Seto and Bakura’s Return

            Mr. Thomlin opened the door to see Ryou hanging onto Bakura like loosely. 

“Put him on the couch.”

The old man grabbed a wet towel and put it on Ryou’s head.  Ryou’s held onto Bakura’s hand tightly.  “It’s O.K., Ryou, I’m here.” Thomlin handed Ryou a glass of water. 

Ryou drank slowly.  

  “Mr. Torelli, would it be fine with you if we celebrate Ryou’s birthday here?  I don’t want to take him home yet.  We’ll only call a few of our friends.  We’ll behave.  It’s his birthday and he hasn’t had a good birthday so far.”

“As long as you guys aren’t too loud.  Then again, Ryou was never a loud kid.”

Seto called Yugi and the others to come over that night for Ryou’s birthday.  The man looked at Seto.  “I know you.  You’re Seto Kaiba. Your company makes all them Duel Monsters gadgets.  My grandson is into that.”

Seto pocketed his cell phone he grabbed from his car.  “You know me?”

“Who doesn’t?  Everyone plays Duel Monsters.  Yugi says he’ll bring everyone with him.”

“My dad doesn’t play.  He doesn’t care about anything I do,” Ryou said sadly.

Bakura lifted Ryou’s shirt a bit to reveal the bruises beneath.  Thomlin squinted to see the injuries and Ryou gripped tighter as Bakura ran his hand over it. 

“Your father did this to you?”

“Well, Cinetti hit me, but my father didn’t even stop him,” Ryou rubbed his eyes. 

Bakura grabbed the cream for Ryou’s injuries on the table and slowly rubbed it into Ryou’s injuries watching its effect on Ryou immediately.  Ryou’s grip on Bakura relaxed and his eyes closed lulling his head to one side slowly.  Bakura covered him up with a blanket and kneeled before him rubbing the sleeping boy’s forehead. 

“I could have taken him, Bakura.  I could have kicked their asses.”

“Ryou’s room doesn’t allow for too much movement.”

“True, I didn’t want to hit Ryou in the process of getting him out of there.”

Bakura turned to the man.  “Thank you for helping Ryou.  I don’t care what happens to me.  I just wanted to get Ryou to a safe place.  I’ll take him back to his room tonight, though.”

Torelli pat Bakura’s back.  After being thrown against a hard surface, Bakura couldn’t help but cringe a little.  “Ryou told me a lot about you, Bakura.  After I saw you in that yard, I knew something was wrong.  I still can’t believe a father would do that to his son.”

Bakura looked back at Ryou and sighed.  “I can,” Bakura said fighting back the memories.

***Flashback***

            The child clasped onto his father.  “Daddy, don’t let me leave!  I promise I’ll be good!”

The father opened the door and pointed outside.  “I can’t afford you unless you go out there and make a living!”

“How can I?  I’m only six!”

“The Tengis’ next door have their kid working!  I don’t care how you do it!  Make it, Steal it, anyway you can survive!”

The door closed behind him and a crowd swarmed around him. 

“Hey, there, pretty boy!”

“Gimme all you got, kid!”

“Interested in making some easy money?”

Bakura ran away from the mob until he came to an alley.  “Make it or steal it?  What choice do I have?”

***

            Seto woke Bakura gripping his shoulder.  Bakura wiped the tears from his eyes.  What possessed some parents to be cruel to their kids?  Bakura had to survive somehow and raised himself to be an expert thief.  That is how he made his living. 

“If I ever get my hands on that Cinetti, I’m going to rip that SOB apart myself!”

Bakura stood up and ran to the window sneering at the other home.  Ryou was out of danger now. That is what mattered.  Now they were free to even the score.

“Seto?” Bakura turned grinning at the taller boy.  “What do you say we even the odds over there?  Cinetti fights dirty.”

Seto joined Bakura at the window.  “I think we can do that.”

“Torelli, can you watch Ryou for a little bit.  We have some unfinished business to take care of.”  Torelli nodded.  “Ryou will sleep for a while.”

            Seto and Bakura ran to the kitchen window.  Bakura slipped it open and climbed in helping Seto.  Cinetti and Steven were in the living room. 

“I can’t believe my son is sleeping around with other men!  After all the things I did for him, he turns his back on me!”

“That little brat of yours is worse than we thought, Steve.  How long are you going to keep him up there?”

“I don’t care!  I should have locked him up there a long time ago!  He’s in for a good swift beating if I find him with another man!”

Bakura growled in his throat and his muscles clenched in fury.  His cheeks turned beet red and his fingers clawed the kitchen wall.  He jumped from behind the wall.  “You want to beat up Ryou?  Beat up on me!”

