Once again, I am very sorry for the delayed update. Aside from the usual excuses of procrastination and laziness, I did get full-time at my local newspaper. So yay, I'm moving up in the world.
Though on my breaks I do have time to jot down ideas, which led to a couple of scenes for this chapter. Now, while this overall story is still a K+, this particular chapter might flirt with the line into T. There is a little discussion on gambling and alcohol addiction, and some implied emotional abuse. I don't know if that's enough to bump the entire story, but I will take feedback on what you guys think for the rating. I did at least want to give some warning though, like I said, it's all discussion/implication.
And as per usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, we would have seen more interactions between Joey and his mother.
Chapter Twenty-One: Wheeler Family Reunion
Monday morning came as normal as any day, albeit with midterm exams coming up on Thursday. Kisara struggled to keep her focus on class as Seto's tournament loomed over them. Would the Rare Hunters come after him to get Obelisk? Were they really connected to the attack at the warehouse? How dangerous was Obelisk?
Lunch finally came, and she, Yugi, and Tea took the opportunity to share with Joey and Tristan what they'd learned about the tournament over the weekend.
"You can't be serious!" Joey clenched his fist. "You mean to tell me that rich punk is throwing his own exclusive tournament?"
"Yep," Yugi nodded.
"And it starts on Sunday," Tea added.
"I can't believe that's what you fixated on," Kisara sighed.
"Aaagh," Joey groaned. "Why didn't moneybags invite me? I was the runner up in Duelist Kingdom! Where's the respect?"
"News flash," Tristan rolled his eyes. "Kaiba doesn't like you"
"I'll give him something not to like!" the blond snapped.
"Joey, calm down," Kisara chastised him. "Getting all worked up isn't going to accomplish anything. Besides, this tournament isn't going to be all fun and games."
"Yeah," Yugi agreed. "First of all, Kaiba's issued an ante rule, so the loser has to forfeit their rarest card to the winner."
"That worries me a lot," Kisara admitted. "We haven't told people about my copy of Blue-Eyes, but still… I don't want to lose it."
"You mean I'd have to wager my good old Red-Eyes?" Joey recoiled and pulled the card from his deck.
"Yeah," Kisara nodded. "Plus, there are also the Rare Hunters to worry about."
"The creeps who lured you to that warehouse?" Tristan asked.
"I think they're connected," she nodded. "They'll definitely want to participate in the ante rule, and if they are behind the warehouse…"
"Then they're after the Millennium Puzzle too," Yugi finished.
"Are you sure about entering, Yugi?" Tea asked.
"I am," he nodded. "If these Rare Hunters really are after the Puzzle, I'll have to face them eventually. This tournament is as good of a place as any. Besides, we prevailed against Pegasus. I have faith we'll be able to do the same here."
"Then I'll help you all the way," Joey grinned. "After all, we're still the Team Supreme! So what else do I need to know about this tournament?"
"Thanks, Joey," Yugi smiled. "Well, first you'll need to get used to Kaiba's new duel disk and the new rules."
Joey winced at that. "The old ones were too advanced for me. They cost me the duel."
"I don't think you should blame the duel disk for that," Tristan rolled his eyes.
"Zip it!" the blond glared at him.
"Hey, you're a much better duelist now than you were then, Joey," Yugi assured his friend.
"And these ones look more straightforward too," Kisara added. "I mean, we didn't get a close look at them, but it seem like they had roughly the same shape as a regular playing field. I do like the idea of not having to wander around for an arena."
"Cool!" Joey cheered, his energy rising again. "I gotta go sign up for this thing!" He took off running.
"Joey, you might want to wait until school's actually dismissed!" Tea called after him.
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After school, the gang made their way to one of the registration offices. "I think it's over there," Tea pointed at the sign on the door.
"Battle City here I come!" Joey bolted for it.
"'Scuse us!" Tristan ran after him.
"Would you two calm down for two minutes?" Kisara sighed and followed them.
Tea glanced to Yugi, and the two of them rolled their eyes. "That boy sure is determined," she said.
"You said it, Tea," Yugi agreed. "By the way, thanks for taking Yami out on Saturday. He seems like he's doing better. And I'm glad he and Kisara made up."
"Did he tell you about what all we did?" she asked, remembering her promise to keep Yami's confidence until he was ready.
"Some," Yugi answered. "He showed me the cards he bought, and he told me about how you also helped Johnny. That was pretty awesome of you."
"I really didn't do much," Tea flushed a little at his praise. "He just needed a little nudge to get back on track."
"That's just like you," Yugi smiled. "As for the rest, Yami didn't say much. He mentioned going to the Egyptian exhibit, but I think he's still kind of processing it. He been pretty quiet about what he saw."
"It… was a surprise," Tea chose her words carefully. "I get why Kisara wanted him to see it."
"He asked you not to say anything, didn't he?" Yugi saw right through her. He always did. She nodded. "I had a feeling. But I'm sure he'll tell me when he's ready."
"He will," Tea promised.
"I am worried about the ante rule," Yugi took out his deck, looking at the purple-robed Dark Magician. "On one hand, the winner gets an awesome prize of cards, but on the other hand, duelists put their hearts into their deck. I don't want to lose any of my cards, especially Dark Magician, and neither does Yami, but…"
"You have to participate," Tea finished, remembering Ishizu's words. "Well who's to say you have to keep the cards?"
"What do you mean?" he turned amethyst eyes to her.
"Well, the loser is required to give the winner their card, right?" she asked. He nodded. "So, does the winner have to keep it? Or can they give the card back?"
"You have a point," Yugi smiled. "But a duelist's pride might not accept that. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Should we catch up to the others?"
"Kisara might need the backup," Tea smiled back at him. "Let's go."
At the office, Kisara had managed to get Joey and Tristan to settle down and were waiting for Yugi and Tea. "Can I help you?" the clerk asked.
