Greetings!
I hope that those of you in the US had a good 4th of July! Mine was quiet, but I got to see a lot of fireworks. . . always a nice thing, but not so good for the dogs, who hate the loud noise. Anyway, I had a lot of time to write over the long weekend, so here you go.
Reviews:
Amiasha Ruri: Ouch. Breaking your foot right before a dance recital is not good. I would have been horribly disappointed at not getting to perform. I'm glad to know its healing fast, though! Seto and Joey are a lot of fun to write, because they bicker so much. I can actually see where a lot of the Seto/Joey fics come from, since sometimes they bicker like an old married couple. It would have been awfully hard for Yami and Yugi to remain mad at each other, especially since they're kind of stuck together. We'll see how it goes, though.
Adrienne-Lillian: See how bribes help the author write faster?? Cookies definitely help. I kept hading out cyber Oreos to all of you that I had to go to the store to get some for me. Sugar highs are definitely great for writing. *wishing you luck in avoiding the Malik plushie*
Lizzy9046: Yup, Seto would definitely be more PO'd at your sympathy. He's funny that way. Have you ever seen the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh? There is a scene that was cut out of the dub that has Kaiba making his way to Pegasus' castle. He gets caught by one of Peggy's men, who points a gun at his head. (Gee, I wonder why they cut it out of the dub *note heavy sarcasm*) Anyway, at the last minute, when the gun is fired, Kaiba throws a Duel Monsters card at the gun, which just happens to conveniently get caught so the gun doesn't fire. I figured if he could do that, he could definitely knock a gun out of someone's hand with a cell phone.
Lavender Wonder: *shares in happy-ness* Joey is a handful, isn't he?
Labannya: Nope, suspicious parents are something we definitely don't want. And yaoi should definitely be left out of the conversation. I don't think they'd let you anywhere near a computer if they realized what it was. Yeah, Yugi and Seto are my favorites. I'm not sure how it happened, since it started off as Yugi and Joey. I do like to have two fics going at a time, so if I get stuck on one, there's another one I can work on. I finished one for Chibizoo's contest at the end of last month and got the idea for Intruders from that.
Ginger Ninja: Drama to happiness is good, until the drama rears it's ugly head again! Hopefully, there'll be a long wait until that happens.
SilverFang: Thank you very much!
Yami Angel: Is this soon enough? ^_^ Glad you're enjoying the story!
Sorry about the lengthy replies! Now on to the story.
**~~**
Part 14: Home Sweet Home
"Jomei?"
The voice filtered through his consciousness slowly and he gave Yami a grin.
"I think someone is trying to get my attention."
Yami nodded. "Yes, I believe it is Joey. He's probably worried about you."
"I should probably go talk to him then."
"Yes, you should."
Jomei nodded, and then looked around the soul room. "Okay, so how do I go back out?" he asked, wincing at how silly the question sounded.
Yami shrugged. "Just wish yourself back in control of your body and you'll be 'out' as you put it."
"Okay, here goes."
Jomei wished himself in control of his body, just like Yami had said, and found himself staring at Joey's concerned brown eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Jomei nodded. "Yeah, just talking to Yami."
Joey's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were afraid of him."
"I was, but then decided that since you and Seto, and I think Mr. Moto too, were okay with the spirit, I should probably give him a chance. He explained a few things to me."
"Good. He was really worried about you."
Jomei looked around, noticing for the first time that they were in a helicopter flying over the city. He, like the rest of the people on board, was wearing a helmet, which contained tiny microphones and speakers. It was the only way to communicate with one another.
"Wow! How'd we get up here?"
"You were sleeping," Mr. Moto said from where he sat a few feet away from them. "The doctor released you and we immediately left. I didn't want to wake you."
Jomei nodded absently. "This is beautiful," he said, admiring the bright lights of the city and the early morning sun as they battled with each other for dominance.
He tore his eyes away from the view outside to examine the helicopter he was riding in. The cabin he was in was medium sized and contained only himself, Joey, and Mr. Moto. In front of him was another cabin with three chairs and a wide window, which he took to be the main cabin. Two men, one of whom Jomei could tell was Seto, sat in front of the many controls.
