Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. It belongs to the creators of the show. However, I do have one request though. It's a simple request really. Please don't "plagiarize" off my written work, which includes original characters/places/names/chapter ideas. I mean if you want to use something that I have written out. That I have worked very hard on and spent many hours reediting, please show some courtesy and ask me first, okay, Thanks – Razzleteddy
A/N: Thanks for reading :) Here's chapter 9 :) Enjoy! –- Razzleteddy
Lights in the Dark
Three days later, it was about eight in the morning in the Wheeler's apartment. Joey sat at the table on his laptop finally having time to Skype with Seto. The two were in very deep discussion about the whole school situation and the recent fight Mokuba had gotten in to. Needless to say that Seto was still pretty mad.
"I still can't believe they weren't going to dismiss those little punks for fighting like Mokuba had! Genjo was the one talking crap first I'm sure and probably deserved to get his ass kicked!" Seto fumed, when Marik told him the nature of the fight, it made his blood boil even more. "Stupid brats dare say such horrid things to my brother!" he narrowed his eyes sharply, "Ridiculous!" he scoffed at the screen.
"Yeah, I thought it was unfair too," Joey shook his head disappointed. He couldn't believe just how cruel kids could be. But then again, he could relate to some degree. He and his friends deal with bullying from Bittermen and his team of goons at their own school every day. But that still was no excuse for those boys to go that far. He inhaled a breath, "They should have at the very least been in trouble for bullying the way they had, you know," he frowned into the camera.
"Oh don't worry about that!" Seto still continued to fume. "I had a very long hard talk with that principle of theirs and told him the whole situation was about! And what those so called other boys were saying to Mokuba!" he bellowed more.
Joey lined his brow, "What else did you say to him?" he hoped his love was reasonable when he talked with him but as he viewed him now, he wouldn't hold his breath. Seto was much too upset, which he couldn't blame him for. He knew his love had every right to rant like that. Mokuba didn't deserve that action at all.
"Well, I've also told him that I found it rather insulting he condoned such bullying conducts at his school and if he didn't 'dismiss' those other boys for that very reason. I was going unleash Jiro and press charges on them for whatever I could! And shame him in the media. So he dismissed them as well!" Seto smirked briefly but narrowed eyes again. "Then he started up with all these lame explanations! What an incompetent idiot!" he slammed his balled fist on the arm his chair.
Joey inhaled a breath, although he was glad that the punishment was fair now. He still worried about Mokuba and what was best for him to move forward from that incident. However, before he could say anything, he lessened his eyes at Seto who still carried on with his rant, he sighed deeply and wished his love would relax.
"Annnd he actually had the audacity to question Mokuba's state of mind!"
"Babe," Joey started to say.
Seto just gritted his teeth, "Clearly, HE'S the one out of his mind!" he hissed.
"Babe, please calm down." Joey tried to reason with him, "Ranting and raving isn't going to help anyone especially Mok," he said in an even and serene voice.
"Hmmm."
"Anyway, I could understand slightly were Principle Sen was coming from." Joey shifted in his chair when Seto raised a tough brow at him. However, he continued, "Mok was probably not in a good state of mind when he was beating the crap out of Genjo." He softened his face worriedly, "Maybe it was too soon for him to go back to school. Maybe he wasn't really ready for that yet," he frowned heavily. The last thing he wanted was for Mokuba to lose what had gain in his sessions, what a setback that would be. The boy had worked so hard to rebuild from his hardship, very hard. He massaged his brow while he thought on what to do.
Seto drew in a deep long breath. He viewed Joey's worried face and knew his concerns. He hated to admit it but he had great concerns too. "You could be right about that brown eyes," he molded his own face troubled, "I don't know what to do from this point," he frowned as well, he didn't want this to defeat his brother.
"Well what does Jin say about it?"
Seto thought about what Jin had said when he talked to him earlier. His friend wasn't that surprised about Mokuba's sudden outburst. Jin knew that his brother had some trouble at school and with his temper, however, could help Mokuba get that under control with time. He really hoped so and confessed that he didn't want his brother to end up with a temper like he had. That would be a bad thing.
"Babe?" Joey softened his face when saw him space for a second.
Seto snapped out of his thoughts then. He viewed Joey's soft face, "Oh, he said not to worry too much. When Mokuba's ready, they were going to talk it out in their upcoming sessions." He lined his brow serious, "I know one thing for sure. I'm not sending them back to 'that' school again. Jin had agree to let them continued their studies down at the center until we can find a more suitable place for them," he shifted in his seat for a moment, he saw him nod at that.
