Chapter Six: Conflict of Interest

Thump. Thump. Thump. There was a single line that illuminated throughout the room, peaking and plummeting faster than Kaiba could calculate. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Pealing back his coat flaps, Kaiba peered inside and found his stomach had been hollowed. In the absence of his internal organs, there was a painful emptiness that beat bright blue and burgundy vibrations. Several shriveled valves were straining to swallow the solidifying serum as it quickly created a clot.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Organic compounds that once beat in his breast had now become swallowed in self-injected volatile matter. A syringe materialized between his fingers and Kaiba felt an undeniable alarm as it pierced his chest, sending the shrill, systematic sounds into a countdown around him.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Confused, he felt the space in his fingers reposition around a cold curvature. Several prongs gave way to a handle, crisscrossing at the middle to reveal a metal extension that bent inward on either side, forming a union between identical, inclining sharp angles. Magnetically, the instrument pulled towards the alternating red and blue cables that coiled through the convulsions, creating a series of cataclysmic cardiac calisthenics.

Thumpthumpthumpthump.

Like a ticking time bomb, there was an explosive hardwired throughout his heart. Several shaking appendages wavered unconfidently between wires, his mind was betraying his motions, and the indecision rendered his defeat. There was absolutely no surefire way to diffuse the sensation, and there were barely seconds on the clock.

Heart-lines shot back and forth irrepressibly, compressing into the size of a pin needle, there was a two second pause. Bursting forth in all directions, the detonation followed swiftly, and his heart broke in fragments that began to continuously reduce into dust,

Thump….Thump…..Thump

The symmetry of his heart was disfigured, and the very substance that framed his sensitivity was lost. There was a tragic tintinnabulation and Kaiba clenched his aching irises even more tightly. The noise invaded his pleading veins; the vibrations mocked him mercilessly, and his heart, although faintly, continued to beat.

A curious combination of water and salt slid like a serum from his lashes, and the wetness on his cheeks was something unfamiliar. Kaiba's fingers became flexible and he moved towards the liquescence pooling beneath his lids. Yet, he felt numb towards the currents, unable to match them to any emotion.

A soft voice resonated in place of the out of sight pulsations: "It's hard to feel, isn't it?"

"What's wrong with me?" His voice sounded involuntarily.

There was a cavalier chuckling, "Isn't that obvious?" The brunette's echo went mute, and the voice churned on caustically without reply, "You're heartless."

"That's…that's impossible…that means that I'm…I'm…"

"Dead?" A spitefully playful suggestion offered. "May as well be."

"Don't say that," Kaiba found his hands clamping down furiously over his ears. "I don't believe you."

"Then see for yourself," the rhythmic reverberations faded away.

Desperate for alleviation, uneasy eyes lingered through the darkness, yet he found no direction to follow. Suddenly, a hand of Duel Monster cards fanned out in front of his face, and the connection was uncharacteristically counterintuitive.

"Do you…want me to choose one…?"

He received no further instruction, nor could he strategize his selection. The cards suddenly rearranged like a keyboard beneath his feat, pressing down in various repetitions. A haunting melody chased the keys, dipping downward and upward like a tidal wave beneath him, overturning the hand to reveal images beneath.

"Swords of Revealing Light," the entity expressed pitifully, as three golden streaks of light fell around the boy's frame.

Each structure struck the ground like a tuning fork, and sound waves rippled outward from the ground. Separating from Seto, each set of rings stretched out in different directions. Traveling only a short distance, the rings overlapped, and the ripple-effect motions crashed like waves against the backs of three more cards.

Positioned horizontally, in front of him, the facedown cards flipped over. Kaiba wanted to protest that he had never played them, but the voice was quick to read his thoughts.

"You don't always choose your cards Kaiba," it reprimanded. "Rather, you hold the hand you've been dealt."

Slowly, the cards surfaced one by one, and the voice revealed the first calmly, "Monster Reborn."

