally exhausted. By the end, Yugi felt like his life was no longer his. He had little to room of say while the discussion was targeted at him, but it was only fair since he was the one forcing restrictions and rules on to the vampires as well. A numerous amount of things, which thankfully Yami had too the liberty of writing them all down so they could have a legal document created to officially keep the terms and conditions of their partnership, stated and unbreakable.

In Yugi's case, he would now call the Muran estate as a part of his home and would spend one week on and off at the modern day would also be a public figure to encourage peace between humans and vampires, though Yugi wasn't sure how this would fair. A few other conditions the vampires set for the human were: no associations with the IVHA, no reckless behaviors or stunts, and finally, he was requested to not pry into both Atem's and Yami's private affairs without consent, including their history together and Heba. All of these Yugi had agreed to without much of a second thought, before he made his own demands for the vampires.

Atem and Yami's conditions were similar. Both were to spend equal time alone with Yugi so the human could get to know the men he was providing for. Both vampires were required to get along with each other, both in and outside of Yugi's presence. Also, neither vampire were to lie to him, and Yugi in return, wouldn't lie to them. Yugi also had individual rules for each vampire. Yami was to forgive Atem for his past mistakes, no matter how long it took, it just had to happen in Yugi's life time. Yugi had requested that Yami to smile and relax more in Yugi's presence. The human had made the argument that if he was going to give his life to both vampires, then they should at least be open with him; Yami more than Atem in this case. Finally, for Atem , Yugi immediately demanded that Atem would not influence Yugi in any way again. Even if it was for the best for Yugi. The human also asked for Atem to forgive Yami for his own wrong doings, and requested that the Original wouldn't hide his personal emotions, thoughts or feelings behind the mask of the king when he was upset.

All of their terms had been agreed to, even Atem's personal one of redecorating the Muran estate to suit his own tastes. Surprisingly, Yami agreed without hesitating, but did state that the ballroom, kitchens, public bathrooms, and his personal rooms not to be touched by Atem's remodeling plans. To this Atem had agreed happily and the conversation had died away the the murmurs of last minute terms.

When all was said and done, Yugi left the table to clean his bowl and finish getting ready for the day. Day was still young and the travel back home to Domino City was long. Maybe, he could talk with his friends and clear up their misconceptions about Atem on the way back. He couldn't stand the thought of his friends being mad at him, or even fearful.


Two weeks later...

Hell had frozen over in the long days that formed the two weeks since the new year and

the horrific Gathering.

Yugi had thought that once a few days had passed, the public would have calmed down and he would be free to deal with his private affairs ...well, privately. But the press of the 21st century would have none of that.

From the moment their plane had touched down in Domino City, even to now as he ate breakfast with his grandfather, a camera was lurking just meters away from him, hoping to capture any event in his life that could be use to discredit him or as a juicy piece of gossip. Of course, it wasn't Yugi they were trying to hurt, but the two men and the kingdom that was tied to him.

Atem's face was in every single place imaginable. Televised news stations broadcast the recordings from the Gathering everyday. Radio stations were divided and either supported or questioned Atem's sudden claim to the throne. Newspapers and Magazines print both false and true stories with Atem's name, titles, and face plastered on every page. Needless to say, both Yami and Yugi's names and faces were always near Atem's, the Lost King who had come home.

But it wasn't the press' constant eyes on him that truly bothered Yugi, no, it was the vampires that he served. Yugi had thought the two would get along swimmingly and rule together peacefully, especially after they had agreed to be nice to each other, but boy was he wrong! Yugi found himself constantly playing the role of a peacekeeper when he was around both vampires, then a guidance counselor when he was alone with just one. The two vampires had similar traits that caused the duo to clashed together in all the wrong ways. Their competitiveness and identical bull-headedness was the most prominent example. Those two traits would always be the spark that ignited the fire of Atem and Yami's fights. Neither wanted to lose to the other, and neither wanted to back down once they had their goal in sight.

Tired eyes scowled at the evil sight before them, while Yugi chewed on his toast with concentration. A picture of Atem, Yami, and Maximilian Pegasus mocked him on the front page of the newspaper his beloved grandfather was entertained with. " The New Year, The New king,and The New Treaty. A Rocky Relationship." Yugi frowned at the title, the few words had been the perfect description for the picture on the front page.

The picture had, at some point, been snapped at the Gathering. Atem's face had been distorted by the lack of proper lighting appearing void of any facial features. Yami was a perfect reflection of his anger, and Pegasus had a winner's cocky smirk plaster into place, but with tension clearly visible in his posture and single brown eye. Yugi didn't have to read the caption or the article contained in the newspaper his grandfather was reading with his morning coffee, to know it favored the Hunters' association.

Pushing away the light breakfast his grandfather had fixed him, Yugi laid his forehead on the cool wooden surface of the dining table. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Can I just skip school today?" The teen turned his head to the side so he could gaze at his grandpa, though he was hidden by the newspaper he held. "I don't…" Yugi fell silent as their doorbell rang once, indicating Yami was done waiting outside for him and eager to leave. The human groaned when he felt the impatience of said vampire wash over him.

