Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Baby of Mine ❯ For the First Time ( Chapter 37 )

For the First Time

Marik and Bakura stayed at the hospital all night. Marik couldn't sleep very well all night knowing his son was in intensive care. Every hour he was awake and walked to the room where Aten was held. The nurses were beside him feeding him through a tube. Marik put his head on the glass praying to every god in the Heavens that his son would be ok. But Aten's heartbeat was a little more stable.

The only time one of them left was to tell Malik about the birth of the babies. Malik stayed home and prepared a bag for Ryou including some clothes for her and some blankets and clothes for the newborns. When Malik packed Aten's clothes, Bakura said to just bring something for Aria. Aten was too small to fit in the clothes.

Marik and Bakura had to leave the nursery and were shown to Ryou's hospital room. Seto, Joey, Yami, and Yugi followed them.

They wheeled Aria in to be with Ryou. Ryou held her daughter to her chest covered by a pink blanket. When Bakura walked in, she looked up and smiled and tried to pull the baby away from her, but winced.

"Aria, let go. We have company. Can't do this in front of the boys."

"What are you doing, Ryou?" Joey asked.

Ryou shifted her eyes and quickly adjusted her hospital gown. "Breastfeeding, why?"

Bakura hugged Ryou and kissed her. "How is my little girl this morning?"

Aria squealed and bit down on the cord holding the Millenium Ring. Bakura was too busy looking at Ryou to notice the baby chewing on the cord.

"Have you seen Aten, Marik? Is he alright?"

"They were feeding him this morning when I saw him." Marik looked at Bakura rocking his daughter patting her back. "They told me the last time I saw him that I can't hold him yet."

Bakura looked down as he felt something wet on his chest. The baby slobbered all over the cord and soaked his shirt. "Aria Kanika! Seto, you take her."

Bakura took a towel and dried off his shirt. Blue eyes met blue eyes as the CEO and the little girl met gazes. Aria's legs dangled as Seto held her. The baby blinked at Seto and she reached out for him. Seto brought her close to his face apparently forgetting everyone was around. The baby put her fist into a ball and stuck it in her mouth. The baby began to suck on her fist and Seto actually smiled.

"Do you like your fist? Who's a cute wittle baby girl?"

The baby continued to suck looking at Seto blankly.

Seto turned when he heard a snicker. Joey Wheeler was leaning against the wall laughing at the tall, stern CEO brought down by a 12 hour old baby girl. "What's so funny, puppy?"

"I never knew you had a soft spot! `Who's a wittle baby girl?' HA HA HA!!!!!"

Seto cuddled the baby girl close as Joey walked up to him. "I want to hold her, Seto."

Seto held her closer and turned away from Joey. Aria looked at the locket around Seto's neck and began to knaw at it.

"Ryou, did you feed this kid enough?"

Joey reached over to Seto. "I want to hold her."

Joey reached out. "Come here, you little sweetheart! Come to Uncle Joey!"

"Puppy Joey is more like it, Wheeler," Seto said.

Joey held Aria on his side on one arm. Seto went to Aria and tried to grab her out of Joey's arms. "Puppy...you're not holding her right..."

Aria giggled as she watched Joey's blonde hair move with his attempts to push Seto away. Aria grabbed a lock of Joey's hair and pulled on it.

"Ow! Kid!"

"You're not holding her right!" Seto said.

"She won't let my hair go!"

Bakura looked at Ryou becoming upset at the two boys fighting over Aria. Bakura grabbed Aria from Joey, the baby taking a chunk of his hair with her. Bakura returned to Ryou and Yugi walked up to Bakura. "Can I hold her, Bakura?"

Bakura gave Aria to Yugi. Yugi looked at her small hands and her smile. "Yami, she's so cute!"

Yugi smiled back at her and rubbed his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss. She kicked her small legs in excitement and squealed happily.

Bakura watched his happy baby laugh in Yugi's arms. Could this child really be a future murderer? Could this really be an evil Cinetti? Yugi covered the baby's eyes and played Peek-A-Boo with her. The baby flailed her arms with joy.

