Disclaimer-Yugioh does not belong to me. Author's note-I must give some
props to my co-author and the typist for all my fics on this site recently,
the ever nice Tiakko Avalon. She is my inspiration, my muse and the reason
all of you get updates so quickly. Many thankies to her and to all of you
that reviewed! Also, I would like to say that I am writing this as I type
it and that there are many surprises coming...this story may not go where
you might think! On with the story!!
Tristen began to blush furiously as Serenity's mother left them alone together in the room. "You don't have to be shy, Tristen, you're practically family. You can sit down if you like." she said.
Tristen sighed with relief and smiled. "Thanks. I guess I just got nervous around people I've just met." he said. "Oh please, don't be nervous around me...you said your name was Tristen? Did you drive here?" Serenity asked.
"Yes. I drive a motorcycle. It was a birthday gift from my parents. Some people think it's scary to ride one, but I really enjoy it." Tristen said. "I've always wanted to do that, but with my eyesight being the way they are, I've never been able to. I really don't think my mother would allow me to anyway. she said.
Feeling her smiling eyes on him, Tristen blushed furiously and looked out the hospital room window. "Oh wow, what a beautiful sunset." Tristen said.
Serenity sighed. "I wish I could see it." she said. "I could describe it to you." Tristen offered with a smile.
She answered with a smile. "Would you, please? I'd really like that." she said. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.
"Okay. Well, let's see. The sun is just above the horizon, and the sky around it is displayed with splashes of dark amethyst purple and warm harvest orange. It really is amazing; my words can't even begin to give it justice." he said.
" No Tristen, you're wrong. Somehow through what you've told me, I can see exactly what you mean. It truly is breathtaking...thank you." she said. Tristen chuckled. " I guess I've always been a sucker for natural landscapes myself." he said.
" What do you look like, Tristen?" she asked.
" Me? Um, I guess I'm about five foot ten, one hundred fifty pounds, brown eyes and short brown eyes. Your typical tall, skinny teenaged guy." he chuckled nervously.
"I'm sure you are a very nice looking guy. It's hard to tell without being able to really see you. You said you thought I was pretty? she asked.
This time his whole face turned red. "Did I say that? Um... I guess if I did, I definitely meant it, Serenity." he said. Before she could respond, the phone rang beside her.
"Hello?" Serenity asked.
"Is this Serenity? Um hi, this is Yugi Mutou. Is my friend Tristen there?" he asked.
"Hi. Oh yes, hold on please. Phone call for you." she said.
She handed the phone to her new friend as her mother returned, her arrival disrupting her hearing Tristen's conversation. "You look upset, Tristen. Is something wrong?" her mother asked.
"Yes. Joey left from his dad's a couple hours ago to come up here and now he's come up missing. The gang wants me to go help find him." Tristen said.
Tristen looked over at his friend's pretty red haired sister and saw tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"I can't go through with this operation without Joey to be there for me! Please Tristen, you have to find him! I am so scared that something bad has happened to him..." she began.
Serenity gasped as Tristen took her hands in his to reassure her. "I will find him in time, I promise." he told her.
She smiled at him, trusting him completely. "Thank you." she said.
How can I face Serenity and my friends now that I've lost the most rare card in my deck, the Red Eyes Black Dragon, Joey thought. It was the only card I had that was good enough to enter with in the Battle City Tournament.
It had not been easy to struggle down to the beach to nurse his wounded ego and even worse personal injuries from being beaten up in a dark alley by members of a group called Ghouls. He barely knew them, but hated them already for their deceitful way of playing Duel Monsters.
They had won by playing a set of fake Exodia cards, when the match should have gone to Joey instead. With all my years of street fighting abilities, I should've never let them get the best of me, Joey thought.
I don't need to be there anyways for Serenity's operation, he thought, she's had way too many people let her down in her life, I don't want to add to that. By losing that duel, I have let down everyone I care about, my friends and my family and even myself. I cannot even face myself in the state I'm in.
Tristen couldn't feel anything but anger at Joey for not showing up. He knew how much him being there for Serenity's operation meant to her. How could he do this?! The anger that coursed through him was just too much, he needed to find a way to calm himself down. And then the thought came to him. What could be better than riding his motorcycle? he thought to himself.