The elder chuckled at the youth and laid the paper down to smile at his distressed grandson. "You'll be fine, boy. Cheer up and buckle your nerves down. Remember, you aren't the only one that is suffering from the effects of the Gathering, Yugi."

Yugi pressed his lips together firmly as he stood up from the table and his untouched breakfast. He was well aware he wasn't the only one dreading going to back school today or suffering from the aftermath of the Gathering. Yami had the short end of the stick. Not only had he lost his claim to the throne, though he technically gave it up willingly, he was now stuck with dealing with Atem and all of the mess he had created. While Yami was suffering with Yugi , the human still had his friends who had been left in the dark about his 'house guest' and were also upset with him. Even when he texted, which he has several times in the past two weeks, Jou, Malik, and even Ryou hadn't responded. Only Honda had, and he only said 'K, busy with Anzu.' Just thinking about how upset he had potentially made his friends, caused Yugi to become uneasy.

"What do I say, Grandpa?" Yugi asked his legal guardian as he moved to their home's genkan where his school shoes dwelled. "What if Jonouchi and the other's don't speak to me again? I don't think I could-"

" Hush, son." Solomon took a sip from his coffee. "What will happen, will happen. There's no sense in worrying about the actions of others. You can only focus on your own actions and try to minimize the damage you cause." The elderly man turned in his chair to face his grandchild and offered Yugi a warm smile as he stood up. "You know your friends well. There are things they have kept from you before and you were mad, but it passed and your friendship grew stronger. This will be the same, just give them time." The old man grabbed Yugi's school bag and met his grandson at the genkan and handed the satchel to the young man. "Everything will be fine. Just take it one step at a time, speak one word at a time and help your friends cope with this sudden change. Now go, I can feel your vampire's impatience and I'm not the one with a feeder's bond!" The senior laughed, his smile becoming full and showing all of his sparkling teeth.

Yugi couldn't help but return his own similar smile, feeling inspired and confident, even just a little bit, by his grandfather's words. Yugi stood after finishing pulling on his tennis shoes and straightened out his uniform, not bothering to button up the navy blue blazer. He took his school bag from his grandfather a set off down stairs after giving the old man a tight hug. "See you after school, I'll help close up shop tonight!"

"You better keep good to that promise of yours! Or I'll make you work double this weekend, you hear me boy!?" Solomon called down the stairs to his grandchild tauntingly.

Yugi rolled his eyes as he exited his family's gaming store, but as he moved further away from the comfort of his grandfather, his confidence faltered and the human became unsure again. Violet eyes were quick to spot a tense and serious Yami, who examined Yugi's body briefly with his eyes, before tilting his head to right. "Let's go, we're taking a roundabout way today."

Yugi blinked owlishly as he fell into step next to the vampire. " Is something wrong?" Despite trying to cope with his own unsteady nerves, Yugi was concerned about the stress he felt radiating from the pure blooded vampire.

"Just complications from the press. Bakura informed me this morning about reporters camping outside the front gate of the school. So I decided we would take our time and go a back route, avoiding them. And…" Yami trailed off, crossing his arms over his chest. The vampire wore a similar uniform to Yugi. The only difference being that Yami's navy blue was slightly darker than Yugi's own uniform.

"And?" Yugi pressed on, nudging the vampire lightly with his elbow. "I know that's not the only thing you're stressing over."

Yami scowled, something Yugi smiled out. Over the past two weeks, Yugi had come to learn the different scowls and stern face of the man beside him. This particular one, was one of the more common frowns the vampire used around Yugi. He deemed it the "damn this human" Yami face.

The two walked in silence for a minute as Yami gathered his thoughts and Yugi waited patiently for him to speak. When Yami was ready to speak, he sighed through his nose and kept his eyes staring straight ahead of both Yugi and himself.

"Atem and I fought again late last night while you were asleep."

And there it was, another fight that was going to force Yugi to be the adult in their odd partnership. The human suppressed reacting negatively, and copied Yami's action of staring at the path of the sidewalk he kept his voice even as he spoke. " What was it about this time?"

Yami shifted slightly next to Yugi. "He wanted to sleep with me."

"Well, that's not to bad-"

" With no clothes on either of us." Yami cut his eyes at Yugi, pink was highlighting the Vampire's cheeks, threatening to turn a bright scarlet like his eyes.

"Oh." Yugi sighed and suddenly found anything other than looking at Yami, interesting. "I've fought with him about that before. It was awkward." The human rubbed the back of his head and laughed lightly.

"It wasn't the action that caused the fight," Yami started seeming more troubled than normal by their fight. " He was in my room at the time discussing his wants and found an item that had been precious to him during his reign, broken. Of course he blamed me for destroying it after I had sex with Seth, before I could even explain myself. And then we brawled and Mahaad and Karim had to pull us apart by force. I'm pissed at him, yes, but… I've never been hurt by him. At least, not like this, not on this scale."

