Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Yami Virus ❯ Acceptance ( Chapter 41 )

*Hands out Ryou, Bakura, Aten, and Seto plushies out to reviewers and readers*

Lady Elfskye: This chappie is about Aten's fun time at camp.

Isawa17: Yeah, she did, but she does have people to help her.

Terra: I needed something happy at the end of the chappie.

Lully Chan: Marik is convinced that Miranda is Amunet from his past.

Shadow of Light: Seto was willing to put aside his fears for Miranda. As much as they terrorize each other, Seto does have a soft spot for her.

Kanika: I MISSED YOU! Miranda's family is not so understanding. They claim to accept her, but they really don't. Just like my mom's family. Eric was the kid's name. Aten will find acceptance there. It will be good for him.

Jedi Student: *hands Bakura plushies* I don't know what happened to Hato Chiisai. I haven't talked to her. I'm glad you like this story.

Kura Magician girl: That's why I did the flashback for the fall of Icarus. It reminds you guys of things you may have forgotten about.

Valea: At least she has people to help her. Can I squish you???? Please???? I need to squish you for your 'homie' reference. Must….squish…Valea….

Broken Time: Miranda is lucky to have such good friends to help.

Seto Lover and Bakurasgirl worshiper, and hugger of Miranda!: I don't plan on her adopting any kids. I already have some of Aten and Robbie's future written and it doesn't account for another kid.

Ty: Awww…*hands Ryou and Bakura plushies* Miranda and Marik are a laugh.

Millennium Girl222: I hope you liked Toronto. *hugs*

I Is Me: My mom lost two boys before me. I can't write the next chappie…my hand is broken by your stabbing…Owies.

Elizabeth Marie Rose:Trust me. She will get what's coming to her.

Acceptance

Aten followed Kenan and the other children to a tent where a piano was bring played by a little boy. The boy had black hair just like Robbie. His fingers danced over the keys expertly. Aten listened to the complicated song the boy was playing.

Kenan turned to him. "That's Billy Horton. He comes here all the time. He's been playing since he was five. he's been playing for three years now. Ain't he great?"

Aten nodded. "I wish I tan play lite that."

The boy stopped playing and the two counselors stepped up on the stage.

"Okay, boys and girls, we're going to sing a song to get this fun day started! Who likes to sing songs?"

All of the children squealed, clapping and bouncing. "Okay! Today we're going to sing the 'I am Special Song'! It goes like this!

(sung to "Frere Jacques")

I am Special

I am Special

So are you, So are you

I am very special,

Very, very special

So are you! So are you!

Issa stood beside Lilly and clapped her hands. "Okay! We'll do it again!"

The counselors repeated the song and the kids followed. The counselors clapped with the song and the kids repeated the actions. When they finished, the counselors clapped for the kids. "Now…Who is special?"

"WE ARE!" the children squealed as they clapped.

"Give yourselves a hand!"

The children clapped louder.

"Give yourselves a big hug!"

The kids wrapped their arms around themselves.

"BIG HUGS!"

The kids hugged themselves tighter. Aten hugged himself as tightly as Tristan had always hugged him. "Unkie Tristan…tant beave."

"Is everyone all hugged out?"

Laughter came from the crowd.

"Okay! We have lots of stuff for you guys to do. There is just two riles here, everyone: Never leave the camp grounds without an adult and we do not tolerate bullying here. Who wants to do arts and crafts?"

The girls and Aten raised their hands.

"You're going to go with the girl?" Kenan asked him.

"I want to mate a wallet for my Unkie Seto and toffee tup for my Unkie Tristan. One time I saw him tying betaws he..he..he ran out of toffee. He tyed lite my sister when she was learnding how to ride a bite and she fell off and stinned her knee."

"One time I did that. It hurt."

Aten leaned into him. "My sister was so angry at the bite, she sent it to the Shadow Realm. My daddy and my mommy were not happy. Daddy and my Daddy Bakura mater her go to the Shadow Realm to find it." Aten shook his head. "Her daddy was not impessed."

Lilly took the girls, Aten, and Kenan to the crafting hut.

