Okay sorry for the long wait, I was finishing this, Yes that's rights it's finished, so all I have to do is edit it and post it when I get time, as I'm working on other stories too, so enjoy.

Warnings: Yaoi, M. though I haven't put anything in here to even reach the warnings that I have set up, (sighs).

You know I don't own, so why ask? (Narrows eyes)

CHAP 9: Bad Guys In The Wood Works

The next day on the other side of town Marik lent up against his motorbike under a bridge waiting, he got a call from User last night. The sun was just rising and sending its rays over this part of the world. He growled to himself he hated to get up so early. He was lucky that Bakura had gone home last night, or he would have had a hard time getting here. "I didn't think that you would come." A voice came from behind him. Marik didn't even move to see who it was.

"Of course I would. I asked you for information didn't I?" Marik snorted.

"Yeah you did." He walked around and stood in front of Marik, he had on a grey hooded jumper, with the hood over his head with red hair sticking out a little and black jeans. "And I got it." He pulled out an orange envelope from under his jumper. "What you were asking me to look for was the most unusual thing yet."

"It's just something that I've had a theory on." Marik pulled down his black sunglasses and looked the guy up and down.

"Some big theory then." He handed over the envelope Marik took it.

"What else did you find out?" Marik put it into his jacket he would look it over later in a more private place.

"Well everything that I looked up, which I crashed four computers doing mind you." At that Marik threw him a rolled up ball of money at his chest, which he caught with a smirk. "The name Gozaburo was signed at the bottom of everything I looked at, but also the name Founder was on everything and a Boots turned up every now and then."

"Who are they?" Marik looked at him as he put his money into his pants pocket.

"I have no idea." He shrugged. "But the name Founder looked pretty important, like he owned whatever was going down as the name was printed into the paper itself at the very top, like a water mark in money."

"Is this everything?" Marik asked.

"Yeah I managed to print it out before my fifth computer crashed, they had some hardware." He laughed.

"You know what I expect." Marik said as he got onto his bike giving him a look.

"Wooh… hey man, I'm nothing like Enter." He held up his hand. "I've kept nothing. I know nothing." Marik narrowed his eyes, they used such weird names to hide their real identity, he had used Enter once but never again and she seemed to have vanished.

"You do realize that I have to cover my ass every time I use you freaks?" Marik placed a hand in his open leather jacket.

"Please I know, you have everything, I come highly recommended, by Omega, and Ultra." He said wide-eyed and backing up, they both knew that he wouldn't get two feet before he would fall, so there was no use in him running away. Marik grunted and pulled his hand away.

"You forget what happened here, and I just may call on you again and the price will be bigger." Marik revved the bike and looked at User. "Just don't fuck up like the others, and you'll be with the walking for a while longer."

"Yes sir." He sighed relieved, but gasped as Marik stuck his hand into his jacket. "NO please, I'm the best you'll ever have working for you!" His eyes shut tightly and his hands clasped together in a prayer way, Marik just smirked. User blinked as something hit him in the chest and he fell over on his rear looking down and another rolled up ball of money lay in between his legs.

"A little extra." Marik sped off.

"Fucking psycho." User shakily got up and stumbled away.

Malik sighed as he watched Ryou run from cage to cage looking at all the dogs and cat's that had been sick or were getting treatment for something. "Hi." Ryou said with the biggest smile, then laughed every now and then at a dog that barked at him or a cat that purred, which Ryou mimicked purring back. Malik shook his head but then looked at the door as it opened.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Mai said as she walked in.

"That's okay." Malik pushed off the wall.

"Hi Ryou." She said, Ryou looked up from his spot on the floor and gave her a nervous smile.

"Hi." He lowered his head as he patted the cat with his fingers through the bars.

"So, how can I help you tonight?" She asked as she sat down on a chair.

"I got a phone call yesterday, the guy gave me Ryou's number and said a tracking device was in his left hand." She cut in.

"And you want me to have a look."

"And remove it if it's true." Malik sighed and looked away then whispered. "I don't want them to take him away."

"Alright." Mai stood up. "I'll do a full body scan to detect anything else that shouldn't be there, and I'll go from there." She led them through the halls to a room that had the words x-ray on the door. Malik talked Ryou into lying on the table, he shivered as he was only in his boxers.

