This...is....the fourteenth chapter....I am so happy! I never thought the story was going to do this well, but thanks to ALL my reviewers it has! I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. It may not seem to be as good as some of the other chapter....sorry! It was just really difficult continuing from a chapter like the last one. Anyways, I think this story is starting to come to an end......but this is NOT the last chapter! Response:

Setalina Muro: Omg, thank you for loving my story!! I never thought I was that good....you have made me soo soo soo soo happy! Thank you, thank you! I'm glad you don't hate my story, (really, I didn't want you to!) I will try not to down myself so much. Thanks, friend! Please review this chapter and tell me what you think! I really, really, want to know! (Thanks, again!)

CaptainInuYasha777: Heh, yeah that is funny. I have to put it in this chapter now! I had a thought, by the way, about the MSN Messenger. Why don't you download the AOL Communicator, and then you could talk to anyone without having them download the MSN thing. If you're interested I'll send you the link.

BlackCharmgirl: Oh, sorry, did I loose you with the life story? I thought it might be over doing it......oops........sorry! Please don't stop reading! You think it's good? YAY!! Tell me what you think of this one!

Elusia: Glad you enjoyed it, even though it didn't seem like your kind of thing. It makes me so happy to learn that people like my story! Thank you so much! I beg you to read this one and give me your opinion of it!

Xaio23: Sorry, but Lock had to go, he was making the story too happy. And Joey's a bastard...but he always was....hee hee. Lol, please keep reading. It'll get better!

curlQ: Cool! Glad you like the story so much! Kaiba MUST remain in character for this story! Kaiba DESERVES to remain in character! I continued this story for you—enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...poor me. Have pity owners of Yu-Gi-oh! Wherever you may be! (Maybe this will work....)

Chapter 14: Their Home

What's in a home?

What is it about a home that makes its owner want to go back there every day? And if the owner does not want to go home, why?

Is a home just a place where one has to sleep and eat because one's body cannot stay outside for too long? Even so, why do we want to return there?

Is a home made up of not wood and insulation and aluminum siding and all that, but family? Is a home synonymous with the people sharing it with you?

I can't figure it out. When I walked home with Mokuba and Serenity that day I felt like I was going home, nothing really to it. Sure, the funeral had not brightened my spirits, but that's how it was. I lived in my home and did everything a normal person should do in a home, but I never really appreciated it. I remember, when I was first blinded, I actually hated my home because I was intimidated by it. Why? What was in the nature of the home that I would associate it with being helpless? I don't know.

The next day, while I was in bed with Serenity, I did some serious thinking. Not about anything in particular, just about life. I often did this. But that day, the home subject came up.

"Serenity," I asked her, as she and I were laying right next to each other in a naturally loving way that I enjoyed so much. "Do you like your home?"

"What, Seto?" She must have been so confused.

"Do you like your home.....like, what makes you want to go back their every day?"

"Well...you know I haven't been in my home for a long time, now, and I miss it."

"You do?" I had forgotten. She really hadn't been in her home at all lately. I felt bad after that.

"Yeah. I miss the people there. Like Joey, my mom—she doesn't live with us, but sometimes she stops by to see me and make sure Joey's taking care of me—and my cat."

"You have a cat?" I asked, amused. I thought it was cute and amusing that she should have a cat.

"Yes. She's an old, black, fluffy one. Her name is Fricky."

"Fricky?" What the hell kind of name was that?

"Yeah.....I got her when I was very young and thought that she was freaky, only I couldn't say freaky, so I called her fricky and eventually that just became her name, you know? I almost lost her when my parents divorced, but I was allowed to keep her and when I moved in with Joey I found out he was allergic to cats."

I smiled, (ignoring her recap of the past events she had been through, as she had already told me all of it long before that day), "I actually do like that name."

"Really?" She was giggling softly under her breath.

"Yes...it sounds like a dirty word, you know...Fricky....." She laughed out loud. I kept smiling.

"It does...." She laughed again and we kissed. (A/N: If y'all think this is off topic, just keep reading. It has a purpose—besides being a little bit of healthy fluff between Seto and Serenity—I promise!) "We have to go Seto. I don't want to be late for Yugi and my friends!" She got up and began to get ready.

