Okay, chapter 3 is done! I know I had used "Ryoga" the past two chapters, but I'm switching to Shark because Ryoga is a bit of a pain to type after a while. I'll make that name change later. To be clear, this is a flashback story continued from last chapter Shark is telling Rio. There is a hidden quote that is a reference to a game. If anyone can guess it, you get a cookie! Credit goes to comicfan209 for this chapter's plot! I changed my pen name to galaxyeyes-nijikuriboh.


-A few weeks back-

Yuma and shark walked down the street holding hands tightly. They stayed by each other's side together, looking out for each other. Their rings glistened in the luminous shine from the sun as it lit up Heartland City. Normally the couple would drive, but today was a rather marvelous day to be stuck in a car, so Yuma talked Shark into walking downtown. Shark felt at peace with his partner when they were together. Who knew that he, once a delinquent, would end up being married to someone like Yuma? Dueling brought them together, that's for sure.

As the men walked down the street, a woman passed by them along with a little boy. Yuma smiled at the family like he always did with some strangers. The family smiled back and waved with pleasure. The little boy, however, looked at Yuma and Shark with curiosity. He caught a glimpse at their matching wedding rings on their hands. The little boy stared at Shark's ring, then at Yuma's, and back at Shark's face.
"Mommy, how come those grown-ups the same rings? Are they married? Can grown-up men get married to each other?"

Shark, Yuma, and the boy's mom should've been prepared to answer his questions, especially a six-year-old's. Neither one wasn't sure how to answer because how could they explain gay marriage to a kid? It wasn't a walk in the park for any of them.

"Satoru! That's not a polite question to ask," the boy's mom lightly scolded. She turned to Yuma and Shark and bowed in respect. "I am so sorry about my son. He always asks so many questions, but I didn't know he'd ask you something like that to make you uncomfortable!"

With that said, the woman grabbed her son's arm (not too tight) and just walked past Yuma and Shark as they moved forward down the street.

Yuma cocked his head in confusion. "What was that about?"

HEARTLAND SURROGACY CLINIC

"I believe that we have found some favorable candidates for surrogate mothers, Mr. Tsukumo and Kamishiro," acknowledged Ayaka Han, the couple's surrogacy consultant. She was a petite woman with jet black hair with hints of blue here and there and lime green eyes. Ayaka passed them a few manilla files containing information on the surrogate mothers. "I've arranged for them to come here today for interviews with you and me this time. Is that okay with you?"

Yuma and Shark were busy analyzing the surrogates' information, but they listened. Neither one of them explained to Ayaka they didn't mind interviewing, so she took that as a 'Yes'.

Ayaka tried to sit upright in her chair, yet her shoulders slouched with a hint of tension as Yuma and Shark continued to read about the surrogate mothers. Truth was, she was quite nervous about the interviews today. Still, Ayaka wasn't sure how these new batch of women she had selected would react to the idea of being a surrogate for a gay couple. Over time, she had grown friendly towards them. She tolerated LBGT people and didn't have any problems working around gay men. Heartland City was one of the few tolerant cities who tolerated anyone LBGT. The city had recently legalized gay marriage, so Yuma and Shark didn't hesitate on getting married. Despite their city known for its "love", there were still some people who discriminated against those kinds of people. Thinking about her clients being judged drove a wedge in her heart. Ayaka had no idea why some people wouldn't accept that not all humans would love the opposite gender.

Maybe this will be it. I've already arranged a few interviews in the past for these men and those women I've called didn't even give them a chance! I hope the interview doesn't end in a meltdown like last time...

"I'm sorry... But I can't be a surrogate for you. I just can't." One woman said apologetically at Yuma and Shark. She bowed her head in shame, running her fingers through her hair. "It's just that I can't be having a baby for sinners. I'm sorry, but I can't accept that..."

