YA: *straps sword* Alright people. Get ready! The moment you all been
waiting for is finally here! The revealing of the monster! And as I much as
I hate to say it, nobody guessed who it was or got it right. O_o Wow, some
mystery eh? Just to let you know, that hanging upside down part was from a
dream I had. Um, you'll see what I mean. Anyway, ready, get set, GO!
"I hear forever calling.."
"I hear forever calling.."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jounouchi! What's taking so long? You're going to miss your train!"
"Coming, dad!"
Jounouchi stumbled down the stairs in a rush, lugging a heavy suitcase along with him. He grinned at his father as he dropped the suitcase on the floor.
"Sorry. I wanted to pack mom's present. I couldn't find it anywhere." His father sighed and massaged his temples.
"Why is she so special, boy? Why don't you ever get me any presents?" Jounouchi put his hands on his hips, mocking his father.
"Why don't you care, dad? You don't care about anything I do or where I go." His father shot him a glare that could kill a snake. Jounouchi quickly picked up his suitcase and headed to the door in a hurry. "That would be my cue to leave. See ya dad!"
The walk to the station wasn't too long, along the way he met up with Yugi not to far from it.
"Hey, Yugi! Where's Yami?" Yugi pointed to the puzzle.
"Grandpa and I didn't want to worry about paying an extra ticket when we go up to the mountain." He gave an impish wink. "So he'll be staying in here until we reach our destination."
"Smart thinking!" Jounouchi laughed. "What about the others? Where are they going?" Yugi stopped to think.
"Anzu left for dance camp, and we saw Ryou leave with his father and Bakura to go to the airport. They're going to Egypt!" Yugi paused. "I have no idea where Honda is."
"Oh, I know. He's doing something important. I promised I wouldn't say what it was."
"Did you call your mom?"
Jounouchi froze and then slumped.
"I forgot." Yugi reached in his pocket and handed him a quarter.
"If you hurry around that corner, you can call your mom and be back for the train. I'll be waiting."
"Thanks buddy. I won't be long."
Jounouchi reaches the phone and fumbles with the quarter that was given to him. Unknowing, someone was behind him and roughly rammed into him making him drop the quarter.
"Oh, pardon me sir!" the man said.
"It's fine." Grumbled Jounouchi. While Jounouchi bent over to get the quarter, the "innocent" passerby raised the cane he was walking with and slammed it on Jounouchi's back, creating a sickeng cracking sound.
"Augh!" Jounouchi hunched over in pain, forgetting the quarter the rolled away from his grasp. Above him he could hear the rough breathing of a taller man.
"Yes, pardon me indeed." Another crack was sounded and Jounouchi was at the mercy of gravity once again. With one weary hand, he touched his head and felt the moist stickiness of his own blood. He couldn't react in time before he fell into complete darkness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Get him up! I don't want him sleeping! I said wake him!"
A spicy scent reached Jounouchi's nose, forcing him to wake from his violent sleep. He jerked his head away from the smell. He tried to move his hands, but they were bound together and tied to a hanging hook from the ceiling. When opening his eyes, he could see little. The most of what he saw was a figure standing in front of him.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Don't speak!"
"What?"
"SHUT UP, BOY!"
"Excuse me?" A whip was heard, followed by a sharp sting cutting into flesh. "OOOOOWWWWW!" The figure chuckled silent and grabbed his face.
"Turn on the lights. I want him to see me." The lights came on, first blinding Jounouchi's eyes from the adjusted darkness. What he saw before him startled him greatly, to the point where his heart was in his throat.
"Bandit Keith?"
"Correct! Shall we give the doggy a prize?" Jounouchi cocked his head to the side in a questioning manner.
"Why?"
"Shut up!" Another whip sounded followed by another cry from the young blond. "Don't speak to me! Don't you ever speak to me! You've done enough." Keith paced away from Jounouchi before turning to face him again. "Do you know how it feels to live in humiliation? To be so close to your goal and to have it thrown away by some mere AMATURE!?!?" Along with tears of pain, Jounouchi continued to give him a confused look.
