"Hello, my names Nezbit I'd like to talk to the boy alone."

"Why?" Ryo asked.

"Well there's a flower that only blooms at night, I thought the child might like to see it."

"Sorry it's way too late for him to be out and he's not going anywhere without me, besides it too close to treatments and bedtime now. Perhaps another time." Ryo said.

Nezbit just walked away unsure how to explain to Ishizu that the kid wasn't coming.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"Excuse me miss, you wouldn't happen to be Ishizu, would you?" Nezbit asked.

"And you are?"

"My name is Nezbit I'm your brother's employer."

"Oh so you're one of the idiots. So where's the kid?"

"I couldn't get him."

"It's not a wonder this late. Try again tomorrow I'll be here all day."

"Very well." Nezbit said muttering and complaining about the idiot comment all the way back.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

The next day Seto and Yami were still gone.

Just after lunch Ryo told Mokuba he had gotten a call and was reluctantly going to meet Shizuka, he wasn't looking forward to it.

Mokuba had promised Ryo he'd be good and not wander too far from the castle. He felt that exploring the castle would be safer than playing outside would. As he was walking, he heard Mai on the phone. From the way she was talking, he figured she was talking to Yami. After she hung up, he followed her.

"So who was that on the phone?" Isis asked.

"It was Master Yami." Mai said.

"Oh well what did he say?"

"He said they had trouble locating the town and that just before they got there they thought someone was shooting at them but they couldn't be sure."

"Are they all right?" Isis asked concerned.

"They're both fine but the carriage they took isn't. They hit a rock or something anyway; they broke an axle and are getting it repaired now. They're also having trouble locating anyone the council said they spoke too and the sheriff has never heard of anyone of the people their looking for. He also said that according to the sheriff there are no children that match Seto's description. Since they were told their brother looked a little like King Kaiba."

Mokuba decided to approach her and ask. "Mai?"

"Oh Master Mokuba what you doing in here? Can we get you something?"

"D-did S-Seto or Yami ask about me?" Mokuba asked hopeful.

Mai sighed. "No, sweetheart I'm sorry they didn't."

"Oh, ok-kay." Mokuba said turning with tears at the edges of his eyes walking away.

"Did they ask about him?" Isis asked hoping Mai had been holding something back.

"No, just that they sometimes used a little of his description when asking about their brother."

"Oh, poor thing he probably feels abandoned." Isis said.

"Yes, I've heard from Yugi that the poor thing had been beaten with a whip and who knows what else in his old home. That's why he has to go to treatments daily."

"I knew he always had his back wrapped up but I never knew why. I'd heard rumors that he'd been abused but it's really so bad that he's still having to go?"

"According to what Yugi tells me yeah, it's really in truly that bad. He told me several days ago that when the king and Master Yami learned of their brother that he went to treatments alone, since Sir Ryo was still out. Yugi said he stayed with him to help comfort him but that you can see some improvement but not a lot. The salve is working but slowly, that's it's still painful to watch and that you could almost feel the child's pain when you're that close to him. He said it wasn't easy getting him to bed since he was so weak after treatments, Yugi's about the same height so he had to get one of the guards to carry the boy for him. I can only imagine what it must have been like I don't think I could have done it without breaking down and crying." Mai said.

"I know just from what little you've told me makes me want to cry." Isis said.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Mokuba started just wandering around till he finally decided to go outside for a while. As he sat there, a young woman suddenly approached him.

"Hello, there."

Mokuba looked up and something about her made him feel strangely comfortable. Not exactly, the safety and security he felt around Seto, Yami and Ryo but not exactly a bad feeling.

"May I sit with you?"

Mokuba nodded he didn't see why not. Ishizu went very slowly and unlike the big five didn't just rush into it. She was very friendly and tried to warm up to him. It wasn't long before Ishizu had Mokuba talking a least a little about several things.

"So why do you stay here then? I mean it's obvious that they don't seem to care. From what you've told me it, sounds to me like once this other kid arrives you'll be pushed aside and forgotten. Here why not write a letter to them and tell them what you're feeling or if you plan on leaving why." Ishizu said handing Mokuba a pencil and paper.

Mokuba sighed, shook his head and handed it back to her.

"You don't like the idea?"

"I c-can't read or w-write." Mokuba told her. He hadn't told anyone that. He only told Ryo cause he'd asked him about the inscription on the necklace of his doll once and he told him but he hadn't told anyone else.

Ishizu was greatly surprised but couldn't get the boy to tell her why he couldn't read or write. Instead, she asked what he'd say to Seto and Yami if he had the courage to do so. She started to write down a few of the things he said, after she felt she had enough she put the stuff away and got up to leave.

"Well little one it was nice meeting you. Goodbye."

"B-bye." Mokuba said but still thought she was a strange person.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

While all of this was happening, Ryo was about to come face to face with Shizuka.

Ryo agreed to meet her in the park. "Okay Shizuka I'm here now what?"

"I wanted to asked why you never showed up the other night and if you were the one who left those flowers."

"What difference does it make? Why couldn't we just do this over the phone?"

"It makes a lot of difference Ryo. I wanted to find out why you never showed up. Every time I've tried to call the past week or so I've either been told you didn't want to talk to me or I was hung up on."

"So why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to see you and to ask, why you didn't show up? I mean I thought we had a date. I care about you Ryo, a lot."

"Right you care about me so much you thought kissing Duke and letting him sit on your lap and grope your breast was a good idea."

"Y-you saw that?"

"Yes, I did!"

"It wasn't what it looked like... he pushed me down and started to kiss me. He-he started to grope at me and started putting his tongue in my mouth. I pushed him away, he fell down and I kicked and hit him. I have no feelings for him at all, I-I love you."

"I'm just supposed to believe that?"

Shizuka got in his face "Yes, I loved you, Ryo Gwydion!"

"I want to believe you, but it looked like you were enjoying it."

"NO! I didn't, you assumed I cheated, without giving me a chance."

"But, if you weren't cheating on me, why did he kiss you then? Why is it you allowed him to stay on top of you and continue to kiss you like that?"

"Duke showed up and suddenly then threw me on the bench and was on top of me kissed me before I knew what was happening. I couldn't believe he actually was actually doing this! I was frozen, his grouping me brought me to my senses, I pushed him away, we barely know each other! He told me that he was in love with me since he first saw me, that you were a loser and I should forget you." Shizuka said.

"So you can honestly tell me you didn't enjoy what he was doing to you?"

"Yes! I was waiting for you and he showed up. It all happened so fast I was stunned I couldn't believe this was real. I wanted nothing to do with him. He probably didn't know or even care about what he was doing! He was drunker than a skunk!"

"You didn't seem that uninterested, you seemed quite compliant sitting there with your arms against his crest and then as he started to grope at you, your fingers curl around his shirt. So what I'm supposed to assume that meant you hated it and yet made no effort to move or get away."

"Well, then maybe if you stayed there longer, you would have seen me push him off and kick him!"

"I was there long enough to see that you made no move to protest what he was doing."

Shizuka began to cry again, though trying not to. "I told you I was in shock! I never enjoyed any of it; I wanted to be with you. We had a date, Ryo. Do you really think that knowing that you might show up any time, that I'd arrange for another guy to kiss me? If I had wanted to break up with you wouldn't it have been easier to tell you rather than hope you show up just in time to see me kissing this other guy."

"I want to believe you Shizuka, I do but when I came here I thought Bakura and I could learn to be a family. That Seto and Yami loved Mokuba. But apparently, I was wrong about all that too! So, I do want to believe you but I'm not entirely sure what I believe, anymore. I'm sorry." Ryo said leaving a heartbroken Shizuka crying.