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Chapter 1 A man with long bluish-white hair and mismatched eyes was sifting through what remained of the large mansion that lay at the edge of the city of Domino. Normally, he would have left after having had set the fire that caused the once spacious home burn completely to the ground, but the next evening, he had suddenly gotten a strange feeling as if someone were trying to call out.That is what found him creeping and crawling through the ruin. Lifting heavy wooden beams like they were matchsticks, he searched for the source of the pulling call. He stopped at each char-broiled corpse and cruelly tore each one into the tiniest of pieces whether they were servant, prisoner, or kyuuketsuki. ‘Can’t risk any of them coming back,’ he thought as he continued his search.After a few more minutes, he came across a pair of corpses. One was about the size of a child, or a very short kyuuketsuki (vampire), the one he’d been searching for. The other corpse he could have cared less about. It was only a poor pathetic mortal female who had obviously died in the inferno while protecting the little one from the collapsing mansion. The kyuuketsuki’s corpse was completely blackened, but could still be recognized.“Found you my little gem,” the man said, bending down to examine it further. In spite of the lack of a pulse, he could sense the faint presence of the kyuuketsuki’s mind. Smirking evilly, he took out a jeweled dagger from a sheath at his side and slit his wrist with the razor sharp blade. “I know you can hear me, little one,” he said pressing the bleeding appendage to what was left of the corpse’s mouth. “Now drink.”Blood flowed freely into the corpse’s mouth for a few moments, then he suddenly felt razor sharp teeth sink into his flesh and a burnt hand grasp the offered wrist. Smiling, the man made himself comfortable as the smaller kyuuketsuki continued to suck out the precious life giving fluid.Two minutes later, he shoved the burnt kyuuketsuki firmly, but gently, away. He wasn’t about to give his life up just yet. “I know you need more, little gem,” he said quickly snatching the now healed wrist away when the kyuuketsuki made to grab at it again. “But I’d die and how e would you find help, hmm?” The smaller one looked up at him, looking much better, though not by much. Instead of sporting a skin of jet black, he now the bright pink skin of one who had been severely burned. His once tri-colored spiky hair reduced to the size of peach fuzz. Bright amethyst eyes looked gratefully at the mismatched pair.“T-Thank you,” he croaked. “W-Where…”The kyuuketsuki’s savior smiled sadly at the lone kyuuketsuki. “I’m sorry little one, your friends are gone. Dead,” he explained, when the smaller looked at him in confusion. “The mortals destroyed their bodies, to make sure none of them survived. They somehow missed you, though.”Tears of blood started to flow from the little one’s eyes as he struggled to stand. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” he wailed, “BAKURA-SAMAAAAAAAAAAA! RYOU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!” Unable to stand on his own, the kyuuketsuki scrambled over the rubble in a desperate attempt to search for his lover’s and master’s remains.The taller man quickly grabbed hold of him, wrapping his arms tightly around the petite waist in a vise like grip. “Don’t little one!” he chided, “You’ll only wind up hurting yourself more.” However the smaller one refused to listen and continued to struggle against the stronger man. “There now,” he crooned, “It’ll be all right now. I’ll look after you.” He gently kissed the top of the mostly bald head, imagining how it would be to nuzzle into the soft spikes once they grew back.After spending half an hour holding and soothing the smaller kyuuketsuki, the taller man gently lifted the now sleeping boy and strode away from the destroyed Kaiba mansion, this time for good. “You belong to me now, little gem,” he whispered smugly, extremely pleased with himself and his handiwork, twin fangs barely making their presence known as he grinned at his prize. “You shall spend the rest of your eternity with me, and me alone.’ ************** Over the months it took for Yugi to recover, they traveled throughout Nihon (Japan) then gradually made their way west across the sea to China, where they finally made their home in an abandoned ancient palace. During that time, the pale haired kyuuketsuki found himself hard pressed not to act as he normally would. After all, he wanted the smaller one to not only trust him, but feel indebted to him as well. Once he had been sure that Yugi would not feel the need to run off by himself, he began to show his true colors. Those of a harsh and cruel master.“Really Yugi pet,” he said placing the whip back on the rack he’d gotten it from. “You ought to learn by now, that I am your master now. You would do well to obey me.”Yugi let out a hoarse whimper, his throat sore and dry from the many lashes he received. “N-Not… master,” he croaked, bloody tears running down his now fully healed cheeks.“Really now?” the taller kyuuketsuki asked, as if they were discussing the weather. “I would think that you should be a bit more grateful. Now, who was it that dragged your burnt corpse from that horrible fire?” Yugi couldn’t answer, still in pain, his arms adding to his suffering as they hung from the chains attached to the dungeon ceiling. Sighing, he picked up the whip again, and sent it flying to the little one’s mutilated back. Yugi only whimpered as he felt the burning sting of the blessed leather of the whip hit his bleeding and torn flesh. “Now are you going to answer me? Who was it that saved you?!”“Y-You…” came Yugi’s barely audible reply.“What was that, little gem?”“Y-You. Y-You s-saved… m-me,” he stuttered.“That’s right, I did, didn’t I? Now tell me, pet, who is master?”“B-Bakura…” he said, silently crying for his now dead master.Whoosh. Crack! went the whip and another hoarse cry was ripped from poor Yugi’s abused throat. “Oops, my hand slipped,” the taller kyuuketsuki said in mock apology. “Now what was that you just said?”“D-Dartz… sama,” the slightly younger kyuuketsuki gasped, near fainting now.“Say that one more time, my sweet. Who am I?”“D-Dartz… m-mas…” Yugi had passed out, the pain and blood loss too much for his tormented mind.Smirking evilly, Dartz began to unchain the weakened fledgling. “Now that wasn’t so hard was it?” he asked the unconscious kyuuketsuki, gathering him up into his arms and leaving the blood stained and reeking dungeon. “If only you’d accept that sooner, my love, I wouldn’t have to inflict anymore pain on you than you already had.” ********** A few hours and several mortals later, Dartz was sitting patiently by a large ornate bed, waiting for its occupant to wake up. The pale haired kyuuketsuki didn’t have much longer to wait, for the petite kyuuketsuki was groaning and trying to sit up. Rushing over to the little one’s side, Dartz helped his smaller companion, forcing him to sit in his lap as he began lounging against the many pillows piled against the headboard. “Now, now, remember what we talked about,” he warned when Yugi tensed and struggled at the vise grip he found himself in, “We wouldn’t want to have another lesson, now would we?”The little one froze, shaking his head.“Answer me when spoken to!” hissed Dartz.“Y-Yes, D-Dartz,” he replied sullenly. He cried out at the sudden pain on his shoulder.“Yes Dartz what?” the taller one asked dangerously, after removing his teeth from the still sore flesh.“Y-Yes, D-Dartz-sama.”“That will have to do for now, I guess,” he said petting the spiky hair, which still had plenty of growing to do. “But in the future, you are to address me as master and only that. Am I clear?”“Y-Yes, master,” was the boy’s wooden reply.“Good boy,” said Dartz, before going back to sucking at the smaller kyuuketsuki’s shoulder. Yugi couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure from escaping his throat as his new master stroked his bare chest while continuing to suckle from him for a few more moments.“You must be hungry, little gem,” he said using the same gentle tone he’d used while Yugi had been recovering from his burns. Removing his waistcoat and shirt, the pale haired kyuuketsuki spun Yugi around so they were now facing each other. “Come and eat, my sweet. I fed more than enough so you may take as much as you like.”The petite kyuuketsuki would like nothing better than to run the heck out of there and never seen the cruel kyuuketsuki again, but two things stopped him from acting on that thought. One, he was absolutely starving – due to the ‘lesson’ he just woke up from and two, where could he go? He was now a sireless fledging and didn’t know anyone else who’d be willing to take him in. ‘Might as well accept my fate, however horrible it may be,’ he thought miserably and slowly moved closer to his master.Seeing that Yugi was now going to behave, Dartz smiled gently at him, moving slightly so the little fledgling could have better access. Wincing slightly, Yugi shut his eyes and bit into the pale flesh of Dartz’s neck. “Mmm… such a good little pet,” he said, smirking as the pleasure of being fed upon spread to the lower areas of his body. “Once you’re done, little one, I’ll have a task for you to do for me,” he said grinning wickedly, imagining Yugi performing said task, which made his trousers a tad tighter than they were earlier.“Yes master,” Yugi replied, pausing only to speak then quickly went back to feeding, desperate to drag it out as long as he could, only guessing at what the pale haired kyuuketsuki had in mind for him. ~TBC~