The image in front of him began to take affect simultaneously as the card came to life. In the center he saw the facets of a precious ruby stone form. Standing opposite of the gem, the prison around him began to radiate off the smooth, surface until it reflected a scarlet symmetry back on Kaiba's breast. After the chasm etched the shape back between his ribs, Kaiba felt an alarming pressure. Simultaneously, as the unfamiliar sensation pulsated, the impression of the stone against the card began unfolding into an elegant pendent. As the shapes became fixed against the card and Kaiba in mirror images, both burst forth in a brilliant blue light, and the shock tore through his lungs.

Gasping as the oxygen collided with his stomach, the breathe of life set his airways into an instinctive yet surreal series of motions.

"It's a funny thing isn't it? To come back from the dead." The voice encircled him, "So strange how easily we forget ourselves."

Lips trembled with innocence unfamiliar to Kaiba, anesthetized auras widened with hypersensitivity, but the inability to move under the pressure of the swords revealed quiet a condescending light.

His voice sputtered, but broke against the inconsistencies of the game before him. Leaving left Kaiba incapable of conceiving how the card had been played against him in the first place, all he managed was, "But…that's…."

"Against the rules?" The invisible source asked with endless amusement, "You of all people should know how easily rules can be broken."

Kaiba's frame seemed to shake and the vulnerability was almost completely out of body, "Why are you doing this to me…"

"Don't you know? You did this to yourself," and with that another card fell effortlessly face forward.

Oceanic tides beat forth restlessly against his lenses, and his body twitched helplessly at the sight of Mirror Force. Understanding now that the rules of play no longer applied, Kaiba's body braced itself to withstand the attack, knowing he had no choice whether or not it took affect.

"Relax," the voice scolded, "Mirror Force is only your second card, and you still have one left."

However these words did little to console him, and Kaiba felt an unpleasant jolt as shards of glass fell in puzzle pieces, systematically shifting from side to side until gravity pulled them into their counter part. As the glassy transparency began to take its shape, the light surrounding his incandescent prison bounced back and forth blindingly in an endless frequency.

"Hard to see yourself isn't it?" The sound seemed to breathe right into his ear, "Is it that you don't know what to look for?" the whisper rolled contemptuously through the boy's core, "Or are you just afraid of what you might find?"

"This isn't real!" Kaiba's vocal cords ripped through the air, "This isn't real! You're not real! Stop!"

Paying no attention to the desperate please that begged mercifully, the imperceptible entity continued to express itself unremorsefully. "And for your third and final card…"

"Please, please don't!" He cried out frantically.

But his words fell flat. "Light Force Sword."

The friction of words electrified apprehensively throughout Seto's locking limbs, but the swords of revealing light continued to restrain his movement. A swift sound shot through the air like a crossbow that shattered the pane of glass that separated him from the final blow. And as the mirror splintered, Kaiba felt the blade spear through his ribcage, pinning a fourth card against him.

Upon completing the third cycle, the light released the boy from preposition, and a sharp thumping sent his body screaming forwards as the card pinned to his chest bled black and blue. The divisions split him into both the embodiment and absence of light, and his face became imprinted into the card.

thump…thump….thump… "You are both a reflection and a shadow," the voice fell distantly into an echo…"don't let yourself disappear…" thump…thump…thump…."

Suddenly Kaiba's entire body lurched forward in a cold sweat, heaving bewilderedly out against the air in his apartment that had gone stale. Feeling his chest rise and fall like a fifty pound weight, the brunette held the space on his breast where the sword had pierced him in his dream. Gripping his fingers involuntarily into the fabric of his shirt, he felt a small sense of reassurance after findings himself completely intact.

"It was just a dream," he forced out in between breaths, closing his eyes as his hand traveled up towards his forehead. A ring of perspiration has formed around his hairline, and the strands felt damp beneath his fingers.

How ridiculous, his fingers retracted from the beads of sweat that made his skin feel cold and clammy, thinking back to the contents of his dream. What a stupid thing to dream about—Such an unrealistic concept, that would never happen.