An hour later Tristen was on his bike and was somewhat more calm than when he started riding. It was like the wind was coming at him and purposely whisking away his anger. He shook off that thought and concentrated on the road ahead of him. He had no clue where he was going, but he was going somewhere.He had to find Joey, he couldn't let Serenity down. As he was thinking about that...a sudden feeling came over him. Then it came to him...he knew where his destination lay. He and Joey had had a very good connection. So why should it seem so weird that he suddenly had a feeling as to Joey's where abouts?
Joey clutched his cards to his chest. He still couldn't believe that he lost his most treasured card. If he couldn't have his Red Eyes Black Dragon, then what good would his deck be to him without it? He decided to walk around the beach and focus on the sunrise. The sky was so massive and it was filled with brightness. It was so stunning that he stood mesmerized by it. As he was standing there staring up at the sky, he heard a loud motor. He turned to see where the noise was coming from and he saw that it was Tristen.
"Joey!" Tristen shouted.
Joey's eyes widened as he watched his friend leap all the way from the top of the dock where he had parked his bike down in front of the surprised blonde.
"Tristen, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that! You were supposed to be at the hospital yesterday. Why am I finding you here?" he asked him.
Joey began to tremble as he looked up into his angry friend's eyes, falling to his knees in the sand with tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to worry anyone. I was on my way last night to see Serenity when I was forced to duel against several members of a group called Ghouls." Joey said.
"Ghouls?" Tristen asked.
"Yes. They defeated me using a set of fake Exodia cards, then they all surrounded me, beat me up and took my Red Eyes Black Dragon...that's why you found me out here. I couldn't even face you guys after that." Joey said.
"You couldn't face us because you lost a duel?! I can't believe this!! Do you even have any idea what you have put us all through?! Your sister has been worried sick about you and you've been out here, upset about losing a duel?" Tristen shouted.
Joey stood then, anger clouding his eyes, his hands balled up into fists.
"How dare you!! You act like this is nothing to me! This is devastating! I cannot compete in the Battle City tournament without my rarest card. I need to be able to do so to eventually battle Yugi to prove myself as a duelist." Joey said.
"Are you crazy?! You call that important when your family should be your highest priority? I thought I knew you better than that, Joey." Tristen said.
"I thought I knew you better! How can you expect me to think about anything else when I spent the night broken and bleeding in a dark alley for no good reson? Nothing else in my life right now is more important than finding those guys and getting back my treasured card!" Joey shouted.
At Joey's words,Tristen realized he could not listen to anymore. He had finally lost his patience with his stubborn friend, and proved that by socking him hard in the face, the punch forcing Joey down on his back on the sand. Not satisfied with the hit, he forced Joey up to his feet by fisting his shirt in his hands.
"How can you be so arrogant and self centered?! I agree that you and Yugi competing in Battle City is important, but there's nothing more important than your family! Your sister has refused to have her operation without you being there to support her. If you're willing to give up on everything now, then everything you've worked for up to this point will mean nothing, and that means your sister's eyesight too! If that happens, I'm pretty sure that will be more devastating than losing any one card." Tristen said.
He released his friend and the two boys faced each other then, eyes locked for a moment. Tristen finally exhaled as Joey sighed.
"You're right...I was selfish. I was only thinking of myself when I should have been thinking about my sister. You will take me to her, won't you, Tristen?" Joey asked.
Tristen smiled. "Of course I will, buddy. You don't even have to ask." he said.
Two thirty in the morning, Seto thought, as he looked over at the clock. Even when testing out my prototypes, I've very rarely ever been up this late. With his Battle City tournament about to start in a few days, Seto had found it hard to sleep in anticipation of the upcoming duels.
Seto sighed and got out of bed, pulling on a pair of loose balck pants and a warm black sweater. The house was quieter than usual as he glanced around, only the sounds of his little brother Mokuba's light snoring on the couch where he's fallen asleep watching television. Seto's eyes softened as he stroked his little brothers' hair affectionately, causing the boy to mumble in his sleep and pull the blankets closer to him.
Seto chuckled to himself as he walked into the kitchen. Somehow he knew it wasn't just his upcoming card tournament that causing him his restlessness. He realized it was Serenity he was thinking about. He had never lost sleep over a girl before. He had to admit to himself that he was worried about how her surgery had gone, that he wanted to visit her at the hospital and see how she was doing. He had only stayed away because he felt as though they had not known each other long for him to be involved in such a intimate family gathering. He told himself that she would call him when she was ready to see him again.