"We'd like to register for the Battle City tournament," Yugi said as he, Joey, and Kisara stepped forward.
"You're very lucky then," the clerk smiled. "I have three duel disks left. But first I'll need to make sure you're qualified to register."
"Okay," Yugi nodded. "I'm Yugi Muto."
"All right," the clerk typed the name into his computer. "Not bad. You've got five stars. That's the highest rank."
"How do you determine our rank?" Kisara asked.
"KaibaCorp performed extensive research on duelists around the world and compiled the results into a database," the clerk turned his monitor to show them the screen. "This shows your skill level," he pointed to the five stars below Yugi's picture, "and the rarest card you own," he pointed to the image of Dark Magician. "To ensure only the best duelists enter, Mr. Kaiba has gone to great lengths to learn everything about you and your decks."
"Whoa," the group gasped.
"Everything?" Yugi repeated. "Knowing everything about our decks gives an unfair advantage to Kaiba."
"That's not cool," Tea agreed.
"Even for Seto, that's excessive," Kisara bit her lip. "But still…" she trailed off, and Tea had to wonder what else her foster-sister knew about what Kaiba was planning.
"Well as promised, since you qualify, you get this," the clerk held out a duel disk box. "KaibaCorp's new and improved duel disk system."
"Thank you," Yugi accepted the machine.
"What about you two?" the clerk turned to Joey and Kisara.
"I'm Kisara White," the girl stepped forward.
"Let's see," the clerk turned the monitor back so he could type her name in. "Ah, yes. You have four stars, and your rarest card is Seiyaryu." He pulled a box off the shelf. "You also qualify."
"Seiyaryu?" Tristan repeated. "But I thought—"
Tea elbowed him to shut up. "She doesn't want people to know about that one," she hissed at him.
"Never mind," he winced and stepped away from the brunette.
"Hey, I want to register too," Joey pushed his way to the front as Kisara accepted her duel disk. "Joey Wheeler's the name." He pointed his thumb at himself.
"Okay… Joey Wheeler…" the clerk tapped his keyboard again. "I'm sorry; you've only got one star. Your rank is much too low to enter."
"That can't be!" the blond protested. "Kaiba fixed those results! I came in second at Duelist Kingdom!"
"Joey, just calm down!" Tristan grabbed hold of him as he trashed in his frustration. "Quit having a cow!"
"It is weird he doesn't qualify," Tea commented.
"Especially since I do," Kisara took out her cell phone. "Give me a minute." She dialed a number.
Tea stepped closer to her foster-sister to hear the other person better. "Hey, Mokuba," Kisara greeted him. "Is Seto around?"
"No, he's in a meeting at the moment," the younger Kaiba answered. "Why, what's up?"
"Well, Yugi, Joey, and I are trying to register for Battle City," she explained. "But for some reason Joey doesn't qualify. Which is strange because I do, and he placed higher than me at Duelist Kingdom. I'm thinking Seto's bias might be playing a role here. I don't want to make you be the middle man, Mokuba, but this reeks of a vendetta."
"I don't know what to tell you, Kisara," Mokuba answered. "I don't think Seto would make that kind of mistake."
"Mokuba, you and I both know your brother is beyond stubborn and does things on his own whims," she frowned as she said it. "However, this I'm not going to take from him. If Joey doesn't qualify for the tournament, then I certainly shouldn't. Have Seto call me back, or I'm not participating either."
"Hang on, he just walked in," Mokuba said. His voice quieted, likely due to pulling the receiver away from his mouth. "Kisara's mad at you." It sounded like he tossed the phone at his brother.
Tea winced as static-y noise blared out of Kisara's phone, probably the result of the other person catching the device. "What?" Kaiba's voice grumbled.
"Care to explain why I qualify for Battle City and Joey doesn't?" Kisara asked without missing a beat.
"You're a duelist. He can't even beat a monkey."
"Seto," Kisara's voice turned icy. "Joey and I have each only participated in one official tournament, Duelist Kingdom. In that tournament, I took third place, and he took second. Joey also started playing Duel Monsters before I did. Those two facts alone should put him at a higher ranking than me. So what logical reason is there for me to qualify for your tournament but not him?"
"Why do you even care?" Kaiba sounded like the whole thing was just a bother to him.
"Why do I care?" Kisara's voice increased as her patience wound thin. "Excuse me for thinking you might be hosting a fair tournament? Or do you not care what the public will think about your tournament so long as you get what you want? Forget the possible hype that could come from those wanting to challenge the finalists of the previous tournament! Forget the popularity that could be drawn to KaibaCorp from that! But I guess as long as you get your ultra-rare cards and your rematch with Yugi everything's fine! See if we care!" With that, she snapped her phone shut.
Tea winced at looked to her friends. Even Joey—who finally quit thrashing—and Tristan seemed dumbfounded by her outburst. "Remind me never to tick you off," Tristan finally said.
"You okay, Kisara?" Yugi asked.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Sorry about that, guys. I kind of thought that would go better." She placed her box on the counter. "I'm sorry to have taken up your time."
"It's quite alright…oh," the clerk turned his monitor to show them. "It seems the database has been updated. Joey Wheeler now has four stars and qualifies."
"All right!" Joey rushed to the screen. "Let me see those beautiful stars! Hey, my kisser ain't too bad either."
"Congratulations, you qualify," the clerk took the last duel disk off the shelf and handed it to Joey. "Best of luck in the tournament."
"Battle City, here we come," Yugi grinned and led the way out the door.
"Thank you for your time," Kisara thanked the clerk.
Tea saw the clerk grin at them as they left. I wonder if anyone else made the ruckus Joey did when registering.
Outside, the sun was starting to set. "Sorry, guys, I gotta get going," Joey broke away from the group. "Serenity's operation is tomorrow, and I told her I'd stay at the hospital tonight."
