How Do You Like Me Now?

Part Six


“And that brings you down to zero life points!” Yugi smiled brightly.
“Nice duel, Joey. Haven’t lost your touch.”
“Yeah, neither have you,” Joey said, collecting his cards from the
table. “That sure brought back some memories.”

“Sure did,” Tristan nodded. “Man, I forgot how fun it is to watch
Joe get his ass handed to him.”

“Shut up,” Joey snapped. Tristan and Duke who was standing beside
him snickered softly.

Yugi chuckled. “You two certainly haven’t changed either. Still
bickering like kids.” He finished putting his own deck back together
and put it off to the side of the table. “Wow, it’s already 8:30. Time
to close up the shop.”

Duke glanced at his watch. “Geez, it got late fast. I’ll help you.”

“You two can go upstairs and wait,” Yugi told Joey and Tristan.
“This won’t take long. We’ll be up there in a minute. Just make
yourselves at home.”

Joey smiled at the smaller boy. “C’mon Tris, let’s check out
what’s in the fridge.” Tristan laughed and followed his friend up the
stairs to the second floor of the building. They looked around, seeing
that it had not changed much over the years, and filed into the
hen.hen.

“This is great,” Tristan sighed, relaxed as he rummaged through
the refrigerator in the corner. “Old friends, good times, great
riesries.”

“Yeah,” Joey agreed. “It’s been forever since we’ve been here.
Didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

Tristan nodded, reemerging from the fridge with nothing. “He ain’t
got much. Just some… vegetables.” He made a disgusted face.

Joey laughed. “Yeah, you never were one for the greens, huh?” He
heard a door open in the other room. “Sounds like Duke and Yug
finished. Let’s go out there.”

“Sure thing,” Tristan said. The two of them walked together out
of the kitchen and into the spacious living room. Duke and Yugi had
just come up the stairs and smiled a greeting when they saw the two of
them.

“So what’re your plans for the evening?”gi agi asked everyone in the
room.

“Nothing, actually,” Tristan admitted. “It’s been forever since
we’ve been here last. Like we’d remember where everything is.”

“Good point,” Yugi conceded. “Well, how about a movie? The plaza’s
still open late.”

“Sounds good,” Tristan nodded. “What’s playing?”

“Not sure. We could go downtown and check it out and just loiter
till it starts,” Duke replied. “Just like old times.”

Tristan nodded. “Yeah, let’s get a move on then. What d’ya think,
Joe?”

Joey looked up at his friends. He did really want to hang out
with them after so long of being away, but he suddenly felt rather ill.
The discussion of Seto Kaiba from earlier was still circling in his
head and he remembered quite clearly a few nights he had spent at the
plaza with none other than the blue-eyed CEO. He was not entirely sure
that he would be able to go back there without breaking down and crying
like a reprimanded child on the spot.

“Y’know…” Joey began. “I think… I’m gonna go back to the hotel.
It’s been a long trip, I think… I wanna just relax, get some sleep. You
guys mind?”

“No, that’s fine, Joey,” Yugi replied, but with a concerned look on
his face. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah, just tired,” the blonde nodded. “Don’t worry about me.”

Tristan was looking at him strangely. It made him a bit nervous.

“You gonna be okay walkin’ back by yourself?” the brunette asked
him.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Joey responded. “You guys go and have fun.
I’ll catch up with ya later.”

“See ya, Joe,” Duke waved, as did the others. Joey returned the
gesture before he climbed down the stairs to the shop and to the
outside. The cold night air stung his face and he silently cursed
himself for letting Tristan tell the limo driver to leave. It was a
good ten blocks from there to the hotel and his light jacket provided
little protection against the bitter evening air. And besides, he would
have to walk alone. In the dark. In a strangely familiar city.

He walked on for a few blocks, hugging himself close, trying to
keep warm against the cold air. This time of year it always seemed to
get dark early. And when the sun went down, it took its warmth and
light with it. He shivered as he walked alone in silence. The streets
were uncommonly empty and it gave him a strange feeling. It had been a
long time since he had been in a city as small as this one. True, it
was a large city but not compared to Tokyo, New York, or Los Angeles.

And then he noticed a figure approaching him. It was a tall,
dark figure, silhouetted against the whiteness of the moon. The figure
walked slowly, the face turned down to the sidewalk and shoulders
hunched over. Still, the figure walked in a familiar gait, its long
legs taking steady, graceful strides, and as he drew nearer, Joey began
to make out familiar features on the face.

“Fuck,” the blonde muttered. “Kaiba...?”

The figure looked up at the sound of the name and came to an
immediate stop. Joey bit his bottom lip as he g at at him, examining
that slender body he used to know so well. But Kaiba’s frame had
slimmed and Joey could swear he could count very rib on him, even
through his clothes. The handsome fine-toned face he once knew had
paled immensely and the cheek bones had sunken in, giving him an almost
skeletal appearance. He looked so thin and sickly, Joey could not help
but wonder how the hell the man was even standing.

“What the fuck happened to you?” the blonde asked.

There was no answer. The brunette simply stared forward, a
strange, unfamiliar emotion reflected in his eyes. Joey thought it
might have been fear. Or, dare he think it, shame? He held his breath.
They stared at each other for a long, long time. Joey soon felt his
lungs stinging from lack of oxygen and was forced to draw another
breath before he collapsed onto the sidewalk.

“Wheeler?” Kaiba could hardly believe his eyes. There in front
of him was the most beautiful golden man he had ever seen. His blonde
hair was longer, brought back in a ponytail that hung down to the
middle of his back. His clothes looked expensive and fashionable,
loose, black material hanging from his lean frame and a pair of dark
sunglasses resting on top of his head. His black studded belt reflected
the light from the street lamp, throwing sparkling fragments all
around. His black boots came halfway up to his knees. God, he was
beautiful. Just as he remembered him.

“Kaiba, it’s me,” Joey said. The brunette remained still,
staring at the other with that strange look on his face. Joey realized
that he would have to make the first move. He took a few steps forward
and was surprised when the brunette fell to his knees and slumped over
in a heap.

“Kaiba!” Joey exclaimed, rushing to his side. “You okay?” He
grabbed the former CEO by the shoulders and atted tod to lift him from
the ground. But the brunette shoved him away.

“Get away from me!” Kaiba snarled. “Get the fuck away from me!
Don’t look at me!” There was a sharp intake of breath and Joey would
have thought it was a sob if he did not know Kaiba so well. But then,
the Kaiba he knew would never let something like this happen to him.

“Kaiba, relax!” Joey said, laying a gentle hand on one of his
trembling shoulders. “It’s okay. I ain’t gonna--”

“Get away!” At this, Kaiba leapt to his feet, knocking Joey to
the sidewalk. The brunette faltered a bit, almost falling himself,
until he recollected his balance and began running. Joey watched him
go, sprinting at top speed into the darkness of the shadows. The blonde
stared, millions of thoughts flying through his disheveled mind.


***aibaaiba’s legs moved faster than they had ever moved before. His mind
was in a panic and all he could think about was escaping that haunting
memory from his past. That blonde ghost, the poltergeist that never
left him. He could not let him see him like this. Not like this… Not
like this! He continued running, not knowing where he was going, not
seeing where he was going, not caring where he was going except away.
Away from the memories, away from his past, away from Joey Wheeler. He
ran and ran, his mind racing faster than his legs could ever manage.
The darkness surrounded him and held him tightly until suddenly, there
was a bright flash of light and he was tumbling over and over and over…