Okay, another chapter of this story is up! Man, you have no idea how many Baby Yugi scenes are going through my head right now. I really wanna get back to Baby Yugi, but this story long since past that stage. If anyone wants some cute stories about Baby Yugi, let me know and maybe I'll make a section of cute short stories of Yugi as a baby. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
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A few hours had passed and Yugi still wasn't home. Atem was beginning to get worried. Atem was worrying himself sick. He kept pacing around the entryway with his arms folded. He had seen the address, on the file, that Yugi's biological parents lived he and knew it was close, so why wasn't the boy back yet? What if something happened? What if he found them and they tried to hurt him? Images of some of the most horrific things those people could do to his son ran through Atem's mind. He looked out the front window every five minutes, hoping to see his small son walking down the sidewalk, but he never came. 'I do hope that nothing has happened to him … if they do anything to him, I swear I will hunt them down and'--- Atem thought to himself, when finally he saw a small image coming towards his house on the sidewalk. Atem swiftly moved over to the couch and picked up a magazine, pretending to read it. The last thing he wanted was to push Yugi further away by letting him know that he'd been waiting with worry.
The small boy slowly and silently entered the large house with a look of fear in his eyes He didn't even see Atem on the couch with a magazine in front of his face. He just wanted to go to his room and cry his eyes out. "So, did you find them?" A strong voice from the couch asked. Yugi flinched at realizing who it was. He sighed and walked over to him.
"Yes … I found them …" Atem looked at Yugi and noticed the dazed look in his eyes. Something was obviously wrong. He put the magazine down and gave Yugi his full attention.
"And …?" Yugi's breathing started to quicken while tears formed in his eyes.
"And … I don't know …" He turned away, unable to look at his father right now. Atem's face turned from strong to sympathetic.
"Yugi, tell me what's wrong." Yugi couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He plopped down on the couch next to Atem and buried his face in his hands, crying his eyes out. Atem swallowed the lump in his throat; he couldn't stand to see Yugi cry. Finally, the boy had gained enough strength to explain.
"I-I got there, and i-i-it was terrible …" Atem scooted closer to him. "W-when m-my … I mean … she opened t-the door, s-she yelled at me and asked w-who I was …" The small boy resumed his crying while Atem put an arm around him.
"Go on …" Yugi sniffled.
"T-then I-I told her who I was, and s-she slapped me and asked h-how I found them … they didn't e-even g-give me a c-chance to say anything before … before …" He broke down into tears again, "before he p-pulled o-out a gun," Atem's eyes widened, "and s-said that I-I wasn't supposed t-to live and t-that I should have d-died in t-the ally … what ally was he talking about?" Atem's eyes filled with unshed tears for his son. "Anyway, h-he started shooting and c-chased me away, screaming 'if I ever see you again, I'll kill you' …" Not only was Atem fearful for his son now, but he was flaming with rage for those two people who had the nerve to take out a gun to a child, their child, their real flesh and blood.
"Yugi, I'm so sorry that happened to you …" Yugi sniffled again, grabbing a tissue from the end table.
"I-I guess I d-don't have the right t-to be here after the t-trouble I gave you this afternoon …" Atem came as close as he could to Yugi and pulled him into his arms, surprising the preteen.
"Never think that you don't belong here. You know that no matter what you do, or what you say, I will always love you." Yugi snuggled into Atem's embrace. His crying had slowed down now.
"I'm so sorry, Dad …"
"No, I'm sorry; sorry that I never told you about this."
"I never should have gone there …" Atem's embrace loosened on the boy.
"Yugi, there's something else I didn't tell you."
"What, I've got a twin somewhere?" Atem chuckled and ruffled the boy's silky hair.
"No; however, that would be a lot easier to say, but when he mentioned that ally, what he meant was … the day you were born, your parents abandoned you in an ally." Yugi gasped. "I found you wrapped in newspaper, not long afterwards. Apparently, you had been born premature due to your mother's constant smoking and drinking. She also beat up on her abdomen to force you to be born. By the time I got there, they were already gone." Yugi's tears were flowing freely once again. Now it all made sense; all the times he was constantly sick and all his disorders. It finally made sense.
