Return To Hades
Anzu to the rescue?
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WARNING:
ANZU BASHING!
Anzu
to the Rescue?
Jaimen,
Jeanie, and Mokuba entered Seto’s hospital room. Seto was rubbing his eyes, waking up from his morphine-induced
nap. Beside Seto,
was reading a magazine and Donny was laying half-awake, talking to his wife in
a low voice.
Jaimen
ran to his father and sniffled. “Daddy Joey said you were hurt, daddy! Is your
foot better?”
Seto
ran his fingers through his son’s brown hair.
“Yes. Special medicine is making it not hurt.”
Jaimen’s
blue eyes met with his father’s. “I brought you a small box of Legos to play
with in case you get bored tonight.”
The
CEO chuckled. “Well, thanks, son. I
might just end up doing that. It’s so damn boring here!”
Mokuba
approached Seto and hugged him. “Big Brother, I was so worried about you!”
“Oh,
I’ll make a quick recovery, Mokuba. I
won’t let this stop me from finding Hayden.”
Jaimen
sniffled. “Do you want me to stay and read you a bedtime story, daddy?”
Seto
smiled. “I’ll be home tomorrow, son. But I won’t be able to walk around too
quickly until it heals.”
Jaimen
smiled. “It’s okay, daddy! I’ll bring
you anything you need! A drink. A
cookie. Anything you want! I can even
bring you a drink
The
CEO chuckled. “I’d like that.”
“We’re
all relieved to see you alive, Seto. I
was very worried!”
Jeanie
ran his fingers through Seto’s brown hair.
“I’m glad to see you alright, Seto.”
Seto
sighed.
Jaimen
bounced up and down on his feet.
“Daddy! I have a question!”
“What
is it, Jaimen?”
“When
the baby arrives, can it sleep in my room? Please? I’m a light sleeper!”
Seto’s
smile dissipated. “What are you talking
about? What baby?”
Jeanie
and Mokuba exchanged uneasy glances.
“I
heard that Jeanie was going to have a baby!
They were talking about it!”
Mokuba
gasped. “You were listening?!”
Jeanie
turned white. “You were listening?!”
Jaimen
stopped bouncing and he looked at the boyfriend and girlfriend.
Seto
gripped the blanket on his hospital bed.
“Jaimen. Can you step out of the
room for a moment?”
Mokuba
pat Jeanie on the back. “Baby, go with
Jaimen.”
Jaimen
ran and grabbed Jeanie’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Jeanie
and Jaimen left.
Mokuba
looked down at his brother. “Seto?”
Seto
gripped the bedsheets and his face turned red.
“Tell me…..that Jeanie….YOUR girlfriend….is NOT……p---…..p-pregnant.”
Mokuba
ran his fingers through his black hair.
“No. It’s true. Jeanie and I are
going to have a baby. Seto, I’m going
to be a father.”
Seto
closed his eyes. “My little brother…….Mokuba Kaiba…..whom I raised single
handedly……is going….to be…….a…father.”
Mokuba
covered Seto’s hand. “Seto, I promise to take care of her and love her.
Seto
pulled his hand away. “HOW COULD YOU
A GIRL PREGNANT?! I thought you used
protection!”
Donny
and Kendall woke up from their nap.
Karl covered Jay’s ears.
“I
did use protection! The condom must
have broke!”
Seto
turned to Mokuba. “I never thought that you would be so pig-headed!
Mokuba
rolled his eyes. “I’m a Kaiba! I own
the other part of KaibaCorp! I can
afford to take care of Jeanie and our baby.”
Seto
narrowed his eyes. “You are not old enough!”
“I’m
twenty two years old! I can take care
of Jeanie and a baby!”
Seto
slammed his fists on the bed. “THAT IS
NOT THE POINT, MOKUBA KAIBA! You
disobeyed my order!”
“How
did I disobey your order? Jeanie and I
love each other!”
Seto
narrowed his eyes. “You live under MY roof, you obey MY orders!”
Mokuba
narrowed his eyes. “I am an adult now!”
The
CEO glared at his brother.
“Correction….you are a SELFISH adult now!”
Mokuba
growled. “How am I selfish? I want to
take care of Jeanie! I want to keep the
baby!”
The
CEO shook his head. “There will be no baby!”
Mokuba
stepped back. “You can’t……”
The
CEO narrowed his eyes. “Watch me.”
Mokuba
growled. “I won’t let you do that to Jeanie!
I LOVE HER!”
“There
will be others.”
Mokuba
clenched his fists. “There will be no others! I love Jeanie! I’m keeping this
baby!”
Seto
pointed an accusing finger at Mokuba. “You will not, young man!”
“Seto,
I am not a child! I am in love!
baby!”
Seto
shouted, “NO, SHE IS NOT!”
“Yes,
she is!I am a father and I’ve never
wanted anything more in my life! I love
her, Seto. Jeanie is going to have my
baby. And what is more…….I am going to
marry her!”
Seto
narrowed his eyes. “Get out of here.”
