Small Note

Sakura: I think some of my readers are starting to catch on to what may or may not happen. Just keep looking for clues, because we are slowly moving into the more interesting part of the story. Well the more interesting part will happen soon, but for now we need a little more Yuugi and Yami fluff, so enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Six

Vampires

Blood thirsty monsters or misunderstood creatures

The King of Vampire city was a kind ruler to all his people so long as they followed his rules. However if someone stepped out of line there was a price to pay. Never in all his life had Yami felt such pain as he did when he saw the fear in Yuugi's eyes. When Yuugi left his office, he just wanted to pull him back and keep him close. If Yami had any true weakness it should be the love he felt for his family. So badly Yami wanted to make the man pay for putting that look onto his mate's face, but there was nothing wrong with asking questions. It was perfectly natural for humans to be curious about vampires given they shared a city with them. The King only had a problem when humans wanted to get rid of the existence of vampires. It had happened back in his past when the Hunters force the vampires to build and live in this city. That had been thousands of years ago and no case of human rebellion had been around since then. As far as the King was concerned the Hunters had all died out, but there was still the fear within him that some were still around and keeping an eye on his city.

Since his thoughts were turning back to a past he rather forget Yami focused on the task at hand. There were new arrivals waiting to see the King and he wanted to get it over with so he could check on his spouse. Jason and Raven were both standing out in the hallway talking quietly to one another just outside the kitchen doors. There were small noises coming from the kitchen but not the usual chatter he was used to hearing around the main meal times.

The two stopped when they saw Yami and Jason took note of the fact that Yuugi was not with him. "Where did Yuugi go?"

"He had some things he wished to tend to, so I'll be handling the new arrivals on my own." Yami explained to them. He could see the worry in their eyes and it was easy to tell he wasn't the only one who had noticed how Yuugi had been acting. "Raven, Mr. and Mrs. Liddell will only be here for a short while, so I would like to escort them to Mr. Liddell's sister's house once they have finished their meal. Here is the address…" He handed her a piece of paper, before turning toward his son. "I would like for you to escort Mr. Smith to my office once he has finished his meal. If I'm not in my office wait for me, since I have a small errand to run."

Jason nodded toward his father and then turned to his wife. "You think you know the way well enough?"

"I know the city well enough to do this for the King. Don't worry about me so much." Raven said as he pinched Jason's cheek before going back into the kitchen.

Jason blushed and turned to his father when he heard him chuckle. "What?"

"Nothing son, I just find it amusing how much married life has changed you."

"That's not a bad thing is it?"

Yami shook his head and patted his son on the shoulder. "It's not a bad thing at all. It makes me and Yuugi happy to see the two of you so happy together. I was worried you would never find yourself a wife."

"I just had to wait hundreds of years to find the right one." Jason said with a smile. There were so many others he thought he loved, but unlike them there was something special about Raven. After all they had been through before the war this marriage was a blessing to the both of them.

"It's always worth the wait to find that one person who will always remain by your side." Yami told him, before he made his leave. He still had that errand to run before his meeting with the human Daniel Smith.

The council's quarters were quiet as Yami walked down the halls since some of his close friends were either already up or still asleep. This was why most of the meetings were held in the afternoon before dinner time. It allowed everyone to get a good nice sleep and deal with their morning routine before moving into their jobs around the place. There were at least two people Yami knew of that were still asleep and he was headed to one of those rooms now. He knocked as loud as he could so he wouldn't be ignored and then waited.

"WHO THE HELL IS IT?"

Yami had to hold in the laugh that wanted to come forth. Only his close friends could get away with speaking to their King like that. "Bakura it's nearly breakfast time, so I think it's about time you got up."

"Oh yeah well make me you royal pain in the ass," Oh yes only Bakura could get away with saying comments like that to the King. If anyone else had said that, Yami probably would have them thrown in jail for the night out of disrespect for their King.

