Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the next chapter to this story. I would like to thank you all for your reviews, follows, and favourites. I'm glad to see that there are people who are interested in reading. :) So, we now travel seven years into the future where our darling Yugi is now fourteen years old, just to let you know.

Oh, and is it annoying that they're vampires? I know, it's kind of cliché and boring and corny to read about vampires, but surely the plot will keep you all interested, right? ^_^" Anyways…

Enjoy!


A Vampire's Kill

Chapter 2


7 years later…

Crimson eyes remained transfixed on the ruined town that laid before him. Standing on a branch deep within the forest, he could not help but recall the events that took place all those years ago, changing the direction of his life yet again. The barren town was void of a single soul. Doors hung off their hinges, swinging back and forth with an eerie creak as the October wind blew through the area. Dust and broken windows were what lived on, including blood that was not completely removed. They were left to dry, their stains on the concrete floors forever serving as a reminder for his mistake.

That night was the starting point of all their struggles. They lost the place where they received their annual doses of human blood from, and without the town so nearby to their home, they strained in finding elsewhere for fresh blood. It was impossible to feed and get away quietly, for all the places they could go to were big cities and towns that were too far away. And when they were done, exhausting themselves completely, they had to travel all the way back to their home in the forest of Ardglass because it was the only place humans would not accidently stumble upon them.

With a sigh, Atem closed his eyes and turned away, jumping down from the tree. He landed soundlessly on the ground, and with eyes half-lidded, he walked under the soft moonlight and towards his comrade who was picking up the last bits of sticks he could find. The fire for the night had to be prepared, and from the looks of it, his cousin alone bustled about silently. With his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, Atem stopped.

"Where is Bakura?" he asked, slightly irked as he looked around for the green eyed man who was nowhere to be seen. He heard Kaiba's humph.

"He said that he had something important to do."

"And what could that be?" Atem questioned, and he walked over to Kaiba to take a pile of sticks from him, making the load lighter. As he did, he made a mental note to scold Bakura once more for disappearing when it was his time to do chores.

"He gave no explanation of any sort. All he told me was that he would return soon," Kaiba said, and seemingly done collecting, he turned around and started to walk back to their campsite.

Atem clicked his tongue in annoyance as he followed behind silently. What was he to do with his other partner? It was not easy talking to the man. Bakura just loved to disobey him. He would wander off whenever he felt like, do whatever he wanted, refuse to listen to him at times, and would even argue with him almost every single day about something whether it was about his duties to get meals or just about where to sit. He was so stubborn and reckless. Rebellious too. However, as much as it pained him to admit, Bakura was loyal, and always stuck through with his promises. Atem knew that he would be back.

As they neared their campsite, Atem's belief came true. Upon hearing a rustle in the bushes, he and Kaiba stopped and turned in the direction of the sound. Neither of the was surprised to see the third man of their crew making his way over while brushing dirt and leaves from his jacket and hair.

Now he was going to get it.

"Where have you been?" Atem asked coldly, eyeing Bakura who stopped in front of him. Bakura however did not answer right away. He instead chose to moment to continue cleaning himself off as if he heard nothing.

Glaring deeply into Bakura's eyes to see what he was thinking, Atem's eyes widened. Bakura's irises were glowing, the green shine evident.

"You were out feeding," Atem stated, his tone sharp. Bakura instantly looked his way with a raised brow, glaring slightly when met with the hostile expression.

"Oh, shut up," Bakura muttered angrily.

"What did you say to me?" Atem hissed, and as soon as he took a step forward, Kaiba grabbed his arm. Bakura glanced at them with a little smirk.

"Explain yourself, Bakura," Kaiba said harshly, and Bakura let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. Yes, I was feeding, but it was not planned," he quickly defended. "I just went out to find a decent place with a good amount of people for tonight. I just happened to get seen and therefore I had to deal with the issue. That is also the reason as to why I got late. Sorry," and he ended it off on a sarcastic note.

"You got seen? That is so unlike you," Kaiba said. He glanced at Atem briefly before releasing his arm. When Atem closed his eyes and turned away with a huff, Kaiba let out a small sigh and followed him.

