WARNINGS: This story deals with material that some readers may find offensive. If homosexuality or scientific cloning (basically playing God) is not your cup of tea, I apologize but this story is not for you. Also, Yuugi is neither helpless nor saintly, so this may qualify as being somewhat out of character; however, I just tried to make him more realistic. Oh, there's also a bit of swearing.

DISCLAIMER: I think we all know that I don't own the characters and the plot is generic enough at the moment that I can safely say that I don't own that either.

GENERAL NOTES: This is my first time writing in awhile, I sort of abandoned FF but came back. I have a different pen-name now, as I'm looking for a clean slate. My grammar and spelling are improving but not fantastic yet, so I apologize in advance. Finally, updates will come when they come, I'll do my best to work quickly. Thank you for reading!

-Maelstrom-

By: WhisperingWorlds

Prologue: From a House to a Home

The sea-side cottage was just as Yuugi Mutou remembered it, even though he hadn't laid eyes on it for nearly eight years. Made out of wood, it was small but well maintained; the roof had been recently tiled and the deck shone with a new coat of varnish. The windows were larger than most and left open to allow the daylight and cool, salty breeze to blow through the small home. Nestled on a rocky cove and surrounded by a forest of humongous evergreens, the little house was isolated and peaceful; but best of all, it was all Yuugi's.

The cottage had been gifted to Yuugi by his mother and father, Sandra and Samuel Mutou, as a graduation present; and Yuugi couldn't have been more shocked if he had discovered a peanut-butter-and-jelly fish. At the age of eighteen, Yuugi had left his life in Seattle to attend university in Maui, Hawaii, his parents expecting him to return home four years later with a degree in Engineering, an equally ambitious girlfriend and well on his way to a lucrative, respectable career. Yuugi, however, returned eight years later with a PhD in Marine Biology, a surf board, and an internship at KaibaCorp's Marine Analysis Division. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, since Yuugi had spent the summers of his youth investigating tide pools when he should have been playing soccer with his friends, but to his conservative, successful parents, it was almost an insult. Therefore, even though after many tears and angry phone calls his parents had agreed to support him, Yuugi had nearly fainted when upon his return, they had handed him the keys to the cottage with proud smiles on their faces.

I really do have the best parents in the world, Yuugi said, smiling as he returned to his old red pick-up truck and hopped into the back. The boot was filled with a number of good sized cardboard boxes, which Yuugi had had shipped from his apartment in Maui. There wasn't too much to unpack considering the amount of time he'd spent on the large island; maybe a day's work at most, and even less if he had some friends helping him.

Yuugi hadn't even finished the thought before he heard the rumbling of an approaching car engine. He turned his gaze to the small, gravel road winding around the impossibly huge cedar trees and saw a sleek, black Jeep with its top down come around the corner. Behind the shaded windshield, he could see the faint outlines of the Jeep's two passengers. With a sudden jerk, the SUV pulled over, several feet behind Yuugi's truck. Yuugi's round face split into a large grin as two very tall boys completely disregarded the doors and bolted out of the back.

"Yuugi!" the two boys shouted as they ran towards the red truck. Yuugi gave an exhilarated laugh and dropped the box he was holding, before jumping out of the back of his truck and jogging over to meet them.

"Tristan!" Yuugi shouted happily, stepping on his tip toes to wrap the first boy, a muscular brunette, in a brotherly hug.

"How are ya man?" Tristan Taylor asked enthusiastically. "It's about time you came back to little old Washington. Great place you've got here, perfect for you; but man, that forest is such a bitch to drive through!"

"Nah, you jus' suck at drivin'," another voice quipped with a slight, Brooklyn accent. Yuugi immediately turned to look into the hazel eyes of his best friend, Joey Wheeler. Joey was even taller than Tristan, though slightly thinner, with shaggy blonde hair and a slightly stubbly chin. Yuugi leaped at Joey happily, and the sandy haired boy caught him and swung him around in a circle.

"Whoa Yuug!" Joey exclaimed after setting Yuugi down and giving him an exaggerated once over. "What happened to ya, lil guy?"

