After Yugi returned with a blush, Atem was confused by, but Shaiya sat grinning about the young man ate his lunch and, Atem waited for him to digest his meal, not wanting the young man to get sick and retch up what he had just eaten. He slid one arm unconsciously around the teen's shoulders when he leaned on him, his hand hanging over Yugi's chest.

Yugi relaxed against the vampire when the silence was broken by the two vampires conversing, it seemed his fantasy hadn't been picked up by the elder after all and if he knew Atem, he was probably waiting for Yugi's stomach to settle before continuing his tale. After all, some of the details of the former Pharaoh's past were rather gory and bloody so he was thankful that the male had such consideration for him.

After he was sure that his stomach had settled and had enough of his curiosity eating at him, Yugi at last looked up to Atem, nodding with a smile when the former Pharaoh looked down at him in silent question.

"I ran as if hell itself was on was on my heels, cursing myself the entire way for letting her go alone in the first place. As I ran, I could feel eyes on me, but at the time I pushed it aside as my fear working at my mind, looking back on it now, if I had paid attention to that feeling we probably wouldn't be what we are today."

The Pharaoh cursed with each panting breath as he ran faster, pushing aside the feeling of being watched each time it returned as he sprinted through the many halls of the palace, quickly looking into each open door he passed. His heartbeat was erratic as he raced through the palace, worried he wouldn't find Shaiya or worse, that he would find her mangled just as the victims in that room had been.

He'd never forgive himself if he did.

When the feeling of being watched returned and stronger than ever and the feeling of being followed joined it, he stopped abruptly, stumbling slightly before turning with fire burning bright and angrily in his eyes, his heart racing as he panted, but saw nothing, not even so much as a shadow apart from his own.

He growled and cursed himself for wasting precious time as he turned back around and nearly fell to his knees in relief when he saw his little sister and Isis walking toward him. Shaiya looked toward him then, seeming surprised when she seen him.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

Yugi sighed in relief against Atem when hearing the princess had been safe, putting a hand over his heart that had been beating in fear, earning an amused look from both vampires that in turn made him blush and pout.

"W-What? I'm glad you found her unharmed.." he asked his pout and blush deepening.

The former princess shook her head in amusement before turning her attention back to her brother.

"Please continue, Atem."

Atem nodded before complying. "You can imagine the relief I felt when I found her and Isis, but I wasn't about to leave her behind. They were both well versed in magic, but I had been right, Shaiya hadn't taken any guards with her."

The former Pharaoh sent a look at his sister at that who blinked and shrugged and Yugi smiled, practically hearing her say "oops" before Atem sighed and continued once again.

"As I was saying she hadn't taken any guards with her so I accompanied them both back to the room where the murders had taken place, the feeling of being watched and followed never leaving... The following day, the sandstorm had finally let up and the towns people returned home and I ordered some of my men out to help with repairs where ever they should be needed, the old man and the boy were to stay with us in the palace until homes could be built for them and the old man's health was in better condition. We had all the victims mummified and sent to burial, and went to bed that evening with high security in the town and in the palace believing that we were safe..."

The Pharaoh snapped awake when he felt the bed jerk, normally it wouldn't wake him because Heba would sometimes get up in the middle of the night to get some water, but this seemed involuntary an forced even. He of course played this off, thinking his queen could have accidentally fallen from the bed and sat up, with a yawn, rubbing one blurry eye.

"Heba?"

The muffled sound of a scream on the floor on his queen's side accompanied by the unmistakable sound of slurping had the ruler shooting completely off the bed however and to his sword which he quickly unsheathed and ran to where the muffled sounds were still coming from, freezing in place momentarily at what he saw.

The old man was pinning his husband in place as he fought as hard as he could to break free, even going as far as biting his hand, making the old man hiss in pain, but only bite harder into Heba's neck, long nails sinking into the skin at the back of the young man's neck in retaliation. Heba's violet eyes were wide and gazing up at him in a silent and pain filled plea for help.

That looked is finally what made Atem be able to react again and with a rage filled scream he drove his blade into the back of the creature. The monster removed his fangs from the young man's throat, blood spraying from its lips as it screeched in pain and threw Heba away from it. The Pharaoh's entire body was filled with rage and he pushed his sword in to the hilt, twisting the blade a full three-hundred-sixty degrees before jerking it up, collapsing the monsters lungs.

