a/n: Here is where Yami learns what happens to Kitty... and so will you! But I warn you, the flashback is slightly graphic. Although, if you want to understand, you kind of have to read it, so there's really no point in my telling you, huh? Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review at the end!

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Katrina's father was out with the guys on Saturday. She came down and through shaking hands, told her mother she was going to the park with Yugi.

"All right," Eliza said. "Have fun and be careful. And stay with Yugi."

Kitty nodded and started to the door. She would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been so nervous about what she was going to do. Ever since Yami had saved her, Kitty's mother had wanted her to stay with him at all times to keep her safe.

Kitty wore a tan jacket over a white short sleeved shirt with jeans. Her shirt had a low enough neckline to show one of her more recent cuts, therefore she had the jacket closed. She was prepared to show Yami what her father did to her as well as tell him.

She reached the park a while later and sat down on one of the benches and waited. A few minutes later, Yami sat down beside her.

"Hi," she signed without looking at him.

He put his hand in front of her and signed, "Hello." She looked up at him, surprised, then gave him a small smile.

"Were you all right last night?" Yami asked.

Kitty nodded. "Dad was out almost the entire night. Mom told me," she signed.

Yami didn't say anything and she knew he was waiting for her to continue. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing. How could she tell him everything? She had tried so hard to block most of it out.

She decided to start by taking off her jacket. Yami was silent as she pulled it off. She didn't dare look at him as she lay it on the bench beside her.

Her arms were covered with cuts and bruises. She had a long cut across her chest and a number of other bruises on her neck and shoulders. Yami felt anger surge through him as he looked at her. How could someone do this to her? Kitty glanced at him before putting the jacket back on, but not zipping it.

"When did it start?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Katrina gave a laugh. "I can't remember a time when it didn't happen."

"What happens, Katrina?"

Sighing, she began to sign, then stopped. Yami looked at her, confused, then realized her hands were shaking.

"Take your time," he said soothingly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be easier if I just say it."

Yami was surprised at the sound of her voice. It sounded so strange from not being able to hear it, but he could understand her. With every word she said, he felt sorry for her.

"When I come home from school, Mom is home, but he's not. He's always out drinking or something and he comes home around seven. Sometimes it's later, like last night. He's out again today which is why I could come here," she said. There was a slight pause between each of her words and she wasn't able to pronounce them very clearly.

Yami nodded for her to continue and she did.

"Mom is always the first one he sees because I'm always in my room. He hits her and then comes upstairs to me. Most of the cuts and bruises you can't see because they're on my stomach and back.

"The day I went over to Tea's house with you and played charades and Dad came and picked me up... That wasn't supposed to happen. I'm not allowed out by his rules, it's just that he's usually at bars on weekends so Mom lets me go. But he came home and found out. He beat Mom and tied her to a chair, then came for me. He had his knife in his belt and when we got home, he struck me in front of Mom. He cut my leg so badly that I had to get stitches. That's why I was out of school the next day." She paused and looked at Yami. He showed no emotion, but it wasn't without effort.

When he didn't say anything, she continued. "He gave me that scar on my back. The one you saw. I didn't want to lie to you, I really didn't!" she said, giving him a pleading look.

"It's all right. What happened?" Yami asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"He doesn't understand that I can't hear him, so when he calls up the stairs for me and I don't answer, he thinks I'm ignoring him and he gets mad. So, well, I think you can guess the rest. It's sort of funny in a way. You'd think he'd remember I'm deaf; he's the one who caused it," she said, forcing a small smile.

Yami's expression went cold. "What did he do to you?" he asked, tightening his hand on her shoulder slightly.

"I... I... can't..." she said, gritting her teeth. She had tried so hard to block it out; how was she going to tell him?

"Yes, you can. I have to know, Katrina. I want to help you," he said, taking hold of both shoulders and looking directly into her eyes. They were fearful and pained. "What happened?"

Something about him made her able to get the words out. She began and Yami watched her carefully.

FLASHBACK...

