A/N: Welcome back everyone! Hope you're all doing well! Once again, the parts in italic are our very own Kaiba stuck in evil Kaiba's world... enjoy!
Mokuba stood awkwardly at the terminal, shifting nervously from side to side. His original plan had been to pick Mai up at the curb but he had decided at the last minute to come inside the airport. Now he was regretting that decision, watching as her plane taxi'd up to the gate, and airplane workers approached the plane to start unloading the luggage. Approaching the luggage carousel, he watched as it started spinning, lost in thought.
"Well, I'm lucky that Joey sent me a picture of you, or I would have never recognized you hun."
Mai's voice broke his thoughts, and Mokuba turned to see the blonde standing in front of him grinning. Mokuba couldn't help but smile at her. Here she was, the woman who could ruin everything his brother had worked so hard for, and all Mokuba wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world. It was clear that Mai had been through a lot. Her hair had thinned out considerably, and had turned an ashy blonde color that was obviously dyed. Her skin had dried up, leaving wrinkles across her face that made her look older than her 33 years. Her eyes had dulled also, looking tired and haggard.
Making up his mind, Mokuba briefly enveloped her in a hug, then turned towards the carousel, pulling off the bag she pointed too, an old purple suitcase that had seen better days, and escorting her out of the building and to his car. Once they were inside, Mai let out a sigh, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes.
"So, how bad is this going to be?"
Mokuba froze for a second at the question, pondering it over in his mind.
"I don't know. Big brother has been acting weird ever since you called Joey."
He admitted, flicking away an imaginary piece of fuzz on his shirt.
"I'm sure Kaiba thinks that I'm just coming around to ruin his life. Guy always was a piece of work. Still can't believe those two ended up together, but I guess you can't help who you're attracted too."
Mokuba ignored her, choosing instead to turn the car on and pull out of the parking garage. Halfway back to the mansion, they got stuck at a light, and the silence became too much for the older woman.
"Mokuba, I know that I made a huge wreck of things by leaving Joey and Lisbeth, but you have to understand that I was not in my right mind. I went through so much during that kidnapping, and I didn't know what to do or who I could trust. I was afraid of what I would do to my daughter, to Joey if I stayed, so I left."
Mai turned her head, trying to blind back the tears that were forming.
"It was the worse mistake I've made in my life, but I need to own up to it now. I'm not here to destroy anything, I'm here to atone for my mistakes, and hopefully get forgiveness."
Mokuba bit his tongue, not wanting to say what he was thinking. Instead he glared impatiently at the light, tapping the steering wheel while he waited for it to turn green.
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Kaiba stared out the car window, watching as the scenery went by. Miho had been silent the entire ride, and his head hurt too much to care about continuing a conversation with her. Instead, he tried to puzzle out what was going on, and how he was suppose to get back home. He wondered how much of his own history coincided with this place's and realized that he needed to talk to one of two people-Yugi or Yami.
"You never told me what happened to Yugi and Yami. Did Yami come back here too? Are they still living at the Game Shop?"
Miho looked over at Kaiba before nodding.
"Yugi still lives there... the person you know as Yami is called Atemu here, he is the actual Pharaoh who was denied the chance to go into the Afterlife after you forced him to duel you and lost."
Kaiba sighed, annoyed with the fact that even here he could not escape the stench of his defeats.
"I need to see them, could you take me there?"
Miho nodded again, tapping on the steering wheel in thought.
"I'll call Yugi when we get to the hospital and see if they are home, and try to explain the situation. I have to warn you though, Atemu is not you're biggest fan. He blames you for stopping him from being able to finally rest in peace, and for a lot of the hardships that Yugi and his Grandpa have gone through due to your interference in their lives."
Kaiba shrugged, used to people hating him for different reasons.
"That won't matter once I get a chance to talk to him, there's got to be a way to fix things around here, I just have to figure out what it is."
"Well, I'm sure if anyone could figure it out is you, Kaiba. Jou always admired that brain of yours, even when it was being used against him."
Kaiba smiled faintly at the thought, knowing how true it was.
"Maybe you'd better give me a list of everything I've done wrong here, so when I met people I won't be caught off guard or cause alarm."
"Oh trust me Kaiba, that brown hair will cause more confusion than you ever could... the only reason it didn't surprise me was because I had to help the other you do it in the first place."