"Seto? Is that you?" Mokuba mumbled from the couch.
Seto smiled as he slipped his cup into the microwave. "Yes, little brother. Sleep well?" he asked.
"I guess. I should be asking you that. What are you doing up this time of night? Are you thinking about Serenity?" he teased.
Seto smirked at him. "What makes you ask that?" he asked.
"Well, if I had a pretty girlfriend that was in the hospital having surgery, I wouldn't be able to sleep either. I'm surprised that you're not there with her right now." Mokuba said.
"Well, first of all, Serenity is not my girlfriend, and second, yes, I was thinking about her! I can't imagine what it must be like for her to go through all that. I do wish I could be there with her." Seto said wistfully.
"Seto...you're in love with her, aren't you?" Mokuba gasped.
Seto's eyes widened. "What?! Why do you say that?" he asked,
Mokuba sat up on the couch and grinned at his brother. "It's written all over your face, big brother. You've never let anyone affect you this deeply before; you've always been able to disconnect emotionally from people who wanted to get close to you. This is great! I knew she was something special; I knew it!" Mokuba said.
Seto smiled and shook his head at his tousled haired sibling. As young as he was, he was so intiutive when it came to matters of the heart and he seemed to always know exactly what Seto was feeling. Serenity was definitely special to him, but did he really love her, he wondered. It had to be too soon, yet the feeling he felt in his heart was telling him something completely different....
Yugi was almost grateful that there was so much excitement building for his rival Seto Kaiba's Battle City tournament that was to start in a few days. Because of that, the streets were almost vacant due to duelists spending time at home preparing their decks. It made it a lot easier for him and Tea to look for their friend Joey, since Tristen had taken off on his motorcycle to look.
He and Tea had been searching all night to no avail, and he hoped that she would arrive soon to sit with him on the curb where they had agreed to meet. He was exhausted, and he made no attempt to cover his mouth as he yawned and blinked away impending sleep. Just as he felt like he was going to fall over ontot he pavement, he landed onto the solid shoulder of his lady friend.
"Did you find him?" Tea asked.
Yugi yawned again. "Nope. I haven't seen Tristen either. I'm starting to get worried." he said.
She smiled at her resting friend, watching his chest rise and fall in his tiredness. "Yeah, me too. Maybe we should go tot Tristen's house and see if he went home. Maybe his mom can tell us what happened to him." Tea said.
Both teens looked up as they heard the roar of a nerby engine and saw a familiar motorcycle drive by them carrying two passengers.
"Tristen!" they said in unison.
"I found him! I'll meet you at the hospital." Trsiten shouted to them.
Yugi and Tea smiled and embraced each other. "Alright!" they said.
Joey wasted no time making his way up to his sister's room to make sure everything was okay. Tristen had been right; he had been selfish and he should have been thinking of his sister all along. It never even occurred to him that she would refuse the operation unless he was there for her. It was obvious to him now how important he was to her, despite their limited time together ove rthe last couple years. He only hoped he could make it to her in time.
The first person he encountered was his mother, who wa snot angry but rather, disappointed by the son she thought she knew.
"Where's Serenity, Ma?" he asked.
"Joesph...you're here...you made it just in time. She's still in her room. Maybe you can talk some sense into her." her mother said.
Joey stepped over to the hospital room door and pounded on it.
"Serenity, it's your brother Joey...open up!" he shouted.
"No! You abandoned me when I needed you! I thought I could trust you to be there for me...I can't face having this surgery without you! How could you!!" Serenity shouted.
Joey felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks as he felt the sting of her words. It was true, he had let her down, and he definitely didn't deserve her forgiveness, but she had to go through with the operation no matter what.
"You're right, Serenity. What I did to you was unforgiveable...in my own stupidity, I forgot what one of the most important people in my life meant to me. By leaving you to your own devices to face this alone, it only proved to both of us just what kind of man i am. A not very good one. Please Serenity, please open the door. You must have this surgery. Don't do it for me, do it for yourself, little sister. Let this surgery be the first and only selfless act I could ever do for you." Joey said.
There was a moment of silence as Joey caught his breath and wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve. He looked up suddenly as the door opened and Serenity stood there. Tears in her eyes, she faced Joey.
"Oh Joey!!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.
"Serenity..." he sighed, holding her close.
