Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Yami Virus ❯ He Is Darkness ( Chapter 22 )

Tari Helyanwe: Aww…thank you. It's funny how everything got switched around. I didn't notice if Marik had a cat tail or not.

Elizabeth Marie Rose: It's cool that Aria remembers what she does and that she wants everyone to be careful with her son's body. So sweet.

Crazy Kins: I say 'neaties' all the time. So, I figured she could say it at least once.

Valea: Aten is a little more secure with Malik now. He wanted Malik to give the kiss to his sister, so I think that's why it was easier on him.

Broken Time: Yami is acting like himself when he was pharaoh. Read "Shadows of the Past" if you want to learn more about Yami as pharaoh.

I Is Me: Yeah, Yami's acting like a bastard, but Aten puts him in his place…or tries to.

Dragon Tears: Yami has the Yami Virus.

Liann: 'Hell-popper' was hilarious. Chibi speak!

Lady Elfskye: I'm not sure how long they will be gone yet. Not long though. I need to skip ahead in the time line.

Shadow of Light: *hands Yami voodoo doll with extra pins*

Xenobia: *Aria dances with*

He Is Darkness

Hayden sat at the table doing his homework with Aten. Joey sat between the boys, helping whenever the boys needed him.

Hayden did his Reading homework. He read a paragraph and was answering critical thinking questions. Despite Hayden's background, he was an excellent reader. When his uncle "loaned" him to other men, the men had to sign contracts. Hayden learned how to read quickly when he found the contracts. He learned to read the contracts so he would know what was expected of him for every individual "customer."

Joey looked at Aten's worksheets. Aten's hair twitched with concentration. Joey could see the brown and purple eye narrow and water.

"That's a Camel, Aten. Camel starts with the letter 'C.'"

Aten scribbled out the 'K' he wrote at the beginning of the word. "Why is it a 'C' and not a 'K'? They sound the same if I write a 'K.'"

"But that is not how 'camel' is spelled, Aten."

Aten looked at his paper. "Tamel is spelled 'K-a-m-i-l.'"

Joey shook his head. "No, Aten. It's spelled 'C-a-m-e-l.'"

Aten dropped his pencil in frustration. "'C-a-m-e-l?' 'E-L?' Why is there an 'E' in there?"

"No, Aten. 'C-a-m-e-l is different than

'K-a-m-i-l.' 'Kamil' isn't a word as far as I know."

The eight year old growled angrily and threw his worksheets over his shoulder. "This homewort mates no sense! I tant do it!"

Aten banged his fists on the dining room table angrily. "Langish is so hard! Learnding to speat is so diffilult!"

Joey picked up the worksheets. "I know it's hard, Aten. Look, let's take a deep breath."

Aten turned his head to Joey. "The other tids were wight, Unkie Puppy. I am dumb."

Joey rubbed Aten's hair and looked up at the portrait of Seto and noticed the "KC" lapel pin. He gave himself a quick mental kick. "No, Aten, you aren't dumb. You just need a little help. Tell you what, Aten. Let's try one more time."

Joey put a piece of paper in front of Aten. He wrote 'KaibaCorp' on the paper. "What does this say, Aten?"

"TaibaTorp."

Joey turned to Aten. "Watch me, Aten. "K-aiba C-orp."

Aten took a deep breath. "K-aiba Corpt."

Joey smiled. "Close enough. See? The 'K' and the 'C' sound the same, but they are different letters. See? K-aiba C-orp. KaibaCorp!"

Aten cocked his head to the side and his eyes lit up. Joey almost saw a light bulb appear over Aten's head. "You're right, Unkie Puppy!"

Joey wrote down 'uncle' and 'unkie'. "See, Aten? 'U-n-c-l-e' is how you spell 'uncle.' 'U-n-k-i-e' is how you call me 'uncle.' See? The 'c' and the 'k' sound the same, but are different letters."

Aten pointed to the words. "I see! Thank you, Unkie Puppy!"

Joey hugged the chibi, excited that the boy was understanding.

