Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Hostile Takeover ❯ Into The Fire ( Chapter 70 )

Shadow of Light: We find out who did it in this chappie.

Ryou's Mistress: Everyone makes it out. Don't worry.

Lady Elfskye: Aria is a good duelist. Imagine when she grows up!

Bakachibi voidfox: Well, you're right about the hair part. Leave itup to Yami Aria.

Dragon Tears: I never said I wouldn't kill anyone off. I bring them back though..somehow.

chaos queen: Aria: Me! I got daddy's bloodlust!

Acidflower: I'm glad you didn't leave affnet for good. My wife used Magic Cylinder against me and my powered up Blue Eyes. She kicked my sorry butt.

Terra: You were right.

Super JM: OO! I got another plushie! *hugs*

Tokyo Nights: Only one person bleeds.

Maruken: hehehe…I loved your description. Yeah. I love the part where Aria beats Yami.

Cynical Spirit Valea: *Aria brushes hair back proudly* Aria: Yup, I am da woman! And Yami better not forget it!

thunder chaos: Yeah! New reviewer! *hands Bakrua plushie* I try to keep the lemons down. Too much sex takes away from the story.

Seto lover and Bakurasgirl worshipper: I loved where they were trying to see the fruit of whose loins could be whose.

Into The Fire

Bakura's eyes shot open and he jumped out of bed. He grabbed his jeans and his shirt. "ISHTAR! FIRE!"

Ryou turned to Bakura. "Yami, get my mother's jewelry box! MARIK!"

Marik ran out of the room. "OH SHIT!"

"I'll get the kids! Marik, grab what you can and go!"

Ryou ran to the kids' room and threw open the door. "Kids! Wake up, babies!"

Aten yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What's going on?" The little boy coughed.

"Stay calm, baby. Aria! We have to leave! Wake up!"

Aria opened her eyes, hearing her father run down the fire-filled hallway. "Why is daddy yelling, mommy?"

" Aria, we have to get out of the house, honey. Stay calm."

Ryou picked up Aten and ran to pick up Aria. He turned to run out the door and the little girl yelped in pain.

Ryou whipped around seeing the jump rope tying her to the bedpost.

Aten saw the fire in the hallway and shrieked.

"Mommy! Tire! Oh no! My monies!"

Ryou put Aten and Aria on Aria's bed. The mother coughed as he tried to untie his daughter from the bed.

Aria coughed as black smoke filled her lungs. Aten started to wheeze, grabbing his chest tightly.

Marik ran in, "RYOU!"

"Get Aten out of the house!"

"Daddy, det my money! Tave my money!"

Marik grabbed Aten's toy his son.

Marik ran down the blazing staircase which creaked under his light weight. Malik grabbed Aten's Magnadoodle as the living room floor collapsed. Aten shrieked as he saw his playpen engulfed in flames. In the middle of the playpen, his Winged Dragon of Ra plushie was burning.

"No!!" the chibi cried. "My Winged Dagon uff Bra pushie!!! My toy! My toy!"

Marik ran his son and Malik out and ran back for Bakura when a loud crash threw Bakura out of the kitchen and made Aria and Ryou scream upstairs.

Marik caught Bakura, whose forehead was covered in his blood. "Bakura!"

Bakura heard Aria scream from upstairs. "My daughter! Aten and Ryou's medication is destroyed, Ishtar! You get out of here!"

"Itemri, you're wounded!"

Bakura jumped to his feet. "I'm not leaving my husband and child to burn to death! GO!"

Ryou unknotted the jump rope. Aria grabbed her red M&M's plushie as the fire crept into the room. Ryou held Aria as he pushed through the hallway. Another explosion from the kitchen tore through the floor in the kids' bedroom, engulfing all of the children's toys in white-hot fire.

"Mommy! I'm scared!"

Bakura climbed the steps carefully. "Daddy's here, Aria."

Ryou took one step at a time , feeling the wood shake under him.

"Mommy…." Aria watched Bakura climb the stairs. "I don't want to be burnted!"

Ryou jumped as the furniture collapsed from the fire.

"Give her to me, Ryou."

Ryou stepped down and the step broke under his foot!

"Bakura!"

The mother tossed Aria into Bakura's arms. He grabbed onto the banister to stop himself from falling. "Get her out of here, yami!"

Ryou coughed, grabbing onto his chest. Bakura held Aria close to him. "It's okay, baby girl."

"MY DOLLIES!" Aria screamed as she saw her doll chest engulfed in flames. "My toys!"