"What did Mok and Noa say about it when you told them that?"
Seto lessened his face, "They seemed okay with that option." He sighed somewhat, "Noa's feeling much better so he's down there right now."
Joey nodded again, "That's good babe," he massaged his face a bit.
"Joseph! Get your butt in here and help me find my work shirt!"
Joey rolled his eyes at the annoyed voice of his father. "I'll be right there!"
Seto huffed irritated at the sound of Mr. Wheeler's demanding voice, "Just tell that man to find his own damn work shirt." He crossed his arms again, "We're busy talking here," his voice was laced with distaste. That man always found a way to interrupt their time. He shook his head getting more annoyed as Joey's father continued to call for him like a dog or something. He really hated that man he really did he hardened his brow at that. He then saw Joey laugh slightly.
Joey laughed slightly, "I-I can't do that babe," he gave him a smirk.
"And why not?"
"Because… I don't feel like getting beat today that's why," Joey simple said.
"If that man touches you," Seto narrowed his eyes, "He'll answer to ME."
"Joseph!"
Joey heard his father call again. He inhaled a breath, "I'll be right back babe, okay," he stood up and went over to his room to help his father out.
Seto just mumbled under his breath while he watched him leave the screen.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Wretched boy could never put things back in their right place!" Mr. Wheeler mumbled nonstop as he ransacked variety of drawers. "Joseph!" he called again, he then slammed a drawer and opened another one, "Where the hell is that boy!" he shook his head. No matter had many times he taught that boy to do things right, he still got it wrong. He inhaled an irritated breath about to lose his temper. "Joooseph!" he yelled for him again, "Get in here! I'm late dammit!" he huffed.
Joey wandered in wearily and spotted his father frantically searching the drawers. He smirked a bit amused before he headed over to the closest. He pulled out his shirt and held it out for him, "Here dad," he saw his father looked up before he tossed it to him. He saw his old man grab for it and put it on hurriedly, he couldn't imagine how his father would get along if he wasn't there to help him out, he thought with a small sigh. That was one of the main reasons why he declined to move in with Seto, his father would never make it without him around. He lined his brow sad at that thought while he watched him rush around the room.
Mr. Wheeler grabbed his shirt and put it on hurriedly. He reached for his alarm clock and glanced down at the time, he creased his brow, "Shit, I'm late!" He put it down and threw his feet into his shoes. "Now where the hell are my keys!" he viewed around for them in a panic. He still couldn't see them anywhere, "Shit!"
Joey crossed his arms loosely against his chest. The smirk never left his lips. "I believe they're on the table where your lunch bag is." He reminded him, he saw him nod before he walked out of there in a brisk motion, forgetting his jacket. He shook his head again, picked it up and followed him back to the living room. When he got there his father was already at the door. "Here, you forgot this," he handed it to him with a soft brow, he then watched him threw it on hastily.
Mr. Wheeler inhaled a breath, "Thanks," he took it from him and hastily put it on. "YOU, don't spend all day talking with 'you know who'. Remember, you have work today so you should rest before you leave," he gave him a stern look, "That clear," he never liked it when his son wasted time with Kaiba. How those two became involved in a relationship was beyond him. He shook his head at that thought.
"I won't, promise." Joey smiled some at the hint of care in his voice.
Mr. Wheeler nodded satisfied. He turned around, opened the door and stepped out then stopped. He briefly remembered what happened to Kaiba's younger brother so he turned around and leaned in the doorway some. "Lock the door behind me," he ordered roughly. He hated to admit it but the last thing he wanted was some psycho breaking in and something bad happening to his son. No, he didn't want that, he would be completely devastated if he lost him in any way, Joey was all he had. Of course he would never tell him that though.
Joey gave him a short salute before his father finally left, shutting the door as he did so. No matter how old he was, his father still treated him like he was eight or something, he laughed slightly amused at that. He locked the door then returned to his laptop to finish their conversation. "I'm back," he looked around the screen for a moment, "Babe, are you still there?" he creased a brow for second.
"Yeah, I'm still here," Seto wandered back over to his screen and sat down with arms folded, "So did you help thou majesty found his shirt?" he smirked.
Joey sighed at his clear jab at his father. Why must he do that every time? He leaned back in his seat tiredly, "Come on Seto. Please don't start up."
Seto gave him a pretend look, "What?" he smirked some more.
"Just please don't, all right," Joey gave him a slight pleading look. He wasn't in the mood for it. He saw him understand and ceased. Relieved by that, he wanted to change the subject to something light, "So how's everything going at Chiba City?" he lined his brow with interest. He saw him sigh then when he asked him that.
