Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Paradise ❯ The High Priest ( Chapter 20 )

The High Priest

 

 

A lightening strike flashed up in the sky, making him jump.

He ran up the steps and banged on the door. “OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE! HIGH PRIEST!”

The door opened as a tall man with dark skin opened the door. Aten's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. He lost his footing and fell back, sitting on the wet ground, the rain pouring down on him.

“Aten?” the tall man asked, holding a flashlight.

“I came to see Seth...” he said nervously.

“Seth?”

Aten nodded and shielded his eyes from the light. “Yes. I came to see him!”

“Come inside and out of the rain! You're soaking wet!”

“Kendall? Who is it?” Karl asked, approaching.

“It's Aten. He keeps asking for Seth.”

Aten slowly stood up. “I came to see the High Priest.”

Karl raised an eyebrow. “Come in, Aten. That rain is just pouring down! You're gonna get sick.”

Aten cautiously stepped between the two men and walked into the lobby. “This palace is big.”

“'Palace?' Aten, this is KaibaCorp,” Kendall said.

“I'll take him up to Mr. Kaiba. You stay down here, Ken.”

Aten followed Karl into the elevator. “What is this?”

“An elevator. Are you okay? You don't seem yourself.”

Aten shivered as he pulled his bathrobe around himself tighter. “I need help.”

“Why are you wandering around the streets of Domino in the middle of the night in your pajamas?”

Aten sneezed. “I ran from him.”

“Who? Was somebody after you?”

Aten shook his head. “Somebody was sleeping beside me and I had to get away.”

“Was it Robbie?”

Aten shook his head again. “I don't know.”

Karl leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Seto will take care of you.”

“Seth?”

“Umm…yeah, Seth.”

Aten gave a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods.”

Karl lead Aten out of the elevator and towards Seto's office. The CEO was not in the office. “He's got to be around here somewhere.” Karl lead him to the living room and nobody was in there. “It's too early for Seto to be in bed.” Karl lead Aten down the hall towards Joey's Studio.

He knocked on the door and a call came from inside. “Come in!”

Karl opened the door and peeked his head in. Seto was reading on a couch and Joey was painting in the corner.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Master Kaiba. Sir, Aten is here.”

Seto closed his book. “He is? Bring him in.”

Aten burst through the door , his soaking bathrobe dropping water on the floor.

Joey put down his brush and palate and saw the Egyptian boy run in wearing only a pair of boxers and a robe. “What happened to you?”

Seto stood up and put the book on the couch. “What happened? Why are you in your pajamas?”

Aten fell to his knees in front of Seto. “High Priest Seth, as a lowly servant, I have come to ask your help.”

“Aten, what are you doing?”

Aten kept his head bowed. “I need your help. A strange man was laying next to me in the night.”

“Strange man?” Joey asked, approaching beside Seto. “Did someone try to hurt you at home? Are the others okay?”

“I can't find Robbie,” Aten whimpered. “Someone strange was sleeping beside me….I don't know who it was.”

Seto leaned down and helped Aten to his feet. “Aten? Are you okay?” The CEO saw Aten's eyes glazed over. “Calm down, Aten. Let's get you dried off and some dry clothes.”

Aten grabbed Seto's shoulders. “Robbie's in trouble…..I don't know where he is.” Tears streamed down Aten's face. “I thought you could help me, High Priest Seth.”

Seto removed Aten's grip on him slowly. “You're going to get sick, Aten. I'll help you.”

Joey followed Seto and Aten down the hall. The elevator opened up and Jaimen walked out of the elevator.

“Hi, dad! Hi, Uncle Joey! Aten? What are you doing here?” Jaimen asked.

“Hi, Jaimen. Aten just popped in.”

Jaimen raised an eyebrow. “In his underwear?”

“Where were you?”

“I went out flying again with Donny.”

Seto walked up to his son. “It's dangerous to fly at night. I don't want you doing that anymore.”

“But, dad! I'm getting good at nighttime flying! How can I get good at it if I don't practice?”

“It's still dangerous.”

Jaimen rolled his eyes. “I'm a good flyer! Donny's taught me a lot!”

“I will talk to Donny about taking you out at night. I'm just concerned about your safety.”