Once we got Mokuba ready, we were able to leave. I didn't want to go—of course—but I was beyond arguing with Serenity because she needed to be with her friends. She missed them, and it wasn't fair. I could have told her to go alone....but I don't think she would have gone for that, somehow.

We walked to Yugi's house. (If you think this odd, by the way, that we walked everywhere I have a simple explanation for it: Rollin died in that car accident, he did not remain "in critical condition" for very long, and I certainly could not drive a car....and Serenity and Mokuba were both too young for driving lessons at the time. Without a driver, we had no choice. Besides, I didn't mind. I had a sense of uneasiness around cars ever since the accident. I just couldn't help it.) Serenity knew the way by heart.

Conversation was sparse, but Mokuba talked, (and talked....and talked....and talked....), and my cane offered its regular rhythmic tapping as a reassurance and normality for what was to come. Nothing made me feel any better, though.

Just try to imagine being swallowed up by a devilish breed of insects in a dark hole and you can imagine what it felt like arriving. No, I am not a mellow-dramatic person.....I just hated the people I was about to converse with. Can you blame me? I mean, really, who the hell used "friendship" as a legitimate strategy in a card game? Really? Do you know anyone? I do. If you can believe that.

"We're here, Seto," Serenity informed me.

"Yay."

She giggled slightly. "Come, on, be nice today, alright Seto?"

"I'll try. For you." I realized eventually that all I would ever do would be for her, but that realization did not come to me that day.

Serenity rang the doorbell. A muffled "Coming!" emerged from inside. I recognized the voice as Mai's. Not long after, the door opened and she said, "Well, hiya Kaiba!" (A/N: There you go CaptainInuyasha777!)

"Hello."

"Hi Mai!" Serenity and Mokuba said this consecutively.

"Come on in, you guys!" Strangely cheerful, wasn't she?

Serenity had to move first and lead me, (we were used to this), and my cane was the first part of me to enter the house. It felt weird taking that step inside their home—like I was intruding on something. I thought, again, of what made up a home. How did Yugi feel every time he walked in?

The climate was warm in the hallway and I was uncomfortably reminded of my last brief with such a room, but I quickly banished those thoughts not wishing to reminisce over that so soon. I heard and felt the presence of many people around my, in the other room next the hall—the capacity of the home was not very large. The sound of heavy footsteps crashed from the ceiling, there was more than one floor, and lead stomped down to a rhythmic clunk, clunk, clunk which I knew to mean that someone was walking down a staircase. The staircase, in fact, was very near to me and though I sensed a person coming closer, I did not know who it was. That was the one problem. It was quiet—they had unknowingly blocked out one of the ways I asserted myself. Damn them.

Yet, blessed Serenity knew my sudden handicap and broke the silence. "Hi guys. I missed you all...umm, where's Joey?"

"He should be here any minute," Tristan said. Well that's upsetting, I thought.

"Good...I need to talk to him."

"We all need to talk," the voice from the stairs. I turned my head quickly its direction. Yugi's grandfather. What was his name again....I had forgotten.

"Yea...." The awkwardness was almost unbearable, as you can imagine. There was someone missing. Yugi. Where was Yugi?

As if in direct response to my question, the door opened and a startled Yugi walked in. "Oh, gosh, I forgot about today, guys! Sorry...."

"That's ok, Yugi!" Mokuba said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it..." Serenity offered.

"Well, come on in! don't just stand in the doorway!" He put down something that was in his arms—I guessed groceries by the ruffling of the packages—and lead us inside.

This room was larger than the hallway, (as one would hope...), with more room to breathe. Unfortunately everyone had to follow us so it only got more crowded.

"Sit down." Ok, so it was a sitting room. I did not want to sit, but had no choice as Serenity moved in that direction.

The couch was very soft. I hated soft couches. They made people sink into them and one could feel trapped, (especially if one is blind and is not familiar with the current surroundings).

"Want some tea?"

"YEA!" my little brother jumped at the chance, quite rudely, as it was.

"Mokuba...." I said quietly. It actually was the first thing I said the whole time.

"Oh...sorry....may I please have some tea...."

Yugi laughed shortly. "That's ok, Mokuba. Don't worry about it."