Miho spent the rest of the drive talking about whatever she knew about Kaiba's life here, while the brunet made several quick notes on his pad. They finally made it to the hospital, and Kaiba could feel his skin crawling. He jumped out of the car, bouncing on his toes waiting for Miho to join him. Every part of him wanted to see his husband, to hold his hand and see him smiling back at him, then pick up his daughter and hug her. His life here was a nightmare, and he needed to figure out a way to get back home, to fix everything his dark side had broken and save his family. Miho smiled at him, turning and walking towards the front doors of Domino General Hospital, leaving Kaiba to silently follow behind her.
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They finally pulled up to the mansion, Mokuba parking right in front, shutting off the car and sighing quietly. Mai nervously straightened her clothing, a baggy sweater and tights. Both looked worn, and Mokuba realized that she probably didn't have the money any more to keep up with a decent wardrobe. He was hit with another wave of compassion for her which he had to fight back down. He was here as backup support for his brother, not for her.
Mokuba got out of the car, walking around and opening Mai's door before offering her a hand like the gentleman Joey had taught him to be. Mai smiled at him, for a moment looking like her old self. He ushered her up the front steps, opening the door before yelling for his brother and brother in law. He toed off his shoes, indicating that Mai could place her shoes next to his.
"I see you made it in ok."
Seto said, walking back into the foyer with Joey straight behind him. Both men quickly took in her appearance, Joey frowning while Seto tried his best not to smirk. Joey stepped forward, opening his arms up to hug his ex-girlfriend. The two stood there for a moment, not saying anything while Seto and Mokuba watched. Mai broke away first, turning to greet her host.
"Kaiba, you're looking well. I'm glad to see the years have agreed with you."
"Wish I could say the same to you, but well..."
Seto trailed off, waving a hand in Mai's general area.
"Seto! What is wrong with you!"
Mokuba shouted, giving his big brother a stern look. Mai shook her head, patting the younger boy on the arm.
"It's ok Mokuba, I appreciate you defending me, but your brother has every right to be angry at me."
She smiled at the raven-haired boy, while Seto frowned in annoyance.
"How about we head into the dining room? Dinner's almost ready and I'm starving!"
Joey suggested, grabbing his husband by the arm and practically dragging him away. Mokuba offered his arm again to Mai who graciously took it and followed the married couple into the next room, settling down next to Mokuba, who sat on his brother's right. Joey sat across from Mokuba, winking at Mai. Seto folded his hands in his lap to keep from jumping up and strangling the blonde woman at his table.
"So Mai, where have you been the past 8 years?"
Mokuba asked, hoping to ease into a conversation.
"Here and there. After I left Domino, I went back to my home town for awhile, tried to clear my head. When that didn't work, I left, and pretty much floated around until I finally woke up one day and realized that I needed to change, if not for me, then for the people who cared about me."
Seto snorted at that, causing Joey and Mokuba to both hit him under the table. He stood up, fixing each one of them with his stare.
"If you'll excuse me, I just remembered a work email that I need to respond too, I'll try to be back shortly."
He waltzed out of the dining room, leaving the other three staring at their empty plates in silence.
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As they walked into the ward, Kaiba and Miho could feel the whole room change. The receptionist on the phone stared at them with wide eyes, quickly hanging up and looking around guiltily like she had been caught selling government secrets. The same with all of the nurses, two of the ducking into Joey's room as if they had been in there for hours.
Kaiba frowned at the behavior, looking over at Miho for an explanation. She leaned in, whispering into his ear about the staff members he had had fired because of a perceived lack of care for Joey. Kaiba nodded, putting on his old Kaiba mask and following Miho into his husband's room. A quick nod at the nurses, and he was at Joey's side, looking at a frail shell in a hospital bed. His hair was wild, and there were several tubes sticking out a various points of his body, reminding Kaiba of the time he had been hit by Ra in Battle City.
The tube down his throat was breathing for him, his chest steadily rising and falling. Kaiba stared at the numbers on the monitor, not wanting to look at his husband's face. Miho stood behind him silently, looking over her friend carefully.
"Something looks different."
She said, frowning.
"He hasn't been on a ventilator for a while, I wonder what happened."
Kaiba's eyes flashed, and he turned around, ready to go look for someone. As if he sensed the tension growing, a doctor appeared in the doorway, chart in hand.
"Kaiba-san, thank you for coming. Won't you join me in my office?"
"I don't need to join you in your office, you can tell me right here what's going on."
The doctor sighed, shaking his head and looking Kaiba dead in the eyes.
"Kaiba-san, you and I have been over this several times already. You wanted the best doctor taking care of your husband, and I am it. I have plenty of other people ask me to take their cases, and I have no problem taking them. I don't fear you, and I will not have you freaking out the staff here every time you come in. Now, if you'd like to take about your husband's case, you can follow me or you can stay here. Your choice."