Kitty was on the phone in New York with her best friend, Katie. She was laughing uncontrollably with her friend when the front door opened.

Suddenly Katrina's laughter stopped and her eyes grew wide. "Katie, I have to go," she whispered, hanging up the phone as her father walked in.

"What are you doing, Katrina?" Alan asked as Kitty got off the couch quickly.

"I... I was just..." she stammered as he began to advance on her, his fists clenched.

"You were on the phone, weren't you? What have I told you about that, Katrina? What have I said?" Alan grabbed his daughter's hair and she cried out.

"Dad... please!" she exclaimed.

He began to pull her up the stairs and she had to try to keep up so her hair wasn't ripped out of her head. He entered her room and threw her onto the bed. Kitty backed up against the headboard, terrified.

"Dad... no," she tried to say, but it came out as more of a horse whisper.

"If you can't learn to obey the rules, Katrina, then you'll have to be punished. I'll make sure you'll never talk on the phone without permission again," he snarled, getting on the bed and forcing her to lay down.

As he pulled her arms down to her side, she felt a sharp piece of wood in his hand. She cried out as he kneeled on her arms, preventing her from moving. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she saw him transfer something to his other hand, than lean over her.

She screamed as he shoved the wood into her ears deeper and deeper until she felt a searing pain. Suddenly she was aware of her vocal cords working, but she couldn't hear anything. She felt the blood and fluids pouring out over her father's hands and he still kept pushing further in.

Her father's threatening voice would be the last thing she ever heard...

END FLASHBACK...

"I can still feel it!" Kitty screamed, pressing her hands over her ears, feeling the pain once more. "I tried to force it out of my mind but it's still there! I can't get rid of it! It still hurts!"

Yami pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He was furious with her father. How could he do that to his own daughter? He felt Kitty's fingers place themselves lightly on his throat and he knew what she was trying to do. In case he spoke she'd be able to feel the vibrations and know what he was saying. In his arms he felt her tense as she tried to keep in tears. Her breathing was strained and her teeth were clenched.

"It's all right to cry," he said softly.

Kitty felt the low vibrations in his throat and her fingers began to shake slightly. She didn't want to cry, but there was no way she could keep it in after all she had said. She buried her face in his chest as tears poured down her face.

Yami held her even tighter, trying to comfort her as best as he could. He felt a pain in his heart for her as he recalled all she had told him. She didn't deserve this! She never did anything to warrant this kind of pain. He felt the Sennan Eye glow on his forehead as he thought of her father. Yami had to do something to stop this. He couldn't let Katrina continue to be hurt.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, and, for the first time in a number of years, Kitty felt safe. She felt as though Yami would protect her and take care of her. He was the first male who could touch her without her feeling frightened.

When she did pull away, she quickly wiped away her tears. "I... I'm sorry," she said, avoiding his eyes.

He put his hand on her shoulder and she forced herself to look at him. "No, you have no reason to be sorry. It's not your fault. You have done nothing wrong. I will get you out of this, I give you my word. I will help you," he said, his eyes penetrating hers.

"How?" she asked softly.

"I don't know yet. But I will think of something and the minute I do I will let you know. Until then, you have to be strong. You have to be able to withstand whatever comes your way until I figure it out," Yami said, gently rubbing her shoulders.

Kitty nodded and gave him a weak smile which he returned. "Thank you, Yami," she whispered as he pulled her into another hug.

Yami wasn't aware of how long they stayed there, he only knew he wanted to protect her from everything she had ever been through. He wanted to shield her from all the pain and suffering. From all her memories of her father and what he did to her. But he couldn't, and he felt pain because of it.

"Everything will be fine," he whispered.

Kitty had her fingers on his throat and she smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Your voice..." she said, closing her eyes. "I know what it sounds like now. I never thought I'd be able to find out."

After all she had just been through, she was still able to smile. Katrina was stronger than Yami had thought.

"I don't want to go home," she said.

