Note: Yes, Valon's past with his parents is my own concept, since we learn nothing about them from the anime. XD; Ah, there's so many interesting things about the bikers that we don't know. The anime didn't tell us near enough. Thank goodness for fanfictions!

Chapter Two

Raphael's hand actually shook as he read over the warning a second time. Someone had started up the Doom organization again? But how could that be? And why would anyone actually do it? There were only a handful of people who even knew what Doom truly was, and most of them had been Dartz's minions and Yugi Muto's gang. But why would any of them be doing this now? Well, he knew that Yugi and his friends wouldn't. But he couldn't understand why even anyone from Doom would want to. Dartz had betrayed them all! He hadn't cared about any of their lives. All along he had planned to sacrifice their souls to Leviathan when the time was right. That was why Alister's defeat had meant nothing to him, when he had told Raphael of it.

"We don't need this right now," he snarled at last, feeling like crumpling the paper within his strong hands. "Isn't this problem with poor Valon enough to worry about for now?"

"Apparently they don't think so," Alister remarked sarcastically, though he knew it was not likely that this Doom Reborn would even know of their other problem. He took the paper back from Raphael, studying it for any possible clues—to no avail.

Raphael stood up, heading for the stairs himself. "I'm going to go check on Valon," he announced.

Alister nodded. "I'm going to do research on the law firm," he decided, going over to the computer that was positioned to the side of the staircase. Valon was generally the one who used it—mainly for various games—but every now and then Alister or Raphael would want it for some sort of information, so they kept it downstairs in the living room instead of in Valon's room. "They could be as shady as the people who hired them."

Raphael grunted. "And with our luck, they probably are."

Valon threw himself onto his bed, blasting a Linkin Park song loudly on his stereo. He couldn't help it—he hated his parents. When he had just been the small child that they had sold to a shady agency that would supposedly find a home for him (and had not), he had not understood at all. He only remembered how he had run about the house that morning, cheerful and hyper, and then had been taken and viciously beaten by his father. His mother had been right there, but instead of trying to stop it, she only encouraged it. Neither of them had really liked him, though originally his father had tried to groom him to take his position someday as whatever kind of criminal he himself was. I guess he decided I wasn't good enough for that. Or maybe he just hated that I was always so happy. . . .

He hugged a pillow, staring blankly at the wall. When they just took me to that place, I think I thought it was 'cause of something I'd done. . . . I was always kinda naive like that when I was a kid. . . . I thought I'd been bad and so I deserved what I got. . . . It was only when I got older that I realized I just had a couple of deadbeat parents. But . . . I guess I still kinda thought that they gave up on me because of what I am. I've always been different from everybody else I met. That's why I'm a loner.

He listened vaguely to the words as the song Figure .09 began. Why would his parents come back now? He did not have anything they could want now, unless they just wanted to ruin his life by taking him away from the only real family he had. And, he smirked wryly, it wouldn't really be a shock if they did want to. They couldn't want me to have any bit of happiness.

A knock on his door startled him into a realization of his current surroundings. He blinked and looked over. "What?" he called.

Raphael, who had been trying to get Valon's attention for the last several minutes (and had been unsuccessful due to Chester's screaming), sighed and shook his head. "It's me," he yelled back, wishing that Valon would not play his rock music so loud.

Valon reached over, pausing the CD. "Oh. Okay," he answered in what probably sounded like a monotone. He rolled onto his back as Raphael opened the door and came in. "What do you want?"

Raphael came and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the younger man sadly. He realized now that he was not quite sure how to even approach a subject that was so tender. He had no idea what it would be like to have a family that so blatantly did not care. At last he reached out, laying a hand gently on Valon's shoulder. "I'm sorry your parents were such a mess," he said gruffly. Though he often seemed cold and frank, he was the one both of the younger bikers went to for comfort when they felt they needed it. Raphael was a good listener and a compassionate elder brother figure.

