Internecine
Internecine (adj.) Characterized by slaughter; deadly.
Flashing lights and the sound of cars crashing could be heard throughout the apartment complex. It vibrated the walls and everyone within five hundred feet knew the terrors of southern Domino had returned to their northern hideout. More than one inhabitant was willing to call the cops, only for the maniacal cackling to still their hands. It was safer for everyone if the buildings inhabitants simply ignored the going-ons of apartment 134.
As Ryou stormed up to the seventh landing it took most of his will power not to turn around and storm back down them. He was expected and Marik would begin to wonder if he didn’t show. Yet, the nerve of that…that…vampire!
Oh, how it made his blood boil.
To think he would…agh!
Ryou didn’t bother fishing out his keys as he stalked closer to his apartment. The wards he and Marik had set up would recognize his presence. They better have, if Marik had tampered with the wards again….
The cold iron reinforced door of apartment 134 slammed into the wall with a resounding crack before Ryou threw it closed. Silence premediated the air blanketing the once noisy apartment building in tension.
Marik and Yugi watched Ryou pace into the kitchen from over the back of the couch. Behind them the TV showed a skull and crossbones, but they didn’t pay any attention to that as the slamming of cupboard doors made them wince.
Joey sat up from his sprawling position on a futon as he heard the gas ignite on the stove. He sent the two Hikari on the couch a questioning look. However, the two of them had no answer. Their game controllers lay forgotten as Ryou walked back out of the kitchen and sat down at the dining table. Three pairs of eyes glanced at each other before returning to the fuming form of their white haired friend.
A throat cleared. “Everything alright, Ryou?” Joey asked from his position before the couch.
Minutes went by, but then Ryou finally sighed and slumped in his chair. “No.”
That didn’t explain anything. Joey sent a look at the Hikari again. He’d tried to get an answer out of the Briton. Now it was the Hikari’s turn.
Yugi made a face at the vampire before focusing on his angered friend again. Yugi was just about to open his mouth when he paused. Amethyst eyes really looked at Ryou.
Ryou was dressed in a white button up that had seen better days. His frockcoat had speckles of blood along the cuffs, and his black pants where soaked from the knee down in what looked like bleach. Ryou’s normally perfectly combed hair had obviously had his hands through it over and over again. His shoulders were drooped, but the tight hold Ryou had on his wrist told Yugi he was frustrated.
To put it simply, Ryou was a mess.
“If you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to.” Yugi softly intoned.
Sighing again Ryou ran his hands through his white locks for what must have been the thousandth time. “It’s just…I finally get why Bakura wants to kill off most of the vampire race.”
That was not the answer Yugi expected.
Marik shifted to rest his arms on the back of the couch. “You do know it’s the purebloods he wants dead, right?”
“Of course.” Ryou leaned back in the seat. “And I know the perfect Pureblood to start with.”
“Isn’t Bakura a pureblood?” Joey cut in.
“Of course I am.”
A yelp escaped Joey as he whirled around. There standing behind him was a withering mass of shadows. Slowly the shadows took solid form, limbs where hone from the ink-like curls of darkness, and color bleed into sun-dusted skin and white-white hair. The shadows finished creating a body for the spirit as the room dropped in temperature until everyone’s breath could be seen.
“You need to stop doing that man!” Joey snapped at the shadow spirit.
Bakura stretched out his arms and inspected them. Wisps of shadows followed the movement before folding into the frock he was wearing. A smirk slipped onto the spirit’s face as he watched amethyst eyes followed the movement.
“The Pharaoh still refusing to teach you how to merge with the shadows and create a temporary body form them?” Bakura asked Yugi in amusement.
Yugi huffed, crossing his arms the prince looked away from the spirit. “He says I have to be at least fifty years old before he’ll even think about teaching me.”
The smirk grew into a full grown grin at the answer.
“As amusing as it is to watch the different ways you and Yami teach your mates, I would like to know why Ryou is planning a genocide. When I know damn well that is my department.” Marik’s voice shattered Bakura’s rising amusement and reminded him of the situation at hand.
He went to open his mouth when the shrill cry of the teakettle went off in the kitchen.
Ryou forced himself out of his seat and into the kitchen, leaving Joey, Marik and Yugi to stare questioningly at Bakura.
A white eyebrow rose even as brown eyes narrowed into slits. Bakura hated to be in this position. It harked back to the time he had spent working in the palace all those millennia ago. Back when the priests didn’t trust him and he didn’t trust them. The blood-sucking leeches. Even Yami had distrusted the priests.