“I'm not a child anymore! I can go out and fly better than you probably can!”

Seto clenched his fists tightly. “That's enough, Jaimen. I'm only doing this for your benefit.”

Jaimen gave his father a disgruntled look and walked past him to his room down the hall. Seto watched him disappear into his room with a loud slam. “He's going through the rebellious phase.”

“Hardcore,” Joey added.

“He's a teenager…..and a Kaiba. Kaibas don't take well to anyone telling them what to do.”

Aten began to shiver again. “Cold.”

Joey and Seto took Aten into the bedroom once occupied by Mokuba and Jeanie. They lead him into the bathroom and handed him a towel.

“Let's take off that wet robe. I'll have it dried for you. Dry yourself off.”

Aten removed his robe and began drying himself with a towel.

“I can handle this, Joey. Can you go call Robbie? Hopefully you can get in touch with them. Tell him Aten is here.”

Joey nodded and left the bathroom.

Seto turned around when he heard Aten begin to cry.

“I can't find Robbie…..I don't know if he is safe.”

Seto kneeled down and talked to him. “Robbie is safe, Aten. Don't cry. I know he's not in danger. I'll get you some hot tea and you can sleep here.”

Aten rubbed his eyes. “He's not in danger, my lord?”

“Aten, I am Seto. I'm not Seth.”

Aten blinked as if Joey was speaking some foreign language. “I don't understand.”

Seto placed a hand on Aten's shoulder. “You'll be okay, Aten. So will Robbie.”

Aten wrapped his arm around Seto and held him close. “Thank you.”

The CEO hugged Aten back and released him. “Let me get you another bathrobe to wear to bed. You can't wear wet clothes to bed. Wait here.”

Seto left the bathroom and saw Joey hang up the phone beside the bed. “Did you talk to them?”

“No, I left a message on their machine.”

Seto went to the closet and removed a bathrobe. “At least they'll know he's safe.”

“Why was he walking around Domino half-naked?”

Seto shrugged. “I don't know what triggered this, but he's safe here now. Robbie's told me that Aten's been acting strange. He's been going into flashbacks and has been exhibiting odd behavior. Robbie's told me that Aten's been placed on an oxygen machine because his brain's oxygen-deprived.”

“What are we going to do about him?”

“He'll stay here for the night. Robbie will be able to see him when he gets into work. I don't want to wake him up once he goes to sleep. Aten needs sleep and rest. This way he'll be here for our dinner with the family when they arrive.”

Joey nodded. “Yugi said he'd come with Glenn.”

“That's fine. I'm going to tell Yugi to wear a hat or something over his head. Otherwise, Aten will think it's Yami walking into the room and we could have trouble.”

“If Aten is acting like this, then that would be a smart thing to do.”

Seto walked towards the bathroom and handed Aten the warm bathrobe. “Put this on. The bed in here is all ready for you.”

Aten bowed his head in front of Seto. “Thank you, High Priest.”

“Robbie will be here in the morning. Until then, get a good night's sleep.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Seto watched as Aten shifted on his feet nervously. “Karl will be outside if you need anything. Pleasant dreams.”

Seto walked towards the door with Joey close behind. “Karl, stay here in front of Aten's door. If there's trouble, come get me.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Kaiba,” Karl nodded.

Joey followed Seto to their bedroom. Seto took a deep breath and walked towards his bed.

“I never expected that,” Joey said.

Seto sighed. “Never a dull moment around here, hmm, Joey?”

“Tell me about it.”

“Jaimen's got my stubborn streak. He's determined. That's the Kaiba in him.”

Joey sat beside Seto. “He's much like his daddy.”

“I'm only trying to look after his well-being.”

“He's just going through a phase.”

Seto rubbed his temples. `First I have Aria to worry about, then I have Rocher on my ass, now I have Aten coming in disoriented, and Jaimen testing my authority.'

Joey kneeled behind Seto and began to massage his partner's shoulders. “You are tense.”

“I have every right to be.”

Joey kneaded the CEO's tight muscles around the neck. “You need to relax. Lay down and I'll give you a backrub.”

