Killer Fandom
A/N: Thank you to dragonlady222, CrimsonStrawberry17, Aqua girl 007, manga-animelove, Guest, CutePiglet, kiki2222 for reviewing, you guys are fantastic!
I will be starting to delve more into the intricacies and what not with Yami, Yugi, Seto, Mokuba and Bakura throuhgout the story, but for now I am going to ease into it.
Hope you all enjoy! Hopefully I did not make you all wait too long!
Chapter Two
June 29th - Calgary, AB - 4:45am.
The rain had finally stopped nearly an hour ago, leaving a light dewy mist drifting through the air, chilling it with a delicate touch. It was still dark out, the city lights being the only brightness. From the parking lot where he stood waiting he could see the Glenmore Reservoir in the distance, the moonlight glimmering off the rippling water and the damp stones in lower parts of the river. Shivering he wrapped his arms around himself, shoving his hands under his armpits to get warm. It wasn't blistering cold out, but the dampness was creeping into his bones far deeper than the cold itself was. Seeing the light turn green on the intersection across the parking lot from him Yugi hoped that Yami was finally going to be arriving, he was going to freeze soon. Yami had warned him that it would be a half hour, but it would be far faster than a taxi, and with no expense. Something that settled well with him, he did not have much left from his last paycheque from his former job, and he would not get his first one from the Health Region for another few days.
A black jeep came roaring into the parking lot, wrangler symbol shining bright along with the chrome. He could see through the windshield Yami at the wheel and Soren nattering away in the passenger seat. Smiling he strode the final distance as the vehicle pull up to him, Soren lowering the window and grinning stupidly. Laughing Yugi shook his head at him, "Are you ever serious, or am I in for a permanent ride through the circus."
Tapping his chin in dramatic thought Soren grinned again, "I hope you love roller coasters, and the drop of doom."
"Stop scaring him Soren!" Yami interjected, vision drifting into the back seat, watching Yugi clamber in and click on his seat belt. "Hungry?"
Beaming Yugi nodded, "Starving!"
"Good, I've got some lasagna in the oven; it'll be ready by the time we get back."
A small happy squeal snapped Yugi attention to the side, blinking in disbelief when he realised there was a car seat beside him, said car seat occupied by an adorable curly red haired and bright green eyed little girl. Beaming he waved at her, she giggled loudly and flailed her hands to cover her face, peaking at his through her fingers. Soren shifted and stared back, "Isolde, you are such a little flirt," he teased, hand reaching back and tickling her little legs, louder giggling ensued. "Are you going to say hello to the nice man?"
Big green eyes turned to Yugi, a small hand darting out to him, "My names Izzy."
Yugi, impressed by her clarity of speech, took her little hand and shook it. "I'm Yugi."
"Are you Unkie Ami's brother?"
"No," he laughed, catching Yami staring quietly back at him. "Newly found family though."
"Good," she said firmly, a smirk on her adorable face. "Then I like you."
All three men in the vehicle laughed, the first one to sober up was Yami, vision directed at the little girl, "It's quiet time now Izzy, or no second story when we get home."
"Will you read it?"
"Of course sweetie, but you need to be quiet till we get home," Yami said gently, but pointed. Izzy pouted but went quiet, her curious eyes shifting to Yugi. "Sorry, she's part of the reason why we took so long, she woke up when I was about to leave." Yugi waved it off with a smile. "Alright, home time."
Flipping open his phone as they pulled away Soren sighed with relief, "Her flight made it, thankfully. Damn parent's took forever to come grab her from the airport."
"Shocking," Yami retorted, pulling out onto fourteenth. "They run on their own clock, always have. It's probably why Abby became so anal about tardiness, got so sick of always being late when her parents were in control."
"Abby?" Yugi piped up.
"My wife," Soren answered, looking at Yugi through the rear view mirror. "She just left for a week to the Maritimes with her parents, they just retired out there. We dropped her off at the airport this morning right after work and picked up Izzy."
"So you are not one of my other roommates?"
"Nope, you poor soul have to deal with Mike and Bakura," Soren continued with a grin, not noticing the small flinch Yugi made. "Though, Mike's not going to be back till…when, Stampede?"
Yami shook his head, focus still on the road, "No, had to push it back, something went wrong on the site he was on. He's not coming back now till the end of July at the latest."
"We are picking up Bakura this afternoon right?"
Sighing Yami nodded, expression solemn, "So long as everything with the investigation goes right, yeah. He's going to call me before they board."
"Bakura?" Yugi asked, trying to hide the unease in his tone. "I am going to kill Mokuba." Seeing both questioning looks he received Yugi sighed in exasperation. "Does he have white hair?" Two nods. "Then he may have some relation to a best friend of mine back home."
Stunned Yami swallowed hard, "What do you mean?"
"My best friend's name is Ryou Bakura, long white hair and is pretty quiet about his childhood. But he said that he was born in the Calgary area and his parent's moved right away to Britain, apparently there was some major family issues."
"You could say that again," Yami muttered, scowling, turning the wheel of the jeep to direct them onto another road. "Mike is Bakura's uncle, he raised him. Bakura's parents, well I have never met them and probably never will, they disappeared after Mike took Bakura from them. The rest of the family, Mike lost all contact with all of them, they all left Canada."
