Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the original series' characters. All I own is this story and any characters not seen on the series. Let's not be plagiarizing or suing me okay?

A/N: This is an A/U vampire fic, the first one that I've ever done. I have read a few before though, but none quite like what I'm gonna write. I hope those who enjoy it will review and as for those who don't…just stop reading, don't flame me. Thanks.

A Deadly Embrace

Chapter One: The Scarlet Clan

Written By: Amanda/Artiste/Agent Di

It's intoxicating…the feeling you get right when a vampire sinks his fangs into your pulsing vein. When the blood spills forth in uncontrolled waves of crimson essence while the demonic creature sucks you dry in what can only be described as obsessively wicked glee.

Your heart rate doubles--no--triples and you feel as though gravity has lost its forceful touch. The only tugging you feel is the sharp jerk of abnormally pointed teeth on your neck. It's cruel…the things those bloodsuckers will put you through just before they take your life.

Once your head starts reeling and your spirit's ready to leave your shriveling vessel behind to the nocturnal monster the realization comes that you're a victim who's all but done for. All hopes of fighting off the maniacal menace are lost, after all, you've no one to blame for your predicament but yourself. You've begun to think the way the sinister creature wills you to. You forfeit your free will, your last chance, your blood.

You can no longer save yourself and the thing latched onto you certainly isn't about to offer you any sort of help…only a sense of false security. Lying to you, telling you mentally and through a harsh yet seductive touch that everything is okay. Nothing is wrong---despite the fact that your life is being drained away.

So now what are you to do? How did you ever get yourself into such a fatal position?! One moment you felt the uneasiness of a cold yet fiery set of eyes watching you. The resounding sounds of footsteps almost gliding towards you from some unknown direction. And then you come face to pale enticingly cryptic face with your stalker. The next thing you know…you're locked…in a deadly embrace.

******

Because it's what you are destined to do. Felaine had explained curtly to her two pupils. The slayers in training. Not that all humans didn't harbor a will and ability to slay vampires when it became necessary, but slayers were the chosen few who seemed to have an uncanny knack for it.

Two of the most skilled upcoming slayers were Rebecca Hawkins and Dina Finesse. Rebecca had shown great potential from the start. She could out-stake any professional slayer in the country…possibly even the world! Dina wasn't half bad herself. She'd long ago achieved the rankings of an expert and been appointed the trusted assistant to the top slayer. Now Rebecca and Dina hunted the beasts of the night together. Searching the small towns and even large cities for the heartless, human impersonating beings.

Felaine had trained the slayers well, but now it was all up to them. And they had only one shot at slaying the most devious of all the vampire clans (vampires being predatory animals who often hunt and dwell together in numbers of about three to ten members). To say they were nervous would be an extreme understatement. But to claim that they let it show would demonstrate complete lunacy in observation. On the contrary, Rebecca and Dina remained as emotionless and stone faced as any topnotch slayer. It was one thing to have fear, but it was suicide to let a vampire know it.

They walked along the filthy streets of Domino, the last known location of the clan of ruthless bloodsuckers that they were tracking. It would only be a matter of time before they had the beasts cornered, prime for the staking.

After a few forced interrogations and bribed confessions they had tracked the creatures to the sleaziest nightclub the immoral city could produce---The Eastern Star.

Upon reaching the entrance to the shady hangout the blonde spoke first, "Just the kind of place you'd expect the filthy parasites to flock to."

"Let's just get in, spill some stolen blood, and move on." Dina sneered. She was getting an eerie feeling about all of this, right in her gut. And to think I used to wonder why Felaine stopped doing the dirty work.

Rebecca reached out to push open the double doors, one hand gripping the stake hidden beneath her leather jacket, when a raspy voice called out from the shadows. "Well lookie here Kent, two live ones dressed to kill."

The other figure stepped out, joining his malevolent comrade in the dimly lit alley, "I love it when our dinner goes through the trouble of primping for us."

"You boys wouldn't by any chance happen to be vampires, would ya?" Dina frowned.

The first ghastly thug smirked to his companion, "Now what makes ya think that doll?"

"Ugh." Rebecca tightened her grip on the hidden weapon, "If there's anything worse than a vampire it's a flirtatious one."

"Alright then Blondie," the second vampire (closest to Rebecca) jeered, "we'll just skip the subtleties and devour your essence right now."

"That's more like it." the blonde grinned with a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes.

The vampire lunged for the slayer but not before she whipped out her wooden stake and shoved it through his ribs, deep into his chest, and right through his blackened, lifeless heart.