Shaking his head, he scolded himself from having such thoughts, as if dreaming were something that he could control. It didn't matter how lucid it had all felt, because he refused to entertain such outlandish ideas; and it didn't matter how vividly Change of Heart seemed to morph in and out of the blackness around him, because he was certainly not going to have one.

Honestly, he rolled his eyes, swinging his legs over his bedside when he noticed the numbers flashing hopelessly on the clock, is Wheeler contagious or something? But the second the name even so much as entered his stream of conscious, Kaiba quickly shut himself off to it. As he moved elegantly across the room, he flicked a switch that flooded the room with light, and took seat on his couch.

Grabbing a fresh pack of cigarettes, along with an ashtray, Kaiba began to rub his nose between his thumb and forefinger—there was something about the heartbeats in his dream that continued to thump in his chest. As fingertips gently applied more pressure in circular motions, the boy released an unemotional sigh.

Such a curious dream though, the thought formed as he placed the carcinogen creation delicately between his lips, slowly singing the tip of the cigarette before he could hear the same ".thump" turning into the beeps on Joey's heart monitor.

The vibrations were something of a vicissitude, and the vital signs flashed a series of numbers in front of his eyes that Kaiba couldn't control.

200…150….115….115…86…180….130….115…110…110…110…195…150…95…115…115

Each number jumped from one to the other as Kaiba recalled with flawless accuracy each digit that Joey's vitals jumped alarmingly back and forth between. The memory summoned an equally uneasy wavering in his own pulse, as it dropped unexpectedly. Dragging his cigarette uneasily, doing his best to calm the unfamiliar motions of his memory, his thoughts were effortless against the prominence of the previous night.

The beeping and chirping of the machine created an endlessly unsettling noise throughout the hospital room, and Kaiba sat discontent in a chair placed at the younger boy's bedside. With one leg crossed, and fingers stretching across his mouth, cupping under his chin to hold up his face, Kaiba's eyes fell despondently dim around the motionless blonde.

"He's going to be okay right?" Kaiba asked, not quite concerned, but far from insincerely.

"He should recover by the morning…." The man assured, but the only word the brunette made out was 'should.' "But something this extreme is terribly uncommon."

There was a pause between the men as aqua irises clouded with overcast emotions that beat as out of control as the sounds skyrocketing and plummeting across the monitor.

"How is it again you know each other?" the doctor next to him spoke.

Such a direct question caught Kaiba off guard, so he twisted the truth, "We've known each other since high school," he offered, trying to dissuade the disgusted twist off his face, "so we go back pretty far."

"I see," the doctor replied, and much to Seto's gratitude, without questioning their relations further.

"Why may I ask is it relevant?" he acquired a more hostile tone.

"Because it is best that we contact someone in his immediate family," he flipped through some of Joey's paperwork, "but it seems his residency is fairly recent, and he doesn't have any emergency contacts. You wouldn't happen to know where we could reach them would you?"

Several eyebrows folded into a skeptical incline and Kaiba couldn't even elaborate—Joey's family? He'd never stopped to think about such a thing, nonetheless have known how to contact them. "No, I'm sorry I don't."

His words were met with a deep sigh, "That's too bad, this boy has got to be going through hell right now."

The cigarette had burned down to the filter, a long stem of ash fell onto Kaiba's pants and he turned away from his thoughts disgustedly, focusing in on the dusty remnants soiling the silky fabric. Disgusting he pulled the corner of his mouth into his cheek, carelessly dusting it away as he drew his eyes to a similarly discolored spot on his floor. He sighed again at the sight of burgundy stiffening his white carpet fibers, and then reached for a second cigarette, having only let his first burn.

Instinctively his mind began to erase the contents of the conversation that kept rewinding and fast-forwarding, but still there was an irregular convulsion that his heart beat anxiously back into his thoughts. Is he going to be able to take care of himself? A flood of uncharacteristic thoughts began to drown his logic; I mean the mutt is helpless at best, completely pathetic, and totally incapable.