Seto sighed himself, "It's like I thought it would be... boring as hell."
Joey laughed at his reply but secretly he was starting to feel a bit lonely. There was no one there to hang out with really, what with his three best friends in Egypt and his sister not there and even though it had been a short time since Seto left, he was even lonelier. "I miss you," he looked down somewhat sad, "I wish you were here right now," he mumbled. "I got no one really to hang with you know."
Seto lessened his eyes some at his sad voice. "Yeah, me too," he looked around for a second, "I mean who do I have to chat with here, my pillow," he shook his head. He knew these long business trips were always hard on both of them. Loneliness was a hard feeling to fight with that was for sure, frowned some.
"Well, you do have Yami. I'm sure you two can find loads to talk about." Joey gave him a friendly smirk back. He knew those two very well and knew how they could push each other buttons when it came to certain topics. It would be a very interesting dinner conversation to say the least. He saw him shook his head.
"Yami, that goody-two shoe," Seto shook his head at that, "I'll pass, thanks," even though he was very good friends with Yami, he sure didn't want to sit for hours hearing him talk about nothing. "Anyway, you have Mokie and Noa to goof around with so you shouldn't be wallowing about either," he countered back. "I'll be home soon enough," he consoled him, he saw him nod but still looked sad.
Joey nodded at the mention of them. Even though he felt sad, he couldn't wait to head over there, though he had to come up with something to do that didn't required electronics. "Yeah, I guess you're right babe. I'll head over there on my day off and just hang out. But since Mok's sorta grounded this weekend we'll probably just lazy around the pool or go to the park. Maybe play some duel monsters, you know something like that, if they're up for it that is," he smiled.
Seto then shook his head at that. He creased his brow a little tough, "I don't see why I had to ground Mokuba for kicking that punk's ass anyway," he stated.
"Because fighting isn't the way to solve things even if it seems just at the time Seto," Joey reminded him calmly, he sat back in his chair a bit wearily.
Seto snorted at that simple explanation, he almost sounded like Yami there. He huffed a bit, "That sound like an hypercritical statement," he smirked at him, "How many times have you gotten into a fight with that jerk, what's his name now?" he rubbed his chin in a teasing sort of way. He saw him become annoyed.
"Bittermen," Joey lined his brow annoyed, "I admit that there were times that I shouldn't have lost my cool but we're not talking about me here," he stated.
"Uh-huh," Seto chuckled at him.
"ANYWAY, I still think it was the right thing to do." Joey said matter-of-factly, he then viewed the time on his desktop with a tired frown, "Well, I think I should go. I have to go to work today and I want to take a shower and rest before I leave."
Seto perked up when he hear that, "Oooh a shower. Now that sounds like fun." He leaned back in his chair, "You know," he creased his brow devilishly, "You could take the laptop in there and put on a show for me," he grinned at him.
Joey laughed at what Seto was hinting at, "I could… but I'm way too tired for that right now, sorry," he gave him a pretend frown then saw him frown too.
"Well damn," Seto snapped his fingers in a defeat sort of way.
Joey shook his head charmed at him. The two said their goodbyes and logged off of Skype. He got up slowly and wandered to the bathroom. He started up the shower wanting to ease his tired muscles. Yesterday was a very busy day at the restaurant and left him exhausted. However despite that he did managed to make pretty decent tips. He could see that goal of owning his own car inched closer and closer. He smiled and began to take his clothes off wearily. He climbed in, pulled the curtain shut and stood there for a long moment enjoying the hot water smoothing his naked body. Boy, did that feel good or what, he smiled to himself.
About forty-five minutes later…
Joey came out of the now steamy bathroom, only wrapped in a towel. He shivered from the cold so he hurried in his room to change into some fresh clothes. Once he was all dressed, with the towel still wrapped around his shoulders he wandered to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat, five minutes later he finally came in the living room and landed on the couch. He put down a plate that carried a sandwich and a glass of cranberry juice on the coffee table then he made himself comfortable. He finished drying his hair and tossed the wet towel onto the floor before he grabbed the remote and lazily clicked on the TV. He just sat back and enjoyed the time before he headed off to work.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Sometime in the early afternoon, Noa sat quietly by the window, he was feeling a lot better so he decided to continue on with his studies. However, because of Mokuba's fight and all the fiasco from their previous school, Seto ultimately decided not to send them back there. Instead, he arranged with Jin to finish their schooling down at the center, until Seto found something else for them.