"I'm referring to Duelist Kingdom you idiot! After that, I've never been the same! NEVER! Humiliated by Pegasus, twice! TWICE!" Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's too painful to think about. Give him two more slashes. If he cries out, give him more. He should learn to respect me."
"No! No! Don't!"
Whip
"YYYAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Whip
"AAAUUUUGGH!"
Whip
"OOOOUUUUUHHHHH!"
With each slashing, Bandit Keith's smile grew wider, in time opening to let out a malicious laugh. The punishment abruptly stopped, making him frown.
"What happened?" he growled.
"He fainted sir."
"Well then wake him up! He won't sleep during punishment. I haven't been able to sleep for months after my even! WAKE HIM UP!" Another smell assaulted Jounouchi's senses, waking him once more. From his sleeve, Keith took out a hand blade.
"How disrespectful! Falling asleep in front of company. You should know better than that!" He twirled the blade in his hand before placing it on Jounouchi's sensitive flesh. More pressure was added, creating a long line of red. Jounouchi whimpered and trembled.
"What was that?" Keith asked teasingly. "Did you hear that, Jay?"
"I heard that sir."
"That's what I thought." Keith plunged the blade into Jounouchi's shoulder.
"NNOOOOOOO!"
"Be quiet!" Gripping the handle tighter, Keith twisted the blade inside the newly created wound. A steady stream of blood splattered on both faces of Jounouchi and Keith.
"OW! PLEASE! PLLLEEEAAASEEE!"
Keith pulled the blade out and wiped his face. He sighed satisfying.
"You don't listen, do you?" He raised his fist in the air to signal Jay to ready to whip. "If you would obey me and stay quiet then." He dropped his fist, commanding the whip to come down upon Jounouchi.
"EEYYYAAAAAAHHH!"
"Again, Jay! Do it until he stops!"
Throughout the night, if you could listen closely, you could hear coming from the building, the loud screeches of Jounouchi, and the commanding voice of Keith and constant whipping sound of punishment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who told you could sleep now?" Jounouchi, hoping what happened was a dream, snapped back to reality when he saw the murkiness of the room, only to have light shine in through a small window. It was damp under him; he was lying in his own small pool of blood.
"ANSWER ME!"
"Why are you doing this to me?" Jounouchi's voice couldn't help but crack from the tears and constant screaming done.
"WRONG ANSWER!" He turned to Jay who stood by a lever. "Hang him!" he commanded. Jay nodded and pulled the lever. Jounouchi felt his feet fly from under him. Last night, he was hanging by his hands, today he was to hang by his feet.
"Maybe if you get some blood in your brain then you'll learn better!" cackled Keith. Jounouchi let out a small groan. "Ha! He's asking for more!" He motioned Jay to stand behind Jounouchi. "Give it to him." Jounouchi closed his eyes and tried to sense the pain that was coming to him. But being whipped in the same place, making the wounds get bigger and deeper without healing them, caused more pain than he could ever imagine.
How he tried to stifle the cries that were deep inside but upon contact with the whip, he choked on a cry and another one followed it. Keith sat back, clutching his fists with excitement.
"More! More! More!" he laughed.
Not only was his back the target, Jounouchi could feel the whip travel to his head. Through his cries, he could hear the whip tear out his hair; see his hair fall freely to the ground below him. Whip after whip, Jounouchi once again, fell into a deep sleep. But not for long, his was waken up again, barely, but he was very conscience.
"Keith. Do you want to kill him?"
"No, I want him alive."
"Then stop whipping him!"
"Who are you to tell me how to punish him?"
"He's losing too much blood and-and-his wounds are so deep, I can see his bones. Keep this up and he's going to die!" Keith thought for a minute and was soon struck by an idea. "I'll be right back."