"Ryou said something about his dad having two brothers somewhere in the world, but he never met them, and his dad travelled too much to care about contacting anyone," Yugi continued. "Anyway, Mokuba seems to have pieced all this together since he met you, and told neither side about any of it. The devious little bastard."
Soren chuckled, "You could say that again. He mentioned none of this whole twin thing, any of it. It's cool though, I do have to say." Twisting around again to engage Yugi. "So, weird thought on this, you said your Mom was Kyki right? So that means, because Kyki was Yami's grandmother's sister, you are Garret's uncle, and Yami's great uncle. Exactly how old are you so I can make this even weirder."
"Twenty-eight."
"What the hell was the age gap between Kyki and your Grandmother Yami?"
"Thirteen years," Yami answered. "All I know, is my Grandmother was an ops, her father had her with a summer fling he had on one of his Egypt excursions, and Grandma's Mom could not take care of her. But, my Grandma also left the family when she turned eighteen. Her father would not let her be an archaeologist like she wanted to be, so she just left. I know she kept in contact with them till right around the time my parent's got married, which if my timeline is right, is right around the time your parent's passed away."
"How old are you?" Yugi questioned, suddenly feeling like the old one in the group.
"Twenty-two."
Bulking Yugi shrunk in his seat, he may have the height advantage finally, but now he was older instead, not a very fair trade off. "Please tell me Soren that you are close to my age."
"Twenty-three bud, I will be twenty-four in a few months," Soren chuckled, sticking out his tongue. "You are the old fart."
Sulking and sinking deep into his seat Yugi crossed his arms, unable to hold in laughter when he spotted Izzy mimicking him. A wave of childishness running through him Yugi stuck his tongue out at her, a small giggle through hands covering her mouth filtered out. Yami glanced back, seeing Yugi he quirked a brow, "Though the age and maturity factor does not seem to apply."
Yugi shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "No one ever said I had to completely grow up."
"Amen to that," Soren agreed, laughing deeply at the mock glare Yami sent him. "Oh, side warning Yugi, there are two animals in that house, one will want to eat you one will want to knock you down, they are a tag team. So, be wary and watch your feet and exposed appendages."
"They are not that bad," Yami laughed incredulously, seeing Soren mock glare at him he laughed. "They're not!"
"What are 'they'," Yugi asked, amused by the exchanged.
"My two dogs, one is a puppy not quite six months and the other is nearly nine-years-old. Reno and Suka, they are quite the little pair; Soren is not lying when he says they tag team. Though, it's mostly just Soren and Bakura that they torment."
After a few silent minutes Yugi drifted his gaze outside of the window, elbow resting on the door as he did so, eyes catching sight of a movie theatre beside him along with a grocery shopping centre and what looked like a police station. The vehicle finally turned into the residential area beside them, condo's coming into view first before family homes dominated his vision. Cookie cutter houses, as he and Ryou had always laughed and called them from the magazines they read. Row after row of those houses, all so similar, crossed his vision before larger homes began to emerge, ones more elaborate and unique. Interest perked he sat up straighter in the leather seats and peered around, "You live up here?"
"Yes," Yami answered almost nervously. "Mike works up on the oil patch. He paid off his mortgage years ago, sold the house two years ago and bought this one, made a full profit off the old one. All we pay for in this thing is taxes and utilities. Should almost get paid for labour though with how much I have to put into maintaining the stupid thing every day."
"Ahhh, here we are," Soren interjected, the vehicle turning and pulling up in front of the massive single story home.
Yugi's jaw immediately dropped, and Soren burst into a fit of laughter. "This place is huge!"
During the moments where his throat went dry and – if there were any- flies flew into his mouth, the jeep was parked in the garage and the two men in the front had clambered out. Popping his mouth closed Yugi unbuckled his seat belt, head turning to watch Yami unstrap Izzy from her car seat and pull her out, the weird face he made at her sounding a boisterously laugh. "Let's get you back to bed munchkin," Yami said, beaming brightly as he carried her into the house, his eyes going soft when she poked him in the nose and giggled again.
Diving out of the car, with Soren laughing at him again, Yugi followed them inside the house. Taking off his shoes and jacket, tucking them in the organizers and hanging the jacket he looked around almost flinching at how clean it was. This was definitely going to take some getting used to, him and Ryou had been far from perfect on the cleanliness aspect. Tip toeing behind Soren he stepped into the main part of the house, transitioning through a massive walk-through food pantry as he did so. Feet meeting tile floor his gaze drifted around taking in the breath taking sight of the kitchen. Bright, but tasteful, rich terracotta slate tiles decorated the floor, flecks of deep reed in the stone. The counters were dark grey granite, the same dark flecks of red and spots of gold brightening it. The counters and cabinets were of a rich black wood, most had glass fronts with lights within to illuminate the dishes and wine glasses within. The kitchen itself was in a large square shape, most of it was open to view the rest of the house with ease over the bar. Dodging around the island he transitioned behind Soren into the living-dining room, Soren glancing back at him to make sure he was still following.