He returned his eyes to the city below, gasping in wonder. He'd always wanted to see Tokyo, but he never thought he'd be able to see it from up here. Everything seemed so small, so insignificant from where he currently was. For a moment, he could forget about the abrupt turn his life had taken, about the fact that his guardian was dead and that he'd almost been kidnapped again, and that he was now heading to a strange place with people he didn't even know. For right now, all he knew was that the city was gorgeous, just as he'd always imagined it to be.
After a while, they began to leave the city lights behind. Jomei, disappointed, leaned back in his seat to find that both Mr. Moto and Joey had fallen asleep in their seats. He felt physically tired, but also mentally weary. He wasn't sure of what was going to happen when he got back to Domino City. Mr. Moto seemed like a nice man, but Jomei didn't know him at all. What if he turned out to be like Asami? What if he was worse? Seto had said that it was better to know, and part of Jomei knew that he was right. Another part of him, however, wished that his life, as horrible and painful as it had been, was still the same. He'd already gotten used to that life, he realized. He wasn't as full of uncertainty as he now was.
"The view is much better from up here."
Startled, Jomei glanced away from the window to find Seto staring at him from the forward cabin.
"There's an empty seat if you want to come up."
Looking around at his sleeping companions, Jomei nodded. He undid his seat belt and slowly moved up to take a seat next to Seto. He'd been right, the view was much better from the almost completely open cabin. The only thing that separated them from the outside was a thick pane of glass. He buckled himself in and turned to the man on the other chair.
"That's Haris. He's one of my pilots."
Jomei smiled at the man. He then turned to Seto. "Are you okay? You look tired."
Seto nodded. "I'm fine. I'll sleep it off when I get home."
Silence ruled for a while, until Jomei broke it.
"Are we far from Domino?"
"No. We'll be landing in about twenty minutes. If you look outside, you should be able to see the beginnings of the city."
Jomei did as suggested and smiled when he saw the various buildings and landmarks come into view. Before he knew it, they were reaching a tall building where he assumed they'd be landing.
"What's that?"
Seto chuckled. "That's Kaiba Corporation. We'll be landing there, and then I'll have a car take you, your grandfather, and Wheeler home."
"Impressive," Jomei said.
That was the only word he could think of to describe the huge building they'd be landing on.
"Is it yours?"
"Yeah."
Conversation ended as Seto began giving the pilot instructions. Jomei remained where he was, watching as they landed. He couldn't help but grin. A week ago, he never would have imagined that he'd get to ride in a helicopter, much less travel outside of Tokyo. Jomei sighed. Even if his life in Domino didn't turn out any better than his life in Tokyo, at least he'd gotten to see something spectacular along the way.
"We're here," Seto said, taking off his helmet and stepping out of the helicopter.
Jomei did the same, as the pilot and Joey helped Mr. Moto get off. They both followed Seto inside the building, where he immediately led them into an elevator. Jomei tried to look at as much of the place as he could, but they were moving too fast for him to really get to see much. It was early and the building was still darkened and mostly empty, but he still wished that he'd get a chance to look around.
"Don't worry; you can come back some other time when you're feeling a bit more up to it."
Jomei looked up to see Seto looking at him.
"Just let me know when you want to come."
Jomei nodded, grateful. He didn't know why the older teen was being so nice to him, but he felt comfortable with him. Not to mention that they had things in common that not many other people did.
After a few more minutes, they stepped out of the elevator and were ushered into a waiting limousine. Jomei was impressed, but did not voice it this time. He figured he better keep his mouth shut and be on his best behavior, before the people he was with now got tired of him and decided he wasn't worth putting up with anymore. Yeah, they'd put up with his outbursts and everything so far, only because they were happy to see him. Jomei had to be careful to make sure that they'd still want him when the newness and happiness wore off.
"Thank you for all of your help, Kaiba," Mr. Moto said as he settled into the car. "I really appreciate you giving us a lift back."
Seto nodded. "It was nothing."
The door closed and the car took off. Jomei concentrated on looking out of the window, suddenly finding himself rather nervous. Now he was really in unknown territory. While he'd still been in Tokyo, the possibility of running away had always been in the back of his mind. If things had gotten bad and he'd wanted to, he could have run. Here, that option was out of the question. He didn't know where to go.
Jomei shook his head. He didn't know why all of a sudden he was having these thoughts. He'd felt comfortable with Mr. Moto and Joey, so he saw no reason to be weary of them now. He couldn't help it though. It was instinct.
"We're here."
