A/N: Once again names are given in the order of last name, first name if the person is Japanese. Lyrics are from the song "Autumn Lullaby".

Chapter 10: The Truth II: Megan's Story

Ryo and Yugi looked at each other, debating whether to listen to Megan's advice or not. Yugi shrugged as if to say why not? He plopped down on the floor with his legs crossed under him. Ryo took a seat on the arm of the sofa next to Megan and held her hand. Megan felt her heart was racing, and she wasn't entirely sure it was due to nerves when she snuck a glance at Ryo and he smiled encouragingly at her and rubbed her hand with his thumb in support. She took a deep breath and launched into her story.

She had been abandoned as soon as she was born. The hospital had made sure she was sent to an orphanage where she could get care. She tried a few different foster families, but it was clear it wasn't working out. She didn't want to settle for anything temporary; she wanted a real family. She suspected that deep down what she really wanted was for her real family to come take her back. But the only clue she had was her name. And once she turned six, the orphanage decided to change her name from Keiko to Megan. She had always resented it. It wasn't the name itself she minded, but rather the sense that they had taken away a part of her and the connection she had to her unknown family.

It wasn't soon after they changed her name that she found a new family. Mr. Yoshida and his wife had seemed nice enough at first. They couldn't have kids, and they wanted to try having a foster kid before they decided they were ready to adopt. They had given her a nice, little room of her own and made her laugh. They had given Megan her first present and toy. A small stuffed bear she hadn't had the heart to keep once she got to know the Yoshidas better. On the surface, Yoshida Ichiro was a normal bank manager. But two weeks after Megan started living with the Yoshidas, she learned the dark truth.

Mr. Yoshida ran a secret ring of prostitution for pedophiles. He had intended to make Megan a part of it. She had come down to dinner one night and Mr. Yoshida had been sitting at the dining room table with another almost middle-aged man who looked like he could work in a bank. He had the same stuffy style and haircut that had made Megan wrinkle her nose when she was younger.

"Megan, this is a friend of mine. I was just telling him all about you," Mr. Yoshida had said, pulling the child onto his lap. Megan looked at the man and pouted.

"He's one of your boring bank friends isn't he," she had said with a sniff of disapproval. The men had taken this well and had laughed it off.

"You didn't lie then, she's a funny and pretty little munchkin," the other man had said, eyeing her with interest that made even a six year old feel uncomfortable.

"She has the softest skin, and she still has some baby fat, too," her foster father had said, holding out her arm to show the man. She had squirmed when the man had squeezed her arm curiously.

"I think you're right, Ichiro. She seems a perfect fit," the man said eagerly. Megan had looked in confusion at her foster father, having no idea what the man meant.

"Alright, then, I'll happily oblige, my friend. Megan, let's go play in the basement," Yoshida said suggestively.

"The basement? But Mr. Yoshida," Megan had protested, "you and Mrs. Yoshida said I'm not allowed to play down there."

"It'll be our little secret," Yoshida promised. Still to this day, Megan had nightmares about that one phrase. It'll be our little secret was a phrase she would never say, even to the social workers, doctors, and police. But the six year old had trusted her foster father, believed that if he said it was ok, that it wouldn't hurt her. How very wrong she'd been.

Megan had walked with the two men to the top of the stairs of the basement. She stopped at the doorway and looked down. The six year old suddenly realized why she wasn't allowed to play down there. It was very dark and scary-looking. She was convinced there were monsters down there.

"Megan come on, there's a new toy for you down there," Mr. Yoshida said when he noticed her hesitation and his friend had laughed loudly. Megan shook her head. No way, I'm not going down there, she thought defiantly. Her foster father had frowned and adopted a firm tone. "Megan, you're being very naughty. You don't want us to have to force you."

"No," Megan had said firmly and crossed her arms defiantly.

"I think it'd be easier if we used our little helper," the other man had said casually. Megan had been confused, but Yoshida had nodded.