Though Yuugi would have once bristled at the slightly demeaning nickname, he knew Joey long enough to know that it was all in jest… well sort of. As a teen, Yuugi had been incredibly small for his age, and though he'd grown slightly over the past eight years, he was still below average. His height, however, was not the only thing that Joey was referring to.

The long years in Hawaii had changed Yuugi both inside and out. The skinny, gothic, pale boy with pitch black hair was gone, and in his place stood a lean, freckly man, his dark hair highlighted with gold from many hours spent at the beach. His style had relaxed significantly too, though there were still hints of his punk phase here and there. Where he had once worn tight leather and chains, he now donned comfortable jeans and an unbuttoned black shirt with rolled up sleeves. He also rarely wore jewelry anymore, save for a shark tooth earring and a white, shiny pendant on a string around his neck.

Yuugi touched the pendant fondly; it was a Maori necklace, carved out of a single piece of ivory into the traditional 'fish hook' design. It had been a parting gift from Yuugi's closest friends in Maui, the siblings Rishid, Ishizu and Malik Ishtar. The Ishtars were native to Hawaii, with tanned skin and light eyes, and they had basically adopted Yuugi as one of the family. Though they were not rich by any means, they were kind people who enjoyed what they did; Rishid and Ishizu, the elder siblings, ran a small beach side bar, while Malik had attended university with Yuugi and taught surfing on the side. Though Yuugi had been overjoyed to return home, he still found himself missing his Hawaiian friends, just as he'd missed Joey and Tristan while he was away at school.

"Ya know what," Joey said suddenly, immediately recognizing the 'I miss someone' look in Yuugi's eyes from the many times he'd said good bye to Yuugi at the airport, "I like it. Ya look more mature like, though not much like a scientist."

"Marine biologist Joey," Yuugi replied fondly, rolling his eyes. Nonetheless, he appreciated that Joey was try to cheer him up and decided to enjoy spending time with these friends, instead of moping because he missed other ones.

"Well den, come on Mr. Marine Biologist," Joey said, bowing deeply at his waist, causing Tristan and Yuugi to both snicker. "We have some unpackin' ta do today ya Highness."

"If you insist," Yuugi replied primly, playing along. The effect was somewhat ruined by Joey ruffling his dark hair. "Cut it out," he laughed good-naturedly, swatting at the blonde's hand. Joey immediately tackled his smaller friend, and the two wrestled playfully on the coarse grass for several minutes.

"Come on children," Tristan said finally, after the two grew out of breath, "Let's get this stuff unpacked fast. Then, we can go exploring!"

"Exploring?" Joey said eagerly, releasing his hold on Yuugi. "Den what are we waitin' for? C'mon guys!" With that, the blonde bounded towards Yuugi's truck with all of the excitement and speed of a Labrador puppy. He sort of looks like one too, Yuugi mused to himself, as he watched his friend's shaggy hair flutter.

"Come on Yuugi," Tristan said, as they watched Joey execute a perfect jump into the back of Yuugi's truck. "We'd better get over there before he tries to unpack your stuff himself."

"Yeah," Yuugi agreed, nodding his head. "With the way he stomps around like a bull, I won't have any stuff left."

-o-

True to form, Joey did manage to break a few, thankfully trivial, things. Luckily, the rest of the unpacking went by without a hitch, and by mid afternoon, Yuugi's cottage looked as though it had been lived in for years.

The inside was decorated to remind Yuugi of Hawaii, and the entire house now had a distinctly nautical feel. Ornaments adorned the bookshelves in the living room and dining room, including shells and wood carvings made by Yuugi and the Ishtars. Though the walls were plain, the house's five rooms were blooming with colours from the bright carpets and quilts. The fridge and air conditioning were running, the appliances were all working and pictures of his family and friends adorned the walls; all in all, the cottage had finally gone from a house to a home. All that was left was Yuugi's bedroom, but that was something he wanted to do on his own.

"Well done team!" Joey yelled, punching the air with his fist, before collapsing onto one of two couches in the living room. Yuugi immediately joined him, knocking the blonde's legs off his sofa and taking a seat himself. The living room was Yuugi's favorite by far; the walls were lined with bookshelves (now filled with books!) except for the wall which faced the ocean; it was pure glass and made for an absolutely breath-taking view.

