Greetings!
I'm very happy to see that people are still enjoying this story, even if it is depressing. It must be ingrained, but even when I set my mind to writing something happy or upbeat, it always turns dark.
Reviews:
Cyberkat: Aww. . . I'm sorry to have made you tear up! It wasn't my intention.
Millenia Star: Glad you're enjoying the fic! Yugi being home is going to be interesting.
Yami-Yugi: Ask and ye shall receive!
Jadesaber: Yugi was bound to accept Yami sooner or later. After all, it's hard to escape someone who is that attached to you.
Amiasha Ruri: Ouch! Performing with a broken bone has got to hurt! Kudos for you for doing it, though. I'm a total klutz. I broke one of my toes two weeks ago when my foot ran into a chair. It was quite painful, but not as debilitating as the elbow sprain.
Labannya: I don't think that Seto ever gets to be nice to anyone. Have you seen the Japanese version of that helicopter ride? To me, it seemed like the dialogue was a lot better originally, even with the lousy subtitles. I don't know, it meant more to me than what was aired in English. The same can be said for the Joey vs. Yugi episodes that came right after. You're totally right, Yugi is much stronger than he looks and much stronger than he's given credit for. I know what you mean about how darker/evil characters always seem to draw the attention. For me, I like evil/twisted characters only when they have a reason for being evil. I used to hate Seto, until I read somewhere about the back story they'd given him (before I saw any of the Noa episodes). After seeing those, the way he is makes sense, which makes him not so evil in my eyes. Marik and Bakura I just don't get. The dub Marik is horribly transparent and one dimensional (and what a horrible voice!), and the Japanese version is just plain evil. Tristan and Tea both get a lot more to do during the Noa arc, especially Tristan. I think they're just mainly filler characters, like Mokuba and Otogi (did I spell that right?). But they get to shine every once in a while. Ahem. . . okay, so none of that had anything to do with the chapter, but I thought you brought up some good points. Thanks!
Adrienne-Lillian/Plushies: Yup, Shadow will be back eventually, I'm just not sure when. As for what they wanted Yugi for, you'll have to wait and find out. That's part of the plot I'm not willing to give away just yet!
Ginger Ninja: You've probably been reading this story long enough to know that things rarely stay settled for very long. Memories will start returning soon, but we have to wonder about what memories they'll be. Some of that will make sense to you once you read this chapter.
Yami-Angel: You didn't think Seto could act like what? Kind, conceited, or the way he fought against Shadow's partner? Glad you're enjoying the story!
Starheart: YAY, I got cute in a review! I don't think that's ever happened. . . I'm very pleased. Thanks!
DarkFoxy: Welcome to my wonderful word of angsty insanity! Don't apologize for long reviews. . . I like them and they're not tedious at all! I completely agree with you about Kaiba, which is why I like the character so much and try to do stuff with it. If you like the way I've written him here, you might want to check out my newest story: Intruders. It's very Seto centric and deals a lot with his past.
Guess: Hey there! Don't worry about the review; I'm just glad to know you're still reading! Thank you very much for the compliment . . . it means a lot to me! Let's hope that Yami is going to be able to get Yugi to think straight long enough to make him believe in himself.
Lizzy9046: You know, after reading your review, I can't watch Seto and the coat without thinking of you ^_^ The wind comment just struck me as hilarious. Personally, I think he has the maids starch and iron the coat so it always stays like that, but not so hard that it doesn't move when the wind blows it :o) I don't think I'll go for the duel monsters lessons. I've learned to play the game through the Game Boy, but I doubt I can write an explanation very well. Yami will just have to stew in silence at Yugi's lack of gaming skills.
SerafinaMoon: Don't worry about it! That's weird about the review button though. FF.net sometimes eats my reviews and doesn't post them when I make them, but other than that I've never had any trouble. I'm glad you got it worked out though! I bet Kaiba would love to see Joey as Yugi's guard dog. . . he'd have enough comments to last a long time. Lucky for Joey, Kaiba won't get to see him.
Oops! It seems my replies are pretty long again. Sorry about that! But I do love to talk to you guys, since you always make some very interesting comments. I'll shut up now and get on with the chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews.
**~~**
Chapter 15: Adjustments
Kiaba walked into his mansion as the sun shone directly overhead. He sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted and worn. It took all of his effort to merely walk into the house without collapsing. His side was burning, and every step he took reminded him of the fact that he was injured. Gritting his teeth, he made his way up the stairs to his room, not bothering to acknowledge the staff that he ran into along the way.
He should have come home when he sent Mr. Moto, Wheeler, and Yugi home, but he'd stayed at the office catching up on what he'd missed while he was gone. It was amazing how much could go on in only one day, and some of the things that had popped up required immediate attention. It had taken him the entire morning to deal with those things and his body was not very happy about the extra work it had been made to do.
He was about to walk into his room when a black blur ran towards him.
"Seto, you're home!" Mokuba said, throwing his arms around his brother.
Kaiba hissed in pain as Mokuba's arm tightened over his injury, which caused Mokuba to immediately let him go and look at him with concern.
"Are you okay? Brother, you look horrible, what happened?"
Kaiba looked down at the concerned eyes of his little brother, feeling remorse for making him worry.