Yuma didn't take the woman's response too well because he abruptly rose from his chair and grabbed her by her shirt collar. He normally didn't let any rage get to him, but this woman set him off. What would she know about us?! Just because we're gay doesn't mean we don't know what love is! She's just another homophobic!

"Let me go!" cried the woman, trying to pry herself from Yuma's restraining arms.

Shark tried to stop his partner, pulling on the man's arms. Yes, he too was not happy with being labeled as a 'sinner'. Still, he didn't want Yuma to harm someone. "Yuma, stop it!" he yelled. "Just let go of her!"

Yuma ignored Shark and the woman. He pulled her close to his face. He was completely pissed off because you could tell by his eyes and his face. The poor woman shook in fear. She had no idea that something like this would happen to her. "I'm sorry.. Don't hit me!" she whimpered.

While Yuma really wanted to slug the woman for being a homophobic, he didn't want his anger to take over. He could either, A: Beat up this woman and go to prison, or B: Let her go and just forget about her. Realizing he really didn't have much of a choice, he unleashed his tough grasp on the woman. "Get out of my sight," he growled, not even looking at her.

Outside the conference room, Ayaka patiently waited at a table for the outcome of the interview. The doorknob then jiggled rapidly. She couldn't see what was going on because there was no plexiglass inserted into the wall so there could be privacy in the room. But she did hear a lot of clattering. Ayaka was just about to get up from her seat to settle the ruckus before the door burst open. It was the same woman she had brought in to be interviewed by her clients.

"What is going on?!" Ayaka tried to help the woman up from the floor, only to have her hand slapped away. The surrogate looked directly into the young woman's eyes in fear. She was still trembling because her suddenly pale skin gave it away. "You lied to me... You didn't tell me I would be surrogating for a same sex couple. I can't do this. I'm done," the woman hoarsely whispered.

After getting off of the floor, she staggered to the doorway before glaring back at the consultant in pure hatred.

-Flashback over-

Later, Ayaka had gotten word that the surrogate had arrived into the building, so she guided herself, Yuma, and Shark into a private conference room. After getting settled and comfortable, the woman stepped out of the room to give the couple some time to themselves.

Once it was just the men alone, Yuma immediately squeezed Shark's hands against his own. Shark's hands emitted a warmth which Yuma found comforting, due to the fact that he was not letting go of them. Having been together with Yuma for so long, Shark knew whenever his partner held his hand like that, it came to him that something was wrong with Yuma. When he and Yuma started dating in middle school, Yuma used to do the hand thing all the time. Shark didn't like being touched ((A/N: No, not in an inappropriate fashion)) that much then. As their relationship progressed, he began to shrug off Yuma touching his hand.

"Yuma, are you nervous about this woman?" Shark broke the silence, his fingers brushing over Yuma's clingy hand.

It was no use lying to Shark. "Yeah... You could say that. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable about this interview. What if she'll be another woman who rejects is like the others? I'm starting to wonder if we're making the right into finding a surrogate, because we haven't found a single one who wants to be a surrogate for us."

"Come on, don't you start saying that kind of crap around me. Where's the Yuma I know who keeps trying to move on with Kattobingu? Look at me," Shark beckoned, pulling Yuma's hands closer to his. He almost got lost gazing into Yuma's ruby red eyes. The way his red eyes conveyed emotion got to him despite everyone believing he had a cold heart. Not anymore. Just being near Yuma warmed him up. "I don't know if today will be the day for us, but I do know is that we have another chance at finding a surrogate. It's not like for you to feel like giving up!"

Yuma was still a bit unsure about the day's events. His mind refused to shake off the uneasy feeling. While Shark's words tried to process into his head, he still wasn't so positive about the interview, considering some candidates from the past. "You know, my dad once told me, 'If you believe something is impossible, then it will impossible...'* You're right, Shark. We can't just give up on our search! I just know that we'll find someone and... We can finally become parents."

*((A/N: Try to guess this quote reference! The winner gets a cookie! The answer will be revealed next chapter.))