The sectional that had existed in the last house had been re-upholstered with black leather and microfiber, but it did not feel as massive in this living room as it had in the last. The ceilings were vaulted twelve feet high, creating an airy feel. The walls were painted a soft grey, except for the large wall facing out into the back yard, which aside from the massive windows was a deep rich crimson. A set of glass sliding doors led out onto an expansive wood deck beyond that had a pretty good view of the prairies and farm land beyond, along with Stoney Trail. An expansive black wood table was in front of the windows, the chair backings were mixes of the dominate colours within the house, place settings were out decoratively and a large vase with dried and pained twisted sticks was in the centre. Pictures of cougars, wolves, horses and landscapes covered the walls that were open. A large stone fireplace dominated the wall directly in front of the couch, dark grey and rich orange thin slate stones almost as beautiful as the immense picture of a timber wolf in a barren winter environment above the mantel. A large sixty inch TV was station tucked into the corner, away from the glare that would enter the windows in the morning.
Soren, tapping Yugi's shoulder with an amused smirk on his face signalled to the left of the kitchen and living room. There was a step up into a platform area where three doors could be seen, "The door to your left is your bedroom, the centre one is the bathroom you will be using. The door to the right, is Yami and Bakura's room, I am assuming that Mokuba at least informed you of that part." Seeing a nod he smiled with relief. "Do you want to change or have the rest of the tour?"
"There's more?" Yugi asked wide eyed, Soren laughed again then pointed beyond the couch to the far wall, railings could be seen there by the fireplace. "There's a basement."
"A fully finished walk out basement."
Blinking for a moment Yugi realised it was just him and Soren in the room, bemused he looked around, "Where did Yami go?"
Soren pointed to the other bedroom, "He's going to read to her, and probably let her sleep in there tonight. It's a big enough bed that she won't roll off, we have not been able to set up her playpen yet. Come on, let's head downstairs," he said, placing a hand on Yugi's back and guiding him to the open stairwell that lead into the basement. "I know you probably want to bombard Yami with questions, and wish that it was him doing this, but his brain is a little overwhelmed right now."
Trudging down the stairs and stepping out into an open entertainment area Yugi peered around while stating, "Sorry, I did not expect his little tid bit of finding lost family either," he said, jaw dropping to see another large sectional plush and white. But, it was more what was beyond it. The entire wall to his right was floor to ceiling screen, what could be seen of the wall behind it was stark black. The wall directly in front of him was all glass and walked out directly onto a stone patio and into a decent sized backyard with a fire pit. That was the first time Yugi also noticed the two dogs sitting at the door wagging their tails in excitement. Reno, aside from his tail, was still as he stared at Yugi in curiosity, but Suka was far from still. Her paws were shifting back and forth and a small whine could be heard, her white and soft grey husky fur clear and beautiful in the moonlight.
"I'll let them in pretty quick here," Soren stated, pointing over to their left at two doors he continued the tour. "The one to the left is a small guest room, the other is Mikes, each one has it's own bathroom. As you can see right in front of us as well is where Bakura and Mike pump iron every damned day of their existence. And then, the other is just the beauty of this entire house. Wait wait, you have not seen the best part," hopping over the back of the couch like a small child Soren grabbed a remote and switched the screen on. A large image of a grotesque monster splayed across the screen with a man in an armoured suit with a weird gun, dark menacing music playing loudly. "Dead Space on epic largeness! It's a dream."
Unable to refrain himself Yugi burst out laughing, needing to stumble forward and use the back of the couch as a brace to keep from falling over, "You really are a freak!"
"What," Soren said loudly in protest. "Dead Space 3 is coming out soon. Yami and I vowed when we finished Dead Space 2 the first time that if a third one came out we could not play it until we finished the second one on hard core. Well…this is attempt number thirteen."
"Yami doesn't exactly cross me as a gamer, at least in terms of xbox or playstation games. Board games or card games maybe, but not video games."
"You kidding me, Yami does them all," Soren said, patting the spot beside him on the couch, grinning when Yugi followed his example and barrelled over the back to plop down beside him. "It's something we've always done, especially lately, we got back into it again."
"When Yami got out of the hospital," Yugi asked, trying not to sound like he was prying."
Soren nodded, face becoming serious, "About that Yugi, its part of the reason why I'm giving him some alone time. How much did Mokuba tell you?"
"Just the basics, said that something pretty serious happened to his joints, but did not go into detail. Jacob Ryant, briefly stated that it was not an accident that did it."
"It wasn't, someone did it to him," Soren said, a sharpness to his tone that Yugi did not expect from the vibrant young man. "Yami will, probably not talk about it, at least not for a while. He knew that, so he's asked me to at least give you some of the basics."
"I'm listening."
Hands fidgeting on the controller in his lap Soren lowered his gaze, "Keep in mind, this information is confidential, to keep him safe especially with the shit that is going on right now." Yugi raised his brow quizzically. "Have you read the paper at all, about Alphonse Caine, the Caduceus Killer?"
Mind flitting back to this morning's paper, Yugi nodded, "Every morning for the past week."
