Disclaimer: Wish, I may wish I might, but I don't own any of the right to YuGiOh...

Wow, cheers they made it out of the building, but the danger is not over yet...Guys just remember I love you all and Joey the best, so don't worry too much. Will Seto continue to be his savior? Hey, you know authors live on your words of hope. Thanks for all who understand that and review. For the others that do not I hope to entertain you still. Have fun... always hug and kiss Sherabo

It Hurts, Only When I Breathe...

Chapter 6, We are one, you and I...

The hospital was busy with activity and to the untrained eye it appeared to be totally unorganized, and out of control. People were moving at such an alarming rate, going nowhere fast; shuffling clip boards, whispering in corners, and drinking coffee while stuffing energy bars into their open mouths. The worst and most deceitful people on this earth were the men and women who wore those pale green scrubs with white jackets constantly giving false hope to innocent. Sometimes they would first sit with you, smile with a slight smirk and last of all rattle off a bunch of technical words you didn't understand, in an unsuccessful attempt to calm you down. The families were so wrapped up in grief, ignorance, and fear they often were too ready to believe anything these false gods said. Just as long as the word hopeless or terminal didn't fall from the lips of the green scrub, the families were temporally satisfied.

To a child a hospital could be a place of wonderment, curiosity, and excitement. Kisara, a young girl and local dueling champ, found the hospital halls and waiting room a place to make friends, where she could mingle with adults and lose herself in their world. "Mommy, what's wrong with that man over there? He's siting all by himself. I'm going to go and talk to him, ok? Maybe he needs a friend."

Kasara's mother always had a problem controlling her precocious child, especially when the girl's curiosity reached its peak. Sometimes you just could not stop the child. "Get back here, you shouldn't bother strangers. Kisara! You know how your father feels when you involve yourself in the affairs of others. Kisara come back here!" It was too late, she had already made her way over to the CEO. Kisara's mother knew it was her destiny, so she left her child alone.

"Kisara walked up to the CEO, and stood directly in front him. He was slumped over a chair and his face and hair was partially covered with his hand and long slender fingers. Seto's fingernails were full of dirt and the skin was bruised with scratches all over his knuckles. Kaiba's pants were torn at the knees and his shinny shoes had specks of white dust on the toes. 'Mmmm, I wonder were he has been?' thought the child.

"Mommy told me I shouldn't talk to strangers, but I know who you are. She turned her head to the side and looked closely at the trouble man. Boldly, Kisara reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes to get a better look, and smiled at her discovery. Kaiba raised his head in an attempt to see who this annoying person could be. How dare this person touch him after everything that had happened. He already explained he didn't want to be treated, he just wanted Joey to be Ok. Unless they had news of Joey, he didn't want to be bothered or pampered over.

FLASHBACK...

It had been over three hours since Joey's arrival at the hospital. Seto watched as a team of six frantic emergency workers worked to stabilize him for surgery. First a burly nurse stuck needles in his arms, next she pushed a long tube down his throat, which caused blood to squirt from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.

Seto lunged at the woman and at that point he was restrained and almost thrown out of the emergency room. "Shit!" he screamed, "can't you be more gentle, he's bleeding on the inside. Damn it, he fell down six floor in a crumbling building and survived an earthquake!!! Is anybody listening to me!!!! Tears were streaming down Seto's face, his emotions were past overdrive and he was ready to kill anyone who caused the least bit of pain to his mate. Yes, Joey was his mate. Seto watched from the corner of his eye as four men came form the corners of the room to hold him back, so they thought. Shit, this was the wrong time to try his patience. He had been to hell and back, so these guys were barking up the wrong tree. He felt the need to kick some ass, and why not a few idiots as a good workout. "Bring it on!!!"

A doctor or someone who looked like he was in charge, screamed back at the CEO, "Look, Mister, you've done your best, let us do ours. I don't know who you are, and I don't care. If you can't control yourself, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, NOW! Look, this boy could die, we have to work quickly and get him ready for surgery, because he is bleeding and we don't know how bad it is. So, BACK OFF!!!! Orderly, get this man out of here!!!" The doctor wiped his brow and returned to look at Joey's vitals on the machine next to his body.

"Don't even think about it, unless you want to die!!" Seto shot back at the men. He backed off, only for a moment but his eyes were locked on every movement the doctors and nurses made. A small part of him knew he was being unreasonable, but he just didn't give a damn right now. And that farty doctor better know what he is doing, or I will have his ass and this whole damn hospital. Seto was on fire and steaming. Just by his attitude they all knew he was a man of importance and not some crazy relative. The team felt the hairs on the back of their necks rise up, and more caution was taken with this boy. Seto had the look of a man ready to kill or at least cause serious harm, a wild tiger ready to strike. So it was best not to give him reason to strike.