"I'll get it!" five people said at once. Apparently no one wanted to stay with the newfound company. I can't say that I blamed them.

"I'll get it...." Tèa said. "Want to help, anyone?" She hit something after she said that. A quiet "ow" followed.

"Yeah!" Mokuba jumped again, but he remembered my previous scolding. "....uh...please..." he added.

"And, er, I'll help, too Tèa...." He seemed unsure.

"Come on, then." They all left.

"Serenity." Mai was calling on her. "Come here. There's something we have to umm...talk about...in private." Why did she have to go? I didn't really want to be left alone...

"Sure." She patted my back discreetly but told me a lot with it: She didn't want to go but had to and she would be back as soon as she could. She knew how I felt and was sorry, but she knew that I could handle myself. She got up off the couch, (that alone seemed like a great feat, she shouldn't have had to do more than that), and went with Mai.

Alone with Yugi and his grandfather, I did something I wouldn't have normally done. I started a conversation with Yugi. "Why did you ask us to come here?" My voice was hard, low and obviously unenthusiastic.

"I just feel like we need to tie up some loose ends here."

"Like what?"

"What happened between you and Serenity." He did not ask this, it seemed, it sounded, rather, like he was ordering me to tell him. This made me automatically contentious.

"What does it matter?"

"It does."

"Why?"

"Well...because.....we care about her and want to know."

"Mmmm....alright. We had sex."

Yugi's grandfather gasped and Yugi said, "WHOA! No...I didn't mean...oh god..." I screwed him up. I smiled a wicked smile that told him I wasn't kidding, but was on the contrary rather glad. "Kaiba....ok...you know that's against the law, right?"

"Mmmmm....so?"

"Well....ok, fine. Forgetting the law for one second...which I don't like doing but will because you seem to be rather contentious right now" I know. "....you shouldn't have done that. And even if you did...why did you have to tell me?"

"You asked. Remember?"

He sighed heavy sigh. "Yeah. I remember Kaiba. Do you remember?"

What was he talking about? "What?"

"Do you remember when you were in the hospital and Mokuba was all alone and I was the only one who came to sit with him so he wouldn't have to face the fear of your fate alone?"

Ouch. Ok, I deserved that. I messed him up so he came back at me with a harder saying. Basic law of the survival in a conversation between enemies. I was almost proud of little Yugi.

"I expect you want some thanks for doing that?"

"No." What? "I just wanted you to realize that we're not always enemies. That's why I did it. Besides, Mokuba really was upset and he needed somebody."

What was he talking about? That wasn't really true, was it?

"Do you understand that at all, Kaiba?" the old man asked.

"No."

I heard the springs of the couch opposite me—there was one, apparently—creak and figured Yugi had leaned back in his chair. "I didn't think so," he said.

"Look, what do you want?"

"I just told you that I want you to realize that"—"Yes, but besides that."

"Well, nothing."

"Except for maybe an apology for the earlier....umm, explicit fact you told us," the grandfather added. Why would I apologize for that? It was true....oh well; I didn't have to if I didn't want to.

The tea arrived not long after that. Three whole people walked into the room noisily carrying shaking trays making it oh so harder to breathe. "Tea, anyone?" Mokuba asked in a light-hearted tone.

"Yes please!" I heard a soft thump as a tea kettle was place on the coffee table in between the two couches, (I knew there was a coffee table because my cane had told me so when I first walked in), and a slight rattling as the tray holding many cups was set next to it. I could feel the heat radiating off the kettle. I absently thought how the three had made it and in which room. Suddenly I wondered if they had been listening to the prior conversation, (or argument, depending on how you want to look at it).

"Should we call Mai and Serenity down?" For God's sake it was only tea, but I wanted Serenity back so I did not protest.

"No," the grandfather responded. "They need some talking time." Damn.

"Right.......now, who would like some?"

"I would please," Mokuba said, sitting down next to me. I patted his head in gratitude for his politeness.

"And I please." Grandfather

"And I please." Yugi

"Same!" Tristan

"Kaiba?" Tèa asked.

"No, but I'll serve it, if you don't mind."

"What?" She, Tristan, and Yugi asked this simultaneously.