Valon shrugged now, propping himself up on one elbow. "Yeah, well . . . that's just the way it goes," he replied, "'specially for me. No one really ever cared about me." He grinned weakly. "Then Mother Mary died. . . . I guess I just finally felt like I wasn't worth anyone's caring. I mean . . . I figured that if there was a God, He sure must've not given a darn what happened to me." He heaved a deep sigh and Raphael saw the flickers of sadness in his blue eyes.

"What do you think now?" Raphael asked after a brief lapse of silence.

Valon sat up. "I think that, now that I finally have somewhere to be, someone's gonna try to take it from me again," he answered bitterly, narrowing his eyes. "I mean . . . that's the way it's always been with me." He leaned against Raphael with another sad sigh. "I used to be kinda jealous of you and Alister, I guess," he admitted then. "The both of you had loving families—good parents and lovable brothers and sisters. . . . I couldn't even imagine what that'd be like. It sounded like a fairy tale to me."

Raphael's heart went out to the young Australian. "Yeah," he said finally, "I guess it would." He waited for a moment before speaking once more. "You know it isn't likely that they'll get custody of you again," he announced then. "They'd have to go through a lot of red tape first."

Valon looked up at him. "Oh, I'm sure they've come prepared with their crooked lawyers and all that," he snorted. "If they really want me for some reason, they'll find a way to get me. Heck, they'd dig up dirt on you and Alister if they thought it'd help them, or they'd even make something up. I don't think there's anything they wouldn't do!" The memories were vague in his mind, since he had been so extremely young at the time, but he recalled how various shady characters had come around to their house all the time. He had not liked them and once had threatened to beat one of them up when he had not liked whatever had been being discussed at the time. That certainly had not endeared him to his father any. After the person had gone, he had been beaten again for his remarks.

"There's a fatal flaw with people like that," Raphael told him, breaking into his thoughts. "They expect their enemies to be as cheap and dishonest as they themselves are." He paused, another thought entering his mind. "You don't happen to know what your surname actually is, do you?" He had the feeling that Valon did not. Throughout all the time he had known the boy, he had never heard Valon give a last name for himself. He had probably been abandoned at such a young age that he did not remember what his surname was.

Valon shrugged helplessly. "Nope," he said, "and I dunno my real age, either. I'll tell you this, though—those people, if they are my 'parents,' are probably not even using their real names. We were always running from place to place because the cops were after them. Once we'd get settled in the next place, they'd change their names. They didn't ever change mine because I guess they figured I was too young to understand it and well, they wanted me to come whenever they called for me." He leaned forward, staring at the floor.

"Great," Raphael muttered pessimistically. This is just sounding better and better.

Suddenly remembering something, Valon looked up at him again. "Hey, what was that other letter about?" he asked. "Hate mail from dear ol' Mum and Dad?"

Raphael shook his head, amazed at Valon's ability to joke when he was obviously upset. He wondered how often that had been the case in the past. "Actually," he replied, "it was hate mail from a new organization called Doom Reborn." He watched for Valon's reaction.

The boy started, almost falling off the bed. "WHAT!" he gasped, his cerulean eyes widening to twice their usual size. "What kinda idiot would wanna start up Doom again! Dartz almost destroyed the whole world!" And we would've helped him. . . . He still was not sure why he had even joined Doom in the first place. He had given various answers over the years—because he had nowhere else to go, because it was the only way to get out of prison, because he was just plain bored. . . . It was probably all true, actually. He had been quite lost and without direction for most of his life. When Dartz had offered him a way out, he had accepted, perhaps hoping that it would be interesting—and even perhaps hoping, in some part of his mind, that they actually would be able to purify the world. After all, it certainly needed purifying.

Raphael shook his head. "I don't understand it either," he growled. "I guess it could be some of Dartz's other former warriors. Not having gone through what we did, maybe they still believe that Dartz's plan was genius and that now they have to carry it out since Dartz is gone." If that was true, then he was not angry at them—he only pitied them. They would not know what they were getting into. They would not realize that they would not be able to cleanse the world of its wickedness and that instead they would be destroying everything. Leviathan had lied to Dartz and it was probably lying to whoever was reopening the Doom organization.