This was the way it was upposed to be, him and his sister together, the way it would always be, no matter what. He smiled and stroked her soft hair gently. She parted from him and embraced her mother. Her mother smiled gratefully and embraced her daughter.
"Thank you, Joesph...and you too, Tristen." his mother told them.
Tristen began to blush furiously as Serenity's mother left them alone together in the room. "You don't have to be shy, Tristen, you're practically family. You can sit down if you like." she said.
Tristen sighed with relief and smiled. "Thanks. I guess I just got nervous around people I've just met." he said. "Oh please, don't be nervous around me...you said your name was Tristen? Did you drive here?" Serenity asked.
"Yes. I drive a motorcycle. It was a birthday gift from my parents. Some people think it's scary to ride one, but I really enjoy it." Tristen said. "I've always wanted to do that, but with my eyesight being the way they are, I've never been able to. I really don't think my mother would allow me to anyway. she said.
Feeling her smiling eyes on him, Tristen blushed furiously and looked out the hospital room window. "Oh wow, what a beautiful sunset." Tristen said.
Serenity sighed. "I wish I could see it." she said. "I could describe it to you." Tristen offered with a smile.
She answered with a smile. "Would you, please? I'd really like that." she said. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.
"Okay. Well, let's see. The sun is just above the horizon, and the sky around it is displayed with splashes of dark amethyst purple and warm harvest orange. It really is amazing; my words can't even begin to give it justice." he said.
" No Tristen, you're wrong. Somehow through what you've told me, I can see exactly what you mean. It truly is breathtaking...thank you." she said. Tristen chuckled. " I guess I've always been a sucker for natural landscapes myself." he said.
" What do you look like, Tristen?" she asked.
" Me? Um, I guess I'm about five foot ten, one hundred fifty pounds, brown eyes and short brown eyes. Your typical tall, skinny teenaged guy." he chuckled nervously.
"I'm sure you are a very nice looking guy. It's hard to tell without being able to really see you. You said you thought I was pretty? she asked.
This time his whole face turned red. "Did I say that? Um... I guess if I did, I definitely meant it, Serenity." he said. Before she could respond, the phone rang beside her.
"Hello?" Serenity asked.
"Is this Serenity? Um hi, this is Yugi Mutou. Is my friend Tristen there?" he asked.
"Hi. Oh yes, hold on please. Phone call for you." she said.
She handed the phone to her new friend as her mother returned, her arrival disrupting her hearing Tristen's conversation. "You look upset, Tristen. Is something wrong?" her mother asked.
"Yes. Joey left from his dad's a couple hours ago to come up here and now he's come up missing. The gang wants me to go help find him." Tristen said.
Tristen looked over at his friend's pretty red haired sister and saw tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"I can't go through with this operation without Joey to be there for me! Please Tristen, you have to find him! I am so scared that something bad has happened to him..." she began.
Serenity gasped as Tristen took her hands in his to reassure her. "I will find him in time, I promise." he told her.
She smiled at him, trusting him completely. "Thank you." she said.
How can I face Serenity and my friends now that I've lost the most rare card in my deck, the Red Eyes Black Dragon, Joey thought. It was the only card I had that was good enough to enter with in the Battle City Tournament.
It had not been easy to struggle down to the beach to nurse his wounded ego and even worse personal injuries from being beaten up in a dark alley by members of a group called Ghouls. He barely knew them, but hated them already for their deceitful way of playing Duel Monsters.
They had won by playing a set of fake Exodia cards, when the match should have gone to Joey instead. With all my years of street fighting abilities, I should've never let them get the best of me, Joey thought.
I don't need to be there anyways for Serenity's operation, he thought, she's had way too many people let her down in her life, I don't want to add to that. By losing that duel, I have let down everyone I care about, my friends and my family and even myself. I cannot even face myself in the state I'm in.
Tristen couldn't feel anything but anger at Joey for not showing up. He knew how much him being there for Serenity's operation meant to her. How could he do this?! The anger that coursed through him was just too much, he needed to find a way to calm himself down. And then the thought came to him. What could be better than riding his motorcycle? he thought to himself.
An hour later Tristen was on his bike and was somewhat more calm than when he started riding. It was like the wind was coming at him and purposely whisking away his anger. He shook off that thought and concentrated on the road ahead of him. He had no clue where he was going, but he was going somewhere.He had to find Joey, he couldn't let Serenity down. As he was thinking about that...a sudden feeling came over him. Then it came to him...he knew where his destination lay. He and Joey had had a very good connection. So why should it seem so weird that he suddenly had a feeling as to Joey's where abouts?
