Disclaimer: Well I adore Yugioh and I adore the writers and authors, thanks for such brilliant work of which I own nothing. Hey, it's cool. Just don't ever drop the net.

Well, Seto and Joey travel down roads that are separate, yet together, both in denial, and both in pain. It's the fragile threads of their siblings that bind them together. Will it be enough?

Oooooo

Chapter five: Need

Seto picked up the small cell phone and tightened the blanket around his waist as he briskly walked out into the hall. The conversation was short, "Come to the hospital, there has been a slight change in Serenity's condition." It was a message from the attending doctor.

"Get dressed." Seto spoke hoarsely to Mokuba and Joey. He moved from the living quarters to the kitchen already the sleepy blue eye youth was already preparing the coffee maker and next stop would be a quick shower.

Joey ran behind Seto and tugged at his shoulder spinning the CEO around as he put the filter in the coffee maker. "Was that the hospital?! Say something, man!" Joey wanted an answer.

The blond's touch was warm and burned into Kaiba's shoulder. "Yes, to the first question. And I don't have anything to say, except the doctors said we need to get to the hospital as quickly as we possibly can." Weary and filled with lost hope Seto sighed and pulled out of Joey's grip. 'I'm so tired of all of this madness, I wish it would just end today, yeah I'm a heartless bastard, but its how I feel.' Seto thought. He eyes conveyed a different thought as he still felt the after affects of the boy's touch.

Joey still unable to move just watched Seto's retreating back as he ascended the stair steps to go and take a two minute shower. He could feel Joey's eyes on his back.

"Joey, Joey." The boy sighed. The other had not moved, all look of defiance disappeared, only insecurity remained as a readable emotion across his hazel eyes. Joey could not move his legs. Quickly Seto walked back down the stairs and grabbed the blond by the arm and dragged him upstairs to his private shower. 'Will this dependence ever end, I mean I want him near, but I can't stand this state he's in. I'm helpless as I watch him fall apart.' Seto thoughts made him feel old.

Once in the CEO's room, Seto watched his eyes for any sign of life of recognition. Joey was in a state of shock and most likely would not remember the next few moments. Without a second thought, Seto slipped the T-shirt over Joey's narrow chest. He thought about his next move, but decided to pull Joey into the bathroom first. He turned on the shower and adjusted the double pulsating heads to a cool temperature. Well cold for his puppy. His eyes roamed over the half naked body of his friend. 'Ok should I just pull him in with his bottoms on? Well it's not like I 

don't know what he looks like . . . . I'm not going to molest him, I don't think so.' Two minutes passed by. Silently Seto cried, 'I want you, can you ever forgive me for this hell I've made of our lives?'

Later that night after a third shower, Seto's tears would mix with the blood from his lips. He cried, if only for a moment but he cried. No one would ever know, his head against the shower wall, but he cried.

"Joey, can you hear me, we have got to go." Seto whispered in his ear. The only response was a moan.

"Nii-sama, Nii-sama, I'll meet you down stairs, Ok." Mokuba cracked the door just a fraction and hurried to finish getting dressed.

Seto eased Joey pants down over his lean hips and pushed him under the cool spray. Quickly he followed and started to wash down his body and Joey's next.

"I can handle it now," whispered the boy. His hand covered Seto's as he started to wash his chest. Seto eased his hand from under the sponge and turned back to the task of rinsing his own skin. 'Somehow it was comfortable sharing the shower with the boy; it was right,' Seto washed his hair quickly and left Joey alone to finish in private. Seto dressed and laid out fresh clothes for the sullen teen, hoping he would make it downstairs. Well just to insure that he did, Seto waited outside his bedroom door.

Five minutes later Joey was dressed and smelling like fresh herbal shampoo. Seto breathed in the scent and pulled the boy down the steps into the waiting limo. 'Somehow the scent of my shampoo suits him well.' Seto mused.

Joey eased into the seat next to the CEO and smiled at Mokuba's lost in a bowl of Captain Crunch. 'I always sit next to him . . . closer today . . . he doesn't mind. Seto's shower . . . . His hand prepared to wash my body; his shampoo all over my scalp. Why do I push him away?' Joey ran his finger through his hair, lost in conflicting emotions. But he moved closer almost brushing his leg against Seto. Seto just reached for the boys hand and held it, daring any one to object. He never looked at the boy.

