Young Blood by Mooguri Klaine

Author's Notes: I know, there are plenty AU YGO fics around this place, but I'd like to give it a shot. Especially the genre of drumroll vampires! XD So do excuse my rantings; I haven't gotten enough sleep to recover my sanity, thus, I am in a state of disaster. Pardon me if you come across grammar errors, typos, and some more technical stuff. And while I'm still ranting, I might as well plug my other two fanfictions (still under YGO), Merry-Go-Round and The Unfaithful. Read them and tell me what you think of it! I need your reactions to keep me alive moans like a zombie ;;

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh... is not my property, and I feel pissed off knowing that I can't EVER own it. sobs Life sucks. XP

Warning/Reminders: Alert! Alert! This is a yaoi (boy to boy) fanfiction. This also happens to be an AU (Alternative Universe) story, so you don't need to get yourselves hyped up when you see elements that are not in the series or the manga. This is practically different; it's the characters that are the same. :D

Summary: A prince. A lover. A past. A thirst for blood. Enter a new alternate reality where the fearsome Prince of the Night walks, and begins a search for the man he had left behind after a long slumber, and in turn, hurls himself in a conflict woven out of love, hate, passion and death. Will all events lead him to his lost romance? Read and Review! XD

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Chapter One: Awakening

"How long was I asleep?"

"Too long, Your Majesty."

"I am thirsty. Bring me something to drink."

"As you wish."

A couple of minutes passed, then a hooded young man, flanked by a couple of men, entered the large chamber, tugging along a woman.

"Bring her to me," came the ominous voice.

The blond woman was immediately carried, and was settled gently before the gaze of a crimson-eyed youth. The man regarded the morsel with a hint of disappointment and dislike.

"After three thousand years of sleep, this is what I get, a wispy meal?" he scoffed.

"We seek your forgiveness, my liege," bowed the hooded man. "We shall provide better ones next time."

The boy remained silent. "This should better be the last time, do you understand, Shada?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The woman sat in her place, too scared to utter a word. She saw the looming figure of a pale young boy with eyes as red as wine. The boy leaned closer to her, and lightly touched her cheek. The girl could not help but shiver; the youth's hands are like ice.

"Hush, little lady," a soft voice issued from the lips of the boy. The woman shuddered when she saw a pair of fangs glistening in the man's mouth. Before the blond woman could even shriek, another hand closed on her throat, choking her.

There was a brief sequence of whimpers and muffled screams before it had finally subsided. The boy stood up, his cheeks pert with a bit of color. He licked his bloodied lips indulgently. He scanned the room, as if searching for someone.

"Where is Sekheth?" [1]

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"Close the curtains, dammit. Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"Nope, not a chance, big brother."

Seto Kaiba's eyes fluttered open once more and moaned. The sun, now present in his once-dark room, was stinging his eyes. "Mokuba, I hate the sun. So do me a favor and close the curtains."

Mokuba sighed. "Fine, but you're going to work today," he said. He walked up to the windows and pulled the curtains together, closing them.

Seto groggily got up to a sitting position and yawned. He rubbed his eyes for a while. Then he pouted and settled his gaze at his younger sibling. "And you," his pointer finger at Mokuba, "are going to school."

"You must be a vampire, big brother," said Mokuba, ignoring Seto's remark. "You don't like the sun."

"Vampires," said Seto with a snort. "Are you still reading that junk of a novel?"

"Hey! Isis' books are really good," came Mokuba's defense. "Especially the supernatural. I swear she - "

"Alright, Mokuba, I get it," Seto rolled his eyes, as he interrupted his younger brother's praises about the said author, before it could even go on. He had heard that for more than enough. "She's a fiction writer, and you want to marry her."

"I do not want to marry her! Wherever did you get the idea?"

"It sounded like you've known her all your life. I bet you even know what her favorite drink is," Seto remarked with a smirk. His younger brother is an avid fan of the said writer. Every single book the author had ever written, Mokuba gets to have it before anyone else does. Of course, it was relatively easy, given that his older brother has all the strings he could pull. And Mokuba has his own stash of cash kept especially for it.

"She likes tea," Mokuba supplied simply. "A strong pot of tea mixed with menthol leaves to calm her system..."

