This is a story I have been working on for over a year now. I'm trying to write in as many different genres as I can, and my last story was more fantasy. This one will be more emotional. I hope you enjoy, and please review! Btw, there are no OC's in this.
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"*All units: Suspect is currently headed west on main, repeat suspect…ksshh*"
"Dimmit!" The boy glanced down at the police scanner, cursing the piece of junk, before focusing his attention back on the road. This was the sixth tome he'd tried to escape. Sixteen was too young to live on his own, according to his social worker. Check that, every social worker. None wanted his case. He'd practically grown up in an orphanage. Some foster families took him in, but never for long. He had too many problems, too many issues, and too much past.
He blinked the tears from his eyes. It wasn't like he actually wanted a family or anything. Who wants someone constantly worrying over you, scolding you for bad grades and being out late, but still baking you a cake for your birthday, who wants that?
'Not me. I'm fine on my own. I've always been alone and it's not like that's going to change. I'm running away and this time, nobody will find me. I'm sick of living in that place. Good for me, ha! None of those adults have even spent the night in an orphanage, let alone practically their entire lives. How can they say what's best for me?' He suddenly saw flashing lights up ahead and pulled off to the side of the road. He was well hidden down a small road, bordered on one side by people's fences, and on the other side by a dark forest.
He hid the car behind some bushes and cut the engine. Staring out the window, into the darkness among the trees, he sighed. 'I remember this place.' Glancing back up the road, he saw another patrol car drive by the end of the was only a matter of time before one decided to turn down. 'They're all over the place. I'll have to wait for the heat to die down a bit.' Taking one last, uncertain glance back at the ominous trees, he made up his mind and got out of the car. As silently as possible, he closed the door behind him and headed to the only place he could really be alone.
About half a mile in, he came upon a small cliff, overlooking a river. It may have been dark, but he knew the way by heart. The cliff was about ten feet up, or, rather, the river was ten feet down. Silently, he gathered a small handful of stones and sat down near the edge. One by one, he threw them down and watched as they disappeared into the darkness, a tiny splash the only sign they reached the water.
"I always thought I was the only person who knew about this spot." The boy, startled, jumped and spun to face the new arrival. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." The man received a wary look in return. "I'm not going to turn you into the police, either. Do you mind if I sit?" The boy scooted as far away from the man as possible. The man sat, respecting his distance. They were both silent for a while, then the man turned. "By the way, my name is Yami. Yami Sennen. You?"
Silence. The boy hadn't relaxed a bit.
"I already told you, I'm not going to turn you in. I just want to talk."
For the first time that night, the boy spoke. "About what? Why I ran away?"
Yami silently cheered himself for getting a response, but made sure not to show any outward reaction. "No. I know why you ran away. How about you we talk about you? Do you have any hobbies? Any interests?" Silence. Stunned silence this time. "How about what you're looking for in a family?"
"Why are you asking me this?" He whispered.
"Because I've been contacted by the orphanage. They asked me a little while ago to consider adopting you. I want to know if you would like to come home with me. Because this is your life, it's your choice. But I can already tell you, the whole family thinks you would be a great addition to the household, Yusei."
"How long have you known about me? And why hasn't anyone said anything to me?" Yusei whispered. He was always nervous, being this close to people. There had only been a few in his life who hadn't hurt him.
The man, Yami, kept his gaze on the opposite bank. "I've been reading into you're history for about two months. The orphanage knows me pretty well by now. They call me the 'Last Chance'. They say I find homes for kids with problems, kids who are trouble makers, or are just plain unadoptable. I do have to turn some down, so I asked them not to mention me until I'd made my decision."
Yusei hadn't relaxed at all since Yami had sat down, and he never raised his voice above his almost silent whisper. "So I've finally been deemed unadoptable? And you're going to adopt me and, what, whip me into shape? My choice, yeah, right." He wrapped his arms around his legs; knees pulled up to his chest, and rested his chin on them.