"So … I guess I really wasn't supposed to live …"
"Never say that!" Yugi flinched at Atem's raised voice. "Never think that you were not meant to live! Those people don't have any right to even call you their flesh and blood." Atem cupped Yugi's face and rubbed the boy's cheeks with his thumbs. Yugi nuzzled Atem's touch. "Blood or not, you are my son. I raised and took care of you all your life. I love you, Little One." Yugi was still crying, but now they turned to tears of affirmation.
"I love you too, Dad … and I promise that I'll never go back there again." Atem smiled, thankful to have his son back.
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Several months later, Yugi, Ryou and Malik were all upstairs in Yugi's room, doing God only knew what. Those boys were very secretive about what they did, but they sure had a good time together. Ryou was very comforting during Yugi's depression times and Malik always did his best to make the other two laugh, succeeding in only half the time. Yugi didn't know what he'd do without Ryou and Malik there to help him along. The three were like blood brothers now, with Malik saying that they should have made it official.
All three Darkling triplets were downstairs. Atem and Bakura were working on taxes while Marik screamed at the television set, cursing when the Green Bay Packers did something stupid. Fortunately for his younger brothers, they were able to tune him out. "'Tem, can't you deduct some of this stuff!" Bakura asked. Atem sighed.
"No, most of them are Yugi's medical bills. And believe me; I even get off easy with some of them since they all think Yugi's the cutest thing they've ever seen." Suddenly, there came a loud crash from upstairs. Atem cringed and turned towards the stairway. "YUGI!" He yelled
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Yugi yelled back. Atem let out a frustrated groan and rubbed his temples with his fingertips. He looked over at Bakura, who was smirking at him.
"Heh, yeah as cute as a button, right 'Tem?" Atem rolled his eyes and looked at the files in front of him. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"Doorbell!" Marik called. Atem glared at his older brother.
"Ever think of getting off your ass and helping out around here!" Marik shrugged.
"I do; I take care of your kid when you're not around."
"Oh, it's a wonder of all the help you do around here, Marik." Atem replied, sarcastically. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"It's a wonder he can get himself dressed in the morning." Atem chuckled and stood up. When he did, Bakura crumbled up a paper and threw it at Marik. That's when Atem went to answer the door. When he opened it, he got a big surprise.
Two people stood outside the doorway; a man and a woman. They looked like drug addicts and drunks. The woman had no make up on and her long, blonde hair looked ruffled and stringy. The man looked like a drunk; he had bad teeth and what little hair he had was turning grey. Both of these low lives had wrinkles under their tired looking eyes. Automatically, Atem knew who they were. "Can I help you?" He dully asked. The man put on a smile that looked so fake.
"Yes, is this the house of Atem Darkling?" Atem's eyes squinted a bit.
"Yes it is." The man was about to continue when the woman interrupted him.
"We've come looking for our son, Little 'Ugly'." The anger that Atem was holding back finally got to him. He knew that the woman miss-pronounced his name on purpose.
"It's Yugi."
"Oh yes, we're here to collect him." All of a sudden, Atem couldn't hold himself back anymore. His fist pulled back and collided with the man's nose, causing it to bleed. The woman looked at her husband, but didn't do anything to help him.
"Get off my property now." Atem said in a threatening tone. The woman squinted her eyes, rivaling Atem's glare.
"I assure you, Mr. Darkling, if you don't hand over our son this instant, we'll have you arrested for kidnapping!" Atem smirked.
"You're the ones who'll be kidnapping if I hand him over to you. You lost your legal rights to him when you abandoned him in that ally!" From behind him, Atem heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Dad, who is it?" Atem turned around quickly.