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Chapter 2 The next hundred years were sheer hell for Yugi. Dartz continued to abuse the smaller kyuuketsuki and as a result Yugi became withdrawn, speaking only when his master commanded him to. He was also emaciated, due to the fact that the pale haired monster was not above starving the little one as a punishment for disobedience, which had been often, nor was he above starving him for no reason at all other than to keep the apparently stronger fledgling weak enough so he wouldn’t try to run off on his own.However, there had been good points to staying with Dartz. He was safe, no mortals destroying their home to worry about for years at a time. He was fed, though only enough to keep him alive but still Dartz had been kind enough to provide for him. And the most important to him, he wasn’t alone. The thought of having to spend the rest of his immortal life without his beloved sire and their lover terrified him to no end. Dartz provided the companionship he desperately needed to fight the fear. That was why in all those years he had never once attempted to escape. Why should he? His ‘family’ was gone, turned to ashes and dust in a single night.The two kyuuketsuki were now living in another abandoned castle in a country known as Hungary after traveling through Asia and Eastern Europe for a few years.“It seems our dear neighbor has invited us to another of her parties, little one,” Dartz said reading the gaudy invitation one of their newly acquired servants had brought.Yugi nodded, silently grateful. A party meant that Dartz wouldn’t be so cruel. They’d have to keep up the appearance of a loving master and fledgling or run the risk of another of their kind fighting him for Yugi. “Well, little gem, shall we get ready for tomorrow?” Yugi nodded again, quickly dashing off to his room.Dartz smiled, ignoring the fledgling’s refusal to wait for his dismissal. He hated having to be cruel to the little one, but he knew he had to or Yugi would leave and he’d be forced to either spend eternity alone or look for another to drag into damnation. “It will be nice to see him enjoying himself for once,” he said to no one in particular. He knew that being around others of their kind forced the petite kyuuketsuki to act as if his life wasn’t a living, or in his case a non-living, hell. When that happened, he could see that Yugi had actually begun to come out of his self imposed depression and for a few hours, the now dead purple eyes would start to shine and sparkle like the amethysts they once were. How he loved those eyes.“Well, Erzébet dear, what are you up to now?” he wondered as he too started off to his own room. *********** The carriage stopped at a castle perched on a hill, surrounded by lush green fields and a village, the beginnings of the Carpathians rising menacingly behind it. Stepping from the vehicle, Dartz turned to help his smaller companion disembark. “Careful pet, you’re still weak. The multicolor haired boy allowed the taller kyuuketsuki to grasp his hand and lead him up the keep’s stairs.“Lord Dartz Atlantida and fledgling,” a lesser demon announced as they entered the entrance hall. Yugi winced, he hated pretending the pale haired kyuuketuski was his sire.A young, beautiful dark haired woman dressed in fine silks and satins came running up to them. “Dartz darling how wonderful of you to come!” she said placing a quick kiss on his cheek. “And you brought the little one with you as well!” she squealed, drawing poor Yugi into a tight hug. “Are you sure he’s eating well dear? He’s skin and bones!” she chided.Dartz chuckled at his hostess’s maternal behavior. Yugi’s petite stature and gaunt appearance always did seem to bring that out of her. It was also an added bonus, since the smaller kyuuketsuki would blush profusely whenever she started to fuss over him, which he found extremely amusing. “It’s good to see you again, Lady Báthory,” he saw bowing and kissing her hand.“Now stop that!” she said, giggling and playfully smacking his arm. “We know each other too well for formalities. Are you feeling any better, Yugi dear?” she asked, again giving into maternal instincts and placing a hand on the little one’s forehead.“Yes ma’am,” he replied quietly. “Thank you.”“My, my, still so polite. You are just too sweet! I could eat you up!” she said dragging him into another bone crushing hug. “Come, I’ve have some guests that would loooooooove to meet you!” She then all but carried the petite kyuuketsuki off to the ballroom. Dartz chuckled, following her in a more dignified manner.The ballroom looked like any other he’d seen in this age. Fine Italian marble tiling on the floor, rich ornate tapestries placed strategically on the thick stone walls, ornate stained glass windows their myriad colors thrown everywhere by the moonlight. And several dozens of kyuuketsuki, lesser demons, lycanthropes, and human servants and all other manners of creatures buzzed and swarmed about, all engaged in their own multitude of tasks and conversations.A few heads turned to inspect the newcomers then went back to their business. The female kyuuketsuki darted her eyes, searching the crowded room then let out a quiet squeal. “Joachim!” she called, having spotted the tall silver haired kyuuketsuki chatting with a pair of succubi. “There you are darling!”Excusing himself, he came over to the trio. “Lady Báthory, a pleasure as always,” he said bowing slightly, kissing her hand.“May I present Lord Dartz Atlantida,” she said indicating the kyuuketsuki with bluish-white hair.“How do you do, Sir Dartz,” he replied. “What do we have here?” he asked, eyeing Yugi.“Isn’t he just adorable?!” Erzébet squealed. “Don’t be shy now, Yugi dear say hello to Lord Armster.” She then shoved the petite kyuuketsuki forward for the taller one to get a better look. Dartz discretely glared at his hostess, not liking the look the older kyuuketsuki was giving his Yugi.“N-Nice to meet you, sire,” Yugi stammered, bowing low.Joachim smiled warmly. “Now no need to be so formal, little one just Joachim will do,” he said lifting the petite one’s head gently. Red-violet eyes widened slightly at dull amethysts. He knew an abused fledgling when he saw one. After all, he’d been one himself a few short hundred years ago. “Yugi was it?” The smaller kyuuketsuki nodded. “Come, you must tell me what you think of our most charming hostess,” he said leading him into the crowd.“Oh stop glaring, Dartz darling. It shows a lack of trust, and is not to mention rather rude,” the brunet kyuuketsuki scolded.“Oh I trust Yugi, Erzébet dear. It’s your darling Joachim I don’t.”“Oh he’s harmless darling! Everyone knows Yugi is not to be touched.”“Does he?”“Now you stop that! I won’t be having that insane jealousy of yours ruining Lord Armster’s welcoming party.” She then dragged the pale haired man in the opposite direction. ********* “Now that we’re alone, I wish to ask you something, little one,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki said after leading Yugi to a secluded balcony far from the revelry. “You’re unhappy with that man are you?” Yugi remained silent, head down. “You needn’t fear. I’m sure Lady Báthory will keep your sire quite occupied. There’s no one here but us two.”“He’s not my sire,” the little one mumbled, but Joachim had a very keen sense of hearing.“I thought as much,” he said, grimly. “I assume this Lord Dartz is somehow responsible for your sire’s absence then?”“T-That’s not true!” Yugi shouted, shocking the taller kyuuketsuki at the quiet one’s outburst.“Oh?”“H-He saved me,” came the quiet reply.“Tell me then,” Joachim pressed, “If you don’t mind, that is.”Yugi then told his tale, Joachim growing more angry at each account of the poor fledgling’s master’s cruelty. Yugi’s life almost mirrored his exactly and it unnerved him greatly.“Don’t you trust him a moment more!” he said angrily, frightening poor Yugi. Seeing the little one shaking, he bent down and gently cupped the boy’s cheek. “I am sorry to have scared you, but I have reason to believe that your master may have been deceiving you all along, little one.”“B-But, he’s all I’ve got,” Yugi stuttered.“That may be for now, but if someone were to challenge him for you,” he began.“Who? You?” Yugi shot back, bitterly, refusing to trust the sudden feeling of hope the older kyuuketsuki was giving him.“Perhaps,” Joachim said smiling.Before either of them could say anymore, their hostess came running over to them.“There you are, Yugi dear!” she called. “There’s someone who has challenged you to a game of Capsule Chess and I don’t like to keep my guests waiting.”The petite kyuuketsuki glanced at Joachim apologetically then followed Erzébet back to the ballroom. *********** A large table with a diorama of an Eastern style courtyard, complete with minute Sakura trees and lanterns laid out on it, had been set at the center of the ballroom, two equally large velvet cushioned chairs sat at opposite ends. That however wasn’t what made the small kyuuketsuki gasp. The figure sitting in one of the chairs was the cause.‘R-Ryou-chan?!!’ he said silently, the boy’s white hair was unmistakable.“Yugi!” the slightly taller kyuuketsuki shouted running up to him. “I-I don’t believe it! You’re alive!” He went to hug his long lost lover, only to have a glaring pale haired kyuukesuki pull Yugi away.“Say anything, little gem and you will regret it,” Dartz warned.“Oh you two know each other?” their hostess mused. “Well then you must know just how good our dear Yugi is then.”“Yes, mistress, I do,” Ryou said, though he was more concerned by his lover’s silent behavior, “Yugi and I used to play often.”