Photograph

Disclaimer… I don't own yu-gi-oh… duh… I also don't own the song "Photograph" by Nickleback… again duh… if I did why would I be writing lowly and crappy fanfiction… yeah think about that one…

Summary: Joey finally decided to take out something that he hasn't seen in a few years, and say goodbye to a long lost friend.

Xxx

The blonde silently went into his room and shut the door before moving over to the closet, opening the door and quickly searching the top shelf for what he was looking for. After moving many things, he finally found the one thing that he had been hiding all these years not only from his lover but from himself.

Joey sat sitting around his bed just staring at the photos strewn about. All of them originating from a large shoe box, filled not only with pictures but small mementos of a time long past.

Suddenly the door opened, and a tall familiar blue eyed brunette stuck his head in and, seeing the sad expression on the other boys face said, "Are you alright?"

The blonde boy looked up and says, "Come here Seto. I want to show you something."

Seto entered the room and moved to sit next to the other boy, as he moved closer Joey went to grab some of the photos to make room for the brunette.

Seto wondered about the box, he has never seen it in all of the years that he has been with Joey. After Yugi disappeared Joey dropped out of school and fell back into his old gang crowd. It was Seto that found him and Seto that saved him. So now here he was sitting on their bed staring at a photo of his lover, and his old friends, Yugi, Tristan, and Tea.

" Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
How did our eyes get so red?
And what the hell is on Tristans head?"

Seto stared at the picture and can't help but smile at the picture of the four, three of them laughing at the pointy haired brunette; he also wondered what that weird blue blob on his head was.

Seto was intrigued- Joey had never showed him pictures of his past before; he was never friends with him in school. Whenever he asked, Joey always said that it was the now that mattered not the past and that he didn't want to talk about it.

"This is where I grew up
I think the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we ever went without
The second floor is hard for sneakin' out"

He stared at the picture of Joey as a child standing in front of a small and dirty two-story house. "It used to look better before mom left, but times were hard and dad didn't have much time to fix things up." Joey said with his head hung, and water slowing pooling in the corner of his eyes.

"This is where I went to school
Most of the time had better things to do
Criminal record says I broke in twice
I must've done it half a dozen times"

"The police never were that good at catching me… and I suppose it never really mattered anyway… I never took anything… it was just for show to the other guys." Seeing the sad look on the other boys face, Seto scooted closer and put his arm around the other boy to show his support. It was good for Joey to get these things out… he knew that something had been bothering the blonde and he hoped that he would soon find out.

"I wonder if it's too late
Should I go back and try to graduate
Life's better now than it was back then
If I was them, I wouldn't let me in"

'Was that it? Joey was worried about not graduating?' Seto's thoughts were interrupted by the other saying, "I never was the smartest boy in school, always falling asleep, and if it wasn't for Yu… Yugi I never would have handed in any homework."

'Joey was missing Yugi…" He could understand, even he sometimes missed the challenge the multi-colored hair boy gave to him… after he disappeared it just wasn't the same… no one challenged him anymore. That was when his defenses started to crumble… when he realized that he missed his opponent.

"Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floorIt's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye"

"I remember the day that he disappeared, I usually walked home with him after school, but I had detention, and I told him not to wait for me… I would just walk over when I got out. After detention I walked to Yugi's but he wasn't there, Grandpa said he never came home, and he thought Yugi was with me." Tears slowly started to run down the blonds pale face.

Seto shifted so that he was sitting behind the blonde and puts his arms around his waist from behind and just held the blonde as he looked over the other boys shoulder at the picture in Joey's hand.

It was a picture of Joey and Yugi, just a simple picture of the two of then standing together in their school uniforms smiling at the camera. It brought a tear to Seto's eye, at the sadness emanating from the other boy at the picture.

"Remember the old arcade
Blew every dollar that we ever made
The cops hated us hangin' out
They say somebody went and burned it down"

"We used to spend so much time there… at the arcade and at the game shop…"

"I miss that town
I miss their faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it
I miss it now
I can't believe it
So hard to stay
Too hard to leave it
If I could relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change

Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye

Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye"

Seto just sat and held onto Joey even tighter than before as Joey finally said goodbye to his old friend. Sobs wracked the blonde boy… and Seto just cradled him in his arms. "I'm so sorry Seto." Joey croaked out, his sobs lessening. "It's been so long but I miss him so much… he was a good friend, he helped to bring Tristan and I out of the gutter, and then what happened when he disappeared? I betrayed his memory by going right back to where he found me. I always knew that I wasn't worthy of him…" here he sniffed quietly "If I had just listened to him and not talked back to Mr. Reynolds, I would have walked home with him, and then… maybe he would be here now… It's all my fault Seto."

"Joey… its not your fault… we don't know what happened to Yugi… if you had been with him… then who knows what would have happened to you…" Seto said, trying to bring Joey out of his self berating tirade.

"I don't care if anything happened to me… I would have gladly given my life for Yugi… he was the most innocent, most caring person that I ever knew… and the world would be a much better place if he was still here rather than me…"

Sero just stared at Joey in shock, he never knew that Joey felt this way, he knew that he missed his little friend, but he never knew the devotion. "Joey please don't say that… you are a good person, and if it wasn't for Yugi disappearing I never would have found you, and we never would have gotten together. I'm not saying that it's a good thing, but I don't want to know what life would be like without you… ever since Mokuba went off to school I've been so very lonely."

Suddenly Joey turned to look at the other boy and, seeing the tears and sincerity in the brunette's eyes, he turned fully and hugged him, knocking all of the wind out Seto. "I love you Seto, and I suppose that it is time that I said goodbye."

"Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye

Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say
It's time to say it
Goodbye, Goodbye"

Joey then picked up another picture of all of them at duelists kingdom…

"Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
Every time I do it makes me…"

The End…

If you want me it I could possibly write a sequel or a prequel which ever I decide if you really want to find out what happened to Yugi… I'm sure that I can come up with something interesting and note worthy… oh yeah beted by abbyserajane... read her stuff you'll get a kick out of it i'm sure...

Anyway toodles….