A
tear fell down Mokuba’s face. “I’m sorry I let you down.
Mokuba
turned the handle on the door and left.
Down the hall, he saw Jeanie and Jaimen.
“Jaimen,
go kiss your daddy goodbye.”
“Okay!”
Jaimen
ran off, leaving Jeanie looking into her upset boyfriend’s eyes.
“Mokuba?
Mokuba
took Jeanie’s hands slowly. He lifted
her hand and kissed it gently. “He wants us to get rid of it.”
Jeanie’s
eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “He can’t be serious!”
“Don’t
worry, Jeanie. We’re going to keep this
baby.”
Mokuba
wrapped his arms around Jeanie, hugging her tightly.
“We’ll
work it out, Mokuba.”
Mokuba
nodded silently as he held onto his girlfriend. “I love you, Jeanie.”
*********************
Seto’s
POV
What
have I done?
Donny
and Kendall were looking at me.
How
could I talk to Mokuba like that?
I
always promised him I would never say ‘not under my roof!’
My
entire body is shaking.
My
heart is racing.
How
could I say those horrible things?
Mokuba……a
father?
How
did this happen?
Mokuba
must hate me now for the way that I treated him.
My
little brother has always meant so much to me!
He was my everything growing up.
I threw myself in front of him on more than one occasion to keep him
safe from Gozuboro’s abuse.
I
bled for him.
I
suffered silently for him.
Everything
was for him.
And
now…..I tossed that away with my anger.
Mokuba,
please forgive me.
**************************
Anzu
stepped into a dark place, full of smoke and smelling of liquor.
shooting pool and drinking at the bar.
“Pinchy!
This place is so friendly!!!! It’s all
foggy and warm and fuzzy!”
The
scorpion stung her finger in a desperate attempt to make her drop it.
“Aww…..Pinchy
loves me! COME HERE, PINCHY!”
her chest. If the tiny insect could
make a sound, it would be heard screeching.
The scorpion was pressed against Anzu’s bosom.
The
men turned and looked at the girl. “What do you want?” the man behind the bar
asked.
Anzu
cheered as she held Pinchy to her chest. “I’m here to ask you something
important!”
The
tall man raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Anzu
reached out to touch the man’s beard.
“You’re fuzzy like a little bunny!”
The
man stepped away. “What is the matter
with you?”
Anzu
smiled frighteningly. She pulled out
the picture of Aten and Ro. “T. “These are two chibis who are lost!
The
man looked at the picture. “No. I don’t know where they are. I’ve never seen
them.”
Anzu
looked at the picture. “Are you sure???? THEY
FRIENDLY LIKE ME! O! You’re fuzzy like
a bunny! Come here, Bunny!”
Anzu
jumped over the bar and ran after the bartender. “I’M FRIENDLY!
YOU!”
Anzu
stopped when she saw everyone turn and watch her. “MY FRIENDLY BUNNIES!
YOU
The
men decorated in leather and tattoos exchanged glances.
Anzu
jumped up and down, her bosoms flopping hideously. “Has anyone seen these friendly chibis???? They are happy and
friendly and happy!”
The
men crowded around Anzu and looked at the picture of the kids.
girl! Now get out of here!”
Anzu
pouted. “You are all not very friendly!
I think I need to tell you about the wonderful feeling of friendship!”
The
men started cracking their knuckles.
“You’d better get out of here before you get hurt, little missy.”
Anzu
grinned. “You know what I think? I
think you all need a hug from Pinchy!
GO, PINCHY!”
Anzu
threw her scorpion at the men. The men
screamed in confusion and terror as the deadly insect was tossed into the
crowd.
Anzu
jumped up and down. “PINCHY IS FRIENDLY! WEEEEE!!!”
The
brainless girl threw herself into the crowd.
”OH MY GOD, THIS IS DISGUSTING!” one of the men screamed as Anzu threw herself
at him.
“What
is?!” another man answered.
“This
girl!” the man screamed as Anzu tried to hug him.
The
men scattered as the deadly insect landed on one of the men.
“Hello!
Anzu squealed as she picked up Pinchy and squeezed it.
The
men scattered from the bar.
“Wait!”
Anzu called out after them. “I WANT TO
BE FRIENDS WITH YOU!”
She
pouted. “I can’t be friendly with anyone.”
Anzu
walked down the street with a sigh.
Pinchy continued to sting her with its tail desperately trying to break
free from the brainless girl’s grip.
She
lifted her head when she came to a row of single homes.
surrounded each home. “OO! I can look
here! These people look friendly. HERE
I COME, LITTLE MISSING CHIBIS!”
*************************
Aten
swept the floor in the kitchen, stopping every couple of sweeps to catch his
breath. He leaned on the stick of the
broom, panting heavily from the simple motions.
‘This
is awful,’ he thought. ‘I move a little
bit and I’m out of breath.’
Downstairs
in the basement, he heard Vinnie’s angry voice rising. “YOU PATHETIC LITTLE
WORM! YOU DROPPED THE LAUNDRY BASKET!”