"Kura!" Another more angelic voice spoke up. "What did I say about your language?"

The room was quiet for a minute before the sound of someone falling on the floor sounded within the room. Either it was an accident or sweet little Ryou just taught his mate a lesson.

"Hell Ryou! What the bloody hell was that for?" Bakura shouted.

"He had a point when he said it was time to get up. Now get ready for the day or I'll punish you again." Ryou threaten Bakura, before there were footsteps and then the door to the room opened. It revealed Ryou in a robe and boxers and in the background was Bakura on his back on the floor with only a sheet to cover him.

Ryou offered Yami a smile, before stepping into the hallway and shutting the door behind him. "Sorry about him, what is it you need?"

"I won't take too much of your time, but I need to ask a favor of you."

"Of course, what is it?" Ryou questioned with a look of confusion. He did not do much around the palace except some work with Bakura. If there was anything the King needed him to do he would do it.

Yami knew Yuugi would probably be mad at him for this, but at the moment he knew Yuugi needed someone who could understand what he was going through. "We had some new arrivals come in today, so Yuugi went to pick them up. One of the humans started to ask questions and Yuugi got freaked out. I know he has probably gone off to see Joey, but I think he needs an older friend to help him feel better." There were times when Yami could be there for Yuugi, but at the moment he couldn't.

"Could you tell me what happened?" Ryou asked concerned for his friend. Yuugi was a sweetheart to everyone at the palace. Over the years Yuugi had become close to Ryou, Malik, and Kisara even though he already had a close friend by the name of Joey. All five of them had hung out together numerous times and become like family to each other so when one of them was hurt everyone seemed to feel the pain.

"I'm not sure why he asked Yuugi this question, but the human asked Yuugi how vampires die. Yuugi had no idea how to act or answer that question. I also don't blame him for keeping quiet." Yami explained to Ryou and wasn't at all shock by the shocked look on Ryou's face. Ryou would understand given he had been a newborn at one point. If anyone could help Yuugi understand his feelings it was Ryou.

It seemed Ryou needed to know nothing else as he put a reassuring hand on the King's arm. "Don't worry, once I get Bakura up I'll go and see him." He offered his friend a smile before returning to his room.

Yami thanked Ryou, before he went inside and once the door was closed Yami headed back to his office. Yuugi would never be alone so long as he had his family and friends around. There may be some internal battles Yami could not fight for Yuugi, but he sure as hell won't let anymore humans make his mate feel uncomfortable ever again.

There was no surprise that Ryou found Yuugi and Joey in the children's game room when he went in search of the two. Yuugi even though he was older still had a soft spot for any kind of game and never backed down from a challenge. The two had been in the middle of a fighting match against each other until Yuugi finally delivered the final blow that took Joey out. The blond groaned and lay back on the floor with a sigh, "I'll never beat you!"

Ryou chuckled which caused both to turn and look at him. He offered a smile and took a spot on the other side of Yuugi. "I see Yuugi still holds the title as King of Games."

"He's never gonna lose it!" Joey laughed, "He doesn't even have to go into retirement now that he'll be young forever."

Yuugi laughed with him as he took the game out. "One day someone will beat me, besides I just enjoy games it's not like it's my job." He turned to Ryou with a smile. "I'm surprised Bakura let you out this early, he still asleep?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, Yami needed him to do something and I was already up so I forced him out of bed. Yami told me you and Joey was hanging out and with Bakura busy I thought you wouldn't mind me coming around." He hated lying to Yuugi, but he wanted to slowly bring up the conversation. Yuugi was happy for the moment and it wouldn't hurt for it to stay that way for a little while longer. Plus it would be easier to talk to Yuugi when it was just the two of them.

Joey stood up and dusted his pants off. "Well, why don't you see if you can beat him? I need to go get some snacks." He ruffled Yuugi's hair before hurrying out of the room.

