::gives Cyana a cookie::: Enjoy! And thanks for the reveiw! Thank you everyone for the reveiws!

Joey blinked once. Then again. The slamming of the doors and high scream of the ambulance pulled him from his shocked state. He dropped the pen that was in his hand and began to run flat out for the door.

"Joey!" a voice cried. Strong hands gripped him by the shoulders and a voice spoke in his ear. "Joey, stop."

The blonde boy spun to find Tristan's brown eyes studying him. "B-but Kaiba!" Joey cried, eyes wide open. "What the hell happened to Kaiba?"

Tristan studied his friend carefully. The only other time he had seen his friend this worked up was the night before Serenity's operation...Joey was....scared? But for Kaiba?

"He collapsed in class," Tristan said slowly. Joey was still staring over Tristan's shoulder in the direction that Kaiba had been rushed away. He was still weakly trying to get past Tristan....to get to the door...

Suddenly Téa appeared behind him. She was startled to see the tears in her friend's eyes. Startled to see that he was so close to breaking down...over Kaiba? She knew what had to be done.

"Tristan," she ordered. "Get the motorcycle."

As the brown haired boy ran to obey, she encircled her arms around her taller friend. She didn't know what was eating him so much about Kaiba but she could still help. "Don't worry Joey, everything will be fine."

Those words seemed to trigger something inside of him and three tears fell from his eyes and dripped gently down his cheeks. "But what if it's not?" he whispered. "What if he dies?"

It was in that exact moment that Téa understood. Understood exactly what her blonde friend was feeling. She had felt the exact same way, asked herself the exact same question when Yugi had been in the hospital. /What if he doesn't get better...what if he never does?/

"Oh Joey," she whispered. But she couldn't say anymore because the sound of a horn broke through their thoughts and Tristan's voice floated through the air.

It was time to leave.

***

"Where am I?" he asked outloud. All around him were swirling colors and flashes of bright light. But there were also patches of darkness...patches of a deep darkness like he had never seen before....

"That depends..." a voice said. It boomed all around him and echoed in his mind. It sounded so very familiar...."Where do you want to be?"

He spun around in circles desperately trying to find the source of that oh-so familiar voice. "Who are you?"

"What a complicated answer."

"Answer me!"

"No."

He swallowed. "Alright then...what do you want?"

The voice laughed. He knew that laugh.... "That Seto Kaiba, I can tell you."

***

He had grown since they had last seen him a couple years ago. He was growing taller, leaner, like his brother. His bright blue eyes were wide and unbelieving and his mouth hung slightly ajar. His baggy clothes hung loosely on his body. He stared straigh ahead.

As soon as he entered the room, Tristan and Téa rose to greet him. The gril kneeled down in front of him and stared into his eyes. "Mokuba?" she whispered. "Are you going to be okay?"

"My brother," the thirteen year old boy whispered. "Where is Seto? What they said....it can't be true...."

"I'm sorry Mokuba..." Tristan whispered. "But the nurses won't let anyone in. He's in the ICU....the Intensive Care Unit..."

The younger boy stared up at Tristan with huge pleading eyes. "But he'll be alright won't he? Seto will be fine right? I mean he has to get better....for his company, for Duel Monsters..."

Closer to the room, Joey flinched and clutched his fists tightly in his lap. He knew what Mokuba's next words were going to be...in his mind he whispered them along with the young boy.

"...For me."

Téa bit her lip and hugged the boy tightly. "Don't worry, Mokuba, he'll get better." She looked up at Tristan. "You guys should go down for a drink. We'll stay. And then we'll switch off okay?"

Forcibly Mokuba was dragged down the hall to the cafeteria. Slowly Téa made her way over to Joey and sat down beside him. She began to rub his back soothingly.

"Don't worry Joey," she whispered.

"But what if he dies?" the blonde whispered. "What if he doesn't get better? I don't care if when he comes out he doesn't remember anyone, or he absolutely hates me, but what if he he doesn't come back at all? I....I don't think that I could stand it..."

"You really love him don't you?" Téa whispered. She was kind of surprised, he had always said how much he had hated Seto Kaiba, and now this....but she supported him. She was behind him all the way.

"Love is a strong word Téa," he whispered and then paused and nodded. "I do and what kills me so much is....I don't know why!" He shook his blonde head. "He hates me Téa I just know he does and yet....still I can't help but...."

"Joey." Téa stood and tugged on her friend's arm for him to stand to. "Joey it's time for you to go in. Talk to him like you once did. You brought him back that day...and you know it."

"I know...but what-what if I can't bring him back again?"

"Go Joey," she whispered and for a moment she reminded him exactly of Serenity.

He nodded, took a deep breath and slipped down the hall towards room 671.

***

"So?" Seto crossed his arms and looked towards where the voice was coming from. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

A figure stepped from the shadows and grinned. Seto nodded as if had been expecting a mirror image of himself come forth from the darkness. The other Kaiba grinned again.

"I'm here to grant the wish, Seto of whether or not you want to live or not."

Seto snorted. "I could make that decision by myself," he scoffed. He thought of his life. An utter failure of a life. He didn't deserve to live. He didn't deserve anything that he did have....not one bit.

"So Seto Makital," the spirit said naming him by the name that he had before he wa sadopted by Gozaburo Kaiba. "What is you decision."

Utter conviction and finality rang in Seto's voice. And the spirit nodded as if he had been expecting it too.

"Death."