Bakura shrugged. How the hell was he supposed to know what had happened to Ryou when the brat had left the ring at home? It wasn’t like he was omniscient.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Was what he growled out. “Ryou will tell you if he wants to.”
“And I don’t want to.” Ryou said for the door way.
Steam curled upward from the large red mug he was holding. The relaxing scent of chamomile tea hit the room’s occupants. Joey wrinkled his nose at the smell, he had never been able to get used to the scent. It was too clean and sedative. It really was too bad that he worked for the reincarnation of a Khemetian high priest. Chamomile has been used by the Khemetians for centuries and it was Seto’s go to tea in the evenings.
The white haired Hikari sighed. “However, talking about it will probably stop me from planning the bastard’s murder.”
He moved to the dining table again. Taking a sip of his tea Ryou allowed himself to relax. He had to relax. He didn’t kill people just because they were idiots. That was Marik’s job.
“The pureblood from Layal Earabia and I ran into each other again.”
Yugi blinked questioningly. “What pureblood? I thought Hadi was a hajin?”
“He is,” Ryou muttered. “But he is only the de-facto leader. He doesn’t actually own Layal Earabia.”
“Then who…oh!”
“So the pureblood that owns Layal has a thing for you?” Marik questioned already bored with the conversation. “What’s the problem then? Seduce him, use him, and throw him to the curb.”
Amethyst eyes glared at the Khemetian and Yugi hissed out. “He’s not you, Marik. Just because you’re heartless doesn’t mean Ryou is.”
“I am not the living embodiment of darkness, nor has my heart fallen into darkness. I also don’t hunt for hearts.” Marik sniffed daintily.
One of Yugi’s eyebrows twitched. “Did you really have to reference a video game?”
“The situation called for it.”
“Enough.”
The two Hikari froze at the order. Both turned to look at the spirit recognizing the disapproving tilt of his lips and the reprimand settled within brown eyes.
“I believe Ryou was going to explain what happened before he was so rudely interrupted.” Bakura shifted his glace to the only vampire in the room in warning before focusing on his mate.
Ryou sighed and leaned back in his seat. “It all started after my required lab let out. I had a good hour before my next class and…
The sun was coyly peering out from behind grey clouds as Ryou exited the medical building on campus. Brown eyes narrowed into slits as the light assaulted the Hikari. He raised a hand, shielding his eyes.
It was only ten in the morning, but the sunlight acted like it was noon. Silently Ryou cursed to himself as he walked down the building’s steps and into the throng of students. He had an hour and a half before his next class on Vampire Biology. Just enough time to stop smelling like formaldehyde and get something to eat.
Grimly Ryou debated if he wanted to dare the underground so soon after the events of last week. His favorite Taiyaki shop was at least a 45 minute walk without going through the underground, and oh, how Ryou loved his Taiyaki.
It was a little known fact that Ryou had a large sweet tooth.
Screw it, Ryou thought with a nod. I’m taking the underground. No way am I going to sit through a class on Vampire Biology without my Taiyaki.
Ryou turned right sharply and cut across the street into an old book shop. The smell of mildew and dust caused Ryou’s nose to twitch as he walked farther into the store. Stepping up to a door that was hidden behind a tapestry Ryou nodded to the little boy sitting on a stool not three feet away. The little boy had bright green eyes and curly black hair. A pointy smile crossed the boy’s face as he nodded in return.
As Ryou passed through the tapestry and the door behind it no one noticed the little boy pocket 2000 yen.
The Hikari was plunged into darkness immediately. It was so dark that had he been a normal human Ryou wouldn’t have been able to even see his own hands if they had been right before his face. However, Ryou was mates with a vampire and could use his other’s senses as if they were his own.
Brown eyes flicked around the narrow tunnel even as Ryou’s ears stained to hear if anyone was close by. After ten minutes standing in place Ryou deemed himself alone and started down the tunnel.
The tunnels and rooms that made up the underground had been carved during the Millennium War all throughout the world. It was said that there where even tunnels under the oceans and seas that connected every continent with each other. Ryou didn’t believe it, however, there was always a niggling in the back of his mind when he found a new tunnel.