"Everything is fine, Mokuba. There was some excitement at the hospital in Tokyo, but nothing serious," Kaiba explained patiently.
"But you're hurt, aren't you?"
Kaiba sighed. "I got slightly injured when a couple of tugs tried to kidnap Yugi again, but it's nothing serious. I'm fine, Yugi's fine."
Mokuba's eyes narrowed. Kaiba sighed, realizing that he'd made a mistake in telling his brother even that much. He wasn't going to be able to get to bed now until giving his brother a satisfactory answer to all of his questions. He raised a hand, cutting Mokuba off before the younger man could speak.
"Yugi doesn't remember who he is or what happened to him, so he couldn't tell us who the men were. The police are looking for them and will probably be coming around to question me sooner or later. Everything's fine now and I'm dead tired so I'd really like to go to bed."
Mokuba regarded him quietly before speaking.
"Actually, I was going to ask you what you were wearing. That jacket isn't yours."
Surprised at the switch in topic, Kaiba looked down at himself and saw the blue jacket he was still wearing. He felt momentarily embarrassed, until he remembered why he was wearing it.
"The bullet wound ruined my shirt and coat, so Wheeler let me borrow his jacket."
Mokuba's eyebrows rose in amusement.
"You're wearing Joey's clothes? I never thought I'd see the day," he teased.
"It was cold, okay? It was either borrow his jacket or freeze."
Mokuba nodded, but Kaiba could see the merriment in his eyes. Mokuba remained where he was, his expression turning serious again.
"Are you sure you're okay, big brother?"
Kaiba smiled and tenderly ruffled his brother's hair.
"I'm fine. Why aren't you at school?" Kaiba asked, suddenly realizing that it was past noon and his brother should have been in school hours ago.
Mokuba had the decency to look chastised. "I wanted to stay home and wait for you. I figured you could call the school later to explain my absence."
Kaiba sighed. "Fine, I'll let it go this time. I'll call the school later, after I take a nap."
"Okay. I'm glad you're okay, Seto. Um, do you think you could take me to see Yugi later?" Mokuba asked.
Kaiba knew how much his brother liked Yugi and would love to take him, but he didn't know if it would be appropriate since they'd just brought Yugi back home.
"How about I call Mr. Moto later and ask if its okay, then we'll see?"
Mokuba nodded. "Sounds good. Have a good nap, Seto!" he said, and made his way downstairs.
Kaiba watched him go, knowing that if anything ever happened to his little brother, it would break his heart.
He turned and finally made it to his room. He set his briefcase down on the desk, then went over to the closet and changed into pajama bottoms. He checked the bandage on his side and noticed that blood had seeped through a bit, but decided to ignore it. It wasn't too bad anyway. All he wanted at that point was to close his eyes and sleep. He'd had enough surprises for one extremely long day.
When he got to his bed, he didn't bother turning the covers. He lay down on top of them and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would claim him quickly before his mind had a chance to make him replay everything that had happened. He also prayed that the nightmares would not return. After all, when one made its way out of his subconscious, others were sure to follow.
**~~**
A strangled sob brought Joey into full wakefulness. He blinked, trying to get oriented, only to find himself sitting in the hallway. His butt was numb from his sitting position, his legs having fallen asleep long ago. His back was aching, and Joey winced.
'Why am I out here?'
He heard the sob again and it all came back to him in a rush. Joey tried to get up quickly, only to fall flat on his face when his legs refused to obey the commands his brain was sending them. He lay there for a moment, rubbing his legs in an attempt to return circulation to them. When he was sure that he could walk, Joey got up and entered Jomei's room.
Jomei was on the bed, tossing and turning in the throes of a nightmare. Joey could see that his mouth moved, but couldn't hear what was being said. As he got closer, the words became clear to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
When Joey got to the bed, he saw that tears were running down the sides of Jomei's face, staining the pillow.
"I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!"
The cries became louder, the pleas more intense. He looked around the room trying to figure out what to do, when he suddenly noticed that Yami was standing at the foot of the bed.
"I couldn't wake him, Joey," Yami said, concern clearly in his voice.
Joey acknowledged the statement, and moved to Jomei. He gently gripped his friend's shoulder and gave it a shake. As soon as he'd done it, Jomei's eyes snapped open, and his arms came forward, knocking Joey away from the bed.
"No, get away from me!" Jomei screamed, and slid back on the bed until his back was pressed against the wall. "Please, don't do it anymore!" he sobbed, his face buried in his knees. "I don't want to do that."
Joey grimaced as his right elbow hit the ground, but forgot all about it when he heard Jomei's pleas. Who could he be dreaming about?
"Aibou, you're safe now," Yami said from where he stood. "You're home. No one is going to hurt you."
"Yami's right, Jomei," Joey added, getting up from the floor and slowly making his way to Jomei. "We're not going to hurt you."
Tentatively, he reached out to touch Jomei's arm and winced when the boy flinched away from him. Joey removed his hand, but did not back away.
"It's a dream, Jomei. It's only a dream, it can't hurt you anymore. But if you don't want us to touch you, we won't. We'll stay right here until you're willing to talk to us."
Joey and Yami did just that, one sitting patiently while the other stood, until Jomei raised his head. His eyes were red, but his face was dry.
"I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Joey chuckled. "Not a problem. Believe me; I've had worse than that in school yard fights. Do you want to talk about it?"