That was as far as he went before Heba's pain filled moans reached his ears and he shoved the creature away from him, sword still embedded in its body and ran over to his queen, kneeling beside him and gently moving one arm beneath him to cradle him up. His other quickly went to their blanket and pushed it against the gaping and still bleeding wound as Heba reached up with a bloody and shaking hand and touched Atem's cheek.

"At-Ate..I..love..."

"Ssh do not speak ahku I will get you to a healer.."

"I..w-will not make i-it..."

"Of course you will! I will not let you die, not by the hands of that thing! I love you too much to let you leave me!"

The Pharaoh shook his head in denial, his eyes wide, but even as he kneeled there denying it, he could see how the blood was soaking their blanket and see the light of life dimming in his husband's eyes.

"Guards! Send for the healer!" he shouted, his voice cracking, his eyes stinging, on the verge of tears.

"Ate..."

Heba was struggling to speak now and Atem looked back down at him with desperate eyes just in time to see Heba's begin to flutter.

"No you stay with me now!" he shouted just as desperate as his eyes showed.

"I-I love you At.."

His husband's words cut off mid sentence and Atem watched in horror as the once brilliant and lively violet eyes misted over and closed, the hand on his cheek falling limp to his side, his last breath slowly exhaling out, before his body went completely still.

A scream had just come tearing from his throat when he was suddenly grabbed from behind, Heba's body falling from his arms and onto the floor as he was thrown back, crashing against the wall. The stunned Pharaoh had enough time to look up and see the attacker coming before he felt excruciating pain like a thousand degrees of fire in his neck. His eyes widened further than even as he began to struggle, fight back, and grabbed a handful of the creatures hair, pulling as hard as he could to get its fangs from his throat, his legs flailing and trying to kick it off him, but nothing he did was working.

He could actually feel his blood being sucked from his body, it felt like his very organs were being sucked from that spot on his neck. He fought and fought until he couldn't anymore, his body becoming too weak, his heart too slow and his eyes, now half lidded with weakness landed on his dead love across the room just before his eyes began to close, his heart stuttering and going slower and slower.

From somewhere far off he heard a door being burst open and a screech of rage and pain just before a rust like taste entered his mouth and too weak to even spit, his body instinctively made him swallow.

Yugi was in tears beside him now and Atem blinked back his own as he hugged the young man tightly to him before casting his gaze to his sister who looked like she was fighting back her own. They both knew what happened next and while Atem didn't want to speak it, to even remember it, he had given his word he would tell all. It was time to man up and do just that.

"When I opened my eyes again, I already knew I wasn't the same man I was before, my senses were heightened and stronger, and what my nose told me was there was blood...when I looked down, I saw why. All around me, were bodies every one of them with their throats ripped out, but none mutilated like they had been before the creature lay dead against the wall where it had attacked me and before my very eyes I seen it turn to dust. But if it had stayed there...then that meant.. I could taste something sweet and warm in my mouth and when I reached up and touched my lips...it was blood.."

Yugi stiffened against him now and pulled back to look at him with wide eyes, knowing what he was saying already, and Atem felt a sting in his heart before continuing.

"This time the murderer was me...and a better look at the floor told me that Shaiya was among the victims, but unlike the other's she wasn't dead...not yet.. She was hanging on to life as well as she could and I was filled with desperation. I'd already lost Heba, I didn't want to lose her too. I recalled how I had tasted something rust like in my mouth before I completely lost consciousness and knew it had been the creature's blood, so knelled beside her, bit my wrist, and made her drink from me..."

"Y-You..."

Yugi's eyes were wider than they'd ever been as he stood and opened his mouth as if to say something, but whatever he was about to say died in his throat as he ran to the bathroom and retched the contents of his stomach, leaving Atem with the burden of guilt, stronger than ever now.

TBC...

AC: Well there you have it. Chapter 7 done and ready for reading.

Heba: Y-You killed me! -Glares death at ED.-

AC: Oh, shut your pie hole. You're an ancient character and Atem has romantic interest in Yugi and vise versa, how would you have lived anyway?

Yugi: -In tears.- This is so sad. You had everyone waiting so long, for this?

Atem: -Hugs Yugi and Heba.- Yugi, there's always next chapter, and Heba just because you're dead doesn't mean you're n..mmph!

AC: -Covers his mouth and smiles at readers.- Please review.