The tunnels had been a way for the Vampire’s to evacuate civilians out of the active war zones without running into enemy hostiles. After the war however, they had become the home of those who wished to profit from the less lawful of practices. Ryou had never been told why the Pharaoh had allowed such a thing to persist. But there were rumors…
Ryou shook his head as he passed through a crossroads and turned left. He didn’t need to think about those rumors. It was treasonous talk. Even if Ryou wasn’t a vampire.
The tunnel Ryou was in was slowly getting wider. It changed from hard packed earth to smooth stone flooring and brick walls. Lights danced along the walls farther up the tunnel and as Ryou walked closer he could make out worn stairs leading upwards.
This exit would leave Ryou standing across the street from his favorite Taiyaki shop. However, Ryou rarely used this tunnel for one particular reason.
Ascending the stairs Ryou grabbed hold of his daggers. Just as he exited the tunnel Ryou dropped to his knees and rolled. Blindly Ryou jabbed with his dagger at the perceived threat, getting a shriek of pain for his efforts.
Back on his feet Ryou turned toward the exit to get a good look at the bastard that had just tried to behead him.
The human was in his fifties, round like a balloon that had been filled to bursting, and holding a butchering knife. His white apron was stained red from the carcass he was in the middle of chopping up, and Ryou could make out the scent of blood from where he had stabbed the butcher in the leg.
“What did I tell you ungrateful heathens about coming through my shop uninvited!?” The butcher bellowed, waving his knife at Ryou.
Arms crossed Ryou raised an eyebrow at the butcher. “The only reason you’re not dead right now is because my mate has claimed you as off limits. This entrance to the underground has been here for millennia, and it’s been used for millennia. You can’t change that.”
“Like hell I can’t!” The butcher snarled. “Now get out of my shop!”
Huffing Ryou turned around and walked out of the butcher shop onto the street. This side of town was deserted at this time. It wouldn’t get busy until noon at the earliest. Which meant that Ryou would be the only customer at the Taiyaki shop.
Humming in pleasure Ryou walked across the street and walked through the shops door. As the bell rang Ryou expected a greeting.
None came.
Perplexed Ryou looked around the shop. The sign on the door said the shop was open. There was Taiyaki wrapped in rice paper waiting to be sold, and batter in cups ready to be poured. But no shop keepers.
“Hello?” Ryou called out.
Movement from the back of the shop drew Ryou’s attention. He smiled and was about to greet the shop keepers, but the words got logged in his throat. It wasn’t the shop keeper. No, it was the pureblood vampire he had met at Layal.
Ryou swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat at the vampire’s presence. For some strange reason the vampire reminded him of Bakura. They both had the same lethal walk and aura about them. Two hunters that preyed upon those who preyed upon others.
“Well, now.” The vampire purred. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”
Ryou tensed.
The vampire rolled his Tyrian purple eyes at Ryou and walked toward the stove. Flipping the Taiyaki mold open the vampire poured batter into the mold and placed sweet red bean paste in the center before closing it. Flipping the mold the vampire turned to Ryou.
“Sit down,” the vampire ordered. “Old man Kiyoura told me that you were likely to come in. His only customer before noon. I’m merely surprised to see a human in vampire territory.”
Slowly Ryou took a seat at the bar. “This isn’t vampire territory.”
The vampire gave Ryou a look before making Taiyaki with chocolate, peanut butter, and Nutella fillings.
“Fine,” Ryou conceded. “This is vampire territory. But the only reason it is considered that is because the Japanese government is starting to inforce the law which creates area’s in all their cities where only vampires can live.”
“I take it you don’t agree,” the vampire said.
Ryou snorted. “No. This is stupidity at best. And all for what? A grudge against the Pharaoh? The Japanese weren’t going to win the war to begin with.”
The vampire plated up three Taiyaki. One was filled with sweet bean paste, the second with dark chocolate, and the third with Nutella. Drizzling them in honey and powdered sugar the vampire placed the Taiyaki on a plate before Ryou before reaching under the bar counter. A mug of steaming tea was set next to the plate.
Daintily Ryou sniffed the air picking up not only the scent of jasmine tea, but the vampire’s scent as well. Dry desert winds filled with sand, sweat, and the relaxing scent of horses.
Ryou didn’t even realize he was relaxing until it he’d bitten into the sweet bean Taiyaki. Humming at the taste, Ryou quickly devoured the two other Taiyaki on his plate. He watched the vampire intently as he made the next batch the vampire couldn’t help but chuckle.
“The name’s Akefia,” the vampire said placing more Taiyaki on Ryou’s plate. “And I happen to agree with you one hundred percent.”
