Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Anything For You ❯ Learn to Love ( Chapter 24 )

AMT: *observes moment of silence for cheese *

Ssjgoddesschico: Welcome back! Oh just wait until Bakura gets his hands on them!

Angel Black: Well, I'm glad I didn't gross you out too bad. Glad you liked it.

Negacat: No, Aten will be fine…at least after Ryou disinfects the injury. After that, Aten's safe.

Lielarose: Steven will get his, too!

Sailor Optimal Optimua: Hmm..well..there will be more implieds for Tim x Ryou. I'm not sure who you are talking about? Stellar? That may be another story.

Maliklover: I'll continue. I never leave a story unfinished.

Rai-Chan: I try to update there when I can. Thanks!

Ryous Mistress: I hate blood, too. But that chappie was great!

Gralnak: It will be slow….and painful. Promise.

Mystical Dragon: Well, there's more to come, but I'm trying to come up with un-angst ideas. Kinda hard when I'm in Ryou's mind now.

D-Chan: Well, Aten wanted to protect his mommy. No, I never saw that movie, but it sounds good.

Dragondreamer: I know you like Jello…..I LOVE TURKEY!

Learn to Love

Ryou's POV

I sat in the back of the van watching the trees pass by again. My body shifted uncomfortably as Aten curled up to me tighter than he ever had in his short life. He pressed his body close to mine gripping onto my skin. My left hand which wrapped around his back rubbed his ear and pushed aside some of his white and blonde hair.

He had the softest hair. His little eyes blinked as the sun shined into them from the van window.

My other hand held his injured hand. He didn't move it much, but I tried to unwrap it to see if it was healing. Aten never had a cut like that before. He let out a cry when I went near the material.

"No touch, mommy!"

"Aten, I have to make sure I got all the glass out of your hand."

Aten shook his head fervently. If there was some glass in his hand, it could become infected. I didn't want that, but Aten was afraid.

"Sweetheart, please let me see it. I promise I will not hurt you."

Aten looked up at me with large chibi eyes. "Pwomise?"

"I'll try, baby. I have to make certain all the glass is out."

I slowly pulled back the denim material and felt Aten start to shake as I held him.

"It's ok, honey. We're almost there." I felt some of it stick to his hand and he let out a cry. "I'm sorry, Aten."

I turned to Tim sitting on the far end of the van. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

Tim rolled his eyes and returned to listening to his music. He didn't care. Why would he? Aten was not HIS kid.

Ryou shook his head and returned his attention to the crying chibi. Ryou leaned over into Tim's bag. Tim was too wrapped up with his eyes closed and his music to notice. To his amazement, Tim snuck a bottle of cheap wine into Steven's bag. Ryou opened the bottle and turned Aten's hand over.

"This may sting, Aten. I need you to try to be quiet for me."

I knew this would hurt him, but the wound had to be cleaned or it could become infected. I didn't need Aten to lose a hand over this entire situation.

"This will kill all the bad germs on your hand. Hold still."

This would be the most painful thing I had to do…inflict pain on my child. But, the wound had to be cleaned! What else was I to do?

I tipped the bottle over and ran it over the material that was glued to Aten's hand by the blood. Aten threw his head back with tears coming out of his eyes in rivers. A shrill cry came from the child. The material slowly peeled away from the hand and Aten's breathing became heavy.

I gathered my child up into my arms again kissing him and reassuring him that I was sorry. I let him cry it out as I screwed the cap on the bottle of cheap wine. I rocked him in my arms until it was assured he wouldn't fight me anymore.

Aten looked down at his red hand and I used the makeshift bandage to clear away the rest of the blood. It wasn't that bad after he was cleaned up. It may leave a scar, but at least infection could be prevented.

I kissed Aten's hand and the chibi seemed to calm down. At least he was calmer now.

"I'm sorry it hurt, Aten. I didn't mean to hurt you. I had to clean your boo-boo."

Aten sniffed and he buried his face in my chest. The hand was wrapped up again and I hugged him tightly. There wasn't anything in my bag I could give him as a treat. When we got to that cabin, he was due for his medicine. As I held him close to me, I winced…I felt a slight cramp in my chest. I've been without my medicine for too long. I didn't want to take Aten's medication, but I saw no other choice. I reached into my bag and grabbed the pill bottle. I swallowed a pill without anything to drink. I've gotten so used to that, it wasn't bothering me as much. What was really surprising is that I took a whole pill…not just half of a pill. Maybe it's needed.