Another step gave out on Ryou and he fell. Ryou grabbed onto the step and looked down into the inferno below. Bakura held onto Ryou's wrist and pulled him up. Bakura helped him down the steps and ran out of the door.

The fire engine sirens blasted down the block as Bakura, Ryou, and Aria joined the Ishtars across the street. The cold air pierced through their skins. Ryou took Aria into his arms and brought Aten into his protective arms.

The little boy coughed as he held his monkey with cymbals. The monkey's left ear and the tip of its tail were burned.

Marik held onto his crying hikari.

"My sister's home!" Malik wept. "Where will we live?"

People came out of their home to see the Ishtar home consumed by flames, the roof collapsing.

Bakura removed his shirt and put it over Aria and Aten's bodies to keep them warm. Bakura put his arm around Ryou and turned his head slowly to the side.

Yami was standing in the crowd, his face illuminated by the fire's light, a grin on his face.

Yami saw Bakura's face illuminated by the firelight, Bakura's forehead swimming in his own dried blood, patches of his skin blackened by skin burns. The tips of Bakura's hair was blackened by the blaze.

Bakura narrowed his eyes as he held onto his weeping husband and the wailing, terrified children. A single drop of red blood fell from his hairline and slid down his cheek.

Yami turned and walked away silently, not uttering a word to Bakura. Bakura kissed his hikari's cheek as Miranda ran towards them.

"Ryou! Ryou! What happened?"

Aten wailed. "My Paypen! My pushie of Wa! My monies!"

Aria cried. "My dollies! My toys! Jessica was in the house!"

Ryou looked up at Miranda. "Everything we own…gone."

Ryou started weeping. Miranda wrapped her arm around Ryou.

"Come to my house, Ryou. I have a room for you. This cold isn't good for you or the kids."

Aten started wheezing. He reached out for Miranda. "My chess hurts…..mom."

Malik sniffled. "I have to stay here. This is my house and the cops will want to talk to me."

Marik stayed with Bakura and Malik.

Bakura gave Ryou a gentle kiss on the lips in front of Miranda, knowing it wouldn't shock her or disgust her. "Love, I'll stay here with these two. You go home with Miranda. I'll see you later."

Ryou followed Miranda home.

Robbie limped down the stairs wearing his camouflage sleepsuit, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy? What's going on?"

Aten started sobbing as he ran into Robbie's arms. "My toys! My pushie!"

Ryou sat on the couch with a crying Aria on his lap. Ryou rubbed her back, sniffling.

Robbie cuddled Aten against his chest. "I'm sorry, Aten. Come upstairs with me. Come on." Robbie held Aten by the hand and helped him climb the stairs.

Miranda went to the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit. She returned to Ryou and placed some burn cream on Aria's arm. Aria's cries died down to whimpers and quiet coughing.

Miranda saw Ryou's red palm and took a cool cloth gently touching the skin. Ryou's brown eyes slowly rose to look at Miranda in the eyes. Ryou's eyes looked sad. The only emotion she could read was Ryou's fear at almost losing his children in the fire.

"Ryou? Does it hurt?"

Her voice echoed in his head. He had heard that voice before….his mother.

Ryou closed his eyes as he saw an image behind his closed eyes. He saw himself at two years old with a scrape on his knee. Chibi Ryou sat on the ground crying. His mother came to him kissing the injury. "My poor little boy," his mother said. "Ryou? Does it hurt?"

Ryou felt a tear fall down his cheek and he opened his eyes.

Miranda wiped away the tear. "Oh, Ryou……you poor thing."

"I'm sorry, Miranda," the white-haired boy whispered.

"Don't be sorry, Ryou. Let me get Aria something nice to wear to bed."

Miranda took Aria and carried her upstairs. She gave Aria a t-shirt to wear and checked on the boys.

Robbie was helping Aten into a t-shirt. Aten was given a new diaper and Miranda put Aten, Aria, and Robbie in Robbie's bed. Miranda put the barriers on the sides of Robbie's bed to prevent the kids from falling out of the bed.

"You kids go to sleep," she said quietly.

Aten sniffled. "But….my….money..iss….burnted."

"You can still play with it, Aten. It's still good. You try to get some sleep, son. Good night."

"Don't worry, Aten," Robbie yawned. "I can sing you a lullabye."

Robbie started to sing as Miranda shut the door. Downstairs, she found Ryou sitting on the couch sobbing.

"Ryou?"

"I lost the ring Bakura gave me for Christmas! I couldn't rescue it from the fire!"