Every thought sat solid and stationary, and not a single one of them would dissolve. These awkward concerns rang through his ears until he wasn't sure if they were still there, but his shifting stomach confirmed their presence. Several eyes slanted towards his planner, but the austere auras continued to ignore the address he'd recorded between the pages.

Wheeler isn't my problem, he smashed the end of his Marlboro against the bottom of his crystal ashtray, twisting it furiously beneath its fingers until it extinguished, he never was and he never will be.

As logical as it seemed for the fatiguing exhaustion to render Joey into a recovery slumber, there was absolutely no way to keep his eyes closed. Every time he disappeared behind those pale lids, images of that pompous, self-absorbed prick tore through him like the dominating tyrant he was.

Of all the people, Joey crossed his arms in a fit, why the fuck did it have to be Kaiba?

Although what unsettled him more than knowing the executive had taken him to the hospital was not being able to remember why he would have had to. And even more disturbing than that, was why he'd bothered to do something so considerate in the first place. The overlapping logic looped in unproductive circles, leaving Joey on the verge of another panic attack as the anger and anxiety spun into furious whirlwind behind his ribcage. Balancing a cigarette uncoordinatedly between his lips, he rang Sam before the sensation could uproot and leave behind a path of destruction.

Quick and timely as usual, she made an impeccably impressive arrival, carrying that deliciously transfixing aroma along with her. Sam wasted no time getting acquainted before she sat down, methodically preparing the bowl-they may have hardly known each other, but their interactions became familiar and routine.

Ever since they'd smoked the first time, Joey's lips lost all their hesitancy, and the words rolled off his tongue without thought. So similarly, as soon as the substance filtered into his blood stream, he tried unfathomably to convey what had happened.

"So," Sam's fingers brushed over his, reaching to remove the lighter, "You just woke up in the hospital, can't remember how, and some Ka…Ka…" ruby tinted eyes furrowed as she struggled to pronounce his name.

"Kaiba," Joey could hardly stomach saying it.

"Ohh yeah," she nodded, quickly taking her hit before continuing, "and some Kaiba dude who definitely lives in Japan," her eyes stared upwardly and decisively to herself, "And who definitely hates you, just coincidentally brought you there?"

Joey inhaled deeply, "Yeah, pretty much."

"I guess it was pretty nice of him to take you at all though," she offered, "I mean he didn't have to, right?"

"I already told you I don't remember," Joey stared forwards, his features going somewhat blank—did he really have to?

"Well, I don't think he sounds that bad."

"He's a snake!" Joey's body pulled forward, "I've never met such a low life scum!"

Sam's already slanted eyes struggled to widen as they gazed back towards Joey's with surprise. "That's kind of harsh isn't it?" she asked.

"Not even," Joey rested back down comfortably, but a sharp twist wouldn't stop conjuring in his chest, "You've never looked at pure evil until you've locked eyes with Seto Kaiba."

She nudged him, "That's pretty descriptive for someone you can't stand to think about."

"Not really," he tried to shrug her words away carelessly.

She sensed his hesitancy immediately, "He really bothers you doesn't he?"

"Yeah," he swallowed hard.

"So don't let him."

"It's not that easy," Joey felt his eyes lower, pulling towards the empty space beside him.

"Sure it is," her elbows slanted, propping her body upwards, "Just stop thinking about him so much."

His stomach compressed tightly. "I can't help it."

And it was scary how true his words were becoming as thoughts of Kaiba became absolutely inescapable. Quickly consuming every centimeter of his brain, visions of the blue eyed brunette were manifesting manipulatively, and Joey was no longer sure what the hell it meant. Why couldn't he stop thinking about him? Why did he suddenly care so much where Kaiba was? His stomach twisted and tangled and he had an untamable urge to find him, to see his face—just so he had some sort of proof that this wasn't a dream. He had to know. He had to see him one more time, but didn't have the faintest idea where to start looking.