They walked over, Kenan adjusting his hat.

"Daddy Bakura told my sister that…that it would be the "last damn time he would go to the Shadow Realm for her bite. She sent it to the Shadow Realm about four times until she learned to ride it without tanning wheels."

Kenan rubbed his elbow. "Yeah, learning how to ride a bike without training wheels is really, really hard. You have to practice for a ga-jillion hours before you learn how to do it right. At least Billy didn't hurt himself practicing the piano like that."

"If I played lite him, my fingers would be so tired, I'd have to put them down for a nap."

Kenan and Aten laughed as they entered the crafting hut. It looked like an actual hut, made to resemble a tropical paradise.

The children gathered around the totem poles and a camp counselor held a parrot on his arm.

The children took the twins, stroking the bird's feathers. Aten touched the bird's red feathers and spoke Arabic to it. "Pretty birdy," he said in Arabic.

Aten turned to the counselor. "Tan I paint him with my paints? I'd love to do it, if you'll let me."

"Paint a picture? Sure. You can paint us in here after you're done your crafts."

Aten looked around. "The lighting is bad in here. I need to paint you and him outside for the pisher to be right."

The man agreed, not knowing how a child so young would realize the impact of light on a painting.

The first craft was wallet making. Aten used black material and sewed the edges with brown yarn.

Kenan made tassels for his wallet.

"Tan you show me how to do that?"

Kenan showed him how to make tassels and how to fasten beads to the ends.

Aten made red tassels for his black and brown wallet.

Aten pulled out his paints and painted a large 'CK-CK' on the front in gold letters."

"What's 'CK-CK' stand for?"

"It stands for Seto Kaiba-KaibaCorp. See? Unkie Seto's name is spelled….C-E-T-O. 'Kaiba' is spelled…umm…uh-oh…I thint it's spelled..K-…umm…K-A-…'Kaiba'..sound it out….K-A-I-B-U-H? I have to see his name to spell it. Anyway..'Ceto Kaibuh-KaibaCorp. See? 'CK-CK'. The second 'C-K is for KaibaCorp."

Kenan nodded. "I'm making a wallet for my daddy. I used this glitter pen to write 'I love you' in Swahili. He'll love this!"

Aten painted Egyptian hieroglyphs on the back reading "I Love My Unkie Seto forever! Love Always, Aten Bakari Ishtar Ibn Marik!"

When the wallet making was finished, those who wanted to leave, were able to go swimming. The rest stayed for Pottery Class."

Kenan stayed with Aten.

Aten watched the counselor intently. He started to mold his clay using the wheel, but the counselor had to help him build it up.

Aten finished it. Though part of it was crooked, he thought it was the best cup for coffee in the world.

He painted the base bright blue and the inside was painted bright red. The rest of the cup was canary yellow. Aten squealed as he saw it dry.

"Unkie Tristan's really going to love this toffee tup!" Aten made the handle next. The handle was crooked and had a difficult time staying connected to the cup.

Kenan gawked. "That's neat! Who's that for?"

"My Unkie Tristan drints a lot of toffee. If my Unkie Tristan wuled the world, nobody tould drint toffee. He'd be the Toffee Ting! He'd drint all the toffee in the world! And that is A LOT of toffee!"

Kenan's jaw dropped. "Really? My dady would have to be the Prince of Coffee. Ever since I got sick, my daddy drinks a lot of coffee all the time. I tried his coffee once. It was gross. I don't like coffee. How can adults drink that stuff?"

"I have no idea. Now, I love milk and juice, but I tant drint a lot betaws of my heart."

Kenan nodded. "I see. As long as I take my medicine and go to the hospital for some…what did my mommy call that?....radiation…As long as I get that radiation stuff for my head, then I won't get really sick..hopefully. I lost all my hair from that stuff. But, my mommy said it kills the bad cells, so as long as it kills them good, I'll be good."

Aten's eyebrow raised as he looked at the cup.

Something was missing.

"I have to put Unkie Tristan's name on it. Otay….Tr-is-tan. Hmm…This is a toughie."

