Hey, people. Sorry this one's late. What do ya know, it's my first update of '09. Like your new year? I did. I shared a kiss with the boy I wanted and then ended up with laryngitis! Still have it, by the way. Anyhoo, a little note about 'Evil in the Heart': I finally came up with an idea for the new chapter, but it's going to take some research and I really wanna get it right. So don't fret; it's in the works, but give me at least two weeks so that I can get through the research and start writing it. I want it to be at least A BIT accurate and a surprise. I got the inspiration for it this week. Other than that, I do have a bit of a dilema to work out. I want to start a new story, just so that I can see how people would take it. Problem is, I don't know if it'll work. Here's what I'm thinking:
Atem Moto is a young genius. At the age of eighteen and still in high school, the local university has hired him to be the lead scientist of their Cosmology department. He sets up a satellite that will give him more understanding of the further gas giant planets, Uranus and Neptune. That satellite sends him sound signals with data. However, one day, he discovers some sound waves that did not look like normal data. In fact, they look like a message. He decides to send up a camera on the satellite. While going through the photos, he discovers a picture of a blue colored gas that looks strangly like it has a head and two arms. What's even more strange is that the had looks exactly like him ...
Haven't really decided the genre other than sci/fi. See, I don't know if this is gonna work, but I've drawn some pictures to go with it so I'll upload them as quickly as I can so that you can see for yourself. If you didn't understand it, Yugi's made out of hydrogen. He lives on Neptune (still haven't decided if I wanna do that) and floats around space and sees the satellite and decides to play with it. Okay, if you think this won't work, then I won't do it. But wait until you see the pictures first.
Oh, one more thing! I changed Yugi's mother's name from Kiara to Miyuki for this story only. She's still Kiara, but her name is Miyuki so that it's split between Japanese and Egyptian. Don't ask me why; I've thought long and hard, and this was the only way I could do this. Also, I really liked this one, so I may expand on it. I haven't really decided yet. If you think I can go further with the twins, then I might. Okay, that's all I wanted to say. (little joke; see, I have laryngitis ... I can't speak ... forget it ...)
---
Atem Hassan paced around the waiting room in the maternity ward of the hospital. He was about to find out the gender of his baby that a girl named Miyuki Moto was carrying. Atem and Miyuki had dated for a while and thought that things were going well, so they had one special intimate night together, before they broke up the next week. However, a week after their break up, Miyuki announced to Atem that she was pregnant.
Atem was shocked at first. They were only juniors in high school. But, they worked together through Miyuki's first trimester and they were doing well so far. Today is the day Atem would find out if his child was a boy or a girl. That is … if Miyuki would ever arrive! She was usually late. Atem could understand now, since she was five months pregnant, but even before she was pregnant she had a hard time being on time. Atem turned when he heard the elevator door ding and Miyuki came out, in a wheelchair and being pushed by a male nurse.
"Can you take it from here, Ma'am?" Atem could see Miyuki cringe at being called 'Ma'am'.
"Yes, I'll be fine. The father's right there." She motioned over to Atem, who did not quite understand the situation. Miyuki picked herself up from the wheelchair and walked over to Atem.
"What happened, why were you in a wheelchair?" He asked. Miyuki sighed.
"Oh, I was just a little tired so he offered to escort me up here." Atem eyed her suspiciously. His hands were on his hips.
"And you didn't notice his flirting?"
"Flirting? Atem, you read too much into things. He was just doing his job." Sometimes Atem became a little jealous when Miyuki received attention from other guys; even though they were not officially together anymore. Atem decided to shrug this one off and get to the reason why they were here in the first place.
"Fine, let's just sign in and get this show on the road." Miyuki agreed. They reached the desk and signed in. The receptionist told them that the doctor would see them shortly. Atem sat nervously in his seat. His leg kept moving from his nervousness. Miyuki, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. She was reading a baby magazine, trying to ignore Atem's constant nervous moving and not doing a very good job. Exhaling loudly and dropping the magazine to her lap, she finally turned to the father of her child.
"Atem, would you please calm down? You're not usually this nervous." Atem finally stood up.
"I can't help it. How can you stay so calm?" Miyuki smirked.
"It's easy when you have a growing baby in your stomach and too much moving could be dangerous to it." Atem rolled his eyes. He could never understand how Miyuki could always stay so calm even in the most intense situations. Finally, the door opened and a nurse appeared. He could tell she was there to call them because they were the only ones in that room. When they entered the room, Atem's nervousness once again took him over. He kept looking at all the posters and models of the female reproductive system. It made him feel a little uncomfortable. Sensing it, Miyuki groaned in frustration.
"Honestly, Atem! It's nothing you don't know about." Atem cocked his head in awe while looking at a model of a fetus in a woman's uterus.
"Yes, but seeing and knowing are two different things …" Miyuki rolled her eyes.
"Men are such idiots …" She said under her breath. Whether Atem heard her or not was unknown because he kept walking all over the room, arms folded. It was beginning to be a bit too much for Miyuki.
"Oh for God's sake!" She took Atem by the arm and forced him to sit down in a chair. "There; now stay there!" Atem made an attempt to get up and argue, but when a pregnant woman is pissed, she gets what she wants. "Don't even try!" Afraid to push her any further, Atem decided to be a good boy and sit quietly until the doctor came in. "Atem, when the doctor comes in, I want you to be silent. You have nothing to say. I'm going to do all the talking. You obviously can't handle this right now." The male teen was about to reply, but Miyuki stopped him. "Don't! You don't speak at all!" Like a sad puppy, Atem hung his head in obedience.