"Wish her luck for us, okay?" Kisara told him.
"I will," he promised. "Also, Yuge, I hope it's okay, but I gave her your house number to call if anything comes up while she's in town."
"That's fine, Joey," Yugi smiled. "Mom and Grandpa won't mind."
"Thanks," Joey grinned. "I'll see you guys later." He took off running down the street, his duel disk tucked under his arm.
"Bye!" Tea called after him.
"I hope he's okay," Tristan commented as the blond disappeared around the corner. "Going to that hospital's not going to be easy for him."
"Because of his mom?" Kisara asked.
"Yep," the brunet nodded.
"How long has it been since they spoke?" Tea asked, suddenly grateful her parents were happily married and always there when they needed her. Even knowing what her friends had been through, sometimes it was hard to imagine being in that kind of situation.
"Not since his mom separated them," Tristan stated.
"But that's almost seven years," Yugi winced. Not even his dad was ever gone for that long of time.
"Yeah," Tristan clenched his fist. "That's why I'm going to be there for them every step of the way."
"And impress Serenity while you do it?" Kisara raised an eyebrow at him. Tea smothered a laugh at Tristan's wince. "Didn't Joey already warn you about that idea?"
"Hey, I thought you said that was Serenity's choice!" Tristan deflated.
"I did," she rolled her eyes. "And I still think that. But that doesn't mean Joey's going to happily jump onboard."
Tea chuckled as Tristan drooped even further.
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Joey made his way through the darkening streets of Domino. He really should have paid more attention to the time. Especially since his mom probably wouldn't like him showing up so late.
He pushed away the dread that came with facing her after all these years. Joey would finally get the opportunity to ask her why. He could peer down the rabbit hole of what if.
Joey ignored the thought of not liking what he saw.
He cut through an alley, not seeing the cloaked figures until he got close to the other end. "'Scuse me!" he tried to slip past them. They pressed closer, blocking his way out. "What's the big idea? I'm in a hurry!"
"You won't be going anywhere for a while," the guy in the center laughed.
"What do you freaks want with me?" Joey glared at them. He didn't have time for this. He had to go see Serenity.
"Ooh, you're a feisty one, aren't you, Joey Wheeler?" the guy kept laughing. "It seems you've never met a Rare Hunter before."
"Rare Hunter?" Joey repeated. Weren't those the jerks Yugi and Kisara were telling us about? He tensed, remembering the warehouse fire. There was a chance these jerks were connected to that. And if they were, they'd likely go after Yugi and the Puzzle too. For once, Joey had to be careful.
"Yes," the leader grinned. "We stalk our prey and take what we desire, in this case your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Prepare to duel for it."
"How'd you know about my Red-Eyes?" Joey asked, glancing between the leader and his lackeys on either side of him. The newspaper stories about Duelist Kingdom never talked much about the cards they played, only about the participants themselves. They never even published photos of the winners, which was why Joey still didn't get the respect he deserved for coming in second. "Look, just step aside." He got ready to just charge past these thugs if need be.
"If you'd like to leave here in one piece, I'd suggest you do as we say and duel," the leader scoffed as more thugs appeared to block Joey in.
"You're not giving me a choice, are you?" Joey smirked. This almost reminded him of dueling Bonz back in that cave. Bunch of creeps forced him to duel, but they were all talk. These jerks would be no different. Joey pulled the duel disk out of the box and strapped it on. Two blades ran parallel to his arm, connected by the deck holder and LifePoint gauge in the center. "I guess I accept."
"Then let the hunt continue," the leader held his left arm up, revealing his own duel disk. "We'll duel by the Battle City rules. That way when we win, we'll get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
So Rich Boy thought these guys were good enough to enter but not me? Well I'll show him who's the better player. Joey powered up his duel disk. "Let's get this over with. I got somewhere I need to be." The two blades spun, connected, and created a longer blade on his outer arm with five card places total. Below those were five more sections. Looks like Kisara was right about these mimicking the regular playing field.
"Let's duel!" both players yelled, and their LifePoint gauges shot up to 4000.
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Kisara sat on her bed with the duel disk and its packaging spread in front of her. She looked between the manual and the device, trying to figure out the controls. "So this is the LifePoint gauge," she touched the red framed display as she spoke. "And it looks like the monster cards go here… and then the magic and trap cards go in these slots…"
"Any luck figuring that thing out?" Tea came in with a bowl of popcorn.
"Kind of," Kisara answered and made room for her foster-sister to sit next to her. "I think these blades are supposed to come together somehow."
"Yeah, the one Kaiba wore did have them connected," Tea agreed, munching on the snack. "Maybe there's some kind of switch."
"Probably," Kisara nodded, flipping the device over. "Aha! So if I flip this…" she pressed the switch. "Ah!" She shrieked and dropped the device as the blades nearly took off her fingers. Two projectiles show out from either side—one crashing into the wall and the landing on the floor and flipping itself up. It lit up with an iridescent light.
"I think that's the hologram projector, Tea commented.
"Oh, please tell me I didn't already break it," Kisara scurried over to the piece that hit the wall. It wasn't standing, but at least it was lit up like the other one. "Oh thank goodness."
"Yeah, explain that to Kaiba," Tea snickered now that they knew the duel disk was fine.
Kisara rolled her eyes and swiped a handful of popcorn. Now somewhat knowing what to expect, they resumed figuring out how Seto's newest contraption actually worked.
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"I'll get this party started by playing my Panther Warrior in attack mode!" Joey took the first move and placed the card on top of the blade. A purple feline in blue and gold armor with a green cape materialized in front of him, wielding a curved saber.
"It's the predator's move," his opponent drew his card. "I place one card in defense mode." A horizontal card appeared in front of him.