"That victim, that person that survived, was Yami," Yugi felt himself tremble, both from the information that sunk his heart into his knees, and the intense look in Soren's green eyes. "Alphonse had him hostage for twenty-four hours and tortured him almost to death. I still don't know what happened completely, the only people that know everything is the two detectives, Grey and Bakura, along with another cop named Anderson, and Yami. The only reason why Grey, Bakura and Anderson know, is because Alphonse recorded it all and they watched the tape. Yami doesn't talk about it, no matter how hard I try to get him to open up. Bakura says he doesn't open up to him either," sighing in jadedness Soren rubbed his hand through charcoal hair. "Basically, what I can tell you because of what I know, is limited to his injuries. Alphonse apparently dissected Yami's knees, he was able to completely disassemble Yami's right knee, and only cut two of the ligaments in the other. Yami's shoulder was ripped out of joint, I don't know how and I can only imagine with the scar, but it basically looks like something imbedded itself in his upper arm them ripped down. Other injuries were extensive abdominal bleeding and damage to his chest, his head was pretty swollen too. But, there is another injury that Yami really hasn't come to terms with."
Swallowing hard Yugi felt his sweaty hands fidgeting as he listened, "What is that?"
"Alphonse drew the Caduceus symbol on Yami's back with a scalpel."
Eyes going wide Yugi felt his hand come up to cover his mouth in shock, "He what?! God this man sounds far more sick than they make him out to be in the papers. Wait, if he's the survivor, then he's being affected by what is going on with all the fan mail that is being written."
"Among other things," Soren murmured quietly, gaze lifting back to Yugi's face. "Bakura and Grey are in Ontario right now investigating some missing letters that were sent to the prison. The other part to this story, that is not in the media, is everything that happened before Yami was kidnapped, and in the last six months."
"Fuck," cursing, the word still sounding out of place coming from him. "What else could there be?"
"To put it in rapid replay," expounded the EMT, grabbing one of the pillows from nearby to rest in his lap he leaned forward. "Yami and I interrupted Alphonse in one of his murders, that is what started all of this. But, because it was only Yami that fought him and stood up to him, Alphonse targeted him. Alphonse hired some gang members to kill Yami's Dad and they were supposed to only beat Yami senseless, which did not work. Everything spiralled down after that, Alphonse relentlessly went after Yami and the remaining victims on his list until he finally kidnapped him."
"And the other part?" Yugi questioned quietly, not knowing if he wanted to know more.
"There have been five copycat murders in the past six months. None of which have been put in the media. Bakura and Grey, along with the new Chief of Police, are trying really hard to keep most of this case under the public eye. The fan mail and the copycat murders lately have just amplified that, they are scared that one of the worshipers might come after Yami if they find out that he's the survivor."
Resting back against the cushions, Yugi sighed deeply, hoping that the burden of the information would flow with it. "Does Mokuba know all this?"
Soren shook his head, "No."
"Are you two done yet?" Yami murmured quietly, startling them from their conversation. When he had gained both of their attention Yami signalled to the bright eyed girl in his arms. "Sorry to be rude, but she can tell you two are still awake, I can't get her to sleep if you are making all this noise."
Cringing as if they had been whipped, nicely, but whipped, Yugi scrambled to turn off the TV and both rose to their feet. Coming around the couch Soren gently kissed his daughter, whispering good night he waved at her and drifted off into the guest room, his expression apologetic. Yugi crept to the stairs, sneaking past Yami he darted up them, hearing Yami's footfalls behind him Yugi stopped at the top of the stairs. He could see that Yami looked haggard, exhaustion overbearing him along with all the things Yugi imagined were racing through his mind. Deep crimson eyes were whirling, barely holding in the emotions that he was trying to hide. "Do you want some help?"
Shaking his head Yami moved past him and to his room, shutting off lights as he went, "No, I'll be fine. Get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
"Yami, I am sorry if I have unsettled you," Yugi said softly, guilt surging through him. "Mokuba probably thought that having all of this as a surprise was a great joke, but it's been ill timed."
"Don't pity me Yugi," Yami said, voice even but edgy, tone calm. "I don't need it."
"But.."
"I don't want to hear it," came the sharp reply, ruby eyes darkening. "Yes, this is a little overwhelming for me right now, but I can handle it. Really, honestly Yugi, finding new family is the least of my worries, and it is far from being a burden. But, my mind is everywhere but straight right now, so if I am snappy I am deeply sorry. I'll… I'll feel better after Bakura gets home and can shed some more light on this situation."
"Are you alright?"
Chest tightening Yami dropped his head, composure remaining stoic as best as possible. Shifting Izzy in his arms Yami pondered quickly, debating before somnolently shaking his head, heart wrenching when Izzy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Hugs Unkie Ami, it will make you smile."
Holding Izzy tightly Yami kissed her gently, pulling back a little to give her a smile, a genuine one, "Thank you Izzy. Now, I am going to put you down, go straight to the bed alright, I will be right there to tuck you in." She nodded, and without squirming she let Yami put her down before bouncing off into the bedroom, leaving the two men alone. Breathing deeply Yami lifted his head, crimson gaze locking with Yugi's. "To be honest Yugi, especially now that Soren let you in on everything, no I am not." He was finding it hard not to be open with the young man, something about him made him feel like he could pour his heart out to him and nothing would be ruined. But, comfort levels and dignity kept him from doing so. Straightening he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've got a lot on my mind."