The three stood in a room that Ryou had been bought into the very first time, looking at Ryou's x-rays. "There." She pointed to Ryou's left hand. "There is something there, that shouldn't be." She looked over the rest. "But I see nothing else. A few brakes." She pointed to his leg, a few ribs and his right arm "They've healed nicely." She turned off the bright light and pulled down the photos.

"What now?" Malik asked.

"I can remove it." She said. "Is that what you want?" Malik nodded his head. "I'll get everything ready. You get him onto the table." Malik looked at Ryou and walked him over to the table.

"What's going on?" Ryou asked titling his head to the side, as Malik picked up his left hand, it was the one with the burn and a cut as it was still bandaged.

"You have something in your hand that we need to take out, you're going to go to sleep for a little bit." Malik gave him a reassuring smile, Ryou bit his lip and shifted nervously. "You have to lay down now." He said as Mai walked up to them holding a gas mask in her hands.

"The gas won't keep him under as long as the needle will, but it'll leave him groggy after." She handed it to Malik, who moved and stood over Ryou's head and looked down.

"Malik?" Ryou started to shake in fear as he watched the mask come closer to his face, Malik stopped and lent down.

"I'll be right here when you wake up. I won't leave you." He kissed Ryou on the cheek then placed the mask over his nose and mouth, before Ryou could react to the kiss given. Ryou struggled to pull the mask off, bad things always happened when he was put to sleep.

"No, Malik make it stop!" Ryou cried out tears started fall, in his panting the gas entering his lungs working more quickly as Malik and Mai stopped his hands.

"It's okay Ryou, I won't let anything happen to you." Malik patted his head, as Ryou started to relax his mind fogged and Malik's words were unheard. He felt so tired, he made that sound that he always used on Malik to get his attention, Malik couldn't take his eyes off Ryou's it was the cutest sound that he had ever heard, but he felt guilty that he did this to him, but it was for the best, he watched his eyes dull over and Ryou fell asleep.

A little while later Malik and Mai stood over a small moveable table looking at a round metal device that blinked a little green light at them. Mai had to cut into the bone of Ryou's hand almost, to get it out, it took an hour to remove it. She also took out his stitches from his side, and Ryou still slept soundly in the portable bed in the corner, covered in blankets.

"I ran the test on Ryou." She looked at Malik, who raised an eyebrow at her. "I have never seen anything like it." She sat down, Malik turned and lent on the bench and looked at her. "He is human, but with differences… a lot." She frowned.

"Like what?" Malik asked.

"I'm not sure, I ran it all against my own, and nothing matched at all, but for the human part of him, when I was done I felt that I was in over my head." She sighed. "It was like I was five trying to read, Shakespeare and understand it at the same time." She looked up at Malik.

"Could he be that important? It could be pointless to try and keep him safe?" He looked at Mai worried would they come anyway for Ryou take him away back to just torture him all over again… and if by chance he met up with Ryou again in the future, he might not be the same person as he is now, but hell could freeze over before he would let them walk in and take Ryou away.

"I have no idea, but from what I saw… I say so. Someone is going to want him back Malik as much as you want to keep him..." She trailed off.

"M-Malik?" Came the soft call from the corner, Malik walked over instantly and sat on the end of the small bed.

"I'm here." Malik caressed his cheek, as Ryou lent into the touch. He murmured Malik's name again as he got up but crawled over to Malik and curled up on his lap and nuzzled into his chest and fell back asleep.

"I'll take him home." Malik got up with Ryou in his arms.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Mai picked up the metal thing.

"Drop it." Malik said and she did, it clicked on the floor, then he smashed the heel of his boot onto it breaking it into small pieces. "Burn it as well." He said as she nodded her head and scooped up the pieces.

"Bye Mai and thanks for everything, again." He smiled at her.

"Anytime Malik." She winked at him and he left.

Malik walked in through the door of the game shop and up to his room that Yugi had given him, he laid Ryou on the bed and climbed in after him, he pulled Ryou closer and covered them both up with the blanket. "Malik?" Ryou opened his eyes and looked up.

