::Gives cookies to everyone who reveiwed.:: Thanks! Thank you soooooo much!!
"Dammit!" Tristan yelled and slammed his fist against the side of the elevator. "We just missed him!"
"I'll bet you that that was him in the elevator when Yugi had his button spaz attack," Téa muttered as the smaller boy blushed. Ryou collapsed after too much running up and down the stairs.
"Maybe he'll be outside when we get there," he said softly.
"Let's hope so," Tristan replied.
It seemed to take forever for the elevator to make it's descent to the ground floor. It stopped four times but each time when the people attempting to get on saw the looks that the teenagers were giving them, they decided that it might be a good idea to wait a few more minutes.
With Tristan and Téa leading them, the four burst out of the elevator and headed for the front doors. They burst from them, frightening a few people and looked around wildly.
Tristan cursed.
He was no where to be seen.
***
"Seto?" a soft voice asked. The CEO rolled over to see his little brother awake and staring at him.
"Yes Mokuba?"
"Do you remember....who you saw when you woke up yesterday?"
"Um..." he nodded. "Of course! You and Yugi!"
Mokuba sat up and looked at his brother. "Why didn't you tell me Seto?"
The older boy swallowed nervously. "What?"
"Joey. It was Joey who saw you fist when you woke up. Why didn't you tell me that? You said that you would tell me everything, Seto!"
The older Kaiba looked down at his hands. "I know Mokuba....but it's the stangest thing. I can't remember a single thing about Joey except for what he looks like. I can't remember....anything....
Suddenly two arms encircled the boy and lightness flooded into his heart. /Joey?/
But no...Mokuba's face smiled at him. "Ask any questions, big brother, and if I know the answers I will give them to you. I promise." The boy smiled at his older brother, brightly.
Seto smiled. "Thank you Mokuba...."
/As with everything, Seto Kaiba, there are consequences./
***
"I need to go home for a little while," Ryou said apologetically. "I need to make lunch for Bakura and myself and I need to catch up on some homework that I was missing from whenI was absent."
Yugi smiled. "That's okay Ryou. I need to break for a little while too." Then he turned to his two friends. "Don't worry we'll search again in a little while. But we all need some rest I think."
Tristan and Téa nodded reluctantly. "In two hours, we'll meet at Yugi's house," Tristan said. As the two boys hurried off Téa turned to her old friend.
"Don't worry, Tristan," she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck. "We'll find him. I know we will. Mako saw him only a few hours ago." She smiled encouragingly up at him.
"I know...."Tristan whispered embracing his friend. "It's just...."
"I know," Téa replied gazing up at him. "You're worried. Don't be. He'll be fine. He's a big boy."
Tristan nodded. "It's not Joey I'm worried about. I know that he can take care of himself just fine. But....we need to find him first."
"Before who?"
"His father."
***
"Little One." The small white haired boy spun to see a taller, eviler version of himself standing in the shadows.
"Oh...hello Bakura...I was just---"
"I have a question for you Ryou."
"O--h?"
"Why did you lie? Why did you not tell me about Joey being missing? I had to find out from Yami, of all people. Why did you not just tell me?"
"Why would I?" the shy boy asked. "It's not like you care, anyway."
Bakura took a slightly startled step backwards.
"And you'd get mad."
"Mad?"
"Yeah!" the boy exploded. "You get mad about every little thing that happens. Why wouldn't you get mad about this? I move and you get mad!"
"That was just---"
"No! That was not just once! It has happened so many times. Like last night when Rashid was over!"
"I was drunk!"
"Then maybe you'd better stop drinking!" The Keeper of the Ring turned away and the nturned back again. "You know what Bakura? I'm tired of this. Let it go."
"What?"
"You have so much anger inside of you towards Yami! Let. It. Go! It is destroying you Bakura, why can't you see it? Release whatever grudge that you have against the world and go back to being the person that you were in Egypt. Let it go Bakura. Or...or I'm leaving..."