"You guys thirsty?" Tristan yelled from the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by only an island and four bar stools.

"Hells yeah!" Joey shouted back, "any beer left in da fridge?"

Joey and Tristan had thankfully thought ahead, and brought Yuugi a cooler filled with basic food, to keep him going until he made it into Seattle to pick up groceries. Though the cooler had been filled mostly with beer, there was also some fruit and enough Subway sandwiches to last Yuugi a few days.

"Three," Tristan replied, cracking one open for himself and taking a long swig. Gathering the other two into the crook of his elbow, he kicked the fridge door closed, and walked into the living room. Handing a beer each to Yuugi and Joey, he then preceded to fling himself onto the other, unoccupied couch. The three friends nursed their drinks in a comfortable silence, watching waves crash onto the rocky beach.

"Say Yuug," Joey asked carefully after a moment. "You talked ta Tea since you've been back?" Yuugi said nothing, but his eyes hardened. Tea Gardner had been one of the reasons that Yuugi had chosen to go to school so far away in the first place.

"No," Yuugi said sharply, ending the discussion before it began.

Tea had been one of Yuugi's very best friends since elementary school, and the final member of their quartet of friends during high school. Though he had treated her the same way he treated Joey and Tristan, Yuugi had been secretly in love with her since they'd been thirteen. It had taken him nearly three years to get up the nerve to ask her out, but even then, he'd been totally shocked when she'd agreed. Two years later, they were the perfect couple and everyone, including Yuugi, expected them to marry and live happily ever after; that was until Yuugi found her boning the school's quarterback behind the bleachers. As it turned out, their perfect relationship hadn't been perfect for months, at least according to Tea. Within hours, the entire school knew two things; first, that Tea Gardner was a cheating bitch, but also that Yuugi Mutou was incapable of satisfying a woman.

So, in a move he was still ashamed of to this day, Yuugi did what cowards do best and took off to Hawaii, where no one would know anything about him or his relationship and where he could just forget it ever happened. Unfortunately, Tea's betrayal had not simply disappeared; it had festered in the back of his mind for years. And, rather than healing without a scratch as he'd hoped, it scarred him instead. To this day, Yuugi still refused to talk about what had happened; and though he thankfully had not thought of Tea in months, he still doubted he'd ever be rid of her entirely.

"Ya know," Joey pressed cautiously, "maybe ya'd feel better if ya talked about it a bit-"

"I don't want to talk about it Joey," Yuugi interrupted harshly. He hated speaking so unkindly to his friend but he would not allow this conversation to continue. "Leave it alone."

The blonde sighed but nodded his head in agreement. Yuugi smiled briefly in thanks and took another swig of his beer.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to go exploring!" Tristan said, overly optimistically as he tried to cheer Yuugi up. Yuugi appreciated the gesture.

Joey perked up immediately, abandoning the Tea topic completely. "Yeah!" he cheered, jumping to his feet and pulling Yuugi up with him. Thankfully, they'd both drained their beers enough so that Joey's impulsiveness hadn't caused the alcohol to slosh down the front of their shirts. "Let's go check out da beach!"

Tristan and Yuugi both laughed, the merriment thankfully restored to the room. Gathering their half empty drinks, the three left the house and walked towards the sea, their eyes glowing with a childish curiosity and longing for adventure.

-o-

"Dis ain't a beach," Joey commented critically as they stumbled along the rocky shore line.

"Sure it is Joey," Yuugi soothed. "See all of the tide pools, and the seaweed stuck in the rocks?"

"Yeah I see all dat fine," Joey said. "What I don't see is da sand."

"Well, technically sand is just crushed rocks," Yuugi pointed out cheekily, receiving a glare in return.

"Thanks Yuug'," Joey said acidly, shoving his smaller friend playfully.

"It's just a different type of beach," Tristan said, steadying Yuugi without missing a beat. He was used to their horseplay, and even more used to preventing the accidents that came from it.

"Not much fun," Joey said sullenly.

"Not fun?" Yuugi said, faking astonishment, "that's because you don't know where to look. Come on guys, I'll show you what Mr. Marine Biologist learned and maybe it'll change your minds."