Why did that name sound so familiar? Ryou thought as he ate another Taiyaki. This one was peanut butter flavored. Ryou’s nose wrinkled at the taste. He didn’t like peanut butter.
“How do you like working with Ahriman?”
Ryou was pulled out of his thoughts. Brown eyes blinked at Akefia in confusion. “I-I love it. She’s such a good horse and she’s wicked smart. It reminds me of when I was younger and my friends and I where stuck in the Sahara and came upon the remains of a Bedouin camp. The horses where just about dead with thirst…everyone and everything had already been reclaimed by the desert.”
“Taking care of Ahriman reminds you of death?” Akefia asked in disbelief.
“No,” Ryou shook his head, “it reminds me of helping those horses and traveling across the desert on horseback. There is nothing greater than that.”
Akefia nodded his head before glancing at the clock. “If you want to get to your next class on time you need to leave now.” He said before turning back to the stove.
Ryou pulled out his phone and cursed. It was eleven ten. He’d have to run through the underground to make it to class on time. Quickly Ryou placed the money he owned on the table. The last Taiyaki was stuffed partially in his mouth as Ryou ran across the street with vampiric speed and breezed past the butcher.
As far as the butcher was concerned his door had blown open by a freak wind.
Racing down the tunnels Ryou had to remind himself to breath. He hadn’t used his other half’s speed in months and Ryou was starting to realize that was a bad thing. If he wanted to keep in perfect form then he needed to use all of his powers every day. Mentally Ryou decided that he would force Marik and Yugi to start up their old training regimen again. No reason for the three of them to be out of shape.
Ryou was just about to cross into the tunnel that would let him out across the street from campus when he was collided with. The Taiyaki that had been shoved partially in his mouth flew across the crossroads and hit a dirt wall before falling to the floor.
With a groan Ryou looked at just what – or rather, who – had run into him.
Before Ryou was a very, very thin vampire. The vampire was unhealthily pale with splotches of skin a different pigment than the rest of her body. Blisters spread out across her skin and black veins visibly pulsed along her arms and neck. Her eyes where pure red but for thin slits where the pupil should be. The vampire’s lips and nose had begun to deteriorate and all of her teeth had sharpened to thin needles. When she bared her fangs at Ryou he could make out the receding line of her gums and lips.
Ryou froze.
This was not good.
The vampire before him was Malkavain. She had fallen into Ekitaibaionodaikikin – the blood famine. As far as the slayers where concerned she was a rouge that needed to be put down.
At the moment she was stuck in the tunnels of the underground, her photosensitivity off the charts. But when night fell there would be a massacre in Domino’s streets.
Shivering slightly Ryou forced himself to slowly stand. There was a chance he could out run her. However, Ryou didn’t want the Malkavain anywhere near his unprotected back. And he couldn’t let her run free, there would be too much blood lost, and Ryou knew the vampire would be in pain for every life lost.
That was the thing most humans didn’t know. Malkavain’s where conscious of everything that happened well they were in Ekitaibaionodaikikin. They simply had no control over their own bodies. It was their base instincts that ruled instead.
Ryou only had one option left. One he knew he’d regret later, but at the moment it was the only way. “I’m sorry.”
He kicked her into the wall, throwing his daggers to pin her in place. They wouldn’t hold her for long. Just long enough for Ryou to work a bit of magic. Slamming to his knees Ryou started writing hieroglyphics in the dirt. Slowly he began muttering under his breath as the spell came to life.
Magic flowed through his veins and Ryou could feel his blood heat up. This was a vampire ward made specifically to seal vampires into a ten by five area. Humans shouldn’t have been able to use it, but Ryou never said he was a normal human.
Swallowing thickly Ryou finished the spell and sat back. The female had finally pulled free from his daggers and was trying to tear down the ward. Concentrating Ryou called the shadows to retrieve his daggers.
The vampire couldn’t get out, but humans could get in, and that was what Ryou had been counting on.
“I’m going to get you some blood.” Ryou told the vampire, once again swallowing thickly. “Don’t eat anyone who crosses your path.”
She snarled at him.
Ryou turned back the way he had come and prayed the butcher hadn’t thrown out the blood from today’s stock.
In the end Ryou lugged thirty gallons of blood from the butchers back to the Malkavain. She’d drank without a care, splattering blood across her clothing and the floor. There was quite a bit of blood on Ryou’s coat and pants as well and Ryou knew that others would be investigating the area soon, but he didn’t care.
