Okay, the long awaited chapter is up, I had a lot of fighting over the direction of this chapter/story. The muses/bunnies never let up and they all wish to have their say. Updates may have slowed down, but nothing; nothing is forgotten or slips my mind.
Warnings: Rating M, Swearing, Child Abuse. If this type of thing offends you then DO NOT READ! This is a fictional story ONLY and nothing more. Flames will be used to toast my marshmallows. Disclaimer: I own nothing!! But for the plot, the plot belongs to my Bunnies, Muses and me.
Chap 28: Mother
Ryou huffed and grunted loudly with so much effort as he carried a large box by the kitchen door. Marik raised an eyebrow seeing nothing but that large box and small feet. He turned his attention back to the conversation over the phone.
Ryou entered the kitchen and walked right by Marik and out the back door. "If you're playing outside Ryou, put on a jacket!" Marik covered the phone up with his hand; he frowned when Ryou walked back in with a big stick and left the kitchen. Marik's attention was now on what Ryou was doing.
Again Ryou walked back into the kitchen, walking by Marik to the counter draws and pulled them open one after another, searching for something. Marik approached him, his curiosity now eating away at him. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Malik won't play with me," Ryou replied with a huff, a deep scowling frown of what could be summed up as concentration and determination. He pulled out a ball of string and left the kitchen once more. By the looks of it the boy was on a mission.
"Hey Runt," Bakura side stepped the boy, "Don't hung yourself with that." He joked; Ryou muttered something under his breath that he knew what he was doing.
"I'll call you back." Marik hung up the phone, placing it down and left the kitchen. He was feeling rather anxious about the news of the court hearing being moved up once again. Seemed as though Malik's father was getting nervous and wanting his kid back, over his dead body. Mai had reassured him that he didn't really have to do anything since she had everything she needed that would land Malik's father behind bars and the boy safely in his care. Still, he was nervous for both Malik and himself. He soon found Ryou in the living room as was Rishid.
Ryou wrapped a long bit of string around the stick, and then placed it vertically in the carpet and the box to balance on it. Ryou taking the string in hand. "What are you doing?" Marik knelt beside him, he had a rough idea, but when it came to Ryou no one really knew.
"A trap," Ryou sat back looking over his handy work. "I pull the rope and the box falls down and… it's a trap." He grinned at the older male.
"A trap," Marik mimicked skeptically, he glanced at his brother who shrugged and was happy to just watch, "Why do you need it?" Marik asked.
"Because," Ryou huffed again as if what he was doing was obvious and said nothing more about it. He wriggled his way under the box and was careful not to knock the stick. It would make him look foolish if he was ensnared by his own device.
"Okay," Marik mumbled scratching at his cheek looking rather lost on this purpose. "So what are you hoping to catch?" Marik thought maybe Ryou indented to capture his cat; however, Ra was curled up under the Christmas tree watching them and looked as though he had no intentions of moving from his spot any time soon unless food was on offer.
"I'm catching a Malik." Ryou said from under the box, legs crossed, string in hand. "This ways he can't gets away from me."
Rishid chuckled finding the situation rather amusing, "Oh yeah, that one's going to be trouble when he's older." He taunted Marik. "He'll be setting up such traps to capture girls or guys to steal their first kisses and their hearts." Rishid hooted with laughter at his own lame attempt at a joke.
"It's not funny!" Ryou scowled him from under the box, the meaning behind it going over his head. "Now go aways, Malik won't comes if he knows."
"Umm, Ryou…" A tune filled the room cutting off anything he was going to say, he stood up pulling out his cell-phone and glanced at the ID, which was lit up in bright blue. "Isis," Marik said leaving the living room.
'Marik.' Came her soft voice over the line.
"Hey, need to know, are you coming for dinner tonight?" Marik asked walking back into the kitchen.
'No.' There was a longer pause before she spoke up again. 'I need you to go over and pick up Milly for me. I kinda had a bit of a car accident.'
"Are you alright?" Marik stopped what he was doing, "Want me to come get you?"