So, the afternoon passed with the three friends examining tide pools, Yuugi pointing out the various plants and animals in each. Every so often, he embellished the creatures to keep Joey interested, but for the most part, he was just reciting his textbooks. There had been some interesting finds though: starfish, sand dollars, sea anemone and Joey's favorite, a large hermit crab.

"Wow Yuugi," Tristan said as they walked back up to the cottage, "I'm impressed! You sure learned a lot in Hawaii."

Yuugi laughed. "Well, I was at school for eight years," he quipped, "I'm glad I didn't waste it. Just wait though, next time you guys come down, I'll teach you how to surf!"

"Whoa, sick!" Joey exclaimed. "Where'd ya learn that?"

"My friend, Malik, was a surfing instructor," Yuugi explained.

"Oh yeah, ya told us about him," Joey said, snapping his fingers as he remembered. "He's da Hawaiian guy who went ta school wit ya, wit da long hair right?"

"Yeah." Yuugi said, "I'm surprised you remembered."

"I would neva' forget anytin you wrote Yuug'," Joey joked, crossing a hand over his heart. "After all, it's all I had a ya buddy!"

Though Yuugi knew Joey was just teasing, he saw the true happiness in Joey's hazel eyes. Smiling, he said, "I missed you too Joey." Joey slung an arm around Yuugi's shoulders.

"Still, surfing sounds great!" Joey exclaimed after a moment, Tristan muttering in agreement. "We'll come back tomorrow!" Joey continued impulsively.

"Joey, we have to work tomorrow, remember?" Tristan reminded. "You know work, like your job?"

"Oh," Joey said, deflating.

"Say, that reminds me Yuug'," Tristan said, turning to face his friend. "Don't you have to work at some point? Where're you at again?"

"Yeah, tomorrow as well," Yuugi replied sheepishly. "It's a huge complex just outside of Seattle."

"Whoa, that's pretty far for you," Joey acknowledged. "Ain't dat like a hour drive at least?"

"Yeah, around that," Yuugi said, "but it's completely worth it. I'm interning at one of the best Marine Analysis centers in the world. It's really hard to get accepted at KaibaCorp."

"Kaiba?" Joey snarled, "Dat bastard!"

Yuugi jumped at Joey's outburst, having rarely seen his usually calm albeit crude best friend lose his cool. Turning his violet eyes to Tristan in confusion, he waited for the brunette to calm the irate Joey before receiving his explanation.

"Joey. Joey!" Tristan said forcefully, shaking his blonde friend. "Relax man! Gozaburo Kaiba's the one that owns the Kaiba empire of amusement parks, remember? Not Seto Kaiba!"

"Same family," Joey spat, "I bet Goza-whateva' his name is, is a complete bastard as well!"

"What did I miss?" Yuugi asked slowly, looking between an exasperated Tristan and a furious Joey.

"Oh, Joey got into it with Seto Kaiba a couple of months back," Tristan explained. "Joey and I were coming out of McNasty's and Kaiba nearly ran Joey over with his motorcycle. And well, you know Joey, he doesn't take that kind of thing well."

"Da son of a bitch tried ta blame it on me!" Joey screeched. "He even took me ta court!"

"And he didn't get any money out of it," Tristan reminded, over enunciating each word like one would who was explaining something to an infant.

"But he still tried," Joey snarled, "I hate people like dat; who tink just 'cause dey have money dat dey get ta walk all over da rest of us!"

"Well, Tristan's right," Yuugi rushed, trying to calm Joey down before he really went off the deep end. "I work for Gozaburo-" he wisely left the word 'Kaiba' out, "-for the marine research division. It's where we study new creatures and prepare new aquarium attractions for his sea parks. Only the best work for him."

"That's why you got the job," Tristan said kindly. Yuugi smiled in thanks.

"Well, as long as it's nothin' to do with Seto, I guess I'm all right wit it," Joey mumbled. "Okay you can go ta work tomorrow."

"Thanks Joey," Yuugi said, trying to keep the sarcasm from entering his voice. Luckily, Joey didn't notice it.

"Just looking out for ya buddy."

"Well Joey," Tristan said after a moment, checking his silver watch. "It's nearly seven thirty; we should head back to the city so Yuugi can get ready for his big day."