Seto groaned as he removed his shirt and laid on his stomach. “Everywhere hurts.”

Joey grabbed some oil and dripped some on Seto's back. Joey smiled as he began to run his hands up and down Seto's back. The CEO moaned as his muscles began to relax.

Seto closed his eyes and a small smile crossed his lips.

It had been a long time since Joey felt good enough to do something like this. Just the feeling of Joey's hands rubbing his tired, aching muscles made him feel better. The fact that Joey was not twitching or in massive amounts of pain made this moment one of the best he had shared with Joey in a long time.

The blond leaned down and planted a little kiss on Seto's ear. “Feeling better?”

“Hell yeah,” the CEO sighed with contentment.

“Now you sound like Marik.”

Seto chuckled. “Well, it feels good.”

Joey's hand slipped under the back of Seto's pants and began groping Seto's ass. “Is there anything else that needs massaging?”

Seto grinned and turned his head. “Anything else?”

Joey kissed his husband on the lips, his hand continued to rub Seto. “Anything else.”

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

Ryou slept in the chair, the blanket covering him. The door to the soulroom opened up with a quiet creak.

The occupant of the other soulroom staggered into the room, holding his chest.

“Ry…”

Bakura walked towards his Light in the chair and kneeled beside him. ”Ryou…..wake up.”

Ryou opened his eyes slowly. “'Kura?”

Bakura smiled at his Light and put his hand on Ryou's arm. “It's me.”

“How are you feeling?” Ryou asked, reaching up to touch Bakura's cheek.

“The neck still hurts, but I'll be fine. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Ryou reached out and hugged Bakura. “I was so worried about you.”

Bakura returned the hug, burying his fingers in Ryou's white hair. “It will take more than that to bring me down.”

“You could have died if you were mortal.”

“I know. I'm still not brand-spankin' new, though. I'll need a little more time to heal.”

Ryou looked at scars which were lining Bakura's neck and chest. “If you come out, will you feel anything?”

“I will. I need some time to rest before I leave the Ring.”

“Tonight is our dinner with Seto.”

Bakura hugged Ryou again. “I'll try to make it out by then. I don't want to scare the kids with my injuries.”

“I can lend you a long-sleeved sweater or mine. A turtleneck sweater will hide your neck injuries.”

“That's a good idea. You're so smart.”

Ryou giggled. “Well, I have them in the closet. They're warm, too.”

Bakura kissed Ryou's lips and his cheek. “Smart…..and sexy.”

“Oh, you! I'm relieved that you are better.”

“I'll continue to get better as long as I can stay in here for a little longer.”

Ryou smiled and ran his fingers over Bakura's scarred chest. “I've got nowhere to be.”

Bakura chuckled and pulled Ryou into a heated kiss. The yami heard his Light whimper as he deepened the kiss.

Ryou pulled the blanket off of him and put it over Bakura. “This will keep us warm.”

“I have another way of keeping us warm,” Bakura grinned, reaching up Ryou's shirt and rubbing Ryou's chest.

“Just what do you have in mind?” Ryou asked, raising his eyebrow and smiling.

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

 

Robbie woke up and rolled over when the alarm clock began beeping. He reached across the bed and turned it off.

He opened his eyes and saw Aten missing. Robbie rubbed his eyes and left his bed. He checked Miracle's room and found the baby sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Her body wasn't convulsing and color was beginning to return to her cheeks. Her tiny fingers twitched slightly in her sleep.

Robbie left the room and found the bathroom empty. Aten wasn't in there.

He walked downstairs and found his mother in the kitchen. “Have you seen Aten around?”

“I checked the answering machine. Aten wandered to KaibaCorp in the middle of the night.”

“Is he okay? Is he hurt?!” Robbie asked quickly.

“He's fine. Seto has him now.”

Robbie sighed in relief. “At least he's not hurt.” Robbie poured himself a cup of coffee. “I'll see him when I get to work. Will you be coming to Seto's dinner tonight?”

Miranda nodded. “Yeah, your father and I will be there with the baby.”

“She's looking better today. Her cheeks have some color. She's not so pale.”

“Miracle is improving, that's for sure. Let's hope there's not a relapse where her body craves again.”

