Title: Title: "I'll Be By Your Side"

By: Shari Cooper

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Main Pairing: Seto Kaiba (18) and Serenity Wheeler (16)

Other Pairings: Joey Wheeler (18) and Mai Valentine (18), Zane Truesdale (17) and Alexis Rhodes (15), Tea Gardner (18) and Yugi and Yami Moto (19)

Summary: Sequel to "Falling In Love With You All Over Again". Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler-Kaiba have just moved to Duelist Academy. Mokuba isn't getting along to well with Atticus Rhodes because he keeps hitting on Serenity. But Serenity thinks he's just a sweet boy willing to help her. And to make it worse for Mokuba, he falls for Alexis's good looks… sadly he's a little too late, since Zane Truesdale got there first.

Authors Note: Well… it took me a while to decide what to do with this story. I felt it was kind of going nowhere… but I think I'm getting the hang of this whole thing. So read on…read on….

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Kaiba sat up in bed, he felt dizzy but he had to tell Serenity about what Crowler had said. It was so important. He wasn't going to try some stupid stunt like trying to get up but that didn't mean he couldn't call…or scream for her.

"Serenity?" Kaiba asked looking around. Yami who was on the balcony again, came in to see what he wanted.

"You wanted something Kaiba?" Yami asked his eyes dull; he really needed sleep but refused to sleep until someone else was up to look after the house. It wasn't that he didn't trust security or the maids… but he had a feeling it would better to stay up.

"I don't think your name is Serenity." Kaiba growled. He hated the fact that he couldn't get up and toss Yami out the window, "And what the hell are you doing in my house?"

"You must be feeling okay, to be talking like that Kaiba." Yami snarled, he wasn't usually in a bad mood… but he hadn't slept in 48 hours… it was getting to him.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm here to help Serenity find out who did this to you and Joey."

"It's stupid to think that, the mutt will live. He won't." Kaiba said he almost looked like he was sad about it… but he still had his cold cobalt eyes that didn't give away feelings.

"Really? The doctors say he's getting better." Yami lied, they hadn't said anything to anyone. They would go in for about two hours, and tell everyone to stay out, and then leave… without a word to Serenity, Mai, Mokuba, or himself. They didn't seem to think it was necessary which meant that he was either getting worse and they didn't want to worry them… or he wasn't getting better or worse, which was what Yami was hoping for. At least that way, he wasn't worse, but he wasn't better either, which was hard on Serenity. All Yami wanted was for his buddy to just open one eye, just one, and tell Serenity that he was okay. But Yami had a feeling he might not… ever open an eye or eyes.

"Don't lie to me." Kaiba hissed he wasn't in the mood for small talk. His head was pounding and he felt like total shit, all he wanted was to tell Serenity his bad news and go back to bed. "I need to talk to Serenity."

"I'll go see if she's awake yet."

"What do you mean yet?" Kaiba asked his eyes glowing with anger, he was really getting sick of Yami and his tri-colored hair. His hair was giving Kaiba a headache.

"Oh she fainted… she was a little tired… you know." Yami said running out of the room before Kaiba ripped his head off.

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Yami peaked into Serenity's room. She was awake crying.

"Serenity?"

"What?" Serenity sniffed.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked looking at Serenity with concern.

"Joey… I was told he's getting worse… not better…" Serenity wailed hurling herself at Yami she cried into his shoulder, making him feel more then awkward.

"Um…" Yami patted her back trying to make her feel better.

Serenity let Yami go and sniffed giving him an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry…" Serenity murmured.

"It's okay, I just came to tell you that Kaiba's up…and in his normal mood. And he wants to talk to you."

Serenity made a small 'o' with her mouth and grinned at him. Brushing passed Yami she went to go talk to Kaiba. Walking into his room she sees Mokuba sitting on the edge of Kaiba's bed listing something off on his fingers, he had reached 5.

"Mokie, could you go check on Joey for me?" Serenity asked trying to get rid of him for a few minutes.

"Okay." Mokuba said hopping off the bed, he smiled at his brother and then left.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah…" Kaiba said playing with the end of his quilt.

"About?" Serenity asked sitting where Mokuba had only a few minutes before.

"Crowler." Kaiba said looking at her, he had a look in his eyes she'd never seen. It wasn't hatred… but betrayal.

"He said he would help me… when he was behind it all." Kaiba said giving her a blank look. "He said he'd love to help me… but then he didn't. He said if I didn't hand over Kaiba Corporation and you… then he'd finish me off…I wasn't supposed to make it…but the mutt was…" Kaiba almost looked like he was going to cry.

Serenity sat there staring at Kaiba, her mouth hung open and she felt a sick feeling sliding into her stomach like snake slithering into a grass patch.

"Well… what does that mean?"

"It means that he wants you and Kaiba Corp." Kaiba snapped angrily, not at her…but at what had happened.

"No… I mean that…you weren't supposed to make it…"

"They weren't supposed to get Joey! Damn it! They weren't supposed to touch him… I…I gave so much so they wouldn't…but Crowler… that bastard…" Kaiba hurled out of bed, slamming his fists into the wall as hard as he could. He crumpled to the ground, Serenity rushed to his side.

"Seto…" Serenity cuddled him he shoved her away.

"You're supposed to hate me." Kaiba whispered tears forming in his eyes.

"No…" Serenity whimpered tears streaming down her face.

"I killed your brother…"

"NO!"

"I didn't mean to Serenity… I swear… it wasn't supposed to end up like this! I was the one supposed to be in my grave… not him…"

"He's not dead yet damn it!"

"He will be… they gave him poison… that's why his cuts are okay. They put the poison in my cuts… they made him drink it… he's dying slowly…"

"How…" Serenity murmured looking at her hands then at him, she looked scared.

"I told Crowler I refused to hand you and Kaiba Corp over… he didn't take it to well…" Kaiba began looking at the wall. "I told him that it was over… I was closing Duelist Academy he didn't like that too much. That's when he decided to kill Joey. He said that then he'd win you over by showing that he cared… I tried to stop him… but it only hurt the mutt in the end. When I went to the alley to talk it over with him… well it's what you see now… only I'm supposed to be dead!" Kaiba groaned.

"No… no…" Serenity shook her head covering her ears.

"Serenity… I did my best… but it's to late…" Kaiba tried to get up and stumbled but was able to. He walked to the door and opened it, going into Joey's room, the doctors where in with him.

"Mr. Kaiba you should be in bed!" The doctor gushed in a hushed voice.

"Shut the hell up. If you don't cure him I'll make sure you never treat another patient again." Kaiba growled looking at Joey.

"We're doing our best!"

"DO better!" Kaiba screamed at them, the hurried out of the room closing the door after them. "Mutt if you don't get your ass out of bed soon, Serenity will just as well be history. So come on…do it for me. I know we don't get a long… but… I'm not asking for me!" Kaiba began to cry, Seto Kaiba, boy-without-a-soul, began sobbing! And in front of Joey Wheeler, the-hound-boy it didn't matter that he couldn't hear or talk back… Kaiba was crying in front of him!

"I'm asking for the Geek squad and for your little sister… please… just for her if not for me…" Kaiba was sitting in a chair next to Joey sobbing his eyes out and spilling his soul for the mutt and he felt okay about it.

"M-m-money…money-bags?"

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OOOOH I'm ending that chapter here! Huh… wonder how Joey is! Will he make it? Or are these his last words? And Kaiba crying… wow…. dramatic!

XOXOXOXOXOX

Shari