Yuugi rolled his eyes at Joey's antics. "Even as a vampire he has a bottomless pit for a stomach." As he turned to look for a new game to play, he continued to talk. "Yami sent you didn't he?"

"I guess nothing gets pass you. I wasn't sure if you had told Joey what had happened?" Ryou told him, which wasn't far from the truth.

Yuugi shrugged. "I was going to talk to him, but I couldn't get the words out. I lied and told him I wanted to hang out with him since we hadn't in a while. When he suggested video games, I took the chance to take my mind off what had happened."

"I'm here if you want to talk. I know what it is like to be such a young vampire. I mean I'm still young compared to Bakura and Yami, but I'm older than you." Ryou pointed out, "I heard from Yami what had happened and I wanted you to know that you're not the only one who has been asked things like that."

Yuugi paused in his search and looked at Ryou over his shoulder. "Have you ever been asked how vampires die?"

Ryou shook his head at the question. "No, but I was once asked by a vampire what my weakness was. It's typical for other vampires to be curious about other vampires' weakness since they want to be careful not to cause harm. That's why most new vampires go under that test, so they can take the precautions not to use anything that could harm them." He gave Yuugi a gently smile, "You should have seen me when that vampire asked me. I was out shopping with Bakura and we happened upon a vampire run shop. It had all kinds of clothes and accessories. The owner thought it would be nice to help us and he asked both me and Bakura what our weakness was so he could help us shop. There was silver sold in the shop along with perfumes that could harm the wrong vampire. I nearly flipped out when he asked. I froze up and clung to Bakura's side afraid to even look at the guy. Bakura seemed to have an idea of what was wrong and he cursed the guy out for being so blunt in asking a question like that to a newborn."

Yuugi had stopped his search and had turned to listen to Ryou as he told his story. "You flipped out just because he wanted to make sure you stayed safe?"

Ryou nodded. "I knew my weakness at the time since Bakura wanted me to stay safe, but in the back of my mind I felt scared to tell anyone else. I held this fear of someone being out there and killing me because they knew my weakness."

"I guess no vampire wants to reveal what they are weak against." Yuugi sighed and reached up to grip his locket. "Yami made me go through the test once he felt I was ready and it was the scariest thing I had to do. I was worried I would be weak against so many things and it would make any one able to kill me easier. When that guy asked me that question I was worried about saying the wrong thing. I mean who goes around asking if vampires can die."

"They are either really curious or completely stupid," Ryou said as he reached out to hold Yuugi's other hand. "Just remember that no one will let anything happen to you. After today you will never have to see that guy again. Hopefully he learns to keep his mouth shut or he'll end up pissing off the wrong vampire."

Yuugi nodded and reached out to hug Ryou. "I'm glad you're around. You always say the right things to make someone feel better."

Ryou returned the hug and said, "I'll always be here to talk if you need someone."

As soon as they broke apart, Joey walked back in with a few snacks to share with his friends. "So what game are we playing next?"

Yuugi and Ryou chuckled, before looking for a game they could all play together.

When the sun was finally setting, Yuugi stood on the balcony to his room to watch it. He had a fun filled day with all his friends and it had made Yuugi feel better. Sometimes a day off was needed from everyday life and it allowed Yuugi time to take his mind off work, children, and even being co-ruler. His family was always important to him, but the children were more than able to take care of themselves.

The only thing Yuugi felt bad about was leaving Yami to run the city by himself. The King had been busy all day and was not seen for both lunch and dinner. While he handled the meetings after lunch, Yuugi was going downtown with his friends. He knew Yami had been ruling the city by himself since before Yuugi was even born, but still he was co-ruler and all the responsible was not on Yami's shoulders anymore. After dinner, Yuugi finally went to Yami's office to check on his husband and found him hard at work on some new building plans. Some buildings needed repair as they grew old with age and the city needed to always look it's best and there were a couple new businesses popping up. It was a lot of work to do for one person, so Yuugi pulled his husband away and promised the two of them would finish it tomorrow.