Unbeknownst to both duelists however, this strange sensation was mutual and equally disorienting as it became infectious, taking over almost every second of every day. It had only been a couple days since that night, but it had driven Kaiba to the brink of insanity and he would do anything to exonerate these protective emotions over the dog. He'd never admit it, but something about Joey had almost reminded him of himself—a part of himself that he'd buried and long since left to decay.

It was an unusually warm day in October that Monday, the sky was still, and the streets were as silent as the atmosphere that swallowed Kaiba's new residence. Usually an apartment full of movement, full of motivation and progress—it had been left in a sort of paralysis. Every floorboard creaked the sound of his name, every room seemed to inhabit his presence, and nobody could deny that Joey haunted every footstep that Kaiba took.

Sitting in front of his computer, trying both desperately, and in vain, to concentrate on work, but for the first time in along time even that couldn't restrain him. For almost one hundred and forty consecutive hours—Joey's name, his face, and even his voice hadn't so much as temporarily escaped his grieving mind. Fuck it, Kaiba shook his head, the sooner I get this out of my system—the sooner I can leave it behind me.

In a somewhat similar daze, Joey was choosing to spend this lovely fall afternoon just like he'd spent the last days, and the days before that—locked away in his room with his mind lingering in realms his body wished he could go to. Laying with his back on his bed sheets, he stared ahead at the pain-chipping ceiling, tossing a baseball in the air above him, chanting Kaiba's name rhythmically to himself.

However, a synchronized set of chimes from the front door broke his concentration as it echoed endlessly down the hallway and into his room. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and trudged across the room, each foot coming down with so much deadweight that you could've heard him from the basement. His hair was messy and his eyes were bloodshot—he hadn't slept the same in days.

Opening his door, Joey's stomach dropped. His face was a mixture of anticipation and confusion and his eyes were clouded as they lifted one way, and then the other. The older boy began to speculate, somewhat curiously, at the way dog systematically mapped back and forth between how to approach the situation. Its almost instinctive, Kaiba considered almost sarcastically, and all this time I didn't know that Wheeler knew how think.

"How did you…find me exactly?"

Kaiba's eyes absorbed the stupidity, "You still remember who you're talking to right?"

Joey sighed, "How could I forget."

Despite the instinctively defensive hand that was left positioned between them, Kaiba walked right in. Dropping his hand, Joey followed, "Come on in," he muttered," closing the door behind him.

-.-.-.-.-

"Well," Joey began blatantly, "What in gods name are you doing here?"

Unexpected, Kaiba's optic radius reverted sharply to a much shorter range of contact. His mouth re-angled like he was about to execute, but his mind went completely blank. "Is that anyway to talk to your guest?"

"Shut up," Joey stared, more annoyed than angry.

Kaiba simply stared, sharply at the blonder, wearing a professionally perfected poker face of both purpose and disinterest

It only took about five seconds for the hesitation to take over Joey's tone though, as he averted meeting Kaiba's eyes, "So…why are you here Kaiba?"

"Because I just can't sleep at night cause I'm so worried," Kaiba's intonation fluttered acrimoniously before falling completely flat. "Why do you think? I wouldn't want to be suspected of animal cruelty, would I Wheeler? This is merely a legality."

Joey dragged his foot on the ground, feeling his cheeks blush faintly against the awkward silence that fell around them. "Why did you…" he fumbled, "…why did you sign those forms for me?"

"For the same reason I'm here now, you moron. I told you, this is a matter of liability; it's called a follow up."

"Well, I'm still standin' aint I Mr. Sophisticated?"

"Unfortunately," Kaiba smiled.

"Yeah, I know hah-hah," Joey rolled his eyes, "Don't you have something expensive to go do?"

"Lawsuits are expensive," Kaiba spoke with an unemotional and burdensome sigh. "And I don't feel like spending a single cent on you; so, I made this trip personally to see that my expectations are met."

"Really," Joey droned sarcastically, "I'm honored."

"Well you should be mutt."

"Well don't worry, I'm not going to sue you, now you can happily leave," Joey stressed.