'… No, I'm fine. I decided to stay in the city for a while. The Curator has more work for me then he first thought.'
"Wait, I need you here, Malik's court case is coming up. Are you going to be back in time?" Marik was now getting worried; his sister wouldn't miss something so important, especially when she knew that he needed her there and for her support as much as he needed Rishid.
'Marik I've been…" the line went silent for a moment before she spoke up again. 'I have to go.' The line went dead, frowning Marik hung up as well, her voice sounded so… strained. His stomach churned in a sickly way telling him something wasn't right; he hastily dialed her number and got the automated voice that the cell phone was turned off. Marik hung up; she never turned off her phone when she was away…
"I GOTS YOU!" Came Ryou's excited squeal from the living the room.
"Is everything alright?" Bakura asked from the table, hot drink in hand.
"No," Marik turned to face him. "I have to go pick up Milly."
Bakura stood up taking the cup with him. "She won't be healed properly. Ryou and Malik will see."
"I know, but there isn't anyone else and Isis is staying in the next city for work." Marik lent against the counter with a sigh.
"Don't they have… dog coats or something?" Bakura placed his cup in the sink. "I mean, couldn't we buy her one and that way you can bring her home."
Marik smirked as he ruffled Bakura's hair and left the kitchen. Pulling out his cell he punched in a message: Isis, call me as soon as you read this, no matter the time day or night. Be safe.
He pocketed the phone into his jeans and called out, "Guys we're going to get Milly."
Ryou threw the box aside and was up on his feet heading for the front door while dragging a rather annoyed Malik behind him.
Ryou felt the need to pat and cuddle every baby animal that was in the store and with a pouty face he could muster, tried to at least take home a kitten or two. It took Marik a good twenty minutes to get the boy out of the store. "Are you sure this is what you wanted?" Bakura asked Malik, holding up the new pink puppy jacket, with sliver rhinestones that spelled out: Cat Eater. It even had a hood with bunny ears.
Malik nodded and took back the coat when Bakura handed it to him. "I like it, it's cute" Ryou was all grins. The trip to Isis's apartment wasn't that long by car. Ryou chattered happily to Malik all the way about the kittens and the ones he liked the most, which was all of them.
Marik hoped he would drop the subject once they had Milly back.
Soon all four were at Isis's front door to her apartment. "Just give me a second." Marik said as he slipped through the door with the coat and lead in hand.
The apartment had been just as he remembered it, clean and tidy, though the air was a little stuffy from being closed up over night. "Milly!" He called with a whistle and walked through the open living space and stopped at seeing the dog gnawing on one of Isis's leather boots. "Mutt, you are so dead." Milly let out a few playful happy barks and bounced towards her master. Marik gathered her up in his hands and gave her a good pat. The wounds were starting to be over grown by fur and in another few weeks, no one would be able to see the name that had been carved into her side. He pulled the coat over her; it fitted snuggly and hid the wounds very well.
"That's her!" Ryou squealed happily hearing the puppy yap and rushed through the door.
"Ryou wait!" Bakura was after him as was Malik, all three young ones stopped in the threshold, eyes wide and mouths agape at the impeccable open plan apartment. Bakura let out a low whistle; everything was so expensive looking and so so … clean.
Marik put the dog down as Ryou was the first to rush up to her and hug her. "Be gentle Ryou, she is still not well." Marik said after hearing the dog whimper.
"Like Bakura?" Ryou asked looking up, Marik nodded his head.
"It's okay Milly, me and Malik will helps you get better," Ryou reassured the dog with gentle patting and giggled at how cute she looked in her new jacket.
"Do not expect me to be seen out in public walking her dressed like that." Bakura huffed crossing his arms over his chest.
"Where's Aunty Isis?" Ryou asked standing up once Malik picked up the Golden Retriever and silent giggles as she licked at his chin and cheek.
"She's gone away for a few days." Marik only hoped that she would be back sooner than that. "I just have one more stop to make before going home," Marik said, leading everyone out of the apartment and back to the car.