"I had hoped we wouldn't have to, but she's more troublesome than I expected. Here, grab her arm," Yoshida ordered. The other man nodded and grabbed her arm.

"Let go," Megan yelled, trying to pull her arm away. The man picked her up with the other arm and pinned her against his chest.

"Quick, she's gonna start kicking soon," the man said with a little strain in his voice from the effort of restraining the squirming six year old.

"NO," Megan had yelled as they began walking into the dark basement and then began screaming at the top of her lungs the way young children specialize in until she felt a prick on her arm. Suddenly, she wasn't afraid and an odd sense of contentment had washed through her. Then they continued down into the basement where she learned about the real life monsters that did their worst in the basement.

"Oh my God," Yugi breathed and Megan was shaken out of her flashback. "What did they do down there?"

"They did what sick men do to drugged, innocent children when they think no one will find out," she said softly with enough venom to rival the deadliest poisonous animal.

"You were only six," Ryo asked and Megan nodded. "But you said the knife scars played a part in this as well."

"Well, it turned out that sick jerk told others about how great that night in the basement was. Then, every night for the next month or so, a group of about five or so other men each had a turn in the basement. Each time, I got new cuts as a reminder of what happened and that I shouldn't tell. They started by the elbow where they were easy to hid or explain away and they kept them shallow. But as time went on, they got more paranoid and scared. But it was that last night that was the end of my time with the Yoshidas," Megan explained and went back to her narrative.

The Yoshida and his latest partner stood panting. They had just finished what the man was paying Yoshida for. Megan was still lost in the odd euphoria from what had been in the shot.

"Alright, you sure the brat won't squeal," the stranger panted.

"I have my way of ensuring silence," the man promised and showed the man the small girl's injured arms.

"Now to make sure the message remains for today's activites," Yoshida said, holding up the simple kitchen knife he had been using to cut up his foster child and pressing it to the soft skin of the girl's arm again. Megan felt something cut into her, but since there wasn't any pain, she wasn't scared, in fact, she felt almost giddy.

"Whoa, is that supposed to happen," the stranger asked nervously as he pulled on his clothes and watched Yoshida make the cuts.

"S***, get me something to stop the bleeding," Yoshida said, obviously panicked. Megan was acutely aware of the warm liquid spilling out of her arm and over everywhere else.

"What the f*** did you do?"

"Shut the f*** up! I can't think," Yoshida yelled back, pushing something roughly against where he had cut. The warm liquid didn't show any signs of stopping and the other man ran for it. "S***, I must've cut too deep. I better get the kid to the hospital," he said, pulling his clothes on and picking the drugged child up and rushing her to the hospital.

The next thing Megan remembered clearly was lying on a hospital bed in an extremely dark hospital room with the sounds of the beeping machines and the angry murmur of voices outside. The door was cracked open, and the voices filtered in easily.

"What happened to her? Ichiro, you were supposed to be watching her," Mrs. Yoshida hissed at her husband.

"I told you, I don't know! I turn around for one second, and the next thing I know, the crazy kid's bleeding like crazy. She must've fallen down and cut herself on something sharp," the man said, trying to play it cool, but he was obviously ruffled.

"Those aren't ordinary cuts, Ichiro! Weren't you listening? They think they're knife cuts. Someone's been cutting our baby up! And some of those cuts are already healing, which means they didn't happen at the same time. And what about the blood test for drugs," Mrs. Yoshida pressed in distress. She may have just been a housewife, but she was no fool.

"Look, Megumi, this isn't our business," Mr. Yoshida said, trying to hush his wife up.

"Ichiro, the police are going to get involved tomorrow, and there's already that social worker. They want to take her away from us, I know it," she sobbed.

"Then we should let them handle it. I'm sure nothing's going to happen," the man lied easily. Megan caught a glimpse of Mrs. Yoshida hugging her husband when the door opened and two females walked in. One was in a nurse's outfit with a smile and the other was in a professional suit with pumps and had a serious expression and a clipboard.