Jomei was startled to find that the car had stopped and they were sitting in front of a small building with 'Game Shop' written on it. It was clean and modest, and the neighborhood around it looked quaint in the early morning light. They all got out of the limo and once Mr. Moto had thanked the driver, they all turned to the building.
"Welcome home, Jomei."
Jomei looked to see Mr. Moto smiling at him, tears in his eyes. Nervous, Jomei stood his ground. He was afraid to walk inside. He was afraid of what he would find. It was as if as soon as he walked inside, the person he was now would be seriously compromised, and Jomei wasn't sure if he could deal with that. It had taken a lot of effort to build up the mental shields to block out the harsh realities of the world he'd known, and he wasn't ready to have an alternate version of himself chip away at those shields.
"Are you okay?" Joey asked, his arm resting gently on Jomei's shoulder.
Jomei took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face. 'You have to be good to them, remember? Don't give them a reason to turn you away' he told himself.
"I'm fine, Joey."
"Great, let's all go in."
Joey opened the door and they followed him in. Jomei stopped at the front door and looked around at his new home. The living room was spacious and bathed in sunlight. Comfortable sofas and chairs littered the room, along with an entertainment center. Beyond the living room Jomei could see a dining table and beyond that, through an open door, was a kitchen. The color scheme was warm and inviting, and everything, every piece of furniture, was clean and flawless, unlike what he was used to living in.
"My room is right over there," Mr. Moto was saying, and Jomei turned to follow where the elder man was pointing at a door to the left of the kitchen. When he noticed that he had Jomei's attention, he continued. "That's the door that goes to the shop. I'll show it to you when I open in a few hours. Your room and Joey's room are upstairs. He'll show you around up there in a bit. Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you want anything?"
Jomei shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I am a little tired, though."
Mr. Moto nodded. "Let me get you some water and your medication so you can take them. Then Joey can take you upstairs to show you around, and you can take a nap if you'd like."
The elder man went into the kitchen, which left Jomei alone with Joey.
"Are you sure you're okay, Jomei? You look spooked."
"I'm okay, this is all just new for me. It's going to take me a while to get used to it."
"Yeah, I know," Joey said and plopped down on one of the sofas.
Jomei took the opportunity to look around, stopping at the fireplace where the various pictures on the mantel got his attention. There were pictures of a little boy that looked a lot like him and a young couple. Then there were pictures of the same boy, but older, and Mr. Moto. The boy looked so happy that Jomei wished he could remember what it was like to be that happy.
"Here you go, my boy," Mr. Moto said, making his way over to Jomei, a tray with a glass of water and several bottles of medication balanced in his lap. Upon seeing this, Jomei immediately went over to the man and took the tray.
"Thank you."
"Joey, take him upstairs and show him around. You can take your medication and leave it in the bathroom upstairs. Oh, here," he added, handing Joey the bag he'd taken to Tokyo.
"Are you going to rest, Gramps?"
Mr. Moto chuckled. "Just for a bit, Joey. I have to open the shop in a few hours. You can stay home if you want today. I'll call the school and tell them what happened, though I'm sure your teacher already has."
"Thanks, Gramps. See you in a few hours."
With that, Mr. Moto turned and disappeared into his room.
"Come on, let me show you to your room."
Jomei walked behind Joey, feeling a bit more comfortable now. When they got upstairs, Joey immediately made his way to the room on the left.
"This is your room. There are clothes in there if you want to change. The bathroom is over there," Joey pointed at a door directly in front of the room, "and my room is down the hall. Since you're tired, you should probably change into pajamas and take a nap. You'll feel better after you do."
Jomei nodded. "What are you going to do?"
Joey smiled. "Same thing. I'm beat. Oh, here," he added, handing Jomei the bag Mr. Moto had given him. "There is some more of your stuff in there."
"Okay then, thanks Joey."
Joey waved and made his way to his room. Jomei turned and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. The room was huge compared to what he was used to. The colorful paint and the wide window gave the room an ever more open appearance. Jomei was immediately drawn to the desk, where a backpack was lying on top. Several books lined the shelf on top of the desk, and notebooks littered the rest of the surface. Jomei immediately picked one up and saw what looked like math problems written on it.
"Wow."