After dropping the sticks he held into the fire pit, Kaiba's attention was then turned towards Bakura. His eyes scanned Bakura's always defensive form to see if anything was wrong, and he frowned slightly when he saw no injury of any sort. Bakura was exceptionally good at keeping out of sight. He was so stealthy when he really wanted to be, especially during the past few years. So, how did he possibly get seen?

"How were you spotted, Bakura?" Atem asked. Upon seeing Kaiba's concern, he too was curious to know what made him slip up.

Bakura however seemed to not share their worries.

"I was just distracted-" Bakura started to explain without much seriousness, and at that Atem's voice cut through his sentence.

"What do you mean you were distracted? Distracted by what?!"

Atem's heart raced with that familiar rage Bakura's antics always created. It was fine that he had taken the responsibility to go out to find their meals, but to be so careless that he got seen was not okay. Taking lives when not necessary or under circumstances where the issue was avoidable goes against everything they stood for. Yet… Atem's head started to throb as anger welled up within him.

"I'm getting to it!" Bakura yelled, and Atem found some strength within himself to keep his mouth closed as he looked at the eye roll.

"I saw that child," Bakura finally said, and surprise replaced Atem's irritation. Even Kaiba looked at Bakura with astonishment.

"What child?" they both asked in unison, and Bakura let out a bothered sigh before explaining further.

"Remember that child I had taken from this town all those years ago," he began, gesturing with his head in the direction of the now destroyed town. Cautiously Atem and Kaiba nodded, their eyes locked on him. He went on.

"Well, I saw him."

Atem's insides froze up as the memory of those tear-filled violet eyes, the soft, pale skin, and that tri coloured hair that almost mirrored his own floated up in his mind. He shook it away and looked at Bakura with disbelief.

"Are you sure it was him?" he asked, and once more Bakura nodded.

"It was him, trust me. I would know since I was the one who took him after all."

Atem caught the look of resentment that crossed Bakura's features. It seemed that he was not the only one that held regrets from that day.

Kaiba took notice of the sorrow and remorse that hung over both of their heads. Honestly… They both were capable of finding problems with each other, but not so great at figuring out what was wrong with themselves.

"Why are you both getting so worked up over the child? If you have forgotten, let me remind you," Kaiba started to say. Atem and Bakura looked at him with blank looks. "He cannot do anything to us. He is a human, and so young at the time as well. There is no way he could remember us."

Watching on, Kaiba sighed yet again. Neither of their expressions changed, so he had to turn to other tricks to get them out of their rut.

"Atem, Bakura was the one who ripped your leather jacket," Kaiba confessed, and instantaneously Bakura and Atem's eyes shot open. Bakura started screaming at Kaiba with horror.

"You freaking liar! You said you wouldn't tell!"

"YOU wrecked it?!" Atem screeched. "I should have known! And then you had the audacity to lie to me?!"

"Kaiba lied to you too! He said he didn't know how it happened!"

"Shut up! That was my favourite jacket!"

"Atem!? I swear, I- OW!"

Kaiba shook his head to himself as curses flew out of Bakura's mouth and Atem's shouts resonated through the air. Sometimes it was rewarding being a mediator between two people as stubborn as them. Though, he failed to understand why he himself used to be grouped with their behavior type. He was nothing like them!

Scowling slightly, tired after berating Bakura, Atem dropped down on to one of the logs situated around the fire pit. Kaiba walked to the other side and hopped up on to the large rock, propping a knee up, and quietly they both watched as Bakura dropped the rest of the wood he had into the center. He quickly lit the fire without a word before making his way over to a log next to Atem. Instead of sitting on the wood though, he chose to sit on the ground, using the log as a backrest.

The welt on Bakura's face was an angry red colour, stinging quite a bit, but he chose to ignore it and pretend the mark did not exist. Atem could really hit hard…

It was calm, after all was said and done. Absolutely quiet. Somewhere within the trees an owl hooted, and then the flap of bird wings were heard in the distance. There was no other sound. Alone with just each other, they watched and bathed in the light, enjoying the sparks and the smoke the burning red flames gave off.