Yugi felt sadness coming from Yami and looked up at the older male as they came to a stop a crosswalk. " How did he hurt you?"

"He claimed that I was… that I had been apart of the plan that sealed him and forced him to sleep for so long. He claimed that broke the item on purpose because I was fearful of him gaining control of his powers while he was under the seal. I hadn't! I protected his treasured puzzle with my life! It was shattered on my birthday when some idiot feeder tried to steal it while I was distracted. And I've been painstakingly trying to rebuild it, but I hadn't finished it when he discovered it on my desk. How, just how does that put me in the wrong? How do that make me a traitor to the throne?!" Yami dragged a hand down his face, trying to calm his upset emotions.

"Did you try to talk to him? To explain yourself since he accused you?" Yugi asked as he started to cross the road once the signal turned white.

"No, he wouldn't listen when I tried-"

"Then force him Yami." Yugi stopped in front of the vampire when they had finished crossing the road and placed a finger on the vampire's chest. " You are the Royal Prince, Yami Sennen. Former lover of the King of the Vampire Kingdom, current acting ruler of the Vampire Kingdom. You make him listen to you, demand his attention and explain yourself, even if it means you have to challenge the Original."

Yami's eyes were wide, surprised by how demanding Yugi sounded. It was nothing like how the human acted at school or around his friends. "Show Atem he can trust you Yami. Right now, he's confused, fearful, and…" Yugi struggled to put the other feeling he could faintly feel from the Original through their bond, but shook his head to continue. "He's hurt and even though you claim not to be his lover anymore, still be his friend. Be someone he can rely on and turn to when he is at his weakest."

"Why should I befriend him if he refuses to be a friend to me?" Yami snapped at Yugi with hurt and hate reflecting in his cold red eyes. "Obviously he only wishes to possess me, rather than have my company as a true companion. The King has the Sacred Guardians for such needs."

Yugi frowned at Yami and crossed his arms over his chest while he watched Yami with mixed emotions. "Do you really think that?"

He gave a firm nod. "Yes."

Yugi looked at the man disappointingly. He could tell Yami was lying to himself just as he was Yugi. Their bond refused the lie to be believed, but the human ignored it in favor to bring peace to their situation. Taking Yami's hand without a care in the world who saw, Yugi held it with both of his and smiled warmly at the vampire standing in front of him. "If Atem refuses to seek your companionship, then I'll seek it. If you need someone to talk to, I'll lend you an ear. You may think that I'm only saying this out of obligation, " Yugi paused when Yami scoffed dismissively, confirming Yugi's thoughts that the vampire did think he was just say something out of obligation as a feeder. "I'm not Yami. If we can, I want to be friends with you, and I hope you will by my friend. Not because of the bond or our current partnership, but because we want to."

Yugi smiled brightly as he watched Yami's eyes widen in surprise and his eyes began to shift in hue, becoming more of a magenta and red-violet color. The vampire recovered quickly and gentle withdrew his hand from both of Yugi's hands. The vampire's face still displayed some of his shock, but the human felt the warmth of happiness flow through the bond from Yami. "If you want to, then I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to be on good terms outside of just being 'Vampire and Feeder'." He tried sounding not phased by Yugi's declaration, but the human could hear and feel the vampire's own happiness.

Laughing happily, Yugi turned his back to Yami and resumed their walk to school again. " C'mon Yami, you don't have to be formal with me." Yugi looked over his shoulder as he walked ahead, smiling back at his new friend. "Friends are supposed to be themselves around each other, you don't have to be professional around me all the time."

Yugi's smile brighten when Yami scowled at him, though his eyes still remained bright and alive with their red-violet hue. The eyes he only caught glimpses of from time to time after a feeding session. When Yami caught up to Yugi, the vampire lightly pushed on the back of his left shoulder to make him stumble forward slightly. Yugi steadied himself and looked at Yami baffled. The Vampire passed by him without a even casting him a glance, a proud smirk on his face and chuckling softly. Yugi couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach at the sight. Yami, had smiled. And not some sad smile or a forced grin. It was genuine and true, a beautiful sight.

The rest of the journey to Domino City Public high school, was filled with Yugi and Yami holding simple conversations with no real meaning behind them. They discussed their favorite video games, foods, activities to do. The light conversation, however, ended short when they reached the back entrance to the school grounds. Yami effortlessly climbed over the fence and Yugi had been quick to follow, though he was less graceful at his landing than the vampire.

Yami skillfully lead Yugi to the front of the school, avoiding all eyes until they reached their lockers. The way Yami had moved and guided Yugi through the outside campus of their school was proof the vampire had done this more than once during his student career. Although Yugi had slipped into the school building and to his locker unnoticed, the peace did not last.

