A World Of Hurt

Joey was outside Kaiba mansion wondering how the hell he was going to get in when he saw the limo pull up and stop. The window wound down and Mokuba called to him.

“Hey Joey, what are you doing here?”

“I heard that Yugi was here.”

“You must have seen Yami then.”

“Yeah. Look I’m not here to cause any trouble Mokuba, I just want to see for my own eyes that Yugi is here. Everyone believed he was dead for so long…. I just want to see him, okay?”

“Come on, get in. Seto’s not gonna like it, but well, he really shouldn’t let himself be locked in there with Yugi. It won’t be good for either of them.”

“Kaiba’s home?”

“He hardly leaves. He doesn’t seem to trust anyone with Yugi. You know that Yugi doesn’t know any of us, don’t you? And his hair is down, not spiky?”

“Yeah I heard.”

They pulled up at the door and Joey followed Mokuba inside.

“Joey, Seto really loves Yugi, you have to know this. I’ve never seen him care for anyone like this, apart from me. Something happened while they were at that… place. They are… sleeping together.”

“I figured as much from how jealous Yami was.”

“You noticed that huh?”

“He said he’d been here, so I suppose you saw him then?”

Mokuba nodded.

“Seto had a thing for Yami once too.”

“Oh I knew that. Should make for interesting times in the future.”

They both smiled, then Joey continued, “But right now I want to see my best friend and see how he is. I’ll do anything I can to help him, he’s done so much for me, I owe him, and I’d like to pay him back.”

They were inside now and the place was very quiet.

“Let me go first, huh Joey? I have no idea what they might be up to, so I’ll go find out, okay?”

“Sure Mokuba,” answered Joey as he watched the boy go upstairs.

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Mokuba was glad that he had gone upstairs by himself, judging from the sounds coming from his brother’s room, the pair was definitely at it again. For someone who did not speak, Yugi was quite vocal when Seto was making love to him. And the taller grunted and groaned his pleasure at being allowed to love the smaller young man.

It was quite a few minutes later that Mokuba actually heard his brother roar his completion. He gave them a few more minutes before he had the courage to even knock at his brother’s door.

“Who is it?” growled Seto from within.

“It’s me, Seto, can I come in?”

There was a minute of silence before Seto came to the door in a robe, his hair looking tousled and his face still flushed from his exertions.

“What do you want Mokuba?”

“We have a guest.”

“Who?” demanded Seto.

“Joey heard about Yugi from Yami, he wants to see him for himself, to see that he really is all right.”

Seto’s eyes rolled upwards, “We’ll get no peace now. All right I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

Mokuba went back downstairs.

“Ah, he was… busy. Seto will be down soon, okay?”

“Busy?”

“Yeah,” he smirked, “Busy.”

Joey’s face reddened. ‘Worse than rabbits.’

“So how have you been Joey?”

“Fine, I look after the Game Shop most of the time now, Yugi’s grandpa can’t do it anymore, I don’t know how to tell him about Yugi.”

“Don’t tell him yet. I think it would hurt him a lot to see Yugi with no memory of him.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, I haven’t even told the others, not even Mai.”

“I heard you were living with her.”

“Ah yeah, but she’s off most of the time, she still plays. Doesn’t go the full tour like Yami, just smaller tournaments.”

“What about your sister, weren’t Tristan and Duke fighting over her.”

Joey laughed, “Yeah, but in the end they wound up together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they run their game shop together, Duke’s doing real well since his game took off as good as it did.”

“Tèa?”

“Dancing in America, she got her chance at it there.”

Ryou?”

“As far as I know he and Bakura went to Egypt to see Marik and Ishizu. I haven’t heard much more than that.”

The pair was disturbed from their chat when Seto came into the living room, he had a scowl on his face and his hair was still wet. “What do you want, Wheeler?”

“Yugi’s here, I would like to see him, seeing as how I started all this in the first place.”

“I suppose you know the whole story?”

“Akira told me everything, even up to where he figured you fell in love with Yugi.”

Seto looked shocked, “What!”

“Oh cut it out Kaiba, everybody knows, why don’t you just admit it to yourself.”

The shocked expression had not left Kaiba’s face

Mokuba was trying to hide his laughter, “Ah Joey, I thought you said you weren’t here to cause any trouble.”

“That’s not trouble, that’s the truth, and he knows it.”

Kaiba went for Joey’s throat, Mokuba quickly got in the way, he was still laughing, “Seto, no, he is right and you know it. Let him see that Yugi’s okay, you can’t keep him here all the time. You can’t keep him, then he’d be no less than what he was when you found him.”

Kaiba looked down at his little brother, disbelief on his face. He turned suddenly, “I’ll go see if he wants to come out. I won’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want.”

Mokuba began wondering if maybe he had said too much this time.

“Ya think I went too far?” asked Joey.

“No, it’s the truth Joey. When he had a thing for Yami, I knew it, but he kept it all in. He’s never admitted to that either. But with Yugi, it’s different, he has had to keep it all in, and Yugi as he is, has returned that love. I bet he’s done that more than Seto was expecting.”

“But he’s not ‘our’ Yugi.”

“Hopefully he will be one day, but I don’t see Seto giving him up then, do you?”