Finally, the door opened and a female doctor came in. She looked young, with blonde hair and a smile on her face. She could not have been much older than them. "Hello and how are we doing today?" Atem made a move to stand up and say something, but Miyuki placed her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.
"We're fine, Dr. Lamoine." Dr. Lamoine looked at Atem and smiled.
"And this must be the father." She held her hand out for Atem to shake it. "This must be your first time here, right?" Atem looked at Miyuki to make sure that it as alright for him to answer. She glared at him. Atem shook the doctor's hand anyway.
"I have nothing to say." He said, as if he had been programmed to say that. Dr. Lamoine just chuckled.
"Alrighty then; shall we get started?" Miyuki nodded and hopped back up onto the examination table. She lifted up her shirt and Atem stood beside her. Dr. Lamoine applied a cool gel to Miyuki's stomach, which gave the mother-to-be chills. The doctor turned on the monitor next to the examination table and a small, black and white picture appeared. Both Atem and Miyuki were able to stop their bickering and just enjoy the image they were seeing on the screen.
"Oh my God …" Atem said, not knowing that he had grabbed Miyuki's hand unconsciously.
"That's our baby …" Miyuki said, with a tone that sounded as if she were about to cry. Miyuki had to wipe the tears from her eyes. And when she did, Atem cried out:
"OH MY GOD!" This scared her.
"What, what is it?!" Atem pointed to the screen.
"Why does it have two heads?!" Miyuki squealed in horror. However, Dr. Lamoine just laughed.
"There are two heads because there are two babies." Both parents looked at the doctor as if she was the one with two heads.
"HUH?!" The doctor just kept smiling.
"You're having twins!" The parents-to-be dropped their jaws.
"Twins?" Miyuki's shock soon turned into excitement. "Isn't that wonderful, Atem? … Atem?" She looked over to see that the father of her twins had fainted.
---
After Atem had regained consciousness and registered in his mind that he was, in fact, having twins, he walked all the way home to his grandfather's game shop. Atem's grandfather, Solomon, had raised Atem since he was two. His father did not stay with his mother when they found out she was pregnant with Atem, and his mother did not have any patience for children. So she paid Solomon one thousand dollars a month to keep him out of her hair. Atem did not mind. He did not think much of his mother and thought the world of his grandfather. Anyway, Atem sluggishly entered the house that was connected to the small game shop. "Grandpa, I'm home …" Solomon came out of the kitchen, drying a plate.
"Welcome home." He disappeared back into the kitchen to put the dish away. Atem plopped down onto the sofa, his face covered by his hands. "So?"
"'So' what?" Solomon took a seat in his armchair with a smile on his face.
"Don't keep me in suspense; is it a boy or a girl?" Atem did not even lift his head to answer.
"… We don't know."
"What? What do you mean you don't know?" Atem still did not look at his grandfather.
"We found something else out instead …" The old man raised a brow and counted the possibilities on his fingers. Boy or girl. That was it. What else was left? Before he was able to ask the question, Atem answered. "It's twins." Solomon was overjoyed. He would have two great-grandchildren. When Atem had told his grandfather that he had gotten Miyuki pregnant, the old man had thrown a fit, saying how irresponsible Atem had been, lecturing him for hours, and saying that he was going to be forced to do the right thing and take care of Miyuki and the baby; which Atem was planning on doing anyway. He wanted to be noting like his own father.
"Twins …"
"Yes, that's exactly what I said … before I fainted." Solomon gave his grandson a confused look.
"Why did you faint?" Atem finally looked at Solomon.
"Because … it's twins! It was one thing when I thought there was only one, but two is just too much!"
"So you'll just have to adjust to one more baby; that won't be too difficult.
"But Grandpa, I was all set on having only one baby. Now I find out there's another and I'm going crazy! I don't know if I can handle two kids on my own."
"You won't be alone. You'll have me, your friends and Miyuki."
"But Miyuki and I aren't together anymore. We're going to split every-other-day. That was the agreement." Atem stood up, his voice was rising in, what Solomon assumed, was anger, "of course, that plan was made when we thought there was only going to be one baby!" He was fully yelling now.
"Atem, calm down. This not the babies' fault. They're not even born yet." Atem sighed.
"I know. I just need some time to take all of this in. Solomon stood up, not wanting to lecture Atem at this moment.
"Well, you have four months to accept this fact. If you can't by then, then maybe Miyuki and those babies would be better off without you." Atem's head snapped to his grandfather with a glare.
"How could you say that?!" Solomon shrugged.
"If you can't accept both children, then maybe you should just leave them alone. Think about this, Atem." With those words, the old man went upstairs. Atem sighed again. He knew his grandfather was right. He had to accept this twin thing or do nothing at all.
---
It took some time, but Atem was finally able to accept that he was going to be the father of twins. By the time Miyuki reached seven months, she was so big that she could hardly move around at all. If Miyuki's parents were not with her, Atem was. He did everything for her: he brought her food, drew her baths, massaged her shoulders, and tolerated her mood swings. He was basically her servant for the next few months.
Once month eight came around, it was time to talk about names. Atem wanted to give the babies Egyptian names, since that was his heritage, but Miyuki wanted to give them Japanese names, since that was her heritage. They clashed on this for a few weeks before deciding on half and half. One would have an Egyptian name while the other one had a Japanese name. Then there was the argument with the surname. Atem desperately wanted the babies to have his name, but Miyuki did too. They both agreed that they should not do the half and half thing this time. No, they would just come up with an alternative last name, using the letters from their own last names.