"Oh, because I was certain you'd notify me if you were going to," the brunette's eyes rolled back.

Joey glared, but suddenly Kaiba's eyes seemed distracted, systematically scanning the space behind the blonde, and then refocusing directly around Joey himself. He looks terrible, the brunette observed pitifully as he noticed the deep, discolored indents below Joey's eyes and the tangled strands of hair that fell around them. At the same time, Joey felt an overwhelming disquietude, despite the fact Seto Kaiba had been singularly consuming his mind for the past few days, now that he was standing face to face with the brunette, Kaiba was the last person Joey wanted to see.

As the third or fourth moment of silence rolled around, his heart thumped uncontrollably against his chest, and he felt terribly awkward feeling the concentrated intensity of those blue eyes falling on him immovably. The enduringly agonizing shifting in his stomach suddenly caused the onset of another panic attack to sting alarmingly in the blonde's chest and his stomach quivered weakly.

Terrified of what might happen if he allowed Kaiba to stay any longer, Joey sputtered helplessly, "Pl-please leave."

Ultramarine irises seemed to flinch at the request, but at the same time Kaiba assessed the space again quickly, taking note of the state of disarray Joey's apartment sat in—his bed was unmade and there were ashes everywhere; something that was almost too familiar to the brunette. He couldn't figure out why the sight had conjured a painful twisting in his heart and what the doctor had said to him shot through his head: "that boy has got to be going through hell right now."

"Please," Joey's voice shook, "Just please go."

"Fine," Seto's back stiffened and his tone went cold, but it wasn't Joey's please that changed his mind, it was the increasingly insufferable spasm in his stomach. "You're clearly still inconsiderably rude and defective, so I guess you really are fine," And with that he turned sharply and slammed the door shut on his way out.

As soon as Kaiba left, Joey dropped to the floor and clutched the sharp prickling in his chest that made his heart sting and his arms feel numb. A wave of panic swept over him and it only provoked the attack to cycle. What he hadn't realized though, was that Kaiba still remained on the other side of his door, hearing the whimpering murmurs that escaped the blonde agonizingly. Maybe I should go back inside, he thought, but only for a minute before shaking his head, still disgusted with how sensitive he'd been becoming towards someone so insignificant. Yet as easily as he had finally turned away from Joey's apartment, those thoughts and those surfacing differences in how he felt were not so compliant.

Rushing his footsteps, nearly breaking into a sprint, Kaiba fled hastily down the lakefront, desperately trying to escape the restless waves that unsettled him so much. Why did I do that? Why did I have to go there? He shook his head with his eyes closed painfully; this is exactly how I didn't want to feel. The dissatisfactory distress was almost too much for the boy to handle as thoughts of Joey's apartment continuously began to remind Kaiba of a much darker time in his own life. The connection way to personal, and he couldn't bring himself to empathize so easily with someone he despised with every inch of his being.

Finally back in the enclosure of his own apartment, Kaiba felt himself manically fixated on thoughts he knew neither how to express nor how to evade. Even the arrival of his magnificent piano couldn't dissuade the rush of emotions that were bursting through his subconscious; all he could see was that awful alarming look that encased those hazel lenses, distorting and disfiguring the spiteful yet playful confidence that defined their past interactions. I know I'm supposed to hate him, Kaiba twisted the class ring on his finger, quickly correcting his statement; I mean I do hate him, but he just looked so pathetic.

"God damn it," he cursed in his native tongue, completely unsure how to translate the thoughts and emotions that, despite their existence, still held no emotional value. They were plaguing yet he felt no sincerity—they felt almost protective, but Kaiba's core convulsed contemptuously. Yet there was an unnerving empathy that caused memories of loneliness to surface, memories that Kaiba had not willingly revisited in years; but he knew the look on Joey's face all to well, and understood the plethora of ashes and empty cigarette packs even better then that. However, Kaiba had never taken kindly to showing emotion and so naturally it made him furious that he couldn't shake them.