The Malkavain was sated for now, and Ryou could already see her slowly returning to a proper vampire. It would take time, and a few more gallons of blood. However, soon an upstanding member of society would once again be among them.
Sighing Ryou turned back to the butcher one last time. He needed to feed himself. The spell from earlier had taken a lot out of him, and Ryou was starting to get hungry. Hmmm, just the thought of bloody steak made Ryou salivate.
Opening the tunnel entrance to the butchers, Ryou was greeted to the sight of Akefia. Ryou blinked, his brown eyes shifting from Akefia’s face to his neck.
“You stink of blood,” Akefia said.
Ryou hummed, slowly walking toward the vampire.
“I ran into a Malkavain and sealed her in place. She’s returning to how she was before the fall. I fed her about thirty gallons of blood.”
Akefia tilted his head. “How’d you seal her in place?”
Ryou was right in front of Akefia now. Hazy Brown eyes stared up into purple before focusing again on the vampire’s neck.
“I used the Malkav Seal.”
Akefia swore, finally recognizing Ryou’s current actions. That seal was only to be used as a last resort because of how much it took from the vampire that created it. He grabbed Ryou’s shoulders.
“How much blood have you had today?” Akefia questioned.
Ryou hummed. “None…it hasn’t even been three month since my last feeding…”
A dove-grey eyebrow rose. “How long do you go between feedings?”
“Six months…if we’re sick we have to feed, or if we’re wounded…but normally its six months…”
Akefia shoved the information that there were more people like Ryou out there away for the moment. He needed to get blood into Ryou immediately. Hold still firmly on Ryou’s shoulders Akefia pulled Ryou out of the Butchers shop and down the street. It was around three in the afternoon now. Akefia didn’t know how long Ryou had been giving blood to the Malkavain but he was going to find out.
Loudly Akefia cursed again.
He wasn’t even the lord of the underground here. Sure he was the Thief King and thusly ruled all often underground, but he hadn’t met with the area leader. As far as the citizens of Domino’s Underground Akefia was nothing more than a new cat trying to win power for himself.
He’d have to get his contacts working on this then.
Quickly Akefia pulled Ryou into a shop less than a block from the Butchers. To a first glance there was nothing impressive about the shop. It was filled with refrigerators and seats used at blood donation centers. However, if one looked harder they would realize that every refrigerator in the shop was full of blood.
Whistling sharply Akefia pushed Ryou into a seat.
A woman with blond hair and silted purple eyes rushed to Akefia’s side.
“He’s gone into the Warmth. I get me O negative, now.” Akefia ordered already tearing Ryou’s jacket off.
The woman paled, but turned and sprinted back the way she had come.
The Warmth was a state vampires went into when they had been using what the humans would call blood magic. The so called blood magic took the energy for the spell directly from the blood of the vampire – taking all the nutrients from the blood and slowly eating away at the vampire’s blood cells. The process forced the vampire’s blood to heat up, and if the vampire didn’t feed then their blood would continue to be eaten away, heating further until the vampire’s blood boiled within their veins.
Akefia pulled back a sleeve of Ryou’s shirt past the elbow. Eyeing the veins on the young man’s arms Akefia nodded. He’d have to transfuse the first pint of blood directly into Ryou’s bloodstream. The second pint he’d force Ryou to drink.
The woman was back a tray with three blood bags and a blood transfusion kit in her hands. Quickly she dropped the tray onto a nearby table and rushed to the front of the shop. The woman flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.
Silently Akefia strapped Ryou down. He didn’t know how strong Ryou was, and Akefia didn’t want to take any chances. At the moment Ryou was delirious, but once he got some fresh blood in him Akefia suspected the brat would be fighting him at every turn.
Akefia picked up the needle and started the transfusion. There was a tense few minutes before Ryou started to visibly cool down. It wasn’t enough though. Akefia was going to make sure Ryou had at least the three pints of blood in him before he let the young man out of his sight.
If he let the young man out of his sight.
Setting the second bag of blood to drip through the transfusion line Akefia carefully pried Ryou’s mouth open to reveal four needle like fangs. As Akefia grabbed the final blood bag he pondered over just what Ryou was. There had never been a hybrid before. Vampire and Human DNA didn’t mix. However, for whatever reason Ryou not only had shadows, but vampire speed, sight, and hearing. Let along fangs.
