An unknown amount of time had passed since Nimataka's ashes floated away in the wind. Moons had risen, suns had fallen, and Yugi's injuries had healed completely back into the scars that they used to be. Smiles were exchanged, hugs were given, and long walks were taken on those clear nights that were just as warm as the days. Everything was calm.
But nothing was the same.
Yugi hadn't drunken a single drop of blood since everything had happened with Nimataka. He would sit in the same room now while Atemu himself consumed the crimson, but seemed to pale at the mere thought of having it himself.
It was as if he was afraid…or wishing for something.
Atemu wasn't the same, either. No matter how much time was spent with Yugi, he couldn't seem to shake off the feeling that it wasn't going to last forever; he wasn't allowed to think that one day he would be gone, too, and that he wouldn't miss Yugi. He couldn't even lie to himself, because the truth had been engraved in his head to think about every day. It was always there, even when he smiled.
He definitely did when he cried every once in a while, just when everything became too much. But Yugi didn't care; Yugi was always there to give his presence until the vampire stopped.
For that Atemu was grateful.
It was early, perhaps seven o'clock at night. Yugi was working on an essay on Atemu's computer, while Atemu read a book with a glass of blood by his side. Everything was silent, and nothing seemed to be out-of-place.
Nothing except for the thing that had been floating around in Yugi's head for everyone to see. The student stopped typing for a moment and looked up at the screen although he wasn't focused on it, "Yami?"
Atemu blinked and looked up from his novel; at Yugi's voice he had instantly forgotten the last line comprehended, "Is something wrong, Aibou?"
If the vampire had said he wasn't expecting this then he would have been lying; he just wanted to give Yugi his space until he was ready. Otherwise everything else would have just seemed pointless.
"No," Yugi said, and Atemu could almost see him narrowing his eyes a little in thought; he stood up from his chair, "I just…want to talk to you."
Atemu closed his text, not even bothering to bookmark it. Things like that seemed so trivial at the moment, especially with the magnitude and intensity of the smaller's thoughts. If Atemu's heart was still working then it would have been beating in anticipation. Yugi sat down on the couch next to the vampire, keeping close but staying a comfortable distance away at the same time.
"What do you need?"
Yugi seemed to hesitate, "I…I've been thinking about something for a long time, and now I want to ask you."
Atemu didn't speak, deciding to let Yugi take his own course just in case he wanted to back out. The vampire couldn't blame him, even if it would hurt to let Yugi do so.
"Ever since…that night, I've had something on my mind that won't change no matter what perspective I put it into. I've thought about it in almost any way possible, but my opinion on the matter is still the same."
Atemu could tell that Yugi had practiced saying this over and over again; there was still feeling in it, though, and a ring of truth around it so thick that Atemu couldn't have torn his attention away even if he wanted to.
"I know that I told you before that I can't imagine living as long as you have, and I also know that I told you that I never would. But I want to, and the only way that I can do that is by actually living it."
"Yugi," Atemu interrupted gently, "This is a big choice. And as much as I would love for you to want this, existing like I do is not easy." He took a breath, just to prepare himself, "I've had to kill countless people just to stay alive, and the need for blood outweighs anything that you could ever imagine. Are you sure you want this?"
"I do." Yugi said, his voice firm and his mind just as confident. Atemu couldn't understand.
"Why?"
Yugi blinked, then plunged right in as if everything in his head was starting to boil over the rim, "You're the only friend I have, Yami. No one even spares me a second glance at school, unless they want to pick on me. You saved my life when you could have just killed me, and took care of me for how many years. You gave up everything for me, and I appreciate that so much.
"And…" Yugi stopped for a minute, raising his eyes back up to Atemu's crimson; they fell to nothingness while he was speaking, "You sacrificed the love of your entire existence, just for my life. You waited until I was ready to make this decision on my own, and…I've never felt like this before."
"But--" Atemu started; he didn't even know why he was fighting this so hard. Maybe he wanted to be absolutely sure.
"I'm not doing this because I feel like I owe you anything, Yami," Yugi said quickly. "I'm doing this because I love you, and I want you to stay with you forever. I don't want to die and leave you alone until the world ends." The student's eyes were gleaming with something that Atemu just couldn't place, "I want to see it with you. Turn me into a vampire."
Only two things were allowed into Atemu's mind: the memory of Yugi saying that he wanted to stay with the vampire forever when he was very small, and the deep desire inside of Atemu himself wanting exactly the same thing that Yugi did.
It could have been a mistake; they had made so many of them before. But this was one of those mistakes that just felt so right that they couldn't be ignored.
And somewhere inside of him Atemu believed that this wasn't going to be a mistake at all.
"Come on," Yami said suddenly, standing up and grabbing Yugi's wrist. "We're going to miss it."