To Jounouchi's relief, Keith left. Jay released the lever, making him fall to the ground. Jounouchi gave a sharp grunt and rolled on his side to relieve the pain of his back. Moment later, Keith returned with a bottle of water.
"Sit him up! Expose his back to me!" Jay and another man roughly sat Jounouchi up and turned his back toward Keith.
"What's that sir?" Jay asked.
"You'll see." He laughed. He drenched Jounouchi's back in the liquid.
"AAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH! AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!" Along with the battered cries of Jounouchi's, Keith chimed in with more malicious laughter, dropping more of the liquid on his back.
"Sir?" asked Jay. Between laughs, Keith was finally able to say, "Its salt water."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sir? If you don't want him to die, then you need to give him something to eat."
"I already have that covered Jay." He handed Jay a small bowl. "Give him this. It'll hold him but it won't fill him up. It's breaded milk." Jay nodded and tended to Joey. He lifted his head and placed the bowl to his lips. A small amount entered into Jounouchi's mouth but he gagged and spit it into Jay's face.
"Ungrateful little puppy, aren't you?" Keith teased. "Starve then, but because you were so rude-" he gestured another guy to give him another bottle of salt water.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It's been five weeks already and the constant beatings were beginning to take there toll. Jounouchi had already learned to stay quiet when spoken to and when the beatings took place. Only when the group left him alone at night, would he release all the cries that were held in until morning. Little did he know, that would eventually get him in trouble.
The group came back in for another round when Jay stopped Keith from proceeding.
"Sir. We just got word that the executives downstairs hear the boy crying in the morning."
"WHAT?!?"
"Don't worry sir; they don't know what it is. I told them it was a lost dog and they dropped the subject."
"Excellent."
"But, what if they get suspicious? They would want to look around!" Keith reached in his pocket and pulled out a large needle.
"I didn't know it was going to come to this. This outta shut him up for now." Jounouchi flinched when Keith grabbed his arm and punctured it, injecting the fluid into his arm. "But while he's still active, let's give him more treatment." Once again, Jounouchi eyed the devilish blade before blanking out again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Please sir! I don't know how much I can bear it anymore!"
"I know! Give me a hose, Jay!"
It's been the same for more weeks to come. What they just noticed was the smell of Joey sitting in his own waste. Never in his life, had he felt so humiliated. It completely melted any other emotion he had. All he felt now was pain and humiliation. He was no longer sad about how he was living, he was no longer angry at Keith. No small emotion could overcome the numb feelings he had to deal with now.
A blast of cold water disturbed him from his thoughts. The pressure was high enough to rip the skin off his body, since now he had no clothes to protect him. The rust of the chain was beginning to settle into his skin, the ground was one with him.
'So this is life.' Was Jounouchi's last thought before he turned all feeling off from his own body. He stopped a long time ago, counting the days that he was stuck in this place. His last number was 34.
"We'll wait until he dries until we give him more treatment." And with that, Keith and Jay left. Joey bowed his head to sleep. The injection he received earlier was begining to settle in and he could rest comfortably. Not long after he drifted, he heard footsteps and the door opening.
"Jounouchi?"
He mentally laughed at himself. 'I must miss my friends greatly. I'm even hearing Kaiba's voice calling me.' The figure knelt down to him.
"Jounouchi?" It was real now. It was Seto's voice that was calling him! He lifted his head to meet a pair of familiar blue eyes. While Seto called 911 to inform police to come to the rescue, it took not only strength and courage, but it also took Jounouchi time to find the voice he lost long ago. His throat became raw from the crying and screaming. For the first time in months, he gave his final warning to Seto.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seto's POV
I didn't stop them. They fell during the beginning of the story all the way to the end. My tears, my sympathy for Jounouchi. It did not occur to me that he's been through so much, nor have I imagined that someone could go through that without dying. He looked at me and struggled to lift himself. He placed himself on my lap so his eyes were level with mine. With one hand, he brushed away the tears I was shedding.