He continued to look around, surprised at all the games he found. Finally he reached the closet which was full of clothes. He took out a jacket and put it on, surprised that it fit him perfectly. He shouldn't have been, since he was supposed to have lived here a while back, but that didn't make much of a difference. He walked to the bureau and found a pair of pajamas. He shed his clothing, wincing as his back protested, and put on the pajamas, again surprised that they fit him perfectly.
Remembering the medication he'd been given, Jomei went over to the desk where he'd put down the glass and quickly took the prescribed dosage. Eyeing the comfortable bed, Jomei experimentally lay down on it, smiling at the softness of the mattress underneath him. He settled more comfortably and closed his eyes, falling immediately into a restless sleep.
**~~**
Joey closed the door to his room and stood there, his back leaning against it.
He hadn't wanted to leave Jomei. Even now, he was considering going back out there to sit outside the door to make sure that no one was going to come and take his friend away again. It was silly, he knew that, but he remembered all too clearly what it had been like to lay in his bed at night, wondering where Yugi was. Now that he was back in the same house, Joey didn't want anything to happen to him.
Sighing, he stepped away from the door and threw himself on the bed, not bothering to change his clothes. He looked at his bedside clock and winced. It was six in the morning and it already seemed as if it had been one of his longest days. He doubted that he was going to be able to get much sleep, although he desperately needed it. He supposed that he should call his friends to tell them that they were home, but it was still too early. They'd be at school until early afternoon, so Joey figured that he'd given them a call then.
Joey turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and said a small prayer of thanks to whatever deity had listened to his pleas and prayers. He wasn't a religious person at all, but he'd been willing to try anything to help bring Yugi home. All Joey could do from now on was keep a sharp eye on him so that no one else would harm him.
The incident at the hospital had brought it home for him: Jomei was not safe. Joey made a promise to himself, to Jomei, and to Mr. Moto at that moment that he would do anything in his power to protect his friend. And he'd start right now.
Determined, Joey got up and left his room. He quietly walked to Jomei's room, where he took a seat to the right of his door. He rested his head against the wall and got as comfortable as he could.
If anyone else dared to come and harm Jomei, they'd have to go through him first.
**~~**
YAY Jomei is home! It only took me 13 chapters to make it happen, but that's another story. Next up: Jomei plays catch up.
I hope that those of you in the US had a good 4th of July! Mine was quiet, but I got to see a lot of fireworks. . . always a nice thing, but not so good for the dogs, who hate the loud noise. Anyway, I had a lot of time to write over the long weekend, so here you go.
Reviews:
Amiasha Ruri: Ouch. Breaking your foot right before a dance recital is not good. I would have been horribly disappointed at not getting to perform. I'm glad to know its healing fast, though! Seto and Joey are a lot of fun to write, because they bicker so much. I can actually see where a lot of the Seto/Joey fics come from, since sometimes they bicker like an old married couple. It would have been awfully hard for Yami and Yugi to remain mad at each other, especially since they're kind of stuck together. We'll see how it goes, though.
Adrienne-Lillian: See how bribes help the author write faster?? Cookies definitely help. I kept hading out cyber Oreos to all of you that I had to go to the store to get some for me. Sugar highs are definitely great for writing. *wishing you luck in avoiding the Malik plushie*
Lizzy9046: Yup, Seto would definitely be more PO'd at your sympathy. He's funny that way. Have you ever seen the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh? There is a scene that was cut out of the dub that has Kaiba making his way to Pegasus' castle. He gets caught by one of Peggy's men, who points a gun at his head. (Gee, I wonder why they cut it out of the dub *note heavy sarcasm*) Anyway, at the last minute, when the gun is fired, Kaiba throws a Duel Monsters card at the gun, which just happens to conveniently get caught so the gun doesn't fire. I figured if he could do that, he could definitely knock a gun out of someone's hand with a cell phone.
Lavender Wonder: *shares in happy-ness* Joey is a handful, isn't he?
Labannya: Nope, suspicious parents are something we definitely don't want. And yaoi should definitely be left out of the conversation. I don't think they'd let you anywhere near a computer if they realized what it was. Yeah, Yugi and Seto are my favorites. I'm not sure how it happened, since it started off as Yugi and Joey. I do like to have two fics going at a time, so if I get stuck on one, there's another one I can work on. I finished one for Chibizoo's contest at the end of last month and got the idea for Intruders from that.