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

Joey waited downstairs for Yugi and Yami to appear. Aten was waiting upstairs in the library as he rested.

When Yugi entered the glass doors, he ran to Joey, knocking into him with such a force that the blond staggered back.

"HI, JOEY!" Yugi smiled, his large purple eyes wide.

"Hey, bud! Long time no see!"

Yami walked in slowly, his arms crossed against his chest. "Hello, Joey."

"Hi, Yami."

Yugi jumped up and down. "Where's Aten? I have his present!"

Yugi held up a purple gift bag decorated with glitter and stuffed with purple tissue paper. "I made the gift bag myself. See? It says 'Get Well, Aten.'"

Joey laughed. "He's upstairs in the library taking a rest. His medication keeps him tired, but it took away the pain."

Joey lead them into the elevator.

"How is Aten?" Yugi asked, his voice full of concern.

"Aten's not doing too badly. His arm hurts a little bit from the pacemaker implant, but he's healthy otherwise."

Yami brushed back his hair as he leaned against the side of the elevator.

"I was worried about him. I'm glad he's doing better." Yugi shivered as he felt a blast of emotion come from his Yami.

Joey lead them to the library. Aten lifted his head off the pillow and sat up when they entered.

"Hi, Unkie Yugi!" Aten squealed loudly, jumping off the seat and running to Yugi.

He wrapped his arm around Yugi's chest as Yami approached behind his Light. Aten looked up at the pharaoh and shuddered.

"Umm…hello…Auntie….Yami," the child said timidly.

Yugi handed Aten the bag. "This is for you, Aten. I decorated the bag myself. I really hope you like it."

Aten's face lit up as he looked at the sparkling bag. "It says something! It reads…umm...'G-Ge-Get. Get. W-Well. Get Well---Aten! It reads 'Get Well, Aten'! Unkie Puppy! I tan read!"

Yugi hugged Aten, careful of the implant scar. "I'm so proud of you, Aten!"

Yami sighed laboriously. He passed Aten and Yugi and sat on the single chair. "If that is going to be the extent of the excitement around here for tonight, it's going to be a long night."

Aten and Yugi turned to Yami with narrowed eyes.

Joey stepped in front of Yami. He spoke in a low voice, careful not to let Yugi or Aten hear him.

"Yami, Aten's been working very hard on his reading. He's been struggling with reading and writing. The least you could do is be a little understanding."

"He said 'Get Well, Aten.' I would think he would be able to say that by the time he was eight years old."

Joey leaned in. "You know Aten is very sensitive."

"I don't know why he should be."

Joey rolled his eyes, returning to Yugi and Aten. "We're very proud of you," Joey smiled at the chibi.

Yugi hugged Aten again. "We are proud of you! Very much! Open your present!"

Aten took the bag and ran over towards the fireplace. He sat on the Oriental carpet and put the bag between his legs.

"I wonder what it is!" Aten said as he bounced up and down as he sat.

Yugi ran beside Yami. "Open it!"

Aten removed the tissue paper and threw it beside him. He squealed loudly. "MONEY!"

Aten picked up the statue of three monkeys sitting beside each other. One covered its eyes, one covered its ears, and the last monkey covered its mouth.

Aten squealed. "Silly moneys! There's something witten below the moneys! 'See….No….evil. H-Ear. Hear No Evil. Sp-Spe---What word is that, Unkie Yugi?"

"'Speak.'"

"Speat No Evil."

Aten reached out for Yugi. "Thant you, Unkie Yugi! I'll love this statoo forever and ever and ever and ever!"

Yugi kissed the chibi on the forehead. "The eyes of the monkeys are purple like mine."

"They loot lite your eyes and daddy's eyes and Malik's eyes! They are lite my one eye!" Aten pointed to his left purple eye.

Yami cleared his throat, but was ignored by the group.

Joey kissed the chibi's head. "And a beautiful eye it is!"

Aten blushed. "Really? You lite my eye?"

Yugi nodded. "We like everything about you, Aten."

Aten smiled. "Betaws I'm peshel, right?"
Joey ruffled the chibi's hair. "You are special."