"How are you feeling?" Malik ran a hand through Ryou's hair, who started to purr.

"Okay." Ryou snuggled up to him more so every part had some kind of contact with Malik. "Why was I there?"

"You had something in your hand remember?" Ryou nodded his head, then touched his cheek where Malik had kissed him.

"Why did you do this?" He rubbed his cheek, Malik blushed and glad that it was dark.

"It was a kiss, we should get some…" Malik's voice died in his throat as Ryou lent up still purring and his ears pricked forward as he slowly licked Malik's cheek.

"Good night." Ryou snuggled himself closer if it was possible and nuzzled into his neck. Malik smirked and hugged Ryou more tightly, he didn't feel quite so alone anymore.

The next morning they headed off for the day. Ryou held Malik's hand as they walked down the street. He just wanted to know if Ryou knew his way to where he worked. Ryou didn't seem to notice that his hand had been cut into again and re-bandaged. Malik was still concerned about the men that 'went away' according to Ryou. They worked on Ryou's talking the night before and he was getting the hang of it a lot more than before.

"Where are you going today?" Ryou asked, looking up at Malik. Ryou only came up to his chest in height, he was small in size also.

"I'm going to school for the day." Malik glanced down at him Ryou gave him a smile.

"There it is!" Ryou pointed and jumped up and down. Malik smiled, as they walked up and opened the door. Ryou spotted Serenity and ran up to her. "I'm here now." He said stating the obvious.

"I can see that, why don't you get changed." She said. "Do you remember where the bathroom is?"

"I remember." He said and ran towards the back door.

"Are you sure you want to give Ryou this job?" Malik said.

"Yes." She looked up at him.

"Are you doing this because someone told you of my recent sacking?" Malik said as he looked at the door that Ryou had run into.

"No not at all, it gets so busy here that I'm run off my feet." She said. "I have to take time off school to run this place some times." She sighed, the shop belonged to her father, who had died a few years back, so she now ran it, though her mother wanted to sell it, but Serenity just couldn't part with it, taking time off school to run it, but not once did she fall behind in her grades.

"I'll give you my cell number if anything happens." Malik wrote it down. "I'll be in school, but I'll have it on at all times." He handed her the piece of paper with his number on it.

"Oh do me a favour and give this to Jou he forgot it this morning." She ran into the kitchen then came back again a few minutes later and handed Malik a backpack.

"He would forget his head if it wasn't screwed on." Malik shook his head as she giggled.

"Oh… will you be picking Ryou up after school?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll stop by and see how he went for the day." By this time Ryou came out in a white t-shirt and black pants with a white apron with his hair tied back. "Well I'm going now Ryou." The said teen ran up and hugged him.

"I'll see you later?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah." Malik patted his head. "You be good and listen to everything Serenity tells you."

"I will." Ryou let him go and stepped back.

"The bread is about to come out of the oven, Ryou." She said and Ryou nodded his head.

"Bye Malik." Ryou watched him leave and when he couldn't see Malik anymore, he ran off into the kitchen with Serenity.

Malik mumbled to himself about Ryou getting a job, right after he got fired, and Ryou had only been here for a short time, but was happy for Ryou, really. But he couldn't ask Ryou to support them, or himself, though he probably could, but couldn't let that happen.

The day dragged on and Malik daydreamed in class, about none other than Ryou. Malik shifted in his seat, how Ryou would purr when he rubbed or scratched his ears, and if he ignored Ryou, he would do something to get the attention that he wanted from him. Ryou was cute in every way, how every small thing interested him, and made Malik look at things in a whole new perspective. Malik smiled as he moved his chin into the other hand. And how Ryou would follow him everywhere, and make the cutest sounds when left behind, and that lick or kiss he got from Ryou.

Malik blushed and sat upright in his chair blinking. Was he falling for Ryou? He shook his head and passed it off as just too observant of the boy, 'that's all.' At lunchtime Malik found himself walking through the cafeteria and spotted Ryuuji Otogi, he had long black hair tied up in the back and a headband on and bright green eyes. "Hey." he said before Malik could say anything.

"Hey." Malik sat down with his food.

"Hey Otogi, Malik." Bakura said as he sat down a few minutes later.