"You're not much of a predator so far," Joey took his turn. He held up the magic card he drew. "These guys may not look like much, but they're just what I need right now: Scapegoat!" Four different colored sheep leapt onto his field. "Panther Warrior can't attack unless I make a sacrifice first. So bye-bye, Scapegoat-Blinky, and hello, Panther attack!" The red sheep vanished as his panther charged forward. The face-down card revealed some kind of blue magical being; Panther Warrior sliced right through it with his sword. "Looks like my Panther Warrior is the real hunter in this duel. So now what?"
"Graceful Charity," the guy inserted the magic card into his duel disk. "This allows me to draw three new cards so long as I discard two." He snickered. "Just what I needed. My deck is filled with surprises, and soon I'll be adding your Red-Eyes to my collection."
I can't let him psyche me out. Joey eyed his opponent. What was this guy's game? He kept going on about hunting and taking prey, but all he did was sit around and play defense.
Serenity's face flashed before his eyes. I gotta finish this quick and get to the hospital. She's waiting for me. "I'm going to end this duel once and for all!" he drew his card. "I play Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" A large green and yellow reptile wearing black armor materialized and brandished his curved sword at the so-called hunter. "And I'm going to sacrifice Pinky so Panther Warrior can attack again." The pink sheep vanished as the panther sliced through a green fiend with three white masks.
He's wide open. "You guys want to play by Battle City rules, huh?" Joey smirked. "Well I heard that when you have no monsters on the field, I can attack your LifePoints directly. Alligator Sword, attack now! Direct attack on the hooded freak!" The alligator thrust his sword at the opponent, knocking his LifePoints down to 2500. "You give up yet?"
"No, not quite," the freak sneered. "I play Graceful Charity again."
"Again?" Joey repeated.
"Yes, a good hunter must acquire strong hounds to replace the weak ones," the guy drew. "So I toss these two old cards and play this one in defense mode."
"Boooriiing!" Joey rolled his eyes. "Give me a break; I'm falling asleep here! How many times are you going to keep throwing the same lousy cards down? You duel as badly as you dress. Time to end this duel so I can get back to what I was doing."
He drew his card, smirking at the image of the black dragon on it. Well, here's what they want. I should—wait… Yuge said something earlier about having to sacrifice weaker monsters to summon stronger ones. He glanced to the monsters on his field. The Inky and Clyde Scapegoats couldn't be used for this, but Panther Warrior and Alligator Sword were okay to sacrifice. Let's do it! "Now for your worst nightmare, the moment I've been waiting for: I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" His two warriors dissolved as a dragon black as night flew out from his card, its ruby eyes locked on its prey.
"So you wanted to see my Red-Eyes, eh?" Joey smirked. "Looks like you got your wish. Now get a look at this: Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack! Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon's fireball incinerated the mutant hand the freak had on his field. "I think this might be my easiest duel ever. While you were busy picking cards and playing defense, I was blasting you away."
"Foolish boy," the guy laughed. "I've been leading you through this hunt, waiting for the right moment to pounce."
"What are you talking about?" Joey tensed. There was no way this guy would be able to summon anything to defeat Red-Eyes. He couldn't even keep his own monsters long enough to sacrifice like Joey did. He had to be bluffing. "I've been creaming you!"
"Wrong," the freak stated. "I'm about to finish you off."
"Say what?" Okay, the guy had to be losing it.
"It's my move now," he drew. "And it's time for me to unleash the ultimate beast. I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" He spread five cards across his duel disk.
"No way!" Joey recoiled, remembering how Yugi had used Exodia to defeat both Kaiba and Kisara. There was no stopping it.
The multi-pointed star appeared in front of the freak, and the Egyptian monster stepped out from it. "Exodia, Obliterate!" Golden energy gathered in an orb in the golem's hands. It tossed the orb at Red-Eyes, shattering it and wiping Joey's LifePoints in one hit. The impact knocked Joey on his back.
"Hey, Exodia's one of the rarest cards I know," Joey said as he got to his feet. "How'd you get it?"
"It's true the individual pieces are exceedingly rare," the guy sneered, showing off his multiple Exodia pieces, "but Rare Hunters are experts in depriving duelists of their rare cards. And we have ways of multiplying our conquests. I personally have managed to assemble three complete sets of Exodia in one deck."
"So you don't just win them," Joey glared at him. No good cheat.
"We prefer to use whatever means necessary," the freak grinned. "Now we'll take our prize: your Red-Eyes!"
Right… Joey clenched his fist. He lost his best card to these jerks. "Fine, I'll get it." He eyed the other two hoods who circled around him.
"We prefer to take it by force!" the leader laughed as the two flunkies each punched Joey, winding him. He moved to dodge another strike from the first guy, and the leader kicked him in the chest, sending him back to the ground. While he was dazed, the flunkies swiped the card from his duel disk. "Ah, the thrill of the hunt! And now your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine!"
"Red-Eyes…" Joey staggered to his feet at the thieves made their escape.
He really did it this time.
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Kisara groaned at her phone ringing. She was having a really nice dream. She and her friend were sneaking out to the market to find something for the prince's birthday. "What?" she spat with barely a glance at the caller ID. Why the heck was Yugi calling at this hour?"
"I just got a call from Mrs. Wheeler," he answered. "Joey never made it to the hospital last night."
"What?" she shot up, alarm at his words jolting her awake.
"I don't know what happened," Yugi said, worry tinging his voice. "Serenity's refusing to have the operation until Joey gets there."
"Then we'd better find him," Kisara bit her lip. Where could Joey have gone? There was no way he'd blow off getting to see his sister after all this time.
"I know," Yugi agreed. "Mom's agreed to drive me around to look. I didn't want to call the landline because well… I wasn't sure if Yumi was already up, and the idea of waking her kind of scares me."
"You fought against Pegasus in the Shadow Realm and Tea's mom scares you?"
