Welcome to the story! I wasn't sure if I was going to post this, but I figured, what the hay! The story is complete so if you want the chapters faster, there is a beautiful purple button at the bottom that is itching to be pressed.
Chapter one
"You are looking a bit tired Kaiba-sama. Are you getting enough rest?" the man in the grey suit asked the young man, that was currently sitting across from him in the airplane
"Yes, at least I think so." the brunet answered the man
"You don't look it. You look like you are turning 50" the man in the suit said to him
"Albert, I appreciate your concern but..." the tall CEO said to the American sitting across from him but he interrupted him by placing a hand up, in the universal sign of halting all discussions
"Then listen to me. You hired me to take care of your well being. I know you are not sleeping well, and you work worse then a workaholic. Tell me Seto, when was the last time you took a vacation?" Albert asked him as the blue-eyed young man leaned back into the plush leather seats of the private jet that was currently flying back from New York back to Domino Japan. Seto for the last 5 years had been in the States, working on the series of KaibaLand's that him and his brother had begun to put together after Battle City. Where he had left his heart. The pain of seeing his love, his puppy, his soul mate cling to that blonde bitch had broken everything inside him and instead of finishing high school in Domino, he and Mokuba moved their headquarters to the States and Seto finished high school there. For the last 4 years he had been getting his business degree from Harvard, a flight that had pissed off more then one professor, but none dared to question him. Now having his Bachelor in Business Administration, he had taken full control of his company, as Roland and Isono had been running the day to day, with Seto running the admin part from his classes.
That had been when he met Albert, a elderly man that after years away from college had decided to go back and take some courses. Seto had met him one day, after catching the teen in the arboretum crying. He had just learned from his contacts that his puppy had declared that he was going steady with the blonde bitch, the only phrase he could and would use with her and the slight healing that he had, had broken apart again, and he felt like his heart was bleeding on the cold cement of the bench, located in the center of the gardens. It was then that Albert, without a thought, had embraced him, the soul shattering sounds coming from the teen, had broken his own heart and after which, he had never left him alone again.
This had happened nearly 5 years ago, and today him and his mental well being therapist, a title that Albert had given himself were returning to Domino, to the beginning of it all. Albert only hoped that this would be the end of the loneliness that his adopted grandson, a title that he considered Seto to be, would be able to overcome.
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"Yug' come on. I need to get going." a honey eyed blond said to his best friend that was currently still in the kitchen of their shared accommodations
"I know, I'm getting our lunches made." Yugi Motou said to his best friend, Katsuya Jounouchi
"I had totally forgotten about that. Thanks! The spa only allows me breakfast!" Jou said to his friend, as he saw him come out of the kitchen, his wide amethyst eyes sparkling. Of which the other smiled at. He hadn't smiled much in the last 4 years, since the other half of his soul departed for the afterlife, though Jou could not blame him. His own soul mate abandoned him. He couldn't understand what had happened to make Seto leave him, but in 5 years he had not heard anything. He remembered the last day that he had been with everyone, and had remembered finding out that his father had died while he had been on the ship. Mai attempted to console him, but he didn't want her. He wanted his soul mate. When he was able to think clearly, he had gone looking for Seto, only to find him gone. And at that, the pain inside him had nearly driven him to do something so drastic, that Mai had put him on her watch. Mai always though of Jou as her little brother, though only once had she thought more of him, but after catching him looking at the brunet bishounen with a hunger that quite literally took her breath away, she vowed to protect that golden light, the beautiful soul that had begun to fade without Seto around.
About six months later, the pain of everyone leaving him had nearly extinguished the spark of his life, and it was at that point that Mai left the young teen no choice, and took guardianship of him and forced him to move in with her. A couple of boys that had seen that, let out a rumour that they were boyfriend/girlfriend and that he was now shacking up with her. Only their inner friends knew what was happening, and they all helped the blond Adonis in his hour of need. Over time, and past high school graduation, Jou got better and began to work part time jobs. Mai's parents had heard what had happened and her role in everything and had forgiven her for whatever transgression they had believed she had done. Mai was fine with not going to college as she was more concerned with Jou, so with their influence, they had enrolled him into a cooking school. It was just shortly after this that they had died, leaving Mai completely alone, but Jou had decided to stay with her as long as she needed him. And he had found a job that had made him happy. He had been working at the Hot Springs Spa located at the center of the large arboretum inside the Domino Park. The spa itself was only minutes away from his college and after the last 4 years he had loved being so close. The spa had also integrated some of his Tapas dishes into their suite of packages for the tired world travellers that they entertained.