Ginger Ninja: Drama to happiness is good, until the drama rears it's ugly head again! Hopefully, there'll be a long wait until that happens.
SilverFang: Thank you very much!
Yami Angel: Is this soon enough? ^_^ Glad you're enjoying the story!
Sorry about the lengthy replies! Now on to the story.
**~~**
Part 14: Home Sweet Home
"Jomei?"
The voice filtered through his consciousness slowly and he gave Yami a grin.
"I think someone is trying to get my attention."
Yami nodded. "Yes, I believe it is Joey. He's probably worried about you."
"I should probably go talk to him then."
"Yes, you should."
Jomei nodded, and then looked around the soul room. "Okay, so how do I go back out?" he asked, wincing at how silly the question sounded.
Yami shrugged. "Just wish yourself back in control of your body and you'll be 'out' as you put it."
"Okay, here goes."
Jomei wished himself in control of his body, just like Yami had said, and found himself staring at Joey's concerned brown eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Jomei nodded. "Yeah, just talking to Yami."
Joey's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were afraid of him."
"I was, but then decided that since you and Seto, and I think Mr. Moto too, were okay with the spirit, I should probably give him a chance. He explained a few things to me."
"Good. He was really worried about you."
Jomei looked around, noticing for the first time that they were in a helicopter flying over the city. He, like the rest of the people on board, was wearing a helmet, which contained tiny microphones and speakers. It was the only way to communicate with one another.
"Wow! How'd we get up here?"
"You were sleeping," Mr. Moto said from where he sat a few feet away from them. "The doctor released you and we immediately left. I didn't want to wake you."
Jomei nodded absently. "This is beautiful," he said, admiring the bright lights of the city and the early morning sun as they battled with each other for dominance.
He tore his eyes away from the view outside to examine the helicopter he was riding in. The cabin he was in was medium sized and contained only himself, Joey, and Mr. Moto. In front of him was another cabin with three chairs and a wide window, which he took to be the main cabin. Two men, one of whom Jomei could tell was Seto, sat in front of the many controls.
He returned his eyes to the city below, gasping in wonder. He'd always wanted to see Tokyo, but he never thought he'd be able to see it from up here. Everything seemed so small, so insignificant from where he currently was. For a moment, he could forget about the abrupt turn his life had taken, about the fact that his guardian was dead and that he'd almost been kidnapped again, and that he was now heading to a strange place with people he didn't even know. For right now, all he knew was that the city was gorgeous, just as he'd always imagined it to be.
After a while, they began to leave the city lights behind. Jomei, disappointed, leaned back in his seat to find that both Mr. Moto and Joey had fallen asleep in their seats. He felt physically tired, but also mentally weary. He wasn't sure of what was going to happen when he got back to Domino City. Mr. Moto seemed like a nice man, but Jomei didn't know him at all. What if he turned out to be like Asami? What if he was worse? Seto had said that it was better to know, and part of Jomei knew that he was right. Another part of him, however, wished that his life, as horrible and painful as it had been, was still the same. He'd already gotten used to that life, he realized. He wasn't as full of uncertainty as he now was.
"The view is much better from up here."
Startled, Jomei glanced away from the window to find Seto staring at him from the forward cabin.
"There's an empty seat if you want to come up."
Looking around at his sleeping companions, Jomei nodded. He undid his seat belt and slowly moved up to take a seat next to Seto. He'd been right, the view was much better from the almost completely open cabin. The only thing that separated them from the outside was a thick pane of glass. He buckled himself in and turned to the man on the other chair.
"That's Haris. He's one of my pilots."
Jomei smiled at the man. He then turned to Seto. "Are you okay? You look tired."
Seto nodded. "I'm fine. I'll sleep it off when I get home."
Silence ruled for a while, until Jomei broke it.
"Are we far from Domino?"
"No. We'll be landing in about twenty minutes. If you look outside, you should be able to see the beginnings of the city."
Jomei did as suggested and smiled when he saw the various buildings and landmarks come into view. Before he knew it, they were reaching a tall building where he assumed they'd be landing.
"What's that?"
Seto chuckled. "That's Kaiba Corporation. We'll be landing there, and then I'll have a car take you, your grandfather, and Wheeler home."
"Impressive," Jomei said.
That was the only word he could think of to describe the huge building they'd be landing on.
"Is it yours?"
"Yeah."