Valon was silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a dry laugh. "Well, this looks fun," he commented. "Not only are my 'parents' probably gonna show up, but we havta deal with Doom, Version Two!" He blinked at Raphael curiously. "What'd they want with us, anyway?"

"They informed us that we're going to help them revive the Leviathan," Raphael grunted. Over my dead body. I'll never help with that again!

"Oh yeah? Like that'd ever happen." Valon fell back against the soft pillows. "I think we've gotten more sense by now. Reviving some old dragon that'll end the world isn't how I wanna get my kicks."

"I know none of us would ever willingly help them," Raphael said slowly, "but I don't think they're gonna take no for an answer." He ran a hand through his cropped hair. He had the very bad feeling that they were in for a lot of trouble over the next few days.

Alister narrowed his gray eyes at the computer screen. Predictably, he could find nothing out about the law firm, no matter how many different searches he tried on various search engines. He leaned back in the chair, rubbing his forehead and wondering what to do next. The Internet was obviously not going to be of help here.

This was such a strange thing to have come out of the blue. What could these people really want with Valon? They certainly would not be missing him and wanting him back because they had decided they loved him. But it was not as if Valon was a wealthy boy either, so they could not be wanting him to try to get money from him. He pulled on his bottom lip, wondering if it was possible that they wanted to get him so that they could sell him again, perhaps even to some of their other enemies. The thought made him cringe in disgust. How did such abominable people even become parents in the first place? And while they were raising (or even abandoning) children they did not want, other people were simply starved for children and could not have them, for one reason or another.

Alister came to attention when he discovered that the browser had automatically reset itself to the home page, since there had been no activity for the required waiting time. He sighed, glancing over the local news stories, and then raised a confused eyebrow at one of the articles' titles.

Unknown Businessman Purchases Paradius Lot.

Frowning, the redhead grabbed the mouse and clicked on it. The story was short and to the point, since not even the reporter seemed to know very much about what she was writing about.

Earlier this week, in the heart of San Francisco California, the vacated and decrepit lot belonging to the once towering Paradius building was turned over into new hands. Since the skyscraper collapsed for unknown reasons a year or more ago, the property has remained lifeless, with no one willing to buy it or even set foot on it. Apparently there have been stories in the area that it is haunted by supernatural beings and that is why the building collapsed. But, apparitions or not, the tales didn't scare away this tycoon, who has refused to reveal his name. He claims to have been interested in the property for quite some time, but that only recently was he able to make a deal that satisfied the city government. When asked what he plans to do with the space, he said only to expect the Paradius building to soon be plastered against the San Francisco skyline once again.

Alister's eyes flickered with annoyance. Obviously this must tie in with Doom Reborn. They wanted to build up Paradius again to use it as a front for Doom, the way Dartz had. But who could possibly be responsible? The fact that no name had been given made Alister both confused and suspicious. Did the government want it kept a secret or was it a purely personal decision of the buyer? If it was the latter, was it because he wanted to remain a mystery to certain people who might see the article, mainly the three of them?

He pushed his chair back and stood up, after printing the article out and shutting the computer down. This was so much to be bombarded with all at once. He knew Raphael was still upstairs with Valon, so he decided that he would take a walk and attempt to sort it all out in his mind. He doubted that he would find a solution, however.

Alister's walk took him all over the city. He passed by the Turtle Game Shop, KaibaCorp, and the local branch of Industrial Illusions. He sighed inwardly at the many memories such places invoked, most of which involved Doom. His life, as well as Valon's and Raphael's, had been deeply entwined with Doom for so many years—and for him, ever since he had been a young boy of thirteen. He shuddered. Dartz had liked to get his warriors when they were very young and would, he hoped, be more perceptible to his suggestions. And even though Alister had not trusted Dartz, he had believed in the man's misguided ideals. I was so misled, just as he was. . . . He still felt guilt when he thought of how the Orichalcos had manipulated him, using his passion and hatred and twisting it to his own downfall.