"Hey." Malik and Otogi said together, it was such a thrilling day for them. "Where's Mar…" He didn't get to finish as the room was filled with girlish screams, the three looked over to see Marik grinning like a mad man and walked out of a crowd of girls that were huddled together giving him looks while talking to each other and he sat down next to Bakura.

"Girls are so easy to freak out." Marik chuckled, as Bakura shook his head. "So where's Ryou?" He asked.

"Working." Malik sighed, he found that he missed having Ryou around and that made him a little depressed, but Ryou working for himself, would mean that Malik didn't have to look for that second job. He could pull in what he needed and have more time for Ryou.

"That's right?" Bakura and Marik said at the same time.

"That was kinda of surprising, what's he doing? Chasing mice?" They both laughed, but stopped, as Malik gave them a not to pleased look.

"He helps Serenity with the cooking and severing costumers." Malik poked at his food, as his stomach rolled over.

"What's wrong Malik separation anxiety?" Bakura laughed noticing the look.

"No just worried that he could burn the place down or hurt himself." Malik said as he lent his head in his left hand and drummed his fingers on his cheek in a board manner.

"Now I would pay to see that." Marik said smirking taking a mouthful.

"I don't know if he's quite fitting in." Malik sighed he had lost his appetite for what the school could call food and pushed it from him.

"Well if he landed a job on his own, I'd say he's doing quite well." Bakura added grabbing his can of soda and take a long drink.

"Do you really think that anyone notices him when you're out?" Marik asked, locking gazes with Malik and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well no, with the little odd things he does I'm surprised that anyone hasn't yet." Malik blinked a few times sitting straight up again.

"Well you have your answer." Marik pointed out and went back to his lunch.

"But I can only show him so much. And what if he wants to move on one day see the world?" Malik glanced out the window, and it saddened him to think like that and hoped that Ryou would be with him for a lot longer than a few months or years.

"Maybe your right. You can't keep him here because you have an infatuation with him." Marik said. "But for now you two can have all sorts of fun until that day." Marik frowned. "That's if that day comes, Ryou's very attached to you as it is." Malik gave him a look.

"What?" His voice came out strained.

"You haven't noticed, the way he looks at you he's very protective of you, he jumped Bakura because he tackled you at the bike shed. He was ready to take his head." Marik pointed out. Malik glanced at Bakura then back to Marik, Otogi watched the conversation between them.

"So I would say, he wouldn't leave you anytime soon on his own accord." Bakura finished.

"What are you two scheming?" Came a voice, they all looked up to see none other than Seto.

"The usual." Bakura waved it off as the tall teen sat down.

"Like burning things down, stealing that kinda stuff." Marik added changing the subject.

"Yes things I don't want to hear." Seto raised an eyebrow as he took a drink. "So is there a race on this weekend?"

"You bet. All four of us are racing. We have a new group coming all the way in from America." Marik said. Seto was the kind of guy that you talked to once in awhile and was a handy person to know, and be on a kinda friendly terms with, if you didn't get on his bad side. Marik, Bakura, Malik and Jou have known Seto for a few years, as he turned up at the track a few times and ate lunch on the occasion with them and talked.

"So moneybags, who are you betting on?" Came another voice from behind them.

"Not you, we all know that dogs come last in the scheme of things, in life, money, love, and potential." Seto smirked.

"Ahh. Your still sore that you didn't bet on me last weekend, and lost money, even though I came second." Jou grinned as he sat down, moving the blonde hair out of his honey brown eyes.

"See lesson learnt dogs come second to everything and you don't bet on them." He smirked.

"Yeah whatever." Jou growled as he started to eat.

The day went by and Malik was standing out the front of the school, with Bakura, Marik, Jou and Seto all talking with each other.

"Guys I'm going now." Malik said as he looked at his watch getting the attention of everyone.

"Already, I thought we could go cause some trouble at the mall." Bakura said.

"Actually I can't I have paper work to do." Marik pointed out, Bakura gave him a look.

"You do?" Bakura asked Marik who just nodded his head as they got into a conversation with each other over it.

"Well I have to get Ryou from work." Malik started to walk away.