"Yugi, stay upstairs!" But Yugi didn't listen. He walked over to the door with Ryou and Malik close behind him. He gasped when he saw who it was. The woman put on a fake smile and opened her arms, as if expecting Yugi to come out and hug her.
"Come to Mama, Sweet Heart!" Ryou and Malik looked at each other as they saw Yugi backing away with a horrified look in his eyes.
"Yugi, who is that?" Ryou asked. Atem put his arm in front of the three of them, trying to protect them.
"Boys, go back up stairs." Yugi nodded, not looking away at the woman's ugly grey eyes.
"C'mon guys, let's go back to my room." The three boys rushed back upstairs with Malik repeating Ryou's question. When they were gone, Atem turned his glaring face back to the two trespassers at his door.
"Leave now and never come back … just like what you told to Yugi those months ago when he tried to find you!" The man looked like he wanted to strangle Atem.
"Look here, Pal; he's our son, and we want him back!" Atem was about to open his mouth when a voice from behind him spoke up.
"Well, you won't be getting' him!" He turned around to see Marik and Bakura, who looked almost as pissed off as he did. It'd been Bakura who said that.
"From what I hear, you're a bunch of bitches who're all bark and no bite. No one threatens my li'l nephew and lives ta tell 'bout it!" Marik said. He seemed to have an impact on the couple. Atem smirked at the thought that his brothers had his back.
"I'll say this one last time: leave, now." The man moved closer to Atem, towering over him.
"Or what?" Bakura stepped up to his middle brother.
"Or I'll have you arrested on the charges of trespassing and attempt at kidnapping!" To prove it, he flashed his license to study law. The couple was finally threatened enough to start backing away.
"This isn't over, Pal! You'll hear from us again!" The man shouted as he and his wife both got back into their shitty car and sped away. Atem sighed and closed the door.
"The nerve of them, tellin' Yugi that they never wanted to see him again and then coming over to kidnap him!" Bakura said. Atem was quite shaken with what just happened. He wanted to protect Yugi so much that he was willing to give his life to a couple who he considered murderers. Speaking of Yugi, he cautiously came down the stairs and went to Atem, holding him as a lifeline.
"A-are they gone?" Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi's small form as if the boy were about to be taken away from him.
"Yes, they're gone … for now."
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A few days later, Marik and Atem were at home, chatting away at pointless things. Mostly remembering their childhood and making fun of Bakura. "Remember when we were six and he literally came up to Mom and Dad and shouted: "Mommy, I wanna be Batman when I grow up!" while wearing that stupid costume?" Marik asked. Both he and Atem laughed loudly at that memory.
"Yes, I remember; I believe that's when Dad decided that it was officially time for him to start therapy." Both laughed again when the front door slammed. Atem had to work from home today, so he asked Bakura to pick Yugi up from school. Yugi ran into the kitchen and gave Atem a hug.
"Hi, Dad!" Atem smiled and leaned into the hug.
"Well, what's this for?" Yugi smiled.
"Nothing, I just felt like it!" Atem's warm smile increased.
"I'll take a free hug anytime. Why don't you go upstairs, do your homework, and then we'll go get something to eat, alright?" Yugi smiled with pure joy.
"Okay!" He ran up the stairs and into his room. Atem smiled as he watched his hyperactive son leave the kitchen. His smile faded, however, when he turned to face Bakura.
"What's your malfunction?" Bakura looked as if he were a thousand miles away.
"You're not gonna believe what I found in my mailbox this morning at the office."
"Another chain letter from one of your ex's?" Marik asked sarcastically. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"No! … Well yes, but not just that, look!" He reached for his inner pocket and took out a bunch of folded papers with a blue paper on top. He gave it to Atem. The young father opened it with a confused face.
"What's this?"
"That's a supine, ordered from the lawyer of a couple named Jack and Helga Moto, deciding who has true custody of Yugi!" Atem and Marik both jolted out of their chairs.
"WHAT!" Bakura nodded.
"Yeah, apparently, their lawyer is arguing that you're the one who kidnapped him ten years ago without their consent." Atem's jaw dropped.