"What?" Yugi asked, his heart racing. Yami's words and actions were so sudden, Yugi wasn't sure if the vampire had heard his small speech and query at all. He followed his father anyway, though, curiosity taking over his mind.
What did Yami want him to see?
"The sunset," Yami said, not even turning around to look his son in the eye. "You need to see it…you--" He stopped, unable to go on. Maybe Yami never got to see his last sunset or sunrise before he was turned.
Yami didn't have a choice at all, did he?
The student followed Yami right down to the foot of the stairs. Then he stopped. "Go, Aibou," He said. "Look for the last time, and don't forget to remember everything about it. It's not the same in movies or in pictures. You'll never get the chance again."
Yugi stared at Yami for a full ten seconds, just watching. He couldn't believe that Yami was really waiting for Yugi to be fully ready; he was so grateful that Yami was actually willing to give everything that he needed to take with him, whether it was a memory or something else entirely.
Now he was absolutely sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the vampire. No one had cared about him this much before. No one had cared about him at all.
Yugi smiled at the other and couldn't hold back the urge to embrace him before walking quickly outside.
The sun looked so much more different to him now than it ever did before, and it was an odd feeling knowing that he was never going to see it again. Yugi stopped in the middle of the street and just stared, watching the colors of gold and orange meld together to form a pure white energy. The reflections of that light around the corona melded into full blues and delicate purples…Yugi might have even seen a rare shade of green up in the sky.
The whole orb of light slid gracefully across the sky, ready to give its dawn to another part of the world. It had been doing it since the dawn of time, and would keep on doing it until the earth died and fell off of the scale of existence.
It was just that Yugi would never get to see it again.
Yet, he came to realize with a surprise, Yugi wasn't sad. He had never really thought about the beauty of the sun before, and even though he would never really know of its existence ever again…it didn't seem that important.
It was just one of those things that everyone took for granted.
And then it was gone, the sky a dark twilight purple. Now all that was left of the natural light was the reflection, and Yugi stared at what was going to be his life for the rest of his existence.
He would never forget that sunset, though, just because Yami had told him to remember.
Yet the only thing that Yugi could actually think about was if the change was in fact going to hurt. He wondered if it was going to hurt to actually die. He wondered if he was going to care when the time actually came. He wondered if there was a mistake to be made. All that Yugi could think about was Yami.
"Aibou?" Yugi turned around quickly as Yami put a hand on his shoulder. "Yugi, are you okay? Are…are you sure you want to do this?" Yami actually looked depressed at the thought of Yugi changing his mind. "It's okay if you don't--"
"No," Yugi said abruptly, "I do, I really do. I'm just…" Yugi paused, searching for the honest answer inside of him, "Scared."
Yami nodded, the corners of his lips turned up just the slightest bit; he looked a little sad, "Me too."
They started walking down the road, the sky now clear and black and devoid of all color. Stars no longer existed; thirteen years really was a long time when it came right down to it. Yugi knew where his steps were leading him, and he also knew that Yami was the one walking just a little further ahead.
He knew exactly where this needed to be done.
"Yami?" Yugi asked, slowing down a little. Yami did the same, realizing that he was rushing just a little bit, "Does…does it hurt?" Yugi didn't really care; it wasn't going to change his decision. He just wanted to know.
Yami seemed to realize this, and didn't stop walking. He merely looked thoughtful, "It does. But…I lost consciousness before the change actually happened. And I'm not going to do everything that she did." He stopped talking, stiffening up just a little as they continued. His voice dropped to almost a whisper, "I'm not going to do this with the intention of hurting you."
Yugi suddenly grasped Yami's hand; he wasn't sure why, but he felt like Yami needed the comfort. After all of these years and the past couple of weeks, the vampire was still hurting. Hopefully he wouldn't forever.
"Thank you, Aibou," Yami said, glancing at his son and smiling. He tightened his hold a little, making sure that he wouldn't let go.
The trees blew a little around them as Yugi and Yami entered the clearing of the park that meant so much to both of them. Yugi couldn't remember being in this park alone and afraid…but he knew that this was the spot because he could see it in the other's mind.
He also knew that Yami would remember it forever.
Atemu looked at Yugi and smiled reassuringly before leading him over to a bench. To tell the truth, the vampire was just as nervous as the student was; he knew what he had to do in order to turn Yugi, but he was still afraid that it wasn't going to work.
The process was simple…but deep down Atemu wondered if something would go wrong just because it could. Maybe he was just letting his fear and anxiety get the better of him.
He squished it down, promising himself that he would give Yugi what the two of them wanted. He wouldn't let his son down. Never again.
As they both sat down, Yugi scooted a little closer to Atemu; he was nervous, too. His heart was beating quickly, and his eyes were moving all over the place. He was thinking the exact same thing that Atemu was, but that was okay.
Neither of them had second thoughts.