"You're instincts saved my life, Seto. I'm eternally grateful. Grateful also that I was able to find you."
"Huh-Huh?" I stammered. His gaze never left mine.
"Seto. I couldn't tell you before. But on this journey to recovery. Something sparked inside of me. A feeling I thought I lost for a long time. I-"
Without thinking, I gently brush my lips against his. It was comforting and I didn't feel him respond to me. It ended up feverishly hot. He pulled away, lips curved into a smile.
"You feel better?" he asked me.
"Yes." I answered. "I'll let you finish."
"I was about to say the feeling I lost before. The feeling of being Jubilant! Never have I been so happy to be alive." My heart dropped.
"O-oh." He squeezed me into another hug.
"Please don't be sad for me, Seto." He clutched the shirt and tensed. "But- I want to go home. I mean-" he froze. "I don't want to live in Domino City anymore."
"What?"
"I don't want to live here, knowing that he's still out there! And my father-he-he doesn't care for my well being. I want to go back to mother." What could I do but rock him gently.
"If that's what you want." I said. He wasn't tense, but relaxed greatly. His breathing became shallow and was steady. He fell asleep in my arms.
So, the feelings he has for me are nothing that I feel for him? It took me a long time to realize, to admit my love, yes I said it, love for Jounouchi. What I feel now is not heartbreak. How can I expect him to love me back after what he's gone through? I felt stupid that I gave him that kiss. If it was nothing but mutual feelings. I sigh quietly and lay back.
My mission was finally complete. I healed him to the point where he could fly off on his own. It's now time for me to release my nightingale..
And let him fly..
I hear forever calling..
I hear forever calling..
TBC
YA: ALRIGHT! Now you know who he is! Go get him readers! Sic him! Sic him!
Bandit Keith: No! No! Get them away from me! *runs off screaming*
YA: Don't let him get away! Well, because I did this chapter when I was supposed to be doing homework, I beg you to give me tons of reviews. Me hopes I get at least to 30, but that' wishful thinking. Sorry folks, but it'll be a while until I update. So wish for the best. See ya!
"I hear forever calling.."
"I hear forever calling.."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jounouchi! What's taking so long? You're going to miss your train!"
"Coming, dad!"
Jounouchi stumbled down the stairs in a rush, lugging a heavy suitcase along with him. He grinned at his father as he dropped the suitcase on the floor.
"Sorry. I wanted to pack mom's present. I couldn't find it anywhere." His father sighed and massaged his temples.
"Why is she so special, boy? Why don't you ever get me any presents?" Jounouchi put his hands on his hips, mocking his father.
"Why don't you care, dad? You don't care about anything I do or where I go." His father shot him a glare that could kill a snake. Jounouchi quickly picked up his suitcase and headed to the door in a hurry. "That would be my cue to leave. See ya dad!"
The walk to the station wasn't too long, along the way he met up with Yugi not to far from it.
"Hey, Yugi! Where's Yami?" Yugi pointed to the puzzle.
"Grandpa and I didn't want to worry about paying an extra ticket when we go up to the mountain." He gave an impish wink. "So he'll be staying in here until we reach our destination."
"Smart thinking!" Jounouchi laughed. "What about the others? Where are they going?" Yugi stopped to think.
"Anzu left for dance camp, and we saw Ryou leave with his father and Bakura to go to the airport. They're going to Egypt!" Yugi paused. "I have no idea where Honda is."
"Oh, I know. He's doing something important. I promised I wouldn't say what it was."
"Did you call your mom?"
Jounouchi froze and then slumped.
"I forgot." Yugi reached in his pocket and handed him a quarter.
"If you hurry around that corner, you can call your mom and be back for the train. I'll be waiting."
"Thanks buddy. I won't be long."
Jounouchi reaches the phone and fumbles with the quarter that was given to him. Unknowing, someone was behind him and roughly rammed into him making him drop the quarter.