"Jou...you good?" Yugi asked his best friend. They had recently gotten an apartment together, as Mai had felt that they both needed each other, in ways that no one else could understand. It was like their souls cried out to each other, and they could find solace in only each other. Mai had known her soul mate was not born with her, and she would have to wait a while for it, so in the meantime she treated Jou like the son she would never have.
"I'm dealing. That's the best I can offer ya. You know as well as I do, the pain doesn't lessen. Nothing can." Jou said, his eyes watering again as the open wound in his heart began to crush him again.
"Jou, maybe you should take today off. I can feel how much today is bothering you." Yugi said stroking the arm of his friend
"No, I can't. Something tells me inside Yug' that I need to be there today. I wish I knew what, but something is pulling me there today. No, I have to be there." Jou said closing his eyes and placing a hand over his heart.
"Okay, but be well today. Ryou wants to meet up tonight. His dad is still hounding him to get his Masters in Egyptology and wants me to help convince his dad that he doesn't need it." Yugi said about their former friend. After Battle City and the Memory world incidents, Ryou's father had taken him back to England and had enrolled him into Oxford. There he had been getting his Doctorate in Egyptology, mostly against his will.
"I will see. As long as Marik isn't around I'll be good." Jou said, his voice dark. He had never forgiven the blond Egyptian for the event that had taken his life, even if it had been only for a few seconds. In those seconds, he had felt the pain of his soul mate, screaming and it was then that he had recognized who it was, and had stared at the shaken and wide eyed Seto Kaiba. After their battles he had longed to run into his arms, but something inside stopped him. Then he had gotten word of his father, and his soul cried out in agony. When it had quietened down, he found himself in the arms of Mai, and he could no longer feel Seto around him. Leaving her side, he frantically searched high and low for the residual trace of his mate. Hours past and after searching ever crevice of the blimp he had to face the truth that his soul mate, in his greatest hour of need, abandoned him. And this caused him greater harm then he ever thought possible. The Pharaoh, consoling Yugi as he could see his best friend wide eyed and frantic, had sensed that he was about to do something very bad, and irreversible. Taking over Yugi's body he tore after the aura of the blond, to find him with one of Seto's swords in his hand, attempting to slit his wrists. Tears were flowing down his face, and he was hyperventilating from the sheer terror of the feelings. The Pharaoh at that, had felt physically knocked back, so in fear of the emotions of despair and heartache of the boy that he enveloped him into an aura of the Shadow Realm, until the heartache could be lessened.
It had taken many months, and Jou had missed a lot of school, but the Pharaoh had not left his side, keeping his mind in shadows until the day that he could awoken. Finally about 6 months later, he had attempted once more to remove the shadows and feel the trace of his mind to see if it had healed enough for him to be released without him harming himself again. And that was when Mai took him into her home, and had begun home schooling him, to get him caught up. Which surprising had not taken very long, and even though he did not graduate with his class, he had finished school in the late August of the same year. Just in time for his college to start.
"I promise, he won't be. Marik knows that he causes you harm and respects your wishes to not be near you. He does wish that one day you will change your mind, but for now, he understands." Yugi said to his friend. As he looked at him, he was still in awe of his aura. Which thanks to his exposure to the Shadow magic, he could now see the aura's that surround people. He knew his was a light blue, but Jou's was always a shining gold, but the inner core was a mix of black and cobalt blue, which he knew was his sadness, and his soul mate.
"It will be a long time then. Anyways, we should get going." Jou said and then locked the door behind them as the headed out of the apartment, and headed to work. Both of them worked at the spa now, Yugi as a masseuse, and Jou as their chef. As they headed out, something made Jou look up into the sky and his mouth dropped open. And Yugi for just a moment, thought he saw Jou's aura flare up into the sky, sending his golden aura upwards