Target: Destiny
Chapter Five
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A/N: I've had pretty much every Yuugiou character guessed for Anzu's stalker (including Bakura himself!) I won't rule out any of the guesses except Bakura. It is definitely not him. XD
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In the early morning hours of Ryoko's birthday, Bakura awoke to the shrill sound of a muffled scream. Not fully in the realm of the conscious, he half-heartedly reached out to the side of him. When his hand met only the mattress, he was brought fully awake and bolted up in bed.
He leapt out of the bed and threw himself at the man holding his wife hostage. Anzu was tossed aside momentarily as the two men fell to the floor together. Upon hitting her head on the edge of the bed, the queen slipped to the floor, unconscious.
"You son of a bitch!" Bakura howled as he delivered a mean punch across the intruder's nose. He gripped the man by the throat and hauled him to his feet. He struggled to reach out towards his desk where his gun was kept, but it was too far to reach with the man thrashing in his arms.
He smashed the intruder's head into the hardwood floor, attempting to disorient him enough to reach out for his gun. The plan worked, and Bakura wasted no time in dashing to his drawer to retrieve his weapon. He whirled around, gun poised at the ready and finger on the trigger. However, before he could pull his finger the mere half an inch needed to fire the weapon, he dropped the gun in agony.
His chest must surely have burst into flames. He was so, so hot. He wondered briefly if he had been shot before he slumped to the ground, the darkness having overtaken him.
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Malik was shocked out of slumber as the girl at the side of his bed screamed and tugged on his arm. He quickly sat up in bed, shaking his head to rid it of any remaining sleepiness. He chanced a quick glance at the clock to see it was only four in the morning.
The continuous screaming from the girl next to him brought his attention back to her. He jumped out of bed and knelt down in front of her, gripping her shoulders.
"Ryoko? What is it?" he asked, thinking she may have had a nightmare; he wondered why she would not simply go to her mother or father. She screamed again and again which unnerved him. He shook her roughly.
"What, Ryoko? Oh, God, what!" he shouted, now truly terrified by her outburst. He looked up as five guards came running into his bedroom. He looked back at Ryoko and shook her again.
Finally, the eight year old focused on him and latched herself onto his chest. "Daddy's dead! Daddy's dead!"
Malik's heart stopped in his chest, and he let go of the princess.
"General, please come quick," one of the guards pleaded, worry clearly evident in his eyes.
"Stay with the princess," he commanded. The guards nodded dutifully.
"No!" Ryoko screamed, terrified. She started to cry and reached her arms up to Malik, silently begging him not to leave her. He quickly lifted her into his arms and ran out of the room, not wanting to even waste as little time needed to throw on a shirt.
He entered the royal quarters to see Bakura's pale body laying in the middle of the bedroom floor. Baku was sitting next to his father, silently staring at him. Anzu was nowhere to be found. He put Ryoko down and turned her to look at him.
Mustering up all calm he still had, he told her, "Ryoko, I need you to be Uncle Malik's big girl and go sit in your room with your brother."
With a sob, the eight year old nodded and went over to Baku. Taking the toddler by the hand, she led him out of their parents' bedroom. Malik signaled the five guards to follow the prince and princess. By now, several more guards had entered the room due to all of the yelling and running about.
Malik knelt down next to his cousin and felt his throat. He almost fell over in relief at the slight pulse emanating from Bakura's body.
"Medical ward. Now," he commanded, standing up and stepping away from Bakura. The guards immediately came forward and carefully lifted their king up. Malik began to search the room for, most importantly, Anzu, and also any clues possibly left behind, calling for more guards as he did.
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Anzu moaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed the back of her sore head, wincing at the notable lump found there. She was certain she had been run over by a jet, or at the very least, an airmobile. The only relief she found was that there was no soreness present around her abdomen or lower back. That was no guarantee that her baby was safe, of course, but it was still something.
She struggled to her feet to better inspect her unfamiliar surroundings. She definitely remembered being dragged out of her bed by someone intent on kidnapping her in the middle of the night. Her scream had brought Bakura's attention to her predicament, but she had hit her head before she could see the outcome of the fight he had initiated. She bit her lip worriedly, wondering what had happened to her husband; he had obviously lost the fight since she had been abducted.
That bastard. She really did not believe he would ever stoop so low as to kidnap her!
She turned around slowly in a circle. The small bedroom she was kept in was dark at best and low-ceilinged. The only furniture present was, in fact, the small bed in a corner of the room which she had found herself in when she awoke. There was a bucket in another corner of the room, and she frowned, wondering if they intended her to relieve herself in something so primitive.
An extra weight at her throat brought her attention to a necklace which she had not been wearing when she was kidnapped. She was startled to find it was the sapphire necklace from her secret admirer. Further, she realized the gown she was wearing was not nearly as light as her nightgown.