Finally the heart monitor was connected to his chest and the breathing tub reinserted. The ragged clothes that were left on his body were cruelly ripped off his pale skin and thrown on the floor. Joey had bruises everywhere and blood seeped from his pores. Hands probed everywhere on his limbs and they didn't bother to cover him at all. Seto understood the urgency, but did he have to be so exposed, so naked, so open, so alone? Did he have to look like a piece of meat the butchers were preparing for packaging? Seto clenched his fist to his side in frustration and anger. And besides where were the specialist Pegasus and Mokuba were supposed to have here. To the CEO, these guys looked like first year interns.

Nurses wiped off blood from Joey's body and probed with their hands over parts of his body looking for more signs of stress. Then the whispers started, the shifting of eyes, the sideways glances at the deranged man in the corner. "Say it, speak up, and I want the truth!!!,"Seto ground out the words with the voice of a CEO. He knew the lies that would flow, from countless board meetings. Seto knew the glances and most importantly he could smell deceit. What could they say he couldn't understand, Seto had held the boy in his arms, he knew the danger better than anyone here.

The doctor decided not to play around, "Ok, Mister, this boy needs surgery, right now. We don't know where the bleeding is coming from, but he has lost a lot of blood. They are matching it now, but we can't wait and the first test shows he has a very rare type, which might take a while before we find a donor. We can reset his arm and leg but his breathing is not good, and his heart is very weak. I think you need to get his family in here and we need approval to operate. This boy is fading fast. I'm going to have the x-rays brought into the operating theater because we need to go now...

Seto was dazed for a moment. 'This can't be happening, he will survive. Seto walked calmly over to his naked body, and looked at all the tubes coming from arms, nose and mouth. He leaned over and kissed Joey on his forehead, and next wiped a lone tear from his cheek. At this point he didn't really know who the tear belong to, only that it was there. His lips and nose were covered with a plastic mask, so he just touched the covering with his finger tips. Seto whispered in his ear, 'FIGHT, JOEY'!

Joey was wheeled out of the room and the silence overwhelmed the young man. Once again Seto was alone and on his knees. In front of him on the floor he picked up the remnants of the boy's shirt, pants, socks, and shoes. He brought them to his lips and screamed JOEY, DON"T DIE ON ME, MAN !!!! Seto touched his head to the floor and he could smell the cool scent of Joey's body, even in these blooded clothes. 'My god the morning had started so easy, the fighting and playing. How did it come to this? In least than twelve hours his life had been turned upside down.' He left the room with a heavy heart and thought just how helpless he truly had become. His steps were so heavy, so Seto set down in a chair nearby hoping for a moment of peace while he waited.

'Damn it all to hell!!!!' He despised not having control over the situation. I wonder just how hard it would be to become a doctor. Damn, I have a PHD in business, and marketing. Honors from five major universities and I finished college before I turned eighteen. Surely six years of medical school couldn't be that difficult. Yeah, I will wrap it up in four and not have to listen to their silly indecisions and believe their lies. Seto immediately felt better, knowing he could accomplish this task. It wasn't the fact he wanted to be a doctor, he just wanted to speak on their level.

END OF FLASHBACK

'Where are you Mokuba, Pegusas?' So much had happened he had almost forgotten about the two. 'They should have been here by now! Seto still lost in his own world forgot about the little annoying voice in front of him and tried to dial Mokuba on his cell phone. His hands started to shake and he dropped the phone.

"Hey, Mister, hey. Can you hear me? I'm talking to you." She reached down to pick up his phone.

"Go away, I don't need any help!" Barked Seto, how dare she touch, me?!" he fumed.

The girl jumped at his rough voice, but she held her ground. "Hey, you're Kaiba, the Duel Monsters, King of Games. Kaiba-sama are you ok? You look really bad. What happened to you anyway?" Seto reached for his cell phone, but the little waif was quicker and scooped it up into her small hands. Kisara was not afraid of Seto at all. In fact she felt drawn to the CEO.

'Damn these brats,' though Kaiba. "Listen, didn't anybody tell you to watch out for bad men, they might hurt you." He glared at the girl, but to his surprise she glared back at him. For the first time in his life Kaiba looked into eyes as blue as his own. The child's hair was long and white and it fell to her waist. She was a bit thin and had a seriousness about her that demanded attention.

