A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! That is the most reviews
in the shortest period of time that I've ever gotten. Kayla is so happy
that her first reviews were so approving. Zatken, we can't thank you enough
for saying our fic was "gut-wrenchingly good"! And sorry, Aikenka, for
killing Tea, but she was just the first of many. So please read and review
some more. If you have any ideas, feel free to tell us, we'll probably use
them.
The next day, a phone call awoke Joey and Yugi. "We're not supposed to be waking up this early! It's Saturday, for goodness' sake!" Joey grumbled as he reached for the phone.
"Joey?" "Mom. What do you need?" "I have bad news, son. Your sister's surgery didn't work out, and with no insurance on it, the doctors could not do anything when she began to show signs of not taking the treatment well."
Joey got quiet. He didn't know what to expect next. His mother lost control and started crying openly. "If only we would have had enough money for the back-up procedure! She could've been saved!"
"What? Enough money? Back-up procedure? Saved?" It finally struck Joey about what had happened. "You mean she's, she's, dead?"
"I'm so sorry, Joey! The doctors couldn't do anything. They tried, but they didn't know what procedure they needed and it was too late when the realized it. We wouldn't have had enough money anyways!" His mother wept.
"Mother."
"I'm going now, Joey. The funeral is tomorrow at 3:00." She hung up the phone. Joey and his mother had never really seen eye to eye on anything, and they didn't talk much.
"Joey, who was that on the phone?" Yugi asked, blearily as he came down the stairs.
"She's dead," he muttered.
"Who?" Yugi said, instantly waking up.
"My sister, Serenity."
"I'm so sorry, Joey."
"Its okay, Yuge. I know she's in a better place anyways." Joey said. "If only I would have dueled Pegasus for that money, the doctors would have been able to do something!" he screamed, almost losing control.
"Joey, no! Don't start to blame yourself. We don't need to go through this! It's not your fault!" Yugi said. "You tried convincing me that I didn't kill Kaiba and Tea, and it didn't work until now! NO I understand that nobody killed anybody! Just like you didn't kill your sister."
"But, Yuge, you don't understand. If we would have finished the Tournament, we could have won that money. We could have saved her! No, I'm not blaming you, Yuge, you're the only thing I have left now, my only friend."
"Come on, Joey. Tristan will want to know, he always liked her."
"You're right. Tristan was almost as much of a big brother to her than I was."
"Yes, so let's go tell him. He'll need somebody to talk to anyways."
Joey and Yugi left the game shop and traveled down the road to Tristan's house. He opened the door drearily, since it was still early in the morning.
"Hey guys. What's going on that you have to wake a person up this early on a Saturday morning?"
"It's Serenity, Tristan." Yugi said.
Tristan's manner changed instantly. "Come in, you guys. Have a seat. What's wrong?"
Joey sat quietly as Yugi began to tell Tristan of this morning's early phone call. "We got a phone call earlier this morning. Serenity had the operation, but when she began to not take the treatment well, the doctors could do nothing. Her family didn't have enough money for the back- up procedure and not enough time to get it cleared with the hospital anyways. They lost her." Yugi explained, gently.
Tristan sat silently. He'd always loved Serenity, first as a big brother, then as something more. He would mourn her death and miss her as much as Joey would. 'No, I can never fell the pain Joey's been through. First Tea, we all knew he had a little crush on her. Now his sister, he loved her so much. Nobody should have to go through as much torment as poor Joey has in the past few days.'
"When's the funeral?" Tristan asked, quietly.
"Tomorrow at 3 o'clock." Joey said, equally quiet.
"Joey, I know you've been through a lot these past few days, and you're in a lot of pain, so if you and Yugi want to stay at my house, instead of alone at the game shop, you're both welcome to." Tristan said, trying to comfort his friends.
"Thank you, Tristan. If you don't mind, me and Joey will go back to the game shop to get our things and come back."
Yugi and Joey left Tristan's house and retrieved their stuff from the game shop that was their home. The day passed slow and painfully for them, constantly reminded of the deaths of the past few days.
At Domino Church the next day, not many people were grouped around the grave prepared for Joey's sister. Joey did notice a tall figure standing a little way away from the rest of them, though. He looked a little harder at the figure and recognized him as Seto Kaiba. "Yugi," Joey whispered. "Look who's over there!"
Yugi looked at the shadowy figure. "Joey! Its Kaiba! What's he doing here?! Did he know Serenity?"
"Not that I know of, Yuge. But he's leaving now."
The rest of the funeral was like any other, full of mourning and crying. They reached the conclusion and Joey and Yugi walked towards the game shop as Tristan took to his motorcycle to return home. Tristan sped by his two friends, on his way to return home, but he didn't see the truck pulling out of the driveway in front of him.
Joey started to scream as Tristan's motorcycle hit the truck with a terrible metal screech. Joey realized that he had just witnessed yet another friend's death and he collapsed to his knees. He put his head in his hands and cried as Yugi rushed over to the telephone booth to call an ambulance.