He looked up, drawn out of his thoughts when he saw where he had subconsciously walked—to the group home where he often volunteered his services. He stopped, gazing at the dreary-looking building as he slightly lowered his sunglasses (which he was wearing even though the sky was overcast). There were so many children in there, many of them orphans. Some of them, however, had been abandoned, just as Valon had been. It made Alister very angry that some people considered a child's life of no value, when they meant everything to him. If people were not so heartless, he thought to himself, maybe tyrants would not rise up and wars would not have to be started.

"Alister!"

Abruptly the slender redhead was startled by two arms going around his waist from behind. He heard a happy giggle and, as he looked over his shoulder, he recognized the child Jamie, who had taken a particular liking to him (though all of the children adored him). He allowed himself to smile softly at the boy as Jamie came around to stand by his side. "Hello," he said, reaching up to remove his shades completely. "How are you doing, Jamie?" He put an arm around the child, feeling himself relax.

Jamie grinned. "Just great!" he chirped. "Did you come to see us today? It's not Tuesday or Friday." His freckles stood out on his cheeks, especially when he was happy and smiling. He hugged Alister again, happy to have his friend here. Alister treated all of the children very well and they all looked up to him as an elder brother figure. One of the workers there had even compared Alister's effect on children to the Pied Piper.

Alister ruffled Jamie's sandy hair. "Well," he replied, "I was taking a walk and I ended up here, so it looks like I will be visiting for a while." And that was fine with him. Perhaps getting away from the problems he and the others were going to have to deal with would give him a clearer idea of what they would need to do.

Jamie beamed, grabbing Alister by the hand and leading him into the yard. "Come on then!" he called. Alister, amused, allowed himself to be led over to a spot in the corner, which Jamie had claimed before as his place to hide treasure. "Something really weird happened last night," the boy declared when they reached it. "It started raining these green rocks from the sky!"

Instantly Alister's eyes widened in stunned shock and suspicion. Green rocks? Anyone else most likely wouldn't have thought much of that, but for a former Doom warrior, green rocks signaled possible danger. "What happened to them?" he asked, hoping that he still sounded nonchalant. Actually he was growing concerned for his young friend's well-being. Suppose . . . just suppose . . . that Doom Reborn had already managed to get hold of Orichalcos stones and were releasing them throughout the world. . . . That could mean disaster for everyone!

"We all gathered them up and brought them to Miss Ayamoto," Jamie answered, then grinned impishly. "Well . . . most of 'em, anyway." Now he reached into a hollow tree stump, pulling out the small box where he kept various special items. He lifted the lid, revealing the latest treasure inside. "See? They're all like this one."

Alister's eyes narrowed as he reached into the box and pulled out the turquoise gem, turning it over and over in his hand. It looked exactly like an Orichalcos stone, though he couldn't be completely sure—but he could not think of a reason why any other kind of rock would be falling from the sky. It was not very likely that an airplane had lost its entire shipment of priceless gems, after all.

Jamie bit his lip. "It's kinda weird sometimes, though," he confided then. "It almost sounds like it's whispering to me." He had not said any such thing to Miss Ayamoto, as he knew that she would not believe him, but he was an intelligent child and was not prone to making up strange things such as this. He was certain that Alister would realize this and take him seriously, as the fact remained that the stone actually made him nervous.

Alister's expression darkened all the more. "What does it say to you?" he asked, determining not to leave without taking it with him. He really wanted to take all of the ones collected, but he was not certain if he would be able to come up with a logical explanation to tell to Miss Ayamoto as to why he wanted them.

Jamie paused, thinking. "Well," he said slowly, "it asks me stuff, like if I want money or a family, and then it says that it has the power to help me get it." He twisted the edge of his shirt. "I don't really like it. . . ."