She bit her tongue to keep from screaming in alarm as she looked down at herself, wearing the wedding dress from her secret admirer.
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"This is the worst birthday ever. I want a new one!" Ryoko cried as she stood next to the medical ward bed her father was resting in.
Just as the eight year old had been relieved with the news that her precious daddy was not dead, she had been told that her mother was missing. Baku sat silently next to his sister, looking down at his father. He had not said a word since the incident, nor did he show any facial expression.
Careen chewed on her sleeve anxiously while sitting on the opposite side of Bakura. Malik yanked the sleeve out of her mouth, and she glared at him. The four remained rigid in the room, hoping that Bakura would be okay, and fearful for the outcome of the doctors' diagnosis.
As if reading their thoughts, an alien doctor entered the room, clipboard in hand. She glanced at the uneasy audience before clearing her throat.
"Lord Malik," she started, smiling flirtatiously at him, "normally I would tell the loved ones to make preparations, but I've seen our king in worse condition, so we'll see what happens."
Ryoko started to cry, and Careen stood from her seat to comfort the girl. "Have a little tact, you halfwit!" she snapped at the doctor who at least had the grace to blush embarrassedly.
"My apologies, my lady," she murmured. Malik motioned for her to hurry up with her report, so she cleared her throat again. "He is running a high fever, but that's probably the most of our worries. He isn't responding to any of our medications though. We cannot say what may have happened to him to put him in this condition. He is not physically wounded in any way that we can see besides a few scrapes on his knuckles which may indicate where he punched someone."
The doctor's parting comment confirmed Malik's suspicions that Anzu did not simply decide to go on a trip; she had been kidnapped by whoever Bakura had punched and been rendered invalid by, not that Malik had doubted his own suspicions anyhow.
"Careen, perhaps you should go take a nap," Malik suggested irritably when he noticed her chewing on her sleeve again. She didn't seem to hear him, but she did look up when Mai and Jounouchi entered the room.
"We heard what happened," Mai said anxiously.
Malik opened his mouth to respond, but a moan from Bakura caused everyone present to hold their breath and lean over the bed hopefully. The king's face scrunched up as if in pain, and he attempted to lift a hand, which he could not.
"Daddy?" Ryoko whispered, placing her tiny hand over his larger one.
Bakura moaned again, mumbling, "That bastard. I can't believe Yuugi..." he trailed off inaudibly.
The shocked expressions on everyone's faces kept the room deathly silent for at least a minute. Finally, Mai blurted out, "He wouldn't kidnap Anzu!"
"Well, where is he, so that he may defend himself against my cousin's accusation?" Malik asked through gritted teeth. Mai looked away uncomfortably.
"He was called back to Earth for an important call," Jounouchi supplied quietly, looking down at the floor.
Malik nodded with both brows raised. "Convenient," he sneered. Calmly, he walked over to the door and poked his head out into the corridor. "Raptia! Get in here!" After a few seconds, a burly blond man rushed into the room and stood at attention.
"Yes, general?" he questioned.
Malik tilted his head thoughtfully and tapped a finger on his chin. "I want five nukejets to obliterate a remote city on Earth; I don't care which as long as it isn't the capital. And I want it done now. Yuugi will get the message after this."
The man hesitated and lowered his arm. "But sir, isn't that dangerous considering Queen Anzu could be anywhere?"
"Shame on you for eavesdropping!" Malik reprimanded as if he were speaking to a child. "And what's wrong with you? Didn't you read your Evil Overlord manual? You never hire a bunch of insolent soldiers to guard the hero's lover far away from you; you do it yourself. Now get going before I fire you."
"Sir, your intelligence astounds me, sir!" the man replied in awe, back at attention once more before darting out of the room.
Malik rolled his eyes before turning around to face the occupants still in the room. Jounouchi and Mai were staring at him with their mouths gaping open in horror. He merely lifted a brow and crossed his arms. "Well, aren't you going to go warn your precious prince?"
Jounouchi seemed to snap out of his stupor. He held Mai at arms-length. "It's too dangerous; you stay here." Before she could protest, he had disappeared back to Earth. Mai flopped down into a chair, apparently still in shock over what Malik had ordered his army to do.
Malik crossed the room over to where Careen still sat next to Bakura with Baku in her lap and Ryoko leaning into her side. The little boy was fast asleep, and Ryoko was struggling to hold up her drooping head. He knelt down next to the three. "Careen, why don't you take them back, so you all can sleep?" It was already late at night and they had all been stressfully awake since the early AM hours.
She nodded in agreement and stood up. Malik signaled five guards to follow them and then turned to Mai. "You, too," he commanded harshly. She thought about mouthing off to him, but instead just followed Careen and the prince and princess out of the room silently.
Malik turned back to the bed and walked over to Bakura's side. "Hang in there," he whispered to his cousin before leaving to see to his army.
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Ouch. What more can I say? Until next time...