Seto sighed as he got off the bed. "Great, Mokuba. Now if only you have that same liking to your schoolwork, I wouldn't be even complaining about that Isis fixation you got there." He raised an eyebrow at him. "Your grades don't seem to be getting any better." Time to be a proper brother for my sibling, Seto thought wistfully.

"But school is boring!" whined Mokuba, simply stating what was for him, a fact that every single student shared. "And besides, it's a Saturday, so I still have Sunday for homework."

Seto turned to his brother and saw Isis' book tucked innocently in Mokuba's arm. "Fine, have it your way," he said. "But your homework should be finished by tonight."

"But - "

"No buts," Seto warned. "Finish your school projects and study before you hit those books." He approached Mokuba and ruffled his brother's black hair. "Make your older brother happy."

Several uneventful minutes later, Seto stepped out of the door and hastily covered his eyes with a brown envelope. He searched his pockets for his sunglasses and flicked them on hurriedly as his limousine pulled over in front of him.

I hate the sun, I just don't know why, he said to himself as he clambered inside the car.

"Any stopovers, Sir Kaiba?"

"No, drive straight to my building."

>>>>>>>>

"Where is Sekheth?"

Uncomfortable silence.

"Where is Sekheth?" the young man asked again, louder this time.

Still no reply. The spectators merely stood limply at their posts, fidgeting, uncertain of what to do. This show of action infuriated the proud youth.

His right hand lifted upwards, and in turn, a soldier was brought up in the air lazily like a rag doll, and was tossed to a nearby brick wall with an irritated flick of a hand. The force of the impact was great; the strong brick wall crumbled in some places like a sodden cookie in the hands of an eager child. There was a dull thump as the soldier fell to the ground in a disheveled heap. Others watched in stunned silence, all not daring to speak or even move.

"I do not wish to waste my time nor my power throwing around worthless pawns," he said dangerously, eyeing everyone with a withering look. "Ishizu!" he called imperiously.

Slow, mournful footsteps followed suit. "You called, Prince Atem?"

"Perhaps it is you I should have asked in the first place," Atem said. "Tell me where is Sekheth." He paused. "I see that everyone is still alive and well, but I see no sign of him. Where is he?"

Ishizu looked at Atem, sapphire eyes ageless and full of wisdom staring at the regal and fiery hues of the latter. Then, slowly, Ishizu unmistakably heaved a long, pronounced sigh.

"We regret to tell you, Your Majesty," she clutched her cloak tightly, her mouth barely moving, almost afraid of what to say next.

"Sekheth is gone."

>>>>>>>>

"I'm going to buy Isis' newest book!"

Seto sighed as he heard an employee telling this piece of information spiritedly at someone just outside his office. Great, more Mokuba-like fans, thought the blue-eyed corporate. It was the last day of the month, and naturally it meant great news for all workers alike: it's payday. Every laborer would be receiving another periodic bout of financial sustenance for their families and loved ones. The whole office was now buzzing with activity as employees happily discussed where their earnings would go and at the same time, impatiently waiting for their shift to end.

As always, Seto sat on his expensive leather chair, drumming his fingers nonchalantly against the desk. His work was done for the day, and he was simply whiling away the time. The sun was almost gone from the horizon, and some early stars twinkled innocently against the vermilion and blue-black sky.

He can still hear the continual chatter from the other side of the door. "Exactly what do they see in those novels?" he asked aloud. He knew about Isis, of course. Non-readers like him know her as well, as her name was a groundbreaking phenomenon, even becoming increasingly popular as the media sensationalized it. And people like Mokuba get attracted to it like bees to honey. He gazed outside the clear Plexiglas window again, and saw the sun only a daub of red in the sky. The moon had finally walked in to claim the stage.

Night had finally settled in.

This made Seto felt good. Seto found the night more welcoming and normal to him, unlike what most people feel towards it. Perhaps it was his element, as a dolphin would be to the sea. It was during the night that he is at his optimum, where he can think easily, where his performance was at the highest. He never really liked the sun very much ever since he was young; it was too bright for comfort. Whereas the moon was enticing and beautiful, showing many phases as it morphed and assumed a new shape at one point in time. And just as the night, it was just as mysterious and solemn, silent and listening.