This was the third death that Joey had witnessed in the past few days, and the fourth that had affected him directly. He thought about this as the tears streamed off of his face and through his fingers onto the ground.
The next day, a phone call awoke Joey and Yugi. "We're not supposed to be waking up this early! It's Saturday, for goodness' sake!" Joey grumbled as he reached for the phone.
"Joey?" "Mom. What do you need?" "I have bad news, son. Your sister's surgery didn't work out, and with no insurance on it, the doctors could not do anything when she began to show signs of not taking the treatment well."
Joey got quiet. He didn't know what to expect next. His mother lost control and started crying openly. "If only we would have had enough money for the back-up procedure! She could've been saved!"
"What? Enough money? Back-up procedure? Saved?" It finally struck Joey about what had happened. "You mean she's, she's, dead?"
"I'm so sorry, Joey! The doctors couldn't do anything. They tried, but they didn't know what procedure they needed and it was too late when the realized it. We wouldn't have had enough money anyways!" His mother wept.
"Mother."
"I'm going now, Joey. The funeral is tomorrow at 3:00." She hung up the phone. Joey and his mother had never really seen eye to eye on anything, and they didn't talk much.
"Joey, who was that on the phone?" Yugi asked, blearily as he came down the stairs.
"She's dead," he muttered.
"Who?" Yugi said, instantly waking up.
"My sister, Serenity."
"I'm so sorry, Joey."
"Its okay, Yuge. I know she's in a better place anyways." Joey said. "If only I would have dueled Pegasus for that money, the doctors would have been able to do something!" he screamed, almost losing control.
"Joey, no! Don't start to blame yourself. We don't need to go through this! It's not your fault!" Yugi said. "You tried convincing me that I didn't kill Kaiba and Tea, and it didn't work until now! NO I understand that nobody killed anybody! Just like you didn't kill your sister."
"But, Yuge, you don't understand. If we would have finished the Tournament, we could have won that money. We could have saved her! No, I'm not blaming you, Yuge, you're the only thing I have left now, my only friend."
"Come on, Joey. Tristan will want to know, he always liked her."
"You're right. Tristan was almost as much of a big brother to her than I was."
"Yes, so let's go tell him. He'll need somebody to talk to anyways."
Joey and Yugi left the game shop and traveled down the road to Tristan's house. He opened the door drearily, since it was still early in the morning.
"Hey guys. What's going on that you have to wake a person up this early on a Saturday morning?"
"It's Serenity, Tristan." Yugi said.
Tristan's manner changed instantly. "Come in, you guys. Have a seat. What's wrong?"
Joey sat quietly as Yugi began to tell Tristan of this morning's early phone call. "We got a phone call earlier this morning. Serenity had the operation, but when she began to not take the treatment well, the doctors could do nothing. Her family didn't have enough money for the back- up procedure and not enough time to get it cleared with the hospital anyways. They lost her." Yugi explained, gently.
Tristan sat silently. He'd always loved Serenity, first as a big brother, then as something more. He would mourn her death and miss her as much as Joey would. 'No, I can never fell the pain Joey's been through. First Tea, we all knew he had a little crush on her. Now his sister, he loved her so much. Nobody should have to go through as much torment as poor Joey has in the past few days.'
"When's the funeral?" Tristan asked, quietly.
"Tomorrow at 3 o'clock." Joey said, equally quiet.
"Joey, I know you've been through a lot these past few days, and you're in a lot of pain, so if you and Yugi want to stay at my house, instead of alone at the game shop, you're both welcome to." Tristan said, trying to comfort his friends.
"Thank you, Tristan. If you don't mind, me and Joey will go back to the game shop to get our things and come back."
Yugi and Joey left Tristan's house and retrieved their stuff from the game shop that was their home. The day passed slow and painfully for them, constantly reminded of the deaths of the past few days.
At Domino Church the next day, not many people were grouped around the grave prepared for Joey's sister. Joey did notice a tall figure standing a little way away from the rest of them, though. He looked a little harder at the figure and recognized him as Seto Kaiba. "Yugi," Joey whispered. "Look who's over there!"
Yugi looked at the shadowy figure. "Joey! Its Kaiba! What's he doing here?! Did he know Serenity?"
"Not that I know of, Yuge. But he's leaving now."
The rest of the funeral was like any other, full of mourning and crying. They reached the conclusion and Joey and Yugi walked towards the game shop as Tristan took to his motorcycle to return home. Tristan sped by his two friends, on his way to return home, but he didn't see the truck pulling out of the driveway in front of him.
Joey started to scream as Tristan's motorcycle hit the truck with a terrible metal screech. Joey realized that he had just witnessed yet another friend's death and he collapsed to his knees. He put his head in his hands and cried as Yugi rushed over to the telephone booth to call an ambulance.
This was the third death that Joey had witnessed in the past few days, and the fourth that had affected him directly. He thought about this as the tears streamed off of his face and through his fingers onto the ground.