Finally, month nine came around. Since this was Miyuki's first pregnancy she had no idea what the contractions would feel like. She thought that every little pain in her stomach was a contraction. One time, she actually did go into false labor. Atem moved into her house, just so that he could be near her in case she actually did go into labor.
Then the day came where Miyuki's water broke. They both knew that this was it. Their babies were coming now! Atem tried to remain calm throughout the drive to the hospital, but he was sweating so badly that the driver's seat was practically soaked when he got up. While Miyuki was getting settled into her room, Atem was putting on scrubs so that he could witness the birth of his children. He had to take a couple of breaths before facing Miyuki. She kept up a calm smile the whole time, but Atem figured that if she was feeling anything like he was feeling, than she was probably faking it. He had to be strong now. He was going to have a family to take care of and that meant that fear could not have a place in his mind anymore. He knew that his grandfather and Miyuki's parents were out in the waiting room. Some how, those adults got along extremely well. Suddenly, he heard a scream and instantly knew it was Miyuki. He ran into the room just in time to see the first baby come out.
"What's going on?" He stupendously asked. Miyuki screamed her answer. A nurse turned and walked over to him.
"Dad, we could use your help here." Atem assumed that 'Dad' was him. He went to Miyuki and took her hand. She looked at him with a tired face and teary eyes.
"Atem, it hurts so bad!" The nurse gave Atem a mask and a washcloth. He put the mask on and dabbed Miyuki with the washcloth.
"You're doing great, Mee. Just think of those two beautiful babies waiting to meet you." Miyuki smiled. Atem did a good job of distracting Miyuki from the pain. The first baby was crowning.
"I can see the head." Dr. Lamoine said. "Ready, Miyuki? One … two … and push!" Miyuki tried to push out the first baby as hard as she could. When Atem failed to hear any crying sounds, he leaned over to see what was happening. Big mistake. He felt his stomach jump and was about to faint again when he remembered that he had to be strong for Miyuki. Finally, crying was heard. He looked over and saw a tiny baby, no longer than his forearm, in Dr. Lamoine's hands. Atem smiled. There was something he recognized.
"It's a boy!" Miyuki smiled, glad for a rest before she had to push again. The nurse took the first baby and went to get him cleaned up.
"Are you ready to do this again?" Dr. Lamoine asked. Miyuki groaned.
"I need ice …" Atem jumped at the opportunity to get her some ice chips. After Miyuki had her ice, it was time to push the second baby out.
"One … two … and push!" Miyuki did as instructed, but the baby did not want to come out. "Let's try again, okay?" Miyuki looked so exhausted.
"I don't know if I can …" Atem squeezed her hand.
"Yes you can." After the encouragement, Miyuki pushed again. However, the second baby was still not crowning.
"Something's wrong." Dr. Lamoine whispered to the nurse. It was loud enough for Atem to hear, and this was not the time to hear those words. He leaned down to Dr. Lamoine's level.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Dr. Lamoine looked at Atem from above her mask with concerned eyes. They spoke in whispers so as to not make Miyuki panic.
"Something is keeping the baby from crowning. I think we need to get Miyuki into a C-section in order to deliver this one." Atem gasped. "Please, Mr. Hassan, I don't want Miyuki getting upset or it might hurt the baby even more."
"So what are you going to do?" Dr. Lamoine sighed.
"We're going to give her anesthesia and start the surgery." Atem nodded, trusting the doctor's plan.
While Miyuki was getting prepped for the surgery, Atem took this opportunity to walk down to the nursery and visit his newly born son. As he walked, he was growing more and more concerned for Miyuki and the baby inside her. He had no idea as to what could cause the baby from being born, but he trusted that Dr. Lamoine would take care of it. When Atem reached the nursery he looked at all the little babies in there. He saw his and Miyuki's names on the crib and found his son. Atem smiled. However, the baby seemed to be crying, screaming actually. A nurse tried to calm him down, but could not. Everything seemed to be in order. He was just not happy. 'He must sense that his sibling is in trouble.' Atem thought. Atem decided to wait in the waiting room until this was all over.
The wait seemed to take forever. Atem's leg kept bouncing due to his nervousness. He still wore the scrubs that he had been wearing when the first baby was born. He must have paced around the waiting room at least ten times in the last hour. Luckily he was the only one there since Miyuki's parents and his grandfather went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. The C-section had been going on for the past few hours. It was taking too long and Atem was getting more and more worried by the minute. He began to pace again when the wait finally got to him. He was about to enter the room when Dr. Lamoine rushed out with a small, soundless bundle in her arms. Atem knew it was the second baby. A nurse came out and Atem stopped her.
"I need to know what's going on! What took so long? Is Miyuki alright? Where is she going with my baby?"
"Mr. Hassan, please calm down. Trust us to take care of things here." Atem looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.
"Please … please tell me what's wrong with my baby …" The nurse sighed and took him to the side. When she slid the mask down to her chin she had a defeated look on her face.
"Mr. Hassan, the baby wasn't breathing when he was delivered." Atem gasped. He had two baby boys and one was not healthy.
"What happened?"
"The reason the baby did not come out earlier was because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Atem's jaw dropped in horror. It's hard to tell how long he was trapped." Atem listened with only partial attention. His baby suffered strangulation before he was even born. Tears were welling up in his eyes. "Dr. Lamoine took him to the ER to see if she could get him to start breathing again." Atem swallowed the lump in his throat.