Bakura, Malik, and Marik entered the Morgan home. Miranda gasped as she saw Bakura plainly in the light, his forehead and his face covered in his own blood. "Bakura! Oh my god, you should go to the hospital!"

Bakura staggered over to Ryou and sat beside him. He brought his hikari into his arms and stroked his white hair. "I don't need a hospital for mortals. All I need to do is return into my Millennium Ring to recover."

"Bakura, did you find the Christmas ring you gave me?"

Bakura gave Ryou the jewelry box. "No. I didn't have time to grab your ring, Ryou. I'm sorry. All I did was save your mother's jewelry box."

Ryou opened the box and saw his mother's wedding band and found the only picture he had of her. Ryou's mother was sitting with Ryou as an infant on her lap. The baby in her arms didn't look more than a few days old. Rhea smiled happily, cuddling the new life close to her.

Ryou bit his lip, his body began to shake. His burned hand drifted across the only picture he had of his mother. "I love you, mommy."

Bakura held onto Ryou and looked up at the other yami consoling his own hikari. "Marik, maybe you should get Malik to his room."

"What am I going to tell my sister about my home? Isis is going to be so upset with me!"

"No she won't, hikari. You couldn't help what happened," Marik said kissing his forehead.

Miranda gave Marik the burn cream for Malik and himself. She showed the Ishtars upstairs and to their room across the hall from the children.

Ryou turned to Bakura. "I want to take the kids to Zira tomorrow. I want him to check Aten's lungs and his heart and I want Aria's burns examined."

Bakura nodded. "Okay. We can do that. It's good we left some of the kids' presents at Seto's place. We would have lost all of their toys. I'll call moneybags and have them bring the rest over tomorrow."

Miranda returned back downstairs. "Ryou, do you want a cup of tea or do you want me to show you to your room?"

"May I have a cup of tea?"

"Sure." Miranda went into the kitchen. "Bakura?"

Bakura called. "Yes, please."

"Is the home still---?"

Bakura shook his head. "No. We managed to escape with the clothes on our back and our children. That's all we have."

Ryou's eyes lifted a bit. "We were lucky, Bakura. We were lucky to escape with the kids. I thought for certain we were going to lose both of the kids, Bakura. Aten's heart was fortunate to survive the smoke and the heat. I was certain when I saw Aria tied to the bed I would not be able to--."

"What?" Bakura narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

"Aria's foot was tied to the bed. I couldn't get the jump rope untied."

Bakura snarled. "Aria's foot didn't get tied up by accident. Someone tied her to the bed. Those smoke alarms should have gone off. But, I saw the batteries on the floor. Someone was in our house!" Bakura narrowed his eyes seeing the pharaoh standing close-by, a grin on his face. "After my tea, Ryou, I have to go visit an old friend."

"Yami, I don't want to be alone! Don't leave me, please!"

Bakura snarled as Miranda brought out their tea. "I really should go, Ryou."

"No, yami, please don't go. You are hurt and you need to go into the Ring."

The yami sighed in defeat. "Okay, Ryou. I'll stay here."

Bakura sipped his tea. 'When he goes to sleep, I'm leaving! Normally, I would listen to you, Ryou, but I can't let this one go.'

*****************************

When Ryou had finally cried himself to sleep, Bakura sneaked out of the house and ran to the ruins of his old house. He sifted through the embers, trying to find anything salvageable.

"What are you doing out so late, tomb-robber?"

Bakura jumped to his feet and quickly removed a knife from his pocket that he took from the kitchen. Bakura snarled at the figure in front of him.

"Pharaoh! You were the cause of this, weren't you? You tried to burn Ryou and the kids alive, didn't you?"

Yami stepped out of the bushes and crossed his arms. "I didn't do anything, Bakura. Besides, give me proof that it was me!"

Bakura jumped off of the pile of rubble. "You couldn't stand it that my three year old daughter beat you at duel monsters that you tied her ankle to the bed and tried to burn her to death!"

Yami approached Bakura, standing directly in front of him. "That may be a good, solid motive, but give me solid proof, thief!"
Bakura took the knife and pointed it at Yami's throat. "You did the same thing to Marik's settlement back in ancient Egypt. You have to try a lot harder than that to get to my kids! I will not let you kill Aria or Aten. And I swear to Osiris, if you try to lay your hand on Ryou, Yami, I will do everything in my power to see that you are sealed in your Puzzle for eternity."

Yami grinned. "I knew you couldn't prove it was me, Bakura. You could never pin that on me even if it took you five thousand years."