Suddenly, the door opened. Ayaka peered her head through the doorway. "Am I bothering you two?" she asked with respect, wanting to respect her clients' privacy.

"Oh umm... No, no. It's fine. Is something up?" said Yuma.

"Actually yes, the potential surrogate is outside the room. I'll let you two get settled and bring her in. I'll be with you this time, so you don't have to worry about anything!"

It didn't take long for the whole interview to start. Ayaka brought in a young woman in her mid-30's, a bit taller than her, and with features that screamed 'gorgeous'. To Yuma and Shark, she appeared to be friendly because she didn't flinch at the sight of them. At the table, on one side, the woman smiled enthusiastically at the men.

"Hello! Are you two the ones I'm meeting with? I'm Renee, it's good to meet you," introduced the young woman. She extended her hand hoping for the men to accept her. Yuma and Shark complied by shaking hands back. They seemed a bit suspicious because none of the other surrogates ever made physical contact with them. None the less, they shrugged it off.

Outside, Ayaka maintained a positive attitude (she had stepped out to give them privacy). Everything seemed to go according to plan. I think this could be the one who will finally help Yuma and Ryoga become parents. I've really come a long way with these two. I feel proud to be working with them.

Back to the interview, Yuma and Shark asked simple questions to Renee, like her background and what not. Ayaka continued to monitor the process outside in case of a breakdown. The question and answer exchange went on for a while, until it was the woman's turn to do the asking.

"So," began the woman, "have your wives unable to get pregnant? I can't help but feel sorry for them. It breaks my heart to see a couple not be able to have a child of their own. You could say I've chosen to be a surrogate because I want to help them raise their own family."

Yuma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about? We don't have wives."

"You're both single?"

"No... Shark and I are married, to each other," he said slowly, trying to get his and Shark's sexual preference across this woman. To prove his point, he even flashed his and Shark's matching wedding rings. Shark felt his hand suddenly pulled at. "Hey!" he shouted, not too loudly.

Yuma showed the woman his and Shark's rings. They shimmered underneath the room' slighting, it nearly blinded her just looking at it.

"Wait... YOU'RE NOT STRAIGHT?! YOU'RE GAY!" she screeched in realization.

Ayaka felt her hopes lower. Oh no...

Yuma seriously felt scared about the woman. He quickly grabbed Shark's hand for comfort and squeezed it tightly. His mood went from happy and dropped down to fear in mere seconds. His eyes started welling tears because this woman was being vulgar towards him and Shark. "Yeah? So what if we're gay? It's not like you would understand how much we love each other! Just because we're in a relationship doesn't mean you can't possibly know what our feelings are like! You can't just go around and treat us like tramps!" he shouted.

"Please," she scoffed. She crossed her arms in a disapproving way. "All gays like you ever do is poison children's minds that its okay to form a relationship with the same gender. It's not okay for them to start off their life by playing pretend as a same sex couple! It's not right! You are a disgrace to society!" She pointed her finger at Yuma and Shark menicingly. "Sometimes I wonder why this city even allowed gay marriage. It's such an unpure thought. Marriage should be between a man and a woman. Not with two men, women, bisexuals, or transgenders. Looking at you disgusts me. I almost let myself be a surrogate to a couple of disgusting people. It's better this way if gays didn't exist."

Listening to this insane woman ramble on and on was getting to Shark's nerves. Every word she said to him and Yuma boiled his blood. His rage was taking over, like when Shark Drake once possessed his body. "That's all you have to say to us? Let me tell you something. You. Are. Seriously. F**ked up in the head," Shark snarled, pushing his finger onto the woman's skin after every word he said.

"I'm the one who's messed up in the head? Hmph, typical for someone like you to say to a me. You should really think twice before you spit out insults."

In swift motion, the woman abruptly snagged Yuma by his shirt collar. She lifted him with ease and slammed him against the sturdy wall.