"Oh, pardon me sir!" the man said.
"It's fine." Grumbled Jounouchi. While Jounouchi bent over to get the quarter, the "innocent" passerby raised the cane he was walking with and slammed it on Jounouchi's back, creating a sickeng cracking sound.
"Augh!" Jounouchi hunched over in pain, forgetting the quarter the rolled away from his grasp. Above him he could hear the rough breathing of a taller man.
"Yes, pardon me indeed." Another crack was sounded and Jounouchi was at the mercy of gravity once again. With one weary hand, he touched his head and felt the moist stickiness of his own blood. He couldn't react in time before he fell into complete darkness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Get him up! I don't want him sleeping! I said wake him!"
A spicy scent reached Jounouchi's nose, forcing him to wake from his violent sleep. He jerked his head away from the smell. He tried to move his hands, but they were bound together and tied to a hanging hook from the ceiling. When opening his eyes, he could see little. The most of what he saw was a figure standing in front of him.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Don't speak!"
"What?"
"SHUT UP, BOY!"
"Excuse me?" A whip was heard, followed by a sharp sting cutting into flesh. "OOOOOWWWWW!" The figure chuckled silent and grabbed his face.
"Turn on the lights. I want him to see me." The lights came on, first blinding Jounouchi's eyes from the adjusted darkness. What he saw before him startled him greatly, to the point where his heart was in his throat.
"Bandit Keith?"
"Correct! Shall we give the doggy a prize?" Jounouchi cocked his head to the side in a questioning manner.
"Why?"
"Shut up!" Another whip sounded followed by another cry from the young blond. "Don't speak to me! Don't you ever speak to me! You've done enough." Keith paced away from Jounouchi before turning to face him again. "Do you know how it feels to live in humiliation? To be so close to your goal and to have it thrown away by some mere AMATURE!?!?" Along with tears of pain, Jounouchi continued to give him a confused look.
"I'm referring to Duelist Kingdom you idiot! After that, I've never been the same! NEVER! Humiliated by Pegasus, twice! TWICE!" Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's too painful to think about. Give him two more slashes. If he cries out, give him more. He should learn to respect me."
"No! No! Don't!"
Whip
"YYYAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Whip
"AAAUUUUGGH!"
Whip
"OOOOUUUUUHHHHH!"
With each slashing, Bandit Keith's smile grew wider, in time opening to let out a malicious laugh. The punishment abruptly stopped, making him frown.
"What happened?" he growled.
"He fainted sir."
"Well then wake him up! He won't sleep during punishment. I haven't been able to sleep for months after my even! WAKE HIM UP!" Another smell assaulted Jounouchi's senses, waking him once more. From his sleeve, Keith took out a hand blade.
"How disrespectful! Falling asleep in front of company. You should know better than that!" He twirled the blade in his hand before placing it on Jounouchi's sensitive flesh. More pressure was added, creating a long line of red. Jounouchi whimpered and trembled.
"What was that?" Keith asked teasingly. "Did you hear that, Jay?"
"I heard that sir."
"That's what I thought." Keith plunged the blade into Jounouchi's shoulder.
"NNOOOOOOO!"
"Be quiet!" Gripping the handle tighter, Keith twisted the blade inside the newly created wound. A steady stream of blood splattered on both faces of Jounouchi and Keith.
"OW! PLEASE! PLLLEEEAAASEEE!"
Keith pulled the blade out and wiped his face. He sighed satisfying.
"You don't listen, do you?" He raised his fist in the air to signal Jay to ready to whip. "If you would obey me and stay quiet then." He dropped his fist, commanding the whip to come down upon Jounouchi.
"EEYYYAAAAAAHHH!"
"Again, Jay! Do it until he stops!"
