Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, the characters or any brand names mentioned, nor do I claim to.

Final chapter! It's been amazing writing this and receiving all your reviews, everyone! So thank you all so much! So yes, this is the final chapter, I hope I do the plot justice but probably not. Hmm.

"Dear Yugi…" Joey mumbled before trailing off, glaring holes through the blank piece of paper in front of him and ready to snap the pen he was holding in two. Giving up, he glanced over to his large bag, next to Danny's small backpack and smiled. He was broken from his line of thought by an almighty yell.

"UNCLE JOEY!" Danny yelled, as he darted through the apartment and crashed into Joey, landing on his lap. Looking up at Joey, the small boy grinned sheepishly as Joey looked back, slightly scared and curious.

"Uncle Joey…will I see Whippy again? Will he still be there? Do you think Grandma fed him? God, I hope she did! I've missed him y'know!" Danny said, finally showing real excitement and opening up to Joey in a way he hadn't seen since he had moved him away from his home to join him in Domino. He had to smile down at the boy as he lifted him onto his lap properly, stifling laughter as Danny squealed about his rabbit back home, the last thing Serenity gave him before she went. He never knew why he was called Whippy, but he was sure there was some child's-logic behind it, knowing Danny.

"Yes, Whippy will still be there. I made sure Grandma didn't forget about him." Joey reassured him as he was caught by two arms flinging around his neck, being strangled in a tight embrace and a piercing 'Yay!' screaming in his ear from the delighted child. "I need to call my friends to let them know I'm going and then we can set off, okay?"

"Woohoo!" The boy yelped as he ran through the house excitedly, impersonating an aeroplane, weaving in and out of the furniture being careful not to knock anything.

Once Danny had left him alone, Joey once again looked down at the pen and paper sat before him on the table, wincing as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. He stood up from his seat, deciding to leave it a while before finishing the letter, opting instead for calling his friends, Tristan, Duke and Ryou namely.

He knew the call with Tristan would be emotional, he hadn't seen his friend in so long and when he returned he hardly saw him at all, whiling his time away with Yugi and Seto. It wasn't the ideal situation for him, but he had to deal with it one way or another. So, without further ado, he held the phone to his ear and listened intently to the ringing noise, before a small click and;

"Hello?" A sleepy voice asked.

"Duke? That you?"

"Sure is, one and only. Joey?" Joey could distinctively hear a yawn on the other end and felt guilty for waking his friends, even if it was ten o' clock in the morning by now.

"Yeah, Joey. Erm…I need to talk to Tristan, he around?" He winced as he spoke, hoping not to seem like he was brushing Duke away.

"Well…I guess I could wake him. Two seconds." Joey could hear the phone being set down on a side, a door opening and then some sort of shouting in the background.

"Tris! Get the hell up! Joey's on the phone!"

"Piss off."

"Tristan Taylor, don't make me remove you myself!"

"Would you?" At this, Joey decided he didn't want to hear anymore and moved the phone away from his ear so as not to hear that conversation but also enough to hear when Tristan finally picked up the phone.

"Joe? Joey, you there man?" He heard ring through the speaker as he braved it, deeming it safe to listen again.

"Yeah, Tris. I'm here man. Listen, I gotta tell you something, it's important and I don't have long, okay?" Joey said, unconsciously running his hand through his hair, a habit he had acquired as he thought about things that troubled him, such as Serenity and Yugi.

"You wanna meet up? You in trouble?" Tristan immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. Giving a tired chuckle, Joey hung his head and started shifting his feet as he decided to just say it.

"No, man, no trouble. I'm…erm…I'm leaving again, Tris. I thought I should tell you 'cause I feel awful about it. I can't stay here with Yugi, can't even talk to him anymore and I've been so busy with that I haven't had time to talk to you properly and now I'm up and leaving again. Jeez, Tris, I'm sorry!" Joey said but it was met with silence and only the sound of breathing letting Joey know that Tristan was still there.

"You, erm. This isn't to do with Kaiba is it? Are you two like…" But Tristan couldn't finish. Joey had immediately jumped in.

"Oh God no, I completely screwed that up. I, err, jumped to conclusions. I saw him last night but he doesn't wanna know anymore. But this isn't anything to do with him, I've got no reason to stay, Danny needs his family around him and I can't bear to be around Yug' anymore. It sickens me that he can lie so persistently to us, y'know?"