"No. the choice is yours. But I do ask that you consider us. I think I should explain. I said they send me kids who are problems. In most cases, I've found that it's the adults that have problems with the kids. Two families who have adopted from the orphanage you are at in the past four years have attempted to file lawsuits for severe neglect. You are only one of many that's run away. And three years ago, someone was actually kidnapped. So no. I don't think you're the problem. And I promise, I will in no way attempt to 'whip you into shape'"
"What if I say no? Will you make me go back, even knowing what you do about them?" This was the most Yusei had talked to a stranger in a really long time.
"If you'll allow me, I can find you another place to go. Whether that be another family, or another orphanage, it's your life, and you should have at least some control of it."
Yusei sat in silence. This man was unlike anyone he'd ever met before. He didn't tell Yusei what would be best for him. He let him think on his own. But . . . what if it was all a trick? What if-
"Come on. Let's go for a drive."
"Hn? D-Drive? Where?"
"Anywhere you want to go. I can't let you go off on your own with all these cops running around, and I don't really have anywhere to go. So how about it?"
Deciding to trust his instincts, Yusei stood up and followed the man down a trail. "How did you find me?"
Yami glanced back. "Luck. I was called because you'd disappeared and just took a walk to clear my head. You realize my family was scheduled to meet you next week? Maybe fate intervened, maybe not. Maybe it just means that someone wanted us to meet before you left." They reached Yami's car and he got behind the wheel.
Yusei, having maintained his distance the whole walk, suddenly realized that getting into that car meant he would be sitting less than a foot away from Yami. He fidgeted outside the passenger door. 'If I get in, he'll be close enough to hurt me. If I don't, he'll get impatient at me for holding him up. I already followed him this far, so there's no going back now, but I can't make my lags move. I-I'm scared.'
"You don't have to force yourself. You can get in the back if you want." Yusei stared at him for a minute, then slowly climbed into the back seat, as far out of reach as he could get. Once he was buckled in, Yami started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
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"You never answered my questions. I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, but I would like to know what you're looking for when it comes to a family."
They'd been driving in silence for about ten minutes. Having no destination in mind had caused Yami to just wander around. He wouldn't lie, in that as soon as Yusei was in his car his first instinct had been to drive straight home where he knew the boy would be safe. But he knew that Yusei still didn't trust him, and any stunts like that would wreak any chance he had of saving the frightened teen. He knew from Yusei's file that just the conversation they'd had was a miracle, but getting him into his car? Even he couldn't believe it.
"You said you and your family were scheduled to meet me next week. Does that mean you've already made up your mind?" Yusei avoided the question he was unsure how to answer.
"Yes and no. we decided that we would love to have you, but we'd meet to determine if you wanted to come home with us, and to find if there was anything not included in what we were told that would limit our being able to provide a suitable home for you. Even if we hadn't met tonight, the choice would have still been yours."
They were silent for a minute, Yami focusing on the road and Yusei contemplating his next question. He still hadn't raised his voice, so Yami had to lean back a bit to hear him. "Are you sure you still want me? Even after knowing about me running away again?"
Yami smiled at that. "Actually, yes. My youngest son, Yuma, he tried to run away when I first met him. He didn't want to go to another home, and managed to make it almost four blocks away before he was caught. He was five at the time."
"What was wrong with a five year old that made him unadoptable?" Yusei was incredulous.
"He was blinded in an accident when he was young. He's a very talented kid, though. Doesn't let it hold him back from anything."
They drove around for a while until Yami pulled into a parking lot. Looking out the window, Yusei was shocked to see the train station. Yami decided to take a risk. "I know this was where you were heading, so if you still want to go, I won't stop you. I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing I want more than to bring you home, but I won't stop you. I said the choice is yours, and I never lie."
They sat in silence again. This time, though, it was in apprehension. Yusei stared at the entrance to the station. He could see the time table from there, and it said the last train was leaving in ten minutes. Without a glance at Yami, he got out of the car.
Yami felt his stomach drop. 'Was this too big of a risk?' He thought worriedly.