"Talk about it?" Pushy, Yugi knew, but it was worth a shot. He hated seeing the look in those eyes, an expression that he never saw in Atemu. Fear and anguish along with helplessness.
Yami shook his head, "No offense, but I don't know you well enough yet."
"No worries," Yugi said, a soft smile crossing his features, glad to see it brought a small comfort to the man when the gesture was returned. "I'm here if you need me, I've been told I am a good listener."
"Thank you," came the murmured reply, turning Yami strode back to his bedroom door. "I had better try and get her to sleep, you should go to bed, like I said it's going to be a long day tomorrow, I know Mokuba told you about the barbeque. Get some rest, tomorrow you can relax and have some fun, get rid of some of the dreariness that I just dropped on you."
With that Yami left Yugi alone, closing the bedroom door after hearing a quiet good night. Exhaling deeply he pressed his back up against the door, eyes drifting shut for a moment of peace. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he felt his mood depreciate. Bakura was being dead silent, no communication since he got to Kingston, and the silence was eating away at his nerves. Shoving the phone with a bit of hurt welling up within him he looked up at Izzy, who was quietly playing with her stuffed animal on the bed. His worry, as overwhelming and intense it was, would have to wait. Putting a smile on his face he drifted over to the bed, intent on making the little girl finally go to sleep.
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Kingston, Ontario, Canada – Kingston Penitentiary, Maximum Security Prison – 12:30pm Eastern Time
With solemn expressions Bakura and Grey quietly followed a prison officer through the penitentiary, Grey carrying a clipboard and Bakura carrying the massive folder filled with letters. Through the nattering of the inmates around them they managed to keep their growing headaches at bay,
"So you said that some of the logged letters have vanished?" Grey questioned the officer.
Glancing back over his shoulder the officer, Kevin, a burly black man, answered loudly, "Yeah, three so far. As soon as the letters started to flood in though we halted them, and stopped his ability to write out. He's been put back into solitary because of it, just in case."
"Have you searched his cell for the letters?" Bakura questioned.
"Ripped it apart and wiped it clean," Kevin stated, steel toe boots pounding on the hard floor. "We suspect that he received the letters from an inmate and then destroyed them. Also, we have a bad feeling he may have sent some out through that same inmate, but we are not sure. So far our internal investigation has turned up nothing on who might have been helping him, but they stole the hard copies of those three letters so we have nothing to fall back onto."
"Fantastic," Bakura grumbled, adjusting his hold on the folder so he could loosen his tie, cursing who ever invented the damned things. "Has Alphonse said anything?"
"Not a word, was hoping maybe you two could get something out of him," glancing up at the door number of a room they were passing the officer stopped and pulled out his keys. "Here we are," clicking the room open he directed the two men into it. "Sit in here gentlemen; Alphonse will be brought by shortly. Any other questions?"
With scowls the two detectives shook their heads and strode into the room, sterile white meet them along with a metal table and three metal chairs. "Cozy," Grey said sarcastically as the two of them sat down, the screech of the chairs on the floor making them cringe. "No wonder people go even more insane in these damn places, it's like a damn asylum."
The slap of paper on metal signalled that Bakura dropped the file on the table, "Where's the damn camera they said they were going to have?"
"I think they said it's up behind us," Grey said, swivelling in his chair and pointing above the door, a small glint of red in the corner. "Pathetic attempt at hiding it, but it's an attempt."
Taking off his suit jacket Bakura peered out the glass window behind them that viewed out into the hallway, "You think we will make the flight back?"
Checking his watch Grey shrugged, "Hopefully, I really don't want to have to stay here overnight. And, personally, I really want to eat the barbeque ribs and pulled pork that Yami is making. He made my mouth water just telling me about it," his expression becoming dreaming Grey leaded back in his chair. "Yep, Barbequed heaven!"
Bakura was about to retort, but the door opening on the far side of the room silenced him, the sound of shackles clinking on the ground as feet shuffled reached their ears. The door swung completely open, exposing two guards and Alphonse's orange jump suit. Bakura went silent, hand slipping into his slack pockets he glared hard at the familiar green eyes that laughed at him. Dark chestnut hair, grey streaks flicking through it, was buzzed short in a military style cut. Thick muscles bulged through the jump suit, he was significantly larger, too much time on his hands to pump iron and not much else. He cut a menacing figure; his devilish grin did not help. Undaunted though, Bakura stood up and watched silently as the guards forced Alphonse to sit down then clipped his chains to the chair. One hand tapping on the metal table he nodded at the two guards as they drifted back to stand in the corners of the room behind Alphonse. "Hello Doctor."
"Nice suit, Detective, I could recommend a good tailor to you," cool voice drifting across the room, expression smug.
Jaw locking Bakura resisted the urge to look down at his light grey suit; he liked his damn suit, sort of. "Mines a better colour," he retorted. "Though, orange does definitely suit you quite well, aren't you glad you can wear it all the time. A permanent fashion statement."
Expression remaining unchanged Alphonse shrugged, "For now."