Marik soon pulled up outside the police station and lead boys inside. "I'll be a few moments. Wait right here, don't move." He sat Malik on his desk and Ryou on a chair with the dog, Bakura sat himself down in Marik's arm-chair and placed his feet up on the desk. Marik pushed them off and gave him a warning, "Behave."
Marik crossed the office, through to large double doors and down a long corridor, passing co-workers along the way. He opened a glass door and entered a room full of computers. He glanced about for a moment before he spotted the one person who could help him. "Kaiba." He greeted as he sat down in a chair beside the tall male.
"Hey Marik." Otogi was the only one to return the greeting kindheartedly.
"Need you to run a check for me." Marik wrote down a few numbers on a bit of paper and handed it to Kaiba. "It's a Lotus Esprit S4s, dark green."
"Nice car." Kaiba raised an eyebrow glancing at Marik. "Why am I looking?"
"Because, it belongs to my sister and she had a car accident." Marik wrote down Isis's cell phone number. "Track down her car; I want to know where it is." He passed Kaiba her cell number, "Track the signal for that cell phone."
"Why?" Kaiba gave him a level stare, both bit's of paper in front of him containing all the information he needed, why couldn't some cases be as simple as this.
"She hung up on me." Marik gave the simple answer.
"She hung up on you?!" Otogi mimicked, thinking it was strange. "You can get into a lot of trouble if the boss finds out that this is a personal search." He warned.
"Otogi, shut up." Kaiba hissed at his partner and then ignored him. "Why am I looking for your sister?"
"I have a bad feeling; she may be in some kind of trouble that she's not telling me." Marik stood up.
Kaiba heaved a sigh. "Does she have a GPS in her car?"
"No, I have one for her as a Christmas gift." Marik bit his lip.
"Fine, I'll do what I can." Kaiba said nothing more as he turned back to the computer in front of him.
"Thanks, I owe you one." Marik patted his shoulder and left the room and headed back to where he left the boys. He moved aside as two officers ran down the corridor and through the doors that led to the office part of the station. Suddenly Milly's yapping could be heard along with shouting.
Marik broke out into a run and burst in through the doors, with a gasp he fell back against the hard wood as office supplies were thrown across the room and shattered against the wall. All aimed for a woman, who was trembling and huddled behind a desk for protection. "Get the hell out of here!" Bakura screamed at the woman.
Malik stood frozen by Marik's desk, too frightened to move and watched the scene unfold before him.
"I said leave. We don't need you anymore!" Bakura was across the office and had grabbed the woman by the arm and dragged her towards the front doors of the station. "I know what you want and you're not getting it!" He shoved her against the door so hard that the glass cracked under the force, her head hitting it and almost instantly bleeding.
Yami and Shizuka stepped in keeping the woman from falling to the ground.
"Easy," Marik embraced the boy and pulled him back before the other officers could step in. He glanced over his shoulder and recognized the woman that had been hanging about the station for the past few days.
"I don't want her here!" Bakura struggled wanting to get the woman to understand that there was nothing here for her.
"Bakura, I'm your mother." She burst into tears, pulling a tissue practically out of nowhere and sobbed noisily into it, Marik turned his head to get a good look at her. She held no resemblance to the two boys at all, except her pale skin. "I've been worried sick about you. I thought you were dead in some gutter." She turned to Yami big green tear-filled eyes. "He just ran away one day and took my baby with him." Her eyes suddenly on the crying child and she moved forward, arms out to engulf the small boy in a hug. "Ryou honey, Mommy is here now. Everything's going to be alright."
Ryou shook his head, face twisted up in confusion and fright, he didn't know her, didn't understand why Bakura was so upset by the mere sight of her… was she one of the bad mens? "Daddy!" He turned and ran right for Marik wrapping his arms about the older male's leg and hid himself.
"What lies have you been telling my son?" She yelled at Marik horrified and angry to hear such a word come from her baby.
"Don't talk to him like that!?" Bakura yelled at her again, he was furious and having to be held back by Marik. Milly behind her masters, bounced in place, bravely yapping warnings that the woman was a threat. "Marik's more of a parent to us then you ever could be."