Joey shook his head. “And Yami won’t give up either.”

Mokuba nodded.

Kaiba returned alone. “He won’t come out of the room; I’ll take you up to see him. But remember this Wheeler, you scare him and you’re out for good. He is not the Yugi you knew, he’s been through a lot of bad things and they’ve all had an effect on him. I promised him he’d never be hurt again, and I mean to keep that promise.”

“Thanks, I’ll try to remember that.”

“Can I come too, Seto?” asked Mokuba.

His brother nodded and the trio moved upstairs. Seto stopped at the door, “He answers to his name because I have only used that with him. Don’t approach him, if he wants he can come to you. You let him make his mind up or I’ll make you leave.”

Joey nodded and Kaiba opened the door. The room was dim, the drapes drawn. The bed dominated the room. Joey noticed how dark all the fittings were, even the walls were a midnight blue color. Dark blue on the large bed also, and under the covers hid the object of his curiosity.

“Yugi,” Kaiba called out softly, “The visitors are here. You have met Mokuba, my brother. The other is a really old friend of your’s.”

Joey screwed his face up at the ‘old’ remark, but kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time for smart remarks.

They had stopped at the end of the bed, for a few moments nothing happened, then there was a slight movement under the sheets. Very slowly Yugi began to emerge from under the sheet, his unspiked head of hair falling to veil his face as his head appeared. All Joey could see was the blonde and black hair that cascaded down Yugi’s back past his waist.

“There’s nothing to fear Yugi, they only want to meet you, you remember Mokuba?” soothed Kaiba.

Joey looked at him surprised with the gentleness in Kaiba’s voice.

Slowly Yugi nodded and let the sheet fall. Kaiba had made him dress before he came downstairs. He reached up and pushed half his hair behind an ear, revealing one of his big amethyst eyes. He looked at Mokuba first, then moved on to Joey. Again he pushed the hair from the other side of his face, and cocked his head to the side, his brows creasing as if he were trying to remember something. Kaiba’s hand fisted as he watched Yugi move to get from the bed and move closer to Joey.

Joey was surprised again to see that Yugi was now as tall as Yami, and if it were not for the straight hair, he would have difficulty telling them apart. He stopped an arm’s length away and looked up at him, then across at Mokuba, and finally at Kaiba.

Then his eyes returned to Joey and a tear slip from his eye, “J-Jo-ey?” It was hoarse and stuttered, but Yugi had said his name, Joey put his arms out and Yugi collapsed into them.

Kaiba’s mouth fell open as he watched his lover fall into Joey’s arms, but he did nothing to stop it. He would do nothing to ruin what he had; he would do nothing that would hurt Yugi either.

But, why had Joey brought Yugi back?

Joey gently pushed Yugi back, “Hey buddy, how are you? You’ve had us all very worried. Do you know how much I missed you?”

Yugi said nothing he just stared into Joey’s also tear filled eyes, then, “S-Sor-ry.”

“Hey, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. Nothing has been your fault, absolutely nothing, you know that don’t you? We are all just so happy that you are back, thanks to Kaiba.”

Yugi turned his face to look at the tall CEO. He smiled, “I love h-him, J-Joey.”

“I know that, he’s taken good care of you, and for that I forgive him for everything he’s ever done in the past. Now all you gotta do is get him to admit that he loves you to.”

Yugi looked over to him again, “Love me?”

This time Kaiba opened his arms up and Yugi went to him hugging him tightly, “Yeah, I do.”

“All right,” said Mokuba as he and Joey high fived each other.

Kaiba and Yugi were still holding on tightly, Kaiba leaning down so he could wrap himself around his smaller lover.

“Come on Joey, let’s leave them to come down, I’m sure we can trust them to behave.”

“Are you sure?” asked Joey eyeing the closeness of the bed.

“Yeah come on.”

Joey followed Mokuba out of the room and back downstairs. Behind them Yugi pulled back from Kaiba as the taller wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Do you l-love me?” asked Yugi.

Kaiba touched his lips to Yugi’s, “More than life itself.”

Fresh tears leaked from Yugi’s eyes. “Even after all, that- that’s happened?”

“That is the past, you are my future.”

“I-I remember it… all.”

“Sssh, none of it matters. You are here now and that’s all that matters.”

“How long? How long has it been?”

“You don’t know?”

Yugi shook his head, “I remember the hurt, not how long it was for.”

“Nearly three years.”

His head fell and his fingers touched his loose hair. His voice was still hoarse, “Does Yami know?”

“Yes, he was here yesterday. You came out of your room, I think because you knew he was here.”

“He left me behind.”

Kaiba lifted Yugi’s chin so their eyes met again. “I will never leave you.” And again he leaned down to touch his lips to Yugi’s.

“You saved me.”

“And I would do it all again. Why was it that Joey brought you back?”

“He was my best friend, Kaiba.”

“Seto.”

“Seto,” smiled Yugi.

“Keep doing that.”

“What?”

“Smiling. Come, they’ll be thinking we’re in bed again if we don’t go down.”

Yugi’s smile got wider, “Really?”

This time Kaiba smiled, “Not that I mind, but we’d better go down to them.” He took Yugi’s hand in his own and led him downstairs.

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