Conversation ended as Seto began giving the pilot instructions. Jomei remained where he was, watching as they landed. He couldn't help but grin. A week ago, he never would have imagined that he'd get to ride in a helicopter, much less travel outside of Tokyo. Jomei sighed. Even if his life in Domino didn't turn out any better than his life in Tokyo, at least he'd gotten to see something spectacular along the way.
"We're here," Seto said, taking off his helmet and stepping out of the helicopter.
Jomei did the same, as the pilot and Joey helped Mr. Moto get off. They both followed Seto inside the building, where he immediately led them into an elevator. Jomei tried to look at as much of the place as he could, but they were moving too fast for him to really get to see much. It was early and the building was still darkened and mostly empty, but he still wished that he'd get a chance to look around.
"Don't worry; you can come back some other time when you're feeling a bit more up to it."
Jomei looked up to see Seto looking at him.
"Just let me know when you want to come."
Jomei nodded, grateful. He didn't know why the older teen was being so nice to him, but he felt comfortable with him. Not to mention that they had things in common that not many other people did.
After a few more minutes, they stepped out of the elevator and were ushered into a waiting limousine. Jomei was impressed, but did not voice it this time. He figured he better keep his mouth shut and be on his best behavior, before the people he was with now got tired of him and decided he wasn't worth putting up with anymore. Yeah, they'd put up with his outbursts and everything so far, only because they were happy to see him. Jomei had to be careful to make sure that they'd still want him when the newness and happiness wore off.
"Thank you for all of your help, Kaiba," Mr. Moto said as he settled into the car. "I really appreciate you giving us a lift back."
Seto nodded. "It was nothing."
The door closed and the car took off. Jomei concentrated on looking out of the window, suddenly finding himself rather nervous. Now he was really in unknown territory. While he'd still been in Tokyo, the possibility of running away had always been in the back of his mind. If things had gotten bad and he'd wanted to, he could have run. Here, that option was out of the question. He didn't know where to go.
Jomei shook his head. He didn't know why all of a sudden he was having these thoughts. He'd felt comfortable with Mr. Moto and Joey, so he saw no reason to be weary of them now. He couldn't help it though. It was instinct.
"We're here."
Jomei was startled to find that the car had stopped and they were sitting in front of a small building with 'Game Shop' written on it. It was clean and modest, and the neighborhood around it looked quaint in the early morning light. They all got out of the limo and once Mr. Moto had thanked the driver, they all turned to the building.
"Welcome home, Jomei."
Jomei looked to see Mr. Moto smiling at him, tears in his eyes. Nervous, Jomei stood his ground. He was afraid to walk inside. He was afraid of what he would find. It was as if as soon as he walked inside, the person he was now would be seriously compromised, and Jomei wasn't sure if he could deal with that. It had taken a lot of effort to build up the mental shields to block out the harsh realities of the world he'd known, and he wasn't ready to have an alternate version of himself chip away at those shields.
"Are you okay?" Joey asked, his arm resting gently on Jomei's shoulder.
Jomei took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face. 'You have to be good to them, remember? Don't give them a reason to turn you away' he told himself.
"I'm fine, Joey."
"Great, let's all go in."
Joey opened the door and they followed him in. Jomei stopped at the front door and looked around at his new home. The living room was spacious and bathed in sunlight. Comfortable sofas and chairs littered the room, along with an entertainment center. Beyond the living room Jomei could see a dining table and beyond that, through an open door, was a kitchen. The color scheme was warm and inviting, and everything, every piece of furniture, was clean and flawless, unlike what he was used to living in.
"My room is right over there," Mr. Moto was saying, and Jomei turned to follow where the elder man was pointing at a door to the left of the kitchen. When he noticed that he had Jomei's attention, he continued. "That's the door that goes to the shop. I'll show it to you when I open in a few hours. Your room and Joey's room are upstairs. He'll show you around up there in a bit. Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you want anything?"
Jomei shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I am a little tired, though."
Mr. Moto nodded. "Let me get you some water and your medication so you can take them. Then Joey can take you upstairs to show you around, and you can take a nap if you'd like."
The elder man went into the kitchen, which left Jomei alone with Joey.
"Are you sure you're okay, Jomei? You look spooked."
"I'm okay, this is all just new for me. It's going to take me a while to get used to it."
"Yeah, I know," Joey said and plopped down on one of the sofas.