"I see you're awake. How are you feeling," the nurse said kindly looking at Megan's chart that had been hung by her bed.

"Sad," Megan said, unable to express the sudden depression she was feeling that had followed every encounter in the basement. "And kind of like I was spinning too much," she said in response to her light head-ness. The nurse and the other woman exchanged a look and noncommittal humming noise before making a note on their respective papers.

"Do you remember who I am, Megan," the nurse asked kindly and Megan shook her head. "I was the one who changed put on your bandages when you came in," she explained patiently. A memory had floated back into Megan's six year-old brain. People panicking, scared about all of the red liquid that was coming from her arms, yelling at each other with words Megan either didn't understand or didn't catch. Then the kind nurse had appeared at her side, hurriedly cleaning the blood off and wrapping cotton and gauze over her arms gently. The hospital had begun to frighten Megan since that time. But at the time, she hadn't been old enough to understand why. But, her subconscious still retained the near-death experience. Once Megan had been old enough to realize what exactly had happened, it became a part of her nightmare sequence.

"I remember you now, you were the nice lady who made that red stuff stop," the six year-old had said in an exhausted voice.

"That's right," the nurse smiled. "I'm Nurse Airi, and this nice lady here is Satomi-san. She's here to ask you some questions. It's also time to change your bandages," she explained and began pulling a pair of gloves on and gathering ointment, cotton, and gauze. She began removing the dirty bandages and even then Megan had been shocked by how red they were. The social worker moved closer and looked at Megan's arms. They were severely wounded, especially at the wrists. She made some notes.

"Very unfortunate," she had muttered with a tight, slightly pained expression while the nurse had began rubbing the ointment into Megan's wounds. Megan had begun screaming when the burning sensation of the ointment going into the open wounds began. Her foster parents had tried to rush into the room, but the lady in the suit had gone to the door.

"I apologize, but until the matter is resolved, I think it's best for all involved if you didn't come into this room," she said authoritatively.

"MRS. YOSHIDA! MRS. YOSHIDA, PLEASE HELP! MAKE THEM STOP! IT HURTS," the frightened and pained child yelled.

"Oh please, please, she needs me," Mrs. Yoshida begged.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but every other social worker would agree with my decision to keep you out," the lady in the suit said as the nurse tried to calm the screaming child.

"MOMMY! MOMMY, MAKE IT STOP," Megan yelled, fighting the kind nurse with very little strength for a six year old. The drugs and blood loss had made her weak.

"Baby, it's ok, it's ok," Mrs. Yoshida had sobbed through the door before the social worker closed it. The burning eased a little and Megan had settled for trying to cry the pain away and the social worker observed the nurse bandage Megan's arm with clean gauze and cotton.

"I'm sorry, Megan, but I had to put the ointment on so you don't get sick," the nurse said kindly enough but Megan continued to sniffle.

"May I see that chart," Satomi asked Airi, who nodded and handed the chart over once she disposed of the bloodied gloves and old bandages. "She has the strangest luck I've ever seen," the social worker exclaimed in amusement.

"How do you mean," the nurse asked, washing her hands at the small sink bear the bed.

"Well, she was unlucky enough to have this happen to her. Looks like it even could have killed her! But look here, says they just missed her artery," Satomi explained pointing to the chart she was holding.

"Oh my God, that's unbelievable!"

"No, that, my friend," the social worker said smiling at Airi then Megan in turn, "is what we call a miracle."

"Looks like God saw her out of the corner of His eye. Hopefully this will scare the lowlife who did this to her badly enough to stop him," Airi whispered.

"I doubt it," Satomi said, looking at the chart again. "This kind of abuse isn't the kind that a person will stop unless he's locked up in solitary." The nurse shook her head and clicked her tongue sadly.

"Is there anything you'd like, sweetie," the nurse asked Megan.

"I'm thirsty," Megan sniffled.

"Want some apple juice," Airi asked and Megan nodded. Megan saw the nurse make a quick note on the chart before handing it back to the social worker.