"Where is this place you found, Bakura?" Kaiba called after a while, and Atem looked on with slight amusement as Bakura scrunched his nose, completely annoyed since the other broke the silence. He answered eventually.

"Not far from here. A bit up North. It seems to be a city, and at that moment I didn't sense the presence of other vampire clans.

"Good work then," Atem said as he drew circles in the dirt with his gloved finger. "We should be able to feast just fine there."

"The entire street?" Bakura asked, and hearing the wild hope in his tone, Atem nodded.

"Of course. That is the deal," he answered, and Bakura turned his gaze back to the fire with a content smile.

One street every year. No children and elderly to be killed. That was the new deal Atem made starting six years ago, and that was what kept all of them happy until now. It was the perfect, filling, compromise.

His guilt had died over the years.


With his boots slapping the ground, Yugi walked hurriedly towards the Game Shop where he lived.

Throughout the day the boy could not focus. A sinking feeling had settled in his stomach, making him sick with dread. The tension had made him look so terrible that at one point his friends insisted that he leave school early and return home for some rest. In the end though, as he admitted to them, he was just worried. Very worried.

Seven years ago, on this day, vampires entered and slaughtered his entire village, including his mother. All he could do was sit and cry helplessly during that nightmarish moment, soaked to the flesh in his mother's blood while the vampire watched him keenly. He still could not get those red eyes out of his mind.

Before the slaughter, he vaguely remembered that one of them had kidnapped him, keeping him as some kind of a hostage.

Sharp green eyes, pale skin, and snowy white hair also haunted his dreams, and he spent many nights after that shivering with fear in his sleep, unable to run away from the sinister look. Now fourteen years old, he still could not forget.

Shaking his head Yugi tried to remove the memory that was forever burned into his mind. There was no point in remembering. All it brought him was pain.

"Forget! Forget!" he kept telling himself.

After the night had passed, his Grandpa had taken him in, and never again did Yugi step foot into the cursed village. It became abandoned ever since that day, and no one dared to live there anymore. Stupid people were the ones who went there, playing games to see who would last longer in the village, only to be chased away the next day with bruises and ugly gashes on their skin.

It was the vampires. He knew it. Everyone who saw the three vampires that night knew vampires were involved. But, the world did not. The world refused to believe that vampires had killed so many people. The world refused to even acknowledge their existence.

As much as he tried, Yugi knew it was impossible to run away from it all. He had been able to live his life happily with the memories pushed to the back of his mind. But today, his heart sped up rapidly when he sensed a familiar presence near him - looking at him.

From his classroom window he searched for those green eyes, but found none.

"Grandpa! I'm home," he called as he unlocked the door and stepped into the shop. The setting sun casted an orange glow across the game shop floor. Locking the front door, Yugi walked up the stairs to the living quarters just above him.

"Yugi, did you get all of the groceries?" his Grandpa asked from the kitchen as he entered, and Yugi nodded as he set the bags on top of the wooden dining table.

"Yeah," he answered quietly, and pulling out a chair, he sat down and laid his head on the table. He mindlessly watched his Grandpa as he chopped vegetables, and sensing that he was being watched, his Grandpa stopped and looked at him.

"Is something the matter?" his Grandpa asked, and Yugi shook his head.

"No, it's nothing, really," he answered, and he hid his face when his Grandpa crossed his arms and looked at him sternly.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me, young man," he said.

Sighing, Yugi had no choice. He lifted his head and stared at his Grandpa, arms crossed on his lap under the table.

"I just have a bad feeling," he murmured, and he burrowed deeper into his seat when his Grandpa came forth and brushed his hair soothingly. An exasperated sigh left the man's lips.

"Yes, Halloween is tonight." His Grandpa's voice was soft, filled with understanding, but Yugi's bad feeling only got worse.

"They're going to come here," he whispered, and admitting that fact to himself, Yugi looked at his Grandpa.

His grandpa just looked at him with wide eyes.

"Who's coming?" the man started. "Is it your friends? Did you finally decide to go trick or treating with them?" Grandpa beamed. "I'm so happy. This is a good thing. You've never went out ever since…"

"No, Grandpa," Yugi said firmly, and he stood. His Grandpa looked at him, this time startled. "The Vampires. They are coming here. They're going to attack tonight."