After he had changed his shoes to his white school shoes, Yugi quickly found himself surrounded by his peers and their chattering. Questions, cheers, and insults were all thrown his way, to which the teen kept silent or only offered apologetic phrases and denied to answer the questions they had. He pressed his back to the lockers, and his violet eyes searched for an opening, an exit, an escape.

Yugi spot Yami walking out of the entryway of their school with ease, his own crowd surrounding him. Struggling, Yugi copied the pure blood vampire, easing through his own crowd and apologizing as he made his way through his peers, promising to answer their questions later.

Yugi forced his way to Yami, falling into step next to the vampire and caused Yami look at him with a silent question in his eyes. Yugi glanced around at the crowd following them and then met Yami's gaze with his own concerned look. The vampire simple nodded, understanding the human's unspoken request. Most likely Yami had felt Yugi's uneasiness and understood the human's need for his guidance. This was new territory for Yugi. He was used to passing by most of his peers, unnoticed. Now with all eyes on him as he walked through his eyes, Yugi wasn't sure how to respond or act in their presence.

When Yami and Yugi entered their homeroom Yugi perked up when he saw three of his friends, Jou, Malik, and Ryou, chatter among each other and laughing. Bakura and Marik weren't far from them, holding their own casual conversation, until they spot both Yami and Yugi entering the classroom. Yugi felt Yami relax slightly, just like he had when he spotted his own friends.

Yugi left Yami's to go join his chattering friends, hoping that he could explain himself and find comfort in their company. He paused in mid stride when golden brown eyes went from joyful to a heated gaze. Yugi felt his heart sink down into his stomach as Jonouchi glared at him while Ryou avoid looking towards him and Malik acted as if he didn't exist. Yugi quickly looked the other way, in attempt to hide the emotion he was positive that was painted on his face. He quickly avoid his friends and retreated to his seat near the windows. Isolation suddenly seemed very appealing.

When Yugi took his seat, he had hoped that he would be left alone to his thoughts, but he found himself surrounded by his peers asking every question they could think of.

How do you know the new-err Lost King?
Is Yami a good vampire to have as a feeder?
How did you pull of getting to be the feeder for the two leaders of the Vampire Kingdom?
Does Yami wear boxers or briefs?
Are you and Yami in a romantically relationship?
Are you and the King in a relationship?

The questions added to Yugi's stress even when he continuously kept reply with "I can't answer, I'm sorry." Yugi felt comfort from both sides of his bond, both from Atem and Yami, but it wasn't much when the bell signalling the beginning of the school day sounded and his first period teacher dispersed the chattering students to their seats, did Yugi finally find some sort of sanctuary at his desk.

When lunchtime rolled around, Yugi found himself being pulled by Yami and forced to follow the vampire to roof of their school. Surprisingly, Yugi found his friends and Yami's own friends following them to the roof. Yugi wasn't sure if he should be happy and relieved they were following, or worried and upset encase they still treated him like an enemy rather than a friend.

They sky above was grey, threatening to unleash rain down on the students spending their lunch outside. Yugi's hand was released by Yami, only after he had pushed Yugi forward and further onto the roof. Yugi turned to ask Yami why he shoved him, but for the vampire forcing Jonouchi, Malik, and Ryou to face them with the help of Bakura and Marik.

"Now you three will listen to him and quit acting like children. It's understandable for you to be upset, I know that all too well, but you will let Yugi explain himself as he has with me. And from there, then you can judge him." Yami stood tall, commanding. His small speech left Yugi in awe, and all though he was not too happy about the vampire yelling at his precious friends, he was eternally grateful for the man giving him the opportunity to clear his name and defend his actions. But where would he start?

Yugi's violet eyes gazed at his friends, none of them dared to look him in the eye. Ryou looked ashamed, while both Malik and Jonouchi appeared very pissed about their current situation. Given how tense Jou was, Yugi could tell that the pure blood had used some kind of influence to keep his friend silent for the moment.

Nerves kept Yugi's tongue twisted in a knot and prevented him from speaking. He fought with himself internally, trying to find all the words, or at least one, that would get his friends to calm down and forgive him. Once he did, the human had to work up courage to say them loud enough for Jou, Malik, and Ryou to hear.

"I'm ...I'm sorry."

Silence washed over the group and when it was obvious Yugi wasn't going to say anything more, Malik spoke up. "Is that all you have to say? You lied to us!" The tan human stepped forward, then again. He stomped his way to Yugi and picked him up by the collar of his white undershirt. " You are in league with a monster. You lied for him, you covered for him, you let yourself be used by him! You've been so blindsided by- No Marik! Let go of me!" Malik shoved his vampire away with the hand not holding onto Yugi's shirt. "He needs to hear this! Or else he'll never get it through his head that he decided to choose the damned of your kind, rather than us! His friends, his family!"