Yusei walked around the car and towards the station. He got about a yard before he stopped. 'What am I doing? I don't even know where I'm going. Somewhere away from here isn't specific enough. Not to mention I left my backpack back in the car. And . . . Yami. Was he serious about wanting me? Me, me? Like, he knows my faults and he still wants me to go home with him? Isn't that what a real family is like? What if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life?' He thought about his decision for a moment longer, then slowly, but determinedly walked back to the back seat and climbed in. 'If this is all a lie, nothing will stop me from hopping the next train to I don't care where.'
Yami forced himself to remain outwardly calm, but inside, he was fighting back a huge sigh of relief. He took a moment to compose himself before asking, "So, do you want to meet everyone else?"
Yusei lifted his head to gaze into the rearview mirror, directly at Yami. Quietly, but with clear conviction, Yusei nodded his head and said, "Yes."
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The Sennen house was a two story building that had obviously had some large renovations. The paint on the original building was old and slightly faded, while the new parts were bright. The old part was a game shop on the bottom, Kame Game, to be exact, and on top was what appeared to be a living area. The new part consisted of a garage built next to the shop, and another living area on top of that.
"We had to have some extra rooms added on about a year ago. Yuma called it 'house surgery'." Yami chuckled at the memory. "Anyway, should we go up?" He left the garage door open, knowing Yusei would feel trapped if it were to be closed.
"Okay."
They went up the stairs to the house and Yusei caught sight of a boy slightly shorter than Yami, but who looked just like him. "Yami, there's still no word on- oh." The boy stopped and stared at Yusei, who suddenly felt nervous again. Yami saw this and stepped forward, preventing the boy from getting any closer.
"Easy, Yugi. He's a bit . . . skittish, just give him some space."
"Oh, okay." Yugi made no move to come any closer to Yusei, but he did smile comfortingly. "Hello, my name's Yugi."
"By the way," Yami steered Yugi towards the kitchen, motioning for Yusei to follow, "Where are the boys?"
"Oh, Yuma's asleep and Jaden's trying to hide on the stairs."
Another voice, this one younger, let out a shout of indignation. "Thanks a lot, Yugi! How'd you know I was here?"
Yugi didn't even glance at the staircase. "I always know. Now get to bed." Yusei, who was still keeping his distance, heard feet pounding up the stairs and then a door slam. "You'll have to forgive him. Jaden's been the most excited about meeting you. He's always wanted a big brother."
Yugi smiled warmly at Yusei, placing a cup of coffee on the table between them before returning to the other side of the kitchen. Yusei cautiously stepped forward and picked it up, holding it in both hands and leaning against the wall.
"So, what now? I mean, it's nice and all that you want to adopt me, but let's be honest. Police are looking for me. You can't just keep me here. So what are we going to do?"
"Yami, who was used to Yusei's quiet way of talking, spoke up. "I already thought of that. Just give me a minute, alright?" He walked past Yusei into the living room.
"So you're Yusei?" Yusei jumped slightly and looked at Yugi.
"Y-yeah. You're Yugi, right?" He was trying to be polite, but was unsure of whether it was working or not.
Yugi smiled. "Yeah. So this must be strange for you. I mean, running away, only to meet up with Yami, of all people. If you need anything, just let me know, alright?"
"Alright."
They both looked up as Yami returned, smiling. "It's all settled. The police know you've been found, the headmaster found where you hid her car and I talked her into letting you keep what you left in it. She also said that if you and I go down there now to fill out your adoption papers, she won't press charges. Apparently, they don't really want you back. So, what do you say?"
Yusei placed his coffee back on the table, then turned and answered. "Let's go."
Yami chuckled. "Well, then. Welcome to the family, Yusei Sennen."
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I have been working on this story for over a year now, and am almost done writing it. Please remember that my other story, Danger: Attack Cat, is my top priority at the moment, but I wanted to get this first chapter out to see what you all thought of it. Please review and tell me what you think. And if you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them for you. :3