Love Will Find A Way

It saddened Mokuba and Rebecca to hear about Rachel's death and how Robert was so forceful towards his daughter when it was the last thing she needed. "Oh, Emily," the boy sighed. "I had no idea."

"It's hard to imagine you living with someone so cruel and forceful," Rebecca said.

"Sounds almost like me and Seto," Mokuba added.

"I had to put up with him for three years before I was able to come back here," said Emily.

"It must've been hard," said Rebecca.

It was hard. After getting Emily settled into his house, Robert was able to get her enrolled in school. Once again, however, her academic life was hard. She was still compliant to her teachers, but she got picked on by bullies again. None of the other students had any knowledge of what Emily had gone through in the past several weeks, but because the blonde always came to school crying, bullies treated her like she carried a disease because she always looked sick. No matter what act of kindness Emily would try to perform, she would always get pushed away and even pushed around.

Being bullied was something Emily was always used to, and for that matter, she decided she would rather be at school than at home because being at home meant putting up with her father. Robert didn't think of doing anything to make her daughter feel at home. Whenever Emily tried to tell her what she liked or how it was when she lived with Rachel, Robert wouldn't listen. He kept snapping at her that she lived in his house and had to follow his rules now.

He remained forceful when it came to the food she ate, how she dressed, what she looked like, how she had fun. To keep Emily focused on her academics, Robert took her toys and games and gave her books. He wanted her to read for one hour after finishing her homework. Thankfully, Emily was able to keep her collection of Duel Monster cards safe. There were also foods Emily didn't like, but Robert didn't care and told her to eat whatever was on her plate. Also, whenever he took her shopping for clothes, every time Emily found something she liked, Robert would rudely comment that she looked like a poor person. Instead, he brought her clothes that were uncomfortable like turtleneck sweaters and jeans.

It was also hard for Emily to keep contact with her friends. At home, whenever she called Yugi or Téa, Robert would touch the receiver and disconnect the call. It was always like that whenever Emily tried to call her mother when she stayed at Robert's house. Rachel wanted Emily to call her every day, but Robert wouldn't allow it. He would disconnect his daughter in the middle of the call or before it. Since Emily wasn't able to call her friends from home, she had to go out and use a pay phone.

Emily tried writing to her friends too, but Robert even got in the way with that. Once a month, Emily would write a letter to Yugi and Téa. They wrote back to her, but one day, Emily noticed that she wasn't receiving any letters from them. Then she realized that her father was keeping their letters from her. He really did want his daughter to forget about Yugi and Téa, so every time he went to the mailbox and found a letter from either of them, he would hide it.

That was when Robert decided to tell it to her straight out. "I'm going to make this plain. You're not friends with Yugi Muto. You've made a fool out of yourself over him for too long. I won't allow my daughter to keep fantasizing about a love with a senseless punk and forget what's important. You're going to get an education and you're going to forget him. Are we clear?"

Angry, she tells him, "No. We are not clear. I don't care what you say. I love Yugi. And just because Mom died doesn't mean you can control me."

He raises his voice and tells her, "I'm your dad and you will do what I say, like it or not."

"Yugi loves me for me," Emily protested. "Why can't you do the same?"

"Because you're my daughter and I will do with you as I see fit."

"By controlling me," Emily remarked, "by treating me as though I'm your pet or doll? I have my own feelings too!"

That was enough for Robert. He took the dictionary and hit it against her head. The book was hard, so it hurt a little bit. Robert said something, but Emily was too focused on her pain to listen. She went to her room and began wondering if this was why her mother left him; if she knew he would be this kind of person.

It didn't matter how hard Robert pushed his daughter. He didn't even realize that he wasn't doing anything to help. It wasn't because she didn't understand the material that she was struggling academically, but because she wasn't getting the support she needed. He didn't think he was keeping her from getting that kind of support.

When the counselors at school talked to Emily and realized the hardships she was facing at home and at school, Robert started receiving phone calls from doctors and social workers. They came to his house and inspected it to make sure it was clean and everything was organized. When they told Robert that his daughter wasn't happy, that came to be of no surprise to him. He knew it was because she lost her mother and was far away from everything she knew, but he lied and told them she didn't miss her mother or her friends. When they asked her if there was any reason why his daughter could be unhappy, he said it was just because she was traumatized.

Robert knew the social workers would be back, but he didn't want to look forward to it. That was when he came up with a sensible solution. Emily didn't want to be here and he certainly didn't want to put up with these people, so he decided that the best thing to do would be to disown his daughter.

When summer was over and Emily would soon be starting high school, Robert and Emily spoke to a few lawyers. It took a lot of consideration, but they were able to approve of Robert's petition. They helped Robert sign the necessary documents and they also helped Emily to find and buy a home for herself in the town of Domino. At last, Emily was going to be free from her father and free to be her own person again. She also called Yugi and Téa and told them the good news that she was finally coming home.

Robert hired a mover to help Emily transport her things to her new house. He also even gave Emily the letters he kept from her. Suddenly, he began to feel hurt. Helping his daughter move out made him reminisce about when Rachel left him. Now his daughter was leaving him. He wanted to stop this, but then decided that maybe this was for the best. Still, he hugged his daughter and wished her a safe trip. She hugged him back, thinking that this had to be the most sensible thing her father had ever done for her.

After releasing her father, the blonde jumped into the moving van. On the way home, Emily began singing.

Heart, don't fail me now

Courage, don't dessert me

Don't turn back now that we're here

People always say

Life is full of choices

No one ever mentions fear

Or how the world can seem so vast

On a journey to the past

Somewhere down this road

I know someone's waiting

Years of dreams just can't be wrong

Arms will open wide

I'll be safe and wanted

Finally home where I belong

Well, starting now, I'm learning fast

On this journey to the past

Home, love, family

There was once a time I must've had them too

Home, love, family

I will never be complete until I find you

One step at a time

One hope and another

Who knows where this road may go?

Back to who I was

On to find my future

Things my heart still needs to know

Yes, let this be a sign

Let this road be mine

Let it lead me to my past

And bring me home at last

After vocalizing that last note, she stepped outside the moving van and looked at her new home. She also got a welcoming committee standing in front of it. It was her two best friends who she missed so much.

Emily concluded the story by saying that Yugi and Téa helped her to get settled into her new house and they also helped her to get enrolled in school. "I'm sure you know the rest. After that was when our adventures started."

"Gosh, Emily," Mokuba sighed. "What a story."

"All that really happened?" Rebecca wondered.

"I may have exaggerated a little," the older girl replied modestly. "But I guess it was some kind of miracle that I was able to come back here."

"No kidding," said Rebecca. "Love really will find a way."

"All that stuff also really explains your dad's behavior a bit," Mokuba added. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that kind of person."

"Hey, you and your brother had to put up with worse compared to what I did," Emily told him. "Compared to your stepfather, my dad was just miserable."

"I guess maybe you're right," said Mokuba. "Well, Becca and I had better get going. Thanks for your hospitality."

"Can we come back next weekend?" Rebecca asked.

The older girl smiled and answered, "Of course you can." She really enjoyed having their company over and she was always happy to share her treats with them. Delighted, Mokuba and Rebecca give their thanks and take their leave. "It's true," Emily tells herself, "love will find a way."