“Ooo good, this shall prove most entertaining then,” she said ushering Yugi over to the table.The game went on through the night, both kyuuketsuki fiercely trying to protect their pieces and ‘symbols’. On several occasions, Yugi attempted to speak to his lover, but constant glares from Dartz prevented him from actually doing so. Eventually the petite kyuuketsuki had destroyed the albino’s last remaining monster.“It was an excellent duel Yugi,” Ryou said smiling sadly. “I’m really glad you’re alive,” he said, attempting to approach him again.“I fear this excitement has worn my little one out,” Dartz said, yet again pulling Yugi away. “We must be off.”“Oh must you? So soon?” the female kyuuketsuki asked, pouting slightly.“I’m afraid so Erzébet, dear. Yugi and I have to hurry back and pack for a holiday I have planned. And by the looks of it, dawn is not so far off.”“Oh well, then, have a safe journey home, Dartz darling. I hope you two enjoy your holiday. Do feel free to visit anytime,” she beamed as the two kyuuketsuki hurriedly left the ballroom. A pair of lilac eyes and red-violet eyes glared at the pale haired kyuuketsuki from opposite sides of the room. ********** CRACK!Yugi winced as the pain in his cheek slowly began to subside.“You could have ruined everything!” Dartz shouted, frantically packing what belongings he could. “Now we’ll have to leave. Again. And I am so tired of travel.”“I-I’m s-sorry m-maser,” quivered Yugi. “I-I d-didn’t know R-Ryou-chan w-would b-be there!”CRACK!The petite kyuuketsuki was now sporting a red handprint on his other cheek.“Shut up!” bellowed Dartz. “Get packing!”Yugi rushed to obey his master’s orders when he ran into something, causing him to fall onto his rather cute derriere. Looking up, he gasped.The tall silver haired kyuuketsuki he’d met at the party was standing in the hall, looking as if he had belonged there, which he didn’t. “Hello again, little one,” Joachim said smiling, helping him up.“L-Lord A-Armster!” he stammered.“I thought I told you to hurry up!” shouted Dartz coming into the hall then stopping in his tracks upon seeing the taller kyuuketsuki. “Lord Armster, what brings you to my humble abode?” he asked with mock politeness.“I believe you have something that belongs to me, fledgling,” he answered, reminding the other kyuuketsuki just who was the elder. Joachim gently ushered Yugi behind him so he would be between them.“Oh and what would that be, my lord? Surely you aren’t challenging me for the little one, in my own home yet.”“Indeed I am,” Joachim replied icily. “I know how you’ve been treating poor Yugi here and I won’t stand for it any longer.”“Oh you won’t, will you?” Dartz then lunged at his elder, grabbing a sword from one of the suits of armor lining the hall. Yugi had the sense to duck into one of the rooms, closing the door behind him.Joachim sidestepped the attack, smirking as he summoned his ever faithful five sword familiars, each one glowing with an eerie powerful magic. “You are out of your league, fledgling,” he shot back as three swords spun around him forming a type of shield while the remaining two leapt into his hands.“Am I?” Dartz spat smugly, dodging the potentially deadly blows.“Indeed you are,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki retorted.For a full twenty minutes they fought, then Joachim grew bored with his prey. “I believe you’ve been deceiving little Yugi,” he said calmly as he waited for Dartz to stop panting.“Oh and what proof do you have?” the younger kyuuketsuki queried, eyeing him for any openings.“This,” replied Joachim, closing his eyes and forcing his mind into Dartz’s. Images of the pale haired kyuuketsuki’s life bubbled to the surface, easily stirred by the much stronger kyuuketsuki’s will. After several moments of searching, Joachim found his memories of a certain night. The night Yugi’s ‘family’ was destroyed. Anger seethed through the silver haired kyuuketsuki’s mind as the truth of that night made itself known.“I was right!” he yelled. “You have been deceiving him for the past hundred years! You are no better than that bastard who made me!” Joachim’s anger seeped into the swords, each one vibrating and humming loudly.“You will die this night monster!” the elder kyuuketsuki bellowed then at their master’s unspoken command, the swords lunged for the younger, three plunging deep into Dartz’s chest.“I c-can still f-fight,” he gasped, struggling to get up.“Don’t be such a sore loser,” Joachim spat, then with one quick swift motion, chopped the kyuuketsuki’s head off, gold and green eyes staring in utter shock as it rolled several feet down the hall.“Come on out, little one,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki called, dismissing his familiars. “It’s over. You’re free.”Yugi crept out of his hiding place and let out a shocked whimper at his master’s headless corpse.“Shh. Yugi,” Joachim said, gently pulling him into his arms, averting the small one’s eyes. “He’ll hurt you no longer. You are free to do and go as you please.”“I-I am grateful, L-Lord Armster, but…” he said, tears of blood flowing from his eyes.“He was all you had,” he finished for him. Yugi nodded. “Ah, but your lover is still alive is he not? Or was that young one back a Lady Báthory’s mistaken?”“B-But what if he d-doesn’t want me anymore?” he stammered. “What if h-he’s angry at me for n-not looking for him?”Joachim smiled, gently. “By his reaction, I’d sincerely doubt he’d hate you, little one. But should he be so foolish as to cast away such a lovely jewel like you, then I’d be honored to have you stay as my guest.”“Y-You mean that, my lord?”The silver haired kyuuketsuki pulled Yugi into a hug, surprising the little one. “Of course I do! And please stop calling me ‘lord’,” he said tilting the boy’s head up so he could look him in the eye. “I know all too well how lonely living alone can be. Should you ever feel the need to, you will always have a place with me, little Yugi.”“T-Thank you,” he said, blushing, causing the older kyuuketsuki to chuckle.“No need to thank me, little one. Now how about we get you to bed, hmm? You must be exhausted.”Yugi nodded shyly, earning another chuckle from his savior, and let him lead him away from the rapidly decaying body. ~TBC~
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Chapter 3 The next night, Joachim had taken Yugi back to Čachtice Castle in hopes to learn the whereabouts of Yugi’s long thought deceased lover.Yugi had to keep himself from gagging, the smell of blood and death was overpowering. They had been shown to the dungeons where their hostess had been doing what she would eventually be known for – torturing and killing pretty, young, girls. Joachim frowned at her in disdain, but said nothing since he had no intention of being rude. Besides what others of their kind did in their homes was no concern of his, no matter how disgusting.“Joachim darling!” she squealed, dropping the poor peasant girl she’d been feeding from. “What a pleasant surprise! Had I known you’d be coming, I’d have made myself a bit more presentable. Come, the dungeons are no place for receiving guests,” she said, leading them away from the horrid scene, for which Yugi was extremely grateful. “Oh and I see you’ve brought little Yugi along with you. Where is Dartz? Surely I thought he and Yugi were to go on a holiday.”Joachim frowned at the cruel kyuuketsuki’s name. “I’m afraid I have some sad news, Lady Báthory. Sir Dartz has met with a most unfortunate ‘accident’,” he said in mock sadness. Yugi was hard pressed not to giggle, knowing the truth behind his master’s ‘accident’.“Oh no! He was such a handsome man! Oh you poor dear!” She then swooped upon the petite kyuuketsuki and before he knew it, was in a vise like hug. “To lose one’s sire so young!”“Had I gotten to Sir Dartz’s a few moments sooner, I might have been of some help,” the silver haired man said, politely extricating Yugi from their hostess. “As penitence for my incompetence, I have decided the little one will stay with me until he feels well enough to go on his own.” He then laid a hand on the smaller fledgling’s shoulder.Erzébet pouted, “Oh poo, I was hoping he’d seek shelter with me, but I am glad it is you who is so kind enough to take him in. Some of the other vampires around here are rather, savage.”‘You should know all about that, my lady,’ Joachim thought disdainfully. “Yes, well, that is why we are here Lady Erzébet. My young guest wishes to know where the young man he played against last night might be staying.”“That sweet boy? Oh dear, I fear you’re too late again Joachim darling. He and his rather intriguing companion have left.”“C-Companion?” Yugi asked, praying it was his sire.“Oh, that’s right, you didn’t meet him last night. You and that naughty Dartz left so fast I had completely forgotten to introduce you. Lord Marik said they were going to do a bit of traveling. Probably off to see more of Europe or something like that.”‘Marik-sama’s alive?!’ Yugi thought, joyfully, though his heart was still heavy. It seemed that Bakura didn’t make it out the fire at all, his corpse probably desecrated by the peasants who set the fire.“I see,” Joachim said, bowing, “so sorry to have bothered you Lady Erzébet. We’ll be on our way.”“Aww, but you just got here! Do stay for dinner, I have just acquired the most exquisite ‘wine’.”“As much as we would love to stay, my lady, I’m afraid we have a bit of traveling of our own to prepare for. My estate is rather far and the little one needs to take care of a few things before we leave.”“Oh poo,” she said pouting again. “I trust you’ll come visit me again soon?”“Oh course, Lady Báthory. I’d be honored to see your lovely face again.” Joachim then bowed again and kissed her multi-ringed hand.