"Listen, I am not going away, and besides we are in a hospital where people help each other. I already said you are not a stranger. Maybe you need to have your hearing checked or something. Here's your damn phone, and you should know it's not good to use curse words in front of little girls." Kisara, glared back at the CEO. Seto couldn't believe the little brat, she reminded him of himself, bad month, bad temper, and aggressive. He was impressed by her attitude, she gentled him.

"Besides who are you calling? If it's someone important. I'm sure you have them on speed dial. So tell me which button to push?"

Even Seto had to admit his eyes were sore and he needed a break. He was exhausted, "Ok it's number one, that will get me through to my baby brother. He was caught in the earthquake and I haven't heard from him, sense I've been at this damn hospital. Ok, are you happy now?"

Kisara, frowned as she studied the cell phone and thought about Kaiba's words. Next she pushed the correct button. "There, all done. Here, the line is ringing. I'll be right back." Kaiba took the phone and growled under his breath. 'Who does that little shit think she is?'

"I heard you, damn, you've got a nasty mouth. My name is Kisara, and I am your friend." Kirasa walked away only to return with a tray. She gave Kaiba a few private moments on the cell-phone.

"Mokuba, Mokuba are you there." The static on the line made it near impossible to get through. But Seto thought he heard a faint 'Nii-sama.' Maybe they didn't make it out of the city and he could only pray Pegasus had kept his brother safe.

"Nii-sama, Pegusas, its Seto. I can hear him, but Nii-sama, Nii-sama. He's gone." Mokuba returned his cell with a tex and attempted to leave a message. Just maybe Seto would receive it. So much had happened and Mokuba had become wrapped up in a project of his own. His only concern was he hoped he had made the right decision to stay behind in the city of Domino and not go to the hospital. There were so many people would needed his help and he was in a position to do it, having the resources available because he was a Kaiba.

"Pegusas, will Nii-sama be Ok? Will he forgive me for not coming to the hospital?" Fresh tears welled up in Mokuba's eyes as he thought about Seto and Joey alone and hurt. But they had each other and so many of these people had no one to help them at all. Actually at the airport Mokuba gave up his air space to transport the parents of a sick child to a special clinic outside the city.

Pegusas, patted the young Kaiba on the shoulder and assured him this was his destiny to help these people as was Kaiba's to be there for Joey. Kaiba would be proud of you Mokuba.

Kaiba laid the cell phone down on his lap and took a deep breath. He needed to rest and he needed to find out about Joey's condition. Kisara, took the phone and sat the tray she had been carrying in Kaiba's lap.

"What the hell. Not you again, go away! Where is your mother?"

Kisara smiled and her deep blue eyes lite up against the paleness of her white skin. She took Seto's hand and placed a forbidden cup of steaming black coffee in it, red-eye. "Here," Seto eyed the cup and slowly a Kaiba smile, small, and nearly invisible graced his tired features. He brought the cup slowly to his lips and breathes in the soothing scent of rich dark roast Samara coffee, dash of cinnamon, and caramel lace on the bottom. 'Where did she get that from, it was his favorite.' Next Karasa wiped his fingers with a small antibiotic cloth and placed a few bandages over his knuckles. She sat next to him in a chair she had pulled up while he had been trying to talk to Mokuba, just to be there for him.

Seto eyed the little brat out of one eye and finished his coffee, not even realizing his hands had been wrapped and the bleeding stopped. Later he would also notice the blue bandage on his head. All the while he drank his coffee she held his hand and hummed a children tune only she knew the words to. Seto never knew it but he rested his soul in her embrace of almost fifteen minutes. A life time for the CEO, it was enough to calm his heart and reconnect him to reality.

"Thank you, Kisara., I've got to go." Seto could see green scrubs coming from down the hall. Instinct led him to believe it was from Joey's theater. He rose to leave and felt a little tugging at his pants leg.

It was Kisara again and she was trying to get his attention."Hey, Mister, he's going to be ok and your baby brother fine."

"What?" Seto stepped back from the child and gasped! She smiled at him once and turned to run down the hall, calling out "Mama, Mama." Seto could smell the scent of wild flowers as she ran pass him into the waiting arms of a tall lady dressed in all white with her hair and face hidden by folds of flowing white silk.

Seto turned away and walked down the hall and met the doctor coming out of the forbidden room and he had blood all over his green scrubs. He stepped out of the pants and tossed them into a trash can off to the side. The doctor had the look of defeat on his face and he was very tired and pale.