Throughout the night, if you could listen closely, you could hear coming from the building, the loud screeches of Jounouchi, and the commanding voice of Keith and constant whipping sound of punishment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who told you could sleep now?" Jounouchi, hoping what happened was a dream, snapped back to reality when he saw the murkiness of the room, only to have light shine in through a small window. It was damp under him; he was lying in his own small pool of blood.
"ANSWER ME!"
"Why are you doing this to me?" Jounouchi's voice couldn't help but crack from the tears and constant screaming done.
"WRONG ANSWER!" He turned to Jay who stood by a lever. "Hang him!" he commanded. Jay nodded and pulled the lever. Jounouchi felt his feet fly from under him. Last night, he was hanging by his hands, today he was to hang by his feet.
"Maybe if you get some blood in your brain then you'll learn better!" cackled Keith. Jounouchi let out a small groan. "Ha! He's asking for more!" He motioned Jay to stand behind Jounouchi. "Give it to him." Jounouchi closed his eyes and tried to sense the pain that was coming to him. But being whipped in the same place, making the wounds get bigger and deeper without healing them, caused more pain than he could ever imagine.
How he tried to stifle the cries that were deep inside but upon contact with the whip, he choked on a cry and another one followed it. Keith sat back, clutching his fists with excitement.
"More! More! More!" he laughed.
Not only was his back the target, Jounouchi could feel the whip travel to his head. Through his cries, he could hear the whip tear out his hair; see his hair fall freely to the ground below him. Whip after whip, Jounouchi once again, fell into a deep sleep. But not for long, his was waken up again, barely, but he was very conscience.
"Keith. Do you want to kill him?"
"No, I want him alive."
"Then stop whipping him!"
"Who are you to tell me how to punish him?"
"He's losing too much blood and-and-his wounds are so deep, I can see his bones. Keep this up and he's going to die!" Keith thought for a minute and was soon struck by an idea. "I'll be right back."
To Jounouchi's relief, Keith left. Jay released the lever, making him fall to the ground. Jounouchi gave a sharp grunt and rolled on his side to relieve the pain of his back. Moment later, Keith returned with a bottle of water.
"Sit him up! Expose his back to me!" Jay and another man roughly sat Jounouchi up and turned his back toward Keith.
"What's that sir?" Jay asked.
"You'll see." He laughed. He drenched Jounouchi's back in the liquid.
"AAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH! AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!" Along with the battered cries of Jounouchi's, Keith chimed in with more malicious laughter, dropping more of the liquid on his back.
"Sir?" asked Jay. Between laughs, Keith was finally able to say, "Its salt water."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sir? If you don't want him to die, then you need to give him something to eat."
"I already have that covered Jay." He handed Jay a small bowl. "Give him this. It'll hold him but it won't fill him up. It's breaded milk." Jay nodded and tended to Joey. He lifted his head and placed the bowl to his lips. A small amount entered into Jounouchi's mouth but he gagged and spit it into Jay's face.
"Ungrateful little puppy, aren't you?" Keith teased. "Starve then, but because you were so rude-" he gestured another guy to give him another bottle of salt water.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It's been five weeks already and the constant beatings were beginning to take there toll. Jounouchi had already learned to stay quiet when spoken to and when the beatings took place. Only when the group left him alone at night, would he release all the cries that were held in until morning. Little did he know, that would eventually get him in trouble.
The group came back in for another round when Jay stopped Keith from proceeding.
"Sir. We just got word that the executives downstairs hear the boy crying in the morning."
"WHAT?!?"
"Don't worry sir; they don't know what it is. I told them it was a lost dog and they dropped the subject."
"Excellent."
"But, what if they get suspicious? They would want to look around!" Keith reached in his pocket and pulled out a large needle.
"I didn't know it was going to come to this. This outta shut him up for now." Jounouchi flinched when Keith grabbed his arm and punctured it, injecting the fluid into his arm. "But while he's still active, let's give him more treatment." Once again, Jounouchi eyed the devilish blade before blanking out again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Please sir! I don't know how much I can bear it anymore!"