He was glad they didn't have to go back. He didn't like it at all, the kids were just plain awful and he just didn't feel comfortable. Although, he was glad for leaving that place, the only person he would sorta miss was his teacher Mrs. Kita. She was a very nice and remained very patience with him, even when he had his off days.
He leaned back in his seat for moment, he was nervous though. He didn't like being by himself and wished his brother was with him. But Mokuba was still sore from his injuries he had gotten so Marik wanted him to stay home until he healed up more. He frowned when he thought about Mokuba, stupid Genjo, had to be so mean like that, had to say such mean things to his brother. He shook his head sad.
He just inhaled a deep breath while he continued to space in thoughts. He thought about Marik and Bakura, as he looked past their rough layers they seemed pretty decent. Since he was left in their care he almost expect them to try something with him but they hadn't. They were never unkind or mistreated him in anyway. They never demanded anything from him or questioned his silence.
That surprised him quite a bit. In his past experiences the attention he had gotten from adult males was never a pleasant one. And even though he still felt uneasy around them he knew with time it would change for the better, he sighed a little.
Abruptly he yawned tiredly, he almost glad that the week was almost over and the weekend would be here soon. Joey was coming over to hang out with them and he looked forward to that. He just hoped Mokuba would be all healed up.
He didn't know what they were going to end up doing. Mokuba was kinda grounded because of fighting at school. But whatever Joey had planned for them he knew it would be wonderful and fun. He smiled to himself when suddenly...
"Noa…?"
"Huh?" Noa snapped out of his thoughts, he looked up to Tea worried face, the lady counselor. He sighed somewhat, "Yes ma'am," he bit his lip at her shyly.
Tea lined her face a bit softly at the boy. She saw him space out and became worried. So she deiced to go over there to check on him, "Are you okay sweetie? You were spacing out there for a minute," she softened her eyes kindly at him.
"Hmm, I-I was just thinking is all," Noa shifted in his seat somewhat.
Tea nodded at that, "Oh okay then," she then reached out and checked his forehead briefly. "Are you feeling sick or anything?" she softened her eyes again. She knew he was sick a few days ago and wanted to make sure that he wasn't. She saw him shake his head no. She sighed thankful at that, "All right. If you start to feel sick again, let me know and I'll send you to the down to the nurse station, okay," she smiled again at the shy boy then saw him relaxed his form.
Noa relaxed a little at her smile, "Yes ma'am," he repeated.
"Okay. Well you should finish working on your math." Tea pointed to his book, "If you need any help with it just let me know and I'll come right over to you, okay."
Noa simply nodded, he watched her give him a smile one more time before she head off to another table. He sighed again and stared down to his math book with another frown. He hated math but if wanted to get smarter he had to do it. He worked on it for about an hour until he needed a break. He tossed his pen down.
Instead, he reached into his book bag for a moment. He pulled out a lock and a paper clip. Yesterday, Bakura was showing them on how to pick a simple lock open, one with hang cuffs and another with a pad lock. Bakura thought it wasn't a big deal until Marik came in and said that it wasn't a good trade for them to learn.
It could lead them down a bad road Marik advised, very much like where Bakura went down when he was young and he definitely didn't want Seto to bitch at them for teaching his brothers that. Noa lined his brow at the thought, he didn't want to upset Seto but he rather found it fascinating, so he molded the paper clip like the way Bakura had showed him and carefully slit it into the lock. He fiddled it around for a few seconds until he heard a click then smirked when the lock popped open, "Neat-o," he viewed the lock with great accomplishment.
"Hey Noa, It's good to see you're back."
Noa dropped the lock and looked up, "H-Hey Leon," he waved at him.
Leon plopped down in his seat. "Whatcha doing?" he viewed the lock on the table curiously. He thought he saw his friend become a bit nervous when he asked.
"Oh, nothing, I was just playing around." Noa smiled sheepishly, "Kinda bored," he put the lock away into his bag quickly. He hoped Leno wouldn't say anything on what he was doing. He didn't want anyone to get any trouble including himself. He let out a breath then relaxed his face when saw him merely nodded at that.
Leon nodded at that, "Yeah, I know that feeling," he laughed somewhat and settled his bag down on the table. He leaned back in his chair with a soft smile, "I haven't seen you around in a couple days. Where've you been?" he lined his face.
Noa just shrugged his shoulders, "Been home sick," he only said.