"Never mind, Tea didn't answer her phone, so I called you," Yugi sidestepped her comment. "Tristan's getting his motorcycle to try to retrace Joey's steps. Mom and I are going to search the south side of town. Can you and Tea take the north?"
"Sounds like a plan, and I'll ask Tea and Yumi or Gabriel to do it," Kisara agreed. "I'll also ask them to drop me off at the hospital. That way if you guys find him, you call me and by proxy we'll be able to let Serenity and Mrs. Wheeler know."
"Good, I'll talk to you later."
Twenty-minutes later—luckily Gabriel was already up—Kisara was dropped off at the hospital while Tea and her dad went to search for their missing friend. Kisara only hoped they wouldn't be too late for Serenity to get her operation.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Serenity Wheeler's room," she asked the receptionist.
"Third floor, room 3110, though she's due for her surgery this morning, so she might not be there," the lady answered.
"Thank you very much," Kisara bowed and took off for the nearest elevator.
A commotion outside one of the rooms drew her attention. At the center was a woman with curly, faded auburn hair wearing a cream skirt and blazer with a pink blouse. "Serenity, please," she pleaded.
"Excuse me," Kisara cautiously interrupted, and the woman turned with a start, her hazel eyes wide. For a second, Kisara thought she was staring into Joey's eyes. "Are you Mrs. Wheeler?"
"I am," she answered, cautiously watching the teen. "Who are you?"
"My name is Kisara, and I'm a friend of Joey's," Kisara held up her hands in peace. "Our friends are out looking for him. I'm here so that I can tell you the minute they find him."
"How could he ditch her?" Mrs. Wheeler yelled. "Serenity was counting on him to be here!"
"I don't know," Kisara said as calmly as she could. Mrs. Wheeler was likely at her wits end. Between the operation, taking care of Serenity, and… maybe she was just as nervous about seeing Joey again as he was. "I'm sure he was nervous about coming, but I do know that nothing was going to stop him when he parted ways last night."
"It doesn't matter now," the woman buried her face in her hands. "Serenity won't go through with the operation anyway."
Realizing there was little she could do to comfort the elder Wheeler, Kisara approached Room 3110 and knocked on it. "Serenity?"
"The other nurses already tried. I'm not having the operation until Joey gets here!" the girl's voice trembled, just on the verge of tears.
"I'm not a nurse," Kisara took a breath. "I'm a friend of Joey's."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know yet," she answered. "In the meantime, do you want to talk? I know I'm not Joey, but I do have a surrogate sister and brother."
"What do you mean by that?" The tremble in her voice was less.
"Well, they're not by blood," Kisara turned at sat against the door. "My honorary little brother has been my friend since I was eight and he was four. We used to play all the time with his older brother, who's the same age as me."
"But you only consider the younger one your brother?"
"Well, I think he started calling me his sister first," Kisara smiled, remembering how Mokuba staked that claim on her so many years ago. "They didn't have a sister, and I didn't have any siblings of my own so it fit. But his brother… I always considered him my best friend, but we never fell into a kind of sibling rhythm, if that makes sense."
"What about your sister?" the patient answered. Good. Maybe if Kisara could keep her talking, it would distract her from her anxiety.
"Well, her parents are my current guardians," the white-haired girl answered. "And she's in our circle of friends at school. She, Yugi, and I usually have to keep Joey and our friend Tristan in line. The two of them go so over the top sometimes, it's hard to keep them grounded."
"That sounds like Joey," the girl chuckled. "Has he ever flaked on you guys before?"
"Maybe on some meaningless stuff," Kisara sighed. "But never when it counted. I know my friends are going to find him. And they'll drag him here if they have to."
"Does that mean he doesn't really want to come?" The tremble was back.
"No," Kisara insisted. "I can't pretend to know what your relationship is like. But I can tell you he's been excited all week just to see you. And that you were going to get your vision fixed. He was willing to ride his dragon if that's what it took."
"What dragon?"
"Sorry, I sometimes speak in dragon metaphors. But…" Kisara paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Actually… Serenity, how close are you to the door?"
"Right behind it, why?"
"I'm going to slip something underneath it," Kisara took out the envelope she always kept on her, keeping a piece of her power close. "It's an envelope with a Duel Monsters card in it." She slid it under and heard the other girl pick it up. "I don't know how well you can see it, but it's called the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It's my favorite card, as well as the favorite card of the brothers I told you about."
"It's pretty," Serenity whispered.
"Thank you," Kisara felt a touch of flattery on behalf of her dragon. "Joey has a similar card called Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It's easily his rarest card. But for him, that card is also a symbol of his growth from when he started playing the game. He earned Red-Eyes while he was fighting for you."
"Really?"
"Really," she stated. "He's going to be here. I believe in him. And I believe you're strong enough to face this operation."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because you're Joey's sister. And if you're anything like him, I know nothing will truly keep you down."
"Thanks," the younger girl took a deep breath. "I'll slide your card back."
"Hold onto it for now," Kisara stopped her. "You can give it back when your operation's finished."
"Not until Joey gets here," Serenity's voice hardened.
"Okay," Kisara sighed. I hope the others find him soon.
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Where is that idiot? Tristan combed the area between the hospital and the registration office. Serenity was counting on her brother to be there for her, and he just doesn't show up? It wasn't like Joey at all, and that worried Tristan even more.
He turned onto the road by the beach ready to circle back when he caught a glimpse of a blue jean jacket. Joey? Tristan pulled over to look. There sitting in the sand, was the missing Wheeler. "What are you doing, you idiot?" He yelled and hopped over the railing.
Joey saw him coming and backed away at the last second, just missing getting tackled by the brunet. "What's wrong, Tristan?" the blond asked.
"What's wrong?" Tristan repeated, grabbing Joey by the collar and hauling him to his feet. "What you doing here? You're supposed to be at the hospital!"