Robbie’s
nervous voice stuttered. “S-S-Sorry….it was…t-t-too…heavy.”
“YOU
LITTLE BASTARD!”
Aten
looked up at the ceiling. “Please, Ra……get us out of here!”
A
chuckle came from the doorway. “God isn’t going to help you, kid,” Charlie
laughed.
“Nobody
is going to help you.”
Aten
watched as the middle-aged man stepped up to him. “I know Ra will, sir.”
“I…I
know he will. I pray often.”
“So,
you think he will help you, hmm?”
Aten
nodded. “Yes.”
Charlie
chuckled again. “Grab a wet cloth and come with me, kid.”
Aten
followed Charlie to Hayden’s room. Aten
took a deep breath, preparing himself to see what they had done to Hayden.
‘Everything
in here is going to look familiar. I
know what they’ve been doing.’
Charlie
unlocked the door and Aten saw Dominic shoving something hanging around his
neck into his shirt. Aten looked at
Hayden on the bed and felt his heart sink.
“Aten,
you will clean Hayden and get him ready for tonight.”
“Why
do you have to hurt Aiden like this?!
It’s wrong!” Aten screamed at Charlie.
Dominic
narrowed his eyes. “You should watch your tone, little one….before you get the
same treatment from me!”
Aten
looked up at the tall, masked thin man standing over him.
at the skinny fingers of Dominic.
Dominic
grinned. “Now, if you don’t mind me, I have a mother to eradicate.”
Aten
raised an eyebrow. “’E---E—Erdatitate?
What does that mean?”
Dominic
looked down at Aten and smiled. “I am going to kill your mother.”
Aten
gasped as he clung to Dominic’s leg. “NO! YOU CAN’T! Don’t kill my mommy!”
Dominic
grabbed Aten’s hair and picked him up, hearing the child scream. “Since I
cannot kill your father, I will attack his host.”
Aten
started sobbing. “Don’t hurt my mommy!
Please!”
Charlie
grabbed Aten and let Dominic leave the room.
“Look, brat! You have a job to
do! Clean Hayden up!”
Charlie
threw Aten against the bed and left the room.
The lock to the door snapped and Aten shuddered.
“A—Aiden?”
Aten
stood up and looked at Hayden on the bed. Hayden was still chained. His eyes
stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Aiden? Can you say something?”
Hayden
sniffled. “My…..My uncle said that my father and Mr. Kaiba are dead.”
“No!
They can’t be!”
Hayden
blinked. “They are dead.”
“Aiden,
that can’t be possible!”
Hayden
started to sob. pan>pan>“Aten, my parents are
dead! I lose my daddy and Mr. Kaiba!
I’m nothing but my uncle’s whore!”
Aten
took the wet cloth and wiped Hayden’s dirty face. “Aiden, you can’t give up!
We’ll find a way to get a message to our parents!
they do to us!”
Hayden
mumbled under his breath.
“Aiden?”
splattered at the bottom of the bed.
Hayden was still bleeding. “Did
Dom-nic take you?”
Hayden
continued to murmur under his breath.
“Aiden?
Hayden
closed his eyes and appeared unconscious.
“Aiden,
I know what happened was horrible. But,
you can’t give up.”
Hayden
didn’t react.
Aten
cleaned Hayden’s injuries, taking deep breaths and trying not to break
down. He couldn’t stop the tears
falling down as he examined Hayden’s injuries that were so similar to his when
he was three.
He
could still remember Zira speaking to his assistant in the hospital while they
thought he was asleep.
[Aten
has numerous injuries on the left side
of his back, extending from his spinal column to the ribcage.
torn and scarred around the rectum. We
have found
body.]
Aten
shook his head and pat Hayden’s arm.
“Aiden, don’t give up. Okay? I
know it hurts. I’ve been there. But,
Uncle Seto and Uncle Joey will be waiting for you when you leave here.
here. You have to live to see them,
Aiden.”
Aten
kissed Hayden on the cheek and stroked Hayden’s cheek. “Believe, Aiden.
you. And all of this will be nothing
more than a memory.”
Aten
sighed and walked to the door. He banged on it. “I’m done! Let me out!”
Charlie
unlocked the door and grabbed the Egyptian boy by the collar.
injury.
“
jo
job, kid. Now, go clean up the beer bottles from last night.”
Aten
fell to his knees before Charlie. “Please say that Dom-nic is not going to kill
my mother!”
Charlie
shrugged casually. “I’m not going to lie to you, kid. Get to work!”
Aten
left the room and Charlie locked the door to Hayden’s bedroom.
into Robbie, making him drop laundry in his hand.
“Oops.
Hi, Aten.”
Aten
saw Robbie’s face turned slightly to the left.
“Robbie? Are you okay?”
Robbie
and Aten picked up the clothes when the Egyptian looked at Robbie’s face.
“Robbie!
The
boy rubbed his cheek. “It’s nothing, Aten. It’s okay.”