Robbie sat beside his mother at the table. “I'm going to fill out Social Security papers for her today.”

“Have you decided on her name yet or are you going to keep Miracle Zahra?”

Robbie sipped his coffee with a smile. “I have a name in mind.”

Miranda waited for Robbie to answer the name of the baby girl, but when he didn't continue, Miranda raised an eyebrow. “And? What is the name?”

“You'll see.”

“Being secretive?”

Robbie leaned back in the chair. “I want to make it a surprise.”

“Does Aten know about the name?”

“We discussed it. Aten wanted me to name her. He said whatever name I picked was fine with him.”

Miranda stirred her coffee. “I thought you wanted Aten to contribute a name.”

Robbie nodded. “Aten did. He thought my name was a good one, so he accepted it. I also want to call the church so I can get her baptized, too.”

“Does Aten want her baptized?”

“Aten doesn't mind. Just because Aten isn't part of our faith, doesn't mean that he doesn't want her baptized. Aten said if that's what I wanted, that was okay.” Robbie sipped his drink. “ I can't believe he just took off in the middle of the night though! What if he got hurt? What if something happened to him? Those Crusaders are still around. If they got their hands on him, he'd be dead.”

“At least he's safe.”

Robbie sighed. “Thank God for that.” Robbie finished his coffee. “I better get ready. I want to spend time with my baby girl before I go to work.” Robbie limped to put his cup in the sink. He used his cane to climb the stairs, wincing at the pain in his clubbed foot.

After a hot shower and getting dressed, he went to the baby's room and found her stirring in the crib. He leaned against the crib and picked up the child. The baby yawned as Robbie grabbed his cane.

“Good morning, baby girl. Did you sleep well?”

The baby blinked and looked up at him without making a sound.

“Daddy's going to get you registered today. You're going to come to Seto's for a party tonight. Would you like that?”

The baby reached up and touched Robbie's chin. He kissed the baby's hand and smiled down at him.

“You'll meet Uncle Seto and Uncle Joey for the first time. Your other daddy will be there, too.”

The baby touched Robbie's cheek and she flexed her toes.

Robbie held him against her and smiled. “You're daddy's girl, aren't you?”

The baby continued to touch Robbie's cheek and his nose. Robbie kissed her forehead and her cheek.

“Cutie pie. Daddy has to go to work, but I'll see you later.” Robbie hugged her and put her in the crib again.

He limped downstairs and winced. He entered the kitchen and walked to his mother. “Mom, can you feed the baby her bottle? My foot is really acting up and I don't want to risk falling down the stairs with her.”

Miranda nodded. “I'll take care of it.”

“Thanks, mom.” Robbie went to the cabinet and grabbed Aten's morning medications. “He's going to need these. I'm going to get to the Ishtar home now. It'll take me a little longer to get to their home.”

“Take it easy on that foot today,” she said, giving her son a hug. “Be careful out there.”

“I always am, mom. Thanks for the helping hand.”

Robbie left the house and limped down the street with his cane. Robbie fought his way through the crowd in front of the Ishtar-Itemri home.

“Are you aware of these people's magic?”

“Does your life partner have magic powers?”

“Are these people truly dangerous?”

Robbie pushed through the crowd, almost losing his footing.

“Can the Spirits' magic cure your foot? Is that why you come?”

Robbie tripped, but used his cane to gain stability. “MARIK! MALIK! RYOU! BAKURA!”

Malik opened the door and pulled Robbie inside. “Come in!” Malik closed the door. “They've gotten worse since yesterday,” Malik explained.

“They're trying to grill me, too, for information.”

Malik rolled his eyes. “Vultures. They don't care who they hurt as long as they get their story.”

“I don't think they're all that way.”

“The ones in this town are! I can't even go out and get the mail without being harassed.”

Robbie limped to the chair and sat down. “Where is Marik?”

“He's in a crabby mood, Rob. Don't say anything unless he asks you a question.”

“What happened?”

Malik walked over to the entertainment center and crossed his arms. “Bakura was attacked by Rocher's men.”

Robbie's jaw dropped. “Holy crap! Is he okay?”

“Ryou's still upstairs. He hasn't come down yet. Only he knows how Bakura is doing.”