When they made it back to their room, Yuugi ran Yami a bath for the King to relax in before he traveled out onto the balcony to watch the sunset. It was his favorite part of the day and he never missed it. As he watched the streetlights come on one by one, Yuugi felt arms wrap around his waist. He shivered as his husband trailed kisses down his neck.

"It's beautiful isn't it," Yuugi said as the city was put into an orange and yellow glow from the setting sun.

Yami turned Yuugi around and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Not as beautiful as you," He picked Yuugi up bridal style and carried him back into their room. Yami gently placed his partner on the bed and crawled up beside him so he could wrap his arms around Yuugi.

Yuugi breath in the spicy scent of his husband and also blushed when he took note that Yami was only in a towel. It seemed Yami had cut his bath short in order to get back to Yuugi. "I went through all the trouble and you don't even relax long enough in the bath." Yuugi teased as he pinched Yami's cheek.

"I could have stayed in longer if a certain someone had joined me," Yami teased right back. "It's so lonely and cold without you there."

A bright blush marked Yuugi's face as Yami's hands found their way under Yuugi's shirt. "You are just trying to get lucky," Yuugi pointed out and really he didn't mind. Yami sure knew the way to treat Yuugi that made him feel like jelly.

"And what if I am?" Yami whispered in Yuugi's ear. After what Yuugi went through earlier that day, he just wanted to make Yuugi feel special and loved.

"I'm sure we could work something in," Yuugi gently kissed his husband on the lips, before pulling away with a sad smile. "I'm sorry for leaving you with all the work today."

"You have no reason to be sorry," Yami stated as he pulled back some. He figured they could talk about this later, but it was probably a good idea to get it over with. "I had a talk with Mr. Smith and he was sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable. I warned him that some vampires don't take too likely to that question and he informed me he wouldn't ask it again."

Yuugi nodded. "I talked with Ryou and its feels good to know I'm not the only vampire who has gone through this."

Yami smiled down at Yuugi. "It's natural and it's what makes vampires seem more human. We have fears just as humans do and it's not like we can't die. We do have longer lives and minus the fact we drink blood we are more similar to humans than they think."

"I sometimes still feel human," Yuugi confessed. "When I hang out with you, the children, or even our friends I continue to feel like my old self. The only thing different is that my body doesn't age anymore." He bought one of Yami's hands around so he could link their fingers together. "I say we both look good for our ages."

Yami had to laugh at that as he lean his forehead on Yuugi's. "Who would ever thought such an old man like me could find such a hot young thing like you."

Yuugi couldn't help joying in as they laugh together and held each other. When they finally quiet down, Yuugi looked up into Yami's eyes and loved to see those beautiful mismatched eyes looking back at him with love in them. He knew he had nothing to fear so long as he had his husband by his side. Yami had survived two wars one in Ancient Egypt and the other the rebellion in Vampire City. He had seen and been though more than Yuugi had in his life, so if there was anyone who could love and protect Yuugi it was Yami. They were a family along with their beautiful children.

Vampires may seem like cold creatures who feed on human blood, but the humans of vampire city often overlook the true nature of a vampire. They have families, lovers, and friends. These individuals have people they love to protect and even have their own fears. If anyone wanted to meet a true vampire then the King of Vampire was someone to meet.

"I love you so much," Yuugi found himself saying after a while of silence. It was never needed to be said, but there were just times when Yuugi felt the need to say it out loud to prove it even more.

"Just as I will always love you," Yami replied back as he pulled Yuugi close and pulled him into a passionate kiss. They spent the rest of the night proving to each other how much they loved each other.

Sakura: This one gave me a little trouble, but thankfully it is finished! I'm sure some people are still curious as to what Yuugi's weakness is but that will come in later. Also look forward to the story picking up some more as the plot slowly starts to build. I want to make this story as long as possible, but continue to make it interesting to readers.

Yumi: Review!