Aten painted Tristan's name on the cup: C-H-Я-I-Z-I-И.

"THERE WE GO! UNKIE TRISTAN'S GOING TO LOVE THIS!"

Aten ran to the camp counselor. "I have to wait for my tup to dry. I have my paints! Can I paint you now?"

"When everyone is done, I can sit outside and you can paint away, okay, little guy?"

"My name is Aten…Aten Bakari Ishtar."

The counselor's face turned red. "Okay," he said calmly. "Aten, when everyone is done, I'll be outside."

"Do you have an easel?"

The counselor grabbed an easel and handed it to him.

"Do you have a stool or a small table for my paints?"

The counselor gave him a table for his paints.

Kenan helped Aten carry out the table and his paints. The little boy looked through Aten's painting book.

"These are really good! That apple looks so real, I could reach in and grab it! Are you sure you did these?"

Aten nodded. "I'm a painter. I love painting. My Unkie Puppy and I have painted since I was a really tiny kid. We listen to violin musit and paint. It's lots of fun!"

Aten waited for the camp counselor to finish with the other kids. Aten made him stand with the empty field as a background. The parrot sat on his shoulder.

The Egyptian boy stared at the counselor and the parrot. Kenan watched as Aten mixed his colors. The Egyptian boy started to paint the man with the parrot on his shoulder.

The boy cocked his head to the side to change perspective.

"Stay still!" Aten called as he ran to the man's clothing. He looked at the material close-up, studying the variations of color. He gave an excited little jump and ran to the canvas again. He splashed on red and purple.

"But, Aten, there is no purple on him!" Kenan said when Aten mixed his Violet and Mauve paints together.

Aten took Kenan's hand and pulled him over to the man's shirt. "See? There's purple right by the shadows."

Kenan looked closely. "Oh…I don't see it."

"I do. It's very subtle."

Aten returned to the canvas. The counselor watched Aten intently. Finally, Aten stepped back from his canvas and smiled. "Done."

"Can I see?" the counselor asked, expecting to see a primitive doodle.

Instead of a doodle, his jaw dropped at the photo-quality painting. There were minute details in his clothing. Shades of different colors were in the shadows.

The man looked down at the eight-year-old. "You're…What was your name again?"

"Aten Bakari Ishtar Ibn Marik."

"Do you paint for the Domino Museum exhibits?"

Aten nodded. "I sold a few paintings there during art shows with my untle."

"Who is your uncle?"

"Choey Ealer."

The man raised an eyebrow. 'The art critics weren't kidding. The kid does have a language problem.'

"Do you mean Joey Wheeler?"

Aten nodded. "Yes."

The man kneeled down in front of Aten. "Aten? I've….always wanted to meet you! I bought a picture of yours five years ago in the Domino Museum Art Exhibit. I heard the artist was you, but I didn't believe them when they said a child painted that drawing."

Kenan's jaw dropped. "You were three years old, Aten, and you sold a painting at a museum?!"

"I'm glad I have a chance to meet you, Aten. You are a really good artist. I had no idea that I would ever meet you."

Aten blushed. "Really? You lite it?"

"I love it! So does my wife! I'll have to show the other counselors your painting, Aten. Can I borrow this?"

Aten carefully removed the picture from the book. "You can have it. I have plenty more paper."

"Thank you, Aten. You are a talented young man."

"Thank you."

The counselor walked away and Kenan jumped up and down excitedly.

"Can you paint a picture of me, Aten?"

Aten nodded. "Sure!"

Aten continued to paint Kenan as other children came up curiously to see what he was doing.

The crowd of children crowded around Aten and gaped and chatted about his painting.

"Can you do me?" one child in a wheelchair asked.

"And me?" A little girl asked him.

"And me?"

"What about me?"

"Me, too!"

Aten looked around and smiled at the kids. He shrugged. "I should have enough paints for everybody."

Suddenly, Aten was embraced by every kid within reach. A large smile crossed Aten's face as he received hugs from the other kids.

Finally…he felt like he was an equal.

No bullies.