"How's Miyuki?"
"She's fine. She's sleeping off the anesthesia now." Atem did not know what to do. He was frozen with fear. Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm. The nurse smiled at him. "You have another baby that would love to meet his father right now." Atem nodded and began walking down to the nursery again.
After a while, Atem took the first born baby to meet his new grandparents. Miyuki was still asleep and there was really no word on the second baby yet. The teen decided that this would be a good time to get some answers. He left the baby with the grandparents and headed to the ER. There, he found Dr. Lamoine filling out some papers.
"Doctor …" Dr. Lamoine looked up and gave Atem a sad smile. "How is he?" The smile on the doctor's face soon faded.
"He's not breathing on his own right now. We have him hooked up to a machine in an incubator. He'll be kept in the ICU until he can breathe on his own. I'm afraid that there were more complications than just the umbilical cord." Atem was not sure if he wanted to hear any more but he needed to find out what was wrong with his son.
"What?"
"He has contracted an infection in his lungs, making it harder for him to regain his breath." Atem could not hold the tears back anymore.
"Doctor, be straight with me: do you think … he'll be alright?" Dr. Lamoine licked her dry lips, searching her mind for the right answer.
"Truth be told, he may not." Knowing that this was the only answer she was going to give him, Atem went back to his family. He did not know what to say. He had to tell Miyuki that their younger son may not live through the night, and would be lucky if he did. How do you break that kind of news to a woman who just gave birth to said son? As Atem walked slowly down the hall, he noticed that a few tears were falling from his eyes. He was so worried about his younger son that he found himself at the ICU instead of the waiting room to meet the grandparents.
There were other babies inside incubators in this room. Most of them had parents right by their side. Some had just their fathers, some had just their mothers, and some had both parents by their side. Towards the end of the room, he saw an incubator with a sign that said "Hassan/Moto" Atem walked over to that one, swallowing the lump in his throat. Inside was a teeny tiny unconscious baby. He was the same size as his brother, but he seemed to be a little thinner. He was pale as well. A sign that the doctor was correct when she told him that the baby was not getting enough air. Atem placed his arms through the holes that allowed him to touch his baby through a protective fabric. He remembered from the parenting classes, that he took with Miyuki, in which babies cannot survive without being touched. He reached inside and took the baby's fisted hand and held it in his own, caressing it with his thumb.
"Hello, Little One. It's me, your daddy." He received no response, but then again he did not expect one. Atem continued to caress his small son's fingers with his thumb. "I know you must be in a lot of pain right now, but please … you must get better. Your mother and I are looking forward to taking you home." Atem looked down, finding the floor to be very interesting at the moment. "And your brother, he knows that you're in pain … and he won't stop crying until you get better …"The teenage father could barely see the baby's stomach rise and fall. More tears fell from his eyes. This was the most heartbreaking moment of his life. He crouched down to the baby's level and whispered, "I know you have the strength in you, Baby. Please use that strength. Be strong … if not for me, than for your mother and your brother. All three of us need you." Towards the end of his speech, Atem noticed that his voice was starting to crack. He wanted so much to hold this tiny life in his arms and to give it so much comfort, but the incubator stood as a barrier between them. Reluctantly letting go of the baby's hand, Atem sadly made his way back to Miyuki's room.
When Miyuki finally awoke and found out of her second son's situation, she threw a screaming fit and would have scared the other baby had Atem's grandfather not had him in his arms. Miyuki demanded that Atem take her to the ICU, which he agreed to do. She stayed there long after Atem, his grandfather and her parents went home. The other baby was kept close to her so that she could nurse him and because, apparently keeping the twins close to each other was the only way to keep the elder baby from crying. Miyuki did not mind so much. It kept her close to both of her children and she was still able to nurse the elder baby as well.
---
The next morning, Atem went straight to the ICU. He knew that Miyuki would stay there as long as the nurses allowed. When he reached the ICU nursery, he saw Miyuki sleeping in a chair. She wore her hospital robe and looked as if she had not yet taken a shower. He saw the elder baby sleeping in a crib close to his brother's incubator. The young father thought for a second. The babies were two days old and everyone was still practically calling them 'Baby Moto/Hassan 1 and Baby Moto Hassan 2.' That was a lot for two little kids to deal with.
"I think it's time to give you guys names." He said, looking at each baby. "And I think I have the perfect solution." He walked up to the sleeping elder baby and caressed the baby's cheek with his finger. "You'll be Heba." The baby's mouth muscles looked like they were trying to form a smile. Atem smiled as well and approached the incubator, looking at his youngest son, still struggling to breathe. "And you'll be Yugi."
"Why those names?" Startled, Atem turned around to see that Miyuki had awoken.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She stood up and stood beside Atem, looking into the incubator.
"You didn't. So why those names?" Atem smiled.
"Because we agreed on both an Egyptian name and a Japanese name. Both mean 'game' in those languages." Miyuki raised a brow, not really understanding the significance that Atem saw, but went along with it.
"Clever …"
"No, I mean … if Yugi can survive this ordeal, then he'll have won this game that life has challenged him with." Miyuki still did not understand, but she knew that Atem and his grandfather were both game fanatics.
"Okay, but what about Heba?"
"Well, Heba's already shown how close he is to his brother. I mean, come on; the only way to get him to stop crying was to keep him in here with Yugi. So he's playing this game too by cheering Yugi on to get better." Atem's explanation was pointless since Miyuki still could not understand. However, she noticed that he began to refer to each baby by the name he had given them, so she just decided to drop the subject.