Even though Tristan didn't give any blows, Joey looked like he was slapped across the face. He pushed out of his friend's grasp and dropped to his knees. Now Tristan saw the tears in Joey's jacket and jeans as well as a bruise forming on his arm. He couldn't remember ever seeing Joey look so defeated. Not when Trudge beat them up, or when Joey and Kisara almost drowned getting Yugi's cards back, or even when Kaiba completely destroyed him in their duel. Every time Joey got knocked down, he'd get right back up. "What happened, Joey?" Tristan asked.
"After I split, I got caught by those Rare Hunter goons the others were talking about," Joey's hazel gaze remained locked on the sand. "They beat me, and they took Red-Eyes."
"Joey…" Tristan knew how important that card was. Sure, sometimes Joey loved it more than any human being should, but on some level, it was just like Kisara and Blue-Eyes or Yugi and Dark Magician. It was a part of him, and those goons ripped out that piece of him. No wonder Joey looked so defeated.
But Serenity was still waiting for him, and Tristan had to get Joey's spark reignited. "I get it, man. I know what that card means to you, but at the same time, it's just one card. You have to stand up and get to the hospital."
"It's not just one card!" Joey snapped. "That card is why I got as far as I did!"
"But it's not the only reason!" Tristan yelled at him. "Or did you forget you had all of us with you too? Just like you need to go be there for Serenity, otherwise she's going to miss her operation!"
"What?" Joey recoiled.
"Since you didn't show up, she doesn't want to go through with it," Tristan pressed. "She needs you to be her big brother and tell her it's going to be okay. And she's running out of time!"
Joey froze at his words. Maybe I'm finally getting through to him. "She deserves a better brother than me," the blond finally said. "I'm pretty worthless as I am right now. Maybe that's why Ma didn't take me."
That did it. Tristan slammed his fist into Joey's cheek, knocking the blond back into the sand. "Come on, Joey! Where's the hothead who throws a fit when someone like Kaiba uses the term 'Dueling Monkey?' Where's the guy who was ready to clobber Panik when that creep took all of Mai's star chips? Where's the overconfident idiot who didn't back down from Duke's challenge?" Tristan hauled Joey to his feet again, looking him straight in the eye. "You're seriously going to throw away everything because of one loss? You're going to throw away any chance of reconnecting with your sister?"
Tristan smirked as the spark returned to his best friend's eyes. "Thanks, man," Joey said as they climbed onto the motorcycle.
"You can thank me after your sister's surgery."
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Joey burst into the hallway as the doctor walked away from Room 3110. "Hang on, Doc!" he called.
"Joey!" Kisara stepped away from the door.
"Joseph," his mother wrung her hands. Joey tensed as he tried to read her expression. In a nutshell, she seemed as stressed as he was. Probably more given the current situation.
"Let me talk to her," he stepped passed them to get to the door.
Time to be a good big brother. "Serenity, it's me," Joey knocked on the door. "I know you're upset with me, and you got ever right to be. But you gotta open the door so we can talk."
"No!" she snapped. "I needed you here last night! Why didn't you show up? I spent all night terrified about the operation! And worse, that something had happened to you!" He could hear a choked sob on her side of the door.
"I'm sorry," Joey let his hand rest on the wood of the door. "But, please, let me explain. I was on my way to the hospital last night, but I ran into some creeps downtown. All I could think about was coming to see you, but those punks wouldn't let me leave. They forced me into a duel, and they took the best card in my whole deck.
"I felt like a part of me was ripped out. I thought I'd gotten stronger, but not only did I lose, but I let down the most important person in my life when she needed most. I've been such a failure, I started to think you wouldn't want a brother who was such a screw-up.
"But my friends didn't give up on me," he clenched his fist and leaned his head against the door, hoping no one saw the moisture accumulating at the corners of his eyes. "Tristan reminded me I'm not alone, that I have all my friends at my back. And that I have to have your back as your big brother.
"Serenity, you had a smile through every appointment, never let it get you down no matter how bleak the diagnosis. Even on that tape, even while accepting time was running out, you smiled. Please, don't let this break you. Don't throw away your last hope! Because I promise as your big brother I'm going to be in your corner every step of the way from now on! You and I are stuck together, no matter what! And once you're cleared, we'll go to the beach, just like I promised!"
The door opened, and his sister threw her arms around him. "Joey!" she cried, and he could feel her tears leak into his shirt.
Joey stroked her long, auburn hair as he held her tight. "I'm so sorry, sis."
"You're here now," Serenity whispered and hugged him tighter.
"Thank you, Joseph."
The siblings turned to their mother. Joey swallowed. The time had come. "It's… uh… nice to see you, Ma."
"It's nice to see you too," Talia Wheeler smiled at them.
Talia and the doctors got Serenity ready to go in, leaving Joey, Tristan, and Kisara alone. "You going to be okay, man?" Tristan asked.
"Ask me later," Joey sighed. "I'll let you know when the operation's done."
"Call if you need anything," Kisara took out her cell phone. "I'm going to call Gabriel to pick me up."
"I can give you a ride on my bike," Tristan offered.
"Wait," Joey didn't give her a chance to answer. Given the questions he needed to ask, maybe it would be better if he didn't do it alone. Going alone is what got him in trouble last night. "Kisara, would you stay?"
"Sure," she nodded.
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Talia took a long, slow breath to calm her nerves. She'd done all she could for her daughter. It was out of her hands at this point; all she could do was wait and pray.
And face her other child.
She looked to her son sitting across from her. I can't even tell what he's thinking. Does he blame me? Would he even want to talk to me after all this time?
Seeing he wasn't going to start the conversation, she took the initiative. "Thank you, Joseph," Talia faced to her son, swallowing her fear. "For all of this."
"I didn't do it for you," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. His white-haired friend silently put her hand over his.
"I know," Talia sighed. Maybe it was better to get it out now, rip it off like a bandage. "You have every right to be angry with me. I would, in your shoes."