"How could you have the guts to tie a three year old to the bed with a jump rope and set the house on fire?"

"It's nothing different to what you used to do in Egypt, Bakura! How many homes did you destroy? How many women did you rob, rape, and then murder? How many men did you kill?"

Bakura shrugged. "183 or 184 men and women. I lost count. But this has nothing to do with that! I never killed a child!"

"So, you do have a redeeming quality! Look, Bakura, you could never pin this on me!" Yami grabbed Bakura's shirt and made the blade of the knife so hot, Bakura dropped it. "I suggest you don't tell Yugi of our little…..encounter."

Bakura growled. "Get the fuck off of me, pharaoh!"

Yami pinned Bakura against the burned wood. "Such profanity hardly gets you what you need, Bakura! All you need to do is ask that I release you."

"Fine! Get the fuck off of me, please! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Yami slammed Bakura on the charred remains of the home. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"

"I could say the same to you….murderer!"

Yami growled. "I suggest you keep quiet about this, Bakura. No one is going to believe you without any solid proof. Besides, if you want to see that Ryou remains alive and well, I suggest you keep your mouth shut for a change."

Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Stay away from Ryou!"

"I could Mind Crush Ryou. He'd be nothing more than a soul-less shell. Then you can be free to screw him all day long."

Bakura struggled with Yami, but the pharaoh kept his grip firm. Yami pressed himself against Bakura and grinned. "Remember back in Egypt when I kept you all day in my royal chamber? So, you still enjoy me pressed up against you, hmm? Maybe we can have some time alone together, Bakura. It's been five thousand years that I took you last. What do you say? If I cannot kill you and your daughter, I may as well have my fun with one of you."

Bakura struggled, his hair spiking and twitching. "Let me go!"

Yami laughed. "No one is going to hear you if I silence your tongue!"

Yami raised his hand and Bakura heard him yelp in pain. Bakura looked to see the Millennium Rod sticking out of his hand. Marik jumped down from the pile of rubble.

"Millennium Rod, return!" Marik called. The Millennium Rod removed itself from Yami's hand and returned back to his grasp. Bakura leaned against Marik.

"I suggest you be a good boy, Bakura. If you do, I promise not to hurt Ryou."

Bakura glared at the former pharaoh and pointed an accusing finger at Yami. "Come near my family again and I will have your Item shattered and the pieces scattered around the world!"

Yami laughed. "Just try it, tomb robber!"

Yami left and Bakura wrapped his arms around Marik, his entire body shaking.

Marik held onto his former lover. "It's okay, Bakura. I'm here."

The blond yami always found his white-haired lover an emotional and physical wreck after finding him with Yami.

"He tried to…….He was the one who……Marik, he set the fire!"

Marik's hair spiked and twitched with fury. "That son of a bitch!"

"But, he'll kill Ryou if we try to tell anyone! Marik, I don't want Ryou killed! Nobody would believe us!"

Marik raised an eyebrow. "The duel Aria had with Yami is good enough proof for me!"

"That's a motive! We need evidence!"

Marik released Bakura. "Let's look around. We can probably find something."

"What made you come out here looking for me?"

"Something didn't feel right in the house. Ryou was sleeping, so I wasn't sure if you were in your item. Something just wasn't right."

Bakura and Marik looked around the rubble. They found no evidence that Yami had set the fire. They found Bakura's dagger, but nothing else was salvageable.

Bakura sighed. "I'll have to replace Ryou's fish tomorrow."

Marik sighed. "I'll have to replace all my toys, too."

Bakura and Marik sighed at the rubble. "Let's go home, Ishtar. I have to return to the Millennium Ring. Feeling weak."

Bakura and Marik returned home. Marik slipped back into bed with his hikari, wrapping his arms around him. Bakura checked on the kids. Aria was crying in her sleep.

Bakura picked Aria out of the bed and carried her to Ryou's room.

"Baby girl, you sleep with mommy."

"Where you going to sleep, daddy? I was having a bad dream abut my toys burn-ding in the fire."

Bakura kneeled beside her. "I know it scared you, sweetheart. Cuddle up with mommy and try to get some sleep, okay? The fire won't hurt you anymore."
"Where you going to sleep?"

"I'm going to sleep in my Ring, baby girl. Daddy needs to feel better."

"Okay, daddy. I love you."

Bakura kissed her cheek. "Go to sleep, little princess."

Bakura disappeared into his soulroom. He crawled under his sheets and laid on his back. He crossed his arms over his chest and fell asleep.

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