“Such a charmer!” she said lightly slapping his arm. “Do take care, little one. And don’t forget to write!” she called as they left the castle keep and boarded the carriage waiting for them. ************* Yugi hung his head as the carriage and wagon bounced and rocked on their way to his new temporary home. “I am truly sorry, dear one,” his silver haired companion said, laying a sympathetic hand on his arm. “Perhaps once you’re a bit stronger, we will go looking for your friends.”“Y-You’d do that for me, Joachim-sama?” he asked, struggling to hold back the bloody tears threatening to fall.“Yes, Yugi, I would,” he said mournfully. “I know all too well what it’s like to miss those you love.”Yugi looked at the older kyuuketsuki, wondering what had happened to make him so sad. “Your sire?” he questioned.“Lilith forbid!” he spat vehemently, causing poor Yugi to squeak in fear and jump away from the hand that had been stroking his spiky hair. “I’m sorry, Yugi,” he said apologetically, patting the seat next to him. “It’s that my sire and I… when I first saw you and him it reminded me of my own sire.”Yugi’s amethyst eyes widened in shock. This powerful, yet kindly kyuuketsuki had a master like Dartz?! He waited for Joachim to explain further, but he remained silent. It would be several minutes before the taller one spoke again.“The one I was talking about was my own fledgling little one,” he said pulling him into his lap, startling him. However, the petite kyuuketsuki didn’t protest, which pleased him greatly. Joachim began petting Yugi’s hair again as it relaxed both of them.“What happened?” the little one asked, hoping he wasn’t prying too much.A few moments passed and it took some effort for Yugi to make out what his taller companion was saying for the stroking and rocking of the carriage was steadily lulling him to sleep. “I fear I have been following in my sire’s footsteps, dear one.” The smaller kyuuketsuki looked up, silently waiting for him to continue. “For you to understand, I must tell you everything from the beginning.”Yugi nodded, remaining silent, snuggling into the midnight blue clad chest so he’d be more comfortable. Smiling faintly at the little one, Joachim told of a reckless son of a lesser noble lured and seduced by a kyuuketsuki named Walter with promises of great power and eternal youth. “I should have known the bastard was playing with me, but I went along with his lies,” he said, regretfully, “But when you’re a young man hot under the collar with ‘particular’ tastes and a rather handsome vampire offers you eternal youth and love, you’d find it pretty difficult to resist.”The spiky haired fledgling nodded his head in sympathy. He could still remember his days as the mortal grandson of an aging toymaker and ogling other young men. That had been the one secret he had kept to himself then, not even his best friend Anzu – who he told everything to – knew of his choice of lovers.Joachim then continued to go on how Walter had been loving and doting at first though, he tended to be a bit possessive. But that only lasted a mere fifty years. By that time, his sire had started taking others to his bed and leaving the silver haired kyuuketsuki alone for days on end. “I wouldn’t have minded about his philandering, but not the constant berating and patronizing he put me through,” he said bitterly. He went on to tell of his sire’s gradually increasing abuse and his own growing ambition to be sole ruler of Eternal Night, Walter’s castle.“Hadn’t he been treating me like one his mindless ghouls, I would have been content to ask for equal rule, but he never saw me more than a plaything. A momentary game to pass the time,” he said hatefully, the venom practically dripping from his words. “I was still a fledgling, no more powerful than Dartz was, when I challenged him for the throne. The result was that I was locked up in the castle sewers, left to starve and die.”Yugi gasped and trembled, remembering Marik promising a similar punishment to a taller copy of himself.“But I didn’t die, obviously,” Joachim muttered in mock humor, “I survived, barely,” he spat, “on those poor fools either lured by Walter or promises of treasure who found their way to my oh so lavish prison.”“I-I’m so sorry, Joachim-sama,” Yugi stammered, not even trying to wipe away the red streaks on his face.“Don’t be, little one,” he said kissing the blood tears before wiping them away with a handkerchief. “That is all in the past, a past I no longer think of as mine.” He waited until Yugi’s tears to stop before continuing his story.“It was in that hell that I would meet the one who’d become my fledgling,” he started again, “He was just another fool mortal dumb enough to go along with Walter’s game of kidnapping a loved one then making the hero go running all over the castle to find them.” Yugi was about to speak, but a velvet clad finger on his lips, stopped him.“He may have been a fool, but he was the first in almost a hundred years to actually solve the puzzle and reach my humble home. He stood there looking around, his pale blond hair messed, his red and white knight’s uniform stained and torn from the obvious struggles to reach that particular part of the castle. To others he may have looked frightening or like a rather tasty meal, but to me he looked like an angel at that moment. An angel on the verge of falling, and I wanted to be the one that caught him when he did. I had never wanted anyone since Walter, but looking how he did at that moment, I just couldn’t let that bastard of a sire of mine get a hold of such an angel.”“So you made him like you?”“Not at that time, dear Yugi. The silly mortal insisted on fighting me, which I obliged of course.” Yugi gasped, only to have Joachim laugh slightly. “As you can see I came out of that alive, though not unharmed. He had an enchanted whip with him, one that had been made with alchemy.” The petite kyuuketsuki shuddered, reminded of the many times Dartz had used a similar kind of whip on him. “It wasn’t until two years later that I found my angel. I had returned to Eternal Night to learn why Walter hadn’t come after me when I left after that fight. He may have treated me like dirt, but he still wouldn’t let anyone else to touch me or I them, let alone allow me to leave the castle.“Much to my surprise, I found the castle abandoned and Walter gone. I later found signs of a battle in the throne room, which was the biggest mess I’ve ever seen in all my immortal life. I came upon an old man living practically at our doorstep and asked him very politely, of course just what had happened to my sire.”“What happened?” Yugi asked still enraptured by the silver haired kyuuketsuki’s tale.“The same mortal, my angel had managed to actually slay the *$%^! I kindly thanked the old man and went on my way, fuming that my revenge had been stolen from me by a mere frail mortal,” he continued, leaving out the fact that he had meant by thanking the mortal, by painfully killing him. Somehow he thought that wouldn’t sit well with the little one.“I started traveling aimlessly from town to town with no real purpose of my own. That was when I finally found my angel again. It just happened that we had been going in the same direction at the time. I trailed him, letting him see me from time to time, then after a few days or was it weeks? I don’t remember. Anyway, I eventually began my plan.“You see I wanted revenge still. Revenge against the mortal who’d killed my sire. Don’t get me wrong, I felt no love or loyalty for Walter by that time,” he said when Yugi began to question him. “I wanted to get revenge because I wanted to be the one to kill that @$&%. I slowly began to slowly seduce my poor hurting angel. A kind word here, a gentle touch of sympathy there and not before long I had him eating out of my hand.“I could see that he was beginning to develop feelings for me. That was what I’d been waiting for. And that was then when I exacted my revenge.”“You made him a kyuuketsuki.”“Yes dear one. I made him into the one thing he hated most. The perfect revenge for the thief who stole mine.”“Didn’t he hate you for it?” Yugi asked, curious.“He probably did from the beginning, but he was clouded by despair and loneliness. He had left his few remaining relatives behind in search of a traitorous friend of his, thus isolating himself from human interaction. He let the feelings he had begun to develop for me do all his thinking. But, I should have known it wouldn’t last.”“What happened?”“A hundred years after turning him, Leon, my angel who I’d come to love like no other, just up and disappeared on me one night without so much as a single word. As to where he is or if he still lives, I do not know. I only pray that he’ll forgive me for what I’ve done and one day come back to me.” Joachim bit his lip, stifling the sobs threatening to leave his mouth, twin fangs breaking the skin slightly.The smaller kyuuketsuki looked at him in awe. In the two short days he’d come to know him, he hadn’t expected him to be so affected by telling his tale. Feeling as if he should do something, Yugi got onto his knees, and licked away the blood red tears before kissing the taller kyuuketsuki on the lips.“Y-Yugi!” Joachim stuttered, his red-violet eyes wide open in shock.“You looked like you needed that,” he replied, blushing and moving away, fearing he might have insulted him.Smiling, Joachim gathered the little one into his lap, arms firmly wrapping around him, but only tight enough so he wouldn’t escape. “Thank you, sweet, little Yugi,” he said before titling the boy’s head up and placing his lips on Yugi’s.He had wanted the kiss to last longer, but a soft knock on the carriage door, signaled they had arrived at their destination. “Come, dear one, it is late and we are both exhausted from our journey,” Joachm said, carrying the petite fledging from the carriage, up the stairs and into the mansion.Yugi would have protested at being treated like a doll hadn’t he been so stupefied by the silver haired kyuuketsuki’s passionate kiss. ‘C-Could he- ?’ he wondered.“Thank you for listening, Yugi. You have no idea how much that meant to me,” he said as he continued to carry him through the lavish home.“Y-You’re welcome J-Joachim-sama,” Yugi stammered, blushing profusely.Chuckling, the older kyuuketsuki gently laid him down on a bed of midnight blue and moonlight silver sheets made of silk and satin. “Sleep my lovely,” he said laying down beside him and wrapping his arms around him. He then laid another quick kiss on the little one’s lips. “I do believe I may be falling for you, dear one,” he whispered after Yugi had fallen asleep, a slightly confused look on his otherwise peaceful face. Joachim pulled the boy closer so they were face to face and nuzzled the soft multicolored spikes, shortly drifting off to sleep. ~TBC~