"Can Yami hold her?"

Yami got that look of a deer-in-the-headlights. He never held a baby.

"Just be careful with her, pharaoh." Bakura took the baby and handed her to Yami. "Go see Aunt Yami."

Yami growled at Bakura. Aria didn't look in Yami's eyes. Instead, she had her eye on the Puzzle. She grabbed the Puzzle and began to suck on it.

"Your kid loves the Millenium Items, Bakura," Marik said holding the Millenium Rod.

"Aria, don't suck on the Puzzle," Malik said trying to pull out a pacifier from the bag he brought to Yami.

Aria continued to try to nurse off of the Puzzle. Seto watched Aria and went to Bakura.

"Should she be doing that?"

"Sucking the Puzzle is never a good idea. Ra only knows where that Puzzle has been."

Yami rolled his eyes. "I can say the same about the Millenium Rod."

"Hey, Yami, never speak badly of my Rod," Marik said poking Yami with the Rod.

"I'm holding a baby. Don't poke me with your Rod."

Bakura pulled Bakura over to the side. "No, I mean should she be doing that? She gripping and gasping already. She's only 12 hours old! She shouldn't be able to do that."

Bakura watched as Aria leaned her head on Yami's chest and closed her eyes. "What am I supposed to do about that, Seto? Ryou was not supposed to be pregnant for a week either. I don't know what happened, but this isn't a normal situation."

Yami handed Aria back over to Ryou. Aria curled up in her mother's arm slightly chewing on her mother's hospital gown.

Malik looked at Aria. "She is so cute, Ryou! Marik, she is the sweetest thing ever!"

"You had two, right, Ryou?" Yugi asked. "Where is the other one?"

Ryou sighed and cuddled Aria tighter. The little girl began to whimper.

"Aten isn't here. They told me they can't bring him here yet. They said they can't take him off of support yet."

Marik rubbed Ryou's back. Ryou pulled the blanket over Aria's head as she slept. "The doctors came in this morning and told me why Aten is so small. They said because I was in poor health when I conceived him, he is small. They also said that some residual poison affected him. They say he also has a weak heart, but he will survive. But once again….my father is to blame," Ryou said scowling as she looked down.

Joey sighed and walked up to the hospital bed. "Ryou, I know how you feel. I feel like that towards my dad sometimes. He beat me constantly when I was a kid. But you know what? I moved in with Seto and he loves me. He takes care of me in ways no one else can."

Seto joined Joey. "I take care of my puppy. Nobody…and I mean nobody….screws with my puppy but me."

Malik nudged Seto. "Don't use that language in front of the baby!"

"It's not fair, Joey! I'm supposed to have two healthy babies! One of them is very sick and I haven't even been able to see my son yet! And it is all because of my father!" Ryou burst out into tears crying into her daughter's blanket.

"I was only trying to help," Joey said.

Bakura rubbed Ryou's hair. "We know, Joey. Ryou is really sensitive about Aten. She is really scared."

The baby girl in Ryou's arms began to cry. "Aria, angel, don't cry," her mother whispered. "Your brother's going to be fine."

Malik sat beside Ryou on the bed. Marik listened to Malik through their mindlink.

"Yugi, guys, come on. I'll show you Aten in the room. Come with me. Bakura, you're going to come with us?"

"Ryou? I'll let you know if there is any improvement. Malik, can you stay here with Ryou?"

Malik nodded. The group left the room following Marik.

"I'm glad to see that you are alright, Ryou. When Bakura told me last night about you, I was worried. I thought I lost you."

"I have two reasons to live, Malik. I live for my children now. I only want to take them home where they belong. Aten did nothing wrong. He shouldn't have to pay for my father's cruelty like I did."

Malik hugged Ryou. "I know, Ryou. Look at it this way: He has four people who love him and would do anything for him."

Ryou smiled. "I know, Malik. It's still hard."

Marik covered his mouth laughing. "I hate to sound like Anzu, but our friendship will pull us through."