"Okay, Heba and Yugi it is."
---
It took another three and half days, but Yugi's condition was steadily getting better. He was gaining color and a little bit of weight. When Heba was born, he was 5lbs 11oz while Yugi was 4 ½ lbs 9oz. He scared Dr. Lamoine and his parents for a while, but he soon matched Heba's weight. However, Dr. Lamoine still thought that their weight was not good enough and she did some tests on Heba. But, after everything game back fine, she figured it had to do with the babies' sizes and the fact that they were so small. Yugi's skin was also gaining color as well. Heba's skin was still a tad bit darker, but Yugi's was reaching the point where he did not look so sickly. Finally, on day three, Dr. Lamoine decided to try and take Yugi off of the breathing machine to see how he would do. Atem and Miyuki were so happy that he made it through the night. Dr. Lamoine was too so she decided to take him out of the incubator and let him sleep in a regular crib for the night but still in the ICU. Yugi made it through the night again and he was even starting to make sounds and open his eyes. Dr. Lamoine finally deemed him healthy enough to where the young parents could take him home.
While Atem helped the babies get settled into Miyuki's home, they were making cooing noises to each other. Atem had just put a box down and raised a brow when he saw his two sons in their car seats, cooing to one another. "Is it just me or do they seem to be having some kind of conversation?" He asked when Miyuki came into the room. Despite Atem's constant begging, Miyuki and her parents made a good point when they said that the babies would live at their house since they had a nice big house that could fit two babies and the fact that their mother was right there when they were hungry.
"Oh, don't be silly, Atem. They're only a week old." She picked Heba and Yugi up and placed them into the large crib that her parents had bought for them.
"I don't think it's so hard to believe. I mean, I've read studies that show that twins have some sort of psychic connection or something." Miyuki scoffed.
"Maybe when they're like, five, but not when they're infants." She looked down and began to make 'baby talk' to her sons. Both babies just looked at her, but she continued. Atem felt a little separation anxiety. It would not be until next weekend that he would have time with his sons.
"Alright, I guess I'll be going." Miyuki did not acknowledge him. She was too focused on the twins. "I'm heading out the door …" He added trying to get her attention. He wanted her to say he could stay and help with the boys, but still she paid him no mind. "I'm almost out the door …!" Still nothing. "I'm out the door!" When it was clear that Atem was not going to get a response, especially since the boys now were demanding to be fed, he sighed and left.
That night, Atem lied in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It just was not fair the way Miyuki and her parents had automatically decided where the twins would live. His grandfather tried to contradict them, but in the end, it made sense that the boys live at the Moto house since they had more space. Atem ached. It hurt having to only see his sons once every other week. Tears rolled down the young father's cheeks.
"Why …?" Just then, a knock came at the door and Grandpa entered the room.
"You should be asleep." Atem sighed and sat up, wiping his face.
"I can't sleep." Solomon entered the room and sat down on Atem's bed.
"I can see that." Atem sighed again. Finally, after five seconds of silence it was finally broken.
"It's not fair, Grandpa …"
"I take it you're not talking about your bedtime."
"No … why do they have to live at Miyuki's house? We have the guest room all set up for them." Grandpa sighed.
"You need to think what's best for the twins, Atem." Atem nodded. He knew his grandfather was right, but that did not mean that he had to like it. In his mind, it still was just not fair. He knew that the boys would be well taken care of, but the way that Miyuki's parents insinuated that Atem and his grandfather were …. poor; that just hit home. Atem frowned at the thought. He stood up and grabbed his coat.
"Atem, where are you going?"
"To get things straightened out." Before Solomon could even say 'no', his grandson was out the door.
---
As Atem reached the Moto Manor, he knocked harshly on the door until someone answered. Miyuki was that unfortunate person. "Atem, what are you doing here?" Without even waiting for an invite, Atem allowed himself to enter.
"Listen to me for a moment, Mee." Miyuki looked at him with a diaper in her hand. Atem placed his hand to his head and had to wait a second before finding the right words. "This is killing me." In confusion, Miyuki looked out the window.
"It's only rain, Atem." Atem shook his head.
"No! This situation! I can't stand not being able to see my sons for more than one day every other week." Miyuki exhaled exaggeratingly.
"Atem, we've discussed this."
"No, you've discussed this!" Miyuki was surprised when Atem was suddenly in her face, yelling. She had never seen him so worked up. He was usually such a laid back person. "You and your parents decided to keep me out of their lives! I NEVER SAID ANYTHING!" Just then, two infant cries were heard. Miyuki glared at Atem before she went to tend to her children, their father close behind.
In the twins' room, both babies were crying. Heba seemed to be the one that started crying first, then ticking Yugi off into crying with him. "Oh, my babies … what's the matter?" Miyuki picked Yugi up and cradled him in her arms as Atem did the same with Heba. The only response was more crying. Heba's volume rose again, causing Yugi's to rise as well.
"Hey, come on guys … everything's alright … nothing's going to hurt you … You're both safe." Atem gave Heba a kiss on the forehead and Heba's crying began to stop. However, Yugi was still screaming his head off. Miyuki could not find out what was causing her baby to be so upset. She looked over to see that Atem had calmed Heba down, and the little baby was just enjoying being in the company of his father. A tear of frustration began to flow down Miyuki's cheek.