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Chapter 4 “The world is quite large, little one,” Joachim said in hopes to cheer his much smaller companion. “You may yet find your friends.”Yugi nodded, “I know but it’s been five years already,” he said snuggling against the midnight blue clad kyuuketsuki, the plodding of the Vistani wagon making him feel sleepy. A month after he’d come to live with the sliver haired kyuuketuski, the petite one had recovered enough strength to travel. They wandered all through Europe, never staying in one place for more than a week or so.A month ago, they had come across a traveling troupe of Vistani and Joachim had managed to strike a deal with their leader a powerful Raunie, a woman with extremely strong psychic abilities. He and Yugi would help provide protection for the gypsies while in return, they would also protect the kyuuketsuki while they slept. The deal worked out well enough for both parties and the Vistani had come to accept them as honorary members of their tribe as long as they wished to travel with them.“I will not let you give up Yugi. Just because I have given up hope of finding my own fledgling, does not mean that you should do the same. Even if you don’t find them, you will still have me, dear one. I meant what I had said back then, I will never let you spend eternity alone.”“Thank you, Joachim-sama,” he sniffled. “I-It’s just that I miss them so much. Why did those humans have to destroy our home?!” He pounded the seat angrily.The silver haired kyuuketsuki frowned grimly. He wished he didn’t have to do what he was about to, but his little companion deserved to know the truth about that night. “About that Yugi, what did he tell you?”Yugi looked down, knowing full well who he had meant by ‘he’. Joachim had rescued him from an abusive kyuuketsuki who had saved the little one from the burnt out ruin of his home. “H-He told me the peasants in our village had burnt down our home and c-cut up the b-bodies of my friends and sire.”“What if he was wrong about that? You saw for yourself that your lover is still alive.”“He may have been wrong about all of them dying, but why would he be wrong about the fire?”The older kyuuketsuki grew stern. “Yugi, dear one, I know what happened to you is still very painful, but you deserve to know. That monster was the one who started that fire.”Amethyst eyes opened wide in shock and disbelief. “Y-You’re lying!” he shouted. “H-He couldn’t have!” He may have despised Dartz for the way he treated him, but he did feel as though he owed his former master for pulling him out of the wreckage.“If only I were,” Joachim said, wincing as the petite kyuuketsuki refused to let him touch him. “But I saw for myself. I looked into that sick mind of his while we fought and I saw everything.”“I-I won’t believe it! He saved me!”“He could have saved the others,” the silver haired man said firmly.“How could he? He said their bodies were destroyed!”“They were still alive, Yugi. Very weak like you but still alive and in one piece when he came looking for you. It was him who killed them.”“NO!!!!! USO DA YO!!! (IT’S A LIE) H-He saved me,” he repeated brokenly.Seeing that the little one wasn’t gong to listen to reason, Joachim resigned himself to using a more forceful approach. Sighing, the silver haired kyuuketsuki grabbed the boy’s face in his hands, forcing him to look at him in the eye. “See for yourself,” he said, beginning to push his mind into the smaller one.Yugi grimaced and closed his eyes, struggling against the psychically stronger kyuuketsuki, not wanting to learn what he was beginning to fear was true. Since he never learned how to block psychic attacks, Yugi’s mind was forced open as easily as if it were an annoying fly being swatted by a horse’s tail. He saw the pale haired kyuuketsuki following him through the streets of Domino. Felt Dartz’s anger and jealousy of Bakura as they walked together with Ryou. Saw gold and green eyes flare in sick satisfaction as he spread oil all over the mansion walls. Felt the glee as the kyuuketsuki threw a lit torch at the now soaked wood.“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” he cried, collapsing against the taller kyuuketsuki.Frantic knocking came from the wagon door. Joachim gently laid the little one down on the bed before answering the worried calls from outside. A pretty dark haired girl, with brilliant sapphire eyes stared at him, obviously concerned about Yugi’s sudden scream.“It is nothing, Isis,” the silver haired man explained. “The little one just had a nightmare, is all.”Isis knew a lie when she heard one, but she also knew when not to delve into others’ affairs, especially when it brought no harm to her tribe. “Is there anything I can get for Sir Yugi, my lord?” she asked in a soft calm voice that belied her worry.“Thank you, no,” he replied smiling. “You are most kind.”The Vistana blushed slightly, then bowed before dashing back to her work when she heard the angry shouting of her mother.Shutting the door, Joachim went over to the still sobbing kyuuketsuki. “Yugi?” he tried, sitting down next to him. “I am truly sorry for forcing that on you, but you needed to know the truth. I never meant to hurt you.”“But you did!” the smaller one spat.“Go ahead and hate me if you must,” Joachim said hanging his head. “But I still believe it had to be done.”“I-I don’t hate you,” Yugi whimpered. “I-It’s just that I-I c-can’t believe it.”The older kyuuketsuki tentatively stroked Yugi’s back. “Think of how he treated you, little one. Is that how a vampire who saves others out of the goodness of their heart would act?”Yugi remained silent for a while, probably thinking on what his companion had said and shown him. “No,” he said quietly.“I will not stop you if you wish to leave,” the taller kyuuketsuki said, standing up, his back turned and head hung low. ‘Though it would break my heart,’ he added silently, not wishing the little one to know of his secret.Ever since the night he’d told Yugi of his life, the lust and love he had felt for the younger kyuuketsuki had steadily grown. It had taken great effort, and many other willing partners to make sure he’d never touch him, no matter how much Yugi seemed to return his feelings.He gasped when he felt petite arms wrap around him. “I won’t leave you alone either, Joachim-sama,” Yugi said, leaning his head on his back. “Y-You need me as much as I need you,” he murmured.“Thank you, my little one.”Joachim was again startled, when he suddenly found himself pushed against the bed, Yugi on top of him and kissing all over his face with a desperate passion. “Y-Yugi?!” he stammered, moaning as the smaller kyuuketsuki nibbled on one delicate pointed ear.“Please, Joachim-sama, I-I need this,” he begged, crawling back onto him. “and I know you do too.”A silver eyebrow rose as the taller kyuuketsuki continued to stare at his smaller companion. “Wouldn’t you rather do this with someone you love, your Ryou-chan perhaps?”Yugi’s head bowed, “I-I do, but it’s been so long since I’ve been with anyone. Willingly. P-Please Joachim-sama, I’ll go mad if I don’t do this. J-Just this once, let me love you,” he pleaded, “Even if you don’t.”The silver haired kyuuketsuki had to laugh then. “S-Sorry dear one,” he said between laughs. “Whatever made you think that I could not love you?”Yugi looked away, blushing. “Y-You kept sleeping with others.”Joachim smiled sadly. “That was to keep me from doing something we’d both regret, little one. I did not want you to think that the only reason why I let you stay with me was because I lusted after you.” Yugi stared at him wide-eyed. “Yes, my love, I did, and do desire you, but I will not force myself upon you, not like certain members of our kind,” he said bitterly.“Y-You wouldn’t be forcing me,” Yugi replied, shyly. “Please Joachim-sama, I-I need this.”Looking into the shimmering amethysts, the older kyuuketsuki found it extremely hard to refuse. He saw the apparent lust in those deep pools, but there was also a fierce love, one that was steadily growing and genuine. Smiling, he rolled and gently pushed Yugi onto his back. “As you wish, my love. Though it would not be just one night,” he said before devouring the little one’s lips and mouth with his own.Many of the Vistani looked toward the kyuuketsuki’s wagon at the moans and cries coming from inside. Some wanted to rush to defend their protectors from an imagined attack, but a rather profusely blushing Isis, assured them that what they heard was no threat to their allies and chased them away, giving the lovers the privacy they’d need. ************* A few hours later the gypsy caravan had settled at the outskirts of a small village and the two kyuuketsuki were dozing contentedly in each other’s arms. However, their peace was not to be that evening for several shouts rang from their hosts. One phrase being repeated over and over, ‘strigoi mort’ the Vistani name for kyuuketsuki.Joachim shot up, grabbing his carelessly discarded clothing. “Stay here, dear one,” he said, noticing Yugi beginning to dress as well.