"I know! Give me a hose, Jay!"
It's been the same for more weeks to come. What they just noticed was the smell of Joey sitting in his own waste. Never in his life, had he felt so humiliated. It completely melted any other emotion he had. All he felt now was pain and humiliation. He was no longer sad about how he was living, he was no longer angry at Keith. No small emotion could overcome the numb feelings he had to deal with now.
A blast of cold water disturbed him from his thoughts. The pressure was high enough to rip the skin off his body, since now he had no clothes to protect him. The rust of the chain was beginning to settle into his skin, the ground was one with him.
'So this is life.' Was Jounouchi's last thought before he turned all feeling off from his own body. He stopped a long time ago, counting the days that he was stuck in this place. His last number was 34.
"We'll wait until he dries until we give him more treatment." And with that, Keith and Jay left. Joey bowed his head to sleep. The injection he received earlier was begining to settle in and he could rest comfortably. Not long after he drifted, he heard footsteps and the door opening.
"Jounouchi?"
He mentally laughed at himself. 'I must miss my friends greatly. I'm even hearing Kaiba's voice calling me.' The figure knelt down to him.
"Jounouchi?" It was real now. It was Seto's voice that was calling him! He lifted his head to meet a pair of familiar blue eyes. While Seto called 911 to inform police to come to the rescue, it took not only strength and courage, but it also took Jounouchi time to find the voice he lost long ago. His throat became raw from the crying and screaming. For the first time in months, he gave his final warning to Seto.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seto's POV
I didn't stop them. They fell during the beginning of the story all the way to the end. My tears, my sympathy for Jounouchi. It did not occur to me that he's been through so much, nor have I imagined that someone could go through that without dying. He looked at me and struggled to lift himself. He placed himself on my lap so his eyes were level with mine. With one hand, he brushed away the tears I was shedding.
"You're instincts saved my life, Seto. I'm eternally grateful. Grateful also that I was able to find you."
"Huh-Huh?" I stammered. His gaze never left mine.
"Seto. I couldn't tell you before. But on this journey to recovery. Something sparked inside of me. A feeling I thought I lost for a long time. I-"
Without thinking, I gently brush my lips against his. It was comforting and I didn't feel him respond to me. It ended up feverishly hot. He pulled away, lips curved into a smile.
"You feel better?" he asked me.
"Yes." I answered. "I'll let you finish."
"I was about to say the feeling I lost before. The feeling of being Jubilant! Never have I been so happy to be alive." My heart dropped.
"O-oh." He squeezed me into another hug.
"Please don't be sad for me, Seto." He clutched the shirt and tensed. "But- I want to go home. I mean-" he froze. "I don't want to live in Domino City anymore."
"What?"
"I don't want to live here, knowing that he's still out there! And my father-he-he doesn't care for my well being. I want to go back to mother." What could I do but rock him gently.
"If that's what you want." I said. He wasn't tense, but relaxed greatly. His breathing became shallow and was steady. He fell asleep in my arms.
So, the feelings he has for me are nothing that I feel for him? It took me a long time to realize, to admit my love, yes I said it, love for Jounouchi. What I feel now is not heartbreak. How can I expect him to love me back after what he's gone through? I felt stupid that I gave him that kiss. If it was nothing but mutual feelings. I sigh quietly and lay back.
My mission was finally complete. I healed him to the point where he could fly off on his own. It's now time for me to release my nightingale..
And let him fly..
I hear forever calling..
I hear forever calling..
TBC
YA: ALRIGHT! Now you know who he is! Go get him readers! Sic him! Sic him!
Bandit Keith: No! No! Get them away from me! *runs off screaming*
YA: Don't let him get away! Well, because I did this chapter when I was supposed to be doing homework, I beg you to give me tons of reviews. Me hopes I get at least to 30, but that' wishful thinking. Sorry folks, but it'll be a while until I update. So wish for the best. See ya!