Joey clutched his cards to his chest. He still couldn't believe that he lost his most treasured card. If he couldn't have his Red Eyes Black Dragon, then what good would his deck be to him without it? He decided to walk around the beach and focus on the sunrise. The sky was so massive and it was filled with brightness. It was so stunning that he stood mesmerized by it. As he was standing there staring up at the sky, he heard a loud motor. He turned to see where the noise was coming from and he saw that it was Tristen.
"Joey!" Tristen shouted.
Joey's eyes widened as he watched his friend leap all the way from the top of the dock where he had parked his bike down in front of the surprised blonde.
"Tristen, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that! You were supposed to be at the hospital yesterday. Why am I finding you here?" he asked him.
Joey began to tremble as he looked up into his angry friend's eyes, falling to his knees in the sand with tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to worry anyone. I was on my way last night to see Serenity when I was forced to duel against several members of a group called Ghouls." Joey said.
"Ghouls?" Tristen asked.
"Yes. They defeated me using a set of fake Exodia cards, then they all surrounded me, beat me up and took my Red Eyes Black Dragon...that's why you found me out here. I couldn't even face you guys after that." Joey said.
"You couldn't face us because you lost a duel?! I can't believe this!! Do you even have any idea what you have put us all through?! Your sister has been worried sick about you and you've been out here, upset about losing a duel?" Tristen shouted.
Joey stood then, anger clouding his eyes, his hands balled up into fists.
"How dare you!! You act like this is nothing to me! This is devastating! I cannot compete in the Battle City tournament without my rarest card. I need to be able to do so to eventually battle Yugi to prove myself as a duelist." Joey said.
"Are you crazy?! You call that important when your family should be your highest priority? I thought I knew you better than that, Joey." Tristen said.
"I thought I knew you better! How can you expect me to think about anything else when I spent the night broken and bleeding in a dark alley for no good reson? Nothing else in my life right now is more important than finding those guys and getting back my treasured card!" Joey shouted.
At Joey's words,Tristen realized he could not listen to anymore. He had finally lost his patience with his stubborn friend, and proved that by socking him hard in the face, the punch forcing Joey down on his back on the sand. Not satisfied with the hit, he forced Joey up to his feet by fisting his shirt in his hands.
"How can you be so arrogant and self centered?! I agree that you and Yugi competing in Battle City is important, but there's nothing more important than your family! Your sister has refused to have her operation without you being there to support her. If you're willing to give up on everything now, then everything you've worked for up to this point will mean nothing, and that means your sister's eyesight too! If that happens, I'm pretty sure that will be more devastating than losing any one card." Tristen said.
He released his friend and the two boys faced each other then, eyes locked for a moment. Tristen finally exhaled as Joey sighed.
"You're right...I was selfish. I was only thinking of myself when I should have been thinking about my sister. You will take me to her, won't you, Tristen?" Joey asked.
Tristen smiled. "Of course I will, buddy. You don't even have to ask." he said.
Two thirty in the morning, Seto thought, as he looked over at the clock. Even when testing out my prototypes, I've very rarely ever been up this late. With his Battle City tournament about to start in a few days, Seto had found it hard to sleep in anticipation of the upcoming duels.
Seto sighed and got out of bed, pulling on a pair of loose balck pants and a warm black sweater. The house was quieter than usual as he glanced around, only the sounds of his little brother Mokuba's light snoring on the couch where he's fallen asleep watching television. Seto's eyes softened as he stroked his little brothers' hair affectionately, causing the boy to mumble in his sleep and pull the blankets closer to him.
Seto chuckled to himself as he walked into the kitchen. Somehow he knew it wasn't just his upcoming card tournament that causing him his restlessness. He realized it was Serenity he was thinking about. He had never lost sleep over a girl before. He had to admit to himself that he was worried about how her surgery had gone, that he wanted to visit her at the hospital and see how she was doing. He had only stayed away because he felt as though they had not known each other long for him to be involved in such a intimate family gathering. He told himself that she would call him when she was ready to see him again.
"Seto? Is that you?" Mokuba mumbled from the couch.
Seto smiled as he slipped his cup into the microwave. "Yes, little brother. Sleep well?" he asked.