No torment.

Just acceptance.

And acceptance by people other than his family and Robbie was a very good feeling….and…

A feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

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

Tristan, Otogi, and Marik escorted Miranda and Robbie back to their house. Marik had to stay outside until Miranda's blood could be cleaned from the floor. If he smelled mortal blood, his bloodlust would return. The last thing Miranda needed was Marik's bloodlust making him insane and horny.

Otogi fought back the tears as he cleaned up her blood and the broken glass.

Marik helped Miranda up the stairs and into bed.

Miranda winced as she slid under the covers. When she reclined on the pillows, she gave a sigh of relief. Robbie walked into her bedroom.

"Mommy? Can I cuddle next to you?"

Miranda smiled and opened her arms. Robbie slid into them, his body pressing against her leg under the sheets.

"Is there anything you need, Miranda?" Marik asked as he brushed her black hair back from her forehead.

Miranda looked up at him with large, blue eyes. "Marik? Can you stay the night with me? If you can't because of Malik or whatever, I'll understand."

Marik shook his head. "No, Malik won't mind. He actually told me to stay with you."

Miranda smiled. "You really love him, don't you?"

Marik nodded as he looked at Miranda, a sudden ancient familiarity overwhelmed him. "I love Malik like I loved my wife….so many millennia ago," he said sadly.

Miranda looked down at Robbie. "She bore you a son?"

Marik nodded. "Yes….she bore me one son. The guards took him away and raised him to be a soldier."

Otogi ran up the stairs. "Miranda, do you want carrots or potatoes with your steak?"

"Otogi, you don't have to cook for me."

Otogi crossed his arms. "No, I don't have to, but I want to. Tell me what you want."

"Potatoes. Can we have green beans, too?"

Robbie's nose curled. "Green beans? Eww!"

Miranda pat Robbie's butt. "You're a growing boy, young man. You need your veggies."

Robbie giggled. "Mom, don't pat my butt in front of Marik!"

"Why not?" Marik pat Robbie's butt.

"Hey!" Robbie laughed.

Miranda and Marik exchanged wicked glances. As much as they were upset, they had to acknowledge that Robbie also suffered a loss. Miranda tickled Robbie's stomach, making the child writhe and turn red from laughing so hard. Marik scooped Robbie into his arms and tickled Robbie's back.

The boy flailed his arms and kicked his legs and soon became limp from the effort of struggling, a sign of submission for Robbie.

Marik put Robbie on the bed and then picked him up. He held Robbie in his arms, the chibi resting his head on Marik's shoulder.

Miranda smiled at Marik rocking the yawning chibi in his arms.

Tristan came into the room and saw Robbie's arm hanging loosely at Marik's side. Tristan walked up to Robbie and saw the little blue eyes half closed.

Tristan reached out to grab Robbie with a pitiful pout on his face.

"Tristan…no…you can't squish the chibi."

"But…But….But….He needs it!"

Robbie blinked tiredly and yawned, nuzzling his cheek into Marik's shoulder.

Marik stepped away from Tristan. "You can't squish Chibi Robbie."

"I want to!"

"No…Bad Caffeine-Boy!"

Tristan sighed. "Fine. Miranda, where is your cleaning stuff?"

"Tristan, you don't have to clean my house."

"I'm just trying to help. Nevermind. I'll find it."

Miranda sighed. "You boys don't have to do this for me."

A quiet snore came from the boy in Marik's arms.

Miranda saw the look in Tristan's eyes. "Tristan! NO! You can't squish Robbie."

Tristan pouted as he left the room. "I can squish Otogi! HEY, OTOGI!"

Miranda heard the footsteps running down the stairs. She closed her eyes. "I hope they don't end up doing it on my countertop. I'll never prepare food there ever again."

Marik heard a little whimper come from Robbie.

"Aten….where are you?"

Miranda shook her head. "He's so lost without Aten."

Marik rocked Robbie. "I better put him into his bed. I didn't know your son drooled in his sleep, Miranda."

Marik felt his shoulder being drenched from Robbie's open mouth.