"Look, just tell me one thing," her son met her gaze, his hazel eyes—so much like her own—were guarded. "Why?"
Talia took a deep breath. She knew the time would come she'd have to face her choices. But that didn't make it any easier. "Your father wasn't always the man he is now. I met Brendan back in high school. He was on the rugby team, and I was a member of the student council. Junior year we started going out, and it felt like we'd be together forever.
"We married while we were still in college. Brendan had gotten an athletic scholarship, and I had qualified for partial tuition coverage. Before we knew it, you were here, and Serenity was on the way.
"Then your father got injured during a game. It took most of our savings to pay for the medical bills, and it never healed enough for him to play anymore. Because of that, he lost his scholarship and had to drop out.
"I always knew he was disappointed to say the least. He loved rugby more than life itself. And to have it taken away like that…" Talia bit her lip and let her gaze fall to her lap. "It changed him."
"I can imagine," Kisara said.
"It seemed like things were looking up for a while though," Talia continued. "Brendan found another job, and it felt like everything would be okay, but… then Serenity started having her health problems, and our savings were once again forfeit to the doctors.
"I don't know exactly when it started, but to try to get ahead Brendan took to gambling. He thought if he won enough, he'd be able to pay for better care."
"But he lost more than he won," Joseph finished.
"Yes," Talia nodded. "I tried getting him to stop, but by that point he was addicted." She bit her lip, glancing at her son. Brendan's vice was always poker. Card games. And Joseph paid for the operation by winning a card game.
"Ma, I'm not like Dad," Joseph grimaced, picking up on her train of thought. "Duel Monsters is a strategy game, and I don't lose any money playing it."
"It's more like a sports team winning a championship," his friend added. "And this was a really special tournament. From what Yugi's told us, most tournaments give special cards or much smaller prizes. The players aren't gambling themselves, unless there are certain card effects in play."
"I'm not going to pretend to understand your game," Talia sighed. "I don't know if I could ever fully approve of card games, but I will trust you for now. But Brendan's gambling siphoned away any chance we had to get ahead. And then the drinking started. I suspect his failure to get ahead of our debt coupled with his frustration over his losses and Serenity's increasing medical bills just made him give up. He started drowning everything in a bottle and…" she took a shaky breath. "He certainly wasn't the man I married. He soon harbored nothing but resentment for me and Serenity."
"Ma," Joseph winced.
"So I reached out to a friend from college," Talia continued, getting to the hardest part. She had to tell him now, before she lost her nerve. "At the time, she was a law student, and she offered to help me find someone to help with divorce proceedings. The divorce would have been simple enough, except when it came to custody." Talia forced herself to face her son. "Despite my best efforts, I only had a part-time retail job. Brendan still made more than me, and I wouldn't be able to afford to care for both of you. And the only time I'd broached the subject with Brendan, he swore I'd never see a dime of child support. And I believed him. I'd heard enough stories about people able to avoid the system, even if it meant not making anything themselves."
"So you gave up," Joseph turned his gaze to the door, his fists clenching in his lap.
"I couldn't fight for money from him and pay for Serenity's treatments," Talia blinked away tears at the hard look on her son's face. It frightened her how, in that instance, he resembled Brendan so much.
What a mistake she had made.
"Brendan resented your sister and me," Talia steeled herself, "but not you, Joseph. It was around you that I could see glimpses of the man I once loved. I didn't have many options, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, if it were just the two of you, if he didn't have to deal with Serenity's bills, then maybe he could pull himself out of his spiral and do right by you. At the time, it was the only hope I had. You were the light of his world."
"Some light I ended up being," he grumbled and got to his feet. "I need some air."
"Joseph, I'm sorry," Talia called to her retreating boy. He didn't turn back.
Talia felt the tears well in her eyes, and she stared at her hands folded in her lap. Of course Joseph would resent her. She abandoned him when he needed her, separated him from his sister. She failed as his mother.
A pair of hands clasped hers, and Talia looked up into the sapphire-blue eyes of Joseph's friend. "It's okay to cry," Kisara said.
"You must think the worst of me," Talia couldn't keep her voice from trembling.
"I don't know what to think," the white-haired girl admitted. "Based on what you shared, there wasn't an easy answer. But I can empathize with Joey's position all too well. I certainly know what it's like to be abandoned."
"What?"
"My parents died when I was younger," Kisara explained, hints of pain crossing her sapphire gaze. "And one by one, the rest of my relatives abandoned me. As far as I know, it was simply a matter of them not wanting me. At least you regret what you did."
"I do," Talia watched the teen carefully. She had gone through nearly the same thing Joseph had, and yet she was so kind. If she could do it, then maybe Joseph wouldn't end up on the same path as Brendan.
"Just so you know," Kisara spoke up, "Joey is one of the kindest, bravest people I know. And I honestly don't know where I'd be without him."
"Is that so?" Talia asked.
"Yep," the teen grinned. "My first day at Domino, I was alone. Joey walked right up and introduced himself, going out of his way to make me feel welcome. And then…" she trailed off, her bangs covering her eyes. Talia could see whatever happened still stung. "I ran out of relatives. I was going to have to fend for myself, and I was prepared to do it on my own, but…" she glanced to the hallway Joseph had disappeared through. "Joey saw right through me. He gave me the courage to ask for the help I needed."
Talia felt her heart swell at that. Her boy had become a good young man, despite what he'd been through. Despite how she and Brendan had failed him.
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Joey stared out the window of another waiting room. He wanted to go to the roof, but the alarms on the doors discouraged the idea. So he found another way to stare at the horizon.
The horizon wasn't giving him any answers.
After all these years, Joey finally knew his mother's reasons for leaving him behind. Was she really that afraid of her ex-husband? Did his father really threaten to ruin her if she tried to fight for child support?
Scratch that last question. Yes, Brendan Wheeler absolutely would.