"And as for you," Dina jerked her head towards the vampire who'd dared to give her a 'pet name', "I think you'll find that my blood's a little too rich for you."

Fangs bared the creature prepared to attack, "Suck on this!" Dina's fist made contact with the creep's face. Punched square in the nose, the vampire staggered backwards.

"Why you icy little bit-" the vampire started but never finished his insult as Dina pulled the cape off from over her other arm, revealing a miniature crossbow-like weapon attached to her wrist. The difference, instead of arrows this propulsion device was loaded with newly sharpened wooden stakes.

"As I was saying," Dina took aim and fired, smirking menacingly as the stake soared right through her target's chest, "my blood can cost even a dead man his life."

Quite the feisty little redhead, isn't she? a dark figure mentally questioned his lighter counterpart.

Indeed, I wonder what such pricey blood must TASTE like. the second white haired figure licked his pale lips in anticipation.

Well, the first sniggered deep in his throat, we'll soon know.

The female they were stalking casually swayed over to the pile of ancient dust on the asphalt and lightly kicked it into the night wind with the toe of her boot. "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust." she half-chanted, half-mocked. "No bloodsucker alive can survive us."

"Cute." Rebecca rolled her eyes and turned back to the double doors with a yawn, "Enough with the preliminaries, now it's on to the main event."

A pale figure with spiky blonde, red, and black streaked hair looked down at the blonde slayer from the rooftop above. Impressive, but then again…Kent and his pal were no real challenge for any slayer. I guess the only way to tell how skilled this one is will be to taste--I mean--test her for ourselves.

The similar yet shorter in stature figure beside him nodded eagerly, My first kill. And I get to feast on a slayer! Just think of all the strength I'll gain from draining her of her blood!

The first figure smiled at his enthusiastic counterpart, I know you can handle this Yugi. I knew it when the Millennium Puzzle compelled me to 'turn' you. You shall make the kill, but since she does appear to be the renowned slayer, allow me to wear her down a bit first.

Yugi complied and Yami (his darker, more powerful counterpart) bade the other two vampires to move in for the attack.

All this had happened in a time span that no human conversation could rival. In the blink of an eye the mental scheming was done and the four creatures of the night swept down upon their unsuspecting prey.

Simultaneously Dina and Rebecca felt the cold chills of a deadly presence run down their spines. Exchanging looks of irritated surprise both girls turned to see Yugi and Bakura (the lighter counterpart of the white haired vampire) standing only a few paces behind them.

"Looks like the main event came to us." Dina murmured while taking aim with her mini-crossbow.

The fair skinned boy only smiled warmly at her and brought up his hand to wave, offering a kind greeting, "Hello there. What brings two young ladies such as yourselves to this part of town at so late an hour?"

"Save it for some flighty damsel in distress." Rebecca seethed preparing to charge at the blonde, red, and black haired figure next to the taller boy.

This boy too did an almost flawless job of feigning innocence. "You ought to be careful with that spike miss, someone could get hurt."

"Hmph," the blonde scoffed, "someone WILL get hurt, but it won't be me!"

Raring back the spike she didn't even have time to rush forward as a hand darted out and grasped her raised wrist from behind. The grip was so tight that it lightly bruised her tender skin and caused her to drop the weapon.

Dina heard her friend's almost inaudible gasp and turned to see what was happening when another unseen figure threw his arm in front of her and held her in a choke hold. "What a rookie. Perhaps you're not as talented as we'd anticipated. How disappointing."

"Let us go." Rebecca warned.

The figure holding her finally spoke as he latched his free arm around her waist (pinning her other arm to her side), "You are in no position to be making demands…slayer."

Dina struggled against the rough embrace but couldn't wriggle free. "Oh come now mortal," the deep voice behind her chuckled, "how did you expect to die?"

"Old age," Dina hissed, just a few more inches and she'd be able to reach the stake hidden in the back of her boot.

The creature cackled evilly now, "You'll never see old age."

"No…" Dina agreed as her fingers brushed the tip of the wooden weapon, "…but with you up this close, I can sure smell it!"

Yami glanced down at the female in his arms, she wasn't putting up half as much resistance as he'd expected, What's she up to?

In another second that jerk's gonna be a pile of vacuum bait. Rebecca thought with a grin as she watched her partner maneuver her other arm down to her boot.

A golden glow silenced Rebecca's thoughts and she noticed that the curve of her lower back was now warm with the sensation of ancient magic. CRAP! she panicked, This other jerk just read my thoughts!

Perhaps you think too much. Yami telepathically chided her. "Yami Bakura, watch that female you hold…she's armed."

