Disclaimer: Journey Maker doesn't own Yugioh

Chapter Seven

Helga came back downstairs from finding some clothes that she hoped would fit Joey until she had a chance to go shopping tomorrow. As she stood in the doorway of the family room, she was listening to what Malik asked and how Joey answered him. She thought that he handled it a well as he could, then she smiled as she heard what Mokie said.

She walked into the room and said, "I think it's time for all the young ones to go upstairs, take a bath and get ready for bed, I'll be up after I talk to Joey." Mokie, Yugi, Ryou and Malik went over to Roland, gave him a kiss and then they went to their older siblings and said, "Goodnight." Then they went upstairs.

Helga walked over to where Seto and Joey were and she said, "I put some clothes on your bed, I hope that they fit, now I think that you and Seto need to get to bed, I'll be up after I go get the girls upstairs."

Seto and Joey went up to their room and Seto said, "You can shower first, I'll check and see if mom found you something to sleep in, if not, I'll let you wear something of mine."

Joey took a shower, then he came out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist, when Seto turned around, Joey tried to hide the scars that reminded him of what that bastard did to him. Seto said, "We all have scars, some worse the the others, here try this t-shirt on, I think that it'll fit."

Then Seto went into the bathroom and took his shower, when he came out, Joey was standing in front of the window, Seto knew that the wanted to ask him something, so Seto said, "What's on your mind?"

Joey said, "Tell me about the others." Seto said, "You might as well set on the bed, this could take a long time." There was a knock on the door, Seto said, "Come in." There stood Roland and Helga and she smiled at them and said, "We came to make sure that you both are alright, and I wanted to know if the clothes I left fit Joey or not."

Joey said, "Thanks they are really nice, but some of the t-shirts are way too big." Roland walked over and picked on up and said, "Babe, these are some of Bakura's old things, no wonder that they are too big."

Helga knew that Joey had something on his mind, but decided to let him and Seto talk, so they both went over and gave each of the boys a hug and she kissed them and Roland said, "If either of you need anything, Seto you know where our room is." Then they left, after the door closed Seto said, "You'll get use to the hugging and mom's kisses."

Then Seto looked at Joey and he said, "Alright, first I'll tell you about my brother, one of the neighbors would take Mokie in and give him something to eat, just to keep him from being hurt like I was, this woman was in her early sixties so she couldn't stop my abuse but she saved Mokie.

Bakura is the oldest, his dad and his new wife raised him, his dad hated him because his new mom paid to much attention to Bakura and not him, and so the beatings began.

He ran away several times, but the cops just brought him back, they didn't know about the beatings and hell even if they did, what could they do about it, back then it was considered punishing a child, not abuse.

Dad got involved when he got out of the service and married mom, one day he was on his way to work when he nearly ran over Bakura.

Bakura was a bloody mess, dad knew that he didn't get that way from playing with other kids, so he brought him home, mom cleaned him up under protest, but she soon had him trusting her and when she was done, he had fallen asleep, dad knew that he had to find out what was going on.

It was like that for Yami and Marik too, Yami's abuse was at the hands of his grandfather, he was a mean old man who thought that if you spared the rod, you spoiled the child, so he was beaten daily, sometimes more then that.

Marik, well it was his father and Uncle they both thought it was fun seeing him squirm whenever they hit him with a belt or whatever they could find, then like the others, dad and mom intervened and stopped the abuse."

Then Seto said, "There's Ishizu, mom found her wandering in an alley outside the dress shop in town, she was delirious from fever, she had been forced to let men use her for sex so that her dad could get the money, her fever was caused by something that she picked up from letting men touch her.

Then there is Mai, she was almost as bad off as Ishizu was, but instead of being made to let men touch her, she was forced to go out and steal things so that her mom and Aunt could hock them and get money for their drug habits, if she didn't then she got beat, the last time they nearly killed her.

Then there is Serenity, well from what I heard the other girls talking about, she was found in a dumpster outside a gas station when she was two months old, she was strung out on drugs and not expected to live. A social worker who put all of us into mom and dad's care told mom about her and that's how she came to be here.

Then there is Yugi, Ryou and Malik, they were all born into a family that didn't want them and tried everything that they could to kill them, but those three are fighters and kept on living.

One day while mom was visiting and friend in the hospital, she overheard a nurse talking about the triplets in the Nursery Intensive Care, and how the oldest was fighting for his life.

Well that's all she had to hear, she told dad and they contacted Mary Wilson, the Social Worker, and asked about the triplets, Mary knew that when they were ready the little ones would be living with dad and mom and our large dysfunctional family."

Seto looked over at the clock and said, "We better get to bed, it's nealy midnight and tomorrow is laundry day, so mom's going to be early getting all the laundry for us to help do, if she knows that we have been talking all night, well let's just say that she'll find a chore for us to do, and they aren't the kind you want to do."

So as they got into their beds, Seto turned off the light and said, "Goodnight Joey." Joey said, "See you in the morning." Seto could hear the fear in his voice and he said, "If you have a bad dream, wake me up, I'll go get mom, she's good at chasing them away." Joey said, "Alright." Joey didn't have one, he slept better then he ever had.

Every night, both Roland and Helga went around, told all their kids goodnight, and tonight was the same, when they knocked on Bakura's bedroom door, he opened it and smiled at them and he said, "I'll check on Joey, and make sure that he's alright."

Helga smiled and said, "You've always been their protector ever since we first brought them home." Then they both gave him a hug and she kissed his cheek and he said, "Goodnight, and yes I know that in the morning is laundry day, I'll make sure that I'm up on time." Roland laughed and said, "That's what they all told her." Then he closed his door and they went back downstairs and went to their room.

When Roland closed the door, he said, "Joey will be alright, he's with Seto and it they need us, we'll know." Then he kissed her and as he went to take his shower, when he came out and got ready for bed, she went over and stood behind him, she kissed the scars that still were there on his back.

She picked up the lotion and rubbed some on his back and he said, "God blessed me the day we met, you're the angel who saved me and the kids."

She kissed his back and said, "I love you and our children and it was you who gave me a reason to live, without you and our children I don't know what would have happened."

Please R&R..

Chapter Eight Coming Up..