"Now, Megan," Satomi said sitting in the chair near the bed, "I'm going to have to ask you some questions. They might be hard to answer, and someone might have told you not to tell anyone what happened, but it's very important that you tell me what really happened. If you tell me the truth, we might be able to stop this person from doing this to someone else."

"But Mr. Yoshida said I'd get in trouble if I told anyone," Megan said.

"I know, but I promise you won't. We won't let anything bad happen to you again. We'd find you a new home with good people," the social worker said kindly.

Megan bit her lip in nervousness, not knowing she'd just begun a life-long habit. She looked in the socials worker's eyes and began telling her what the monsters of the basement had done to her. The social worker never showed it, but Megan could tell she got more upset as the story progressed. She asked Megan for names, but Megan didn't know any to tell besides her foster father's. When the interview ended, the social worker stood up with a grim expression.

"Don't worry, Megan. We'll make sure to find the people responsible and make sure they get the right punishment. Do you know what a punishment is," the social worker said.

"You mean, like a time out and no desserts?"

"It'd be a bit different, but that's the right idea. Now, you go get some sleep and in the morning we'll get you a new home with nice people," Satomi promised and left. Airi returned with the apple juice and a smile.

"That better," she said when Megan had finished the small cup. Megan nodded, but then they both jumped when they heard yelling from outside the door.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M A SUSPECT? I NEVER LAID A HAND ON THAT LYING BRAT! LET GO OF ME," Mr. Yoshida's voice protested loudly.

"YOU LIAR, HOW COULD YOU? THAT WAS OUR BABY! YOU FILTHY B******! SHE'S ONLY SIX YEARS OLD," Mrs. Yoshida's voice yelled, an octave higher than usual in distress.

"Folks, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down," Satomi's voice said, softer than the other's but still loud enough to hear.

"Oh, dear, they're going to wake up the whole floor! Try to get some sleep, sweetie," the nurse said before rushing out to the hall. Megan frowned. Her arms hurt and the I.V. in her hand was bothering her, but she was tired. It was very late given how dark the room was, and her six year-old body could only handle so much, especially without the stress she had gotten that day.

The next morning, Megan had woken up feeling only slightly better than before. The depression that came with the drug hadn't gone away. On the bright side, her arms didn't hurt as much.

"You said you got the blood test back already," she heard Satomi ask faintly in the hall.

"Yes, we found traces of opium," an unfamiliar male voice said.

"Tsk, she's not the first, but she is the youngest," Satomi said.

"Such a shame; she doesn't even really remember how long it's been since they started. It seems like it's been about a month," Airi chimed in.

"She's going to need therapy and maybe antidepressants. There'll be dysphoria since opium causes the brain to cease producing its own endorphins. There also might be three to five days of withdrawal symptoms. Of course, this is the worst case scenario, but based on the amount of opium we found in her system, I'd say it's likely that her body got dependant on the opium. I'd like to keep her under observation today until we can determine how the opium's affected her," the male voice said again.

"Alright, I'll be back either later this afternoon or evening with a prospective new foster," Satomi said with a sigh.

"You found one already," Airi asked.

"He's been on the list for almost a decade, a nice old man who misses his grown child, daughter-in-law, and grandson. He owns an antique game shop in Domino. He's an old friend of mine. He had called this morning and I mentioned the girl. I thought he might be interested, and I trust him. He's a very good man," Satomi said and Megan picked up the sound on pens scratching on paper.

"If you can make it back around, say, three, everything should be fine. The transfusion went well and if she needs any medicine, she should have adjusted by then," the male voice said.

"Alright, I'll do my best to get here at three. See you later," Satomi said and the sound of heels clicking on tiles filled the hall.

"Airi, go check on the patient and see how she's doing. It should be just about time to change her bandages. I'll be in there in two minutes," the male voice said.

"Alright, sensei," Airi said and the door opened. When she saw Megan was awake, she smiled kindly. "Good morning."

"Where are Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida," she asked.

"Megan, you're not going to see them again," the nurse said kindly.