"I didn't choose anything!" Yugi spoke up, with pain in his voice. "Do you think I would have revived that man if I had known he was the Original? I hadn't the slightest clue." Yugi defended himself against his friend's accusations. " You don't understand," Yugi spoke up, his hand raising to rest over Malik's, he could easily free himself but didn't. "When Atem tells someone to do something or to feel and think a certain, they don't realize it's him. I can resist Yami, Jou, and others. But Atem he... "Yugi applied pressure Malik's hand, forcing his friend to release his shirt. Malik pulled away his hand with a hiss, and Yugi took several steps backwards from him. Yugi sighed before looking at the group of people staring at him, anxiously waiting for him to continue.

"I didn't choose anyone over anybody." Yugi firmly stated. " I made mistakes, and I deeply regret them." Yugi looked down at his feet, before he covered his eyes with his hands. "I don't know what to say, or how to explain myself. I thought I was helping. I thought I was reviving a friend, a lover, a ruler, a savior. I didn't mean… I was just!"

Yami was quickly at Yugi's side when his eyes caught the slightest movements of the boy's shoulders, signalling the start of his tears. The vampire hovered over him protectively, but didn't touch the boy, fearful it would only cause more harm than comfort. Fortunately, Ryou didn't see Yugi as such a fragile being and quickly pulled his upset friend into a hug.

"It's okay," The gentle boy with white haired cooed softly in Yugi's ear. "You're forgiven, I know you meant no harm by what happened. It was just shocking and well….unexpected." The taller teen released Yugi and pulled his friend's hands gently away from his eyes. "This just happened at a tender time. With Anzu missing, and now Honda too, it was hard to cope with the idea of one of our friends siding with the main suspect it their disappearances."

Yugi looked at Ryou in utter horror. "Anzu...and Honda are missing?"

All eyes were wide and staring at Yugi.

"You didn't know? She's been missin' since the day before New Year's Eve and Honda's been gone for a solid week. " Jou finally spoke up seeming shock.

When Yugi's eyes only widened and his panic heightened, Jonouchi turned his golden eyes towards Yami, glaring at him. " Why didn't you tell 'em? Anzu and Honda are Yugi's friends just like they are mine!" Jou placed a hand over his chest as he glared at Yami. " Did you not think Yugi had enough strength to cope with Anzu missin'? He's got more balls than you! He shouldered knownin' his parents had died by a vampire's hand, yet he's still got heart to be my friend! Hell, he's your feeder. He goes through hell everyday since he became attached to your problems!"

Yugi could have hugged Jou for his words. He wanted to agree with him, celebrate, and even add his input to his speech. But the weight of the knowledge of his ex-girlfriend and friend missing, drowned his joy in misery.

"I wasn't aware that she and Yugi were friends currently." Yami defended himself.

"Well, aren't you the ignorant one, Prince." Bakura casually stated with a snicker. He moved from standing behind the pure blood vampire to stand behind Ryou, wrapping his arms around the teen's waist. "Though it isn't your fault, blondie nor the humans were supposed to know, but you know how loose the lips are of some of your subjects. Things just slip out."

Marik snickered from his position where he blocked the access door to the roof. Yami cut his eyes at the tan vampire, threatening him with a deadly glare to stop his laughter.

So it wasn't entirely Yami's fault he didn't know. Yugi felt some relief knowing his friends had been the eavesdroppers or their vampires had told them secretive information not meant for their ears. He wouldn't lie to himself, he was slightly disappointed in Yami for not telling him, but he understood the other's reasoning. Until recently, they hadn't entirely tried to get to know each other outside of the respective roles.

"Have you done anything?" Yugi asked Yami, his violet eyes displaying his worry and concern for his missing friends. "You're not treating this as some runaway case, are you?"

"No, never." Yami pulled out his phone, scrolling through something on the screen. " There is currently a search party deployed, looking for night before the Gathering, I was out searching for clues about her disappearance. We did crossed paths with a few questionable people, but nothing significant."

"Besides the bats from hell that tried to eat you."

Yami cut his eyes at Marik. The tan vampire clearly didn't know how to hold his tongue. The humans turned at their respective vampires questioning, though Yugi seemed to have a anger hinting in his gaze as he looked at Yami.

The prince dragged his free hand down his face and pocketed his phone. "Mutated rogues. No worry, Mahaad killed them and sealed their bodies. He's looking into what caused their mutations."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at Yami's calm response but didn't questioned him. He'd leave the subject alone for now. Besides, the human didn't want to start a fight with someone he'd just became a friend to.

"Ah! I forgot!" Ryou broke the solemn mood, by speaking up. "Our final exams and college entrance tests are coming up soon, so why don't we all study together?"

"We gotta do that! I could use some help from the genius of our grade!" Jou quickly agreed, slinging an arm around Yugi's shoulders and smiling down at him. The human couldn't help but smile back at his friend. Forgiven and forgotten. His sins had been washed away from Jou's mind.

"I'm up for it, though if we have a study group session, I don't think my sister and Odion would appreciate it if we had it in my apartment like last year." Malik waved his hand dismissively in front of his face. "They were not pleased by the lack of food left in our home."