Jomei shook his head. "It was nothing, Joey. I'm fine. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."
Jomei got up and made his way to the bathroom.
Yami walked so that he was standing close to Joey, motioning for him to stand up as well.
"He was terrified, Joey," Yami whispered, even though Jomei was in another room. "I could feel it even in the puzzle. I also felt resignation from him, as if he knew that fighting back would get him nothing."
"So you don't think it was just a dream?" Joey asked.
"No. I would suggest talking to his grandfather about this. Yugi needs help."
Joey nodded.
"Boys, are you awake up there?" Mr. Moto's voice made its way up from the bottom floor.
"Yeah, gramps," Joey yelled back from the open door. "We're up."
"Great. It's lunch time, so why don't you come down and eat."
"Okay. We'll be down as soon as we change."
At that moment, Jomei walked back into the room, a smile on his face.
"Hi, Joey. Was that Mr. Moto yelling? Is everything okay?"
Joey looked at the boy, noting the sudden change in demeanor. His face was no longer pale, his eyes no longer red. The fear that had been in his eyes only minutes before had been replaced by curiosity and nervousness.
"Yeah, he says that lunch is ready. I told him we'd be down after we change."
Jomei nodded his agreement.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Joey. Please don't worry."
"Okay," Joey stated. "I'll meet you downstairs.
**~~**
"You are not well."
It was a statement, not a question. Jomei turned to regard Yami, a flare of anger threatening to make him react more harshly than was necessary.
"You would know that how?"
"Because I know you. Whatever that dream was about had you terrified. I felt it.
Jomei sighed. He walked to the closet, got out a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt, and turned back to Yami.
"You're free to think what you like, Yami. The fact remains that nothing is wrong. I'm just trying to adjust to everything, nothing more."
With those words, he walked back to the bathroom and closed the door. He leaned his back against it, looking at himself in the mirror.
'I can't afford to lose it, not when I just got here. Damn that dream anyway. I thought it wasn't going to come back.'
He quickly changed and made sure he looked presentable. It was going to be hard to get Joey and Yami to believe that there was nothing wrong, but he could manage it. After all, he'd been doing it for as long as he could remember. Two more people to fool into thinking that he was perfectly fine would not be much trouble.
He returned to the room to find Yami sitting on the bed looking pensive.
"Are you okay?"
Startled, Yami turned towards him. "Yes, perfectly fine. Are you ready for lunch?"
Jomei nodded. "I'm a little nervous."
Yami smiled, apparently deciding to let their earlier disagreement go. "It's understandable. This is your family and your home, though. You belong here. There is nothing for you to be nervous about."
"Thanks."
Jomei began to walk towards the door, when he noticed that Yami wasn't following.
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Jomei thought about it for a moment.
"Yes."
Yami smiled slightly. "Then you should put the puzzle on. That's the only way I can constantly be with you."
"Oh," Jomei said, glancing at the desk where he'd left the puzzle. He walked over and put it around his neck.
"I'll be in the puzzle. If you want to talk, just call me," Yami said and disappeared.
Jomei shook his head. "It's going to take me some time to get used to that."
**~~**
Salomon Moto smiled as his grandson walked nervously down the stairs, glancing around until he finally found the dining room. He made his way over to the table and stood there. Having Jomei in the house was like old times, even though it wasn't quite the same. It didn't matter to Solomon, though. His grandson was alive and that's all that mattered.
"Would you like to take a seat? Joey is going to bring the food in a minute."
Jomei seemed reluctant to sit down, however.
"Is there something wrong? Are you not hungry?" Solomon asked, concerned.
The boy seemed to come out of his trance and suddenly shook his head.
"No, there's nothing wrong. I'm just not used to eating together at a table," he finally said.
Solomon frowned. "What do you mean? Where did you eat?"
Jomei smiled slightly. "Most of the time, I ate in the kitchen at work. The cooks would make me something during my break while they made the food for the clients. When I was home and Asami left us food, I ate in my room."
He said everything so calmly, as if it was what everyone else did. Solomon couldn't help but become angry at how his grandson had been mistreated. Did that mean that Jomei hadn't had a decent meal in six months? It would explain the boy's thinness and gauntness. Realizing that it wouldn't help Jomei to see him angry, Solomon pasted a smile on his face.
"Well, we eat our meals in the dining table every day, together. So take a seat," he said, as Joey came out of the kitchen carrying their food.
They all settled down around the table.
"Well, dig in!"
Both Solomon and Joey waited for Jomei to serve himself first, which seemed to catch the younger teen off guard. It was almost as if he were expecting to get the leftovers. After an awkward silence, Jomei finally relented and put some food on his plate. Solomon winced when Jomei only took a little bit of rice and ignored everything else on the table.
"You're going to forgive me young man, but you have to eat. You're a growing boy, after all," Solomon said.
He reached for Jomei's plate and served his grandson more rice, along with steamed vegetables and some of the fish he'd cooked.
"There, that should be a good start. Don't worry about serving yourself too much. There's no way you can beat Joey in the eating department."
"Yeah, gramps has a point there," Joey added as he served himself a hearty portion.
Solomon smiled, glad that one of his boys still had a healthy appetite. He served himself and the three men settled down to eat. Since they were all still tired and worn from the trip and everything else, they ate in relative silence.