On the other side, Ayaka didn't hesitate to pull out her D-Gazer. She was very appalled that someone would get physically violent towards a client. She punched in a few numbers and a face popped up on the screen.

"Yes, Ms. Han? What's the problem?" said a man.

"You need to get you and the rest of security up here now! The woman I brought in is getting violent to one of my clients! Hurry, please! I don't think he can last in there!"

"Copy that. We'll be there pronto."

Ow..." moaned Yuma. His vision was hazy after his head hit the wall, so he couldn't see that well. All he could make out in his state were two shapes. A shorter person (the woman) had apparently pushed the taller one (Shark) over a chair and fell unconscious due to the person's head hitting the floor hard. Yuma couldn't tell which was which. He sensed one of them coming towards him. When the shape came close, he came to realization that this was not Shark. His eyes widened in fear as the woman got close to him. He tried to back away but she stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet!" She kicked Yuma's body like a sandbag, utilizing pressure in every attack. Yuma tried to withstand the attacks, but it was no use. Every time the woman hit him, the pressure increased. Yuma couldn't handle it any longer. He didn't care if he would be teased, his eyes started to drop tears.

"Stop it!" he cried, still trying to protect himself from the attacks. She ignored Yuma's pleas and the attacks kept on coming. "Stop being such a whiner. Just hearing you cry makes me sick. When I'm through with you, your disgusting boyfriend is next."

"What did you say?!"

The woman didn't see it coming to her at all. A rough pair of hands grasped her by the neck (not too tight, it wouldn't kill her). She breathed out as she tried to pry the hands off of her. She opened her eyes to see an infuriated Shark. The shark Duelist restrained the woman from moving any of her limbs, pushing her against the wall. Shark took one look at a battered Yuma, then back to the woman. He leaned in face-to-face, and he whispered harshly, "You touch Yuma like that ever again, I'll break your neck."

Before the woman could try to come back with a remark, the door burst open unexpectedly. A swarm of security officers filled the room in mere seconds. The guards separated a belligerent Shark from the hasty surrogate, only for her to resist.

The woman crossed her arms. "What are you doing?! Get your hands off of me! Those pitiful excuses for gays hit me first! I demand you let me go!"

The guards ignored her pointless rambling and hoisted her away before they could hand her to the police. When they emerged from the room, the woman glared intensely at Ayaka, who was crossing her arms in dissapointment.

"You're making a big mistake! You're letting those homos go free and I'm the bad guy?!"

Ayaka didn't even look at her. She turned to the lead uniformed guard. "Take Ms. Renee down to the police station. I don't want her entering the premises anymore. She is banned from this clinic and other surrogacy clinics around the country."

"You heard the lady. Get this one over to the police," ordered the lead guard.

After security left with the violent surrogate, Ayaka didn't hesitate to dash into the conference room to check on her clients. That was her main concern. When she entered, she was devastated by how serious they were inflicted. The room was trashed, had holes in the walls (from Yuma being thrown into it), and furniture was all over the place. She couldn't get the memory of a broken Yuma curled into a ball in Shark's arms out of her head. That was one thing she would never forget.

Shark held Yuma in his arms, not letting go of him. Yuma sobbed endlessly from the abuse he had to suffer from. "Shark... It hurts..." he said hoarsely.

"I know..." Shark soothed (which was a rare trait of him). "She's gone. I'm not going to let her come after you."

"Don't leave me... I don't want to be alone!"

"I'm not going anywhere Yuma."

Ayaka slowly approached the couple. She knelt down and bowed in respect. "I am very sorry. I had no idea that she would act like this, I swear. This is my fault I let her in..." she apologized.

Shark couldn't blame the consultant. So he spoke for himself and Yuma. "You don't need to feel sorry for yourself and us. You didn't know she was like that. Could... You just let us be for a while?"

She silently nodded and without a word, she got up and left. The room was left empty with just Yuma and Shark. It was only them and no one else. No one could come in, or separate them. The only thing that broke the silence was Yuma's tears of agony. He didn't know, but Shark was silently weeping as well. What had they done to be treated like this?

