"Yugi," a voice called. The boy groggily opened his eyes and sat up yawning. Where was he? The over extremeness of white attacked his senses.

Oh yeah. The hospital.

"Yugi."

He looked towards the familiar voice. His grandfather was leaning over him and smiling vaguely. "I brought you the clothes like you asked," he said quietly.

"What time is it?" the teen mumbled.

"Almost 1:00 A.M," Solomon replied easing his grandson onto his feet.

Blinking, Yugi looked around to see that his friends were asleep as soundly as he had been moments ago. Serenity was curled up in Tristan's lap, her face still red from the tears. Téa, despite all her arguments against it, was snoring gently draped in a comfy looking purple chair.

Quickly Yugi closed his eyes and slipped into his yami's soul room. The spirit was laying on a couch staring at the ceiling where images played across it like a movie screen. Yugi opened his eyes quickly, not wanting to spy on his darker self.

"Yugi? I brought you some clothing," Solomon said. The boy looked down at the bag that his grandfather handed him.

"Thank you Grandpa..." the boy murmured and headed for the bathroom. "I'll be right back..."

***

"So..." Seto looked around him and then up at the clock, 12:50 AM, anywhere but Joey's face. He would rather look at anything else in the world then the boy's face...bruised...cut...

"Well Joey I guess I owe it to you to help you in any way that I can seeing as how that's what you did to me. And there's nothing more that I hate then owing someone something. But you already know that..." He sighed realizing just how difficult this was going to be.

"Since I woke up I've been trying to figure out what you said to me that night, Joey. I've been trying to figure out exactly what happened but...no one will tell me. Not even Yugi. He told me that I needed to hear it from you. But now..." Seto looked down at his hands. "Well now you're in this condition. But I think I've figured it out. I still want to hear it from you though....and that's why you've got to wake up Joey. Because I need to know. I need to know what happened....what was said..."

"I don't understand it Joey. I don't understand why you would stay in this little room and talk to a corpse like body and much less....I can't understand why you would try to save me. Me of all people. After all I've been so---so---that's the other reason you have to wake up. I need to know."

He chuckled. "Wow. I just realized how selfish I sound. Mokuba would be ashamed...but...Joey there's a girl out there waiting for you to wake up so that she can hug you. Your little sister was sobbing last time I saw her. Absolutely sobbing...and Tristan, you're oldest friend, I don't think that I've ever seen him so...so..." Seto sighed wondering how he was going to continue. "And Téa, she's so worried about you...and Yugi. If you don't wake up blondie, he'll never forgive himself. He's too hard on himself, I'm sure that he blames himself for not being able to save you quicker."

Anger flared through the brunette's veins as he squeezed the side of the chair. "Man if I ever get my hands on that so called father of yours I swear....he reminds me so much of Gozaburo..." he couldn't believe what he was saying or what else was about to spill from his lips. He had never told this to anyone no matter what state they were in, not even Mokuba. "He was just like your father, Joey, cruel and cold and---"

Seto was aware that there seemed to be a spell over him, yet he didn't fight it. It felt good. To say all of this stuff. "I guess...I guess I'm kind of sorry about all the times I was rough on you...calling you a chihuahua and all but...there was a reason for that. I guess...."

***

"Help me!" he screamed. "Help! Please someone help meeee!"

There was a sudden burst of bright light that sent Joey to his knees and made him cover his eyes. "Wha---? What the--?" The light grew brighter and brighter as the dark figure struggled forward. "No!" Joey cried. "Don't! You can't get hurt on account of me! Whoever you are, get away while you can!"

But still the light surged on fighting against the dark figure. Bringing the dark figure into the light and letting Joey see who it reall was. Not that he didn't already know. But...

The light stripped away the darkness shrouding his father and revealed him for what he really was. A feeble old drunk who could barely walk and relied on violence to get him through the world.

Slowly his father shriveled until he was no more then a puddle of darkness surrounded entirely by a pool of light.

"Who are you?" Joey asked, raising unsteadily to his feet. "Why did you save me?"

"Because Joey," the light smiled, somehow it smiled, as it recited so familiar words. "That's what you do. Even if they don't like you but you see something in them, you try to get them back. It's just what you do."

"Who are you?" Joey whispered.

The light faded gently to reveal a pair of sapphire eyes and a straightly set mouth.

"Seto?"

"...sobbing last time I saw her. Absolutely sobbing..." the boy was staring into space as if he couldn't even see Joey. "...and Yugi. If you don't wake up blondie, he'll never forgive himself..."

"Seto?" Joey asked again walking towards the brown haired boy. "What's going on?"

He didn't respond. "Man if I ever get my hands on that so called father of yours I swear....I'm kind of sorry about all the times I was rough on you...calling you a Chihuahua and all but..." He paused and turned to stare directly into Joey's eyes. "There's a reason."

***

He laughed softly. "You remind me so much of myself that it scares me. When I was thirteen and living in the orphanage, I was happy and go-lucky. Kind of like you, Joey. And I was always smiling. But I learned the hard way that life sucks. Through Gozaburo and his 'training'...I saw you that day in the Game Shop and you reminded me of myself the day that I bought my first pack of Duel Monster's cards. And I didn't want you to have to learn the hard way that life sucks. I didn't want you---" he stopped and looked around. "No...No that's wrong. I did want you to learn that life sucks. Because it does. But I wanted it to be from someone that you hated--me--instead of someone like you father that you might have to love or something...."

Seto sighed and stared at Joey's limp hands. "I guess I really did a good job of toughening you up because in the end you hated me more then I could have imagined. But I guess I failed as well. I'm sorry Joey; I didn't toughen you up enough. Your father still got to you, still hurt you."

He chuckled. "Bet you that you never thought that you'd hear me say these words, but here it goes Joey Wheeler: I was protecting you. In all my teasing and nicknames and punches I was really protecting you from the real world." He laughed again. "Wow, I never thought I'd be able to say that to you."

Seto smiled down on the boy's angelic face and without really realizing what he was doing, leaned down and kissed the blonde's forehead. "Wake up soon," he whispered, standing.

As he turned to leave, a voice stopped him and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait Seto. Don't leave."

***

He peered into the living room to see his darker half sprawled on the couch. They'd been home for almost four hours and Bakura hadn't moved once. Not even when Ryou had put a steaming plate of chiken and mashed potatoes, one of Bakura's favorite meals, on the coffee table in front of him.

He sighed and hurried up to his room. He knew what he had to do. He placed his hand on the phone. Bakura would hate him forever. Gripping the phone tightly in one hand, he punched in the number he wanted and placed it near his ear.

"Hello...is Ishizu there?"

***

Hey guys! I am soo soooo sooo incredibly sorry about the wait but we just got a new comp and everything and its been really confusing. But thanks for hanging true! Next one will definitely be quicker I promise!