Yugi snickered lightly, "But this year's different, the bottomless stomach has been converted to the raw diet." Yugi punched Jonouchi's side playfully. "He can't eat you out of your house now."

" Right right, I forgot." Malik playfully added. The group of friends chattered together happily, adding more to their plans for a study session. When Yami nor Bakura and Marik had added said anything for quite some time, Yugi turned his gaze to his vampire. He found the other male speaking softly to his own friends, though he appeared serious. Royal business most likely. If he was busy with running a kingdom, why did Yami even attend school? Let alone high school at his age.

When his friends caught Yugi staring at Yami, which he was unintentionally doing, Ryou was the first to ask Yugi about it.

"How come you're staring at Yami, Yugi?"

"Oh!" The teen flustered, embarrassed that he was caught watch his vampire talk. " I… I was wondering why Yami goes to school here. Isn't it a bit odd that the Prince of the Vampire Kingdom attends high school? Even when he's thousands of years old?"

"Ya' got a point there…" Jou agreed and nodded before cupping his hands over his mouth to yell in Yami's direction. "Why do you go to dis' school Yam's? Shouldn't you be going to those classes for the elderly!? To get a GED?!"

Yugi immediately felt the vampire's aggravation through the link and tried to hide his snort when he turned around to face Jonouchi, his cheeks puffed in aggravation. "It's none of your concern!"

"Awe, come on Yam's, me and our pal Yug' here are curious why some hot-shot ruler like yourself is attending high school. Why don't you tell us about it."

"I said it's none of your damn business! I'm entitled to keep certain subjects in my life private-"

"The noble families are forcing him to obtain a proper education. He needs to have at least an associates degree in their eyes, and no college will take him with out having completed high school and standardized public education!" Bakura blurted out smugly, not caring about the repercussions he would face.

"Bastard!" Yami lunged at the white haired male. Quickly the two began brawling, pulling and grabbing at each other until Bakura ended their scuffle by pinning Yami's body down to the ground on the concrete roof. "Another win for me.~"

"Shut up and get off me." The older vampire huffed and struggled against Bakura's grasp.

The vampire with ruby red eyes had a wicked grin on his face as he snarled at his superior, "Make me."

"Bakura, that's enough." Ryou had barely raised his voice, but his stern tone was enough to get his vampire to release Yami with a few complaints.

Yugi was in awe by how Ryou was able to tame the rowdy vampire with just words, while his other friends just rolled their eyes and ignored it. 'This must happen a lot,' Yugi concluded as he walked over Yami, who had pulled himself into a seated position as he rubbed his sore wrists. Yugi offered the vampire hand to help pull him to his feet.

"You don't have to be ashamed of going to school to obtain an education, that's something to be proud of!" Yugi tried to lift his vampire's spirits up with a proud smile. "Besides, Atem will be in that same boat as you soon. He'll have to obtain an education to rule the kingdom, just like you have to. "

"No, he won't." Yami took Yugi's offered hand and used to human as an anchor to pull himself to his feet. "Atem was raised to be a king, he was given a proper education since birth, also, that man is a scholar. He learns quickly and is devoted to having an extensive knowledge in many subjects." Yami let go of Yugi's hand to straightened his clothes. "Which is why he is the eighth wonder of the world. How can such a smart ass be a dumb idiot as well?"

Yugi smiled and placed his hands in his pockets as he felt a passionate feeling flow through the feeding bond on Yami's side. " With how passionately you talk about Atem, you could fool someone into thinking you're still in love with him."

Yugi didn't miss feeling of a brief passion again flowing through the link before it dissipated quickly and turned into bitterness. Yami's face was completely stoic, not reaction to Yugi's comment other than his display of narrowed eyes. "We both know that joke was not 'funny'."

The bell signalling the end of their lunch period rang throughout the school's campus
"I never said I was joking," The human turned his back to his vampire, a soft smile still on his face as he walked away from Yami to join his friends and head back to class. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Once you've learn to love someone, you'll always love them. No matter how hard you try not to." Yugi paused is walk to glance over his shoulder and offered a sad smile to the vampire. "It shows that you have a kind heart."

Yugi left the vampire with those words, leaving him behind baffled as he returned to class.


A waste of resources.

The girl was a dross. He had plans for the her, great plans but her stubborn will had refused to give in when the transformation took place and now she was nothing more than a mindless beast. He had hoped that she would have been a more...promising candidate. She was the first Mixed vampire he had turned, and one that was born into the race and had ties to a pure blood family. She could have been the elite of his creations, who were, until her, human-born. But no, the girl had not caved to the craving of power and lost her intellect. She was no better than a rabid raccoon.

Peering into the room he kept his failure locked in, the man smiled to himself. At least...she still had some purpose and use left. Her failure wasn't a complete loss. He would just have to recycle his old plan and create a new one. On top of that, he did gain one unforeseen piece from her.

"You can fix her, right?"