-Present Time-

Rio was too appalled to say anything. She looked at her brothers with her eyes brimming with tears. Listening to their story broke her heart in many places, particularly where it hurt ((A/N: Not literally, like if she had a heart disease.)) She understood the situation (not like she could, as if she was in the same idea as them) based on stories they had told her from the past. Rio was one of the first people Yuma and Shark came out to. She didn't say anything negative to them and had since then supported their relationship from the get-go. She carefully spoke using the right words to avoid setting her brothers off.

"Did that person seriously hurt you, Yuma?"

Yuma silently nodded and lifted up his night shirt. All over his skin were bruises of different colors and sizes. Most of the injuries were disappearing, yet they still lingered on his delicate skin. Rio nearly gasped at the sight of Yuma's bruises. She had no idea that their search for a surrogate became this intense to the point where violence became involved.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this? You didn't tell me about this interview before you told everyone you were wanting to start a family," said Rio.

"We didn't tell anyone because we don't want any sympathy. Neither one of our friends would understand what kind of situation we're in! Let's face it. They're straight, we're not," sighed Shark.

Yuma pulled down his shirt. "We're not giving up searching for someone to be our surrogate," he said in a serious tone. "Can you promise us not tell anyone about this? I don't want everyone to worry about us. We're already under too much stress."

While Rio felt like she had to tell someone, she wasn't up for breaking promises. You could say she was in a little dilemma whether to tell or not. She really didn't want to risk having then find out she spilled the beans, so she made her mind. "I won't say a word to anybody. You can trust me," she swore. "Don't give in and throw the towel. I know you'll find someone to be a surrogate. It's never too late for you start a family."

Shark sat himself next to Rio. He slowly snaked his arm around her sides, pulling her close to him. "Thanks for being here."

"Hey, what are siblings for? Don't forget I'm not leaving you."


Later that evening, after Yuma and Shark retired to bed, Rio was still awake. She had carefully sneaked out of the house and was now out in the backyard so she wouldn't draw any attention. Once Rio checked her surroundings to make sure Yuma or Shark weren't around, she made a call on her D-Gazer. She waited for her caller to pick up, and with success, someone answered.

"Rio? What's going on?" answered a female voice.

"I need you to do something for me. Before I say anything, you can't tell anybody, especially Ryoga! Do you get what I'm saying?

"I don't know if I can do what you want me to do... But there's no guarantee it'll work. I can't just mess around with the system and just place you in it. Chances are my superiors will find out and I'll have to take the fall."

"I don't care! Just do what you have to do! Please, this is really important!" pleaded Rio. "I'm doing this for Ryoga. Nobody else. Can't you see that?"

The woman sigh on the other end. She put her hand to the side of her head in exhaustion. "I'll try and see what I can do. If anything comes up, I'll tell you. Just try to keep this between us until I say it's okay to talk about it."

"Thank you. I truly mean it," said Rio gratefully.

"Like you, I'm doing this for your brother. Don't get your hopes up if you're not accepted. I have to go to work in the morning, so can we talk about this later?"

"Yes, it's fine with me. I'll be leaving my brother's house in a while."

"Alright, goodbye Rio."

Her caller hung up, leaving Rio's D-Gazer to shut down its phone function and shifted back to its regular programming. Rio slid her D-Gazer back into her pocket, checking her surroundings again for any eavesdroppers. When she realized it was just her in the back, she gazed deep into the sky at the peak of dawn. A smile spread on her face as she observed the starry sky began to turn a light shade of a red-pink mixture. She couldn't wait for the events up ahead.


Finally done! I'm not kidding, this chapter literally took a couple weeks to write! I had to do this and that just to get this one chapter perfect! Another thing, I've decided to extend the story's poll closing date to the end of the month. So, if you haven't voted, now's your chance! I'll see you all later!