A bell rang somewhere far down the building. There was a collective cry of happiness as his workers trudged down the path to a night of drinks, fun, and shopping spree.

And a copy of Isis' latest novel.

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"What do you mean, he is gone?"

"My Prince, Sekheth is...no more," came Ishizu's silent reply, as she continued to bow down in reverence, her knees on the lavish marble floor. "He has passed away, gone from this realm."

Atem approached Ishizu and seized the collars of her cloak, bringing their faces inches closer. Atem's carmine eyes surveyed Ishizu's deep marine ones, searching for lies hiding somewhere in the depth of the lady's orbs. Yet he did not find any.

"I do not lie," Ishizu said impassively. "You know I don't. I cannot lie to you, My Lord."

Speechless. Atem was speechless. For a whole minute he simply stared at his priestess, waiting for a sudden change in reaction, waiting for her to poke him and tell him it was all a joke, then Sekheth will finally emerge from his hiding place and welcome him. But none of those came. His speechlessness slowly turned to anger. Slow, escalating anger. He saw Ishizu grimaced painfully as his fists tightened mercilessly on the fine material of the cloak.

There was a sudden gasp from the onlookers as Atem drew height, and with an infuriated cry, hurled the taller priestess away. Another hooded man immediately intervened, and caught the shocked Ishizu before she could collide with the cold hard floor.

"YOU LIE!" Atem screamed vehemently. A solitary tear broke free from his crimson eyes, yet he took no notice.

"Atem, get a hold of yourself!" the hooded man cried, cradling in his arms the shaking form of Ishizu. The silent air was now racked with quiet sobs. "Ishizu speaks true! This is no jest!"

"SILENCE, MAHADO!" the prince's voice boomed and echoed in the still chamber. "I refuse to believe this nonsense!"

Anger turned to desperation. Atem was now holding onto his desperate and foolish attempt to believe that the man he was looking for was still present. His round eyes scanned the large expanse of the room, searching among the hooded and unidentified figures for a sign of Sekheth. He was breathing madly now, his throat almost searing with pain as breath after breath went in and went out of his system. Sekheth was not among the crowd. Yet he denied it still.

"SEKHETH!" Atem shouted. "SEKHETH!" His small chest was heaving with apparent effort. "COME OUT, SEKHETH! THIS IS AN ORDER! SEK- "

A quick but audible slap dashed across the Pharaoh's cheek. This elicited more gasps from the silent watchers. He stumbled to the side a bit, his red eyes registering a stunned expression.

"Ishizu..." he murmured the priestess' name. Ishizu's face was still shining with tears, crying not out of hurt. Her serene eyes were gazing at Atem, those soulful orbs betraying nothing. This struck the prince greatly.

Ishizu was crying for him. Could it be pity?

Desperation finally left him, and all that was ever left was the last thing Atem wanted to feel: fear. He knew Ishizu would never lie to him, her eyes tell it so. Yet he refused it altogether, despite the whole truth screaming right at his own face. His desperation only made matters worse, his false sense of hope dragging him to the abysmal pool of his worst fears.

"Impossible," he breathed, almost inaudibly. "He is one of us; he can never die, just like us..."

Ishizu seized Atem's shoulders gently, and pulled him closer to her in a tight embrace. The sovereign did not break away.

"How...?" Atem asked, more to himself than to Ishizu. His cheek was buried in the soft cool fabric of Ishizu's garments, feeling and hearing her slow, steady breathing. "How?"

"Ra is cruel to our kind, we who are of the Shadow," Ishizu replied with a soothing and calm voice. "It is our punishment, not to behold the mighty god in all its glory..."

"Sekheth..." Atem called the name again. He felt Ishizu's embrace tighten.

"He was killed by Ra."

>>>>>>>>

"He was killed by Ra..."

"Are you quoting her lines again?"

"Yeah, big bro," Mokuba happily replied. "This is from her latest work, 'Invoke', where the vampire looks for his lost lover, after being asleep for a thousand years."