Oh, no. Once the venom of an Original entered another living being, they had no hope. The victims are conquered by the overwhelming magic. It was ultimately a hopeless situation, unless the Original gave the venom orally, then sanity stayed intact and the magic of the Orginal's venom was naturally absorbed into the body and multiplies until another Original Vampire is born. A curse...or a blessing.

"I can," The lie rolled right off his tongue as if it was natural. His black hood hid his entire face other than the falsely sweet smile he used to soothe the human's worry. The boy had foolishly tracked down the girl's phone before 'He' could deactivate it. " I rescue these poor souls from their damnation. I provide them purpose until the day I can provide them salvation." This time he spoke, it was not entirely a lie. " Follow my instructions, Hitiro Honda, and you shall have you beloved Mazaki Anzu in your arms again, and the man responsible for her demise will lay at your feet."

"How do I know you aren't lying to me? What if you just hurt her instead!?" Ah, this human was a mouthy one. Just like his darling, but he lacked charm.

"Calm down, boy. Just relax. Why not go rest for the night? It's been a long day for you," His words were laced with the sweetest of poisons. Tempting a human was child's play. No wonder the foolish king had to have his powers sealed, even from a young age. Just one slip of control, just the wrong set of words, and a human could easily become a slave. Blue eyes watched satisfied as the nuisance left and went to bed as ordered. The human would be a great distraction when the time comes for him to act, but at the moment he was a pain in the ass. Always whining and moaning about his dear Anzu. Oh how he wished he could just end the boy's pathetic life already.

A particular loud growl came from the room where his failed creation was locked away. Frowning, he fished in his pocket for the bloodied napkin and a picture he had tucked away. "I didn't forget about you. "

Opening a slot in the steel door, the man tossed in the napkin and the picture. Smiling as the savage female jumped on the bloodied napkin the moment it entered her domain. His eyes observed the girls's distorted body keenly. Her once chocolate colored chin-length hair, now reached her shoulders. Her once rose skin was now a deathly white. Her joint had protruded under his skin; her fangs, limbs, and nails were elongated. Her clothes barely covered her body, tattered by her attempts of escape from her cell. Nothing special, he had seen such an appearance several times before, but her eyes had been a first. They were not the typical red and black of his typical soldiers, but a solid black like a void. Her eyes must have been a sign of her struggle against the venom. A physical manifestation of her defect, of her weakness.

"Hate...much..hate." The girl hissed, her black eyes burning into him as she clenched the soiled napkin in her hand. She finally spoke. After weeks of nothing but snarls, growls, and hisses, she spoke. The man watched her closely, observing the new development in his failure. Was she improving? Had she given into the blood lust yet?

Anzu Mazki lunged at the door's window, hitting her head hard on the glass and making it crack, but not shatter. He forehead cracked like the glass and no blood flowed from her wound. Her capture chuckled darkly.

"You gain intelligence now that you are going through blood withdrawal. Funny." He laughed dryly, before opening the door to the girl's cell and entering it.

Anzu hissed violently when the cloaked figure entered her territory. She stood her ground refusing to move even as the man approached her. She growled when his hand touched her throat, but still did not move. Her instincts had been beaten into submission. She couldn't even lung at the man if she tried, the pain that she had endured the last time she had tried, was still freshly etched in her mind.

Her body was lifted up so her face was level with the man's, her toes were barely touching the ground as she went limp in his hold. "You can speak. So, tell me, what do you want?"

She snarled and snapped her fangs at the man, but otherwise did not speak.

Unimpressed by her response, the man holding Anzu helpless, slammed her body into the stone walls of her prison. Stone cracked and gave way from the force and Anzu screamed in pain from the rough treatment. "Speak you piece of trash!"

She was coughing, struggling to recover from the blow .Her black eyes were moist with unshed crack on her forehead had grew, splitting the left side of her face and threatened to continued down to her neck, if not treated. When she still didn't speak, the man hissed disappointed and dropped Anzu like the trash she was.

"I have no time to waste with fake progress."

"Want….I want…" Her voice was raspy and nearly silent, but it was enough to stop the man in his tracks. " Want...this. I want this," A hand held up the soiled napkin she clinged to. "I ...want this." This time her voice was much stronger as she stood to her feet and pressed the napkin to her mouth. Her tongue darted out to try and taste the dried blood, but only scent lingered and no salvation came to calm her parched throat. "Need blood. Want this."

The man turned to face her, bent down to pick something up off the ground before righting himself. "Now, was that too hard?" He asked the girl as he took even steps towards her. "I'm pleased you decided to share your thoughts with me, I should reward you."

When he came to a stop in front of Anzu, he held up the picture he had thrown into the cell with the bloodied napkin, for her to see clearly. "This is what you want, who you want to kill."

He watched as those black voids narrowed as she examined the picture, then slowly started to grow as she recognized the face of the male in the photograph. "N-No. ….Friend… I.. no… but…" Was she going to cry? God he hope not. Crying fools were so annoying, so weak.