Aten
narrowed his eyes. “No, it’s not okay, Robbie!” Aten raised his hand and
brushed Robbie’s cheek. “That looks
sore.” The Egyptian leaned in and kissed the small bruise by Robbie’s ear.
Robbie
smiled. A kiss from Aten always made everything better.
“Thank
you, Aten.”
Aten
helped Robbie carry the laundry into the hallway closet.
Robbie
shuddered. “He’s having lunch.”
“Robbie,
I’m going to open the front door and you leave.”
Robbie
shook his head. “Aten, I can’t leave you here!
I can’t leave you here to deal with these creeps!”
Aten
grabbed Robbie’s shoulders. “Robbie, Dom-nic is going to k-k-kill my mother!”
“What?!
Aten
shook Robbie. “You have to get out of here and warn my mommy!”
Robbie
grabbed Aten’s hand. “But, Aten, what if these guys try to hurt you?”
Aten
shook his head. “Robbie, I’ve endured worse than this.
it……Robbie, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Robbie
held Aten’s arms and leaned down to kiss his friend on the lips.
shoot us……they’ll have to take me, too.”
Aten’s
bottom lip trembled. “Robbie, I want you to live, don’t you understand? Do you
know what is going to happen if you don’t leave?”
Robbie
shook his head. “Yes. Aten…..I would
die for you. A life without you…..is
nothing. You’re my best friend.”
Aten
brought Robbie against him in a hug.
“Robbie….please.”
Robbie
kissed the top of Aten’s head. “I will not leave you.”
Aten
buried his face inbie’bie’s neck, kissing the skin gently.
A
knock sounded on the door. “OOO!
FRIENDLY DOOR!”
The
door sou sounded. “DOORBELLS
FRIENDSHIP! YEAH FRIENDSHIP!”
Aten
gasped. “OH SWEET RA! Robbie, it’s Anzu!
She can get a message to our parents!”
Aten
and Robbie ran for the door and opened it.
“Anzu! For the
first time in my life, I’m glad to see you!” Aten said, bouncing up and down.
Anzu
smiled blankly at the two chibis. “Hi!
I came to see if you friendly people have seen these two friendly chibis
that remind me of friendship and cute little cute-sy, wootsy puppy dogs!”
Anzu
showed the boys their picture.
Robbie
sighed. “You ding-bat! That’s us!”
Anzu
looked between the picture and the boys.
Picture. Boys. Picture. Boys. Picture. Boys.
“Hi!
I am looking for these two friendly chibis!”
Aten
took Anzu’s hands. “Anzu, that is Robbie and me! Listen carefully. These
men have us and they are going to kill my mother! Please warn Unkie Seto that we are here and tell my mommy that
some guy called Dom-nic---.”
“Dominic,”
Robbie corrected.
“Dom-nic
is going to kill my mommy!”
Anzu
smiled blankly as the evening wind blew through her empty skull.
picture!”
Robbie
grabbed his own hair, tugging at it in frustration. “THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS US,
YOU BRAINDEAD
Aten
covered Robbie’s mouth with his hand. “Do you want Vinnie to come out here,
Robbie?”
The
Egyptian turned to Anzu. “Please, Anzu, go tell my mommy that he is in
trouble!”
Anzu
reached for Aten, squeezing him tightly. “YOU
SO CUTE!!!! I CAN SQUISH YOU UNTIL YOU STOP BREATHING!”
Robbie
grabbed Aten’s pants, tugging on them.
“Anzu, let go of him!”
Anzu
looked down. “Aten, you have no shirt on!
YEAH!”
Aten
pushed against Anzu. “Let me go!”
Pinchy
emerged from Anzu’s shirt and crawled onto Aten’s hand. Aten let out a scream
as the scorpion raised its tail.
“PINCHY!
NO!” Aten cried out as the scorpion brought its tail down.
Aten
closed his eyes to refrain from seeing himself stung. Instead, he heard Robbie let out a string of curse-words that
would have impressed Marik. Aten opened
his eyes and saw that Robbie hand plahis his hand in the path of the scorpion’s
tail.
Vinnie
stepped out of the kitchen. “Hey, brats…I mean, kids! What’s going on?”
Robbie
pulled his hand away and sunk to his knees and held his throbbing hand.
“Aten…owies.”
Aten
grabbed Robbie’s arm. “We have to get you inside! Come on.”
Vinnie
watched as Aten lead Robbie to the kitchen.
He turned to the brainless girl. “What do you want?”
“I
came to look for these two chibis! Have
you seen them?”
Vinnie
raised his eyebrow as he looked at the picture. How dumb could this girl be?
The kids were standing right in front of her and she couldn’t make the
connection?
“Never
seen these kids.”
“Really?
FRIENDSHIP!”
threat. And, as frightening as she
looked, tail was tail. (I know, guys. Ew…)
“Would
you like to come inside and have dinner with us?”
Anzu
jumped up and down cheering. “YEAH! I’M
SPREADING FRIENDLINESS TO THE WORLD! GO
ME!”