"Why?"

"We don't want you to get hurt again," the nurse explained.

"Oh, but Mrs. Yoshida was a nice lady," Megan protested.

"Well, from what I heard, you're going to meet an even nicer gentleman this afternoon," Airi said, trying to divert the six year-old girl's attention.

"Is he going to be my new foster parent?"

"He might be," the nurse said. Airi used the distraction to begin changing the old bandages. Megan had tried not to scream when the anti-bacterial ointment burned in the cuts, and she almost succeeded. When the ointment was rubbed over her forearm, she clenched her mouth shut and whimpered. It wasn't until the ointment was rubbed over her wrist that she screamed. After a minute, the burning wasn't as bad and she stopped screaming.

"Sounds like someone doesn't like anti-bacterial ointment," the male voice from the hallway laughed. Megan looked at the doctor. He was tall, fairly young, with a stuffy sense of style like Mr. Yoshida, and he looked like he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Megan shook her head. Whatever that stuff was that they had rubbed on her arms; she didn't like it.

"Megan, this is the doctor, Tanaka-sensei," Airi said as she gathered up the new cotton. The doctor moved closer and looked at Megan's arms and made a few notes.

"How are you feeling today, Megan," he asked. Megan scrunched up her nose.

"A little sad and my tummy feels weird," she admitted.

"How about your nose, has it been running at all," he asked and Megan shook her head while he looked at her eyes. "Does anything hurt?"

"Just my arms," Megan said and Dr. Tanaka nodded at Airi. They bandaged Megan's arms tightly.

"Good, good," he muttered and made some more notes on the chart. "Let's start her on this and see how she does from there," he said to Airi. Airi nodded and left the room, returning a little later with a bag of clear liquid.

"This should make you feel better," she said with a smile once the new I.V. bag was attached.

"Get better quick," Dr. Tanaka said, ruffling Megan's hair which earned him a scowl and another nose scrunch. The doctor chuckled and left, followed by Airi.

The day at the hospital was boring for the next few hours. Megan was stuck lying in a hospital bed with no form of entertainment other than the occasional quick check-in from Airi for seven hours. She had a one-hour catnap around one in the afternoon, which helped a little. What made the day significant was who she met at three o'clock that afternoon.

Megan was looking around the room for the umpteenth time, trying to find something to play with. Each time she looked around, the room seemed even smaller. The door opened and Dr. Tanaka and the social worker walked into the room.

"How are you feeling now, Megan," Dr. Tanaka asked.

"Better, I'm not sad anymore, but my tummy still feels a little weird," she said.

"The same weird as before," he asked and Megan nodded. "Is it more or less uncomfortable?"

"A little less," she said, wishing they could talk about something else. She scrunched her nose as Dr. Tanaka leaned in closer and looked in her eyes again then nodded.

"Good, looks like it wasn't as bad as we feared," he said writing on the chart again which made Megan wonder just what the chart said and why it was so important to everyone.

"Megan, do you remember me," Satomi asked.

"Yes, you're the lady who told me to tell you about what happened with the Yoshidas," Megan said.

"That's right," she said with a smile.

"Where's Mrs. Yoshida? I haven't seen her in a long time," Megan asked.

"Megan, you won't be living with the Yoshidas anymore. They weren't a good family for you. Do you understand," the social worker said patiently. Megan frowned and nodded. She didn't want to be around Mr. Yoshida or his creepy friends anymore, but she had like his wife.

"Will I get out of here soon," Megan asked the adults.

"You should be released tomorrow or the day after that. It depends on how fast you can get better," Dr. Tanaka said.

"Well, Megan, if you're up to it, I have some I'd like you to meet," Satomi said with a rare smile.

"Who is it," Megan asked curiously. She hoped whoever it was would more interesting than the grown-ups she'd talked to for the past two days. She wanted someone to play with, or at least take her mind off of the creepy hospital room.