Hand gripping the back of the chair Bakura pulled it back and sat down, crossing his legs and resting his folded hands in his lap, he leaned back almost lackadaisically.
Grey glanced over at him, hazel eyes amused but on edge, "Sorry Alphonse but that is unlikely, especially since you have been charged with nineteen counts of murder to the first degree, all life sentences. You were also charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and torture with the highest sentence for those. I doubt you are going anywhere."
"Such confidence," Alphonse grinned, snake green eyes still laughing. He could smell the cheap aftershave of Grey's drifting over to him, along with the cheap cologne. Such arrogance from lowlifes. Bakura faired at least a little better, but not close enough to his standards.
"And what makes you?" Bakura questioned, Alphonse almost lazily drifting his head back over to him.
Another nonchalant shrug, "I have my reasons."
"Would those three missing letters have anything to do with this reason?" Grey said firmly, crossing his arms, a chill filling him when Alphonse re-directed his gaze at him, the soulless depths piercing.
"What letters?" Feigning innocence.
"The three fan letters that have gone missing," stated Bakura, leaning forward in his seat. "The three letters are the reason why you are currently back in solitary confinement."
"No, I was put into solitary confinement because I killed four cops and almost killed your little friend. The people here just don't like me."
"No," Bakura chided, fingers tapping on the table, temper flaring. "The letters are the reason why you are back in solitary confinement, don't play stupid."
"No, they can claim that I took letters from them, or what have you. They can claim whatever they want, I am blameless, it is not my fault they lost them," Alphonse said calmly, relaxing back into his seat.
Standing up Grey leaned over the table; face barely a foot always from Alphonse's, "Those three letters were stolen. And those three letters were for you, letters that were banned because of their content."
"So you are accusing me of stealing them are you detective? You have nothing, if you had anything you would come here with the proof, but instead you are in here flashing your teeth and making demands. Hardly affective."
"What were the contents of the letters?" Bakura demanded, patience waning.
"What letters? I did not see them, they were restricted from me remember, so how could I have seen them. The only people that would know the contents would be the guards and the writer. Why don't you scurry off and bother them instead, sounds like more productive police work to me. If you have nothing more than that baseless accusation, I will return to my cell now."
"I don't think so," Grey snapped, signalling for the guards to stay put when they made to move forward. Alphonse lifted his dark gaze, silent and cold as death. "We know you have a connection with those letters because of the copycat killings. I am sure you are aware of them."
"I have read the papers."
"Then you know that there have been six murders in the past six months. Each one is done on the twentieth, the date you were imprisoned," Bakura continued. "The first three, which occurred before those letters were sent, were sloppy and did not contain your MO, but they did contain the caduceus symbol. However, since those three letters the MO has changed and is a near perfect doppelganger of what you did. Hardly a coincidence."
"I would say it is a stretch at best," Alphonse chuckled. "I have had no part in these copycat killings."
"There is no other way that they would know your MO Alphonse," Grey snapped. "That information was not released to the public, never mind anyone that was not working on this case. You are the only way they could have known exactly what you did to those people."
"How is our little friend doing?" A ghost of a smile drifted across his face at the barely restrained flinch the two detectives made, ah there's the raw nerve. "I may be restricted from letters, but I am not restricted from medical journals. Kaiba Corp has been making some pretty advanced and fascinating products of late. I cannot help but read them. Dr. Ryant, that old colleague of mine at the Rockyview hospital, has quite the amazing report about a very successful bionic knee and shoulder replacement with those products. I wonder if he could have been his patient."
Muscles tensing, body wanting to lunge forward and strangle that throat before him but mind restraining, Bakura stiffly exhaled, "He's none of your damn business."
Another deep smile, "Touchy touch, I was just genuinely curious."
"Genuinely my ass," Grey snarled, sitting back down with little grace, arms resting on the table.
"Well, by all technicalities, he's still my pet so long as my mark is on his back. So yes, it is very genuine, I take good care of things I hold dear," Alphonse said slyly, noting the shaking in Bakura's hands he chuckled loudly.
Hand slamming on the table Bakura lurched forward and gripped Alphonse by the shoulder, pressing hard against an old scar, "He does not, belong to you," came the dark snarl, teeth clenched in fury. "He never did."
White teeth exposed in a wide Cheshire grin, Alphonse laughed softly, "The moment I knocked him unconscious in the ambulance, he was mine. The moment I chained him to that butcher hook, he was mine. The moment I drew my symbol on his back with my scalpel, he was mine. The moment I touched him, the moments where I dissected him and made him scream, made him cry in fear, he was mine. I've marked him, claimed him, and there is nothing you can do to change that."
Hand tightening to painful proportions, a slight cringe in Alphonse's eyes, Bakura growled low in his throat, "Yami is not yours. You never broke him, he is far stronger than you thought he was. He is fully healed, and even stronger now than when you so ball-lessly decided to take him on. You have nothing on him. Never, would you have been able to hurt him if you had not paid those thugs to shoot him first and killed his father."
"And mother," came the whispered retort.
Bulking Bakura paled, grip relinquishing he stepped back, "That murder is unsolved." Alphonse shrugged again. "This is being recorded Alphonse, do you really want to confess to another murder and be put on trial for another crime."