The little boy rubbed his right brown eye. "I love you, Unkie Yugi."

Yugi pat Aten's back. "Me, too, little monkey."

Yami stood up and Aten shifted closer to Yugi. "We gave Aten the statue. Let's go."

Aten stood up and clutched onto Yugi. "But…But…Unkie Yugi just tame! Unkie Yugi, no go yet!"

Yugi looked into the teary eyes of the chibi. "Maybe just a little bit longer."

Yami narrowed his eyes at Yugi. "Are you defying me?"

Yugi trembled and lowered his head. "No."

Aten growled and stepped in front of Yugi. "You no hurt Unkie Yugi! He just tame and if you don't lite it, Yami, you tan go wait out-tide! You …allays…sp-sp---speat bad to Yugi and….and…cheat him lite…lite…dirt! But, I no wet you-sp-speat bad to Ugi wike dat!...Is wong!...and…you..mean!" Yugi and Joey looked down at the chibi whose language skills always faltered when he was upset.

Yami turned his back on Aten. "I don't have time for this nonsense."

Aten jumped forward and pointed his index finger at Yami, an extremely rude gesture in the Egyptian culture. "No walt away, meanie---."

Joey and Yugi raised their eyebrows as the little Egyptian boy's language slipped from English to Arabic in the middle of his sentence.

Aten continued to yell in Arabic at Yami, his Arabic unhindered and quick. Aten ran in front of Yami, blocking his exit from the room.

Yami began yelling at Aten in Arabic, raising his hand angrily.

Joey and Yugi watched, unable to translate the argument between the pharaoh and the child.

Yami growled something to Aten angrily.

The little boy narrowed his eyes. "Ja-Hosh!" (Arabic: Jackass.)

Yami continued to raise his voice angrily, but the chibi cried one final insult.

"Charra Alaik!" Aten cried out angrily. (Arabic: Shit on You!)

Yami gasped in amazement. "Where did you learn such language?! From your worthless mule of a father, did you?"

Aten stood still, his eyes narrowed at Yami, unable to speak. His body quaked in anger as he growled. "Sharmute." (Arabic: Bitch -masculine form.)

Yami's eyes glowed red and he raised his hand. A dark ball of energy formed in his hand.

"YAMI!" Yugi jumped in front of Aten, shielding the boy. "STOP IT! NOW!"

Yami lowered his hand, unwilling to strike his Vessel. "Yugi, why did you step in my way?"

"Because I don't want you to hurt him! He's only a little boy!"

Aten clutched onto Yugi tightly. Aten's pacemaker once again compensated for Aten's erratic heartbeat.

Joey kneeled behind Yugi to bring Aten into his arms. Aten rested his head on Joey's shoulder, his lungs taking in long, deep breaths.

"You do not understand, Yugi. Aten and his sister are dangerous."

Yugi looked up at Joey holding the eight year old boy struggling to breathe. Aten's thin body shuddered from the confrontation with the pharaoh. "Oh, yes, Yami, he looks very dangerous!"

"Appearances can be deceiving, Yugi."

Yugi turned to Yami sadly. "I know," he said quietly. "What ever happened to the Yami I used to love?"

Yami turned his head to the side, avoiding Yugi's gaze. "Yugi…I…"

"What happened to the Yami who used to help people?" Yugi's eyes filled with tears. "What happened to the Yami who used to love me?"

Aten looked at the yami, his eyes becoming unfocused and his body wavering unsteadily in Joey's arms.

"Yugi, I…..I still love you."

"You have a hell of a way of showing it lately. You've become obsessed with Aten and Aria. Over the past five years, you have distanced yourself from me. Even when I needed you the most you were no where around! When my grandpa was murdered, you were no where to be found! You left me alone when I needed you the most!"

Yami crossed his arms. "I was looking for the murderer."

"You are still convinced to this day that Bakura killed grandpa!"

Yami snickered. "He's a potential suspect. He will always be."

"You don't believe people can have a change of heart, do you? Don't you think people are capable of rehabilitation? Do you believe there is some good in Bakura at all?"