"I understand, Joey. Honestly, but are you sure about Kaiba? I mean, he's liked you for ages; sure he wasn't just being himself? You can hardly expect him to melt and proclaim his undying love for you after five minutes of talking, c'mon man, this is Kaiba!" Tristan chuckled softly.

"I know where I stand, Tris. I told him that if he thought there was any chance of anything to call me and he hasn't. I leave in three-quarters of an hour and he knows that. He hasn't made any effort." Joey said sadly as he had rather hoped Seto would call.

"What and you have? Christ Joey! You leave for years, come back and get his hopes up, you dance with him at the club like me and Duke do and then you give him the cold shoulder as soon as Yugi comes crying! I'm sorry, Joey but if anyone's to blame for this little breakdown, it's you. Remember Graduation? He was so into you it was unbelievable but you did nothing about it! Yeah, you kissed, but what's that without anything else? It could've been anyone!" Tristan said as he tried vehemently to get his point to Joey.

"Tris, since when have you cared what Kaiba wanted? Where's all this come from?" Joey asked curiously.

"I'm watching you throw something really good away, Joey. I know he's been a bastard to us for years, but he's mellowed out a little now. He's not as touchy and sensitive about pathetic things anymore and he's let us in slightly. Yes, he's still walking around like he owns the world and that he can have anything he wants and he still has that whole thing where he guards his emotions, but anyone with eyes can see that he is so into you, Joey! You're a fool to give up so easily!"

"Tris…" Joey began.

"No, why did you leave it in his hands? If this is something you really want then you know you have to do this. You know Kaiba wouldn't dream of confessing anything like that, you know he wouldn't take such a big risk without thinking of every hazard that could arise from it. He calculates things and works through them to the extreme, sometimes until it's too late. Did you know how devastated he was when you left the first time? Went to see Yugi to ask why you wouldn't answer the phone. Can you imagine having to tell him that you'd pissed off never to be seen again and you know what Yug' used to be like around him in those situations!" Tristan said, almost with a hint of amusement in his tone as he thought about the way Yugi would tremble under real pressure in comparison to his calm attitude under pressure in Duel Monsters.

"Tris, you're right. I do know all this but I also know that if I don't leave it with him I'll be doing all the work for forever more. I don't want to spend the rest of my life working to keep a relationship going when we should both share it. If I leave it like this, the ball's in his court and he can decide what he wants. I'm not going to chase him anymore." He responded calmly.

"No, you're running away from him instead. I'm sorry, Joey. I shouldn't be telling you what to do. It's your life and you do what makes you happy, okay? As long as you stay in touch I can't complain can I! Can't cut off all ties buddy!" Tristan joked.

"Oh, I assure you I won't. Thanks, Tris."

"What for?"

"For understanding. For being there. All that shit. I'm not going into it, I ain't gonna cry about it!" Joey laughed away the remorse that had begun to surface as it sunk in just what he was leaving behind.

"Chill, man. It's alright. I understand that I can't be selfish about this, you've got Danny to think of now. How is he?"

"He's really excited to be going home actually. First time I've seen him speak so much since Serenity went, it's amazing!" Joey smiled as he looked at the boy now air-guitaring to no music in the middle of the living room.

"That's great, I'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time. I'm gonna miss you, Joey. Just…don't be a stranger this time, come visit!" Tristan insisted.

"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it. I couldn't leave my two favourite ladies behind without visiting at least once!" Joey sniggered.

"Oh shut it, Joe. Duke's the girl!" Tristan said, sounding quite annoyed as though his pride had been wounded.

"Look, I've really gotta go, still gotta finish the letter to Yug'. We've been going on so much I haven't had time to call Ryou. I'll call him when I get there, but can you let him know?"

"Sure. I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah, later man." Joey said as he hung up, knowing that was Tristan's way of saying goodbye. They had never been good at goodbyes between them, one always getting over-emotional so they figured it was easier all round to use a normal, usual goodbye as opposed to the theatrics many people go through.

Sitting once again at the table, Tristan bringing up the subject of Seto Kaiba had caused him to wonder if he had done the right thing. 'But what is the right thing?' He thought.

"Damn it." He muttered before getting up to get a glass of water, but it was on his way he realised he hadn't called a taxi yet.