"How are you feeling, Jomei? Is your back still bothering you?"
Jomei looked up from his half finished food and shook his head.
"It's not too bad, Mr. Moto. Don't worry about it."
'Worrying is what I do,' Solomon thought to himself.
"Well, if it gets worse, let me know so we can take you to see one of the doctors here."
"I need to call the gang and tell them we're back," Joey suddenly said. "They're going to want to come over when they get out of school."
Solomon smiled. The gang was just what Jomei needed. Maybe being around his old friends again doing what they used to do would bring back some of his old memories.
"That's a great idea, Joey. You should give them a call."
"Is that okay with you, Jomei, if they come over? I don't want to overwhelm you too much all at once," Joey asked.
Jomei turned to him with a nervous smile on his face. "I'm sure it'll be okay, Joey. It'll give me a chance to get to know them better."
"Okay, then its all set. We'll have ourselves a get together this afternoon.
**~~**
Jomei sat on the comfortable couch in the living room in front of the television. He wasn't paying attention to what was on TV, though. Instead, he found himself straining to hear what was going on in the rest of the house.
He felt like he should be doing something. His entire life, all that he could remember, at least, had been spent working long hours. He'd had no time to do anything but go to work all day and sleep at night. Right now, he felt as if he were neglecting his duty because it was the middle of the afternoon and he wasn't working nor doing anything useful. He'd volunteered to help out with the dishes or clean the kitchen, but Mr. Moto had insisted that he do nothing but rest.
In addition, he was nervous. He had heard Joey talking upstairs and figured that he was on the phone with his friends. Mr. Moto had gone out to another room to 'the shop', as he'd put it, which had left Jomei feeling like an outsider, someone who didn't belong. Joey had come and turned on the television when he'd seen Jomei sitting on the couch, but had then gone on to do what he'd been doing.
Jomei didn't know what to do. It was as if he'd been ripped from his familiar life. Granted, his life in Tokyo hadn't been very peaceful, but it had been what he knew, what he was comfortable with. He'd suddenly been thrown into a life so unlike his own that it had left Jomei reeling from the shock, trying to grasp onto something to keep himself from losing control.
His thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Moto entered the living room.
"Jomei, how are you doing? Is there something good on TV?"
"I'm not really watching it, Mr. Moto. Joey turned it on."
"Well, do you want to come into the shop so I can show you around? I don't have any customers at the moment."
Jomei nodded and got up to follow Mr. Moto into the room he'd gone into earlier. He was shocked to see that the room was really a storefront, with a door to the outside. In the store were displays full of games and cards of all kinds. Jomei walked around, looking at the different merchandise. He didn't recognize anything, except for the cards that looked like the two he still had with him, the ones he'd found in Tokyo on the way home from work.
"This is what you do for a living?" Jomei asked.
Mr. Moto nodded. "Yes. Games are important, and I take great pleasure in making them available to other people, kids and adults alike."
Jomei picked up a chessboard and examined it carefully. "So people just play with these things? Do they have time?"
"What do you mean, do they have time? Kids are supposed to do nothing but play."
Jomei's eyes saddened at the statement. "I never had any extra time. When I wasn't at work, I was sleeping. I wouldn't have had time to play."
Mr. Moto wheeled himself over to Jomei and took his hand.
"I'm very sorry that you had to go through that, my boy. You don't have to live like that anymore, though, not while you're with me."
"Do you mean you're not going to send me to work?"
Mr. Moto seemed shocked at the question.
"Of course not! A boy your age isn't supposed to work. Well, you did help me out with the shop every once in a while, but that was only after you took care of your responsibilities for school. Jomei, you're young. A boy your age should know nothing but school and play."
Jomei was surprised at the intensity of the feelings Mr. Moto was conveying. Asami had made him do nothing but work, so he couldn't really understand how he was supposed to not work now. What was he going to do instead?
"We'll get you enrolled in school when you feel you're ready. They'll have to test you to see how much of the knowledge you learned is still in your mind, but I'm sure you'll do fine. You were always an intelligent boy."
That last statement caught Jomei's attention.
"I'm not stupid, unable to go to school?" he asked.
Mr. Moto's eyes widened. "Of course not! What gave you that idea?"
Jomei sighed. "Every time I asked Asami why I wasn't in school, he'd tell me that it was because I was too stupid to go. I always wondered what it was like to attend school."
Mr. Moto squeezed his hand, before releasing it.
"On the contrary. You're a very intelligent and kind young man. You shouldn't believe anything that man told you."
Jomei nodded. It was easier said than done.
"Oh, good, you're both here!" Joey exclaimed as he entered the shop. "I got a hold of everyone, even Mokuba Kaiba. They'll be here for dinner tonight."
"Good. Joey, can you go to the grocery store later to get some food for dinner, maybe some ice cream and a cake too?" Mr. Moto asked.
"Sure, gramps. Jomei, do you want to come along?"
Jomei wasn't sure whether he wanted to go or not, but he found himself nodding.
"Okay! We'll leave in a little while."
Jomei nodded again. He had a feeling that the evening was going to be very awkward, and he only hoped he could get through it.
**~~**
Next up: Party at the Moto's. Well, it's going to be a mini party, at least. Poor Jomei isn't going to know what hit him.