"It's an old friend of mine. He lives in Domino and he might be your new foster father," the social worker said brightly. She gestured in the door's direction of the door. An old man had walked in. Megan had never seen a stranger looking man in her life. He had spiky grey hair that stuck out in every direction from under a yellow cap, complete with a fringe. He wore green over-alls over a plain off-white button-up shirt. He had a grey moustache and beard and kind violet eyes, much darker than Megan's light amethyst eyes. He was also fairly short. Everything about his appearance gave him a highly eccentric air.

"Hey there, kid," he said with a big smile.

"Hi," Megan said, not sure how to react to this man.

"I'm Moto Solomon. What's your name," Mr. Moto asked, kneeling so they could be at the same eye level.

"Himura Megan," Megan had said.

"It's nice to meet you, Megan. How old are you," Mr. Moto asked.

"I'm six," she said with a frown.

"What's wrong? You're not very talkative today," Satomi commented.

"I don't like him," Megan said with a pout.

"Why don't you like me, Megan," Mr. Moto asked kindly, not seeming to take offense.

"You're old and you're weird. Weird, old guys are creepy," Megan complained. The room had burst into laughter. Mr. Moto had shaken his head, but Megan noticed there was a small twinkle of good humor in his eyes.

Back in the present day Mr. Moto laughed again, "You were so funny. The delivery was perfect; you made it sound like what you said was the most obvious thing on the planet."

"I was six! I had just met a really eccentric old man after living with stuffy people for years," Megan said defensively.

"You didn't like Grandpa right away," Yugi asked in confusion.

"Not at all, he was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. I'd never met anyone like him before, so he freaked me out a little. And God knows what that doctor had put me on," Megan said shaking her head and they boys chuckled.

"But you still wound up living with him," Ryo asked. Megan and Mr. Moto exchanged a glance and small smile.

"Ah, now that," Megan said, "is a good story."

Mr. Moto had left soon after, but had promised to return the following morning. And true to his word, Mr. Moto had appeared in Megan's room mid-morning the next day. What Megan hadn't expected was for the old man to return with games. Mr. Moto had brought all kinds of games; board games, card games, even a set of Dominos.

"What're those," Megan had asked wide-eyed when the old man had first walked in the door.

"These are all sorts of games I collect and sell in my shop, Megan," Mr. Moto explained. She looked through all the games in awe. She had never seen so many before. Mr. Moto pointed out each game, its name, and how it was played.

"Tell you what, Megan; I'll play you in any game you want. If I win, you give me a chance and try staying at my house for a week. If I lose, I'll leave you alone," the old man said after they played a few games. Megan had looked at the man. He really was weird.

"Ok, let's play checkers," Megan said. It was one of the few games she had played a lot before and she played it pretty well.

"So Grandpa beat a six year old at checkers, and that how you came to live with him," Yugi asked sounding like he was scolding his grandfather.

"It wasn't as easy as that! Megan very nearly beat me," Mr. Moto protested. "We were tied at the end, each with only one piece left. But, I was able to turn my piece into a King and therefore won."

"We're so proud, Grandpa," Yugi said sarcastically and the old man retaliated by messing up Yugi's hair.

"So I started living with Uncle Solomon after another two days at the hospital to get over the opium withdrawal," Megan said, and her hand twitched in Ryo's hand.

"What was that twitch," Ryo asked, his eye narrowed.

"Sorry, it's a habit. I'm still technically an opium addict. Going to that apartment, watching my mom smoke it like that in front of me like that, and talking about how I started opium is making the craving really bad. I'm surprised the jitters didn't start earlier," Megan said with a sigh as her hand twitched a little more violently. Ryo squeezed her hand in support and Megan squeezed back.

"Meg, are you going to need some help with that? You remember what happened last time," Mr. Moto said in a soft voice.

"I'll be fine, Uncle Solomon; I've handled it before. Besides, I haven't had a relapse in two years," she said trying not to focus on her mind's insisting that it needed opium. She rolled her shoulders, willing her mind to focus on anything else.