“But Joachim-sama,” he protested. “I want to help! I made that promise too.”“I know, my love, but you’ve had a most trying time earlier. I’d feel better if you stayed behind and got some more rest. The smaller one refused to budge from his spot in front of the door, pouting cutely at his new lover. “Very well, little one,” he said sighing. “Why don’t you go help Isis with her spells, hmm?”Yugi smiled and nodded, though he was a bit miffed at being relegated to women’s work, and dashed out to help the pretty girl he’d befriended. Chuckling, the silver haired kyuuketsuki calmly stepped from the wagon. ‘Probably some lowly fledgling out for a quick meal,’ he thought as he summoned his sword familiars.The camp was in an uproar, the women and children were huddled near the large campfire assisting their seers and spellcasters, Yugi darting about helping as well. The men were standing a few feet away, glaring at one spot off in the surrounding woods, their weapons drawn. He noticed the faint bluish glow of a barrier spell at the edge of the Vistani caravan. Seeing that the barrier would still hold for some time, he strode past the men and said barrier into the woods.He stopped at a clearing a few feet away from the wagons, his swords spinning around him cautiously, eager for a fight. He frowned when he felt the kyuuketsuki’s presence, this was no fledgling. It was an old one, though not much older than himself. “This is going to be difficult,” he muttered, frowning.“I know you’re there vampire,” he called, “These people are under my protection, you’ll find no meals here.” He waited several moments then he heard the soft crunch of boots on fallen leaves as the kyuuketsuki came into the clearing. Joachim gasped as pale blond hair made itself known. That shade of gold was unforgettable.“L-Leon?!” the silver haired kyuuketsuki asked, doubting his own eyes.Once bright sapphire eyes now darkened to a deep midnight blue widened slightly then narrowed at their owner’s sire. “You,” the wayward fledging spat, glaring at Joachim. ~TBC~
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Chapter 5 “You!” the blond kyuuketsuki spat, baring his fangs at his sire.“I am glad you’re alive, Leon,” Joachim said, smiling sadly. The silver haired kyuuketsuki’s swords quivered as they spun around, unsure if the slightly shorter one was an enemy or not. “I have missed you my rebellious angel.”“I wish I could say I feel the same,” the former vampire hunter said bitterly. “I have no desire to fight you. I will do as you say my sire and find nourishment elsewhere.” The blond kyuuketsuki turned to go, failing to see the hurt look on his maker’s face, his familiars vibrating in anger at the pain they sensed from him.“Leon-dono matte!(wait)” came a small voice.He stopped, startled by the sudden intruder. Turning back around, he saw a petite teen with multicolored spiky hair running up to them from the camp. “You’re Leon, aren’t you?”Midnight blue eyes narrowed slightly at him, realizing the boy was another like him. “I see you didn’t waste anytime replacing me after I left,” not liking that after hundreds of years, he still had feelings for the silver haired kyuuketsuki. “Tell me, Joachim, how many others have you seduced into damnation?”The little kyuuketsuki growled and hissed at him. Joachim placed an arm in front of him, silently telling him not to interfere. “You wound me, Leon. Never in all this time have I made another after you, my angel.”“Do not call me that again,” the blond warned, his hand straying to the sword at his hip.“Strike me down, if you like, I know I deserve your hatred Belmont,” Joachim said dismissing the swords. Yugi wanted to protest, but the silver haired kyuuketsuki shushed him. “But leave the little one out of this.” He then shoved the smallest of the three behind him, using his own body as a shield.Leon’s hand left the sword. “What is he to you, Joachim? Your latest plaything then?”“Of course not!!” he yelled, “He is my lover!”The blond kyuuketsuki laughed scornfully. “That is a good one, Joachim. You never loved anyone, not your sire, not even me. You care only for yourself.”“You’re wrong!” the little one shouted, standing before him and glaring at him in the eye. “Joachim-sama is the most kind, gentle, and loving person I’ve met other than my sire. How dare you insult him like that! Can’t you see that you’re hurting him?! He’s been hurting all this time because you left, and you acting like a baka (idiot), isn’t making it any better! He loved you and you threw him away! I don’t know why he still does, but he does. He’s sorry for what he did, you know. Can’t you just forget what happened in the past and start over?! Joachim-sama needs you!”“Yugi!” the silver haired kyuuketsuki, chided.Leon stood stock still, not believing this fledgling barely two centuries old was daring to speak to him in such a disrespectful way. “He told you all this I assume,” he said, eyeing his sire suspiciously.“Yes. He told me everything. About Walter and you.”“And you believe him?”“I may not have known him as long as you, but in all this time we’ve been together, Joachim-sama has never told a lie.”“He speaks truly, my fledgling,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki added, placing a hand on Yugi’s shoulder. “I have not lied to him nor will I you. Not this time. Please, Leon, if you have any remote feeling for me, forgive me. I-I beg of you!” Blood red tears ran freely down moonlight skin.Yet again, the blond kyuuketsuki was taken aback. In all his life he had never seen a kyuuketsuki that would openly cry in front of another, let alone beg anything of their fledgling. “Please, Leon-dono,” Yugi pleaded, getting on his knees and placing his head on the ground. “Forgive Joachim-sama. H-He misses you so much.”“You would beg me as well, young one? You who’d readily challenge me only scant minutes ago?” the blond asked, astonished that his sire would garner such loyalty in a fledgling not his own.“H-Hai (Yes) Leon-dono.”He stood silent for a few moments, reflecting on what he’d been through, and what he had seen and heard this night. ‘Perhaps my sire has changed over these past centuries,’ he mused. Bending down, he gently laid a hand on Yugi’s cheek. “Rise little one. I will consider your request. And I do believe my sire may have changed over these long years.” Joachim’s heart leapt at that. “That does not mean I will so readily trust you Joachim. Trust is earned not given freely.”The taller kyuuketsuki nodded solemnly. “I would not expect more from you Leon. Your forgiveness is more than I deserve.”“I would like for myself to see just how changed you are. If you are willing to allow this rebellious angel back to the fold.”Leon was nearly bowled over by a rather enthusiastic Yugi who had him currently trapped in a bear hug. Joachim couldn’t help laughing at the little one’s antics. “It seems you have my dear Yugi’s consent as well as mine,” he said smiling, “Come my angel, you still haven’t eaten and neither have we. We’ll introduce you our friends once you’ve had your fill.”The slightly shorter kyuuketsuki shook his head in disbelief. “You, who used to see mortals as nothing more than a quick meal or distraction, would call them ‘friends’?”His silver haired sire chuckled. “I have had much time to reflect, my wayward childe, upon my many mistakes,” he said as he led them off to hunt. “I am not the same vampire you met at Eternal Night.”“That remains to be seen, however your words do ring some merit,” Leon replied. ************ Convincing the Vistani to allow Leon to travel with them was no easy feat. The gypsies had long memories and even longer grudges. However, the Raunie, after much consulting with the spirits, and even more begging from Yugi, had finally quelled the angry shouting. The blond kyuuketsuki would be traveling with them and that was the end of it. But there were conditions to his joining them, he was not to be allowed to leave their wagon alone, one of the other two kyuuketsuki were to be with him at all times, should he do so. Secondly, he would be put to work with the men.Leon consented to the Vistani leader’s demands without complaint, which surprised a few of the gypsies, particularly the younger girls who were overjoyed to have yet another handsome man traveling with them.Over the time the three spent wandering with the Vistani, Leon had come to see that indeed his sire had changed, that he was no longer the hotheaded kyuuketsuki he had met at Walter’s castle. When he had told him so, their smaller companion had asked to stay in Isis’ wagon from then on.“Why would you want to do such a thing, little one?” the blond asked in surprise.“Um… well… now that you and Joachim-sama have made up, you’ll be wanting some space,” he replied, looking away.“Nonsense!” Joachim cried, carrying Yugi to the bed, “You are staying put and that’s final!”“D-Demo(But), Joachim-sama.”“If my sire wishes you to stay, young one, you must obey,” Leon said, giving a smirk that belied the serious tone of the words.“L-Leon dono?”“You are correct Joachim, he is too cute for his own good,” he said chuckling before nuzzling the smaller one’s neck. Yugi moaned as twin fangs sank into the soft flesh.Joachim smiled, wrapping his arms around the blond. His wayward fledgling moaned as the silver haired kyuuketsuki mimicked his actions. “Still as tasty as ever, my love,” he purred, leaving the rapidly healing wound to kiss Yugi, who gladly accepted the offering of the blond’s life fluid.He could taste the lust and desire for his silver haired lover in the blood, but what surprised him was that he could also taste a desire for him as well. Looking at the two older kyuuketsuki, he saw what he had tasted in Leon’s blood reflected in pairs of red-violet and midnight blue – love and want for each other and him. Smiling around the dominating mouth, he let the two do what they wanted, shocked and equally overjoyed that they would include him in their love.