"They are my only children." She snapped at Marik.
Shizuka walked over to Ryou and picked him up and taking Malik by the hand and the dog lead and took all three to the safety of her office. "We want nothing to do with you… we were running away from you!" she fell silent. "Don't you get it, Ryou doesn't know you anymore. I can't stand you! We don't want anything to do with you."
"Enough," Marik growled pointing at the woman, he had to do something. "Get her into an interrogation room for questing." Yami nodded his head as he pulled the woman towards the doors at the other end of the building.
"You know what she wants and I'll be damned if she's getting her hands on Ryou." Bakura fell limp against Marik, allowing the older male to hold him now that he wasn't struggling. Bakura closed his eyes for a moment, it felt like everything that had been going so well for him and Ryou was quickly been taken away with one foul swoop. Ryou would be so heartbroken if he was forced to leave Marik and it would all be his mother's fault.
He snapped his eyes open and pulled from Marik's hold. "I have to get Ryou." He blurted out without thinking. His mother would open her month, bat her eyes and place on the charm and he and Ryou would be handed over to her… not if he could help it, he had to do everything in his power to keep them both away from her, to keep Ryou safe.
"What?" Marik grabbed his arm.
"We have to leave, now!" Bakura tried to pull away and called out. "Ryou!" He turned to get his little brother.
"You're not going anywhere." Marik pulled him back again and forced him to sit down in a chair.
"You know what she did to us." Bakura hissed at him, tears filled his eyes. Marik remembered and he wanted nothing more than to walk into the room and shoot hear point-blank range right between her eyes. "Please, just let us go."
"I'm not letting you go anywhere. Move and I'll handcuff you to that chair." Marik warned as he waved Mai over. Since he couldn't just shot the woman to keep the boys safe, he had to rely on the next best thing, Mai. She was the Knight in shining armor for children like Bakura, Ryou and Malik. Only if Bakura would open up to her and tell her everything that happened to them, what she sold them for.
"I can't do it again." Bakura stood up only to be shoved back down into the chair by Marik. "If she gets her hands on us… you know what she'll do to me… to Ryou. I told you." Bakura said desperately, wanting nothing more than to run as far away as possible.
"I know." Marik lent down slightly, "Trust me, I'm not letting anything happen to you or Ryou." Marik knelt down before him, "I want you to tell Mai everything. She can help you."
"NO!" Bakura jerked back it was to humiliating the first time he told Marik and what about the men he had killed, he'd surely go to jail for that. "If anyone found out, Ryou and I will be separated… I can't, I can't survive without him. I don't know how." Bakura broken down in tears and all the barriers and walls Bakura had placed up around him to give himself that strong untouchable front for the world to see, crumbled right before Marik's eyes.
"It's okay." Marik embraced him again and whispered in his ear. "Aren't you tired of running? There is only so much I can do." Marik pulled back, cupping Bakura's face in both hands. "Mai is the real miracle worker for such things. I can't just take custody of you without reason. You must give Mai that reason."
Bakura found it unbelievably tiring being on the run all the time, having to look over her shoulder very few minutes. He knew sooner or later his mother would pull herself together and find them, catch up with them somehow, he didn't think it would be this soon. He really didn't want to leave Marik or his house that he and Ryou started to look at as home.
"I'll tell you something that so few know." Mai walked around to face Bakura; she had heard the small conversation between the two. "This is not a job for me… this is more of a fixation. You wouldn't believe the amount of children I have helped get emancipated from parents that shouldn't have been allowed to breed in the first place." She held out her hand for him. "There is nothing you could tell me that would astound me." She gave a soft reassuring smile. "It would be confidential."
Bakura bit his lip; he didn't think he had the courage to tell his story to this woman all by himself. "Could… could Marik come with me?" Bakura asked holding onto the older male's hand.
"Anyone you want sweetheart." She reassured him.
TBC.
Everything now is falling into place and there isn't too many more chapters left, I was hoping to get into Malik court hearing next chapter, but this is something I can't rush and now the drama just keeps on coming lol, anyway Review (love and Cookies)