"Oh, well that sucks," Leon saw him bit his lip but he kept his smile on his face, "I hope you're feeling much better." He gave him a worried look but relaxed it when saw him nod that he was. "That's good," he knew how shy his friend was so he didn't take his quietness to heart. Instead, he sighed a bit, "So where Mokuba?" he looked around for a second when he noticed him not there again, "He hasn't been around much either," he frowned at that, he hoped that he was doing okay.
"Oh, ah at home, he didn't feel like coming again today," Noa bit his lip again.
"Why not?" again, Leon lined his brow worried, "Is he feeling sick too?"
"Oh no, he's just…" Noa shifted in his chair when his brother was brought up. "He's just… tired and wanted to rest up some." He fibbed somewhat. He didn't want to tell the real reason why he wasn't there. Mokuba didn't want to talk about it with Jin just yet because he was still upset. Plus his friend hadn't known about the fight and all that, besides he didn't feel like it was his place to say.
"I see," Leon nodded. He unzipped his bag and pulled out his favorite book. It was a collection of fairytales, he love fairytales. It gave him such comfort he needed.
Noa smiled some when Leon didn't push it further. In the few months they had gotten to know Leon they all became really good friends. He was glad for that, they were so hard to come by, especially now a days. Seto didn't seem thrilled at first but after a talk with Joey he seemed okay with their friendship. Glad, he looked up at the clock when he felt his stomach ache a little then, "Hmm, could you watch my bag for me? I need to go to the bathroom for a sec," he asked.
"Sure," Leon looked up from his book and smiled at him.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Noa stood up, he reached into his bag for something first. He wanted to lock up his bag. His journal was in there and didn't want anyone to read it. They were good friends but still had hard time trusting people and that included Leon. He hoped Leon wouldn't take it personally, he thought.
Leon watched as Noa reached into his bag for a second, pulled out the lock, zipped it back up and put it on. He creased his brow at that but didn't really say anything. He knew Noa had trust issues that he was still working on here so again he didn't take that action to heart. It would take time for him to trust people fully. Instead, he gave him a smile then watched him go over to the counselor Tea for minute before he left out the door. He inhaled a breath and went back to his book. He smiled while he got lost in the story. Sometimes, he wished he couldn't disappear in them for real. It would be better than living at home, he sighed a bit.
Noa peaked out into the hallway but raised a brow when the guard that was supposed to be there was gone. He wondered where the guy was, he knew he shouldn't go anywhere without letting him know, maybe he should wait for him to return, however he felt his stomach ached once again then rubbed it slowly with a frown. He really needed to use the bathroom now, so he went against his better judgment and decided to go ahead, he was only going to the bathroom after all. He would only be gone a few minutes besides he was at the center, he would be safe here. With that he went along to where the restrooms were.
Razan perked up when he spotted Noa finally come out of the study room. Their school was quite hard to get in to cause of security so he had been stalking the center for days waiting for his moment, now here was his chance. Luckily the guard that was supposed to watch the boy had step away to help some kid out. He curled his lips while he watched Noa go down the hall. He looked around to make sure no one was watching then followed after, like a tiger hunting his prey.
Noa wandered to the left down the hallway and turned the corner, he thought to himself while he walked, glad that he didn't have to talk with Jin today, like Mokuba, he didn't feel like talking about anything either. He rubbed his stomach.
He approached the bathroom and went in, luckily he was alone. He didn't like it when other people were in there, it made him feel uncomfortable. He was about to go to one of the stalls when heard someone come in from behind him. He was about to see who it was when suddenly a hand encased with a cloth clamped over his nose and mouth roughly. By the person build he could tell instantly that it was man who grabbed him. Panic filled his body as he cried out but it was muffled by the cloth. He smelt an aroma coming from it, which was making him very dizzy, by that he tried to push away but the guy's hold was strong. Scared, he wanted to cry for help but couldn't, abruptly he passed out cold in the stranger's arms.
Razan grinned when the kid went limp in his arms. He laid him down on the floor then reached into the boy's pocket for his cell phone. While he did that, he noticed his locket around the boy's neck. He reached for it and popped it open.
He lined his brow hard at the pictures there. "You won't need this anymore," he yanked it roughly from his neck. He knew he didn't had much time so he went out, grabbed the linen cart he brought with him and came back in in a hurry.
He quickly placed him in and covered him with a blanket. He wheeled the cart out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Luckily he was dressed in a janitor's outfit so no one questioned him. He looked around for a moment and noticed that it was still clear. He smirked then hurried down toward the exit and went out. Once outside, he tossed both the phone and the locket into a nearby bush then hurried to a van. He opened the back door, picked up the cart and placed it inside hurriedly but carefully. He didn't want to hurt the boy now that he got him.