Marik sat by Miranda until dinner was ready. Miranda made a separate plate for Robbie for when he woke up.

"You guys…are the best."

Otogi pat her on the hand. "It's the least we could do."

Miranda smiled. "Thank you, Otogi…you're like…the little sister I never had."

Tristan and Marik nodded. "She's got you there, Otogi."

Otogi crossed his arms. "I am not feminine! Just because I bake, I clean, and I sew does not make me feminine!"

Marik snickered. "Dice-Boy, if we had to pick who had more estrogen in this room, it would be you."

Miranda's bottom lip trembled and she started sobbing.

"Guys, this isn't helping," Otogi said, wrapping his arms around her.

Tristan and Marik put a hand on her arm. "We're sorry, Miranda."

Miranda sniffled and wiped a wave of tears away. "It's okay. I guess…I guess I'm still in shock."

"You will be for a while," Marik said. "Trust me, Miranda. This isn't something that is going to roll off your back."

Miranda lowered her head, sobbing still. "I know. I've been down this road before, Marik. I'd rather not talk about it."

Marik nodded. "Okay. Let's just eat our dinner."

Miranda picked at her steak, hardly feeling the desire to eat. "I can't eat. Otogi, it tastes really good and all, but I can't eat."

'A rotten mother like me shouldn't be fed. My son deserves this food more than myself. He didn't lose a baby….I did.'

Otogi nodded. "It's okay, Miranda. I understand."

Miranda put her plate near the sink. "I had better get Robbie up or he'll never sleep tonight."

Miranda left.

Marik watched her leave. In another time and place, he would have made a wise-ass comment.

But this was not the time.

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

Marik had run over to his house for some clean boxers. Tristan and Otogi fed Robbie and finished the housework while he was gone. He was grateful for some clean clothes and a little cuddle from Aria, who was upset to see him go.

Ryou explained to him that she was missing her brother. She was lonely without her other half and had been clinging to her father and following him around the house.

Malik kissed Marik goodbye and held Aria in his arms as Marik walked back to Miranda.

"It's only for the night, Aria," Malik explained as he kissed the little girl's cheek. "But his skin feels like Aten's. I miss my brother."

"He'll be home tomorrow, baby girl."

The chibi girl whimpered, clinging to Malik. "You feel like my brother, too….I miss Aten."

Marik sighed. He felt bad leaving Aria crying and upset. He would have to make it up to her somehow. A new doll always set things right with her.

Marik saw Tristan and Otogi leaving. They had spent the day cleaning the house and cleaning up the dishes.

"Are you going to behave yourself, Marik Ishtar?" Tristan asked.

"Are you going to stop being such a moron? Yes, I'm going to behave myself! The woman just went through a hell of a day. I know better than to put myself on her so soon after something like this. Besides, I may flirt with Miranda, but I respect that she is a married woman. I would never touch her in any way that would violate that. Is Robbie in bed?"

Otogi nodded. "Yeah. He ate something and took a bath. He had some cookies and went right to sleep in her lap."

"Good. Thanks for watching her while I was away."

Tristan nodded. "Behave yourself, Ishtar."

"Whatever," Marik shut the door behind him.

Marik climbed the stairs and heard Robbie snoring from inside his bedroom.

He went into the bathroom and used a washcloth to clean himself up. He stepped into the bedroom and saw Miranda waiting for him, laying on her side.

"What took you?"

"Malik and I always wash ourselves before going to bed. Tradition, you see."

Miranda smiled. "I see."

Marik slipped beside her and shut off the light. Miranda shifted close to him, laying her head on his chest. The yami put his arm around her and held her.

"Marik? Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"You loved your wife?"

Marik nodded as he held her tightly. "With all my heart."

"How did your spirit get inside the Rod?"

"Yami put me there. He dug my body from its grave and brought my spirit back from the Underworld."

Miranda sighed. "Did you see Amunet in the Underworld?"

Marik nodded as a tear came down his cheek. "Yes," his voice cracked. "I sat with her by the banks of the Nile again. I had her in my arms again. My wife made my afterlife complete. Then, Yami snatched me away, robbed me of her again. I spent the next five thousand years wandering the Shadow Realm, searching for Bakura."