More than anything he didn't fully understand how he could feel so responsible for making the mutt feel like that, or seeing the cuts and bruises around Joey's arms that he knew he had inflicted. I don't like the kid, but that doesn't mean that I wanted to hurt him, he thought over guiltily, unable to ignore the severity of how shaken up and wounded he'd left Wheeler. Playing the scenes over and over created a flash movie in his mind of the night at the piano bar, and his mouth wrinkled into pure repugnance with the realization that between the two of them, the only animal had been himself. Frowning dejectedly, he found himself face to face with his own reflection; and feelings of regret loomed over his shaky silhouette as everything and anything having to do with Joey intensified the pain and forced the remembrance upon the disillusioned boy.

Unexpectedly, Kaiba felt his fingers hovering over the keypad on his phone when thoughts of Joey transposed with the same awful pressure he felt inside his stomach whenever he imagined how terribly alone he'd left his brother. He knew it was late, but he hoped the child was still awake—the locket around his neck was suffocating him again and his brother was the only person he could turn to.

Troubled footsteps paced in circles around the carpet and he balanced his phone between his ear and his shoulder while he lit up a cigarette and nervously awaited the outcome of the phone call as the line continued to ring. Then there was a click, and Kaiba held his breath.

He could hear the child releasing a small, sleepy yawn as he spoke into the receiver groggily, "Hello?"

The noise hurt almost as much as the sound of Kaiba's voice as he whispered responsively, "Mokuba?"

"B-big brother?" his tone electrified eagerly, "Is that really you Seto?"

"Yeah," he closed his eyes, holding the locket tightly, "It-it's me."

"You never called me back," the voice lowered sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't you miss me?" Mokuba's voice reflected the tears that must have prickled up.

The sound was slowly starting to break his brother's heart though, and Kaiba couldn't speak.

"Don't you love me anymore Seto?" The preteen sputtered and Kaiba could hear the tears sliding through the speaker.

"Of course I love you," his voice cracked.

"Why do you want to be so far away from me then?"

"I don't, I promise Mokuba, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" he pleaded.

"I'm just…going through some really personal stuff right now, and I needed to get away," the brunette struggled to convey himself emotionally.

"I thought you could talk to me about that stuff though?"

"This isn't something you should have to worry about Mokuba, you're too young."

"I am not!" He piped defensively.

"I didn't want to burden you," Kaiba replied warmly, wishing so badly that he could hug his brother right now.

The understanding reflected mutually in Mokuba's voice as the tears dried up and the child toughened up for his brother, "I know you didn't mean to hurt me, I just…" he trailed off, "I just wish you could have talked to me about it."

"I know, I just wanted to apologize," he spoke softly, but quickly changed the subject because he thought he might actually cry, "So how is everything? Are you okay?"

"I guess so," Mokuba spoke quietly, "I'm just lonely without you here."

"What about your friends?"

"I haven't really cared to see them much, but…"

"But what?" Kaiba asked curiously.

Mokuba hesitated, "but…I ran into Yugi a few days ago, and he's been trying really hard to cheer me up…please don't be angry though."

"I'm not angry," Seto spoke quietly, if anything he felt jealous.

"He's kind of going through something similar," Mokuba tried to justify.

This made Kaiba stiffen uncomfortably though, "How is that?"

"Well…I guess Joey left too…"

His chest thumped out of rhythm and he knew he'd regret it, but parted his lips anyways, "I know."

"You know?"

"I sort of…ran into him."

The conversation was all down hill after that and Kaiba continued to confide in his brother, rehashing the previous events between Joey and himself as Mokuba listened intently to what his brother had to say. Surprisingly, the child had responded to everything with wisdom way beyond his years, and nearly a week later and Kaiba still couldn't ignore the accuracy of his words: "Well you can't just leave him like that Seto…you still remember how that feels, don't you?"

Reminding Kaiba almost immediately of the hollowness that he refused to let anyone except his brother see, and an undeniable parallel was drawn between the similar manic state of emotions that he himself so often felt; and even more than that, the internal anguish of not having anyone around to even notice there was something wrong with him. So, against his better judgment, he found himself back where he started, as his fist fell hesitantly against Joey's front door.