Ryou rolled her eyes. "Not Anzu again, please. With her screaming, I'm amazed these kids aren't deaf."

Marik walked Yami and the group to Aten. To Marik's amazement, Aten was awake, but still lying very still in his incubator. The had removed the breathing tube early in the morning and he was no longer connected to any other machine, expect the heart monitor. When he saw his father and Marik placed his hand inside, the baby grabbed onto Marik's thumb and pulled it into his mouth.

"Aww….Aten, are they feeding you enough here?"

Yami shot Marik an awkward glance. Marik was so….gentle…for a change.

"Seto, aren't you gonna say, `Awww, what a cute wittle boy! Wook at you my wittle woo-woo!'" Joey mocked at Seto.

Seto growled and whacked Joey on the back of the head. "Knock it off, puppy."

Joey whined like a dog and rubbed his head.

Marik saw a nurse and asked her, "Can I hold him yet?"

The nurse went to the medical chart at the bottom of the bed. "Well, he is stabilized for now. Just not for very long just in case."

The nurse opened the incubator and wrapped Aten in a blanket to keep him warm. Marik sat down on a chair beside the device that held his son and the nurse brought him over. Marik held him and watched the little heart monitor slow down. Aten nuzzled his cheek into Marik.

Yugi stepped in front of Yami. "Wow, Marik. He's…so cute!"

Yami looked at the tan-skinned baby. "He almost looks like you, Marik."

Marik grinned as he kissed Aten's head. "Well, he IS my baby boy!"

Aten saw the Millenium Rod against Marik's shoulder. Aten slowly grabbed onto it and Aten began to suck on the Millenium Rod. Everyone began to chuckle.

Bakura snickered, "Yes, Marik. He IS your son. Like father like son."

Yami laughed, "Poor Malik. I feel sorry for him already."

Seto's eyes widened as he watched Aten. "Look at that kid go!"

Yugi retreated back a little. "Well, Marik, I guess Rod-sucking runs in the family?"

The group laughed out loud.

Marik growled. "Don't make fun of my kid because he's sucking on the Millenium Rod!"

The group's eyes flooded with tears as they laughed.

"Don't listen to them, Aten. Just keep going." Aten's eyes shifted between everyone as he covered the Rod practically in drool.

Marik rubbed Aten's face clean with his shirt. Aten let go of the Millenium Rod and began to reach for Joey.

"Oh, no. I can only stand my hair being pulled once a day."

Aten looked up at Seto and reached out. Seto looked down at the whimpering baby wanting to be held. Marik told Seto to sit down. Seto sat down and Marik gave Aten to him. Aten reached out and touched the CEO's face, running his fingers along his lip and his nose. He giggled as he pulled on Seto's lower lip and contorted it. The baby giggled and clapped his hands after he tried to mold Seto's face into silly expressions. The adult hugged Aten lightly. The locket around his neck once again became a play thing. The child pulled on the locket and rattled it.

"See? I told you Seto had a soft spot for kids," Joey whispered to Yugi.

Aten's attention soon turned to Yami. Aten looked at Yami in awe. Bakura gave him to Yami once again saying, "Let's go see Aunt Yami."

"I am not an Aunt, tomb robber!"

"Shut up and hold him."

Yami's tri-colored hair took Aten's attention and he reached for Yami's bangs to bring his head down. Yami pulled his head back as Aten reached. The fact that he couldn't grip the hair sent Aten into a cry. Marik took Aten quickly to his chest.

"Thanks a lot, pharaoh, you made my baby cry."

Marik rocked him quietly until he fell asleep. The nurse put Aten back inside so he could sleep. Marik returned to the room with some sense of peace. Finally, he held the one thing in the world he knew he could never live without: his son.

// They will destroy your lights………Do not be deceived. Ryou and Malik's fate is sealed. Even your precious Yugi cannot be saved, Yami. //

Yami, Bakura, and Marik stopped looking down the hallway as they heard Anubis' voice call to them.