"I don't blame you," Alister responded. "Jamie, would you mind if I kept this?" Even now, as he was holding it, he could feel it tugging at his mind, whispering temptations to him. A vague shudder passed through him as he clenched his fist around the stone. He would not fall prey to its lies—not anymore.

Jamie nodded. "Sure, you can take it! You could probably take all of them, I bet. Miss Ayamoto doesn't really know what to make of 'em. And what's also kinda weird is that when they were falling out of the sky, they only fell down here—not next door, or in the street, or anything like that!" His eyes widened at a new thought. "You don't think we're being invaded by aliens, do you, Alister?"

Alister shook his head slowly. "No," he replied quietly, and then added almost to himself, "I'm afraid it's worse than that."

Raphael sighed softly to himself, looking down at Valon, who had fallen into a troubled sleep several moments before. The brunette had been trying to make light of the situation, his previous anger seemingly forgotten, but Raphael could see that his friend was just attempting to hide his pain. He was still just as upset and angry and hurt over everything, but now he had calmed down just enough to replace the carefree mask he usually wore. Gently Raphael covered him with the quilt before standing up, just in time to hear the phone ring.

He growled in annoyance before heading out into the hall and snatching up the receiver. "Hello?" he said, certain that it came out more gruff than he had intended. He hoped that the noise had not awakened Valon, but when he glanced into the room, the boy still seemed to be completely asleep.

After a moment during which he heard only static, a female voice came on the line. "Hello!" she practically screamed. "Can you hear me now?"

Raphael winced, holding the phone away from his ear. "Too well," he grumped, realizing that the person did not sound at all familiar. "Who's calling?"

"This is Mrs. Martha Paltridge," came the reply as the woman continued to yell over the sound of the static in the background. "I trust you received our lawyer's letter?"

Instantly Raphael's grip on the phone tightened and his eyes narrowed darkly. Now he was not simply annoyed; he was disgusted, irritated, and quite vexed. "Oh yeah," he retorted. "We got it. And we got some other interesting information too—how you and your husband sold your son when he was just a small child. That's 'strange circumstances,' alright," he snapped, quoting the phrase from the letter.

There was a long pause before he got a reply. "I assure you that isn't what happened!" Martha answered. "But there will be plenty of time to talk about the truth. Howard and I are coming up there to see Valon. How is he? Is he well? Can I speak to him?"

Raphael's lip curled in revulsion. "He was doing fine, until the letter came," he said coldly. "Right now he's asleep and I don't intend to wake him up to talk to you. He doesn't want anything to do with you. But that's understandable, after all—you didn't want anything to do with him, either." He only paused for a moment before continuing. "And tell me this—if you missed him so badly, why didn't you try to find him before? It wouldn't have been that hard."

"I can tell you're very protective of our son," was Martha's only remark at first. Then, as if as an afterthought, she added, "We have been looking for him desperately for years. We certainly didn't sell him; he was abducted from us when he was four! But naturally, at such a young age, his memories of the incident could have been blurred."

Raphael was not impressed. He knew that what she was saying was possible, but he was more inclined to believe Valon than her. And there was no changing the fact that it all seemed strange and suspicious. "We'll see what happens," he said gruffly. "But you might be interested to know that we haven't been able to find any trace of that law firm of yours."

Martha laughed. "Well, it's just a small Australian law firm," she answered. "But anyway, we should be there within a day or so. Do give Valon our love. I'm glad he's had such good people taking care of him." Raphael felt his eye twitch in irritation as she finally hung up.

He set the receiver back in its cradle, pondering. She certainly had not given the impression of a mother who was desperate and anxious to have her child back. Actually, she had behaved nonchalantly and flippantly. And, he realized then, she had not possessed an accent either. He sank into a chair, shaking his head and feeling frustrated. As Liu hopped onto his lap, he started to pet her absentmindedly, wondering what on earth they were going to do.