I'm very happy to see that people are still enjoying this story, even if it is depressing. It must be ingrained, but even when I set my mind to writing something happy or upbeat, it always turns dark.
Reviews:
Cyberkat: Aww. . . I'm sorry to have made you tear up! It wasn't my intention.
Millenia Star: Glad you're enjoying the fic! Yugi being home is going to be interesting.
Yami-Yugi: Ask and ye shall receive!
Jadesaber: Yugi was bound to accept Yami sooner or later. After all, it's hard to escape someone who is that attached to you.
Amiasha Ruri: Ouch! Performing with a broken bone has got to hurt! Kudos for you for doing it, though. I'm a total klutz. I broke one of my toes two weeks ago when my foot ran into a chair. It was quite painful, but not as debilitating as the elbow sprain.
Labannya: I don't think that Seto ever gets to be nice to anyone. Have you seen the Japanese version of that helicopter ride? To me, it seemed like the dialogue was a lot better originally, even with the lousy subtitles. I don't know, it meant more to me than what was aired in English. The same can be said for the Joey vs. Yugi episodes that came right after. You're totally right, Yugi is much stronger than he looks and much stronger than he's given credit for. I know what you mean about how darker/evil characters always seem to draw the attention. For me, I like evil/twisted characters only when they have a reason for being evil. I used to hate Seto, until I read somewhere about the back story they'd given him (before I saw any of the Noa episodes). After seeing those, the way he is makes sense, which makes him not so evil in my eyes. Marik and Bakura I just don't get. The dub Marik is horribly transparent and one dimensional (and what a horrible voice!), and the Japanese version is just plain evil. Tristan and Tea both get a lot more to do during the Noa arc, especially Tristan. I think they're just mainly filler characters, like Mokuba and Otogi (did I spell that right?). But they get to shine every once in a while. Ahem. . . okay, so none of that had anything to do with the chapter, but I thought you brought up some good points. Thanks!
Adrienne-Lillian/Plushies: Yup, Shadow will be back eventually, I'm just not sure when. As for what they wanted Yugi for, you'll have to wait and find out. That's part of the plot I'm not willing to give away just yet!
Ginger Ninja: You've probably been reading this story long enough to know that things rarely stay settled for very long. Memories will start returning soon, but we have to wonder about what memories they'll be. Some of that will make sense to you once you read this chapter.
Yami-Angel: You didn't think Seto could act like what? Kind, conceited, or the way he fought against Shadow's partner? Glad you're enjoying the story!
Starheart: YAY, I got cute in a review! I don't think that's ever happened. . . I'm very pleased. Thanks!
DarkFoxy: Welcome to my wonderful word of angsty insanity! Don't apologize for long reviews. . . I like them and they're not tedious at all! I completely agree with you about Kaiba, which is why I like the character so much and try to do stuff with it. If you like the way I've written him here, you might want to check out my newest story: Intruders. It's very Seto centric and deals a lot with his past.
Guess: Hey there! Don't worry about the review; I'm just glad to know you're still reading! Thank you very much for the compliment . . . it means a lot to me! Let's hope that Yami is going to be able to get Yugi to think straight long enough to make him believe in himself.
Lizzy9046: You know, after reading your review, I can't watch Seto and the coat without thinking of you ^_^ The wind comment just struck me as hilarious. Personally, I think he has the maids starch and iron the coat so it always stays like that, but not so hard that it doesn't move when the wind blows it :o) I don't think I'll go for the duel monsters lessons. I've learned to play the game through the Game Boy, but I doubt I can write an explanation very well. Yami will just have to stew in silence at Yugi's lack of gaming skills.
SerafinaMoon: Don't worry about it! That's weird about the review button though. FF.net sometimes eats my reviews and doesn't post them when I make them, but other than that I've never had any trouble. I'm glad you got it worked out though! I bet Kaiba would love to see Joey as Yugi's guard dog. . . he'd have enough comments to last a long time. Lucky for Joey, Kaiba won't get to see him.
Oops! It seems my replies are pretty long again. Sorry about that! But I do love to talk to you guys, since you always make some very interesting comments. I'll shut up now and get on with the chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews.
**~~**
Chapter 15: Adjustments
Kiaba walked into his mansion as the sun shone directly overhead. He sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted and worn. It took all of his effort to merely walk into the house without collapsing. His side was burning, and every step he took reminded him of the fact that he was injured. Gritting his teeth, he made his way up the stairs to his room, not bothering to acknowledge the staff that he ran into along the way.
He should have come home when he sent Mr. Moto, Wheeler, and Yugi home, but he'd stayed at the office catching up on what he'd missed while he was gone. It was amazing how much could go on in only one day, and some of the things that had popped up required immediate attention. It had taken him the entire morning to deal with those things and his body was not very happy about the extra work it had been made to do.
He was about to walk into his room when a black blur ran towards him.
"Seto, you're home!" Mokuba said, throwing his arms around his brother.
Kaiba hissed in pain as Mokuba's arm tightened over his injury, which caused Mokuba to immediately let him go and look at him with concern.
"Are you okay? Brother, you look horrible, what happened?"
Kaiba looked down at the concerned eyes of his little brother, feeling remorse for making him worry.