"You don't have to. Not yet," Yami said, sitting her up. She looked at him with brown eyes that no one would ever suspect had seen anything but a normal life. He was impressed with how well she could hide her pain. But he didn't want her to hide it from him any more. He wanted to know what was happening. But he knew she would eventually tell him everything; there was no need to press for more now.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice a beautiful tone. Yami suspected she must have had a nice singing voice when she could hear. Now she would never have that back. And it was all because of her father.

"It's two o' clock. Why don't we get lunch?" he suggested.

Her eyes lit up as she smiled and nodded. "I'd like that," she said. "I didn't have breakfast. To tell you the truth, I was nervous about telling you about Dad." She blushed, but was unable to take her eyes off him or she wouldn't see his reply.

"That's understandable. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but I'm glad you told me," he said.

She smiled at him and he returned it. "I wish I could have just one night where I wasn't worried he'd kill me while I slept."

"You will soon."

"Your people must have loved you when you were pharaoh," she said with a warm smile.

"I don't remember," he replied, though he was immensely flattered.

"You don't remember anything?" she asked.

Yami shook his head. "No. I only know that I was pharaoh."

"Well, even if you don't remember, it's still really cool," she said, zipping her jacket. "Even if it does feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone."

They both laughed and stood.

"So, where are we going for lunch?" Kitty asked. "No place too expensive; I don't have too much money."

"That's all right. I'll pay," Yami offered, and Kitty felt color flood through her face.

"You mean with Yugi's money?" she asked and he chuckled.

"We share it," he replied. "I know a nice coffee shop in town."

"Sounds good," she said with a smile. He returned it and her heart skipped a beat. - Geez, I'm pathetic. -

They walked a few minutes in silence before Kitty spoke. "Does the gang know about my father?"

"No. I didn't tell them and neither did Yugi," he replied.

"Thanks. You're the only one I've ever told this stuff to," she said, unsure of why she was saying this.

Yami said nothing, only giving her a warm smile.

"When I was in New York my best friend didn't even know. The reason we left was because people were beginning to get suspicious. Dad didn't want to get caught, so we moved. It didn't really matter to me; by the time we left I had no friends anymore anyway. They didn't know how to deal with my handicap, so they just avoided me," she said, her feelings she had built up over the years finally coming out. Realizing she was talking too much, she stopped. "Sorry," she said.

"For what?" Yami asked.

"I'm talking too much," she replied, going slightly red.

"No, you're not. You need to talk about this. I understand that," he said.

"If you get bored, just tell me to shut up, okay?" she said, looking at him.

Yami chuckled. "If I get bored."

They turned into a coffee shop and looked over the menu. After a few minutes, Yami asked her what she was getting.

"I don't know," she signed. Now they were in a public place and she didn't want to be speaking there. "What are you getting?"

"A BLT," he replied.

"That sounds good," she signed.

Yami told the man behind the counter their orders.

"And to drink?" the man asked.

"A hot chocolate," Kitty signed.

Yami translated and got himself a cappuccino. Then, they walked over to a window booth and sat down.

"What time will your father get home?" Yami asked.

"In a few hours I think," Kitty signed.

He nodded as a waiter brought their food over. "I'll walk you home at four then, all right?"

Kitty nodded in thanks. "Thank you for doing this for me," she signed, then took a bite of her sandwich.

Yami gave her a warm smile and they ate the rest of their meal in silence.

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Yami and Kitty reached her door and they said good bye.

"Katrina," Yami said, before she entered the house. "Program Yugi's number into your phone on speed dial. That way, if anything happens, you can call us and we'll come over."

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I wish I could call just to talk."

"Is your father going out again tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice sweet, but strange.

"If he is, ask your mother to call me. Maybe we can see a movie with our friends," Yami said.

"I'd like that," Kitty said. "I'll see what I can do."

Yami nodded and smiled before retreating to the driveway to make sure she got into the house all right. He then started home, hoping that the night wouldn't be too rough for her.

Kitty entered and the first thing she saw made her heart practically stop...

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a/n: Okay, that's the beginning of the end, so keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!