-------/ Dream -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Doctor, he looks just like your son," Joey heard a female say she sounded distant like she was on the other side of a wall

"Exactly, he's supposed to look like that," a man this time Joey heard something slide open and click shut again

"I wish I had another chance with my true son I've finally had that wish granted." Joey heard the man say quietly,

"This one may be a copy but he has the same voice same looks same everything but this time I get a fresh start, a clean slate," the man said again Joey's mind erupted into full color scenes as he thought.

'I'm only a copy,' a familiar shock traveled down the cord connected to the back of his neck and his thoughts were swept away by the computer's downloading system.

-------/ end dream -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joey awoke from his sleep with a loud sob, startling Seto who had fallen asleep with the weekly crossword on his chest. Seto sat up in time to see Joey curl up into a ball, his wings still spread, repeating

"Only a copy, I'm only a copy, just a copy and nothing else" something he had thought since that first time he'd heard that one line. Seto got up and knelt down in front of the obviously distressed Joey, whose spines had lain down against his back, Seto put his thin hands on Joey's shoulders. The child's eyes shot open staring wide eyed up at Seto he stopped his little mantra and let go of his hair, which he had grabbed trying to pull his head down closer to his knees,

"Seto?" he said timidly

"Joey, are you okay?" Seto asked concerned; Joey shook his head shuffling forward on his knees arms extended but as he wrapped his arms halfway around Seto's chest he let out a cry of pure pain. Unfortunately when Joey drew back the back of his head hit Seto's jaw and Joey himself fell back wards tears streaming down his face as his howls intensified. Seto quickly set out to comfort the child when he noticed something; one of Joey's wings had folded up behind him sometime during the panic attack but the other was still completely extended he followed the wing right out to the tip and found the source of the little one's pain. Right at the edge of the wing, which was bent up onto the top of the fencing at the edge of the balcony, the top of one of the slightly pointed bars had been driven through the thin membrane that made up the delicate wings, and from Joey's movements it had torn even further towards the edge. He looked back to Joey who was still bawling his heart out; he had to calm him down before he did anything and he knew exactly what to do having had to raise his little brother. Seto knelt back down in front of Joey he drew the child into his lap being careful not to move the caught wing

"Shhh, it's okay baby, I'm right here, I'll take care of it" he said soothingly rubbing the spot between his wings where his spines were still flattened, Joey slowly quieted down till he was sniffling, Seto slowly moved Joey back onto the blanket gently wiped the tears off his face before he stood and moved towards Joey's wing when he touched it Joey whimpered loudly

"It's all right it's almost over" Seto said as he thought of how he could get the piece of metal out of the wing he finally decided and took hold of Joey's wing and gently as he could pulled it off, immediately the wing yanked out of his hands and folded halfway leaving the ripped part laying on the floor as a couple fresh tears sprang to his eyes.

"There, that's better isn't it" he said as he knelt down to pick Joey up, he was very surprised when Joey pushed him away and shuffled back with his feet dragging his wing with him.

"Joey, what's wrong?" he asked confused

"Leave me alone let me die" Joey said

"What are you talking about you aren't going to die!"

"I'm not?"

"No, you just have a little scratch" Seto said lightheartedly

"Then kill me I don't want to live!" Joey shouted curling back into a ball. That statement worried Seto as he heard soft crying follow it

"Why don't you want to live?" he asked shuffling a little closer

"I don't matter I haven't got a reason to live I'm just a copy of someone a man couldn't let die when they did" Joey cried unaware that Seto was getting closer

"I'm like a light bulb that can easily be replaced" Seto heard him mutter into his knees

"No you're not don't ever say that you are unique you aren't a copy of anything and you wouldn't be alive right now if you didn't matter" he said now sitting right next to him

"Do you really think I would have brought you here if you didn't matter?" he said putting an arm around Joey's shoulders

"No" he responded quietly

"Right, now lets go inside and get that wing bandaged up." He said helping Joey onto his feet only to have him wobble and fall to his knees

'Come to think of it I've never seen him walk before' Seto thought as Joey grabbed at his arm trying to lift himself up. Seto picked Joey up by the waist and set him back on his feet Joey grabbed Seto's shoulder for support as he stood knees together, next to him. Joey finally gained the confidence to try to take a step like Seto had done; as he raised his foot Seto helped him move it forward with his own; about fifteen minutes later they both made it to the bed, by now Joey was taking steps without the help of Seto's feet but he still clung to Seto's reassuring arm. Joey plopped down on the edge of the bed with a big sigh Seto kept going and headed towards the bathroom he came back with a first aid kit, Joey had already spread his damaged wing out on the bed and he was holding a small pillow, Seto sat down next to him.

"So, are you feeling any better?" Seto asked remembering how sluggish Joey had been at first

"Uh huh" Joey said twitching as Seto dabbed at the hole in his extended wing with some disinfectant; he put a bandage over both sides of it

"There that's better" he said as he watched the wing yank itself out of his hands and begin to fold itself behind his back the only odd thing was Joey didn't even seem to notice when it did

"How did you do that?" Seto asked truly curious

"What?" Joey asked he'd been staring at the floor and hadn't heard the question

"Your wings, how did you do that?" he asked again Joey looked back at his wings out of the corner of his eye

"I really don't know involuntary thing I guess" he said shrugging before wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"That's interesting" Seto replied before he heard Joey's stomach growl. He smiled down at Joey who looked up at him grinning sheepishly

"Hungry" he said he'd never eaten before the computer had downloaded images to his brain, so he knew how to.

"Come on my brother should be home soon, you can eat with us" Seto said offering his arm to help Joey up, which he accepted. As Seto led him down the main staircase he though

'I wonder how Mokuba will take this.'

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Gruzzee: awwww!!

Cazi: no notes this time, please R & R

Gruzzee: oh yeah I do have one note for anyone wandering why Seto wasn't at Kaiba corp., well, um, oh never mind I'll tell you in the next chapter