"I won't be in here for much longer."
"And what makes you think that," Grey demanded, one hand reaching out and restraining Bakura, body stiffening at the look of radiating confidence in the man's eyes. "What did those letters contain?"
"I do not know, did I not already tell you that I did not read them," the killer said, glancing over at his guards. "I would like to return to my cell now please." The guards, this time quietly tempering the two detective back with hand signals and fearful expressions, unchained Alphonse and helped him to his feet. Burly hands directed the man out to the door, green eyes drifting over his shoulder and mocking the detectives. "The reunion with my little pet, little Yami, will be so sweet. I would not recommend missing it."
"You will not touch him again!" Bakura bellowed Grey's hands and larger frame restraining him. "Don't you dare go near him, I will rip you apart!"
"Sorry sir," one of the guards murmured out, pulling Alphonse through the door, his expression sympathetic but warning. "This conversation is over, collect yourself!"
The heavy metal door slamming closed signalled the end, a harsh finality that left the two men speechless. Sinking into the chair Bakura rested his elbows on the table and covered his sweat damp face with his hands. Heart bounding viciously in his chest he exhaled shakily, feeling Grey's hand on his back he looked through his peripheral vision at his partner. "We need to find out what those three letters said."
"He's up to something," Grey whispered, body slumping in the chair.
Nodding Bakura rose to his feet, face ashen he gathered up the files, "Let's get back down to the main office, see if we can find some way to dig up those damn things, someone had to have been intelligent in this place and recorded them or made copies."
"Sounds good."
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11:45am – The house – Calgary, AB
Stirring, Soren nearly fell out of bed. Grumbling and fighting almost violently with the sheets he untangled himself, glaring angrily at the clock, "Not enough fucking sleep," he grumbled. Lifting himself off the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning he gathered up his clothes and skirted into them. After another near violent bout with his clothes he finally made his way out of the room, the smell of coffee wafting down to him and drawing him up the stairs. When he got up there he was surprised to see who was puttering around in the kitchen, "Morning Yugi."
Yugi put a finger over his lips then signalled to the couch. Blinking, another yawn escaping him he walked over to the sectional, vision drifting over a sight he wished he had his camera for. Yami was out cold on the couch, Izzy curled up on his chest, a thick blanket draped over them. With a warm smile he shifted away and into the kitchen, dodging Yugi he grabbed a coffee cup as quietly as he could and poured his own coffee. Leaning against the counter he spotted Yugi doing the same, "Come out to the deck with me, let them sleep a little longer." Being careful the two drifted to the sliding doors, and with apparently good luck, opened and closed it without disturbing the two on the couch. "She is going to be grumpy tonight, have to put her down to bed at seven and get her back on schedule or my wife will kill me. She hasn't napped for a few months now."
"I didn't hear them stop moving until around eight," Yugi said, following Soren to the large glass and metal patio furniture. Sitting down in the surprisingly comfortable chairs he sighed and drank back his coffee, enjoying the scorching morning sun. "Yami's probably exhausted."
"She was probably out cold not long after us," Soren stated, taking a long sip of his own caffeinated happiness. "But, knowing Yami lately, he was restless and couldn't sleep."
Claws scrapping on the wood made Soren and Yugi both look up, Reno and Suka both bolted up to them. Unprepared Yugi almost dropped his coffee as Suka began to relentlessly lick him, spluttering he barely managed to put his coffee on the table before losing it. Petting the dog he finally found some relief, the almost twitchy animal fidgeted at his feet but was clearly enjoying the attention. Reno was sitting dutifully beside Soren, amusement shining in his dark brown eyes, a smile almost on his features as Soren stroked his head.
"Can definitely tell that you are a puppy," Yugi chuckled, looking into almost white eyes, inquisitiveness shining brightly in them. "You are lucky you are cute."
The sliding door opened and Izzy dashed out, legs surprisingly steady for her age. With a wide toothed grin of satisfaction she climbed into Soren's lap, her father's hands gently aiding her with her ascent. Pink pj's bright in the already sunny day; she practically bounced in Soren's lap. "It's lunch time!"
"Try breakfast sweetie," Yami grumbled from the doorway, arms and legs crossed as he leaned against the frame, white house coat pulled tight around him. "Good morning, did you guys sleep well?"
Soren winked at his friend, "Peachy, go get some coffee then come join us, its absolutely gorgeous today."
Eyes scanning the area around Yami nodded in agreement, it was a beautiful summer day. The sky was clear and bright, the sun insanely warm and a subtle cool breeze drifted across what little of his skin was exposed. Breathing in the morning air he smiled, just the feeling of being outside lifted his mood, "Sounds good." Drifting back into the house Yami retrieved a cup from the cupboard and fixed himself a coffee, grabbing an apple from the fridge for Izzy he made his way slowly back outside, shooing Suka back out as he did so, forgetting that he left the door open. Plopping, albeit gracefully, into one of the chairs he let out a loud grunt as Suka soared into his lap. Scowling he simply shook his head and let the dog settle herself in, glad she was only half the size that she would stop growing at. Hand absently stroking her thick fur he looked across at Yugi. "How about you, did you sleep well enough?"