"Ry--"
Suddenly the boy seemed to realize what he had said and he blushed bright crimson. Ryou turned and ran, leaving the old spirit standing by himself on the sidewalk.
Slowly Bakura turned in the opposite direction and began to walk, wondering where his legs would take him.
***
Slowly Joey let himself fall onto the green luscious grass and let the afternoon sun beat down on his face. He closed his eyes and imagined Seto as he had always known him. Tall...a smirk plastered on his face...hard sapphire eyes....thin, lean body...great body....
/Loser!/
Joey sat uo with a start. /Why?/ he thought. /Why Seto? He has done nothing but torment me from the first day that we met. Why him...why did I have to fall for him...I swore that I wouldn't but..../
Sighing he fell back onto the grass of the park.
/"For you Joey..."/
***
"When did I meet Joey first?"
"At Yugi's grandfather's Game Shop. You were looking for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card..."
"That's right!" Seto cried. "I remember that....they were so mad at me....Yugi especially. I remember Joey's eyes...."
"Seto?"
The CEO shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway...how old is he?"
"Sixteen."
"Parents?"
"Yeah both. His mom and sister live in Tokyo though. He lives with his dad, I guess."
"And his friends...they're Tristan, Yugi and Téa, right?"
"And that white haired kid. I can't remember---"
"Ryou, right?"
"Yeah."
***
/Great.../ Bakura thought to himself. /The park..../
He walked through i staring at the ground, pondering his hikari's words. Suddenly eleven of his words hit him like a ton of bricks. /---go back to being the person that you were in Egypt./
"How---?" The spirit squeezed his eyes shut. How in the name of Ra could his hikari know what he was like in Egypt. No one knew what he was really like....not even Yami and they had been the best of friends. Yami saw the shell of Bakura in Egypt....not the real Bakura....But how could Ryou know?
He was about to try the link when a familiar face stuck out at him from the green grass. Slowly Bakura tread over to the familiar figure and looked down at the boy who seemed to be sleeping.
"Well hello Joey."
***
"How does Joey do in school?" Seto asked settling back on the pillows.
Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know. Although one day you did come home, mumbling about some stupid blonde doing better then you."
Seto nodded. "Yeah I rememeber now...I swear Yugi did it for him....what about sports?"
"Not that I know of...." Mokuba lay against his big brother's chest.
"....girlfriend?"
The black haired boy chuckled. "Nope."
"Mokuba....do you know what Joey said to me just before I collapsed?"
The young teen shook his head. "Nope I don't have any idea. But the first time that you were in the hospital, Joey stayed with you for a really long time and talked to you. That's when you woke up. That's what he did this time too and it worked! You were awake...and then...."
"Yeah."
Seto closed his eyes. What was he forgetting?
***
Joey's eyes snapped open to see a pair of cold brown eyes glaring down at him. He sat up abruptly and turned to see Bakura staring at him, hands in his pockets.
"What are you doing here?" the blonde asked. "Did Ryou send you?"
The white haired spirit shook is head. "No."
"Oh...then----?"
"I just thought that you might want to know that your friends are frantic with worry." He rolled his eyes. "Mortals. Anyway everyone is in a big huff about it all. Ryou, the Pharoh's pet, the fiend and the dork ahave been running around since about six o'clock this morning. They're pretty worried...."
"Why are you doing this?" Joey asked, standing up. "Telling me all this...."
Bakura shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm kinda of on the bad side of Ryou and---"
"And you don't want to be?"
The spirit rolled his eyes and scoffed. "No you stupid mortal. I need Ryou because he's a great cook. I've been...banned from the stove."
Joey laughed. "Riiiiight." Then seriously he bowed ever so slightly to the once evil spirirt of the Millenium Ring. "Thanks Bakura." And he went running across the park, heading for the closest taxi.
Bakura watched the blonde stumble over his kimono, chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Stupid mortals," he muttered. But he turned and walked towards home, wondering if Ryo would welcome him back.
***
A/N: Wow! I'm sorry about this one being so long and all! But I hope that you enjoyed it. R&R pweeeease!!!! ^_^