Cinetti and Steven jumped up.  Seto jumped beside Bakura.  “So, the big CEO of KaibaCorp is back for more!” Cinetti said cracking his knuckles. 

“I didn’t want to hurt Ryou before, but now there’s nothing stopping me from taking you both down like the scumbags that you are!”

“You want to hurt your son, well, I won’t let you get near him.  You’ll have to get rid of me first.”

Cinetti and Steven clenched their fists.  “Come on, sissies.  Which one of you is first?”  I think I’ll resume my fight with you, big CEO.”  Cinetti lunged for Seto, but Seto bent down and threw Cinetti over his shoulder into the stove. Steven dived for Bakura, but Bakura grabbed Steven’s wrist with one hand twisting it and Steven’s collar with another hand.  Bakura blasted Steven back with a force from his ring.  Steven landed inches away from the fishbowl on the mantle.  The fishbowl rocked.   Seto dragged Cinetti to his feet and punched him so hard his body fell over the table in the kitchen and he landed on the other side.  Cinetti staggered up and he shifted his weight.

“Not so strong now, are you?  I’m not holding back anymore.”

“You keep this up and I’ll have you arrested for assault and battery!”

“I could do the same to you.  What about kissing Ryou?  That’s sexual assault and battery.  Besides, I have the money to back up my story.  What do you have?  Lies and deception.  Violence.  What about that woman you hired?  That’s corrupting the morals of a minor.  What about her charges?  You already have enough to lock your slimy ass in jail for the next twenty years.”

Cinetti reached over the table and grabbed Seto’s collar.  Seto landed a punch on Cinetti’s nose making it bleed and stagger back.  “I think it’s only fair.  You punched Ryou so hard, you made him cough up blood.  It’s only fair I return the favor.” 

Cinetti leaned against the wall and Seto grabbed his neck.  “Look what we have here!  Are you shaking, you coward?  I think you are.”  Seto punched Cinetti’s gut.  “That’s for Ryou.”  Seto kicked his leg.  “That’s for kicking me.”  Cinetti fell to the ground gasping.  Bakura slammed Steven against the mantle making Steven’s head collide with the fishbowl and crack it.  Seto came out to see Steven holding his head and gasping.

“Now let’s see you hurt my Ryou with a twisted hand and an injured head.”  Bakura looked at the fishbowl.  “You broke my present to Ryou!”

“It was an accident on your part.  Of course, I know all too well about accidents.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ryou,” Steven sneered.

“Are you calling your own son an accident?  How heartless can you be, you demented maniac?” Seto grumbled.

“Ryou is not supposed to be the way he is!  It is all your fault, Bakura!”

“He is the way he is and you should accept him not because he is my lover, but because he is your son and you are too blind to see that.”

“Stay out of this, Seto Kaiba!  This does not concern you!”

“It does when you and your friend over there beat your son.”

Steven’s evil glare matched Seto and Bakura’s.  Cinetti staggered into the living room, but Seto grabbed him before he could reach for Bakura.

“Ryou is my kid and I can do what I want!”

Bakura punched him to the ground.  “Right now, you are under my thumb and I can do what I want.  Isn’t that interesting?”  Bakura kicked Steven’s side.  “Doesn’t feel too good being under the fist of another, does it?” 

Steven coughed. 

Bakura picked up Steven and threw him against the wall pinning him roughly. 

“I hope this lesson sticks and you learn to treat your son with more respect.  I never thought you could be this cruel.  Even I gave Ryou time to recover from his injuries when I used to beat him.  He doesn’t need this from his own father.”

Bakura released Steven.  “Let’s go, Seto.  Ryou needs us now.  I don’t like the vermin in here.”

Bakura opened the front door and slammed it.  Seto saw Bakura’s chest rise and fall with suppressed rage.  His hands clenched with anger.  Seto cracked his knuckles and they entered Thomlin’s place where Ryou was awake sitting up and grasping onto the man. 

“Ryou?  You OK?”

“Nightmare.”

Thomlin released Ryou and Bakura sat beside him holding and rocking his body.  “It’s alright, Ryou.  We’re going to celebrate your birthday tonight here.”  Ryou wrapped his arms around his lover and looked up at him.

“Really?”

“Really, really.  Are you hungry?”

“No.. can’t eat.”

Bakura yawned almost putting himself to sleep.  Ryou held onto him and smiled contentedly. 

Next chappie: Ryou celebrates his birthday and ANZU RETURNS!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!