Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Love is Unexplainable ❯ Taken Away ( Chapter 1 )

A knock echoed through the small rundown apartment house as somebody rapped on the old termite-eaten door. A man in his middle ages hurried over to answer it, looking through the dusty peephole before he unlocked the door, not that it did much for protection anyway. A small smile spread on his face as he heard his newborns start crying and he once more went through the loving memories of their birth only a week earlier; he loved being a father already.

He looked at who stood in front of their door and his smile quickly replaced into a frown.

"Mr. Jikiro, I presume." The officer asked as he removed his hat.

Mr. Jikiro nodded and looked past the officer to see an important looking social worker standing behind him; her concerned looking expression as she looked around the inside of the apartment from where she stood did little to encourage him of the surprise visit. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," The officer replied, "I hope so anyway. It's come to our attention from your neighbor just down the hall…"

"Mrs. Peterson?" Mr. Jikiro interrupted.

He nodded. "Yes, I believe that was her name. Anyways, she recently reported that you and your wife just had twins a week ago, is that correct?"

The man quickly went to defensive mode at the mention of his two newborns. He closed the door slightly so the social worker would stop looking around inside it every other second. "That's right; what of them?"

"She told us that you were a poor family and could do little to support yourself and your wife. It was in her best interests that we came over to check over your apartment and check on the kids. If it's needed of course we might have to take them and put them up for adoption to a more suitable family."

"No! You can't. I love my sons, you can't take them away from me and my wife!" Mr. Jikiro shouted in anguish. "I've been working extremely hard at my new job I've had for a few months now to help support us. All I need is a little time and I'll be able to support them easily."

The social worker finally stepped forward to make herself noticed. "It isn't just the finances, Mr. Jikiro; living conditions and the children's health are also in question. Even when you do get a suitable paycheck to do anything with most of it's going to have to go for hospital coverage from when your wife gave birth; we've already checked up on it and it's going to take a long time, maybe years, to even pay for half of it from what we've seen of your budget so far."

"This isn't fair!" The man cried out.

"Honey?" A woman called from behind the door. "What's wrong? You sound upset. Whose at the door?"

Mr. Jikiro opened the door and allowed for his wife to see for herself. He explained to her what they told him and she gasped, her hands rushing to cover her mouth in surprise. "What about our children, sir? We don't want them to go to some stranger's house and then never find out about us. We love them so much already. Please don't make us give them up. Just give us some time!"

"May we see the children?" The officer asked, deciding to ignore Mrs. Jikiro's cries so it wouldn't make his job harder than it already was.

The man nodded and he wrapped an arm around his wife in comfort. He led them into the next and only other room to the small apartment where two baby boys lay sleeping comfortable together, wrapped up in old and tattered clothing.

The social worker gasped and knelt next to the twins, unwrapping them from the deep-rooted garments. "These children are barely being fed properly!" She told the parents and the officer.

The officer's eyes closed in his discomfort of what had to come next. "Mr. and Mrs. Jikiro, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take them to the adoption agency. These children can't be properly cared for in these conditions. It'll be miracle enough if they aren't already sick from this apartment with how much dirt and dust is in the air."

Mrs. Jikiro burst into tears and held onto her husband tightly.

"Please, please, isn't there anything you can do to help us keep them? Please we'll do anything!" Mr. Jikiro cried desperately to the two visitors.

The social worker looked thoughtful for a moment before hope flared into her eyes. "There just might be a way; mind you, it'll very difficult to pull off."

"I'll do anything to keep my children, please!"

She nodded and pulled out a cell phone from inside her jacket, pushing the number one and holding it to her ear. "Joyce, it's May. I'm at the Jikiro's residence right now checking up their living conditions for the newborns; it doesn't look good, but they're desperate to keep these children and you know I hate this part of my job. Can you set me up for an appointment with the judge for some kind of alternative?" She listened for a minute before a small smile spread on her face. "Thanks, Joyce. It'll make a lot of things easier too." She paused again. "Alright, thanks again. Bye." She pushed the off button and put the phone away.

"We'll have to take the twins into our custody just until tomorrow. If you can prove to the judge you can take care of these kids without any problems then you can keep them and maybe get some help on the way as well. If not then I'm afraid there's nothing more for us to do to help you."

Just then a ring tone of some kind of jazz tune echoed throughout the bare apartment and May quickly hurried to answer her phone. "May here." She paused. "That's wonderful, thanks, Joyce. Bye." She hung up once more.

"I'll be around at noon tomorrow to pick you so I can bring you to the courthouse. Bring anything that'll help you keep the twins because you'll definitely be needing it." She waited for them each to nod before she knelt beside the slumbering twins once more and picked one up in each arm, handing one to the officer when she stood.

Mrs. Jikiro went over to a wooden crate stashed in the corner of the barren room and pulled out to blankets that looked to be only half finished being in the making. "I was making these so they would be warmer at night. I'm not quite done with them yet but they'll hold for the time being. I don't want them to catch cold with this weather outside."