"Atem, how did you do it?" Atem looked at her, a brow raised. "I can't get Yugi to stop crying." Atem walked over to see his other son and gave him the same kiss on the forehead that he gave Heba.
"Shh, it's alright, Yugi. You're safe … you're loved … there's no need to fear." Atem nuzzled the younger baby's cheek with his lips. Soon, Yugi's crying began to stop just like Heba's. Atem took Yugi into his arms and held both babies, one on each arm. He was so happy that he could be here to help with his sons, and he felt even happier, thinking that it was because of him that his twin boys wanted. Both babies looked at their father and cooed. Atem could not stop smiling at both of them. He loved his children and needed to be with them. He was going to start up that argument again when Miyuki beat him to it.
"Atem, I'm sorry that my parents made that decision without talking to you first. It seems that I can't do this alone. Even though my parents are a big help, they need you too." Atem smiled. Miyuki smiled back at seeing how happy her boys were. "How about we share custody, every other day." Atem's eyes lit up. That was so much better than every other weekend.
"You mean it?" Miyuki nodded. Atem's smiled grew as he looked down at the twins. "You hear that boys? You'll be staying with Daddy tomorrow!"
"Uh, how about the day after tomorrow." Atem looked up, a little disappointed.
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm trying to get them familiar with being in one place for a while. The day after tomorrow, so that I have enough time to get their … food together." Atem nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. It did not matter to him so long as he was able to see more of his children.
---
A year passed and it was time for the twins to celebrate their first birthday. The deal of every-other-day custody was working out perfectly. The boys saw enough of both parents. During school days that, the twins would either stay with Miyuki's mother, who stayed home, or Solomon. It was a good thing that the Game Shop was connected to their house, that way Solomon could run his business and check on the boys when business was slow.
Both boys were energetic and healthy. Heba seemed to be the leader of the two. When he wanted to get them into trouble, Heba would be the one to commit the crime and Yugi would follow him. As long as both were punished together, they did not seem to mind. Even as young as nine months, differences in personalities were beginning to surface. Heba was outgoing and spoke out for the two. Yugi usually was more laid back and went along with whatever Heba did, kind of like backing him up. Heba seemed to be protective of Yugi. When they were around eight months old, Yugi was showing signs of tiredness and loss of appetite. His parents wanted to take him to the doctor and leave Heba with Great-Grandpa when Heba grabbed Yugi and held him in a protective hug. Yugi hugged his brother back and both looked at their parents with looks that seemed to say: 'you take one, you take both of us'.
Heba and Yugi were very close. The first time Atem and Miyuki took them to a babysitter for the first time to get them acquainted with other children, a few of those children tried to take advantage of Yugi's good nature and took all his cookies, but Heba yelled at them and took the cookies back and gave them to their rightful owner. They stayed isolated with each other for a long time after that, but they were getting better with their playmates. These were the children that were going to be at the party today.
It was a few hours before the birthday party for the twins began and Atem was going to take Heba and Yugi out to the mall to buy them new clothes for their birthday party. Miyuki would have done it, and Atem would have preferred her to, but she had to take the SATs. Atem would take them in the next semester. Atem knew that two babies were still a little too much for him to take to the mall on his own; especially two very energetic babies that tended to run away out of curiosity a lot. So he invited tow backups: Joey and Tristan; or known to the twins as Uncle Joey and Uncle Tristan.
"Alright, are we ready?" He asked as if he were a general taking command of an army. Tristan seemed to have Yugi in his jacket and gave him a sucker for being such a good boy. However, Joey was having trouble getting Heba into his jacket. He had the tanner twin in his lap, trying to get Heba's left arm into the jacket.
"You know, this is a harder job den it looks!" Joey said, struggling to get a screaming Heba into the jacket. Heba's screaming began to turn into a whining cry. Tristan came in with Yugi holding his hand and a sucker in Yugi's other hand. Joey looked over with jealous eyes.
"Hey, how'd ya get your kid to cooperate?!" Tristan shrugged with a smirk.
"That's 'cause I got the good twin and you got the evil one." Tristan looked down at Yugi who was silently sucking on the lollypop. As Heba continued to whine, Joey was getting more and more frustrated.
"Well, I could use a little help here!" Atem laughed and went to help out. He held Heba's kicking legs and Joey was able to get Heba's left arm into the jacket. Heba, seeing that he was losing this game, screamed in Atem's face, hoping that Daddy would give up. However, when Atem glared at him, he knew he was on the edge of being spanked.
"Heba! Knock that off right now or no lollypop for you!" Heba continued to whine a little bit and decided to give into the torment since he really wanted that lollypop. However, he made it as much of a chore as it could be. As soon as the jacket was on and the lollypop was in his hand, he jumped off Uncle Joey's lap and joined his brother, glaring at Daddy. Atem gave him a stern look and pointed a finger at him. "Hey, you be good, or I'll tell Mommy." Heba always stopped his tantrums after that. He knew that Daddy was a buddy, but Mommy was the disciplinarian. Heba just licked his lollypop and kept quiet. Happy with that Atem proceeded to get the stroller into the car.
Finally, everyone was in the car. Heba and Yugi sat in their car seats, singing to each other in their own language. Atem drove while Tristan sat in the passenger seat and Joey say with the boys. Joey started swaying with the boys singing. It was really cute. They were so happy to be getting out and they sang in perfect key. They soon arrived at the mall.