Vinnie
let Anzu inside. Aten had placed Robbie
on a chair in the kitchen.
“Don’t
raise your arm, Robbie. The venom will spread.”
Robbie
clenched his eyes shut. “It hurts…..burns…”
Aten
grabbed an ice cube. “Hold that on the
sting. It will numb it.”
kitchen. He opened it up, his body
trembling. He removed gauze and bandages.
Aten grabbed some painkillers and gave two pills to Robbie.
Aten
handed a glass of water to Robbie. “Drink up.”
Robbie
took the pills, tears coming down his face.
Aten took the ice cube and rolled it around the sting.
Robbie
put the glass down and watched as Aten gingerly rolled the cube around the
sting. “How do you know about scorpion stings?”
Aten
looked up with his purple eye. “My
father taught me. He was teaching me
First Aid in case I ever decided to go back to
know. Scorpion stings. Snake
bites. I’m a qick learner.”
Robbie
smiled. “A ‘quick’ learner, Aten.”
Aten
chuckled. “Well, I am dyslexic, you know. English isn’t exactly easy.
The
boy laughed. “You’re doing a damn good job, Aten.”
“On
my English or this?”
“Both.”
Aten
shrugged with a smile. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Robbie Morgan.”
“Flattery?
Aten
removed the gauze from its sterile packaging.
“Hey, my daddy taught me well.
Now. If it’s one thing the
nurses taught me, Robbie, is how to apply this stuff. Hold still.”
Robbie
watched as Aten bandaged his hand with the gauze. The boy could not get his eyes off of Aten’s face buried deep in
concentration. Aten was so handsome.
than his father. That was such a difference from Aria, who was becoming more
like her father, Bakura, every day.
When
Aten was done, he bandaged the hand and applied surgical tape.
Aten
replaced the gauze and the tape in the First Aid kit. “Does it feel better, Robbie?”
Blue
eyes met purple and brown. “Aten, you are amazing.”
Aten
smiled. “No, I’m just Aten. Just plain,
old, regular, boring Aten.”
Robbie
grabbed Aten and pulled him in for a kiss.
Aten and Robbie closed their eyes as Robbie’s tongue entered between
them. Robbie’s hand rose to stroke
Aten’s cheek with his fingertips. The
two boys kissed desperately until Aten felt Robbie swerving.
Aten
pulled back. “Robbie, you should go lay down.
Come on, I’ll put you to bed.”
Aten
helped Robbie out of the chair and supported him. Vinnie saw the two boys and
growled.
“What’s
the matter with you, kid?”
“My
meanie scorpion stung Robbie!!!!!
SCORPION STINGS
Aten
rolled his eyes. “I’m putting Robbie in bed so he can rest.”
Vinnie
laughed. “You can’t even take a little scorpion sting, Robbie?
Aten
narrowed his eyes. “Ignore him, Robbie. Let me get you settled.”
Charlie
stepped out of Hayden’s room. “Where are you two going?
Aten
looked up at the man. “I’ll cook dinner tonight, sir. Robbie got stung by a scorpion.”
“How
the fuck did you manage that, genius?” Charlie asked sarcastically.
“This
girl showed up with her pet scorpion and it stung Robbie.”
Robbie
wavered. “I don’t feel so good.”
Aten
helped Robbie into bed. “Here, Robbie.
You lay down and rest. I’ll make dinner.”
Charlie
watched as Aten covered Robbie with the comforter. “Get your skinny little ass in the kitchen!”
“Aten,
what about your legs?”
Aten
held Robbie down. “You stay here!
Robbie
watched as Aten left. Charlie pushed
Aten against the wall. “Hurry your skinny ass up! I’m hungry!”
Charlie
shut the door and Robbie let out a sigh.
****************************
Anzu
let out a squeal as she sat down to eat.
She looked at the hot dogs and beans on the table and cheered.
“
DOGS
Aten
rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking……”
Robbie
sat down beside Aten, whispering to Anzu.
“Anzu, when you leave here, tell my mom that I am here.
Anzu
pinched Robbie’s cheek. “You are so cute!!!!!”
Robbie
pushed her away. “You thick-headed idiot!
Don’t touch me!”
Aten
whispered to Anzu. “Please tell the others that we are here, Anzu!” Aten took
several deep breaths. “I….need my……….medi-ation.”
Anzu
cocked her head to the side. “Awww….Aten, you are so cute!”
Robbie
rubbed Aten’s back. “Aten, you okay?”
“Cooking
this was very tiring. I’m so……tired.”
Robbie
nodded. “Then I’ll clean up, Aten.
After dinner, you go into the bed…..HOLY HECK!…Aten, your legs!
Aten
leaned forward, out of breath.
“I….know. They hurt.”
Charlie
and Vinnie walked in. “Hot dogs and beans????
Aten, you’re even more worthless than we thought.
Aten
looked up. “My feet hurt. My legs hurt.
I can’t be on them this much.
Besides…..breathing is getting harder.”
Charlie
rolled his eyes. “Excuses, excuses. I
should have put that bullet in your brain, Aten. Worthless kid.”