"Umm…" Yugi started, finally settling his gaze on the vampire. It was turning a little awkward, as Atemu had never drank from Yugi before. That was the fear of their little life together; there was something missing now that it was gone.
"Okay," Atemu said. "Are you ready? You're sure that this is what you want, because I can't go back. After we start this…it will be dangerous to stop."
"I'm sure," Yugi said without hesitation.
Atemu nodded, then filled his dead lungs with air. He raised his hand, ready to break all of the scars on Yugi's skin again so that they'd flawlessly heal once the process was complete, leaving perfect skin behind.
As soon as Yugi realized what he was doing, he shouted, "No!"
Atemu flinched and immediately pulled his hand away, "What's wrong?"
Yugi seemed to shrink a little, surprised by his own outburst, "I want to keep my scars."
"What? Why?" Atemu honestly didn't understand. Those marks reminded Yugi of every terrible thing that had ever happened to him. Why would he want to keep them?
"Because," Yugi started, "I don't want to erase my past completely. I mean…I am what I am because of what my parents and the others at school did. I don't want to forget that and turn into someone else." He paused, looking up, "Is that okay?"
Atemu smiled; he loved Yugi so much, and was surprised by his Aibou again and again. He couldn't believe how strong a being he really was, "You never cease to amaze me, Yugi. I'm proud of you."
Yugi nodded, "Thank you."
"I'm going to open our minds, Yugi," The vampire said, struck with a thought. He didn't want to scare Yugi like that again so that he'd back out without a need to. "And tell you exactly what I'm going to do. Okay?"
Yugi nodded, then opened his mind further so that Atemu could feel all of the thoughts racing through him. There was fear and curiosity, but above all of that was the determination to give himself and Atemu the ability to stay together forever. It was so strong.
It was incredible.
I'm going to drink. Atemu said, and Yugi slid a little closer, a little more of that fear pushing it's way forward in his head. I'm not going to take any more than I need, okay?
Yugi nodded, words failing him at that point. The fear ebbed away a little, but not a lot. This was going to be trying on him. Atemu picked Yugi up and placed him in his lap, then wrapped his arms around him comfortingly, trying to get him to relax a little. He rocked back and forth, feeling Yugi gradually loosen up. "I'm proud of you for what you're doing for me, Yugi…never forget that."
Yugi nodded, his mind clearing just a little bit more. Atemu raised one of his hands, then gently brushed Yugi's hair off of his neck; there were no scars from when Nimataka drank from the smaller, something that Atemu was grateful for.
He leaned over placed his fangs over Yugi's neck, realizing that he was going to do this exact same thing thirteen years ago but didn't. His teeth rested against Yugi's skin, the pulse practically jumping into his mouth as Yugi's mind caught up to Atemu's actions. The vampire slowly slid his fangs into Yugi's skin…
And Yugi whimpered.
Atemu pulled his fangs out immediately; he had forgotten that this was going to be Yugi that he was drinking from--his own son. He had gotten too excited.
No. Yugi said firmly. Keep going, please Yami.
Atemu nodded, then wrapped his arms tighter around Yugi as he started to suck the crimson out of the two puncture wounds. The smaller of the two gasped at the sensation, and immediately his pale hand found its way into Atemu's tan one. They both squeezed lightly, reassuring each other that everything was going to be alright despite all of the different feelings and sensations.
And Atemu finally just slipped away, his dead body reacting wonderfully to the taste of human blood. Yugi tasted so sweet…Atemu had no idea that his blood would be so pure. It was like Yugi had never done anything terrible in his entire life--
Yet that was all about to change, and Atemu didn't even realize it. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered.
Yami-- Yugi said suddenly, and Atemu realized that Yugi's heart was slowing down; the student could feel it in his soul. His grip on the vampire's hand loosened considerable, and it was as if he was fighting to hold on.
It's okay, Aibou, Atemu cooed, not really knowing for sure if the change was alright or not. He shifted the smaller slightly, so that he was lying in the crook of one of Atemu's elbows like an infant. Yugi looked up at him with clouded amethyst eyes and Atemu squeezed his hand reassuringly, "We're almost done." He whispered.
Yugi nodded, barely even understanding the statement. He was dying…Atemu was killing his own child.
But that was what Yugi wanted, and it was about time the student got what he wanted, no matter what the consequences. Atemu would be there to protect him from anything and it would all be okay, just like it was all of those times before.
It had to be.
Atemu raised his free hand to his mouth and ripped the skin away from it with his teeth. It immediately started to drip blood.
There was only one step left.
Drink, Yugi, The vampire instructed clearly, and guided his hand to Yugi's mouth.
Yugi followed Atemu's instructions almost before he had even said them, and started to lap up the blood from the vampire's wrist. At first he was almost shy, but then at the first taste of the crimson slid down his throat, he became more bold…demanding.