"So how did Mr. Moto convince you to stay," Ryo asked and Megan was grateful for a safe topic to focus on.

"Well, he was a nice guy, but I still didn't like him that much. On the day that was supposed to be my last day, I got really sick, and was in no condition to leave. Despite the hospital's antibiotics, it was too late. That a** Yoshida hadn't taken care of the knife, and the cuts got infected, which might explain why they healed so badly," Megan said and flashed back to that night.

The last morning of the week Megan had agreed to spend with Mr. Moto had gotten off to a rough start. Megan hadn't slept well the night before, and she had to get up early. She felt odd as soon as she woke up.

"Hey, Megan, you awake yet," Mr. Moto had said after knocking on Megan's door.

"Yeah, Mr. Moto," she had said. She tried standing up, but felt too dizzy, so she sat back down on the bed.

"Still tired, huh," the old man teased and Megan nodded. "Well, since you're sitting down, I'll change your bandages." Megan nodded again. She knew that the old man knew that she had been abused by her last foster parents, but she also knew that he didn't know the whole truth. She watched the old man gently unwrap the gauze, and found a nasty surprise. Instead of blood, pus was leaking out of the wound.

"What's that," the six year-old girl asked, looking at the yellow tinged cuts and pus.

"It looks like those cuts got infected," Mr. Moto said. "How are you feeling," he asked anxiously.

"Well, my tummy hurts, but not in the hungry way," she said. Mr. Moto had then placed a hand on her forehead. His hand was cold, and Megan tried to squirm away.

"Hold still Megan, I think you got a fever," Mr. Moto said in a slightly firmer tone and Megan settled down. The cold hand actually started to feel nice, and Megan closed her eyes.

She spent the rest of the day tossing and turning in bed burning with fever in her head and burning with the infection's pain in her arms. She had cried a lot because of the pain, but nothing seemed to make it go away. Mr. Moto had taken her temperature obsessively and kept placing a damp, cool cloth on her forehead and using it to wipe away the sweat. She remained restless all day, and by that evening Mr. Moto was desperate.

"Meg, please, you need to get some sleep. You're only making yourself sicker by staying awake. You need to sleep so your body can get better," Mr. Moto begged.

"I can't, it hurts," Megan panted. Mr. Moto stroked her hair soothingly. "Make it stop, please," she whimpered as the cool cloth was adjusted.

Mr. Moto sighed. "If you would only sleep," he pleaded and Megan whimpered again. He sighed again and began humming his wife's favorite lullaby.

"That's pretty," she murmured.

"Isn't it? It's called 'Autumn Lullaby.' My wife loved this song," he said before continuing humming. Megan watched the old man wipe her forehead gently while humming the lullaby. It was the first real show of true human kindness she'd seen. Some of her foster parents had been nice enough, and the people she met at the hospital had been nice but she knew none of them would have sat here and taken care of her for hours like Mr. Moto did. Megan had fallen asleep almost immediately afterwards.

"You liked that song," Yugi asked, scrunching his face.

"It's a very pretty song," Megan said defensively.

"You really didn't like that one. The only thing that stopped you from crying was Braham's," Mr. Moto said to Yugi with a chuckle.

"Well," Megan yawned, "that was how I decided to stay here."

"But then you left when Yugi had to move in, right," Ryo asked.

"Well, I when I was eight," Megan said voice cracking a little, "I had realized I wanted a real family, and Uncle Solomon wanted to adopt me. But when Yugi need a place to live, I knew that he needed Uncle Solomon more than I did. I didn't want Yugi to go through the difficulties of foster care and trying to get adopted. I was still young, and it's easier for a girl to get adopted, so I figured I still had a chance at finding a new family. But, Yugi had a real family and only one shot at keeping it, so I told Uncle Solomon to forget about adopting me."

"It was one of the hardest conversations I've ever had to have. I wish every day that there had been some way to keep both of you," Mr. Moto said taking one of Yugi's and Megan's hands.