“What did Rocher's men do to him?”

“They really did a number on him. They shot him and injured his neck.”

Robbie clutched his cane tightly. “Does Seto know?”

“Seto showed up at the scene with Marik and Ryou. Ryou said that Bakura was in his soulroom and that he was in bad shape.”

“I hope Bakura is okay.”

Malik nodded. “Bakura's strong….and it's not easy to kill the dead, anyway.”

Marik walked down the steps and grumbled to himself quietly. He passed Robbie without saying a word. The yami disappeared into the kitchen.

Malik stepped closer to Robbie. “Just be careful around him.”

Robbie looked at the entranceway of the kitchen. Marik was radiating an energy that told Robbie that anyone who wanted to speak to him today had to choose their words wisely or end up meeting the wrong end of the Millennium Rod.

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

Robbie followed Joey to the bedroom where Aten was staying. Karl was standing in front of Aten's room and stood aside when Robbie arrived.

Robbie opened the door and saw Aten asleep in the bed. Aten's bathrobe was draped over a chair.

Robbie limped up to the bed and sat beside it. He ran his fingers through Aten's hair.

“Aten……”

Robbie touched Aten's cheek lightly. “What can I do for you? What more can I do?”

Aten's eyes fluttered lightly in his sleep.

“If something happened to you…..I don't know what I would have done.”

The sleeping teen opened up his eyes slowly and he yawned. His eyes looked up and saw Robbie looking at him, concerned.

Aten sat up in bed and looked at his husband in the blue, shining eyes. “Robbie?”

“Aten?”

Aten grabbed Robbie and pulled him against him. Robbie returned the tight hug with tears in his eyes.

“Why did you leave in the middle of the night? You could have been seriously injured!” Robbie kissed Aten's cheek as his own tears streaked down his cheek. “What if something happened to you? I was so worried about you.” Robbie pulled back and held Aten's cheeks in his hands. “If anything would have happened to you, I would feel responsible. Do you understand that?”

Aten sniffled. “I didn't know where you were.”

“I was in bed next to you.”

Aten shook his head. “I didn't know who was in the bed beside me.”

“That was me, Aten. I will be the only person laying beside you because I love you! I love you, Aten. Don't you understand that? Please don't go running around Domino in the middle of the night. Something could have happened to you! Someone could have hurt you! I don't want anyone to hurt you! I love you too much. Do you understand me?”

Aten sniffled and nodded. “I do…..Robbie.”

Robbie pulled Aten into a tight hug. “I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you, Aten.”

Aten hugged his husband back, burying his fingers in Robbie's curly black hair. “I'm sorry.”

“Thank you.”

Robbie pulled back and cupped Aten's cheek in his hand. “I took an oath to love you, Aten, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, `til death do us part. I'm not going to abandon you, Aten. We're in this together. Okay, baby?”

“I'm sorry, Robbie. Do you hate me?”

Robbie kissed Aten's lips. “How can I hate someone I love so much?”

Aten sniffled. “I'm so sorry.”

“I'm not giving up on you,” Robbie said.

Aten squinted his eyes and began to cough hard. He leaned over, clutching onto Robbie tightly.

Robbie heard Aten's chest rattling against him as the Egyptian struggled for breath. Aten breathed in as Robbie heard congestion in the labored breathing.

“It's okay, Aten, I'm here.”

Aten hugged Robbie so tightly, Robbie could feel Aten's heart beating. He counted the beats, noting the irregularity of the heart.

“Aten, you need your medication.”

“Can I go home?”

“I have your medication with me. I'd figure you'd need it.” Robbie removed Aten's pills from his pocket and handed them to Aten. He poured Aten a cup of water from the bathroom and handed the cup to Aten. “Sip slowly.”

Aten sipped the cup slowly and began to sway, disoriented.

“Tonight is Seto's dinner party and we're invited. You stay here and relax. Lay down,” Robbie said.

Aten shifted back and winced as he slipped under the covers.

“You okay, Aten?”

“I'm stiff.”

Robbie smiled and snickered. “You are?”

Aten shook his head. ”No, my muscles are stiff. It's hard to move.”