He shut it and went around the driver's side and got in. He started it and drove away pleased that he managed to accomplish his goal. Now he had to hurry back to the hideout before anyone discovered that the boy was missing.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Back at the study room, Leon leaned back in his seat still reading his book of fairytales when he looked up. Noa wasn't back yet, by that he glanced at the clock. It only had been five minutes so he didn't think anything of it and went back to reading. He smiled a bit, he was at a very interest part of his favorite story.
Then another five minutes came and Noa still hadn't returned. He rutted his brow and viewed the door for a moment. Maybe he really had to go. So he dismissed it again and continued with his story. Ten minutes later, Leon pulled away from his book and looked up toward the door. Noa still hadn't come back. He was starting to get worried now. Maybe his friend had gotten sick again or something. With that thought, he molded his face more worried. He looked around for a moment and spotted Ms. Gardner over to the right talking casually with another counselor, Shadi. He inhaled a short breath, "Tea, Tea hey Tea," he waved his hand in the air a little franticly to grabbed her attention, which he did thankfully.
Tea saw him and wandered over his table, "Yes Leon?" she smiled.
"Noa hadn't come back from the bathroom yet and he's been gone a while," Leon gave her a concerned look, "I know he's been sick recently. Maybe you should go check on him," he chewed his lip somewhat. He saw her looked at the clock then.
Upon hearing that, Tea looked up at the clock concerned and Leon was right, Noa had been gone for good twenty minutes now. She hoped the boy hadn't gotten sick either, "Thank you for letting me know Leon. I'll go do that right now," she patted his shoulder then turned and left for the door. She hoped he was okay.
Leon nodded and watched her walked out the door. He hoped his friend was feeling okay. He inhaled a breath and reluctantly went back to reading his book. He then began to lose himself in to the fairytale story again, such comfort.
Meanwhile, Tea went out of the room and looked around. She spotted the guard to the right of her so she went up to him, "Excuse me sir but is Noa still at the bathroom?" she saw him become a bit surprised and she wondered why.
The guard raised a brow, "I don't know he went to the bathroom."
"You mean you didn't go with him?" Tea raised a brow at him. She knew the purpose of the guard. He was supposed to be with him at all times. Mr. Kaiba expressed that very strongly. She knew very well that Mr. Kaiba had a very bad temper and knew the guard could get into some deep trouble with Noa's brother.
The guard shook his head and gulped hard. "No, I-I was away for a few moments helping some kid out. I-I didn't see him leave the room." He knew now that he was in deep shit with both Mr. Kaiba and with Roland for breaking protocol. He knew for sure that Mr. Kaiba had a real bad temper and all. He swallowed hard.
"Well, don't worry. I'm sure he's still there." Tea reassured him with a small smile, "Come along. Let's go check on him then." She guided him to where the bathrooms were. "Here we are," she stopped short at the door and gave it a gentle knock, "Noa…?" she paused for a reply but got none. So she knocked on the door again, "Noa, are you okay in there sweetie?" still… no response, "Hm," she viewed the door a bit concerned. She wondered why he wouldn't answer.
The guard shaped his face serious, "Here, let me go in and check." He saw her nod and step aside. He pushed it opened and went in. He checked all the stalls but the boy wasn't in them. He creased his brow more serious now and came back out, "He's not in there," he stated in a bit unease tone, he didn't like that one bit.
"He's not?" Tea rubbed her chin slightly, "Perhaps he over went to see Jin." She suggested, "Let's head over there and see," the two of them then hurried to his office. When they arrived at his door, she gave it a few uneasy knocks.
"Yeah, come on in! It's open!" Jin looked up for his desk while Ms. Gardner and one of the Kaiba's guards entered his office. Both had slightly anxious looks on their faces. He lined his brow, "Hey Tea, what's up?" he leaned back in his chair.
"Sorry for disturbing you Jin but has Noa stopped by here by any chance?"
"Why no," Jin wrinkled his brow more, "Why do you ask?" he viewed her.
"Well, he went to the bathroom and hadn't returned. I went to check on him but he wasn't in there. So I thought he might have come here to see you." Tea gave him a now very worried look. She wondered where Noa could have gone. He wouldn't just wandered off without saying anything first, especially without his bodyguard. She creased a concerned brow now, wondering where the boy was.