Mokuba picked over the hastily breakfast prepared by Roland, except for the cereal, loaded with sugar. He finished it as they pulled up into the private parking lot of the hospital. One, two, three, floors up, down the hall and they were at the nurses' station waiting for the doctor.

"There you are Kaiba-Sama and Wheeler-sama, I'm sorry if I alarmed you, but you did say to report any changes. Come to my office I want you to see this chart." Doctor Chang spoke with the ease of so many doctors, difficult to read.



"Nii-sama, can I just go to Serenity's room? I don't need to hear reports." Mokuba eyes danced with mischief. The doctor nodded his agreement and escorted Seto and Joey to a small office down the hall.

Joey did not have time to think as they walked pass the room that Mokuba walked into without hesitation. 'How can he be so cool? I wish I had some of his strength and confidence. I need Seto to undress me for a shower. How can I be of any strength to my sister? This morning I couldn't move my legs. I'm so pathetic.' Joey thought.

"Here sit down boys, and look at this graph. You see these lines, they represent brain activity. This is a sleep mode and this is non- sleep or waking mode. If you look closely you can see high peaks in the waking mode." The doctor pointed with his fingers to the graph he had hung on the wall to show the boys Serenity's brain activity. "This was charted last night or in the early morning hours," doctor Chang smiled.

"But what are you saying doc," Joey spoke. Unconsciously he stood next to Seto, and leaned against the chair. He made contact with the boy's long leg, his own trembling at the tense words.

"Well Wheeler, your sister woke up!" the doctor's excitement was not contagious.

Seto stiffed at the words and turned to Joey, locking him in a tense stare. The slight contact from their pants legs broken. 'He needs me to hold him,' Seto silently spoke, his mind agitated with the feeling Joey was going through. The boy conveyed so much just in a gaze or touch.

"You must be mistaken, maybe there was a malfunction in the equipment," demanded Seto. 'We have to be sure; Joey could have a nervous breakdown any moment. He did not need false hope. The boy would not survive an attack on his mind and heart. A heart I want to make my own, but not at the expense of losing Joey's soul.' Spoke the other boy's logical mind.

"Last night you told Joey to cut off the life support and end his suffering." The hard edge returned to Seto's voice. The heartless ice bastard was back.

Joey fully awake, created distance between himself and Seto, not understanding why he would say such hateful words, yet reading a truth he didn't want to face. This was the voice of the boy he had fallen hopelessly in love with. 'I hate the cruelty that makes you so real.' He thought. "Seto, what are you saying, you don't want my sister to wake up?" Strain and hurt in his voice Joey's hazel eyes misted over. 'Why does he hurt me so just when I believe he cares? Last night he comforted me with his strong presence and warm body. In the shower I would have allowed him to touch every inch of my body; if only he had tried. I'm a mess.' Joey trembled at the impossible thoughts running through his head. "It's true isn't it Seto, it's what you always wanted, plus you never believed she would. Is it to keep her from Mokuba?" The boy cried out. He could not help it every time Seto spoke the words simply hurt. "That's why you've paid for 

all this equipment, guilt and control, right money-bags." It only took Joey two minutes to go from phase one of psychotic behavior to phase three, full blown paranoia.

"Joey," whispered Seto, "You've got it all wrong, baby."

Joey flinched at the endearment and tried to bring his emotions under control, but the action caused too much effort. He did manage not to cry.

Doctor Chang had been with the two from the beginning and this was not the first confrontation he had witnessed between the boys, so he waited, it was akin to fear. The last time the boys fought Joey needed a sedative. Round two, Seto was up.

"Doctor Chang what are the chances Serenity will wake up again?" Seto's voice softened only to calm the pulse racing through Joey's veins. Seto watched as the veins on his neck stood out blue as the ocean and beat wildly across his collarbone. One false move and something was sure to pop.

"Well that's why I called I believe she is just sleeping now and not unconscious," now the doctor whispered.

"I don't believe this, I just can't, Seto." Joey whined, but before he could speak a succession of knocks interrupted his next words.

"Doctor you have to come, it's the Wheeler patient." A nurse out of breath led the way back down the hall.

She put her fingers to her lips and opened the door to Serenity's room. Joey, Seto, and the doctor could only stare in wonderment.

Ooooooo

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