Atem took out the double stroller and safely secured each twin inside. Once they entered the mall, Heba and Yugi's jaws dropped. This was such a big place … at least from their point of view. There were people walking all over the place. Their energy was rising. So much that they wanted out of the stroller. Atem allowed that to happen, so long as one of the three adults was with them. Atem had the boys hold onto his pockets. This way, he knew they were there and they could still look around. He really had to keep his eye on Heba because the elder of the pair was the one that usually started the trouble. Both boys held onto one of Atem's legs. This was a little overwhelming to them. Atem smiled.
"Well, let's go shopping." He really wished Miyuki was here. She was going to have to approve his work anyway. The two twins and the three teens walked into the first corridor. There were plenty of stores that sold children's' clothes, but Atem just could not pick a store that he knew Miyuki would like. She was kind of anal when it came to the twins' clothes. They needed to be best of quality and of course easy to wash. Finally, they found the Gap. Atem knew this was one of Miyuki's favorite places to shop for the boys. No matter what he bought here, he knew she'd love them. "Come on, boys. Let's get you guys some new clothes." Atem, Joey and Tristan went all over to find the right outfit while the boys watched Daddy and his friends go nuts. Heba looked at Yugi and nudged him. Heba got down out of the stroller and Yugi followed him. Heba took Yugi's hand and they wandered out of the store. Yugi looked back at Atem, who had not noticed his sons' departure, and waved before joining his brother.
Finally, Atem returned to the stroller with armfuls of clothes. "There, that should be enough." As he looked at the empty stroller, he dropped all the clothes. "JOEY! TRISTAN!" Not only did he gain the attention of the said two, he also gained the attention of every customer in the outlet store. They ran over to the father.
"What's up, man?" Atem's scared eyes did not leave the stroller.
"My babies are gone …" The blonde and the brunette did a double take.
"WHAT?!"
"We need to find them!" Atem took off while Joey and Tristan followed pushing the stroller.
With the boys, Yugi looked at his brother, asking if they should go back.
"Neh!" Heba said, obviously saying 'no'. He wanted to explore. And what store did he see first? The candy store! Both boys squealed in delight and waddled towards the candy they saw. As soon as they entered the store, Atem stopped right outside and turned to his friends.
"Joey, you take the West wing, Tristan, you take the East, and I'll take the North!" The other two nodded and ran off, calling Heba and Yugi's names as they did. Inside the candy store, while Heba dug into the jellybean bin, Yugi looked toward the entrance, thinking he heard his name being called by Daddy. When he did not see his father anywhere, he turned his attention back to Heba. Heba finally came back down with his hands full of jellybeans. Heba and Yugi both saw two different things. Heba saw the toy store while Yugi saw a merry-go-round. Both ran into different directions.
Meanwhile …
"Heba! Yugi! Where are you?!" The three teenagers called from all different points of the mall. After a thirty minute search, they met up at the food court, coming from three different directions.
"Any sign of them? Atem asked. Joey and Tristan shook their heads. Atem's fear began to rise to even higher levels. Worse case scenarios continued to run through his mind.
"Nah, man. But at one point, I thought I found one, and I tried to take the kid, but it turned out the mom was there and she slugged me with a right hook right here, see the bruise?" Joey said, pointing to his eye. He was right. It was black. Both Atem and Tristan cringed but then the situation returned to Atem's twins.
"Well, we gotta find them!" Tristan said.
"Hey, I know I'm only lookin' through one eye, and I don't wanna make the same mistake twice, but does that look like one of 'em up there on the merry-go-round?" Atem and Tristan spun around just in time to see Little Yugi trying his best to climb up onto the ride.
"Yugi!" Atem ran to him. Before Yugi could get onto the ride, Atem scooped him up in his arms and hugged him so tightly that Joey and Tristan thought that he was going to choke him.
"D'da!" Yugi said with a smile while he hugged him back. Atem planted relieved kisses all over Yugi's face.
"You're safe …" Joey and Tristan looked around,
"Uh … hold on there, 'Tem …" Joey said. Atem looked at them.
"Yeah, uh … it looks like you're one twin short." Atem's eyes widened and he gasped.
"We're still missing Heba!" He said. The other two teens nodded. Joey pointed at him.
"Bingo." Atem began to hyperventilate, but then an idea struck him. He placed Yugi on the floor and knelt down to his level.
"Yugi, you know we have to find your brother, right?" Yugi swayed back and forth before nodding. All He knew was that Atem had asked him a question, not exactly what he was asked. "Alright, and do you know where Heba is?" Yugi turned around to take a look around to see if Heba was anywhere in sight. Then, he remembered. Yugi turned back around and nodded. Atem smiled, causing Yugi to smile back. "Do you think you can take us to him?" Yugi nodded. Atem smiled as they followed Yugi to where his brother might be. Yugi waddled in front while Atem kept a close eye on him so that he did not wander too far away again. Tristan nudged him in the elbow.
"Dude, we're following a one-year-old to look for another one-year-old. How exactly is this going to work?"
"Heba and Yugi are very close to one another. I know they have that twin-telepathy thing with each other. Whenever one is hurt or scared, the other always seems to come to the rescue. I know Yugi will take us to Heba."
"But what if he doesn't?" Joey asked. Atem smiled at his younger son waddling in front of them.
"I know he will. Yugi needs Heba as much as Heba needs Yugi. They'll always find each other." Just as this was said, Yugi headed straight into the toy store. There, Heba was playing with a Fisher-Price farm set. He had a plastic cow in one hand and a pig in the other.
"Moooo." He said, looking at the cow and then giggled.