"Damn it!" He repeated. "Phone bill will be through the roof at this rate." He glared at the phone and angrily punched the phone number in, eventually hanging up after booking his taxi. He knew it would cost a lot, but it seemed worth it somehow. He couldn't necessarily afford to leave, yes the café did bring in better money than any other job, but it wasn't enough for big escapades across Japan every time something went wrong at either end.

But when he was checking through his belongings and making sure that he had everything of his and Danny's that he would need when the most extraordinary, near impossible thing happened.

Someone knocked on the door.

Not expecting anyone, Joey eyed it suspiciously but slowly opened it anyway. Once he saw who it was he swung the door right open and gaped at said person in shock for at least twenty seconds, for there, stood in all his glory – wearing the shades that made him cool – was Seto Kaiba, smirking amusedly down at Joey's shocked appearance.

"Joey. I lied." He said softly, waiting for his response.

---

After finally calling Joey and finding the phone line engaged, Seto realised that his options were to wait, or to simply surprise him. Seeing as he was still undecided as to whether he really wanted to leave Domino or whether he wanted to stay, he was stuck. For the first time, no amount of intelligence or computer wizardry could help him out; they couldn't help him make his mind up. There was no definite answer, there was no ultimate decision that required a perfectly calculated problematic, this time he would have to "wing it" and take a risk. But for Seto, that was a risk in itself. Could he really allow himself to take such a big chance? What if it didn't work out and what would his clients think? Would they still want to know him, still want his business, and still bring him business? But all these questions all came down to one, simple question that should have been the easiest to answer, but it wasn't.

"Is he worth it?" Seto mumbled for the last time as he paced his room, eventually stopping by his window and looking out over Domino. Looking over the waking city he knew it would do him good to leave. His whole life had been a routine in Domino, no matter what he did there he couldn't escape it and he needed to. He was no longer tied to Mokuba having seen him move away when he got serious with a girl a few years previous. He had been alone for a long time, maybe now was the time to change that? Joey was offering himself, he was offering him a life away from this routine he had become accustomed to but was it good enough? Where was the security in it?

Taking a few deep breaths, he knew he couldn't dwell on it, he knew that Joey was to leave in a few hours with or without him. Was it rushing everything? To move away from Domino to have a fresh start together; was it rushing things? They had barely admitted how they felt, and all of a sudden they would be rushing off into the sunset? Yes, it was what Seto had wanted, but he knew he couldn't necessarily have it. Attempting to push Joey away had never worked so would it be so bad if he did this?

"No." He said aloud, brushing his hair back with his hand back. He tried to imagine a life with no Joey whatsoever. He had been without him around for three years, but somehow he knew he would see him again, he knew he would come back. But this time was different. He wouldn't come back; Yugi had hurt him too much for him to even entertain the idea. It wasn't a nice feeling to know that he wouldn't see him again, he had become so used to him, so used to feeling things he never knew existed until he met Yugi and his friends. Yes, he had had a sheltered childhood, but did that mean he had to have a sheltered adulthood? That was never an obligation.

With that thought playing in his mind, he immediately rushed around to his wardrobe and begun picking out many of his clothes, leaving a few remaining for inevitable trips back home- No. This wasn't home. It was lonely and quiet, it wasn't warm and vibrant, and it wasn't a place to enjoy or look forward to coming home to. He would find 'home' somewhere, but it definitely wasn't here.

After packing nearly everything he owned, he checked the clock. Ten o'clock. He debated calling Joey to let him know he was coming, but decided against it. Knowing his luck the line would be engaged again. After spending twenty minutes packing his belongings into a 4x4 he was ready to leave. Shutting the door for the final time, he almost smiled, he felt released in an odd way, and it was something he never expected.

All the way to Joey's apartment, he was happy, happy that he had made the right decision. The thought of not having Joey around, not even to pick on from time to time was enough to convince him. Walking up the stairs, he felt the first pang of nerves. It was an alien feeling to him, usually so calm and collected but this was serious. What if Joey didn't want to leave with him now after his reaction last night? What if he was just playing games? But he was here now and couldn't think of that, so he knocked on the door upon arrival and couldn't help but smirk at Joey's expression despite trying his hardest.

"Joey. I lied." He said softly, waiting to be let in.

"S…Seto? What the hell?" Joey finally managed to get out, in his shock.

"I…I lied. You asked me if I was ever in love with you and I lied. Simple. Can I come in?" he asked nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.

"Woah. Erm…what?" Joey asked, confused out of his mind but still moving out of the way to let Seto in.