"I can see that." the second vampire scowled, yanking his head towards the mini-crossbow on the wrist of redhead who was trying to pull his arm away.

Yami felt the need to bombard the hotheaded vampire with a barrage of profanity. "Her other hand you halfwit!"

Aggravated at the older vampire's insult yet curious as to what the slayer was planning, Yami Bakura glanced down and saw her other hand reaching into her boot for a long stake. "Not so fast my dear." the white haired vampire tightened his grasp and forced her upright again.

The two elder vampires stood clutching the young slayers before their newly 'turned' counterparts. Beckoning them forward to feast each older vampire adjusted his grasp so that the slayers' necks were in full view.

Things are about to get ugly here. Dina's mind was racing.

This kill's turning into a feeding frenzy, Rebecca would've tried to formulate a counterattack but knew that the vampire holding her would only use whatever unseen item he had to read her thoughts again. Vampires could naturally read the minds of their victims, but a slayer was trained to prevent such acts…but even slayers were vulnerable to ancient magic.

Eyeing the two captured slayers hungrily the younger vampires advanced with a speed no human could fathom. Long fangs protruded from their gaping mouths and glistened in the ominous light of the full moon overhead.

"You should feel honored slayer," Yami whispered into the ear of the inwardly trembling blonde, "it's not just anyone who gets their life force drained by a vampire of the Scarlet Clan."

"You're the clan we were sent to destroy." Rebecca muttered.

"It's we who shall be destroying you." Yami vowed darkly.

Yugi and Bakura lunged forward and sank their fangs into the veins of each slayer before them. Their awaiting mouths filled with the deep crimson essence of each female, plunging the new nocturnal males into a world of light headed, empowering bliss.

The slayers' eyes went wide, fear wasn't something that could be suppressed now. It was too late for downplaying unwanted emotions. Now, it was do or die. And neither woman was ready to die.

Outnumbered or not, if you two keep your minds focused on what experience has taught you, you'll be able to overcome any foe. Felaine's words played over and over in their minds.

Yami Bakura couldn't restrain himself any longer. He too was starving for the redhead's rich blood. He couldn't remember the last time he'd given in and bitten a human. The older vampires could go longer without feeding, the ability to put it off until absolutely necessary allowed them to build false new lives among the clueless mortals of the era.

Growling in the pit of his parched throat he turned to Yami, "Let's take this meal inside. I'm starving for my share of the kill."

Equally as famished Yami agreed, "Yugi, withdraw your fangs and come inside the haunt. It shall be safer for us to drink there."

This is it. Rebecca thought, hoping that Yami would be too distracted in relocating everyone to read her thoughts, If I don't slay him now we're both dead!

As Yami proceeded to drag the emerald eyed slayer through the double doors he felt a bony elbow jab him in the stomach. This shocked the unsuspecting vampire and caused him to loosen his grip enough for Rebecca to slip free. Yugi rushed forward to stop her but received a swift kick below his belt buckle. And whether a male vampire or human, a kick there HURTS!

The younger vampire doubled over in pain while Rebecca snatched her stake off the ground and spun around to face Yami Bakura. "Alright parasite, let her go and I'll make this quick."

Bakura stepped forward to attack but Yami Bakura screamed to him, "No you foolish boy! She's a slayer, you haven't got the experience to battle one solo yet!"

"Hmph," Bakura hated it when his elder counterpart belittled him in front of mortals, "I'll show you experience."

Rebecca turned the stake towards the younger threat but was stopped from attacking by a muffled whimper from her companion.

"Back off the rookie or I'll break her pretty little neck." Yami Bakura threatened, stretching Dina's aching neck with his well muscled arm. He now held her other arm twisted firmly behind her back.

"I may have less practice at this than you but I can still defeat this mortal on my own!" Bakura snapped to his counterpart. He despised appearing to be a worthless weakling.

What am I supposed to do when these vermin think up stuff that's not covered in training?! Rebecca growled angrily to herself.

Dina's eyes spotted the vampire Yami looming over her friend, "REBECCA! WATCH OUT!!!"

Spinning around she came face to face with a snarling vampire. "My my, you recover quicker than the others."

"You'd best hope the same holds true for you." Yami hissed snatching the stake and breaking it in half.

Yugi had managed to pick himself up off the ground and together he and Yami subdued the cocky slayer and hauled her (one clutching each arm) into The Eastern Star. Bakura and Yami Bakura followed behind. Bakura eyed Dina maliciously. If he couldn't prove himself a formidable vampire by killing the top slayer, the second best would be just as good.