Yami shook his head. "There is nothing good in Bakura. Never has and never will be."

"Not true," Aten whimpered from Joey's arms. "My Daddy Bakura…loves..my mommy. When I was sit, Daddy Bakura would hold me just lite my daddy. Daddy Bakura…teeps the bad…dreams away…lite my daddy. My…Daddy Bakura loves me."

Yami growled. "Bakura knows nothing about love. He is darkness. He is a yami incapable of love."

Yugi lowered his head. "If Bakura is, he's not the only one incapable of love anymore, Yami."

Yami felt a bitter wind emanate from Yugi's soulroom. "Yugi, Aten and Aria are capable of great destruction."

Joey rubbed the chibi's back. "Yami, Aten couldn't hurt a paper bag if you asked him to right now."

"Those kids are the reincarnations of my greatest enemies back in Egypt. I heard of Isis' prophecy. Those kids are destined to destroy this planet."

"Unkie Puppy? I don't feel so good," the chibi moaned as he started swaying back and forth.

Yugi looked up at the Egyptian boy looking pale and weak. "It's time for us to go anyway, Joey. I know Aten still is recovering from his surgery." Yugi reached up and rubbed Aten's back. "Goodbye, Aten. I hope you like your statue."

Aten nodded slowly. "Yes, I do, Unkie Yugi." Aten leaned over, supported by Joey, and hugged the top of Yugi's hair. "Thanks for fistiting me."

"No problem, Aten. Sleep tight, little guy."

Yugi left and Yami stopped beside Joey.

"Joey, you understand---."

Joey narrowed his brown eyes as he held the sick child in his arms. "No, I do not! I don't understand! None of us understand! I don't know what Aten and Aria are going to become when they grow up. It doesn't matter to me what that prophecy says. If Aten and Aria do end up destroying the world, I will die knowing that I loved them both no matter what! I know that I have spent my life loving them and giving them the best times of their lives. Besides, Yami, even Bakura can show some compassion towards a sick child. I don't know whether to be shocked or saddened that you can't do the same."

Joey walked Aten out of the room. "Goodbye, Yugi." The blond watched Yugi and Yami enter the elevator.

Aten let out a little whimper. "My head hurts."

Joey took Aten to the room he shared with Seto. He gave Aten some chewable Tylenol and let him dress in his boxers. While Aten dressed, he went to kiss Hayden goodnight and say goodnight to Mokuba.

Mokuba was on the phone with his girlfriend, making a date to meet her at the movies.

Joey returned to his bedroom when he peeked in the bathroom to check on the chibi. Aten was standing on the stepstool. He stood on his tip-toes, brushing his teeth and looking at himself in the mirror.

Joey looked at his thin body. His bones still poked through the skin prominently and the left side of his back still bore the scar reading "MINE."

His long white and blond hair fell down his back.

He rinsed his mouth out and wiped his face on the hand towel. He stepped off of the stool.

"You tan have the baffroom, Unkie Puppy."

Aten walked out of the room and climbed into Seto's side of the bed. Joey brushed his teeth. He crawled into his side of the bed and the chibi shifted towards him.

Aten rested his head on Joey's chest and sighed. Joey's arm wrapped around Aten, rubbing the scarred side of the boy's back.

"How's your head, little monkey?" Joey felt Aten's head. "You feel a little warm."

"Tired….," Aten whispered as his eyes closed and his body went limp suddenly.

Joey turned off the light and sighed. He listened to the sound of the boy's shallow breathing.

"Goodnight, Seto," Joey sighed as he closed his eyes.

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

Seto arrived outside of Cairo. He contacted Isis, who told him to meet her at the Cairo Museum of Archaeology.

Heidegger drove them to the Museum. Ryou held onto Bakura's hand tightly, anxious to see his daughter since her abduction.

Marik watched the crowds as they drove, holding onto Malik's hand. "I wonder what scrolls the museum own that mention the Yami Virus."

Bakura turned to Marik. "You go downstairs to the Archives and Storage Facility. They're bound to have something there. After all, this is where it all began."