I held onto Aten as he snuggled into me. He let me stroke his hand to calm him.

He was jolted awake by the van's break stopping. Ryou kissed Aten's hair as Steven opened up the back of the van.

"Welcome to your new home, Ryou. Here, we don't have to worry about any other "bad" influences on you. This is where…your life is going to change forever."

I looked at the one story cabin pondering what my father meant when he said that. My life has already changed. How can it change even more?

………..

I better not answer that question. I'm sure I'll get my answer soon enough.

My father took my arm in his hand and opened up the lock on the cabin. We walked in and he took me room to room to search the place. He never told me what he was looking for. Maybe he was looking for signs that Bakura and Marik were near. Maybe he was looking for wire taps on the phones. The police still must be looking for him! He found a door to the basement. Why did I not see this coming?

My father took me downstairs. There were no windows. A single light bulb was suspended from the ceiling. There was a closet in the corner. He looked inside and found it empty.

He nodded his head and released my arm. I followed him as he headed up the stairs and he turned to me.

"What are you doing, Ryou?"

"I'm coming with you. Aten needs the first aid kit upstairs."

Daddy bit his lip. "Aten needs a first aid kit, huh? Well…what are you willing to do for that first aid kit?"

I looked at him…our eyes met….but that is where our connection ended.

"My son needs proper bandages from the first aid kit."

"I heard you the first time. Every request comes with a payment. What is your payment?"

I stepped down a step without looking back. Not again…..

"Daddy, I can't….I can't do that again."

"Why don't you like Jessica? What is wrong with her? I think you two would make a great couple. Then you can have a family the proper way."

Proper way? I DID have my kids the "proper way." They came out of me! I have the scar to prove it!

"I don't care about your `proper way.' Your way is cruel!"

"Do you want the first aid kit….or not?"

I sighed and stepped back down the stairs. Aten needed that first aid kit…and I knew he must be getting hungry.

"Aten is hungry, father. Do I also have to…..offer my services for Aten to eat?"

Steven shrugged. "Well, you'll have to work that out with Jessica. She's a good woman, son. I do think you two would get along very well….if you were a couple."

"I do not want her."

I put Aten down on the ground and he ran into a dark corner as I stared down my father from the bottom of the steps.

Dad turned around to face me from the top of the steps. "You will learn to love her, Ryou. And…you must learn….I plan to make you and Jessica man and wife….you will be the man."

I stood stupefied. My father wanted me to marry Jessica!

"No! I will NOT marry her!"

"You WILL or you and Aten can stay here until you do."

My father turned and opened the door. "We'll come if we need you, Ryou."

My father shut the door and I heard it lock. I sat on the steps rubbing my forehead. Aten walked over to me.

"Mommy?"

My head raised to see my little chibi.

"Why are you cwying?"

His little injured hand raised to wipe my tears away and he gave me a smile.

"I'm fine." I never lied like that so badly in my life! "Come here." I pulled my son close to me and I kissed his warm, tanned skin. I could feel Aten's belly grumble and rebel with the lack of food.

Aten giggled. "My bewwy is talking to me! It's twying to say sumeting! What are you saying, bewwy?" Aten lifted up his shirt and looked at his stomach. He gave it a few playful pokes with his finger.

My son was getting skinny. He was skinny when he was born..he only weighed three pounds when I had him. He was always a thin kid. But now..he was really thin. His little ribs were becoming too visible for my own comfort.

"What is my bewwy twying to say? Mommy, can you hear it? What is it saying?"

Who was I to tell the child the truth of the situation at his young age? I leaned over and poked him in the belly and he giggled like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Aten backed away giggling. "Mommy, that tickles!"

Tickling him and hearing him laugh made me feel better. I leaned over and tickled him again and watched him fall to the floor in a bundle of giggles. I kneeled beside him and I tickled his little squirming body as he gripped onto me. His little chibi face was turning red as he laughed.

"Mommy! That tickles!"

I leaned down and lifted up his shirt planting my lips on his skinny belly and blowing. His back arched and he gripped onto my shirt hair.

"Mommy! Tickles!"

No matter what I had to look forward to, I had Aten here…laughing beneath me. That made everything worth it.

Aten tried to roll over and I picked him up by under his arms. I held him close to my face.

"I love this!" I kissed his forehead.

"I love this!" I kissed his neck.

"I love this!" I kissed his hand.

"I love this!" I kissed his belly.