May nodded and took one of the blankets offered, wrapping it around the boy she was holding. The officer did the same to him.

More tears leaked into Mrs. Jikiro's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and stepped forward to kiss her son in the officer's arms. "I love you, Yami. Take care of your little brother." She hurried back over to the social worker and kissed her other son. "You too, Yugi. We'll get you back so don't you worry."

After a same goodbye from Mr. Jikiro the officer and the social worker left the rugged apartment.

~~

The next day at noon, Mr. and Mrs. Jikiro could find themselves riding in the back seat of a business car with the social worker from the day before, May Wilson, to the courthouse to try and fight for the custody of their children. They were scared and nervous out of their minds and only seemed to worsen every time Ms. Wilson tried to comfort them into telling them everything would be all right.

"We're here." Ms. Wilson announced as she parked in a space a short ways from the stairs leading to the door. "Everything will turn out okay, you'll see." She tried once more to comfort the distressed couple.

The social worker led them inside and through a pair of doors off the side leading into a hall. They walked a few more doors down until they came to the last door where she knocked at.

"Come in." A Kentucky accent called them in.

Opening the doors, Ms. Wilson allowed the Jikiros in first before following after them. It was a small office with a mahogany desk in the middle and a few files and plants were placed around the room making it look even smaller and cramped up.

May smiled and walked the short distance to the desk. "Hello, Mrs. Milstiff. I had an appointment with the judge today; Joyce Kasey said she made one with you. It's about the Jikiro twins' custody for the parents."

A small smile spread on the lady's face and she nodded. "That's correct. You're always the one coming in once in a while to help the parents if you think they should be able to keep them." She replied, her accent obvious the people in the room.

"What can I say? I really do hate that part of my job."

"Not many do. I'm just glad we've got people like you with a big heart enough to have some guts to do something about it. I'll go tell Judge William that you're here; it should only be a minute." She stood and walked to the double doors behind her, knocking it lightly before opening it and peeking her head in for a second. "He'll see you now." She told them cheerfully after she pulled her head back out, opening the door for them to walk through.

"Ah, May Wilson. I should've known it would be you dealing with this case. Barely anyone else comes in here on such a call." Judge William joked.

"Thank you, your honor." May smiled. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Jikiro, sir; the twins' parents."

"Of course. Do come here. It looks like you've brought a few things as well."

"Yes, your honor, we did." Mr. Jikiro agreed. "We'll do anything to keep our children. We love them so much already."

"As I've heard from previous parents who came before you. Show me what you've brought then." He said in a soft voice.

Mr. Jikiro handed a file to the judge containing his working status along with the paycheck he's receiving every month, a few pictures of the family, along with records of anything else he could find that might be able to help them.

"I see why your neighbor was calling in now. Your apartment isn't exactly children material."

"We know, your honor. If we just had a little time we'd be able to fix it up with a few of my paychecks."

"And what of your hospital finances? How will you able to do that and fix your home up?"

Mr. Jikiro looked nervous and looked back at his wife still standing by the door. He turned back to the judge with a sigh. "We don't know, your honor. We'll do anything to keep these kids though. Isn't there someway we'll be able to keep them."

Judge William smiled and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "There is one alternative to allow you to keep one child but the other will go to an adoption agency to be put into a better home. However," he added when he saw the couple look worried about one of their twins being separated from them, "if you are able to get everything orderly within the time space of a year then the court will allow you to retrieve your child back into your own custody and the parents who have your one son will be notified of this when they adopt him."

"A year?" Mr. Jikiro asked with despair. "Sir, it's a new job. I don't think I'll be able to work my way up to a suitable paycheck within that short time." He stated with anxiety. "Isn't there some way you can get me longer than that?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jikiro, but that's all we can do. You will, however, be able to have the parents' phone number in case you'd like to talk to him or see him. It won't be like a permanent separation, Mr. Jikiro; you're not restricted from him in any way, your custody of the one son will just be taken away unless you can get your priorities in order within a year."

"And what of my other son? What'll happen with the one we'll be able to keep?"

"You will be allowed to keep him as long as you can support him."

"We'll do that then." Mrs. Jikiro finally spoke up. "If this is the only way we'll be able to keep at least one child and with hopes of getting the other back then we'll do it."

Mr. Jikiro smiled and nodded. "Yes, we'll do anything it takes to keep them and if this is the only way then we'll do it."

"Do we decide which one will stay with us?" Mrs. Jikiro asked sadly, half hoping the answer was no so they wouldn't have to pick.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Jikiro. When more than one child involved you won't be able to and it's always the oldest child that stays with the original parents and the rest will go off to the adoption agency."

"Yugi? But he already depends so much on his brother." Mrs. Jikiro cried. "He's so small too; he might be scared if he's told and then he won't want to meet us."