“Not as tasty as this beauty,” Leon retorted as he licked Yugi’s neck clean, causing a stifled moan from the multicolor haired one. “Are you sure you wish to share him, sire?” he asked, playfully, “Don’t you think I might steal him?”Joachim chuckled, “You do and I will hound you to the ends of the earth to get him back,” he joked back, “Though he is very precious to me, I no longer wish you to think of me as selfish nor fickle.”“I never thought you fickle, love. Selfish yes, but never fickle,” the blond said, working on removing his sire’s clothes while the silver haired kyuuketsuki worked on their smaller companion’s.“Touché, my angel,” Joachim said as he bent to place butterfly kisses on Yugi’s now bare chest. ************** The new millennium came and went and the three kyuuketsuki had returned to Nihon, now more commonly called Japan. It was a rather bittersweet and poignant moment for the little one when they came to Domino. Though it had grown over the centuries, it still felt like home to him. He had been melancholy upon arriving, but was surprised to learn that there was another mansion standing exactly where the one he’d lived in oh so long ago.Insisting on seeing it, Joachim and Leon allowed the smaller kyuuketsuki to drag them to the outskirts of the city. “It’s not the same,” Yugi said grimly.“Of course not, dear one,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki said, placing his hands on the petit one’s shoulders.“Things made by mortals will always change,” added their blond companion.“I-I know but I had to see it,” Yugi replied, “Let’s find somewhere to stay.” He then turned away from the immense building that now stood on what he considered sacred ground. Leon placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder while his silver haired lover wrapped an arm around him.“Y-Yugi?!” came a voice from beyond the mansion’s gates. “Is that you Yugi?!”The kyuuketsuki turned back around and amethyst eyes widened in utter shock when they focused on a white haired teen running at unnatural speeds towards them.“R-Ryou-chan?!!!” Yugi echoed jumping over the gates and running to meet his long lost lover.“By the kami! It is you!” the white haired kyuuketsuki shouted in relief. “I’d thought I’d never see you again! Where have you been?! Are you all right? Can you stay for a bit?”“One question at a time, Ryou-chan,” Yugi said chuckling. “Um…” He looked toward his taller companions, still behind the gate. The two older kyuuketsuki nodded, giving him permission to go with his former lover.“Oh, I didn’t know you were with someone,” Ryou said, slightly disappointed. ‘I should have known he’d move on,’ he chided himself, ‘After all it’s been hundreds of years since we’ve been together.’“Oi Ryou!” called a tall tanned man from further up the driveway.“Marik-sama!!!!” Yugi then sped up said driveway and tackled his former master to the ground.“Glad to see you too, koneko (kitten),” he said placing a chaste kiss on Yugi’s forehead.“Ano… would you like to come in, sirs?” Ryou asked, stifling his giggles.“Are you sure it’s all right, young one?” the paler blond asked.“You’re Yugi’s… lovers, correct?”“Yes we are, little one,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki replied, “However…”“Should he choose you, who he has missed so, we will not force ourselves upon him,” Leon finished.Ryou blushed, causing the silver haired man to smile in amusement. “I take it you have another lover of your own now as well?” he asked noticing the other blond eyeing him warily.Ryou nodded guiltily, blushing even more.“I remember you,” Marik said, coming over to them, “You were at a party once, I think.”“You have excellent memory, great one,” Joachim said bowing low.The blond flushed, “Just Marik, please. I never did like all this polite crap,” he said, “Why don’t you come in and join us for a while? I’m sure our dear Yugi would love a chance to see his family again.”“We would be honored, Lord Marik,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki replied.“Enough already!” the tan blond shot in mock anger, “No ‘Lord’ or ‘Sir, please it’s just Marik. Come, I’ve sent the little one ahead.”They followed their host to the mansion.Joachim had to stifle a laugh when he saw his little lover currently glomping a more evil looking twin of the albino kyuuketsuki they saw at the gate.“YOU’VE HAD ME WORRIED SICK YOU DAMNED GAKI (BRAT)!!!!! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW UPSET POOR RYOU WAS WHEN WE LEARNED YOU WENT INTO THAT FIRE!!!!!”“I-I’m s-sorry, Bakura-sama!! I-I-I wanted to h-help K-Katsuya-kun.”The taller albino chuckled, ruffling his hair and kissed his fledgling’s forehead. “Just DON’T ever do that again. Welcome home, little love.” He then looked at the two kyuuketsuki standing a bit to the side. “Friends of yours, Yugi?”The little one hung his head slightly, feeling guilty for having fallen for them. “Um… there’s something you have to know, Bakura-sama. I’m um… that is…”The albino looked at him, curiously, but waited for him to find the words he was obviously searching for. “What our dear Yugi is trying to say is,” the silver haired kyuuketsuki interrupted, “that we are not just friends. And have been for quite some time.” Yugi blushed and nodded.“I see,” Bakura said, sadly, but before his fledgling could apologize – it was obvious that was what he was going to do by the look on his face – the white haired kyuuketsuki smiled. “Then this won’t be too hard for you to take, Yugi. I too have a confession to make and I believe Ryou-koi and Marik have one as well.”Yugi turned to the shorter albino and blond kyuuketsuki. “You see, Yugi,” Ryou began, head starting to droop, “None of us knew if you were alive and, well…”“Eternity can be a %^#*& if you’re forced to go through it alone,” Bakura added.“I’m sure you understand what we’re trying to say, koneko,” Marik said, wrapping his arms around Ryou’s waist, the smaller albino leaning into the embrace gratefully.“You and Marik-sama?!” he asked, no sign of jealousy on his cherubic features. “I’m glad you weren’t alone either Ryou-chan. Um… Bakura-sama?” he queried when he noticed his sire desperately trying not to let the haunted look in his eyes show.“I’m afraid I wasn’t so lucky, little love. I do have someone now, but not a lover like you or Ryou. I’d rather not talk about it, please?”Yugi was about to protest and press further when, a new voice spoke up.“Hey what’s all the noise about?” a mortal boy about ten or twelve years old asked, coming into the living room. “Oh hi, Atem I didn’t know you were coming over. I’ll tell ‘nii-sama you’re here.”“Wait, Mokuba,” Marik called. “This isn’t Atem. This is Yugi, the kyuuketsuki we were searching for, for so long.” Several eyebrows rose at that statement. “Yes he knows about us,” he explained to his guests’ unspoken question.“Oh! Well hello, Yugi, I’m Kaiba Mokuba!” he said holding out a hand.“Kaiba?!” Yugi asked, in surprise, not expecting any of the original Kaiba family to still be around after over 600 years. ~TBC~
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Chapter 6 “Kaiba?!” the multicolor haired kyuuketsuki asked, in surprise, not expecting any of the original Kaiba family to still be around after over 600 years.“Yeah, I know, I don’t look a thing like Seto, so people can’t believe I’m related to the Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corp.,” the raven haired boy replied, chuckling, “I get that a lot.”Yugi blinked, he had heard of the multi-trillion dollar company, but the connection hadn’t clicked until Mokuba had mentioned that little tidbit. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, “I didn’t think any of the original Kaiba family was still around. They all left Domino by the time I was born.”“Oh, well, actually, Seto and I aren’t really Kaibas,” the mortal went to explain, “Don’t tell anyone this, but Seto and I were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba, when his son Noa died.”“We think he might have been the last of the remaining Kaibas,” Bakura added.“What do you mean ‘might have been’ Bakura-sama?” the little one asked.The white haired kyuuketsuki pulled his fledgling aside. “I don’t want the kid to know of this, but Marik-sama got rid of the %*&$% while I was pursuing Seto. And it wasn’t exactly pretty.”Marik then came over, “They were being abused by their stepfather, and you know how I feel about parents abusing their children,” he whispered. Yugi nodded, remembering how the blond kyuuketsuki had intervened when Yami had been abusing Ryou. “Since they were unable to legally live on their own in this age, I had managed to fool the stupid mortals into making me their legal guardians,” he went on to explain.“Which is why we’re able to live here,” Yugi’s sire added.“Hey! Whatcha guys whispering about?” Mokuba called, “You know I don’t like it when you keep secrets.”“Sorry, kiddo,” Marik said leading them back over to the sofa. “Just telling, the little one what we’re doing here.”“Oh, ok. It’s nice to meet you, Yugi.”“Nice to meet you too, Mokuba,” the multicolor haired kyuuketsuki, said sitting near the other two he had come in with.“What are you still doing up, Mokuba?” a tall blue-eyed kyuuketsuki asked coming from the basement.“S-Seth-dono?!” Yugi asked.The brunet turned and stared at him, shock clearly written on his normally expressionless face. He knew this wasn’t his mortal rival who he’d just left sleeping in the basement after turning him.