"It was my decision; it just wasn't meant to be," she said looking both of the Motos in the eye. She in no way blamed them for what had happened.

"I still can't help thinking I could've protected you more," Mr. Moto protested.

"There's nothing anyone could've done. Sure being left alone with minimal supervision in Europe wasn't the best thing that happened to me, but in a way, you did protect me. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost," she whispered as she hugged the man tightly, and they both cried silently. After a minute, they broke apart with a nod.

"So, you said most of the circular scars came later," Ryo said. "How do they come into play?"

"Well," Megan yawned, "it's a long story. What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven at night," Mr. Moto said.

"Eleven? S***, I didn't realize it was that late," Megan groaned.

"Did you miss a dose," Mr. Moto asked.

"Two," Megan admitted and she felt like kicking herself.

"Megan, you should know better by now," Mr. Moto sighed. "Want me to go get you your last dose?"

"You don't have to do that," Megan said standing up. She might have been allowed to grab them herself if she hadn't gotten a flash of vertigo.

"Apparently I do, just lay down," Mr. Moto said with a small chuckle and went up the stairs to Yugi's room. Megan grumbled and sat down on the couch again. Ryo moved from the arm rest to Mr. Moto's vacated spot. He put his arm around Megan and she leaned against him with a sigh after taking out the bobby pins in her hair.

"Care to explain while you put your legs up," Ryo asked. Megan shot the white-haired teen a look. For the second time that day, Ryo's expression was difficult to read. He wasn't smiling like he usually did, but he didn't seem angry or sad either.

"You'll see in a minute," she sighed, rubbing her temple and putting her feet up. A moment later, Mr. Moto came back down the stairs with a glass and something closed in a fist. Megan sat back up and held out her hand.

"Here are the night pills," he said opening the fist and pouring four pills into hand.

"That's a lot of medicine, Megan, what do you need all those for," Yugi asked as she took the glass of water, too.

"I think we've talked enough tonight, Yugi. You should let Megan rest, she's had a long day," Mr. Moto said. Megan gave him a questioning look. Don't you want me to tell them everything, she wondered and Mr. Moto winked before leaving the room. She shrugged and took her medicine.

With a sigh, she leaned back and rested her head on Ryo's shoulder. Some things are better left unsaid, Megan thought as Ryo started playing with her hair. She was surprised to hear Ryo singing softly.

The sun has gone from the shining skies,
Bye, baby, bye.
The dandelions have closed their eyes,
Bye, baby, bye.
The stars are lighting their lamps to see.
The babes and squirrels and birds and bees,
Are sound asleep as they all should be,
Bye, baby, bye.

"You know that song," Megan asked and Yugi smiled at his two friends happily.

"It was my younger twin sister's favorite as a child; she loved all sorts of animals." Ryo said in a soft, sad tone.

"You have a twin sister," Yugi and Megan asked in unison.

"I used to," he said rubbing Megan's arms. "She died in a car accident with my mother when I was young."

"I'm sorry," Megan said and she felt Ryo's chin on her head for a quick moment.

"It was a long time ago," he murmured before resuming sing softly.

The squirrel keeps warm in his furs of gray,
Bye, baby, bye.
'Neath feathers, birdies are tucked away,
Bye, baby, bye.
In yellow jackets, the bees sleep tight
And cuddle close through the chilly night.
My baby's snug in her gown of white,
Bye, baby, bye.

Megan closed her eyes, and felt at peace. It had been a while since she had heard the lullaby, and it was a pleasant memory. It was one of the few she had. She listened to Ryo's soft singing with contentment. He had a pleasant voice and it wasn't long before she was lost in it and drifting to sleep. She snuggled closer, moving her head into the hollow of Ryo's neck. She sighed and fell asleep.

The squirrel nests in a big oak tree,
Bye, baby, bye,
He finds a hole in the trunk, you see,
Bye, baby, bye.
The robin's home is a nest o'erhead.
The bees, they nest in a hive instead.
My baby's nest is her little bed,
Bye, baby, bye.