"I guess. I should be asking you that. What are you doing up this time of night? Are you thinking about Serenity?" he teased.
Seto smirked at him. "What makes you ask that?" he asked.
"Well, if I had a pretty girlfriend that was in the hospital having surgery, I wouldn't be able to sleep either. I'm surprised that you're not there with her right now." Mokuba said.
"Well, first of all, Serenity is not my girlfriend, and second, yes, I was thinking about her! I can't imagine what it must be like for her to go through all that. I do wish I could be there with her." Seto said wistfully.
"Seto...you're in love with her, aren't you?" Mokuba gasped.
Seto's eyes widened. "What?! Why do you say that?" he asked,
Mokuba sat up on the couch and grinned at his brother. "It's written all over your face, big brother. You've never let anyone affect you this deeply before; you've always been able to disconnect emotionally from people who wanted to get close to you. This is great! I knew she was something special; I knew it!" Mokuba said.
Seto smiled and shook his head at his tousled haired sibling. As young as he was, he was so intiutive when it came to matters of the heart and he seemed to always know exactly what Seto was feeling. Serenity was definitely special to him, but did he really love her, he wondered. It had to be too soon, yet the feeling he felt in his heart was telling him something completely different....
Yugi was almost grateful that there was so much excitement building for his rival Seto Kaiba's Battle City tournament that was to start in a few days. Because of that, the streets were almost vacant due to duelists spending time at home preparing their decks. It made it a lot easier for him and Tea to look for their friend Joey, since Tristen had taken off on his motorcycle to look.
He and Tea had been searching all night to no avail, and he hoped that she would arrive soon to sit with him on the curb where they had agreed to meet. He was exhausted, and he made no attempt to cover his mouth as he yawned and blinked away impending sleep. Just as he felt like he was going to fall over ontot he pavement, he landed onto the solid shoulder of his lady friend.
"Did you find him?" Tea asked.
Yugi yawned again. "Nope. I haven't seen Tristen either. I'm starting to get worried." he said.
She smiled at her resting friend, watching his chest rise and fall in his tiredness. "Yeah, me too. Maybe we should go tot Tristen's house and see if he went home. Maybe his mom can tell us what happened to him." Tea said.
Both teens looked up as they heard the roar of a nerby engine and saw a familiar motorcycle drive by them carrying two passengers.
"Tristen!" they said in unison.
"I found him! I'll meet you at the hospital." Trsiten shouted to them.
Yugi and Tea smiled and embraced each other. "Alright!" they said.
Joey wasted no time making his way up to his sister's room to make sure everything was okay. Tristen had been right; he had been selfish and he should have been thinking of his sister all along. It never even occurred to him that she would refuse the operation unless he was there for her. It was obvious to him now how important he was to her, despite their limited time together ove rthe last couple years. He only hoped he could make it to her in time.
The first person he encountered was his mother, who wa snot angry but rather, disappointed by the son she thought she knew.
"Where's Serenity, Ma?" he asked.
"Joesph...you're here...you made it just in time. She's still in her room. Maybe you can talk some sense into her." her mother said.
Joey stepped over to the hospital room door and pounded on it.
"Serenity, it's your brother Joey...open up!" he shouted.
"No! You abandoned me when I needed you! I thought I could trust you to be there for me...I can't face having this surgery without you! How could you!!" Serenity shouted.
Joey felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks as he felt the sting of her words. It was true, he had let her down, and he definitely didn't deserve her forgiveness, but she had to go through with the operation no matter what.
"You're right, Serenity. What I did to you was unforgiveable...in my own stupidity, I forgot what one of the most important people in my life meant to me. By leaving you to your own devices to face this alone, it only proved to both of us just what kind of man i am. A not very good one. Please Serenity, please open the door. You must have this surgery. Don't do it for me, do it for yourself, little sister. Let this surgery be the first and only selfless act I could ever do for you." Joey said.
There was a moment of silence as Joey caught his breath and wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve. He looked up suddenly as the door opened and Serenity stood there. Tears in her eyes, she faced Joey.
"Oh Joey!!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.
"Serenity..." he sighed, holding her close.
This was the way it was upposed to be, him and his sister together, the way it would always be, no matter what. He smiled and stroked her soft hair gently. She parted from him and embraced her mother. Her mother smiled gratefully and embraced her daughter.
"Thank you, Joesph...and you too, Tristen." his mother told them.