How close was I to turning out like him? Joey shuddered at the thought of becoming like his father. Despite everything, he still loved his old man, even if it was hard to see why most days.
"There you are." Joey turned to see Kisara enter the waiting room. "We were starting to worry about you," she said.
"Are you being diplomatic, or was Ma actually worried too?" he grumbled.
"I think this whole thing has been eating at her," Kisara answered. "Just like it's eating at you. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not much I can do until the operation's done," Joey shrugged and took a seat in one of the chairs. Kisara sat across from him. "I think the hardest part is seeing how scared she is of him."
"Why is that?" Kisara asked.
"Because I almost ended up exactly like him," he stated.
"Joey, you are not that vindictive," she insisted.
"Not anymore," Joey glared at her. "No offense, Kisara, but you didn't know me before I met Yugi. Back then, I was a punk in a gang of just as angry punks, and I didn't care who got hurt along the way. I just wanted everyone else to be as miserable as I was. And that's where I met Tristan. The two of us became a pair nobody messed with."
"What made you leave?" Kisara asked.
"In a way, Serenity," he answered. "See, there was this kid who wandered into our turf. He was so terrified, it reminded me of how scared Serenity got when Dad got into one of his moods. So Tristan and I beat up the other gang members and got the kid out of there. But that didn't change how I felt about the world.
"Then came Yugi. I hated him when we met. How could some scrawny kid who was the butt of everyone's jokes be so unbothered by everything? How could he just smile at those who tormented him? What kind of idiot was so happy just sitting by himself working on that Puzzle? With only Tea to give him the time of day and chase of jerks like me and Tristan? I wanted to bother him as much as I was bothered."
"Joey," Kisara whispered, surprised at how harshly he spoke about his best friend.
"Obviously I don't think that way anymore," Joey rolled his eyes. "But it took Yuge standing up for us to get my head out of my butt and make a change." He hated how he used to be, picking a fight with any jerk who looked at him wrong. "Yugi saw me as more than a punk, and he treated me better than anyone other than Tristan had in a long time. He gave me a reason to like myself. He's done so much for me, and all he wanted was a friend."
"I think that's how he is," she smiled. "Remember what he said to Duke after their match? 'Taking anger off the field only breeds more bad feelings.' I don't know anyone who embodies that more than Yugi."
"You got that right," Joey grinned. "By the way, thanks for staying."
"The others would have come too if you'd asked," Kisara pointed out.
"I know," he gave her a half-smile. "But I kind of want your view on this."
"Mine?" she repeated.
"Would you forgive any of your guardians for how they treated you?"
Kisara ducked her head at the question, her white hair covering her eyes. Joey winced at the sensitive spot he pushed. As usual, he had to tact. "I don't know," she said before he could apologize. "I mean, I have my share of issues from them, and I suppose whether or not they deserve it is more suited to a philosophy class, but… I don't think I could say for sure unless I came face-to-face with them again."
"Right," Joey frowned. He was face-to-face with his mother now. What would Yugi do?
He smirked to himself. Yugi would forgive her. That's just his nature.
But was it in Joey's? He still had plenty of reasons to hate Kaiba for what that rich jerk did at Duelist Kingdom. And he had even more reasons to hate his parents for the pain he endured growing up.
Did Serenity forgive them? His sister was the biggest softie he knew. She cried over any kind of sad story.
So yeah, Serenity probably already did.
Fact was it was easy to blame his mom for all his problems, say they came from her leaving him behind. The harder fact to face was her staying wouldn't have made a difference with his father. His father, with all his struggles, was equally at fault. And eventually Joey had to take responsibility for his own actions too. Nobody made him join Hirutani's crew.
And besides… if Talia had taken Joey with her, he probably never would have met all of his friends. Life without his best buds? No way!
There was no erasing the pains of his past. But he could learn from it and start to heal. With that, Joey resolved to move forward.
And he would start by getting back his Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
So... there it is. I know it's much shorter than last chapter, but I think that was an anomaly. Anyway, this chapter also taught me that Kisara is not the most tech savvy. She can work stuff when shown how to, but... yeah, if she's only got an instruction manual she's going to struggle. I will also take feedback on the little spat between Kisara and Kaiba. I've kind worked with the idea, at least for building a relationship with Kaiba (who is already difficult), that he needs someone who's going to be patient but not put up with his BS. And Kaiba not letting Joey in the tournament was certainly BS, and I do think he deserved to be called out for that. Though I probably enjoyed the calling out more than I should. *awkward grin*
And for what was probably the most complicated part of this chapter, Mrs. Wheeler. I honestly wasn't sure what to do with her until I actually got to this chapter; I was wanting answers almost as much as Joey. Reading comments and other stories involving her, I see she gets very mixed interpretations. And honestly, it's very easy to make things with her black and white. It's very easy portray her as a terrible mother for abandoning Joey. On the other hand, she did seem to be a very good mother for Serenity and making sure she was okay. While what little we know of Mr. Wheeler in the manga is far from flattering, I think realistically he might not have always been like that. I did take a lot of inspiration from the sitcom Mom. For those of you not familiar with it, the concept is about a mother two, Christy, working to get sober as her mother Bonnie goes through the same process and struggles (and they eventually repair their bond). The show, while a sitcom, I think does a good job of highlighting the complexity that comes from this kind of situation. In this particular case, I tried to imagine what might have pushed Mr. Wheeler to the point he's at when we meet him given what we do know about the dynamics of the family. The biggest question for me was the why Mrs. Wheeler left Joey behind. I do know of situations where parents without custody duck out on their child support payments.
Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think, either about the characters or handling of the content. And, because I do want to make sure my stories are rated/tagged correctly, I will appreciate feedback regarding that too. This is the first time I've written a conversation of that nature, and while I'm sure I'm still fine, I'm just paranoid enough to worry. Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you guys next time.