“I'll help you take a nice bath tonight. That will help you relax.”

“Hopefully. It's hard to move.”

Robbie helped Aten under the sheets and tucked him into the bed. “I'll be back to check on you.” Robbie gave Aten a kiss on the cheek. “Try and get some sleep.”

Aten nodded and yawned. “Thank you, Robbie.”

Robbie watched Aten close his eyes and drift into sleep. He crept out of the room and looked at Karl beside the door. “If he needs me, I'll be in my office.”

“That's fine. Mr. Kaiba told me to stay here. Jay will be here in an hour or so. I'll let him know.”

Robbie walked towards the elevator to get to his office on the floor below. He stepped into the elevator and rubbed his forehead.

At least Aten was safe……until the next time the delirium returned.

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

Marik looked down on the street with Seto. The Egyptian yami sighed and closed his eyes. “Thank you for caring for my boy, Kaiba.”

“I couldn't leave him in the pouring rain in the cold night. He was safer here than roaming around Domino practically naked.”

“Thank you. I owe you.”

Seto shook his head. “You don't owe me anything. Knowing that Aten was safe was enough for me. Is Ryou and Malik coming tonight for dinner?”

Marik nodded. “Yes, they'll be there. Depending on how Bakura is feeling, he might be there, too.”

“Any news on his condition?”

“Ryou said that he was conscious and moving around a little in the soulroom. Ryou's not sure if he can leave the Item yet. Bakura might still be too weak.”

“That's what I call rapid recovery.”

Marik grinned. “That's a benefit of having your spirit trapped within a Millennium Item. It's a big responsibility, but it does have its perks.”

Seto saw a large black car park in front of KaibaCorp. “Rocher's back.”

Marik squinted to look at the black car. “I don't think that is Rocher's. Rocher's car is larger than that.”

“It's hard to tell from here.”

Marik stepped across the room and sat at the chair in front of the desk. “Any word from Rocher yet?”

“I don't think we will hear from him for a while. Right now, we have the edge. We have more proof that he is trying underhanded tactics to eliminate his competition. What we will have a more difficult time of proving is that Bakura's wounds were lethal and yet he did not die from his injuries.”

“Bakura will have scars for a while as he heals. When he emerges from his Item, the scars will be visible yet and he will undoubtedly be in pain.”

Seto sat behind his desk. “Bakura is lucky.”

“He's that and much more.”

The phone rang on Seto's desk.

“Yes?”

[Sir, two people from the INS are here to speak to you.]

Marik raised an eyebrow. “Who the hell are they? What does that `INS' stand for?”

“Send them up, Maxie.”

[Yes, sir, Mr. Kaiba.]

Seto hung up the phone. “'Immigration and Naturalization Service.' That is what `INS' stands for. They were interested in…..someone.”

“Who?” Marik asked, reading Seto's uneasy facial expression.

“You.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because of all the media bull that is circulating around.”

Marik stood up. “Well, if they have something to say to me, they have to say it to my face!”

“I'm sure they will.”

Marik crossed his arms as he stood beside Seto. “What did they want from you?”

“Your Social Security card and your file.”

“Why on Earth would they want that?”

Seto tapped his fingers nervously on the desk. “They wanted to check your status in the country.”

“Malik has been a citizen for years! I thought you placed me in their system.”

Seto nodded. “I did. You shouldn't have a problem. You and Bakura were added to the system after the kids were born.”

Marik swallowed hard as he thought about his Light. Malik had been a legal citizen since he and Isis immigrated from Egypt. He remembered when Malik became a US citizen….and how much it enraged him.

`You're turning your back on your people! You are Egyptian! You are running from your Motherland! You are a disgrace!' Marik remembered scolding Malik vehemently.

Now, things were different.

The knock sounded at the door and the butterflies started to flutter in Marik's stomach.

“Come in,” Seto called.

Two men dressed in black suits walked into the room and revealed their badges. Donny escorted them into the room.

“I am a busy man, gentlemen. I don't have time for unexpected arrivals.”

“Agents Brown and Agent Dixon. INS. We have come on official business.”

“We wish to speak to Marik Jibade Ishtar.”

Marik uncrossed his arms. “That is me.”