Could it be a hybrid finally developed? Akefia questioned pouring some of the blood into Ryou’s mouth. Or could it be that Ryou is a reincarnation? Events such as this sometimes happen with reincarnations…
Akefia didn’t have long to ponder for Ryou was finally coherent. Swallowing the blood in his mouth Ryou bit down on the blood bag and refused to open his mouth. Unimpressed, Akefia allowed Ryou to take in the situation before speaking to him.
“You are an idiot. You knew that you’d need to feed after that seal, but you didn’t. Do you know how lucky you are I recognized the signs?”
Ryou glared at him, but refused to open his mouth. Luckily, Ryou knew better then to try thrashing.
Akefia glared back. “I’m not letting you up until you finish three pints of blood. So you can open your mouth and drink the damn blood, or I can hook up another blood bag to the transfusion line.”
Brown eyes turned to study the transfusion line, taking note of the straps holding him down. Ryou gave Akefia an unimpressed look.
“I’m not the one who was an idiot.” Akefia said.
Ryou huffed and reluctantly opened his mouth.
Akefia extracted the punctured blood bag and held it up. At least a third of it was gone. However, the four holes near the top were going to make the situation more difficult.
“I’m not an invalid,” Ryou snarled. “I know my limits.”
“Really?” Akefia asked pouring the ruined blood bag into a cup.
Ryou growled. “I’m in my third year of med school. I’m going to be a vampire-human physician in two years. That’s if I don’t decided on a particular field of study afterwards.”
“You’re eighteen.” Akefia deadpanned.
Reluctantly Ryou drank from the cup Akefia put to his lips. “I tested out of my premed classes and started med school my junior year of high school.”
“Any particular reason you did that?”
Ryou looked like he wasn’t going to answer. Yet, he sighed and looked toward the ceiling. “Someone in our court has to know healing…and I happen to be the best at it. I was inducted into the House of Healing when I was eleven.”
Purple eyes sharpened at the name. “You’re an acolyte?”
Grimacing Ryou took another drink. “Heir, actually.” Ryou refused to drink any more until he had a question of his own answered. “Why’d you help me?”
Akefia smirked. “I find you interesting, and the more I learn about you the more interesting you get.”
With a groan Ryou leaned back in his seat. Time seemed to pass quickly after that. Too soon it seemed Ryou was healthy enough to be let back out into the world. The woman manning the shop had tried to get the blood out of Ryou’s pants. In the end however, she only ended up ruining them.
Ryou had just passed the front door when Akefia pulled him back inside. A gasp escaped Ryou as Akefia gave him a searing kiss.
“Payment for saving your life.”
The vampire vanished into the crowds, leaving Ryou to stew the entre way home.
Across the city the Pharaoh and his court where in the middle of an emergency meeting. They were discussing the laws that Japan had on the books but where just starting to implement. It seemed other countries where following Japans lead. What did they have to fear, when the Pharaoh himself won’t stop them?
Settled at the head of the table the Pharaoh stewed. Just in the last three days alone ten different countries had passed laws that prohibited where and when vampires could own houses or businesses. Three different countries where calling for a full scale wipe of vampire protections, and two had outright declared vampire hunting season open.
Rubbing his forehead the Pharaoh tried to understand how this had happened. There had to be somebody pulling the strings. Otherwise none of the fifteen countries would have had the gall to pull these stunts. Each county had been on good working relations with Khemet and the Vampire Race. Now though…
Now everything was shot to hell, and the Pharaoh didn’t just have to worry about the vampire race as a whole. He needed to worry about Yugi and his kith wellbeing as well.
Sighing the Pharaoh let down the barrier he’d placed between the spasming mating bond and the rest of his mind. Yugi and Nishant Yami’s emotions bubbled through the Pharaoh, soothing him with their contentment and amusement. The Pharaoh couldn’t wait until he had the two within his grasp. He just had to wait until the blood moon, then he could take the Hikari as they were called with him back the Khemet.
The Pharaoh knew the Hikari wouldn’t be pleased. The Pharaoh wouldn’t if they were in his shoes. However, the Pharaoh wasn’t willing to risk his chance at happiness again.
Yami was sending soothing emotions along the mating bond to Yugi, unknowing that they were affecting the Pharaoh as well. With another sigh the Pharaoh turned back to the conversation going on around him.
He needed to find who was pulling the strings, and how long this puppet master had been making his web. If he didn’t another war like the one five thousand years ago seemed to be on the horizon.