Aten
looked down as he sighed. Robbie put his hand on his leg.
“Don’t
listen to them, Aten,” Robbie said.
Charlie
and Vinnie sat down. “So, girl, what
are you doing h”
Anzu
smiled blankly. “I…came to spread the word of FRIENDSHIP all over the
place! And to look for these two boys.”
Charlie’s
jaw dropped. “Vinnie, you asshole, why did you let her in?!”
Vinnie
chuckled. “Relax, Charles. Hey, chick,
look at your picture.”
Anzu
removed the photo from her pocket.
“Do
these boys look familiar?”
Anzu
looked between the picture and the boys. Picture. Boys. Picture. Boys.
Picture…Picture…Boys.
“NO,
BUT THEY
FOR FRIENDSHIP!”
Vinnie
laughed. “See? This girl is of no threat.”
Charlie
laughed. “Perfect! It looks like you
boys will be here for a long time if they have people like her looking for
you.”
Charlie
and Vinnie laughed loudly.
Aten
and Robbie exchanged glances. The
two boys reached down and held each other’s hands.
They
looked into each other’s eyes sideways.
“It’s
going to be okay,” Aten whispered below the laughter in the room.
“It’s
going to be okay because we have each other,” Robbie said, forcing a smile.
*******************************
Ryou
jumped when he heard the phone ring. He
reached for the phone by his side.
“Hello?”
[Ryou?]
“Miranda!”
[Ryou,
are you okay?]
“Yes.
Why wouldn’t I be?”
[Has
Maxine returned yet?]
“No,
I was wondering where she was. Bakura,
Malik, and I went to bed and when I woke up, she was gone.”
[Ryou,
Otogi and I were attacked.]
Ryou
gasped. “BAKURA! You were attacked? Where was Asher?”
[I
sent him to see the fireworks.] A sniffle sounded over the phone. [My old
boyfriend knows where Robbie is. He
wouldn’t tell me anything, Ryou.]
“He
knew where the kids were?!”
Bakura
ran by Ryou’s side. “What?”
“Miranda
and Otogi were attacked!”
Bakura
grabbed the phone from his husband’s hand.
“Where are you now? Are you okay?”
[Yes,
Bakura. I’m in the hospital. Otogi and I were shot. We’re both okay, though.]
Bakura
growled. “This bastard! Who was this
man, Miranda? Who did this to you?”
[His
name is Vincent O’Rourke. That was his
name when we were dating, anyway.]
Bakura
narrowed his eyes. Ryou watched as the
brown eyes of his husband suddenly glowed ruby red. The yami’s hair spiked and a vicious growl rumbled in his throat.
“Consider this fucker dead!”
Bakura
handed Ryou the phone and ran out of the door.
[Bakura?
Hello?]
“He
left, Miranda. Will you be okay over
there?’
[Ryou…..I
just want Robbie home.]
Ryou
sighed. “I know, Miranda. I want Aten
home.”
Miranda’s
voice cracked. [Ryou, I have to go.]
“Okay.
Call me if you need anything.”
[Okay.
Thank you.]
“We’ll
try to stop over to see you and Otogi tonight.”
[I’d
like that.]
“Goodbye,
Miranda.”
[Goodbye,
Ryou.]
Miranda
put the phone on the receiver and sniffled.
‘What is that bastard doing to my little boy?’
Miranda
let out a sob, unaware that a tall, muscular man was standing in her doorway.
She
whispered Robbie’s name and wiped her eyes.
The
man approached her bedside and put his arms around her. Miranda jumped and then
looked up.
“Daniel?!”
Daniel
gave her a reassuring smile. “Hello, sweetheart.”
Miranda
wrapped her arms around her husband and sobbed. “Oh, Daniel!”
The
tall man stroked her hair softly. “It’s okay, Miranda.
Shhhh……you won’t be alone anymore.”
Miranda
let out a stronger wail. “That bastard
has our boy, Daniel!”
The
man’s blue eyes widened. “Who? Who has our son?”
Miranda
sniffled. “I think Vincent has him.
Remember him?”
“Vincent….Vincent….YOU’RE
KIDDING! VINCENT O’ROURKE?
lose your first baby?!”
Miranda
nodded her head. “Yes.
Otogi and I.”
Daniel
narrowed his eyes and bit his lip in fury.
It would do his wife no good to see him angry and upset.
pt'>Miranda
wiped her eyes dry. “What took you so long to come home?”
Daniel
kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but the Board had to discuss all of
their legal bullshit before letting me go.
Finally, I told them to sit on their thumbs and rotate them for all I
care. My son is missing and I have to find him.”
Miranda
leaned her head on Daniel’s chest. “I’m
worried about him, Daniel.”
“I
know, princess. I know.”
Daniel
held Mia ina in his arms, letting his presence do more comforting than his
speech. Daniel missed these times where
he could just hold his wife. Navy Life
was a lonely one for a family man. It
required being away from the people whom you loved for most of the year.