Silence. His Grandpa let out a deep sigh.

"Yugi, don't be ridiculous. We've went over this already-"

"Grandpa, I'm not crazy!" Yugi exclaimed. "It's true. They exist and they're going to come here. I can feel it! I felt their eyes on me, and- and I don't know what to do to stop them."

"Yugi, you need to calm down," Grandpa tried to say. "Vampires don't exist. What attacked Ardglass that night was humans. Crazy murderers, okay? Not vampires."

It was at those words did Yugi remember.

Falling silent, he shrugged off his grandfather's hand and walked away to his room.

"Yugi!" his Grandpa called, but he did not turn around.

He entered his room and locked the door. He breathed in deeply, trying to keep back the sob that was trying to escape his mouth. Leaning back against the frame, eyes completely blank and filled with tears as he stared up at the dark ceiling, not bothering to put on the lights.

Just like the world, his grandpa did not believe his words. It was all true though. One hundred percent true. Vampires killed his mother. They killed the kind lady who made cute toys for him, and the farmer who would give him and other kids rides on his horses. His neighbor, the mailman… They were all gone, and tonight, would he lose his friends to the vampire's as well? Would he lose his grandpa? Would he lose more people he knew and cared about?

Sliding down the door, Yugi allowed the tears to fall quietly.

Those three vampires scared him immensely. And why did they do what they did? If he knew, surely it would scare him even more. Who knew where they were right now. Which village, town or city was next? The world thought that it was just regular killings. Wanted murderers coming out on Halloween, going on a killing spree. But, no one could see the truth. It was the vampires, not humans.

Every year the creature's deeds made headlines. A city, village, completely gone in a night. And not just one place. Mass deaths in several places led him to believe that there were more of them out there. Not just those three, because the three who attacked his village was a small group. Tiny compared to the groups who would attack the big cities. And the big clue, the reason they stood out, was because the children and the elderly were spared.

Shuddering once more, Yugi took a deep breath and stood, wiping away his tears. He walked up to the window to take a peek outside, noticing the full moon shining down on the dark neighborhood. The faint sound of laughter from children terrified him, all of them unaware of the danger they were putting themselves in. All he could do though was hope that nothing of the sort would happen. However, even though all was calm for now, he could feel the danger in the air.

Something was coming.


With a confident smirk on his face, Atem walked down a small neighborhood within Domino City. He watched the familiar scene that looked no different from every other year at an odd ease. It reminded him so much like Ardglass. Many years was spent feeding there that all other places just served as a reminder. Children continued to run about collecting candy from neighbors after donning their favourite costume, while their parents ran behind them, calling their names with frustration and helplessness.

He could not understand why the humans were so foolish. Or, were they just reckless? Whether they believed vampires existed or not, they knew mass killings took place each year. Why were they not hiding in their homes, afraid? Foolish they were indeed.

Kaiba, Bakura and he had split up as soon as they arrived. Since they feasted on such big places, so many streets and such, they had to create a new routine. Splitting up made it easier for them to cover more ground than going to a place one by one, especially since there was a lot of people out. And what made it even better, no one would question them if they walked around so freely because they would not be recognized. They blended in with the night sky and other costumes, their dark clothing almost scared the others away. Almost, because sometimes the humans would surprise him. There have been occasions when he was complimented for his outfit. It was very amusing.

Walking past a wooden, half-painted fence, Atem caught sight of his first feed of the year. He sneered as he spotted a woman outside of her house. She was dressed in regular clothing, picking up colourful string off the floor of her backyard. She had her back to him, making her completely unaware of his presence.

Perfect.

Sauntering up to the woman, she barely had time to turn around to question him when a scream broke out from her mouth the second she spotted his long, white fangs. Atem bit down without a second of hesitation and reveled in the blood that spurted from her neck, the fluid running down his chin as he sunk his teeth deeper into her flesh. She fell silent, gurgling for a few seconds before stopping completely. Finished, he allowed her to drop to the ground without care, her form falling on to the blood splattered grass with a dull thump. Her eyes were open, and lifeless.