"Everything is fine, Mokuba. There was some excitement at the hospital in Tokyo, but nothing serious," Kaiba explained patiently.
"But you're hurt, aren't you?"
Kaiba sighed. "I got slightly injured when a couple of tugs tried to kidnap Yugi again, but it's nothing serious. I'm fine, Yugi's fine."
Mokuba's eyes narrowed. Kaiba sighed, realizing that he'd made a mistake in telling his brother even that much. He wasn't going to be able to get to bed now until giving his brother a satisfactory answer to all of his questions. He raised a hand, cutting Mokuba off before the younger man could speak.
"Yugi doesn't remember who he is or what happened to him, so he couldn't tell us who the men were. The police are looking for them and will probably be coming around to question me sooner or later. Everything's fine now and I'm dead tired so I'd really like to go to bed."
Mokuba regarded him quietly before speaking.
"Actually, I was going to ask you what you were wearing. That jacket isn't yours."
Surprised at the switch in topic, Kaiba looked down at himself and saw the blue jacket he was still wearing. He felt momentarily embarrassed, until he remembered why he was wearing it.
"The bullet wound ruined my shirt and coat, so Wheeler let me borrow his jacket."
Mokuba's eyebrows rose in amusement.
"You're wearing Joey's clothes? I never thought I'd see the day," he teased.
"It was cold, okay? It was either borrow his jacket or freeze."
Mokuba nodded, but Kaiba could see the merriment in his eyes. Mokuba remained where he was, his expression turning serious again.
"Are you sure you're okay, big brother?"
Kaiba smiled and tenderly ruffled his brother's hair.
"I'm fine. Why aren't you at school?" Kaiba asked, suddenly realizing that it was past noon and his brother should have been in school hours ago.
Mokuba had the decency to look chastised. "I wanted to stay home and wait for you. I figured you could call the school later to explain my absence."
Kaiba sighed. "Fine, I'll let it go this time. I'll call the school later, after I take a nap."
"Okay. I'm glad you're okay, Seto. Um, do you think you could take me to see Yugi later?" Mokuba asked.
Kaiba knew how much his brother liked Yugi and would love to take him, but he didn't know if it would be appropriate since they'd just brought Yugi back home.
"How about I call Mr. Moto later and ask if its okay, then we'll see?"
Mokuba nodded. "Sounds good. Have a good nap, Seto!" he said, and made his way downstairs.
Kaiba watched him go, knowing that if anything ever happened to his little brother, it would break his heart.
He turned and finally made it to his room. He set his briefcase down on the desk, then went over to the closet and changed into pajama bottoms. He checked the bandage on his side and noticed that blood had seeped through a bit, but decided to ignore it. It wasn't too bad anyway. All he wanted at that point was to close his eyes and sleep. He'd had enough surprises for one extremely long day.
When he got to his bed, he didn't bother turning the covers. He lay down on top of them and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would claim him quickly before his mind had a chance to make him replay everything that had happened. He also prayed that the nightmares would not return. After all, when one made its way out of his subconscious, others were sure to follow.
**~~**
A strangled sob brought Joey into full wakefulness. He blinked, trying to get oriented, only to find himself sitting in the hallway. His butt was numb from his sitting position, his legs having fallen asleep long ago. His back was aching, and Joey winced.
'Why am I out here?'
He heard the sob again and it all came back to him in a rush. Joey tried to get up quickly, only to fall flat on his face when his legs refused to obey the commands his brain was sending them. He lay there for a moment, rubbing his legs in an attempt to return circulation to them. When he was sure that he could walk, Joey got up and entered Jomei's room.
Jomei was on the bed, tossing and turning in the throes of a nightmare. Joey could see that his mouth moved, but couldn't hear what was being said. As he got closer, the words became clear to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
When Joey got to the bed, he saw that tears were running down the sides of Jomei's face, staining the pillow.
"I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!"
The cries became louder, the pleas more intense. He looked around the room trying to figure out what to do, when he suddenly noticed that Yami was standing at the foot of the bed.
"I couldn't wake him, Joey," Yami said, concern clearly in his voice.
Joey acknowledged the statement, and moved to Jomei. He gently gripped his friend's shoulder and gave it a shake. As soon as he'd done it, Jomei's eyes snapped open, and his arms came forward, knocking Joey away from the bed.
"No, get away from me!" Jomei screamed, and slid back on the bed until his back was pressed against the wall. "Please, don't do it anymore!" he sobbed, his face buried in his knees. "I don't want to do that."
Joey grimaced as his right elbow hit the ground, but forgot all about it when he heard Jomei's pleas. Who could he be dreaming about?
"Aibou, you're safe now," Yami said from where he stood. "You're home. No one is going to hurt you."
"Yami's right, Jomei," Joey added, getting up from the floor and slowly making his way to Jomei. "We're not going to hurt you."
Tentatively, he reached out to touch Jomei's arm and winced when the boy flinched away from him. Joey removed his hand, but did not back away.
"It's a dream, Jomei. It's only a dream, it can't hurt you anymore. But if you don't want us to touch you, we won't. We'll stay right here until you're willing to talk to us."
Joey and Yami did just that, one sitting patiently while the other stood, until Jomei raised his head. His eyes were red, but his face was dry.
"I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Joey chuckled. "Not a problem. Believe me; I've had worse than that in school yard fights. Do you want to talk about it?"