"Yeah, you're right Tristan," Joey replied reluctantly, "Sure you'll be all right Yuug'?"

"Don't worry about me," Yuugi smiled, "remember, I used to live here every summer. I think I can figure anything out that goes wrong."

Yuugi walked his two friends back to Tristan's black Jeep, and watched with a fond smile as the two jumped in, once again through the back. Yuugi had to wonder if they ever used the doors.

"Well give us a call if ya need anythin'," Joey said, as Tristan started the engine. "We'll be right how here if you're in trouble. We hooked dos phones up for a reason!"

"Will do Joey," Yuugi answered, "and once I get my laptop running, I'll send you both an email okay?"

"Sure thing Yuugi," Tristan said, as he threw the car into reverse and pulled an impressive U-Turn so that the Jeep was facing the forest. "Good luck tomorrow, I'm sure your first day'll be awesome! We'll see ya soon man!"

"Thanks guys," Yuugi called, "for everything!"

"Bye!" Joey shouted over the engine, as the SUV lurched forward. Yuugi watched the car until it sped out of sight, before returning to his cottage.

-o-

"It's always lonely when those two leave," Yuugi said to himself as he walked through the front door. "Maybe I should get a pet or something. I've always wanted a cat."

Truth be told, Yuugi wasn't sure if he'd have time to care for anything once his work began, even himself. He had heard that Gozaburo was ruthless on his interns, and often kept them working well past nine on weekdays. Still, he was doing his best to remain optimistic, and he was certainly looking forward to tomorrow.

Grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, Yuugi walked into his still bare bedroom and began unpacking a single box, filled with his most precious treasures. He carefully plucked a dried lei, handmade by Ishizu, from the top, and wrapped it around his door knob. Next came the pictures; one of his parents, one of Joey and Tristan, and one of himself with the Ishtars. Those, he set on top of his mahogany dresser, along with some of his favorite knick knacks: shells he'd found in Hawaii, a couple of movie stubs from films he'd really enjoyed, a box that Rishid had carved from drift wood, and his trusty radio clock.

The box soon emptied, until there was only one thing left inside. The velvet pouch, that Yuugi supposed had once been used to store jewelry, contained only two things; a strip of photographs taken in a cheap booth at a mall, and a silver ring. Both were old and probably the equivalent of emotional poison, but Yuugi couldn't bring himself to throw them out. Pulling out the photo, he ignored his own smiling face and looked instead at a pair of crystal blue eyes.

She looks beautiful, Yuugi mused, as he looked at Tea's heart shaped face for the first time in nearly two years. And she was; tall, with a glossy brown bob, full red lips and angular eyes, she was anybody's, including Yuugi's, dream girl. The dream girl who broke your heart, he reminded himself dully, sliding the picture back into the pouch. He hadn't looked at it in awhile, but like a heroin addict, he always ended up coming back. Joey's reminder that afternoon had certainly not helped.

Next, he pulled out the silver ring and absentmindedly slipped it on his left ring finger. It was a simple band with no embellishments, save for an engraving along the inside. It simply said 'forever'. She'd given it to him on their first anniversary. He was surprised that it still fit.

Taking the ring off, he quickly shoved it back into the velvet pouch. Pulling the drawstrings shut, probably more tightly than was necessary, he opened his top drawer and placed it near the back, behind a pile of mismatched white socks. Maybe this time it would be there to stay.

The silence was suddenly driving Yuugi crazy; his hands quickly found his radio and he flicked on the power button. It took a moment to tune, but soon the room was filled with cheerful 70's music. Yuugi absolutely loved the old stuff, though he obviously hadn't been alive when it came out.

He quickly fell into his nightly routine, and before long, the lights were out and Yuugi lay cuddled in his new bed, choosing to leave the radio on but turned down. He hadn't done this in awhile, and normally he wouldn't condone wasting electricity like that, but what with today's excitement and what he expected would be an even greater excitement tomorrow, he was finding it difficult to sleep. Every now and then, a thought of Tea would weave its way through his already hectic mind, making it even harder. Eventually though, he fell into a fitful sleep and a dream he'd been plagued with many times before began to play; one of beautiful beaches, endless seas, the shine of Tea's hair in the sunlight, and the scent of her mint shampoo.