His own irises glowed brightly. He licked his lips and cleaned his mouth with a black handkerchief he took out from his back pocket, and taking one last look at the body, he turned and walked off with his hands burrowed deep into the pockets of his jacket.

He walked a bit more, taking another victim along the way. As soon as he turned the corner of that street however, he caught sight of Kaiba who was walking out from an alley, wiping fresh blood off his cheek. Their eyes met and Kaiba grinned, his blue eyes glowing intensely. Without verbally telling the other, they walked together to find where Bakura was hiding. They did not have to search long because the blaring of a car alarm down the street took them to him.

The sound had brought out the attention of other people as well because soon the street became even more crowded. People had come out to investigate, especially after the car went up in flames.

"What is he doing?" Atem asked. Really, Bakura never failed to leave him completely clueless at times as well.

Kaiba said nothing in reply, and so they just watched as people gathered, trying to put the fire out themselves. The people stopped though when they saw Bakura prancing around the car, watching them and laughing like a crazy person. That is, until he sunk his teeth into a young man.

The loud cry was like a bullet to their ears. Everyone scattered when blood started spurting out from the man's mouth and they did not stop running, especially when his body dropped to the ground, dead. They were too late though. Like a honey bee scrounging around for pollen on every flower it could find, Bakura grabbed each and every one of them due to his immense speed, and drained them of all the blood in their bodies. His eyes glowed that fierce green that were so unlike his dark, copper ones, and he laughed manically again as each body fell. Blood ran down his mouth as he stared at the frantic people with animalistic glee.

"He sure knows how to make a scene," Kaiba commented, a small, amused smile on his face as he looked on. Atem only face-palmed.

"I think I may have to speak to him about having too much fun when doing this."

"You know what, Atem," Kaiba started suddenly. Atem looked up at him, not understanding the strange tone, one that he heard only from Bakura on several occasions.

"What?" he asked, and he raised a brow.

"You need to let loose sometimes."

Atem's eyes widened.

"What?!"

Kaiba smirked. "It is feeding time! How else can we eat? Go big or go home- that's what I say!"

"I'm sure only Bakura would say that."

"Come on!" Kaiba yelled, and he dashed off without another moment of hesitation. Atem watched him stand next to Bakura, grabbing people of his own and laughing manically with the other.

Sweat dropping, Atem smiled in defeat.

"Let loose, huh?"


Yugi shot up from his work desk as he heard the shrieks and shouts coming from outside. A car alarm or two rang through his small neighborhood, and as he slowly stood up, his heart pounding against his chest and eyes wide, he ran to the window. What he saw had him backing away from the cold glass.

There was blood. People were dropping dead like flies, everyone running for their lives from the dark shadows that chased them down, stopping them from making any further sound and movement. What they left was a trail of blood.

Yugi gulped, feeling his insides freezing up. There was only one kind of creature he knew that could do that.

"Vampires," he said to himself out loud, unknowingly.

Taking shaky steps backwards, Yugi bolted out the door. "No, this can't be happening!" he thought, and he ran down the hallway in search of his grandfather.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!?" he called frantically, and he ran from room to room his fear rising when he heard no reply.

His head started to spin in all directions, unsure of where his grandfather had gone. He was just about to run down to the shop when he froze, finally noticing the little note on the kitchen table which was held down by the salt shaker.

Trembling, he picked it up.

Yugi, you forgot to get milk. How else am I to make dinner? You were studying so I didn't want to bother you. I'm just going to the store to get some. Be back soon. –Grandpa

PS: Don't worry.

His hands shook harder.

"How can I not worry?" Yugi asked, his voice cracking. Crumpling the note, he looked out the window. The screams continued to echo around him.

What was he to do? All of his fears was coming true. It had come true! There were vampires in his neighborhood, and his grandfather was out there all alone. And, to make it worse, who was out there? Those were definitely vamps. They moved to fast to be humans. But, what group? Was it an ordinary group, or was it those three? His eyes widened fearfully. Either way, if caught his grandpa would get killed. He was not that old to be spared if it was those three. Yet, something in his gut told him that it was. If something happened to his grandpa…

No!