"This is ridiculous!"
"That's what I said. I went to a judge trying to get rid of it, but their lawyer is very persuasive. The court date is in one week." Atem continued to look at the supine, shaking his head in denial.
"No, no they can't do this to me!" Tears started to fall down Atem's cheeks.
"I know, but they're saying that they want to have full custody of Yugi once again."
"But they're abusive!" Marik pointed out.
"Yeah, but you don't know how a lawyer works: they'll twist anything around just to make their case." Atem collapsed back into his chair, holding his head in his hands.
"What do we do?" Bakura smirked.
"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out. People are always stopping to say how cute Yugi is, so if we can get him to act extremely cute, then the jury will pity him and the Motos won't stand a chance."
"Maybe, but what if they buy their story? I'll lose Yugi … I can't let that happen …" Bakura placed a hand on Atem's shoulder.
"Bro, I promise I won't let that happen. We've got the upper hand here. It's their fault that Yugi is as sick as he is. All you have to do is tell them how you found Yugi and what happened that night in the ally." Atem looked up with teary eyes.
"You're right." Atem wiped the tears from his eyes. "If you two will excuse me, I'm going to go help Yugi with his homework and then we're going out to dinner." Atem slowly stood up and made his way toward his son's room. Bakura and Marik looked at each other with sympathedic looks.
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Yugi lay on his stomach on top of his bed with his legs swinging in the air. "Okay, a three-sided object is called a triangle, a four-sided object is called a quadrilateral, a five-sided object is a pentagon, a six-sided object is a hexagon, a seven-sided object is called a … … I don't know!" Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. Atem opened the door and came in.
"Hello, Little One."
"Hi, Dad!" Atem sat on Yugi's bed. "Dad, will you help me with my math vocabulary?" Atem reached for the math book.
"Sure; what are you doing, geometry?"
"Yeah, and I can't remember what a seven-sided figure is …"
"Well, think of if this way: you have for six, you have hex, for eight, remember an Octopus, and for seven, you a heptode..." He wanted Yugi to finish the word.
"Hepto ... heptagon!"
"Right! Now, what about eight sides?"
"Octagon!"
"Right and nine?"
"Nonagon."
"And the last one, ten would be …"
"A decagon!"
"Brilliant, Yugi!" That Special School Program was helping Yugi a lot. The small boy looked so happy that he remembered his vocabulary. A lot of times, words would just fall out of his head, even when it wasn't one of his Fugue episodes. Atem's smile faded at the thought of Yugi being taken away from him. He couldn't live without the child. He needed him. Without Yugi, his life had no meaning.
"Dad, are you okay?" Atem blinked a couple of times.
"Yes, I'm fine. Yugi, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Dad; what is it?"
"Those people … your … parents … what do you think of them?" Yugi face dropped when they were mentioned.
"Well … it'd be horrible … I can just tell that they'd hurt me the first chance they got. You wouldn't let them do that, would you, Dad?" Atem placed his hand on Yugi's cheek and caressed it. Yugi nuzzled his father's hand, just like every other time.
"Of course not, Yugi; I'd never let them hurt you." Yugi crawled into Atem's lap and cuddled his father's chest.
"Why do you ask?" Atem rested his chin in the boy's hair. Telling him about court would be very hard. He decided to wait to tell him.
"No reason; are you ready to get some dinner?"
"Yeah!" Ate chuckled at Yugi's cheerfulness; that cheerfulness that always seemed to be present, even on the cloudiest of days.
"Alright, go wash up and get your jacket." Yugi jumped off the bed and went to do as he was told.
"I promise, Yugi … that no matter what, I will fight for you." Atem said to himself. He'd have to prepare Yugi for court in order to face those people once again. He knew Bakura and Marik would help him no matter what. But for some reason, he couldn't shake off that feeling that something might happen. He decided to forget it for the rest of the night and have a carefree time with Yugi.
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End of Chapter