“Mr. Ishtar, you are hereby under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say could be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you have any questions?”

Marik stepped in front of the desk. “What is my crime?”

Agent Dixon tossed Marik's file on the desk. “Fraudulent documentation. Fraudulent Social Security information. There are no reports of you entering this country by land, air, or sea.”

“Those documents were real! I would never have committed fraud!”

Seto stood up. “Mr. Ishtar did furnish to me all appropriate documentation upon the beginning of his employment! All of my background checks revealed that he was a legitimate citizen!”

Agent Brown approached Marik with handcuffs. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Mr. Ishtar.”

“I am not a criminal!” Marik growled.

“Don't make us use force, Mr. Ishtar. We are prepared to do so if necessary.”

Marik crossed his arms defiantly.

“Resisting arrest, Mr. Ishtar, is a serious offense.”

Seto stood up. “Marik has a right to a lawyer.”

“He can call one from jail, which is where he is going,” Agent Dixon said.

“I did nothing wrong,” Marik said sternly.

“Mr. Ishtar, we are prepared to take you by force. I heard about those mystical powers you are supposed to have. If you have them, use them. Maybe then we will be finally able to see if what they say is true.”

Marik narrowed his eyes, glaring at the two men in front of him. He could use his Shadow Magic to turn the two men into nothing more than dust. Marik knew the powers of which he was capable.

But what about Malik?

What about Ryou?

If he used his powers to harm these two men, Ryou and Malik's lives would be more endangered.

He and the two Lights would be hunted down.

That was no kind of life for the two mortals to live.

He closed his eyes and thought about Malik. Malik would be safe if he gave himself to the two agents before him. `I love him. I love Malik too much to let him be hunted down like a coyote. This isn't over.'

“I can't do magic. I'm just like everyone else.”

The two agents smirked. “You can do magic. Everybody says so.”

“Everybody can kiss my ass, too!” Marik grinned. “That includes you, Agent Buttkiss.”

“Hands behind your back,” the one agent growled, turning Marik around.

Agent Dixon handcuffed Marik's hands behind his back.

“Now we're getting kinky,” Marik moaned. “Are you gonna frisk me, too? What about an anal cavity search?”

Agent Brown grabbed Marik's arm and pulled him towards the door. Marik stopped and turned to Seto.

“Tell Malik…..I love him.”

Seto nodded. “I'm going to call the best lawyers in the business, Marik.”

Marik nodded. “Tell my son………I'm sorry.”

The two agents pulled Marik out of the room and down the hallway. Donny watched them pull Marik down the hall, grabbing his hair and pulling him towards the elevator.

Donny returned to Seto's office. “What are we going to do?”

Seto sat at his desk and rubbed the sides of his head. “Get Marik the best help money can buy.”

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

Marik looked out the window of the car and sighed. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat.

//Malik?//

/Marik? What's wrong?/

//I want you to go to the dinner tonight at Seto's.//

/Well, yeah, we were planning to go. Do you have to go on a mission or something?/

Marik sighed. //No. I was arrested.//

/……………………../

//Malik?//

/Arrested?! For what?/

//These INS people said that my papers were fraudulent!//

/That's impossible! Seto put you in the database! If they could tell they were fake, they would have arrested Seto! Marik, those people you are with may not be from the INS! They might be Rocher's gang!/

Marik thought for a moment. //It could be possible!//

/Marik, get out of there!/

Marik opened his eyes and saw black. He had been blindfolded and felt a sharp pain his arm. “What the----?!”

“This will hold you until we get you to the Lab,” the man said.

The yami struggled with the handcuffs and felt the room spin. He felt tired as he tugged and pulled at the handcuffs.

/Marik….I don't feel so good….are you okay?/

//Malik…..cut….the link….//

/Marik!/

//I…..love you….//

/MARIK!!!!!!!/

Marik slumped over in the back of the car, limp.

Agent Brown touched Marik's wrist and felt the pulse. “He's out cold.”

“The doctors will be happy to see this specimen. I wonder what we are dealing with here.”

“Let's leave it to the experts. It looks human.”

The agent continued to monitor Marik's pulse. “Looks can be deceiving.”

 

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