Yugi's hands clenched tightly. He had to do something.

Making his decision, Yugi ran and pulled on his shoes and jacket before dashing down the stairs. He grabbed his old baseball bat for protection while he was at it, and taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

Immediately the screams and cries exploded in his ears, and he found no place to run as everyone dashed on by. He looked around the dark street, and not seeing any vampires, he gripped the bat tightly and made a run for it towards the grocery store. All he hoped for when he got there was that his grandpa was alright.

Running in the opposite direction of these people proved to be even more challenging. They were just all over the place. Many were tripping and falling, crashing into things that only caused more diversions on the road. He had such trouble dodging them that he mentally berated himself for not thinking of a better route. He pushed forward though, keeping his eyes peeled in case he saw any vampires. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he froze in shock.

Standing just across the street, was the white haired vampire.

The world seemed to have slowed down around Yugi. He watched as bodies dropped to the ground around that vampire one by one. He watched the blood flying through the air, staining the pure, white coloured hair. And those eyes were just as he remembered them. Green as a snake, transfixing and haunting all at the same time.

Something took over him at that moment. Heat developed within his chest, and clutching the baseball bat tightly with both hands, Yugi began to take steps closer to the unaware vampire. Visions of the vampire sinking his teeth down into his mother returned. He remembered his laughter and his smirk. He could still smell the scent of blood, he could still hear the screams. It all fueled his anger, and tears had him seeing blurry. This was it. He would end the nightmare once and for all.

Lifting the bat, he brought it down as hard as he could, only to have his eyes shoot open.

As fast as lightening the bat stopped in midair, and looking at it, Yugi saw the pale hands. And in one blink, he was staring up into those green eyes that bored holes into his skull.

He did not know what to do after that. His body seemed to have stopped functioning, especially when the vampire ripped the bat from his hands and flung it towards the street. It hit a car window, shattering it. Yugi jumped upon hearing the sharp shatter.

"I would advise against trying that again, kid," the vampire said, and it was enough to have Yugi hurtling fists at him. One by one however the lame attempts were stopped, and Yugi eventually gave up. He shook too much, tears made him almost blind, and helplessly he screamed at the vampire.

"I won't let you do this," he cried. "I won't!"

Trying to block out the screams and the cries that seemed to start up again around him, Yugi turned and ran down the street. He wiped away the tears as he ran, not caring if he bumped into anyone along the way. All he knew was that he had to save his grandpa at any cost.

Unknown to him, the vampire continued to stare at him with an expression that wavered with concern.

Within minutes Yugi reached the grocery store, and as soon as he got there, he stopped. Hands went to cover his mouth with horror and he stared at the dead bodies that lay inside.

"Grandpa…" Trembling, he held on to all hope that was left when he still heard screams coming from within. His grandpa might just still be alive.

Pressing his face against the window, he scanned the store for any sign of his grandpa when he immediately noticed a vampire he remembered quite well, mostly due to the fact that they looked so much alike. Yugi looked into those wild, crimson eyes, and looking at the people he was closing in on, Yugi gasped.

"Grandpa!"

Dashing for the door, he was just about to push it open when all of a sudden a hand on his shoulder stopped him from going any further.

"You should not go in there."

"Why not?! My Grandpa is in there. I need to save him!"

"It's of no use!" the voice yelled sternly, and angered, Yugi spun around only to stop once more. The hand squeezed tighter around his shoulder as he looked up into the cold blue eyes of the third member.

Yugi had nothing to say. He sniveled, tears rolling down his cheeks as he continued to stare into the passive face.

"I need to save my Grandpa," he said softly, through his tears, but in return the vampire shook his head.

"You need to leave," and the vampire gestured towards the one who was inside before speaking. "If he sees you, you may not get out alive. You-"

"I need to save my Grandpa!" Yugi shouted, but the vampire held him down.

"You cannot go in there! If you do, you will only make things worse for yourself. I know who you are, and I know that this will only make you sadder. You need to go. If he sees you again, I cannot assure you that you will return home safely this time."

"I don't care!" Yugi yelled. "You took away everything from me, from people, and now you want to take my grandpa. How can I be okay with that?! He's the only one I have left, so I'm not going to let you do this. I won't lose him! Let me go!"