"Uh-huh," Seto absently remarked; his attention was on his laptop right now, typing away. He paused, and eyed his younger brother curiously. Mokuba was reading the book avidly as always, gobbling every single word from the acclaimed authoress. Seto was at a loss for words, simply because both of them have entirely different interests, and he was just too busy to have one. Putting more enthusiasm in his voice, he asked, "So did he find her?" so their conversation can go somewhere.

Mokuba stopped abruptly from his reading and looked at his brother, his face somewhat mildly shocked as Seto actually wanted to know something about the story. "Oh," he started. "I'm not sure; I haven't been to that part yet. He's still looking for him."

"I see," was all Seto could say; he was back to his laptop.

Wait a minute.

"Mokuba!" Seto stood up suddenly, almost knocking the computer off the table.

"What?" Mokuba innocently asked, a bit surprised at his older brother's sudden and unexpected reaction.

"He's still looking for him?" Seto asked in a bewildered voice. "HIM?"

"What about it?" Mokuba scratched his head with a perplexed look etched in his face. He was finding it odd that his brother was much too carried away with the plot more than he is.

"You didn't tell me that book has homosexual content!" Seto exclaimed, his blue eyes wide with panic.

"Oh," the younger Kaiba brother frowned a bit, pausing for a while to think. "Yeah, it does have something like that."

"All her books?"

"Er...yeah, I think so," Mokuba replied, still confused. "What's wrong with that?"

"That's it, I'm confiscating your books," Seto said in a voice with a hint of finality in them. "What kind of sick author publishes works that poison readers' minds?"

"WHAT?! YOU'RE TAKING AWAY MY BOOKS?"

"Yes," Seto replied simply, snatching the book from Mokuba's little hands. "They will be under my custody until further notice, though I highly doubt you'll get them back."

"Seto, that sucks!" Mokuba cried indignantly. "You can't grab my books just like that!"

"I can and I certainly will," Seto answered. Then he frowned. "And watch your language, Mokuba."

"UNFAIR!" whined the black-haired Kaiba. "You never used to care about my books! And I don't mind your stuff either! Who died and made you the lord of this house, anyway?"

"That's because you didn't tell me it has some...peculiar values not meant for you," Seto said, folding his arms authoritatively. "And yes, Father died, so that makes me the official 'lord of the house'."

"There's nothing wrong with it!" Mokuba defended earnestly. "It's not like I'm going to chase boys after I read the whole thing!"

Seto shuddered inwardly as a sick mental image formed in his mind where Mokuba was hugging another boy. "I can never forgive myself if I see you turn into a gay! What will I tell our parents when I get to heaven?"

"And what makes you say you'll go to heaven when you die?"

"Never mind that," Seto said, ignoring the last comment. Heck, he doesn't even believe in whether there's heaven or hell. Investing his belief in some unexplained and dubious concepts such as those are not included in his pragmatic vocabulary. Belief of 'heaven' will not buy him a corporate stock, for god's sake.

There was silence for a moment, then came his younger brother's reply. "You suck, big brother!" Mokuba yelled as he stuck his tongue at Seto.

He sighed. Being a big brother is not easy.

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The last of the servants had finally left the vast floor. Only five souls remained in the room. A small form was at the middle of the chamber, his thin fingers grasping the intricate patterns of the marble floor. There was ragged breathing in the air, sobs reverberating on the four magnificent pillars that silently stood at the corners.

Tear after tear dropped to the cold ground. Atem was letting his eyes shed tears. It has been three thousand years since he last cried. In fact, it was only this moment he had cried like this, full of anguish, pain, and shock. Shock, yes; he still could not believe the demise of Sekheth. Anguish was an understatement; Atem was so sure he felt more than that. Pain, definitely... To awaken after a long sleep and realize that the one you long for is no more...it was beyond anything.

So the only rational thing for him to do was to cry. To cry for the hope he had looked forward to for more than a millenium that was now gone, to cry for the unimaginable hurt of his beloved's death, and to cry for Sekheth himself.

"Your Majesty..." a voice started uncertainly.

Then, something hit Atem. Something awfully significant. This could change everything. All hope was not lost. Atem has still one card left to play.