"I'll admit, as comfy as that bed is, it's always weird to sleep in a new bed," Yugi admitted, statement emphasized by the yawn he emitted boisterously.
"Can I play with the doggies?" Izzy piped up, looking between Yami and Soren. Yugi caught the two men sharing a look, and what seemed like a conversation without words.
"Daddy will come with you Izzy-bear," Soren said, letting her slide to the deck before he stood up. "Now, as Uncle Yami politely, use your words."
Yami felt Suka squirm in his lap, gripping the dogs collar he guided her down and snapped his fingers, pleased when the dogs bottom dropped immediately at the command. Izzy shuffled over to him, twisting her body like a top with her arms behind her back, "Unkie Ami, may I please play with Suka and Reno."
Pondering, expression showing uncertainty but his eyes were smiling, "I don't know, you kept me up pretty late last night there missy."
"Please!"
Yugi grinned at the exchange, laughter leaving him when Yami nodded and grinned charade over, a single finger lifting in front of the girls face. "On one condition, I want a kiss, right here," Yami said, drifting that finger to his cheek. "I will take that as an apology." Izzy squealed, and throwing her little arms as best she could around Yami's neck she planted an exaggerated and loud kiss on his cheek before bouncing off, Suka barking and following her, thankfully the dog was not much bigger than the girl yet. She giggled, letting Soren hold her hand and help her down the steps from the deck to the yard, Suka already down on the grass and running in circles. Reno, however, transitioned across the deck and sat beside Yami, large head resting in his master's lap, large brown eyes looking up at him. A soft smile and Yami stroked his head, fingers barely ghosting over his head. "Not up for playing?" A small noise in the back of the dog's throat was his answer. "Alright, I can handle that."
Hearing both Izzy squeal with delight, and Soren's mock yell of terror Yami stifled laughter knowingly. Yugi, uncertain, stood up and leaned over the railing, almost doubling over in laughter when he spotted Soren running the perimeter of the yard, Suka close on his heels as he flailed and ran like Shaggy off of Scooby Doo, making the reference immediately, "Like zoiks!"
Sitting back down, hands grasping his coffee cup Yugi shook his head, seeing the mirth on Yami's face he could not help but smile. "Glad to see you seem to be in a happier mood."
Yami, smile widening, continued to lazily stroke Reno's head while taking a long chug of his coffee, "Honestly, all I needed was a few hours of sleep. Sorry about last night, my moods are odd when I am tired lately."
Shrugging indifferently Yugi chuckled, "It happens, at least you are not as bad as some pissy girl. Your mood was constant, miserable as hell, but constant."
Laughing Yami peered across at the young man, no restraint today on his emotions, guard down without a thought. "Don't repeat that one around Bakura, he'll direct it onto Mike and it will be an all-out muscle war."
"I'll keep that in mind," placing his coffee on the table, amidst another bout of giggling at the shrill and feminine screams Soren was letting out, Yugi closed his eyes and relaxed back. "What do we have to do today to be ready? When is everyone arriving?"
"Not till about four," Yami responded, shifting when Reno leapt up and laid the top half of his body across Yami's legs, snuggling close. "I just get everything that needs to slow cook on the barbeque, and pull everything out. It's a potluck, sort of, everyone is bringing something. I know Alex and Eric said they are bringing a bunch of alcohol, same with Anderson. Beyond that, it's a free for all, as usual."
"What is the barbeque for anyway?"
"It's Canada Day on the first, and we are all working for it," Yami answered, warm ruby eyes glancing at Yugi. "So, because everyone is off tonight, we decided to do it now instead of later or missing out entirely. Warning though, you are going to be surrounded by cops and EMT's, plus all their families."
"Lots of kids?"
Yami shook his head, "No, I think Grey's two are coming with his wife Eshe. Otherwise, I think it will be Izzy and maybe two or three others." Pausing Yami quirked his head a bit, a thought filtering through him. "Have you ever been to anything like this?"
"Nope."
"Excited? It's going to be a lot of food, drinking and music."
"Sounds fantastic to me!"
With that Yami smiled, "Good, we just might get along well then." Hearing Yugi laugh he chuckled. "It's going to be a fun night. Don't worry, we don't get stupid, but we do get liquored."
"I'm not concerned, remember I went to university, some really stupid stuff happens. What is that saying, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, same thing applies to university. Especially spring break."
"So glad I never did that shit," Yami said stiffly. "Shove a few beers into Soren and it gets scary, never mind some of the horror stories I have heard about spring break."
The two shared a quiet laugh at that, before Soren's strangled scream for help pulled them from their comfortable positions. Side by side the leaned against the railing, staring down and boisterously laughing when they saw Izzy sitting on Soren's chest and playing with his ears, while Suka was –after apparently having already pulled off one sock- was pulling the other off. Sighing in mock annoyance Yami made his way down into the yard, quickly he scooped up Izzy in his arms and began mercilessly tickling her, her bright laughter filling the morning air. Yugi, holding his sides from the stitches he was getting from the laughter, shook his head at the sight. This was going to be a fun ride.
A/N: Don't worry everyone, it will be picking up pretty quick here. Hopefully everyone likes it so far! Review please :D