Marik nodded. "Truth. You take care of your daughter. Malik and I will find the information on how to cure this."

"And Marik?"

"Yes?"

Bakura grinned. "We don't have time for you and Malik to do what we did in the Archives Room at the Domino Museum."

Malik turned to Bakura. "We'll find what we can, Bakura. Even if it takes us all night, we'll be there."

The car pulled up to the museum. Ryou ran out of the door and up the flight of stairs to the Cairo Museum. The guard asked Ryou for his identification and Ryou showed him his driver's license.

The guard called Isis, who arrived quickly.

Ryou ran to her and threw her arms around her. "Where is my baby? Where is she?"

Malik, Marik, and Bakura arrived as Isis lead them to her office.

Aria was on the couch in Isis' office. Aria's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Mommy?"

Ryou ran to his daughter and picked her off the couch, clutching her to his chest and sobbing.

"My precious jewel! My angel! My baby girl!"

Aria's arms wrapped around Ryou's shoulders as Bakura's eyes focused on the tattoo on her upper arm.

"Aria? What is this?"

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Who did this to you, Aria?"

"This woman with long hair and a white coat. The people kept calling her Diane."

Seto's face went pale. "Diane? Diane did this to you?!"

Aria nodded. "She said this was going to be my new name forever."

Seto growled. "I'll have to have a few words with Diane when we get back."

Malik hugged his sister. "Isis, Marik and I need to go to the Archives Room."

Isis groaned. "Please don't tell me you're going to do what you did in there the last time you were here."

Bakura turned to Marik. "What did you do the last time you were here?"

Isis crossed her arms. "It took an entire month to get the stains out of the scrolls!"

Marik shook his head. "No. Bakura and I have become ill with the Yami Virus and---."

Isis' face went pale. "The Yami Virus? So it exists."

Malik and Ryou looked at Isis. Ryou rocked Aria in his arms.

"What do you know of the Yami Virus, Isis?" Ryou asked.

"Tell us, sister!" Malik begged her.

Isis sat behind her desk. "The Yami Virus was thought to be a legend. It was widely accepted, and still is today, that the dead enter the afterlife to see the face of a Supreme Being. Imagine. Death for the Dead. It was thought foolish to assume that the dead could suffer a second death."

Bakura shook his head. "I didn't believe it, either, when I first heard of it."

"My father mentioned the Yami Virus," Ryou said.

Isis nodded. "As an archaeologist, your father would have known much about the ancient rites. He was most likely well-versed in the legend of the Yami Virus."

Ryou cradled Aria against his body, feeling her go limp and sigh in his arms. "Is it fatal, Isis?"

Isis looked up into the eyes of the yamis. Ryou's eyes were full of emotion, hoping that the legend was a farce and hoping that the virus would not be lethal.

"I'm sorry to say, Ryou, that the virus is fatal."

Ryou and Malik gripped onto their yamis.

"I don't want Marik to die."

"I can't lose my child's father," Ryou whimpered, holding Aria.

Isis handed Marik the key to the Archives. "Don't lose the key. You can look around and try to find what you can. Lock the room when you are done."

The Ishtars turned to leave.

"Marik?"

Marik turned.

"You may not like what you see in the Archives."

"I have to find a cure for Bakura and myself. This is the only way."

Marik and Malik left the room. Aria reached out to Seto. Seto brought the little girl into his arms.

Seto felt the chibi's head. "Aria, you feel hot."

Aria blinked slowly and looked up at Seto. "Unkie Seto, I don't feel so good."

Bakura stood beside Seto and felt her forehead. "She's burning up."

Isis looked up at Ryou. "I gave her something for the fever not too long ago."

Bakura stroked her cheek lightly. "My baby girl. Daddy was worried about you."

Aria looked down at Isis. "Auntie Isis, where did you put my baby?"'

Seto and Bakura exchanged looks. "What are you talking about, Aria?"

Aria looked up at Seto. "Don't you remember our baby, Seto? How could you forget?"

Seto shook his head. "Aria, we never had a baby. You're only eight years old."