Kaiba stared at him, shocked that anyone would have the nerve to speak to him like that. He nodded slowly, silently following the man down the hall. He glanced at the door, seeing the name Aaron Haynes on it. He settled into a chair, watching as the doctor settled into his own.
"I'd like to thank you for coming in so quickly Kaiba-san. I know a man with your responsibilities can have a hard time adjusting his schedule when need be."
Kaiba shifted, realizing that at some point this man must have called him, even though he never received the message.
"I apologize, Dr. Haynes, but I must have missed your call before. I had my associate bring me here because of a personal matter. Please, start over from the beginning. What happened to my husband?"
Dr. Haynes pulled out a chart, reading it quickly before flipping it around to show the other man.
"One of the nurses noticed that he has been reacting more to stimuli the past few days. This can happen with coma patients sometimes, which is why we check them every so often. Then yesterday when the nurse was checking on him, she noticed some bruises on his left arm which seemed suspicious. She checked the video, and realized that he had been moving in his bed and hitting his arm, which matched up with the mark pattern. We sent a report to your office this morning and your bodyguard Isono called back and said he would give you the message after your meeting."
Kaiba nodded, folding his arms in annoyance. Miho looked over at him before sighing.
"That makes sense. Isono had to deal with a security breach at the office this afternoon, he must have forgotten to relay the message."
Dr. Haynes nodded, flipping to another page in the chart. After the third time a visit from the CEO had cost them to be short-staffed, Dr. Haynes had put his foot down. Messages about Jounochi went to a third party, who would then pass the message on to Kaiba after it was properly investigated unless the issue was life threatening. Being one of the few people who could handle the CEO was not easy, but Isono and Dr. Haynes had come to an easy agreement about how to best control Kaiba.
"Now, on to the next part. I'm sure you both noticed the ventilator that Jounouchi is hooked up too. Approximately 2 hours ago, one of the aides walked in and Jou was awake. He was sitting up staring out the window, and when the aide tried to leave to get help, Jou handed him this note."
Dr. Haynes pulled a sticky note off the chart, handing it to Kaiba. 'Break glass, save Mai.' Kaiba blinked in confusion, not sure what to say.
"We assumed that you would have a clue what this means. After he gave the aide the note, Jou briefly stopped breathing. We managed to bring him back, but he is on the ventilator until we are sure his O2 stats will stay stabile."
Kaiba ran his fingers over the note, taking comfort in how familiar the handwriting was him.
"Mai was a friend of his from back during high school... I believe her number is still at the Mansion, I will check and have my security make sure that nothing has happened to her."
Dr. Haynes nodded, flipping back through the chart.
"The good news is that we believe your husband will wake up again soon. He is still responding to stimuli, and he even opened his eyes after we got him breathing today, albeit briefly. If that does happen, I want you to be prepared for what happens next. Jounouchi will require extensive treatment at a home, with intensive physical therapy. We're hoping that since he was able to write that note he has not suffered as much brain damage as we thought. In any case, he will need a lot of emotional support to get through the next few months, and I hope that you will be able to give it too him."
Kaiba nodded, looking over at Miho.
"I will do anything to help my husband, just tell me what it is that I need to do."
Dr. Haynes nodded in approval, smiling briefly at the CEO.
"That's good to hear Kaiba-San. I will let you go see your husband now, feel free to come back if you have any questions."
Kaiba nodded, standing and stiffly bowing in thanks at the doctor before he allowed Miho to lead him out. At Jou's door he paused, looking around to make sure no one was watching before questioning Miho about what she thought that note meant.
"I don't know Kaiba, why don't you go ahead and sit with Jou for a moment while I make a phone call? I don't have Mai's contact information, but I bet that Yugi will have it somewhere."
Kaiba nodded, slipping into the room and settling in by the other man's side. He took Jou's hand, noticing the wedding band that matched Joey's, making him wonder how long someone had been watching him before all this had happened. The details were too exact to be coincidence, and the thought made Kaiba's insides turn. He had been too careless for too long, letting the joy of having a family get in the way of protecting that family.
"I'm so sorry Joey."
He whispered, hiding his face in his hands, allowing a few brief tears to pop out, the only sounds the steady beeping of Jou's heart monitor.
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After a few minutes of silence, Joey excused himself to go check on his husband, leaving Mai and Mokuba by themselves. The two pushed food around their plates for a moment, neither one knowing what to say to break the silence. Finally Mai sighed, looking over at the younger Kaiba and smiling.
