Later that evening, when five o'clock had finally rolled around, both Joey and Mokuba were starving. Seto had informed the both of them that dinner would be served shortly.
"How long is it going to take? I'm hungry," Mokuba complained holding his stomach as it let out a loud growl.
"You're not the only one," Joey added as he fell back onto the bed. That was when one of the maids, who happened to be the one Yugi had met earlier, walked into the room carrying two trays in her hands.
"Hey guys. Are you hungry?" she asked with a pleasant smile.
"Hey Brianna. We're starving!" Mokuba replied as he took the trays from her and set them both down on the dresser. "Thanks. I'm sure it will be good." The young pre-teen smiled amiably as Brianna took her leave.
"I wonder what they prepared?" Joey wondered as Mokuba lifted up both the lids so the blonde could see what was underneath. Just by looking at it, you could tell that it was gourmet: linguini with meat sauce and different kinds of spices topped with shrimp. It was also served with delicious-looking garlic bread with melted butter. On the side was a glass of homemade fruit wine for the both of them.
"This looks so good!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing a fork and swirling the pasta around it. Mokuba nodded his head in agreement as he too started eating.
Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba had already finished his meal and was now working on some plans for new Kaiba Corp. technology. He also had to organize a meeting to discuss other important matters, which he was not too thrilled about. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door and told whomever it was to come in.
"It's just me, sir," a female voice sounded as the door pushed open slowly and quietly.
Seto looked up to see who was standing before him. "Brianna? What do you want?" he asked, although to Brianna it sounded as if he was annoyed. She knew that he hated being disturbed when he was working but she really needed to talk to him.
"I wanted to talk to you about Joey," she replied, shifting her gaze to the floor. She knew that he probably wouldn't listen to a word she had to say as soon as she mentioned the blonde's name but it was worth a try.
"What about him?" the CEO muttered under his breath, not even looking up from his computer screen.
"Well, I was just wondering…um…how long were you planning on letting him stay here?" she asked, hoping for a decent answer.
"However long it takes for him to heal completely. I don't want him staying here any longer than he has too," Seto informed sternly.
"But…" She was about to mention the fact that Joey couldn't go home but she didn't want to cause any more trouble. Besides, she remembered promising Joey that she would never tell anyone about his father or his home life no matter what the circumstances. But this was different. If she told Seto, it could determine whether Joey lived or…
"I don't have time for this. When Wheeler fully recuperates, he's gone. I don't care where he goes but he's not staying here. I've got enough to do as it is and I don't need to take care of someone who's perfectly capable of taking care of himself."
"You don't get it, do you?" Brianna's voice was slowly rising to a peak.
"Don't get what?" Seto raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she was getting at.
"That Joey's life isn't what you think it is!"
"What are you talking about?" The chocolate-haired, blue-eyed teen was still oblivious to what she meant.
Brianna let out a deep sigh before she continued her speech. "Joey's father abuses him. That's the reason he ran away from home. That's why you found him lying in that alleyway. He didn't know where else to go. He doesn't want to tell his friends because he's afraid that they'll hate him for keeping this a secret from them for so long. He's only told me because we've known each other since we were really young. We've known each other even before he met Yugi and the others. He didn't want me telling anyone else but I felt that I had to tell you. You were nice enough to take Joey into your home and it's only fair that you find out the truth. Please don't tell anyone else what I just told you. Not even Mokuba. I don't want Joey to find out I told you. It would break his heart to know I broke a promise to him and that's something I don't want to do."
Seto was silent for a moment, for he didn't know what to say. All of this had hit him so hard. He never knew that Joey had such a rough life. It almost reminded him of his and Mokuba's past with Gozaburo Kaiba. Joey's father abused him just like Gozaburo abused him at a young age. Seto wouldn't normally feel compassion for someone like Joey but after hearing what Brianna had told him, he couldn't help feeling even a little sympathetic.
"I didn't know…" Seto finally managed to say.
"Well now you do. Just please; promise me you won't mention a word of this to anyone. Especially Joey. When you're around him, act like you don't know anything about what I told you; just act normal. I'm sure that won't be too hard for you." She smirked as she said the last part.
"I…I won't…" Seto didn't know why he said what he did. Maybe it was because he could relate to the blonde-haired teen in the sense of their pasts. They were both abused as a child and in Joey's case as a teen as well. They both had to fend for themselves most of their lives and were forced to do everything on their own with no moral support or guidance to help them along the way. But in a way, it strengthened their emotional spirits. Since no one had offered to tend to their needs, they had no choice but to learn how to do everything on their own.
"Thanks Seto. I knew I could count on you." Brianna flashed a bright smile before exiting the room. Out of all the maids in the mansion, she was the only one that had developed such a close bond with the CEO.
As soon as she disappeared out of sight, Seto leaned back in his leather chair and sighed, trying to process all the information that he had just acquired.
I never knew Wheeler's life was so dramatic. Now I know why he doesn't want to return home. His whole life is filled with pain and suffering. I don't think anyone would want to go back to living like that. Sighing heavily, he continued to think. Sounds just like living with Gozaburo…endless days and endless nights of nothing but pure pain and torture. As much as I hate to admit it, I kind of feel sorry for Wheeler. After living a life similar to his, it's kind of hard not to feel at least some compassion for him. I know how hard it can be, living on your own with no one to turn to in times of crisis. Maybe I ought to check up on him…just to see how he's doing. I won't be long. I have to get back to my work anyway. Then he got up out of his chair and walked casually out of the room and down the hall to Joey's room. He still felt weird comforting his rival but whenever he began to have second thoughts, he brought all of his attention back to what Brianna had told him earlier. No matter how much he despised him, even Seto Kaiba couldn't ignore someone with a pain-filled life…not since he himself had experienced such pain as a child.
Luna, Princess of the Shadows: I am aware that this chapter is shorter than most of the others but I wanted the confrontation between Joey and Seto to be a chapter in itself. Sorry if I left all of you with a little bit of a cliffhanger but it shouldn't be long until I post chapter seven. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews so far and I look forward to seeing more of them! I am glad that you are enjoying this story so far. I must admit, for my first yaoi fic it seems to be going pretty good if I do say so myself. What do you guys think? Anyway, I suppose I shall end this here, let you all review and get started on chapter seven. Ja ne everyone!