"But most of all….I love this!" I placed my lips to his cheek and I kissed it frantically planting about fifty kisses on his cheeks. Aten squirmed and laughed trying to move his face to get the most out of the assault of kisses I was placing on his cheek.

He turned his face to me, too, and gave me a kisses on the cheek. I let him go and he grabbed his Change of Heart doll.

"I wanna pway hide and go seek, mommy! I count to ten and I go find you!"

What really surprised me was that Aten wasn't curled up in a corner talking to himself about his daddy. I know he missed his father and his "mom", but I think it was because I was there that he felt secure and happy. If the baby wants to play, I'll play. I have to admit, it was making me feel better, too. I wasn't focusing on what was wrong with this entire situation. Aten was making me feel better.

I ran into the closet. I never knew I could fit into a closet. I know I was getting thinner like my son. I could see Aten through the closed doors of the closet. Aten had his eyes hidden in his hands in the corner.

"One…two….twee….four….ummm…..five& #8230;umm…seven….umm……..fifty…..

eweven….nine…six……ummm…I tink there's a eight in there somewhere…….ten! Ready or not, mommy, here I come!"

Aten looked behind the boxes and ran behind the steps. "I coming to find you, mommy!"

Aten looked in the cabinets under a work station holding drills and saws of every size.

"Where, oh where is my mommy gone?" Aten sang as he skipped around looking in cabinets, and even under blankets. I would not want to question why he thought I was hiding under a blanket if it was lying flat on the ground.

He approached the closet and I got ready to pounce on him ready to shower him with kisses again. I left the closet a little open since he couldn't reach the knob.

Aten pulled the door opened and I jumped out grabbing him and bringing him into my arms.

"I found you, mommy!"

"I knew my boy *kiss * would find me *kiss *! I'm so proud of you! *kiss*"

My son wrapped his arms around me and he smiled at me. "It's your turn to count, mommy! I hide! I hide! No peekies!"

I put my head against the closet and I count to ten. I heard him behind me giggling.

When I turned around, Aten was gone. "Hmm…where is that baby of mine?"

I heard him giggling somewhere and I could tell he was trying very hard to hide it. I checked in the same places he was. I moved to the work station and I looked under it to see Aten under it holding his mouth and eyes closed.

"I see you…."

Aten had his face covered with his hands. "If I no see you, I no catched!"

I reached for him seeing that under the work station were cobwebs and dirt…not the best place for him to hide with a cut hand.

He uncovered his eyes. "I found you, mommy!"

He hugged me again and he nuzzled his body into my bare chest. We needed something to sleep on, so I managed to find some old blankets and I piled them on the floor. Aten rolled up some of the blanket to act as pillows. Aten pulled a blanket over to a corner and put all of his toys there. My son made that into his little play area. I made certain to clear it of dust and cobwebs before Aten set up his corner.

The bag with our medicine was hidden in a cabinet nearby. I didn't need Aten or anyone else in the "family" to take away our medication.

Aten played with his Change of Heart and his tattered rabbit until he fell asleep on his new "play blanket." He curled up into a tiny chibi ball and slept quietly.

As he slept, I quietly climbed the steps to listen to the coversation coming from upstairs.

"There's no answer at his place?" Steven asked.

"No," Jessica said putting down the phone. "That's not like him. I'm gonna check it out."

The footsteps of the high heels left the cabin.

"So what are we going to do with Ryou tonight?"

"He wants the first aid kit for Aten. The kid must have cut himself on the broken glass when he fought Ryan."

That bastard Tim smirked. "Serves him right for trying to be brave. Oh well…Don't worry about it. I'll make sure he gives proper payment….oops…payments."

I rolled my eyes. I heard enough. Yawning, I returned to my own "bed" knowing I wouldn't get any sleep whatsoever that night.

Aten woke up and crawled over to me. I pulled the blanket over us and he snuggled closer to me. I kissed my little chibi's forehead.

I love my precious little chibi.

Next Chappie: Ok, guys…I have a Marik x Bakura lemon planned, I'm doing a chappie to "Hallelujah" by Shrek (love that movie) , and after that will be the NCS chappie and then Bakura and Marik find Ryou x ???? The, Bakura and Marik go completely crazy and kill off Steven and Jessica. Those are the chappies in that order….I may add others if they come up. But right now, that's the basic idea.

Sequel: Do you guys want Tim to return in a sequel? If not, I will kill him off. Also, what do you guys want as a sequel? I'm open to suggestions. This fic is not done yet and I want to do Ryou's recovery in this story, too. So, I have time. Any suggestions?