“Not quite, koneko (kitten),” Marik said, chuckling. “This is ‘Kura’s latest fledgling Seto, Mokie’s brother.”“Oh, um… hello,” he said, giving his sire a furtive hurt look.“Set-chan, come say hello to our long lost Yugi,” the blond kyuuketsuki said waving the taller fledgling over, smirking at the wince the younger one made at the nickname.“So you’re Yugi, huh?” he said leaning over to get a better look at him, which earned him a warning glare from the silver haired and blond kyuuketsuki sitting nearby. “You were right Bakura, he does look a lot like Atem,” he said to his sire without taking his eyes off him. “You’ll be staying for a while of course,” he said to the little one in a tone that left no room for refusal.“He’s not for you, Seto,” Bakura scolded, glaring at his fledgling, “He already has chosen who he wants to be with.” He motioned to the other two kyuuketsuki who had inched closer to Yugi. “Besides, I thought you were after Atem or did he get claimed by another?” he taunted, still jealous of the younger’s obsession with his rival.Seto glared at his sire, “You can’t order me around Bakura, not in my own home,” he spat.Marik grabbed Seto’s arm. “Seto,” he warned icily, “unless you want Mokuba to lose his only relative, I suggest you behave. Besides, technically, this is my house.”“Only until I’m twenty-one, Marik. Then I’m kicking you freeloaders out!” He really didn’t mean it, he liked Marik and Ryou, they were good companions for Mokuba while he spent long days, and all too often, nights running his stepfather’s company. However, he did want to get rid of his sire.He grimaced at the memory of finding the white haired kyuuketsuki had tricked him to signing away half of his inheritance to him when he had gotten him drunk one night. If he had known of his former lover’s motives at the time, he’d never had let him turn him into a kyuuketsuki. No amount of apologizing from his sire had made him forgive him, not even when Bakura returned the money.“My, my, he’s quite the little hothead isn’t he?” the silver haired kyuuketsuki asked in amusement. “It reminds me of myself in my youth.”“You stay out of this, whoever you are!” Seto shot back.CRACK!“You are to treat your elders with respect, fledgling!” Bakura yelled, the brunet’s throat in his hand. “Do not make me tell you again.”Seto gulped, the slightly insane look in the kyuuketsuki’s silvery red eyes making him shudder. “G-Gomen(Sorry), Bakura,” he gasped.“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” the white haired kyuuketsuki said releasing his taller fledgling, eyeing him expectantly.Seto nodded then bowed to the silver haired kyuuketsuki. “Please forgive my rudeness, sir.”“It’s quite all right, young one. I was just as reckless and rude as you are,” he replied, smiling, still amused.“Joachim, I wish you wouldn’t encourage the young ones,” his blond companion chided.“Oh come now, Leon, love. You find them just as amusing,” Joachim said ruffling Seto’s hair, making the brunet growl lowly.Leon had to agree with that, he did find most of the younger kyuuketsuki of this age amusing, but still believed in showing others respect. “That still doesn’t give you the right to encourage them. Or would you have them believing it’s all right for them to disrespect those who have had more experience.”Joachim continued to smile then went over to Yugi who had hidden behind the sofa when he saw Bakura’s eyes. “Are you all right, dear one?”“I-I’m ok, it’s just that… Bakura-sama’s changed.”Ryou nodded, sympathetically, placing a shoulder on his once lover’s shoulder. “He didn’t have anyone to help him after the fire like we did, Yugi. Bakura-sama had been living alone all this time until he showed up in town one night.”The little kyuuketsuki gasped then ran over to his sire, hugging him tightly. “I’M SO SORRY, M-MASTER!” he cried, “I-I never should have gone after Katsuya!”Bakura wrapped his arms around his fledgling. “You couldn’t have known what would happen little one. It’s not your fault.”“But, you were alone!”“I’m not anymore, Yugi,” he said smiling, sadly at the others, his gaze lingering on the tall brunet. “I am glad you had someone to look after you all this time. I wouldn’t be able to live myself if you had been by yourself all this time.”There was a pregnant pause for a long time, none of them wanting to ruin the tender moment between the two.“Mr. Marik, sir,” said a man with a moustache and wearing sunglasses came into the living room. “There’s a Ryuuji Devlin here to see Mr. Bakura and Ryou-san.”“Ryuuji!” Ryou called getting up to greet the newcomer. “Malik!” he beamed, hugging the blond standing by the black haired kyuuketsuki.“Hello Ryou,” the blond fledgling said, returning the hug. “How’s the lunkhead?”“Malik! Mind your manners,” Ryuuji said bopping him on the head.“I’m fine, young one,” the blond kyuuketsuki replied as they joined the group in the living room. “Still disrespectful as ever I see.”“I really am sorry about that, Marik-sama,” the raven haired kyuuketsuki said.Marik chuckled, “It’s all right, Ryuuji. I trust you two are well.”“As well as can be expected,” Ryuuji said, giving the group a good look over, making sure there would be no threat to his fledgling. Emerald green eyes widened when he saw a familiar head of pale gold. “Leon?! I did not know you were acquainted with Lord Marik.” He then glomped his long missing sire.The blond kyuuketsuki smiled, returning the embrace. “It is good to see you again, my lovely one. Long have I searched for you.” Yugi and Joachim looked between the two, curious. “Can you ever forgive this old fool for not listening?”“What do you think, baka?! I will always forgive the idiot a part of me still loves,” the raven haired kyuuketsuki said smiling and wiping away the joyous tears.“Thank you, Ryuuji. That is more than I could ever deserve.”“Um, Leon…” Yugi began, drawing the blond’s attention back to his petite lover.“Where are my manners,” he chided himself, “May I present my sire, Joachim Armster and Lord Bakura’s fledgling Yugi.”The silver haired kyuuketsuki ogled the raven haired beauty, making him smirk with smug pride. Ryuuji knew he was a bishounen(pretty boy) and never bothered to deny it, especially since it was why he was still alive almost three hundred years later. He had come to believe over the lonely years in the old adage, ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it.’ “A pleasure to meet you, young one,” he said bowing.“Not thinking of leaving Yugi and me behind are you?” Leon asked good-naturedly. He knew his sire had had plenty of opportunities to dally with mortals and demon alike, but had, surprisingly enough, remained faithful to the both of the fledglings.“As tempting as that may be, my angel, I don’t think this little one would appreciate it were he and I to try anything,” Joachim said, noticing the smaller blond’s death glare being targeted at him.“Perhaps if things had been different…” Ryuuji said, earning a growl and a nip at his neck from Malik.“Not on your life, master!” the blond said, pleased with the red mark he’d left.“Relax, Malik,” Ryuuji said laughing, “What would have been the point of rescuing you from death on the streets if I was going to dump you right back later on? You know I would never do that to you.”“Sorry, master,” Malik apologized, looking down at the floor.“Why don’t we all finish our catching up tomorrow,” Marik said noticing the time on the ornate grandfather clock. “It’s rather late and some of us do have to get up early tomorrow.”“Awwww, Marik!” Mokuba whined, “I wanna show Yugi all the good arcades tomorrow!”“You will not,” Seto said, using the tone he used on his employees, “You have school tomorrow. Now get to bed Mokie.”“You’re no fun, ‘nii-sama,” he complained, pouting, but obeyed his older brother and headed up the stairs.“Now I won’t hear any ands, ifs, or buts, from you. We have plenty of rooms for you all so you’re staying here like it or not!” Marik said ushering their guests up the stairs.“You are too kind, Lord Marik,” Leon said as they stopped at a large bedroom, a huge four poster bed big enough to fit him and his lovers and still have room left over standing against the far wall.“Nonsense!” their host called, “Yugi is my family. He deserves the best. And as for you Ryuuji-kun, you and your charming fledgling are welcome to stay for as long as you like.”Malik glowered, but said nothing. He just didn’t trust other kyuuketsuki as easily due to his Vistani heritage. “Thank you, Lord Marik, but we already have a home of our own. We only came by because we ran into Ryou earlier. We’ll come by again tomorrow,” Ryuuji said, smiling when his blond fledgling yawned. “It seems I may have tired out my fledgling.”Marik chuckled. “My door will always be open to you, young one. Feel free to come visit whenever you wish.”Ryuuji bowed, smiling. “As my idiot sire said, you’re too kind, Marik-sama.” He and Malik then left, heading for their own small apartment in the city. ************** The years went by like water through a sieve, Domino city grew and shrank, but the large mansion remained the same, a lone reminder of a time long passed. Few knew that the group of teenagers living there were just as old as the house they called home, or were even older. But that didn’t matter to them. They were all together, one big happy family, content to spend their immortal lives with those they loved.If you ever find your way to a city called Domino in a country known as Japan, beware. Beware of the extremely well kept ancient mansion on the hill overlooking the city. And most important of all, stay away from a club called Eternal Night, for you just may find your life changed for all eternity. ~Owari~