Jomei took the opportunity to look around, stopping at the fireplace where the various pictures on the mantel got his attention. There were pictures of a little boy that looked a lot like him and a young couple. Then there were pictures of the same boy, but older, and Mr. Moto. The boy looked so happy that Jomei wished he could remember what it was like to be that happy.
"Here you go, my boy," Mr. Moto said, making his way over to Jomei, a tray with a glass of water and several bottles of medication balanced in his lap. Upon seeing this, Jomei immediately went over to the man and took the tray.
"Thank you."
"Joey, take him upstairs and show him around. You can take your medication and leave it in the bathroom upstairs. Oh, here," he added, handing Joey the bag he'd taken to Tokyo.
"Are you going to rest, Gramps?"
Mr. Moto chuckled. "Just for a bit, Joey. I have to open the shop in a few hours. You can stay home if you want today. I'll call the school and tell them what happened, though I'm sure your teacher already has."
"Thanks, Gramps. See you in a few hours."
With that, Mr. Moto turned and disappeared into his room.
"Come on, let me show you to your room."
Jomei walked behind Joey, feeling a bit more comfortable now. When they got upstairs, Joey immediately made his way to the room on the left.
"This is your room. There are clothes in there if you want to change. The bathroom is over there," Joey pointed at a door directly in front of the room, "and my room is down the hall. Since you're tired, you should probably change into pajamas and take a nap. You'll feel better after you do."
Jomei nodded. "What are you going to do?"
Joey smiled. "Same thing. I'm beat. Oh, here," he added, handing Jomei the bag Mr. Moto had given him. "There is some more of your stuff in there."
"Okay then, thanks Joey."
Joey waved and made his way to his room. Jomei turned and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. The room was huge compared to what he was used to. The colorful paint and the wide window gave the room an ever more open appearance. Jomei was immediately drawn to the desk, where a backpack was lying on top. Several books lined the shelf on top of the desk, and notebooks littered the rest of the surface. Jomei immediately picked one up and saw what looked like math problems written on it.
"Wow."
He continued to look around, surprised at all the games he found. Finally he reached the closet which was full of clothes. He took out a jacket and put it on, surprised that it fit him perfectly. He shouldn't have been, since he was supposed to have lived here a while back, but that didn't make much of a difference. He walked to the bureau and found a pair of pajamas. He shed his clothing, wincing as his back protested, and put on the pajamas, again surprised that they fit him perfectly.
Remembering the medication he'd been given, Jomei went over to the desk where he'd put down the glass and quickly took the prescribed dosage. Eyeing the comfortable bed, Jomei experimentally lay down on it, smiling at the softness of the mattress underneath him. He settled more comfortably and closed his eyes, falling immediately into a restless sleep.
**~~**
Joey closed the door to his room and stood there, his back leaning against it.
He hadn't wanted to leave Jomei. Even now, he was considering going back out there to sit outside the door to make sure that no one was going to come and take his friend away again. It was silly, he knew that, but he remembered all too clearly what it had been like to lay in his bed at night, wondering where Yugi was. Now that he was back in the same house, Joey didn't want anything to happen to him.
Sighing, he stepped away from the door and threw himself on the bed, not bothering to change his clothes. He looked at his bedside clock and winced. It was six in the morning and it already seemed as if it had been one of his longest days. He doubted that he was going to be able to get much sleep, although he desperately needed it. He supposed that he should call his friends to tell them that they were home, but it was still too early. They'd be at school until early afternoon, so Joey figured that he'd given them a call then.
Joey turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and said a small prayer of thanks to whatever deity had listened to his pleas and prayers. He wasn't a religious person at all, but he'd been willing to try anything to help bring Yugi home. All Joey could do from now on was keep a sharp eye on him so that no one else would harm him.
The incident at the hospital had brought it home for him: Jomei was not safe. Joey made a promise to himself, to Jomei, and to Mr. Moto at that moment that he would do anything in his power to protect his friend. And he'd start right now.
Determined, Joey got up and left his room. He quietly walked to Jomei's room, where he took a seat to the right of his door. He rested his head against the wall and got as comfortable as he could.
If anyone else dared to come and harm Jomei, they'd have to go through him first.
**~~**
YAY Jomei is home! It only took me 13 chapters to make it happen, but that's another story. Next up: Jomei plays catch up.