"Please-"

"No!" and with that, Yugi shoved the hand away from him and opened the doors with a loud bang.

"Grandpa!" he shouted, and immediately the red eyed vampire's eyes were on him.

Yugi's chest hurt as he looked at the slender fingers that were wrapped around him Grandpa's neck, and the long fangs that sat protruded from the vampire's mouth. His lookalike narrowed his eyes at the intrusion, and without warning he dropped his Grandpa to the ground.

"Yugi?!" his grandpa moaned upon seeing him enter.

"Stop, please don't hurt him," Yugi cried, and carefully he walked up to the vampire. "Please don't kill him," and he took a step closer to his Grandpa that was breathing heavily at the vampire's feet.

"And what exactly makes you think that you can stop me?" the vampire asked. He wore a dark expression, one Yugi could not understand.

"Because, I'll do anything you ask. Just leave him alone," he pleaded, sniffling. "He's all I have and I can't lose him too."

"No, Yugi! Just leave! Run away before they hurt you!" Grandpa shouted, and Yugi let out a shout as his Grandpa winced, shouting in pain when the vampire reached down and tightened his grip around his throat the second those words left his mouth.

"You will do anything I say?" the vampire asked, staring hard at Yugi, and with just a second of hesitation, Yugi nodded.

"Anything."


"Atem, you better not dare!"

Pulling his eyes away from the boy, Atem looked at Kaiba who burst through the door, a weary and anxious Bakura right behind him.

"Don't do anything stupid," Bakura warned.

Atem just glared darkly at them.

"Do not tell me what to do. Just shut up," he ordered, and both of their eyes widened. He returned his gaze to Yugi who was looking at them, fear radiating off of him in waves.

Atem's heart swelled.

"In exchange for his life, I will drink your blood in his place." Atem stated, and he did not break his gaze. He watched those purple eyes as they shot open, the boy taking a step back. His mind was a bit fuzzy, his eyes were a bit dazed and his entire system on the inside did something funny, but he ignored the warning feelings. He smiled at Yugi. "Is that a deal?"

"Atem!?" Turning around, Atem looked at Kaiba who spoke yet again, coming closer, confusion and anger written all over his face. Probably realising that he was being too loud, Kaiba whispered. "What are you doing? I thought…" and he paused, struggling to form sentences. His eyes closed and then opened. "It is against our code, the one you created. Then why, why are you so interested in taking him?" And once again Kaiba was stopped from saying more when Yugi spoke, his decision made.

"Alright. Just do it. Take me."

Atem smirked with triumph and shot the look towards Kaiba who continued to stare at him with disbelief. He walked towards Yugi, bloodied footprints being left in his place with each step.

"Atem… please stop," Kaiba said again, but Atem didn't listen. His cousin's words seemed to be on a different land. Nothing made sense to him. All he could see were those purple eyes and that hair, the innocence that radiated of his form like another person he knew.

"Atem! If you're doing what I think you're doing, let me tell you. It is not going to change anything, idiot!" Bakura yelled. "There's no point!" but Atem just kept his gaze locked on Yugi. He watched him shiver in fear, and that made Atem step even closer. His mind continued to block out whatever Bakura and Kaiba were telling him.

"Do not worry. I am just going to… turn him…" Atem said quietly, his eyes refusing to move from the boy, and he leaned down to the trembling boy's neck. Those eyes snapped shut the moment he leaned in, but it was no matter. Atem's hand pulled the boy's head back, and seeing the creamy skin, his seemingly hypnotized expression was replaced with one filled with care. Slowly, closing his eyes, his fangs bared themselves and grazed across the stiff with fear skin.

"Why are you doing this?! Please, I am begging you to stop!" Kaiba shouted, but Atem was already lost.

"Yugi, don't do it!" the old man yelled, getting to his feet, and instantly Atem turned around and hissed at him. Giving one look back towards Bakura and Kaiba who were staring at him with worry and anger, Atem turned away and did not hesitate to sink his teeth into the young boy's neck.