Aria shook her head. "No, our baby from a really long time ago. Makalani."

"Aria, I don't know what you are talking about."

Aria sighed. "I thought you'd never forget Makalani."

Isis stood. "Your child is downstairs, Aria."

Ryou turned to Malik. "Her fever must be really bad. She needs her rest."

Isis handed him her keys. "Seto Kaiba knows where my apartment is. You have both been there before."

"Thank you, Isis. Let's go, angel," Ryou reached to take Aria, but Aria clutched onto Seto.

"I don't want to let go of Seth, mommy," Aria whimpered.

Seto carried her. "I'll hold her. Thank you, Isis."

Isis watched the crowd leave. "The child must be having past-life memories. I pity Kaiba when his own past-life memories return. The past will come back to haunt them both."

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

Malik and Marik entered the Archives room and looked at the lines of boxes and shelves lined with bones. Huge filing cabinets stored the scrolls.

Malik groaned. "Where do we begin? This will be like finding a penny in the desert."

Marik looked at the cabinets holding the scrolls. "I'll look in the scrolls. You look through the books."

Marik pulled a scroll from the cabinet and opened it on a table. Malik picked up a huge book from the bookshelf and skimmed it for mention of the Yami Virus.

"Look for any mention of 'Immortal Spirits' or 'Spirit of the Millennium Items.'"

Malik nodded. "I wonder what Isis meant when she said you wouldn't like what you see in the Archives."

Marik shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess we'll stumble upon it sometime."

Malik replaced the book on the shelf and grabbed another book. "This is going to take forever."

Marik grabbed another scroll. "I found something!"

Malik ran to Marik. "Is it the cure?"

"No. This scroll says that the yami who released the virus will perish exactly five years from the date that the virus was released!"

Malik scratched his head. "When was the virus released?"

"When we tore up Steven's card, he said it released the Yami Virus. That was Christmas night!"

"Does this mean Bakura is going to die on Christmas night?!"

Marik clenched his fists. Malik saw the room darken as the sun faded behind clouds. The hikari knew when his yami was especially upset, an earthquake, rainstorm, or hurricane always occurred.

Rain tapped on the windows to the Archives room. Malik saw his yami's head lowered.

"Marik?"

"I don't want Bakura to die," Marik whispered.

Malik rubbed his yami's back. "He won't, Marik. Let's keep looking. The cure has to be around here."

Marik rubbed his eyes and kept looking through the scrolls.

Malik turned the light on at the desk and searched the books on the shelf. He started looking in the boxes lined along the shelves. Maybe he could find an artifact that would help.

Marik finished looking through the scrolls and pulled some boxes off the shelves. He opened one box that was full of books.

He sifted through them and found nothing.

Marik picked up one of the boxes and shivered as a cold wind passed him. "Malik, did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

Marik looked at the box in his hand and set it on the table. Marik stared at the box in front of him.

"Yami? Are you okay?"

"This box…something is inside…that feels…….familiar."

Malik looked at the box. "Looks ordinary to me. Open it up and see."

Marik opened the box, containing straw. He put his hand in it. "What could be familiar about straw?"

Malik put his hand into the straw. "Maybe it's what's inside. Let me check."

Malik put his hand in and felt a hard object. "It must be something you used to use back in Egypt."

Malik pulled out his hand and screamed as he held a skull in his hand.

"AH! A SKULL!"

Malik threw the skull into the air and Marik caught it. The yami looked at the skull and his jaw dropped.

["Love you…Item……ri."] Marik's eyes widened as his last mortal words resonated from the pit in his soulroom.

"By Ra….it's me!"

"You? But, yami, you're standing right here."

Marik shook his head. "No. It's….my mortal body!"

Malik looked at the skull. "Your body? Why would my sister keep your body here and not ship it back home?"

Marik's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't she bury my body again?! Why is it sitting on a shelf gathering dust?!"

Bakura burst through the door. "What's wrong, Ishtar? What's going on?"

Malik pulled the next box off of the shelf.

Bakura watched Marik hold the skull up for him to see.

"Itemri, I found my body."

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