Atemu closed his mind with the mental promise that it wouldn't be like that for long; if Yugi felt what he was supposed to feel, then Atemu wouldn't be able to get him home because he would be unconscious as well.
It hurt that much, but there wasn't anything that Atemu could do about it anymore. Not with Yugi digging his teeth into Atemu's vein, trying to get the most out of his first real drink. Not with the sensation flooding Atemu's mind; it was pain. Actual pain.
He just let Yugi drink.
Yugi wanted more. He raised his head up from Atemu's arm, suddenly full of energy that couldn't have been his own, and latched his own jaw into the other's wrist.
He had never tasted anything like this. It was blood, yes, and Yugi had tasted that sensation before, but…this had so much power in it. Yugi knew that he would drink forever if he could. He wanted to so badly…
But then it didn't feel so good anymore.
It started in his heart. It was a dull throbbing, almost like the pulse of waves as they crashed into the shore. But then it got harder, and faster. The speed of the pulse became more erratic and demanding, trying to take something out of the organ that just wasn't there to give.
His heart couldn't pound endlessly, but that was what the blood wanted. Yami's blood wanted him to be stronger than he was, and he just couldn't--
Yugi wanted to scream but just couldn't find the strength. The demanding pulse spread through his veins like wildfire, and he couldn't take it. It burned his throat and boiled his blood…he was almost sure that his eyes were rolling into the back of his head and he was yelling so loud even though he couldn't hear it--
Everything was black.
Atemu sat in the park for a long time, holding Yugi's unconscious body to him. He was crying, but couldn't understand why.
Maybe it was because…Yugi was dead.
He knew that Yugi would wake up soon; his mind was still touching Atemu's gently, but just watching him lie motionless in Atemu's arms, cold and without a heartbeat, it hurt. It was like a nightmare that the vampire had had every night since he found the child, but forgot about as soon as he woke up the next morning.
He never thought that he would feel this way.
But he was so, so happy at the same time, because even unconscious, Yugi felt happy, and that was all that Atemu ever wanted from the boy.
Yugi moaned a little in the vampire's arms, and Atemu jumped slightly, surprised. He watched, wide eyed, as Yugi sat up as a vampire for the first time. His movements were smooth, and functional; Atemu had never seen the smaller like this before.
And Yugi sniffed the air; he could smell what Atemu could smell now, all of the pollution and decay…the fresh air and trees. His eyes were brighter than ever before, a new light shining in them despite the fact that he was no longer living. He looked so wonderfully curious.
The student's mouth was open a little, extra room needed for his new fangs. They were a bright, pearly white and sharper than glass. They were much stronger than it, too. The skin on the rest of his face was white, though marred with the darker scars of his humanity.
Atemu could now see why Yugi wanted to keep his imperfections.
He stared about him, amazed at all of the colors and sounds that were now open to him. The hues of the leaves were brighter, even in the darkness, and he could see every bump and grain of the sidewalk in front of them. Even the grays seemed to shine a bright white.
It all looked so overwhelming to Yugi, and Atemu could feel his mind buzzing with new and old excitement and curiosity. The fear was still there, of course, but it was just a little speck in a whole different world of wonder and knowledge.
He raised one of his hands to his new eyes, and stared at the fingerprints on the tips just as Atemu did. He took in the elongated fingernails, and seemed unable to stop himself from pressing them into his palm. They might of bled…Atemu wasn't sure.
Yugi then ran the tips of his fingers down Atemu's shirt, feeling the cotton as if he had never seen it in his life. He bunched it a little in his fingers, then ran them back up the fabric to the older vampire's collarbone. He pressed a little, realizing that with no strength at all he could shatter the bone instantly.
Of course, though, he didn't; Yugi would never do anything like that, even when faced with curiosity unlike anything that he had ever known before. And this was definitely something that he had never known before.
Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something very important, Yugi tore his attention away from the cotton shirt and looked at Atemu. He smiled.
All that Atemu ever wanted from Yugi was his happiness.
And deep down, he wanted Eternity, too.
Now they had both.
The End
Author's Notes: And, there you go. That's the end of the story. I hope that it's not too out there, because I think that the whole Yugi-drinking-blood thing caused a lot of freak-outs. This might have been overkill.
Then again, this was the ending that I had in mind for this story from the beginning.
I'm going to be writing a one-shot sometime in the near future outlining Yugi's first kill. I realize that the main reason for people (including myself) not liking the ending is going to be the fact that Yugi just can't do something like killing for his own personal gain. Hopefully I'll satiate your--frustration--about that with this story. I don't know when I'll be writing it, but it's on my Post-It wall of Plot Bunnies, so it's coming. :D.
Thank you to every reader, reviewer, commenter, follower, and lover of this story. It's taken quite a long time considering it really wasn't that long of a story, but I'm glad that I was able to finish it. I hope that you are, too!
Please Review.