"Why Bakura?"

"Bakura was my lover. I loved him as I loved Amunet. The Shadow Realm was lonely without him. I was alone….for five thousand years."

Miranda rested her arm on Marik's stomach and rubbed his hairless chest. "How did you meet Malik?"

"Malik's anger and hatred summoned me from the Millennium Rod. His back had been tattooed by his father. His back bears the ancient scriptures."

Miranda looked up. "How did you meet Ryou?"

"Malik and Ryou were friends. Bakura and I met after our hikaris started high school."

Miranda nuzzled her cheek into Marik's shoulder. "I'll have to tell Daniel tomorrow what happened. He was very upset when I lost Christa. He was so angry when he found out I lost my first baby."

Marik stroked her hair, just listening to her.

"My boyfriend, Vinnie, beat me up and threw me down the stairs for laughs. He laughed with every step I hit. He didn't care that I was bleeding. Daniel was a casual friend of mine at the time. I told him about Vinnie's abuse and Daniel kicked his ass."

Marik could feel rage boiling in his gut at the mention of someone mistreating her. "If that asshole ever comes near you again, he's going to find himself minus a few vital organs."

"Daniel proposed to me shortly after." Miranda smiled. "That was the best decision I ever made in my life, Marik. I'd do anything for Daniel. And I just know he's going to take this hard."

Marik held Miranda closer. "I know it's hard. But, Daniel is a strong guy. He loves you and Robbie very much. I've only met him a few times, but, I can tell he adores you."

Miranda looked up at Marik. "It's funny, Marik. Even with all your flirting, here we are naked…or almost naked…in bed together and you haven't laid a single hand on me."

Marik looked down at her. "Miranda, you know how I feel about you. You've had a long day and, even if you were still pregnant, I would still not lay a hand on you."

"Why not? Don't you find me attractive?"

Marik smiled. "Miranda, you are a beautiful woman. But, you are also my friend. And, I consider you part of my family."

Her eyes sparkled with the sense of belonging. "Even Robbie?"

Marik nodded. "You and Robbie are part of my family. I know Aten certainly considers Robbie close to him."

Miranda sighed. "I hear Robbie talking about Aten in his sleep. One time I heard him say, 'I love it when you hold me, Aten.' I don't know what he was dreaming about, but I know our boys are close."

Marik gathered her closer to him. "Robbie is special to Aten. Both of you are special to all of us. That's why Otogi and Coffee-Boy came over today."

Miranda sniffled and Marik felt another flood of tears crawl down his chest. Marik held her against him and rocked her slowly.

"I never felt like I belonged with my real family. My dad treated me very well. He died while I was dating Vinnie. He loved me. He knew Vinnie was no good. I should have believed him. But, I was young and foolish. I've never met guys like you and Ryou and Bakura and Malik."

Marik nodded. "It's rare to find four guys living together and who have a relationship like ours. Well, the only gay one in our family is Ryou. Malik, Bakura, and I are all bi."

"Ryou's gay? I thought he was bi."

"Nope. He's the only gay one in our home."

Miranda relaxed on his chest. "Ryou's a great guy."

"Yeah, sometimes I think that whatever changed Ryou back to a guy didn't completely change him. He's so motherly, you know? I still love him, though."

"Do you still love Bakura?"

Marik nodded. "Yes. I do. I will always love him, Miranda. I may be Malik's husband, but that didn't change what I felt for Itemri. Nothing could ever change what I feel for him."

Miranda sighed and yawned. "That's sweet, Marik."

Marik gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Go to sleep, Miranda. I'll watch over you until you fall asleep."

Miranda's eyes closed. "Thank you, Marik."

Marik watched as Miranda drifted into sleep. He held her against him and lightly brushed his fingers over her cheek.

"Sleep, Amunet…..sleep, my little lotus flower."

Updates: Sunday or Monday

Next Chappie: Who wants to hold back Tristan from squishing Aten until he stops breathing?