Daniel
kissed Miranda on the forehead. “I won’t let him down, Miranda. I will find
him.”
****************************
Umi
stood outside Aria’s bedroom and peeked inside. Aria was sitting on her floor surrounded by her Barbie
dolls. Sekhmet was sitting by her side
faithfully.
“We’ve
been looking for Aten forever, Sekhmet!
I miss my brother.”
The
dog lowered its head and nudged her with his muzzle. She pet her dog’s head.
“But,
Gabby is coming over to play for a little.
I’m sure Aten won’t mind if we take a little break from the search,
right, Sekhmet?”
Umi
watched Aria closely. He watched as her
white spiky hair draped over her shoulders.
Her purple ribbons were tied at the base of her batwing spikes.
waist made her developing breasts protrude a little further
Umi
wiped the corners of his mouth as he thought about her.
he? The prince of the sea.
‘I
love you, Aria,’ he wanted to say as he stood at the doorway, looking at her,
worshipping her with his eyes. ‘Your
hair…your eyes…your white skin….so beautiful!’
Aria
put one of her dolls on a toy chair. “Jessica, you stay here.
a date. She really likes you.”
Jessica out if you look like that! You need to be stripped!”
Aria
stripped the male doll quickly and replaced his attire with a tuxedo and a
bowtie. “Now you look spiffy!”
Aria
leaned over to grab her Angelica doll and Umi held onto the wall. He could see
down the front of her low-cut dress.
‘Oh
gods of the sea…..Oh Neptune! Not
again!’ Umi cursed to himself as he felt uncomfortable in his cut-off jeans.
Aria
grabbed her Barbie Convertible and sat Angelica in it. “Angelica, you have to
drive them because they have to make out in the back seat because they are
boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Umi
crossed his legs as the thought of making out with Aria didn’t help his current
condition.
A
knock on the door sounded and Aria jumped to her feet. “GABBY!”
Aria
burst out of her room and ran down the steps before Malik could open it.
“Hi,
Aria! Girl, are you looking good today! Is that a new dress? I got new shirts
the other day! They have really funny
sayings on them.”
Aria
hugged her friend, Gabby. “I got new
dresses a couple of weeks ago! I’ll
have to show you!”
Malik
smiled down at Gabby as he dried a pan. “Hi, Gabby. Nice to see you.”
Gabby
grinned. “Hi, Mr. Malik! I heard about
Aten’s missing and stuff. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll
find him, Gabby. You two girls go
upstairs and play, okay? Are you
hungry, Gabby?”
“No,
thank you, Mr. Malik. My mommy fed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before
I came. I love the strawberry jam my
dad makes! It’s sooooooooooooo good!
Malik
blinked. This was normal speech for Gabby.
She had always been a rapid talker.
“Umm…I like pineapple, personally.”
Gabby
curled her nose. “Ew…I don’t like that flavor. It’s icky. Oh well, nice talking
to you, Mr. Malik!”
Ryou
called out of the kitchen, “Hello, Gabby-dear!”
“Hello,
Mr. Aria’s mommy!”
Ryou
shook his head with a sigh. “I will
always be ‘Mr. Aria’s Mommy’ until the day I die, won’t I?”
Malik
nodded. “You bet. I can’t complain with
Mr. Malik.”
Aria
and Gabby ran upstairs and saw Umi by Aria’s door.
“Hi,
Umi!” Gabby waved to him and jumped up and down excitedly.
Umi
blushed red. “Oh…umm….hi, Gabby.”
Aria
smiled at her boyfriend. “Umi, would
you like to play dolls with Gabby and I?”
Umi’s
jaw dropped and he tried to think of something else as his body was reacting to
seeing the two girls. “Ummm….Umm….”
Gabby
and Aria exchanged glances. “Umi?”
Aria
bent down as she saw where he was looking. “Umi….my face is up here.”
“Ummm….”
Aria
growled. “My face is not my breasts, Umi.”
0%'>Umi
shook his head. “Oh…sorry.
I was thinking about…..the sea.”
“Yeah,
right, Umi. Do you want to play dolls
with Gabby and I?”
Gabby
threw herself at Umi and hugged him. “Oh, come on, Umi!
so much fun! Don’t we, Aria?”
“We
sure do! We play for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours on end!
Umi
shifted his gaze between the two girls.
“Ummm…okay.”
Both
girls squealed loudly in excitement.
They took Umi’s hands and yanked him into Aria’s room.
Umi!”
Aria
gave Umi her John doll and her Cynthia doll.
Gabby grabbed the Angelica doll and changed her clothes.
Gabby
handed Umi a tiny brush. “Brush
Angelica’s hair!”
Umi
raised an eyebrow and looked confused.
pan>pan>He had little idea of what to do.
“Just
brush it, Umi.”
Umi
brushed the doll’s hair and looked up at Aria.
“So,
what are Angelica, Cynthia, and Jessica going to do today, Aria?”
The
girl with the white spiky hair bit her lip in thought.
party!!!”