"So, you've certainly grown since the last time I saw you Mokuba. How many inches taller are you than your brother?"
"2, actually, but Seto likes to fix his hair so it's not as noticeable."
Mokuba answered, grinning to himself as he remembered the look on his brother's face when he realized that Mokuba was going to be taller than him.
"Yea that sounds like your brother, can't be bested by anyone, not even you."
Mai winked at Mokuba, grinning cheekily.
"Are you officially the VP of Kaiba Corp now? Do you get to boss around a bunch of people who are older than you like your brother does?"
"Yea, but they don't listen to me like they do Seto. I'm more in charge of promotional things now, as well as our charitable contributions. Seto worried about the numbers and the productions, which works out well for the both of us."
"Yea, and great for me when I have to hear the two of you complaining when things don't add up right."
Joey added, sitting back down at his plate.
"Hey, we only fight because Seto doesn't fall for my innocent little kid act anymore."
Mokuba said, fake pounting when Joey ruffled his hair affectionally.
"What about you Mai? What have you been up too?"
Mokuba asked, looking over at the blonde woman. Mai frowned down at her plate, not sure if she wanted to talk about her own life with Mokuba in the room.
"Well, I'm sure Joey told you that I've been to rehab for drug abuse. I don't know how much you know about what happened to me when I was missing-"
She paused and looked over at him, and Mokuba shrugged. Seto had tried his hardest to keep most of that information away from his younger brother, with some success. Most of what Mokuba knew came from listening to conversations, and one drunk night where Joey had told Mokuba about some things. Mai nodded, understanding that Mokuba knew just enough.
"I know now that I should have stayed here and continued with my therapy and relied on my friends to help me, but everywhere I went just reminded me of what had happened. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't have a clear thought without wondering if someone would come after me, come after Lisbeth. There were nights when I would just hold her and cry, wondering what I had done to deserve this, until that day I left. I fell in with some people who had been through similar experiences, and I convinced myself that I needed something to help me deal with what I've been through. I bounced in and out of rehab for a couple of years, until I saw this."
Mai pulled a newspaper article out of her pocket, showing it to Joey. It was from a fundraiser that Kaiba Corp had funded the year before, the gang and all their kids smiling at the camera. Joey smiled, remembering how excited Lisbeth had been to stay up late dancing and having fun, only to fall asleep 20 minutes after her regular bedtime before dessert was even served. He handed it back to Mai, who carefully folded it back up and placed it back in her pocket.
"That picture made me realize everything that I had given up, that I was still allowing the people who had hurt me to victimize me. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally called a friend of a friend who had offered to help me before. I went to rehab again, this time far away from where I had been living, and I got really sober. This friend found me a job, a couple whose daughter had overdosed years before. They took me in, cleaned me up and offered me a job with several contingencies. No drinking, no medications they didn't approve of, no people over they didn't know. It's been rough, but I'm doing much better."
Joey frowned a bit, looking over at Mokuba who was clearly blinking back tears. Mai noticed as well, and cleared her throat, clearly wanting to change the subject.
"Maybe we should talk about something else for a bit? How about you Joey? How did you manage to snag the world's most eligible bachelor?"
Mai asked, smiling at her former lover. Joey cleared his throat, looking sheepishly over at Mokuba.
"Well, I guess it was all the squirt here's doing. I moved in over the pool house with Lisbeth after you... after graduation. Kaiba offered me a job and a place to stay while I got things straighten out, and I wasn't really in the position to say no to him. After we were here for a month or so I came in from doing some yard work to clean up for dinner. Mokuba made me eat with him every night since Kaiba was always at work. He was playing with Lisbeth in the main house, so I jumped in the shower and got dressed."
Joey paused and smiled, letting Mokuba pick up the story.
"Well, I had hacked into big brother's computer and found this program where he was trying to figure out how to ask Joey out and have a 100% chance of success. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called Seto, pulled my pleading voice out and convinced him that he was not being a good brother and guilt tripped him into coming home. Then I offered to watch Lisbeth, and right before Seto got home I had one of the maids take over for me for a minute while I locked Seto and Joey in here by themselves. It took longer that I thought, but deprive Joey of food long enough and he will admit to just anything."
Mai cracked up at that, knowing full well how much of Joey's personality was lead by his stomach. The blond male smiled sheepishly, shaking his head at Mokuba who was holding his side in pain from all the laughing he was doing.
Seto watched them silently from the doorway, taking the time to study the blonde woman sitting at his dining room table. He watched as Joey and Mokuba settled into an easy conversation with her, frowning as he realized that getting rid of her in this world may not be as easy as he had hoped.