"Ah-bah!" Heba heard that call and knew that it was his brother. Heba stood up and waddled to where the sound, "A-bah", was coming from. He spotted Yugi and his eyes lit up.
"EEgi!" He called. Yugi smiled at his brother and the both ran to hug one another. They spun around with their arms around each other, giggling. They were so glad to be back together. Not too far behind were Atem and the Uncles. Heba and Yugi were so happy to be back together that they did not notice when Atem let out a loud sigh of relief. Secretly, he had no idea that following Yugi would actually work. Joey and Tristan were astonished.
"Well I'll be! Dey really found each –uhddduh." Joey said. Tristan slapped him on the back.
"Hah! You owe me fifty bucks!" Atem said nothing as he scooped up his boys. The twins hugged their father as he gave them kisses all over the face. He was so happy that they were safe and sound.
"Thank God you're safe." He had one hand on each of their shoulders. As soon as the reunion was finished, Atem gave them a stern look. "You two are in so much trouble." Heba and Yugi just giggled. This was a really great game.
---
Later that afternoon, Atem was able to give the boys a bath and change them into their new clothes. They each wore matching "Gap" hoodies, dark blue jeans and tennis shoes. Only by the skin tone could one differentiate one from the other. There were ten children downstairs waiting to meet the guests of honor. Joey and Tristan offered to help get the boys ready. Miyuki and her parents were downstairs trying to help Solomon handle the children.
"Guys," Atem started, looking Joey and Tristan in the eye, "let's keep this little outing between us, alright? Miyuki doesn't need to know about it." Joey and Tristan smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Atem smiled back and looked down at the twins. "That means you too." Heba and Yugi gave two tiny thumbs-up as well.
"Aww, ain't dat cute?" Joey said.
Downstairs, Miyuki and Tea had to entertain the children until Heba and Yugi came down. "Okay, kids. I know you're all here for Heba and Yugi's birthday, but they don't seem to be here." All the children looked around. Most of them were around the twins' age, but some were a few months older. "Where could they be?"
"That's a good question, Mee." Tea said. She smiled and looked at the children. Each one had a party hat on. "I'll bet that if we make some noise with these kazoos, they'll make an appearance." As scripted as this entire thing seemed, the children seemed to be having fun.
"That's a good idea, Tea. Let's make some noise and maybe our friends will hear us. Ready? One … two … three!" All ten children blew into their kazoos and made a large noise. Once Miyuki said that that was enough, two kazoos upstairs began to play. Heba and Yugi continued to play their kazoos as Atem lead them down the steps.
"Tah-dah!" The twins said in unison. All the children cheered. Now the fun could begin.
"Heba, Yugi I think Great-Grandpa has something outside for you and your friends." Atem said. The twins lead the stampede of toddlers out to the backyard. When they got there, all the children gasped at the giant piñata tied to the branch of the old oak tree.
"Someone want to come and hit this thing?"
"YEEEEEAAAHHH!!!!!" The children all tried to reach the bat at once before Mr. Moto had to file them into a single-file line. Heba was first since he was the oldest. After being blindfolded by grandma, he swung a few times, but only just tapped the piñata on the last swing. Yugi was next, but he missed all together. Each child took his or her turn, but the piñata was still intact.
"Oh, poor kids. You guys gotta hit harder so the goodies can come out!" Tristan said, demonstrating a swing. Atem smirked.
"Alright, Tristan, if you're such an expert, why don't you take a turn?" Tristan blushed.
"Oh, well, you know … this is for the kids …" Joey balled out laughing.
"It's 'cause he can't hit a tee-ball on a stand!" Tristan cringed and then took Joey by the collar, who continued to laugh.
"You swore you'd never mention that again!" Joey just continued to laugh.
"Well then, why not redeem yourself, Tristan?" Atem said. This was clearly a challenge. Without waiting for a reply, Atem tied the blindfold around Tristan's eyes.
"Uh … guys? I don't think this is such a good idea …"
"Oh, come on, Tristan. Give the kids their treats." Through the blindfold, Tristan could hear the children cheering him on. They wanted the candy.
"Okay, for the kids!" Everyone cheered. Tea moved Tristan under the piñata and Solomon raised it. Joey spun Tristan around a few times before they finally allowed him to swing. 'This is it … after years of trying to avoid baseball bats; you gotta do this for the kids!' Tristan braced himself before he took a big swing … and …
WHACK!
The piñata broke into two pieces, spilling candy everywhere. The children cheered and went to collect their fair share. Joey patted Tristan on the shoulder.
"Way ta go, man!" Miyuki's parents told the children to sit in a circle while they cleaned up the candy and sorted it into little baggies for everyone. The rest of the day went perfectly. There were more games to play like Musical Chairs, Hot Potato, and Red Rover. All of which, Heba and Yugi won. Atem was flattered to see that his sons took after him. After the games, a birthday lunch was served, followed by a sing-a-long, then presents and finally cake and ice cream. Heba and Yugi blew out their candle shaped like the number one together. Each child went home with a party bag and a piece of cake.
After the party, Atem, Miyuki, Joey, Tristan, Tea and the adults all had to clean up while Heba and Yugi played for a while before tiring themselves out. Miyuki decided to let them stay at the Game Shop since they were already sleepy. Atem rocked the boys in the rocker until they both fell asleep in his lap. He thought to himself that he had the best children ever. Maybe a little mischievous, but good kids nonetheless. He placed them in their crib and gave each one of them a kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, my little adventurers."
---
The End