"Allow me." My hand traveled to the coffee table and I searched for the tea kettle. Unceremoniously, the back of my hand smacked into the hot side of the tea kettle. It burned slightly, but I didn't let anyone see my pain. I gingerly felt around to the handle of the kettle.

"Glass, please."

Mokuba—who was quite used to the fact that I could do this, as I had done it more than a thousand times before—coolly placed his cup in front of the kettle and banged it twice so I would know where it was and held on to it tightly. This was one of the easiest skills Lock had ever taught me. I picked up the tea and moved the kettle until it touched the cup. Then I poured. Mokuba told me when he had enough and them he proceeded to get milk and sugar and all that in his tea. He informed me that it was very good and thanked me for pouring and Tèa and Tristan for helping him make it.

I looked up at the four staring at us shocked, as I knew instinctively. I snickered an honest snicker, (if there is such a thing, that's what I did), and asked, "Would anyone else like some?"

Subsequently, I poured four more cups, (all of them following Mokuba's example of how to do it), and listened as they all enjoyed their tea. I happen to dislike tea so I did not pour some for myself.

I was beginning to wonder about where Serenity was. She had been gone a long time—which is not what she foresaw from her pat before. In fact, I was not waiting long.

Mai and Serenity clunked down the stairs, (I heard two pairs of footsteps moving slowly and not in tune to each other walking down the steps), and they were talking softly — like that could stop me from hearing them.

"Are you sure, Serenity?"

"Positive."

"Alright then, if you think he's good for you, I think he's good for you. But remember what I said about Joseph. I have no idea what's up with that boy..."

"Yea, I remember what you said. It'll be alright."

"You know when I first came here I didn't think you would be the one comforting me."

"Life's a funny thing, Mai."

They entered the room shortly. "Hello, again," Mai said, sounding bored as she plopped down into the couch in front of me.

Serenity came and resumed her place at my side. She put her head on my shoulder—right there in front of everyone—and said into my shoulder, "I love you." I leaned my head against hers and said, "Same." She was tired, or worn out, or exasperated about something. I could tell and I immediately began to worry about what exactly she and Mai had talked about before.

I can imagine how the eyes darted away from us, embarrassed.

To break the silence, Tèa said, "Do either of you want any tea?"

"No thanks," Mai answered.

"Yes, please," Serenity said, pulling her head off my shoulder slowly, (tiredly), and making to pour herself some tea.

From the outside I heard a car pull up from a long way away. A man walked out holding some sort of cage that rattled and shook in his hands. He walked up to the front of the house.

I knew no one else heard him so I said, "You have company...more of it, actually, right? Is your house always this full?"

Not a moment after, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Serenity announced, still tired, but decisive now. you please pour me some tea..."

"With pleasure," I said, happy that she had furthered my previous display of skill. She left presently.

We all knew who would be there to receive her. In fact, I think that's why Serenity chose to answer the door. But when she actually opened the door she gasped, surprised by something. The smell of something distinctive followed Wheeler as he walked himself in.

"I thought you might need some cheerin' up," he said. "So, I brought along a friend."

There was a squeaking noise as he opened the rheumatic cage door. A subtle "meow" came from within as soon as he did. "Fricky!" Serenity exclaimed. I smiled—a true smile this time, not a wicked one or a snicker—and continued to pour her tea, knowing what would follow and strangely relieved at the thought.

"Oh...I missed her Joey!"

"I missed you, too, Serenity. I'm sorry I was such a jackass before. I hope this makes up for it."

"It does, Joey. But I still think I owe you an apology for what happened on the phone." (She owed him nothing! He was the one—)

"That's ok Serenity."

"So all is forgiven?"

"In my book...but I need to have a word with that Kaiba."

"And he needs to have a word with you. But no fists—right Joey?"

"Nope..."

"Joey...."

"What? I said no..."

"Fine. Now give me a hug."

I heard them embracing from the living room and I felt, well, happy. I had thought that when this happened I would feel jealous or angry that he should think himself worthy enough to touch her...but no. I was glad that it had worked out between them. Glad that it was finally over.

That day marked the end of a lot of things, a lot of bad feelings, more like. But it was not over yet. I still needed that talk with Wheeler.

And a fine one it would be.