Gabby
squealed. “YEAH! A
Aria
grabbed the toy pool with the wooden deck and placed it near. “Umi, can you
fill this with water?”
Umi
gratefully took the tiny “pool” and ran to the bathroom to fill it with
water. He took several deep breaths
and thought about anything that would relieve the uncomfortable feeling in his
cut-off jeans. He closed his eyes as
his mind thought about the attractive two girls in the other room.
‘I
love Aria….Gabby is pretty, too. What
is going on? Why are my pants so tight
all of a sudden?’
Aria
ran to the bathroom. “Umi? You okay?”
Umi
nodded quickly. “Y-Yes.”
Aria
approached him and he turned beet red. “Are you okay, Umi?
“Yeah…I’m..okay.”
“Are
you sure? You look feverish.”
Umi
snickered. “No…I’m fine.”
Aria’s
eyes shifted away from him. “It’s Gabby, isn’t it? You like her, don’t you?”
Umi
put the ‘pool’ down. “Aria, you know I love you. We’re going to get married!
Have lots of kids! Gabby is a
good friend.”
Aria
looked up at him with her big brown eyes. “Are you sure?”
The
boy hugged his girlfriend. “You
bet! You’re my Little Mermaid,
Aria! Nothing is ever going to change
that.”
Aria
smiled. “Really?”
“Of
course!” Umi gave his girlfriend a kiss on the lips. “I love you, Aria.”
A
loud squeal sounded at the door way.
They turned and saw Gabby jumping up and down excitedly.
“UMI
KISSING! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY
GOD!”
Aria
gasped. “Gabby! Don’t let my father
hear that! He’ll kill me!”
Ry'>Ryou
called up from down the stairs. “Anything wrong up there, children?”
“NO,
MOMMY!” Aria called. “Gabby, don’t tell my father that we were kissing.
Umi
nodded emphatically. “And her father will send me to the Shadow Realm where I
will suffer countless deaths throughout eternity and where I will be fed to the
Duel Monsters. I’ll be Silver Fang’s
neverending chew toy!”
Gabby
shrugged. “Why? Doesn’t your daddy like
Umi, Aria?”
Umi
leaned down. “We’re not supposed to ‘spawn.’”
Aria
shook her head. “My daddy doesn’t like anybody! He has no problem with Robbie, though. It’s no fair! They don’t
have a problem with Aten and Robbie, but they have a problem with me being with
Umi! It’s not fair!”
“What
about your mommy? He doesn’t have a
problem with you being with Umi, does he?”
Aria
shook her head again. “No. My mommy doesn’t mind. It’s my fathers that
constantly tell me what I can’t do!”
Umi
watched Aria’s body shake as she became more and more upset.
anybody hear about this!”
Aria
stamped her foot defiantly. “My daddy is constantly telling me not to
spawn! He must not give a royal damn!”
Gabby
gasped. “Aria, you cursed!”
Aria
crossed her arms. “I don’t care! It’s
not fair that Umi hardly ever comes over here!
I can’t even lay next to Umi at night!
Aten and Robbie have been sleeping in the same bed since they knew each
other! It’s just not fair, Gabby!”
Gabby
sighed. “It must be because you are a girl.”
Aria
stamped her foot again angrily. “But,
that makes no sense! Why can’t I stay
with Umi when we sleep? What is the
difference between a boy and a girl laying next to each other and two boys?”
Gabby
and Umi scratched their heads as they thought about her question.
“Well,”
Gabby said slowly, “Maybe it’s because girls can’t catch ‘boy cooties?’”
Umi
rolled his eyes. “’Boy cooties? I don’t
have cooties!”
Gabby
laughed. “Of course you do! All boys have them.”
Umi
snickered. “Gabby, that makes no sense.”
“Gabby,
as my friend, please do not tell my daddy about this. He will have Umi’s head on a silver platter.”
Gabby
smiled. “I’m your friend, Aria. I would
never tattle-tale on you!”
Aria
squealed and jumped up and down. “Thank you, Gabby!”
Umi
went to hug Gabby, but Gabby put her hands out. “Umi, I’d like to have you hug
me, but if my mommy finds a boy cootie on me, I’ll be grounded for a month!”
********************************
Charlie
hit a button on the coffeetable. He sat
down with his hot pot of coffee and reviewed the previous night’s hidden camera
tapes. Nothing new in Hayden’s room.
When
Vinnie had returned from his excursion, he had told Charlie that he had lost
the broad who was chasing him. Vinnie
was furious that he had failed.
Charlie
reviewed the tape in Robbie and Aten’s room. His jaw dropped and his eyes
widened.
“Holy
Shit! This is gold!”
Charlie
watched the two boys on the screen. With an evil grin, he saved the tape.
“Now
I have all that I need to get my website back up again!
Love.’ I’m a genius!”
Charlie
watched Aten kiss his friend. “I wonder
where that boy learned to kiss like that.
It’s time to put that lad to the test.”
Updates:
My dad won’t get the internet connection up until Tuesday.
Wednesday.
O©