Instantly Yugi's legs buckled under the pain, but Atem held him up by wrapping his arms around his waist and holding him tightly. He sucked lightly and carefully, all the while dwelling in the fluids that pooled out of the skin. It did not take long for the boy to convulse and then go limp in his arms from shock. Pulling back, Atem healed the skin with a little lick and just held him gently, looking at the closed eyes and long lashes.

"Yugi!" the old man yelled, and as he ran forward, Kaiba and Bakura stopped him in his tracks before turning back to Atem.

"What have you done?" Bakura asked quietly, disappointment and sadness laced in his words, but Atem did not reply. He just held the boy in his arms, using his hand to ease the spot where he had bitten like a mother healing their child's injury.

"He made a deal," Atem then decided to answer, his words coming out soft and slow. "Besides, we need more recruits if we plan on obtaining a big enough group to get our clan and our status back."

"Since when did you care about getting the clan back together?" Kaiba asked steely, and his blue eyes burned into Atem's red ones. "That is just an excuse. You and I both know the real reason why you did what you did."

"You are the one reading this wrong. It is nothing like that," Atem said, and his eyes bored just as harshly into Kaiba's ones. Anger swelled up on the inside as he tried to figure out what Kaiba was hinting at. In the end though, it did not matter what they thought. He was in charge, and only he knew the reason. Not them. They could think whatever they wanted to think.

"I just knew that he would be a perfect addition. I can sense something within him," Atem shot back, and lightly he sat Yugi on the floor.

"No, you are just being foolish," Bakura stated. "You just killed this boy to soothe that pain you have from being-"

"Shut up!" Atem yelled, and his eyes glowed brightly as he shot daggers at Bakura. "Just shut up. You know nothing, so I suggest you stay quiet."

Bakura was about to shoot him a reply of his own, but was stopped by Kaiba who looked at him with a knowing expression. Nothing they said would get through the veil Atem had put around himself.

Atem pulled away from eyeing them when Yugi awoke, groaning and bending over. Atem kneeled down and held him tightly, rubbing the boy's back in circles for a few moments soothingly before picking him up and standing.

"Do not worry, the after effects will wear off soon," Atem whispered, and as Yugi turned to him in a daze, everyone watched with shock as Yugi's purple eyes glowed brightly. His Grandpa gasped as he saw the glowing eyes and his grandson's trance-like state.

"Let's go," Atem ordered. "We are done for tonight." And taking a few steps, he turned around to see Kaiba and Bakura still glaring at him before eventually, stiffly, following behind him with a nod.

"You demons, you'll pay for this!" Grandpa yelled, standing, and looking at the three of them Atem stopped once more to smirk at him.

"We will see," he said. And with that, he sped off, Kaiba and Bakura casting a pitied look at the frantic and shocked man before running off as well, disappearing into the night.

Atem looked at the boy who clutched him unknowingly as he slept, the two holes in his neck closing by the second. Warmly, Atem smiled at him before hiding him away in his jacket where he would not be seen by others. He hugged him as if his life depended on it, and he could see Kaiba and Bakura running quietly beside him. Feeling a pang of guilt as they reached the forest, Atem looked at them.

"I just wanted-"

"Stop it," Bakura snapped. "We don't want to hear it. You think you did well for all of us by killing him? Let me tell you that you're just lying to yourself. You know the reason, and frankly, it's quite selfish and hypocritical of you."

"You did not want to kill children for a reason, Atem," Kaiba continued. "Yet now you go off and kill this child just because he reminds you of…" he grunted, unable to go on.

"It is not because of that!" Atem shouted. "It's not…" and he looked at Yugi once more to see the purple, devastated eyes looking up at him, still not in complete focus. "I did not do it because of that."

His voice did not sound so sure, and the two other vampires did not bother trying to fight him anymore on the matter. They were forced to be quiet, stay silent, desperately trying to ignore it even though the truth swam between them all, none taking it in so that it flew through their mouths.


And that's the end of another chapter. Quick question… Are they flowing together properly? Does it seem like an entire fic or does it still seem separate? I tried my best though, and I'm loving these chapters even more.

Thanks for reading. I do hope you enjoyed it. Please review!

Bye~