"Hey how did he go?" Malik asked as he walked into the shop. Serenity was behind the counter.

"Great, I couldn't be happier with his work." She said.

"Really?" Malik asked, he had expected Ryou to do something wrong and her to be pissed beyond words and ask never to see him again.

"Yeah." She walked around the counter.

"Malik!" Ryou called out and ran up to him pushing Malik backwards to the glass door by the force he used.

"I helped cook, talk to people, sold cakes, and I helped put out cakes, and put strawberries on them, and helped the delivery man put the bread on his truck." Ryou beamed. "Serenity said I was a big help and could come back to help."

"Ryou breath." Malik chuckled and patted Ryou on the head, who made a sound it was crossed between a purr and a high pitched sound.

"Ryou you can go home now, we're done for the day." She said smiling.

"Okay," Ryou nodded and ran into the back but come out soon after, changed into his clothes that he had come in that morning.

"Now this is for you." She handed Ryou an envelope, with Ryou Ishtar written on it.

"What is it?" He asked holding it up.

"Your pay for today. The money you earned." She said. Ryou looked at her a little confused.

"So I can buy Malik's clothes now?" He asked.

"Yes." She smiled. "Now you come in twice a week to help out." She looked at Malik. "Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm the most busiest."

"Okay, thank you so much." Malik said.

"Please I really didn't mind he's so sweet." She waved them off as they left the shop.

"This is money?" Ryou asked as he looked at the envelope.

"No, the money is inside." Malik smiled as he stopped walking and took it from Ryou, he folded it up and put it into Ryou's back pocket. He took Ryou's hand again and started to walk down the street.

On the other side of town in an office to a large estate, A screen to a laptop lit up the dark area of the room, showing the back of a black leather chair and a wall of glass showing the world outside with flashes of lighting every now and then. "Sir, I have some bad news." Came a voice from the speakers of the laptop.

"I know all about it." Said the voice from behind the chair. "The question is what are you going to do about it?" His cold voice rang out in the room.

"Gozaburo, sent out men to retrieve 482. He is now in Machu Picchu as we speak, he landed two days ago."

"You idiot, he's not there, you've been had. Get me Gozaburo." He growled. The screen went blank for a minute until the face of an older man stared at the back of the chair.

"Yes Sir." Gozaburo said.

"Shut the hell up, and tell me what the hell have you been doing all this time?" He snapped at the older man.

"Well we have been."

"Tracking 482's movements I know." He cut him off. "You've been had, you idiot." He growled at the older man.

"We found out once we got here." Gozaburo said a little more than annoyed.

"Have you found his location at all besides Machu Picchu?" He asked as lighting ripped through the sky lighting up the dark room.

"No. 482's tracking has been… damaged. We're not picking him up anymore at all."

"Well then might I suggest that you send out one of the other ones, to track down 482 and bring him back?" He said in a calmer tone.

"Sir, might I suggest that you use yours?" Gozaburo said and his boss almost choked on his own saliva.

"My… I gave time and money into him, and there will be no way that I would use him to fix your mistakes. Find him and when you do, do not hesitate to kill him and anyone that stands in your way."

"But sir, what about the media?"

"Don't worry about them, I can handle them, just do your job and deal with the culprit that hacked the system to begin with. And when you get 482 I want him delivered to me." The screen went blank, if he was to use his own, he shook his head. 'I'll only use him as a last resort.' He thought to himself, the doors then opened in front of him and a woman stood there.

"Sir, I have found that information that you requested." She said as she walked up to his desk and put the folder down then pushed it in front of him, "We also found someone was trying to hack into our systems mainframe by the name of The User and what they were looking for." She put down another folder.

"Did you look at these?" He asked.

"Sir, I like working here and have been you're assistant for years." She smiled.

"Go home I don't need you anymore." She bowed her head and left, if he got his hands on 482 he would pay for running away.

TBC

Oh my a few people are after Ryou now, O.O but they still don't know where he is, and Marik's up to something, and any guesses on the guy that was in the chair, kinda reminded me of Inspector gadget, you know Doctor Claw, never seeing his face O.o anyway. I love to hear from you guys, even if it's just a Hi, anything, I don't care, just R&R