"What? You again! I thought we took care of this already."

"I'm not convinced, I'd like you to see a doctor."

"I did that at the hospital."

"No, a different kind of doctor."

"How would that make a difference? A doctor's a doctor.

"Wrong," Kaiba concluded the debate. "This is a psychological doctor."

"Oh, you're afraid I'm mental now too?" Kaiba began to open his mouth, and Joey interrupted, "Actually, don't answer that."

"Fine," Kaiba's eyes were still pierced despite the eerie smirk in his speech. "Now, I will arrange for them to conduct a cognitive analysis."

Joey's eyes budged, "Coduct…? Analysis…?" he repeated in confused fragments.

"Is the vocabulary too complex? Yes, a cognitive analysis."

"Isn't that a little involved for someone who doesn't care about me?"

Seto's eye twitched and he tried not to address Joey as spitefully as before—his compromise sounded apathetically. "No, just thorough. I'm not someone who leaves loose ends."

"Well, consider me all tied up!" Joey threw his hands up in mock-excitement.

"It's not a joke," Kaiba stared irascibly. "Lets go."

"I'll be fine! Jesus, just leave it alone Kaiba!"

"No!" He shouted angrily, "Two-hundred beats-per-minute is not something you ignore," the specificity threw Joey into a blank fascination, "It's abnormal," the brunette expertly redirected his intentions, "They'll have my phone number on record if anything were to happen—and I don't need them calling me."

"Why would they call you?"

"I'm listed as your emergency contact."

"Why the hell would you do that!" Joey asked horrified.

And Kaiba seemed to pause and almost stumble, "I-it's irrelevant now. It-its just procedure Wheeler, stop arguing with me."

"Well, fine!" the boy exclaimed, "I wont argue—cause I'm not going."

"Wheeler—I'm not giving you a choice," he stepped intimidating forward.

"And if I don't cooperate, Rich Boy? Ya'gona call security?"

Piercing his eyes, Seto stepped into Joey without warning, leaning his face in close to the blonde, who was boxed in against the table. "No," his voice produced scolding spurts of air, "If you resist, I'll take you by force."

A disorienting sensation of déjà-vu jumpstarted inside Joey's chest that was now thumping; wide, childlike eyes stared subliminally, as Joey's strength had been synthetically subdued into submission. Equally aware, but undeniably in control, Seto remained unmoved, his eyes were restraining, and he was tactfully emitting slightly audible sounds in his soft, yet forceful breathing. "Understood?" The brunette whispered, and the feverous rush of words fogged against Joey's hazel lenses, melting into menthol and spearmint against Joey's taste buds when he parted his lips to respond. Kaiba's eyes narrowed to the movement, and a flawless face of porcelain features closed the space between them to ensure the answer he received was the right one. Spastic movements slipped through the other boy, and Joey spurted a stifled noise when his heart skipped a beat.

"Wheeler?" The transcendent tone was eerily eloquent, producing the affect of nails on a chalkboard.

Joey shivered, "Y-yes, Kaiba."

Several moistened lips slanted in satisfaction, and Kaiba wore a devilish grin. "That's a good boy."

Joey's stomach lurched before rolling over into his chest, "Yes Kaiba," the boy repeated, keeping perfect eye contact with Seto's mouth; they were hardly centimeters between them.

Kaiba retracted his body and walked straight to the front door, turning back his eyes to Joey. "Come."

Joey's body responded to the command even though the surfacing sensations made him resistant, feeling the distance between them acting like an invisible leash that yanked his body forwards with Kaiba's every movement.

-.-.-.-.-

okay, lol well i'm sort of disappointed with how this chapter turned out, but on a better note, this is when their interaction is finally set into motion-so expect much more interesting chapters :) lol i understand this isn't the most conventional fanfic in the world, but like i said-go easy on me it's my first one, and i've never written anything like this before. please review ^_^