Dina caught the wicked gleam in the younger white haired vampire's eye. The looks he gave were as sinister as the actions of his older counterpart. I hate these rookies and their halfwit ambitions.

******

Not far from the heinous nightclub a chestnut haired woman silently wept in her dusky room while clutching a picture of her recently deceased big brother.

"Oh Joey," she sniffed, "I shouldn't have let you go that night. I just know you were mugged or something. But I never would've let you go alone to that duelist arena if-" her voice began to crack as tears trailed down her lightly tanned cheeks, "-if I'd known that you'd never be coming back to me!"

Serenity Wheeler had been putting off contacting one particular person regarding the whole incident. Joey's longtime girlfriend and part time opponent, Mai Valentine.

Pulling the picture back from against her heart she looked down at the photo within the frame. Joey held Mai in front of him while flashing a loving smile. Serenity leaned against his back flashing a peace sign with her fingers. The three had been so close, and now, now she'd have to tell poor Mai that Joey was gone…without a trace.

The sobbing started again as Serenity picked up the phone and forced herself to dial the number. She waited on the verge of hysterics as the ringing started.

"Hello?" a female's voice came from the other line, "This is Mai Valentine speaking, heartthrob of Domino."

Serenity smiled, Just Joey's type. "Mai? It's me, Serenity."

Mai's voice instantly took on a softer, more amiable tone. "Serenity? HI! How have you been hun? Has that brother of yours been behaving himself?"

"Well…" Serenity didn't know how on Earth she was going to get this all out.

"I haven't heard from you in a few days, everything okay?" Mai didn't like the quiver in the poor woman's voice.

"M-Mai, I'm calling about Joey. My brother, he's been missing." Serenity choked back a sob.

Mai fell silent.

Serenity forced down a whimper and continued, "He went to Kaiba Land a few nights back to practice before the next tournament, work and school have had him tied up during the day, he never came home."

The blonde on the other end felt the sting of oncoming tears in her violet eyes, "Serenity…did you contact the police yet? What did they say?!"

Tangling the phone cord around her finger to distract herself from a wave of sorrow Serenity answered, "They went to search for him. At first they'd suspected a mugging, then a possible murder, Mai…they even tried to convince me that he'd just runaway!"

"That's not true Serenity!" Mai snapped, "Don't you dare believe it! Joey wouldn't do that to you---to us!"

"I know," Serenity nodded and grabbed a tissue, "Mai, they checked everywhere, but no one's gonna say what they really think happened. The police won't even conduct their investigation after sundown."

"You mean," Mai gasped, "you think they're covering up another vampire attack?"

The sound of someone blowing their nose answered her. Serenity was almost out of breath from all her grieving. "If it was a vampire attack Mai, he's probably d-d-" Serenity couldn't bring herself to say that dreaded word.

"Maybe he got away," Mai was grasping at straws and she knew it, but the thought of losing Joey was too much for her to bare. And his poor sister had just gotten her operation completed. The sights that she wanted to see were her brother, the ocean, and a grand duel…not a bloody body, a coffin, and a bunch of grieving high schoolers.

"No." Serenity was grateful for the comforting optimism, "He would've made his way back home if he had. Domino belongs to the vampires after nightfall. We all know that. Joey…just wasn't ready to give up." Serenity admired her big brother's courage. Even the police were terrified of those creatures, but not Joey. He swallowed his fear and went right on living as he had before those heartless demons had invaded the city.

There was a creaking sound on the stairs just down the hall from her room. Serenity stared at the doorway, "Joey?"

Mai heard her speak on the other end of the line, Please, PLEASE be Joey!

A sneer spread over the face of the figure shrouded in the shadows of the hallway as he stood--still as a statue--before her door. "Not a chance."

The cold voice and eerie smirk that played on the pale creature's face alarmed the already edgy female. Still holding the phone to her ear she spoke timidly, "W-who are you?"

The brown bangs hiding the man's eyes pulled back their shadow as he lifted his face so that two cerulean orbs glared at her. "I am the most powerful man in Domino."

Mai heard a gasp over the phone just before it went dead. "Huh?" she pulled the pink cordless phone away from her ear. "What happened to the signal?"

The faint sound of all too familiar laughter answered her from just outside her window. Walking over she raised the pane and stared down two stories at---"JOEY?!"

The blond with unruly hair and a green jacket stared upwards at his 'girlfriend', "Hiya Mai, miss me?" a coy smile played on his inhumanly pale face.

"Mai? MAI?!" Serenity cried into the phone but got no reply. Something had happened to her only friend in the world (now that Joey was gone), she just knew it!