Jomei shook his head. "It was nothing, Joey. I'm fine. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."
Jomei got up and made his way to the bathroom.
Yami walked so that he was standing close to Joey, motioning for him to stand up as well.
"He was terrified, Joey," Yami whispered, even though Jomei was in another room. "I could feel it even in the puzzle. I also felt resignation from him, as if he knew that fighting back would get him nothing."
"So you don't think it was just a dream?" Joey asked.
"No. I would suggest talking to his grandfather about this. Yugi needs help."
Joey nodded.
"Boys, are you awake up there?" Mr. Moto's voice made its way up from the bottom floor.
"Yeah, gramps," Joey yelled back from the open door. "We're up."
"Great. It's lunch time, so why don't you come down and eat."
"Okay. We'll be down as soon as we change."
At that moment, Jomei walked back into the room, a smile on his face.
"Hi, Joey. Was that Mr. Moto yelling? Is everything okay?"
Joey looked at the boy, noting the sudden change in demeanor. His face was no longer pale, his eyes no longer red. The fear that had been in his eyes only minutes before had been replaced by curiosity and nervousness.
"Yeah, he says that lunch is ready. I told him we'd be down after we change."
Jomei nodded his agreement.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Joey. Please don't worry."
"Okay," Joey stated. "I'll meet you downstairs.
**~~**
"You are not well."
It was a statement, not a question. Jomei turned to regard Yami, a flare of anger threatening to make him react more harshly than was necessary.
"You would know that how?"
"Because I know you. Whatever that dream was about had you terrified. I felt it.
Jomei sighed. He walked to the closet, got out a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt, and turned back to Yami.
"You're free to think what you like, Yami. The fact remains that nothing is wrong. I'm just trying to adjust to everything, nothing more."
With those words, he walked back to the bathroom and closed the door. He leaned his back against it, looking at himself in the mirror.
'I can't afford to lose it, not when I just got here. Damn that dream anyway. I thought it wasn't going to come back.'
He quickly changed and made sure he looked presentable. It was going to be hard to get Joey and Yami to believe that there was nothing wrong, but he could manage it. After all, he'd been doing it for as long as he could remember. Two more people to fool into thinking that he was perfectly fine would not be much trouble.
He returned to the room to find Yami sitting on the bed looking pensive.
"Are you okay?"
Startled, Yami turned towards him. "Yes, perfectly fine. Are you ready for lunch?"
Jomei nodded. "I'm a little nervous."
Yami smiled, apparently deciding to let their earlier disagreement go. "It's understandable. This is your family and your home, though. You belong here. There is nothing for you to be nervous about."
"Thanks."
Jomei began to walk towards the door, when he noticed that Yami wasn't following.
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Jomei thought about it for a moment.
"Yes."
Yami smiled slightly. "Then you should put the puzzle on. That's the only way I can constantly be with you."
"Oh," Jomei said, glancing at the desk where he'd left the puzzle. He walked over and put it around his neck.
"I'll be in the puzzle. If you want to talk, just call me," Yami said and disappeared.
Jomei shook his head. "It's going to take me some time to get used to that."
**~~**
Salomon Moto smiled as his grandson walked nervously down the stairs, glancing around until he finally found the dining room. He made his way over to the table and stood there. Having Jomei in the house was like old times, even though it wasn't quite the same. It didn't matter to Solomon, though. His grandson was alive and that's all that mattered.
"Would you like to take a seat? Joey is going to bring the food in a minute."
Jomei seemed reluctant to sit down, however.
"Is there something wrong? Are you not hungry?" Solomon asked, concerned.
The boy seemed to come out of his trance and suddenly shook his head.
"No, there's nothing wrong. I'm just not used to eating together at a table," he finally said.
Solomon frowned. "What do you mean? Where did you eat?"
Jomei smiled slightly. "Most of the time, I ate in the kitchen at work. The cooks would make me something during my break while they made the food for the clients. When I was home and Asami left us food, I ate in my room."
He said everything so calmly, as if it was what everyone else did. Solomon couldn't help but become angry at how his grandson had been mistreated. Did that mean that Jomei hadn't had a decent meal in six months? It would explain the boy's thinness and gauntness. Realizing that it wouldn't help Jomei to see him angry, Solomon pasted a smile on his face.
"Well, we eat our meals in the dining table every day, together. So take a seat," he said, as Joey came out of the kitchen carrying their food.
They all settled down around the table.
"Well, dig in!"
Both Solomon and Joey waited for Jomei to serve himself first, which seemed to catch the younger teen off guard. It was almost as if he were expecting to get the leftovers. After an awkward silence, Jomei finally relented and put some food on his plate. Solomon winced when Jomei only took a little bit of rice and ignored everything else on the table.
"You're going to forgive me young man, but you have to eat. You're a growing boy, after all," Solomon said.
He reached for Jomei's plate and served his grandson more rice, along with steamed vegetables and some of the fish he'd cooked.
"There, that should be a good start. Don't worry about serving yourself too much. There's no way you can beat Joey in the eating department."
"Yeah, gramps has a point there," Joey added as he served himself a hearty portion.
Solomon smiled, glad that one of his boys still had a healthy appetite. He served himself and the three men settled down to eat. Since they were all still tired and worn from the trip and everything else, they ate in relative silence.