"No, he hadn't stopped by here." Jin stood up slowly upon hearing that. "How long has he been gone?" he went over to her, he wasn't in panic mode yet, kids always wandered off around here and they always manage to find them. Perhaps that was what Noa had done wandered off somewhere in the building. Although, it was out of character for him do that without saying anything first. But he had confidence that they would found him some place. Yes, he convinced himself.
"About twenty minutes I say." Tea was getting more concern. "Where do you think he might be? You don't think something happened to him?" She now lined her brow dreadfully at that thought. She hoped nothing bad happened to him.
"I agree, I should report him missing to Roland," the guard began to say.
"Now let's not panic yet. Maybe he went to the cafeteria or to the activity lounge," Jin put a reassuring hand on each their shoulders. "I'm sure he's all right. But in any case, why not the three of us split up and go check around. I'm sure we'll find him somewhere. We'll meet back here in five minutes okay," he viewed at each of them with a confident look. He saw them both nod apprehensively.
Both Tea and the bodyguard nodded. The three then quickly went to do so.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
During the same time, Joey was back on his laptop again after he had his fill of watching TV. He checked his emails, surfed around the web, landed on YouTube for a while. Now he was checking his Facebook. He was reading all the exciting things his friends had shared and wished he was there to take part in it all.
With a sigh he logged out of the site and was about to shut down when suddenly a messaged popped up from Skype again. He viewed it for a second then grinned from ear to ear when he saw at who it was. Quickly he accepted the message.
"Serenity!" he waved animatedly, happy to see his little sister. It's been so long since he'd seen her last because they lived so far away from each other. He still wished she was able to come to visit this summer. They always had a good time when she did. However, he knew why she couldn't this time, still he was happy to see her again, "So how've you been sis?" he lined his brow caringly at her.
"Hi Joey, I'm glad I've caught you!" Serenity waved animatedly back, thrilled to see her big brother too. She hadn't seen him in a while, "It's so good to see you too." She softened her eyes. "I've been good and you?" she beamed at him through her computer screen. Yup he still looked like the so old Joey, she smirked.
Joey smiled warmly, "I'm doing well," he leaned back in his chair with ease, he viewed her over and as always she'd looked wonderful. "What've you been up to?" he then listened intently while she updated him on what was going on in her life. He wished again that he could be right there to take part in all those experiences. When she was done, he just smiled warmly at her, "That sounds great Serenity." However, he folded his brow somewhat serious, "But um who's this boy you keep talking about?" he crossed his arms then. He didn't like her hanging around with some boy he hadn't met yet. He thought very protectively.
"Oh just a friend," Serenity simple said.
"Well tell me more about him." Joey shaped his face a bit stern, "How old is he? Who does he live with and where? What does he do?" he narrowed his eyes a little, "Is that really his name?" he threw out questions, perhaps he could get Seto do a background check on him to make sure the kid wasn't a creep, he nodded.
"Come on Joey. Like I've said, we're just friends that's all." Serenity rolled her eyes, although she knew he was doing it out of care and wanted to protect her. She could never be too annoyed about that. He had been that way all her life, like when she'd fallen ill or when their parents split. He always looked after her. Sometimes though, she wished he wouldn't worry so much. She could take care of herself just fine and wished just a bit that he could see that. She sighed slightly.
"Hey I have to ask these questions sis." Joey continued matter-of-factly, he didn't want her to get hurt. "I'm your big brother, that's my job. That's what ya pay me here for," he smirked in a joking manner. He softened his eyes at her though.
"I know, I know," Serenity just smiled at him. "Maybe if you're nice we all can do a video chat next weekend, you know so you can meet him. What do you think?"
Joey lined his brow at that, "Yeah that would be good," he gave her a wink.
Serenity shook her head. "So anyways, tell me about you," she asked him.
"Me? Well, nothing much to tell except I've got a summer job," Joey grinned proudly, "Nothing fancy though, just a waiter kinda of thing at some burger joint. The pay is good though and I get plenty of good tips," he wrinkled his brow.
"That sounds neat Joey!" Serenity beamed at him, "It must be hard work."
"Yeah, it is. I'm trying to save up money for a car and hmm," Joey shifted in his seat with some uncomfortableness, "Help dad out with some bills, you know."
Serenity just nodded, "Oh, that sounds great," she bit her lip for a moment, she felt uncomfortable too, "How is dad?" she creased her brow softly, despite how her father was, she truly care about him deep down even though he made it hard.
