YUGIOH

Amnesia

Chapter 19.

It was a gloomy rainy Sunday, and everyone was at their homes, trying not to think about Kaiba's betrayal to them....but thinking about it, anyway.

Yugi sat there, playing with the edges of the Millennium Puzzle, as he said to the spirit Yami beside him, "I don't understand it, Yami. Even when Kaiba was Kaiba.....he hadn't been that heartless, since....well since the first time we ever beat him in Duel Monsters. I was sure there was good in him. How did it all turn around so terribly? Maybe we should have never tried to befriend him in the first place..."

Yami answered, "Something happened to him, Yugi. Remember what I said about him? For him to remember, something terrible had to trigger it. I know inside, he didn't want to remember, because he wanted to be our friends."

"He didn't seem like it." Yugi said.

"No. For him to go as far as he did, I would say he had to somehow feel....betrayed." Yami stated.

"Betrayed? The only thing I could think of, is if he remembered the truth about the way he was with us, and that he didn't really feel like we were friends, when we told him we were. But Joey already told him the truth, so if that would have happened.....it would have happened sooner." Yugi said.

"Hmmm.....well, let's think about this. Kaiba went out of his way to make sure we invited Duke Devlin. That seemed strange, since he barely saw Kaiba after his accident, or even before for that matter. He barely knew him." Yami said.

"That is true." Yugi said. "I wonder why...."

"There's another thing that Kaiba said, which caught my attention. When you told him that if we die, Serenity would also die with us.....he said this wouldn't have been as 'enjoyable' to him, if she wasn't on the cart about to die." Yami mentioned.

"That's terrible! How could he feel that way towards her? He was going out with her....he fought tooth and nail against Joey for her!" Yugi said.

"Exactly." Yami said. "Now let's put Serenity together with Duke Devlin....who happens to be one of the men in her life that was chasing after her, before Kaiba began to go out with her...."

Yugi suddenly looked up at Yami, and gasped, "You can't honestly think that Serenity and Duke Devlin...."

Yami raised an eyebrow, stating, "It would certainly answer a lot of questions, if that were the case."

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It was awhile later, when Joey came over, shaking the water out of his coat. Yugi looked sadly up at his friend. Joey looked so down-trodden. "I.....I came over as quick as I could, Yugi. What's the emergency?"

"I don't know how to say this to you Joey, but....I figured you could talk to your sister about it, better than me or Yami could." Yugi said.

"Oh, you mean about that - that....thing? I don't even wanna say his name! What a jerk! Well, I think Serenity should be left alone, for awhile. She needs to think about this on her own. I don't even think I could help her. But, man.....the first time I see him alone, he's gonna pay!" Joey said. The look on Joey's face was bad. So much hate and pain, himself. Yugi feared that Joey meant it.

"Joey...." Yugi stammered. "Don't you think it's strange that Kaiba made such a harsh turn-around?"

"I was, but I shouldn't have been! That lousy creep, no one hurts my sister!!" Joey yelled.

"But what if she hurt him first....?" Yugi said.

Joey then froze, looking down at Yugi. "Whaddya mean by that!!"

Yugi backed up, saying, "Joey....it just seems strange that he made sure to invite Duke Devlin, and that he mentioned he especially wanted Serenity on the cart with us. What if Serenity cheated on him with...."

"With who? With Duke? You think my sister would start fooling around with other men?? And I thought you wuz one uh my closest friends! I can't believe you're saying things like that about my sister, and defending Kaiba!!" Joey yelled.

"I....I'm sorry, Joey." Yugi said.

"No, I'm sorry for coming over here!" Joey said, and slammed the door, going back out in the rain, not even bothering to grab his coat.

Yugi collapsed on the ground and began to cry. Yami put a hand on Yugi, saying, "I'm sorry, Yugi."

"It....it's not your fault." Yugi sniffed.

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There was a loud knock on the door, as Serenity let Joey in. Her eyes were all red from crying earlier. "Joey, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just can't believe the nerve of my own friend turning on me like that!" Joey said.

"Don't be so down on yourself, Joey. I really thought he cared about me, too!" She sniffed and turned, trying to hide her tears.

"I aint even talking about him, yet. I meant Yugi....the nerve of that guy!" Joey snapped.

"Yugi? What did he do?" She asked, confused.

"He had the nerve to accuse you of cheating on Kaiba! You believe that??" Joey said. "My own sister, sleeping around. I oughta pop him one too, just for that kind of insult."

"Well, why would he think that? Cheating with who??" she asked.

"That loser, Duke!" Joey said, pacing around. "My own best friend sitting there bad-mouthing my sister right in front of me, like that!"

Serenity suddenly paled, asking, "Uh....where would Yugi come up with that?"

"He's telling me that Kaiba tried to kill us, cuz you were supposedly cheating on him. You believe that?" Joey asked, then noticed Serenity's face. "Uh....sis, that 'aint' true....right??"

"My god....." She whispered, finally realizing. "Oh, my god!!" Serenity burst into tears, as she dropped to the floor.

"Serenity!" Joey exclaimed, dropping down as well, to hold her. "Serenity....tell me the truth, was this true??"

Serenity was shaking, as she babbled out, "I asked Seto why he didn't show up that night, and he said he was sick. That look in his eyes, why didn't I realize how much pain he was in? Joey, I didn't know he was there....I never knew he was there! He saw us, and he didn't say anything to me about it!!"

Joey was in shock, holding his sister, "You....you did cheat on Kaiba?"

"NO!!" She exclaimed. "Oh, god.....Joey, he saw Duke kiss me, and must have assumed I was having an affair. I almost told him about it that day at the game shop. If I didn't hide it, if I told him the truth...I could have stopped this whole thing, before it happened!"

"But, you said you weren't cheating on him. Why was....??" Joey tried to question.

"Duke told me that he always wanted me, and was asking me to give Seto up. I told him no, but he didn't listen to me. He kissed me before I knew what was happening. But it barely lasted at all. After I was done being shocked from it, I pushed him away and told him how disgusted I was with him!" Serenity said.

"Why, that lousy creep....." Joey said.

Serenity began bawling harder, saying, "Duke came over just alittle while ago to comfort me. He asked me again if I wanted to be with him....and I said I'd think about it!" Serenity then just started gushing, as she leaned heavily against her brother.

Joey sat there a long time, thinking about what to do. He now hated Duke, and wanted to kill him. Kaiba threatened to kill them all, but it was because his heart broke, thinking Serenity cheated on him. "You know Serenity, if Kaiba was willing to kill you over a misunderstanding, maybe it wasn't worth being with him, anyway." He said, to try and reassure that her possible hate or disgust for Kaiba was still justifiable. "I mean, if that 5 minutes hit first, we'd all be dead, now...." Not realizing that they were passed that amount of time, when they got free.