"How are you feeling, Jomei? Is your back still bothering you?"
Jomei looked up from his half finished food and shook his head.
"It's not too bad, Mr. Moto. Don't worry about it."
'Worrying is what I do,' Solomon thought to himself.
"Well, if it gets worse, let me know so we can take you to see one of the doctors here."
"I need to call the gang and tell them we're back," Joey suddenly said. "They're going to want to come over when they get out of school."
Solomon smiled. The gang was just what Jomei needed. Maybe being around his old friends again doing what they used to do would bring back some of his old memories.
"That's a great idea, Joey. You should give them a call."
"Is that okay with you, Jomei, if they come over? I don't want to overwhelm you too much all at once," Joey asked.
Jomei turned to him with a nervous smile on his face. "I'm sure it'll be okay, Joey. It'll give me a chance to get to know them better."
"Okay, then its all set. We'll have ourselves a get together this afternoon.
**~~**
Jomei sat on the comfortable couch in the living room in front of the television. He wasn't paying attention to what was on TV, though. Instead, he found himself straining to hear what was going on in the rest of the house.
He felt like he should be doing something. His entire life, all that he could remember, at least, had been spent working long hours. He'd had no time to do anything but go to work all day and sleep at night. Right now, he felt as if he were neglecting his duty because it was the middle of the afternoon and he wasn't working nor doing anything useful. He'd volunteered to help out with the dishes or clean the kitchen, but Mr. Moto had insisted that he do nothing but rest.
In addition, he was nervous. He had heard Joey talking upstairs and figured that he was on the phone with his friends. Mr. Moto had gone out to another room to 'the shop', as he'd put it, which had left Jomei feeling like an outsider, someone who didn't belong. Joey had come and turned on the television when he'd seen Jomei sitting on the couch, but had then gone on to do what he'd been doing.
Jomei didn't know what to do. It was as if he'd been ripped from his familiar life. Granted, his life in Tokyo hadn't been very peaceful, but it had been what he knew, what he was comfortable with. He'd suddenly been thrown into a life so unlike his own that it had left Jomei reeling from the shock, trying to grasp onto something to keep himself from losing control.
His thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Moto entered the living room.
"Jomei, how are you doing? Is there something good on TV?"
"I'm not really watching it, Mr. Moto. Joey turned it on."
"Well, do you want to come into the shop so I can show you around? I don't have any customers at the moment."
Jomei nodded and got up to follow Mr. Moto into the room he'd gone into earlier. He was shocked to see that the room was really a storefront, with a door to the outside. In the store were displays full of games and cards of all kinds. Jomei walked around, looking at the different merchandise. He didn't recognize anything, except for the cards that looked like the two he still had with him, the ones he'd found in Tokyo on the way home from work.
"This is what you do for a living?" Jomei asked.
Mr. Moto nodded. "Yes. Games are important, and I take great pleasure in making them available to other people, kids and adults alike."
Jomei picked up a chessboard and examined it carefully. "So people just play with these things? Do they have time?"
"What do you mean, do they have time? Kids are supposed to do nothing but play."
Jomei's eyes saddened at the statement. "I never had any extra time. When I wasn't at work, I was sleeping. I wouldn't have had time to play."
Mr. Moto wheeled himself over to Jomei and took his hand.
"I'm very sorry that you had to go through that, my boy. You don't have to live like that anymore, though, not while you're with me."
"Do you mean you're not going to send me to work?"
Mr. Moto seemed shocked at the question.
"Of course not! A boy your age isn't supposed to work. Well, you did help me out with the shop every once in a while, but that was only after you took care of your responsibilities for school. Jomei, you're young. A boy your age should know nothing but school and play."
Jomei was surprised at the intensity of the feelings Mr. Moto was conveying. Asami had made him do nothing but work, so he couldn't really understand how he was supposed to not work now. What was he going to do instead?
"We'll get you enrolled in school when you feel you're ready. They'll have to test you to see how much of the knowledge you learned is still in your mind, but I'm sure you'll do fine. You were always an intelligent boy."
That last statement caught Jomei's attention.
"I'm not stupid, unable to go to school?" he asked.
Mr. Moto's eyes widened. "Of course not! What gave you that idea?"
Jomei sighed. "Every time I asked Asami why I wasn't in school, he'd tell me that it was because I was too stupid to go. I always wondered what it was like to attend school."
Mr. Moto squeezed his hand, before releasing it.
"On the contrary. You're a very intelligent and kind young man. You shouldn't believe anything that man told you."
Jomei nodded. It was easier said than done.
"Oh, good, you're both here!" Joey exclaimed as he entered the shop. "I got a hold of everyone, even Mokuba Kaiba. They'll be here for dinner tonight."
"Good. Joey, can you go to the grocery store later to get some food for dinner, maybe some ice cream and a cake too?" Mr. Moto asked.
"Sure, gramps. Jomei, do you want to come along?"
Jomei wasn't sure whether he wanted to go or not, but he found himself nodding.
"Okay! We'll leave in a little while."
Jomei nodded again. He had a feeling that the evening was going to be very awkward, and he only hoped he could get through it.
**~~**
Next up: Party at the Moto's. Well, it's going to be a mini party, at least. Poor Jomei isn't going to know what hit him.