"Relax. Serenity was it? She's just chatting with an old flame." the brown haired man stepped forward into the dim light of the room.

"What do you mean? Do you know what happened to my brother?!" Serenity was practically pleading with this stranger for answers now.

"Maybe." the man was obviously toying with her. His kind found weak human emotions…amusing.

"Please," she begged, "I have to know."

"Alright," the man took a worn brown leather wallet from his trench coat's side pocket and tossed it to Serenity.

She caught it in mid-air and quickly opened it to find--a picture--of herself! "JOEY!" she sobbed, "This is Joey's wallet! How did you get it?! WHO ARE YOU?!"

"I told you," the grim voice answered, "I am the most powerful man in all of Domino. And your brother…he's one of us now."

"Us?" Serenity repeated, "Who's us??"

The mysterious figure's lips curled and shining fangs glistened in the light. "I believe the most common term used for my kind would be…vampires."

Eyes wide with fear the auburn haired teen backed away, stumbling on a small stool. The man's eerie smile grew wider. "Don't try to flee me mortal, I'm much too cunning."

"What do you want?!" Serenity demanded. "YOU! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!"

"Killed?" the mocking statement was followed with a cynical laugh, "I 'turned' him! He's a vampire now. Much stronger. No longer the pathetic little puppy that he was before."

"I don't care what you thought of him!" Serenity shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists, "He was my big brother and he didn't deserve what you did to him!"

"Hm," the vampire mused at this, "maybe you're right. But I gave him the gift of eternal night foraging anyway."

Full of rage the young woman raced towards the vampire and started pounded against his chest with her fists, "YOU CRUEL, HEARTLESS, LIFELESS MONSTER!!!"

The hitting was more of a nuisance than a pain to the creature, "This won't bring back your brother."

"Nothing will!" she sobbed, "And it's all YOUR fault! Why couldn't you just leave him be?!"

"Because," the creature suddenly took hold of both her wrists, "I am a vampire and he was a human. And humans are nothing but toys for us. We do what we wish with them. Feed off them, 'turn' them, even love them. We never let them be."

A certain something had flashed in his eyes when he'd said the word love to her. Serenity was now gazing straight into his sky blue irises as he scooped her into his arms and walked towards the window, "Come on now, Joey was the last human I fed from and that was nights ago. Needless to say---I'm starving."

Serenity was about to protest when the window seemed to dissipate and the next thing she knew, he was carrying her up to the door of a white limousine. Once they were both inside he instructed the driver to take them to The Eastern Star.

Putting on a brave and defiant face the young woman refused to look the vampire in the eye as they pulled away from her house. This monster's already killed Joey. she thought bitterly, He may as well kill me too. It's better than sharing a city with the likes of HIM every night. Still…I wonder how he could've ever gotten through the barriers Joey had placed around the entries?

Hmph, the strange man smirked as he used his cryptic powers to read the teen's thoughts, she thinks that a few evil warding spells can stop the likes of a powerful vampire like me. It's a miracle that her family wasn't devoured ages ago. Blocks like that will only keep out the amateurs. Sliding his arm along the back of the seat he brought his hand down upon Serenity's farthest shoulder and pulled her close, "I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy the taste of your blood far more than his. By the way, I'm Seto Kaiba."

Serenity gasped, THE Seto Kaiba?! The owner of Kaiba Land?!? A VAMPIRE??!

A sudden feeling of drowsiness overtook her and she felt the darkness of sleep coming in to claim her tiring mind. She suspected that it was the constant mourning that had worn her out so completely. In all actuality, it was the vampire's submission spell.

Seto grinned as the young woman's eyes hesitantly shut and her breathing evened out. Soon she was in a deep, magically induced sleep. Powerless to struggle against him. He held a few strands of her russet hair between his fingers and watched as the moonlight from the rear windshield danced across them. Beautiful…even more so than most mortals. After all this time of watching her from afar, my patience has paid off. Her meddling brother's out of the way and at last, Serenity Wheeler is mine!

Looking up he noted the familiar surroundings of dark alleyways, garbage ridden streets, and busted streetlamps. "It won't be long now young mortal, we're almost there."

________________________________________________________________________

*Whoa, pretty dark huh? I might make it darker, probably will. I know I've got another fic to finish (and a sequel to start) but I've been working on this on the side and just figured I'd post it. So, what's everyone think? Please, no flames. Reviews, suggestions, and comments are more than welcome though. In the next chapter I'll continue with Mai and Joey, introduce vampires Marik and Malik (also members of the Scarlet Clan), and take you inside the notorious nightclub The Eastern Star! ^_~ *