"God Joey, is it that hard to get? I was in love with you, years back. But I'm not sure if I am now. So, I need to find out don't I? When do we leave?" he said, again trying to switch the topic. Despite the carelessness attitude, Seto felt much better for finally telling him, it was a huge weight off of his mind.

"So…you want to come? Right?" Joey checked, still staring at him as though he had three heads.

"Yes. If you still want me to." Seto said calmly, turning to look him right in the eye, but despite this he didn't notice the huge Joey-like figure jumping at him, wrapping its arms around his neck, squeezing tightly.

"Oh my god, Seto! I didn't think you would, I thought I blew it!" Joey exclaimed happily, from his place clutching Seto. Slowly, Seto brought his arms up from his sides where Joey had kept them stuck and cautiously wrapped them around Joey, returning the hug that had been suddenly launched at him. It had been something he had been meaning to do at some point. Kisses were one thing, they could mean everything or nothing and so far Seto was convinced they meant nothing, but hugs – this hug – meant more. It was a kind of sentimental thing, but it showed him that Joey wasn't out for playing games and he did genuinely care.

But the "moment" was interrupted by a young boy, staring at his Uncle with a smile.

"Uncle Joey! Is that your boyfriend?" He asked innocently, causing Joey to move back, slightly embarrassed as he turned to the boy with no answer.

"Erm…I don't know. Are you?" He asked, turning around to Seto only to see a trademark-smirk across his face.

"We'll see." He said striding across the room and picking up Joey's and Danny's bags, signalling to them to hurry along. Danny quickly followed but Joey went a bit slower, stopping at the table to pick up Yugi's letter. It wasn't exactly what he had wanted to say, but it was all he could. He had finished it as much as he could after booking the taxi, but he had decided to deliver it anyway.

"Hey Seto!" He called, running after him towards the 4x4.

"Yes?" Seto asked, pausing by the door to the driver's seat.

"Can we stop at the Game Shop on the way through?" He asked. After giving him a suspicious look, Seto agreed and Joey got in clutching the letter tightly, chuckling after realising that the taxi driver wasn't going to be too happy when he arrived.

---

Yugi was sat on his sofa in a similar stance to how Joey had found him a couple of days ago, wondering where he went wrong, where the lies had been revealed and why he had done what he did in the first place, when he heard the letterbox go and a car drive away. Being brought out of his trance, he stood up and slowly made his way to the door, surprised to see a folded piece of notebook paper there. Removing it, he made his way back to the sofa to read it, his eyes widening as he recognised Joey's handwriting.

"Dear Yugi

I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you; I shouldn't have been so harsh. Hey, you're fragile right now! But I did want to let you know that you should explain to Yami, he would want to know. I can't forgive you for lying; Yugi, but I can help you. I won't forget everything you've done for me in the past; hell you were my best buddy!

But I will be forever angry if you don't sort things out with Yami. I can't find him to apologise, but I know that if you try hard enough you can. You can't give up on him Yugi; he's probably hurting more than you are right now. He went through hell and back to be with you and you didn't repay him very well did you? I mean, Téa? What's with that? She was like a sister to us!

Anyway, I don't want you to throw your life away and everything you wanted to do over this, you're stronger than this. Look what you have done so far in life! It's more than the average person. You are strong Yugi; you just need to use that strength.

I also thought you should know that I'm leaving, I'm going back to see Dad and to let Danny see his grandparents, I think he needs it. He's been so excited since I told him. I doubt I'll be around much, I've promised to see Tristan, but that's it. I'm sorry it had to be like this, buddy but you did it yourself.

Now, do me a goodbye favour and get in touch with Yami – for everyone's sakes!

See you around. Joey."

Yugi wiped away a small tear that had escaped his eye, as he read the letter knowing that Joey was right. He had to sort it out, there were too many things left unresolved. But his chain of thought was broken by a familiar, cautious voice in his head.

"Hello Yugi." It said in its usual calming tone.

"Yami?" Yugi managed to answer, deciding to sort this. Even if he couldn't have Yami back, he could at least get some closure. Either way, he needed to get past it and he was going to take the first step now.

The End

There you go! Finished! I wasn't sure whether to end it with Yugi, but hey, I did anyway. I think this chapter is alright. It's not fantastic, but I haven't struggled with it so much like I have with the past few. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and please don't forget to review. Thanks to everyone who has been throughout:D L. xx