"Karimu," the sovereign called in a mild voice. "I have an unshaking belief that souls weave in and out of the cosmos. They repeatedly renew themselves, and take residence in another form. You believe in this, surely?"

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It took Seto quite a while to find all Mokuba's prized books. His devilish little brother still managed to hide most of it to some unholy place, and he had to scour the whole room for an hour before he was practically satisfied. Mokuba was not one bit pleased, however.

Seto carried a fairly large box to his own room with Mokuba bobbing along.

"Stop following me, Mokuba," Seto said.

"Those are my books, big brother, give them back."

"No."

"Fine!" Mokuba yelled again. "I'm going to buy another set, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" With that, he stalked off, his little feet pounding on the soft, carpeted floor.

"I have to cut Mokuba's ATM card this time."

>>>>>>>>

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"You are still weak; you cannot go out just yet!"

"I know he is out there, perhaps among the living, among those mortals," Atem said, his hopes swelling inside his chest, each passing second, it gets steadily stronger. This newfound hope brought energy coursing through his veins, as he proceeded to stride down the long corridors of the vast mansion.

"But My Lord, we implore you, you cannot handle such task!"

Atem whipped around irritably and flashed Karimu a menacing glare.

"And who are you to doubt what I can and cannot do?"

"Karimu asks for your mercy," Mahado stepped up at once. "But he raises a point. You cannot venture out in the open. You have woken up in a new era, a new age! You will not find sand nor wild animal nor oases once you step out of this threshold. You will find tall skyscrapers, steel and metal buildings, far from what you have grown into several millennia ago!"

If Atem was a tad confused about what Mahado had said, he did not voice it aloud nor did he show confusion on his face. His gaze stiffened as he folded his arms in a defiant manner. "New things there might be, but the mortals are still the same."

"No, my liege, the people are now different!" Ishizu piped in. "They believe in many things, and yet they don't in some aspects. They have a different way of life, a far cry from those brainless mortals we had when you still walked on the sands of Egypt!"

Mahado then said, " They have advanced greatly over the course of time. Uncanny how they carry on with their lives like so, even surpassing us!"

"It is suicide to go out unprepared and unguarded, Prince Atem," Shada spoke briefly, yet his voice was pleading.

Atem clenched his fists, and he let off a snarl, as if warding off his loyal panel of guardians. He had already made a decision.

"I do not care. I will find him, even if I have to face Ra for it!" Then he murmured a string of words from an ancient tongue. Almost suddenly, Atem disappeared entirely in a blink of an eye.

The priests stood, stunned and yet expectant at the same time.

"Ishizu," Mahado broke the silence. "Have you seen this in your visions?"

"It is written in my book, just as I have foreseen it..." came the silent, murmured reply. "Is it possible Sekheth might have been reading it?"

And as for Atem, there is no turning back.

>>To Be Continued

Footnotes: [1] The name 'Sekheth'...I did not make it all up. I actually saw this in DarkFoxy's fic, Love Against All Reason. I found the name really attractive. So, DarkFoxy, wherever you are, I owe you one! bows down in gratitude

Author's Notes: This fanfic is more or less inspired by two Anne Rice's book, The Vampire Armand and The Queen of the Damned. And goodness, thank God for Anne Rice and her yaoi-induced plots! You just got to love her books! Gee, I'm starting to sound like Mokuba in this fic smiles So if you haven't read that or any of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, you might want to check it out! This fanfic was one of those spur-of-the-moment types of stories, wherein I was too insane at that particular time and just began typing away like there was no tomorrow. So do forgive me for errors and stuff...I'm just too sleepy to double-check. Hope you liked it, though. The first chapter was not too showy and extravagant, but as I continue to write the upcoming chapters, it will definitely pick up some pace. So pump me up by giving me a review, or a suggestion, or a thought...anything I can use for this fic is very well appreciated. XD

I have two more fanfictions under my name, all under Yu-Gi-Oh, entitled, Merry-Go-Round and The Unfaithful. Do check it out if you have some time!

More YGO drawings! Yes, I draw, but I'm not that good unlike other kick-ass artists! Visit my DeviantArt page: http:mooguriklaine.deviantart.com!

Read and review! Thanks a lot and Rock on!