Joey creased his own brow when he saw a hint of care in her eyes. He paused though before he answered, "Good..." he only said, "And Mum...?" he asked and pretty much gotten almost the same reply he gave her. He frowned somewhat, the two of them always felt awkward when it came to their parents, they didn't know what to say half the time. It was a sore subject to get into. He often longed for a better relationship with their mother as Serenity wanted with their father but deep down that could never really be. Why? They wished they knew that answer. He sighed deeply and wanted to change the subject to something else.
"Seto's doing well," he continued on, breaking the silence between them. He smirked, "He's back at work and I'm sure he loves every minute of it. He's away on a business trip right now though, to some press conference in Chiba City."
"Oh that's good Joey and who's watching his brothers though?"
"Bakura and Marik are," Joey simply said.
Serenity raised a brow at that, "Those two, really?" she a bit was surprised.
Joey just laughed slightly, "That was sorta Seto's response," he rubbed his face.
"Y-Yeah, I can see why. Anyway how's Mokuba doing?" Serenity softened her face then, she knew about what happened to the boy from the media but Joey would never go into much detail about it when she would ask. However, it saddened her heart when she thought of young Mokuba. What an awful thing to go through at such a young age. "I hope he's doing well," she molded her face tenderly.
"Yeah he's doing real well sis," Joey creased his brow, "The time he spent at the therapy resort helped a lot." He smiled very happy, although he was still concerned about Mokuba's recent problems that he was going through, "Although he did get into a fist fight recently," he frowned slightly by that.
"He did, where?" Serenity gave him a concerned look when she heard that.
Joey sighed very deeply, "At his school," he frowned then and was a bit sad that school hadn't work out too well for him as he hoped it would. He sighed again.
"Oh no, that's not good." Serenity creased her brow. She remembered Joey telling her about him going back to school and about some of his hopes and concerns, "What happened that caused him to fight at school?" she lessened her eyes.
Joey, he didn't know if he should tell her the whole story. Mokuba might not want her to know what he was fighting about. "I'll let Mok tell ya when he's ready."
Serenity simply nodded. Whatever happened, it was must be pretty awful. She shaped her face a bit softly, "I hope he's all right after the fight," she frowned too.
Joey nodded, "Yeah, he's fine," he casted his face some, "Nothing serious."
"Well that's good to hear at least." Serenity tried to comfort her brother. She could tell that he was really bothered about the whole situation. She sighed as well, "I knew you were having high hopes for Mok regarding going back to school. I'm sorry that it just didn't work out for him," she frowned more for the boy.
"Yeah… me too."
"What's the next step for him then?" Serenity shifted in her chair a bit curiously.
"Don't know sis, we're working it out." Joey looked back up at her, "In the meantime he going to finish his lessons down at the center. So I wouldn't worry too much, " he shaped his face a confidently, "He's a tough kid, he'll be fine."
Serenity agreed to that, "So where is Mok now? I would love to say hello."
"He's at home," Joey eased his eyes soft, "Probably playing with the pups." He then changed his expression for the better. He wanted to change the subject to someone just as important. So he grinned, "Anyway, I still can't wait for you to meet Noa." He had told her all about the boy, where they met him and how he became part of the family. Serenity was so excited and very happy at the news.
Serenity perked up when he brought up Noa, "Yeah, me too Joey," she then thought of something, "Hey when we do our video chat next weekend. Why not have Mokuba and Noa join in, that would be super cool," she gave him a smile.
"Yeah, that's a good idea sis, I'm sure they would love that too." Joey smirked. He remembered when he told Noa about his sister Serenity. He remembered him becoming very surprised. The boy hadn't known that he had a sister. He showed him a picture and when Noa viewed it he said she looked rather nice. That made him smile, "Anyway, I've told Noa all about you. He's looking forward on meeting you too sis. Although, I have to tell you, he's very shy around new people. It'll take time to warm up to you but when he does I'm sure he'll embrace you very much."
Serenity gave out a light laugh, "I do hope so too Joey," she softened her look.
Suddenly the telephone rang, Joey let out a slight groan. He was having a good time hanging out with his sister that he didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Still, it could be important so he got up, "Hang on sis. I'm going to get the phone. Be right back, okay," he inhaled a breath, he saw her give him a slight nod back.
Serenity nodded somewhat, "Okay," she watched him leave the screen.
Joey jogged over to the phone and picked it up, "Wheelers," he answered and lined his brow when he heard Jin's voice, it sounded very worried. "Hey Jin, what's up?" he stood there for moment and listened to Jin tell him on what was going on. He then sucked in a serious breath, "What do you mean you can't find Noa?"
Thanks for Reading :) Please, Review :) - Razzleteddy