"This is no friend. This man's failures is what caused you to fall." He lowered the picture to gaze in Anzu's solid black eyes. "He stole your life from you. He allowed the ones close to him to do this to you. He let you become a monster, he refused to work and help us find a cure for you, and now you shall come to reap what he has sowed."

Her body was trembling with her conflicting emotions. Her instincts must be screaming to kill, but it was so against her soul's very nature, she couldn't even function properly even as a rogue. How pathetic. A disgrace to the vampire kind. Clearly she would have to be encouraged with his powers until her mind accepted what she was and what she has done.

"Mazaki Anzu," With a firm grip, the man grasped her chin and forced her to gaze at him. Shaking his head, the man allowed his hood to fall back so the girl could see his intense blue eyes clearly. He gazed into the black voids that acted as the girl's eyes, fearless as he forced the female to lock her focus on him solely.

"You will kill the man whose blood you crave. You will not hesitate, you will drink till your desire, until your throat quits burning, until your stomach is full. Then, and only then, will you return to my side, where I will reward you with a friend. Understand?"

Her body stopped trembling, finally. Her shocked and conflicted expression had morphed into a murderous snarl, her fangs bared, her eyes narrowed. Ah, she was so beautiful now. Funny, how all he had to do was allow this power of his to influence her will and bend it just slightly, to produce something that was a beautiful representation of the Original's true purpose.

He ruffled her hair and pulled his hood over his head, all while avoiding Anzu's attempts that tried to bite the hand that feed her. He left the girl alone, to allow her blood lust to fester more while he made the final preparations to release her into the streets of Domino City.

As he made his way towards his next destination, the man couldn't help but smirk as he reflected on his work. Thousands of humans and vampires had now been influenced by his blood, becoming monsters that terrorized the public and threatened to cause another war between the hunters and the Vampire Kingdom. It had been fun, but now his creation was starting to bore him. Instead he had another interest.

He wondered, how was the King enjoying his welcoming present from him?


AN: Mother of god, this was a beast to get out, 17,009 words total.

So, everything that could go wrong when I was trying to get this edited, went wrong. I got sick, my beta got sick, Work was a bitch, and I won't even start on my school. But the major delay in this chapter, was my old computer died on me and I what I had written for this chapter. My other content is safe and sound, thanks for google drive, but this was written in words, and...wasn't saved. -heavy sigh-

So for that I apologize, yet again, for another late chapter. ^-^;

On to more fun matters, I have uploaded another story! Sanctuary, some of you might recall it, is story I had uploaded before Traitior then removed for a revamp due to poor plotting on my behalf and me be overall upset by it's design. It's updating will be very sporadic, with no real schedule. As Traitor and my next two stories will be focused on more. Now, as some of you know my next Major project is a story by the title of Carpe Lucem, and oh boy will it be a fun ride! I can't wait to share it with you guys, and check out Sanctuary too, that one will make you think about life a great deal.

Back to Traitor!

So what did you guys think of this chapter? I gave a bunch of hints about the main antagonist, his identity will be revealed soon, but not too soon. I tried to keep this chapter on the lighter side, because the next chapter is another big one! After chapter fifteen, things will pic up a lot, we are nearing middle of the story, about five or so more chapters.

Also this chapter's title was a tough one to name, but I stuck with the simple title because...well can you guess it?
Let me hear your theories and thoughts on the overall story! I want feedback so I can improve and make this a great story to enjoy!

I'll leave you guy with one more piece of information to mess around with and debate about.
Next chapter, we have some warnings, a character death, a lovely scene, and a grandpa. / .u. /

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and continue following this story despite my lack of respect for deadlines!~
I'll see you guys soon!

Remember to read, follow/favorite, and review!

TERMS.

Neb-i ; a title given to those of high social ranking or nobility in Ancient Egyptian times; roughly translates to "My Lord".

Per-wadjet; A city in the upper portion of Ancient Egypt, about a day's travel outside of the current area of modern day Cairo, aka Thebes, the capital during Atem's reign.

Per-a'ah: a title for Pharaoh.

Heka : Magic.

A Tenday: Ancient Egyptians used a calendar system that consisted of ten day weeks rather than seven. There for a tenday is a week, or simply ten days.

Lycoctonum: the Greek/ ancient name for Wolfsbane. A poisonous plant said to have been able to fight off the supernatural and undead.

Nu : A term for a hunter, according to the Rosetta stone.

Behau: A coward, or weakling, according to the Rosetta stone.

Sekh collar: A very large a decorative collar made of the most precious of stones, often worn by those of high ranking in the society during Ancient Egypt.

Kemet: what the Ancient Egyptians refereed to Egypt as.

Waset: The capital of Kemet, where the Great house was located and pharaohs ruled during the middle and new kingdoms. Modern day Cairo.

Ibek teftef hatyek mehy : "You heart is disturbed and your mind clouded!" - an ancient saying from the tomb of King Ramses III, meaning a person has been corrupted.