The judge looked curious about this statement. "Mrs. Jikiro, the boys are only a week old and only minutes apart from each other." He told her, looking at the twins' birth certificates. "I'm very interested as to how you'll be able to tell what they'll act like when they are older."

"Please, sir, just call it a mother's intuition. I can tell when I look in their eyes and I just know."

"Even with that, Mrs. Jikiro, there is nothing I'll be able to do. If you wish, if you aren't able to gain the custody of, Yugi was it?" The couple nodded. "Yugi, then. If you aren't able to gain custody of Yugi we'll tell the parents not to tell him and you will able to gain that privilege."

Mr. Jikiro went over to comfort his wife had too many tears to be able to respond. "We'll have it that way then. We'd rather tell our own child what we weren't able to accomplish rather than someone else. Besides, we wouldn't be able to face him if we knew he'd been told by someone else."

"Very well, then." The judge agreed. He wrote something down on a few papers and then turned to Ms. Wilson, who'd been silent throughout the whole meeting. "Ms. Wilson, take Mr. and Mrs. Jikiro to retrieve their other son and to say goodbye to Yugi."

"Of course, your honor. I would've allowed them to say goodbye to that poor boy either way."

The judge smiled and nodded a goodbye.

Mr. Jikiro gathered his things back up and followed his wife and May out of the room.

"Your twins were kept at my house for the night with my sister, Kira. She's watching them right now." She informed them.

She drove them over to her house a few miles away and she led them in. "Kira!" She called loudly.

"In here, May!" A voice called from in the living room. "These two are just adorable together!"

May led the parents into her living room and a soft smile spread on her face as she saw the two boys playing and laughing happily with a rattle that they shared between them, ignoring another rattle that sat beside Yugi's baby seat.

"Kira, this is Mr. and Mrs. Jikiro, the twins' parents."

"Your children are such angels. They've done nothing but play and they only cried a few times, but that's when they needed a few things like a diaper change or food. You certainly are lucky. I wish my children would be as good as yours."

"Thank you."

"They've come to pick up Yami. Yugi will be going to the adoption agency."

"Oh, I hate it when they do this to parents with more than one child. It isn't fair to either of them."

"I know, Kira."

Mrs. Jikiro hurried over to her two boys and hugged them tightly, causing them to drop the rattle they were playing with. They looked at her with big eyes for a second before they laughed and waved their hands around to be picked up. She did pick them up and held them only tighter.

May held onto the mother's shoulders and led her over to the couch. "Take as long as you want, Mrs. Jikiro." She told her when she sat down.

Mr. Jikiro went to sit on the couch to and held his sons tightly to his chest as well. Yugi laughed and clapped his hands at the attention. His giggles subsided though when a curious noise reached his ears and he looked around in his interest to find it. He found it when he turned to look at his mother and saw tears streaming down her face. Tears shone in his own eyes and he held his hands out for his mother, who gathered him and held him tightly.

Kira turned to her sister and sighed. "That one is definitely going to be a sensitive one. He's so sweet and he can already tell when somebody needs a hug for comfort."

"Just like she said back at the courthouse when Judge William told Yugi would be the one going to the adoption agency."

"Poor little fella. If I could I would adopt him for myself if only to let him be closer to his brother. But I already have more children than I can handle."

"As would I, Kira. But I can't because of my job. If only somebody else had had this case than I would be able to."

It seemed like hours before Mrs. Jikiro finally looked up at May and Kira. "I'm afraid that if I stay any longer I won't be able to leave it all. Sorry if we took so long."

"Don't worry about it at all, Mrs. Jikiro. And I swear to you right now I won't allow anybody to adopt Yugi who I don't see as more than perfect for him."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. That helps a lot." She turned to pick up Yami and bundled him up tightly in the blanket that she'd made for him. Mr. Jikiro stood with a slumbering Yugi in his arms and bundled him up the identical blanket made for him as well.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to take Yugi to the adoption agency with you in the car though. I'm very sorry, but it is policy not to allow it." Ms. Wilson told them sadly.

"We understand." Mrs. Jikiro told her. "Are you able to take us to our apartment with him?"

"Now that I can definitely do." She smiled and led them out to the car.

The drive to the Jikiro's apartment was quiet except for the sound of the giggling twins who were playing a disorderly game of patty-cake.

Arriving at the apartment was a bit awkward as well. Eventually though the Jikiros did get out of the car with Yami in his mother's arms. Seeming to know what was going on though he waved silently to his brother, his eyes sparkling happily at his younger brother. Inside the car, Yugi also waved from the car seat he was placed in.

The car started and Ms. Wilson waved goodbye before driving out of the parking lot and out of sight.

Yami watched as his brother was taken away and small tears leaked from his eyes and splashed silently onto the ground.

~~

Wow! 8 pages and that was only supposed to be the intro. I must've really gotten into this. Well, I hope you like it and remember I love reviews. So tell me what you think and I'll see you again when I update again!