"Seto Kaiba, I believe that's your name. The boy, Joey, is stable, but he has lost a lot of blood and as I have said before his is a very rare type. We are searching the surrounding hospitals and country for a match, because without it the surgery means little. We can give him plasm which will help, but he needs the nutrients of blood. It appears he had a ruptured blood vessel near his heart and a broken rib which placed pressure on his lung. This caused him trouble breathing. Right now we wait."

Seto looked at the doctor and ask the question, " Well, what is his blood type? I have a data base of over three thousand employees, surely somebody can be found?"

"His type is O-negative, with AB-properties. It's the properties, that concerns us, he can be easily contaminated," spoke the doctor.

Seto looked squarely at the doctor, " If that is the case you have a donor, because that is my blood type also. Look I have a card, just so no one gives me the wrong type. Ohhh..." Seto reached in his pocket but forgot he still had on the remains of his rescue suit from his trails with Joey. Yet in the side pocket he did draw out a card. The card was not a medical card but a picture. The picture was his blue eyes dragon. It was a very rare card and one Kaiba did not own. "My god where did this come from?" Seto looked around and down the hall he could still smell flowers and he thought about Kisara, the little girl who had comforted him in a time of great need, and he smiled. The little girl with the blue eyes, who disappeared down the hall with a women in white.

"Sir, this is very serious, but I understand he is your friend, but mixing blood." the doctor had a worried look on his face.

"Damn it, what do you think I am an idiot? Shell I recite to you all the reasons' O-AB+, which is the proper name for it, is so rare. I realize this is not a game. I truly am your donor." Seto rolled up his sleeve, "test it. As you said, we don't have a lot of time to spare. I don't have any illness and I am in prefect health."

The doctor still not convinced spoke again to Seto, "You were in the accident also, sir. You could have injuries yourself, we need to give you a physical."

"Silence!! You've just told me that Joey could die and you want to get me a physical! Have you lost what little mind you have left? You insult my intelligence with your lack of common sense! Where do we preform this transfusion?"

"Doctor, doctor, come quickly." Seto followed the doctor into Joey recovery room and watched as the doctor read the monitor. He turned to the CEO and immediately asked him to follow the nurse into the next room to prepare him for the procedure. Joey needed blood now. The doctor preferred to do this immediately because of the situation. Well, trusting the CEO had become a necessity.

Seto glanced over at Joey and thought how quiet he looked. Never had he seen such peace on the blond's face before, and he didn't really like it. Joey was always loud and his eyes danced dangerously at the slightest remarks or jokes Kaiba made. This was a shell and he hated it. Nothing was visible under the white sheet covering his body, except the tubes running out of his arm. Seto asked that his bed be moved closer to the boy's side, he wanted to touch him to feel him. So, who cared what others thought he needed to be close. He needed to know Joey was still there.

The nurse looked at the doctor and she didn't know what to say, to the request. "Sir, we never had anyone ask, well I mean."

"Just move my damn bed closer to his. Or should I get up and do it myself." The effects of the flow were starting to affect the CEO. His speech was slurring, and soon he would pass out.

"It's ok, nurse we can make an exception." The doctor moved Seto's bed closer to Joey and Seto reached for the blond's hand under the cover. He found the touch of Joey's delicate fingers comforting and it gave him hope. Slowly just like in the helicopter Joey curled his fingers around Seto's strong hand for support. Seto knew it was his imagination but he heard a small whimper escape Joey's lips and he felt the desire to protect him so strongly coursed through his veins it hurt. Seto could feel his heart beat the he started to match the body breathing with his own. Their souls were together again and Seto felt at peace. Seto wanted to reach across the beds and pull the boy into his arms and never let go. Instead he hoped his touch would be enough.

His last thoughts flowed over to Joey and with his last breath Seto called Joey's name, 'I love you, baby. Come home to me.' Slowly tears rolled down his cheeks and Seto could feel his strength ebbing. He fought exhaustion all the way, but he slipped into unconsciousness, once again alone in the dark, 'Joey.'

A/N

Wow, I hope you enjoyed and let us hope. Seto's love will continue to hold Joey up. You never know where life will lead you. You guys when I started this story it was only going to be just another day... a little quake and we all live happy ever after. But as I wrote I realize we don't always have happy ever after, but it starts as just another day. Enjoy the waking up every morning and pray it turns into just another day. See you ...R/R Hey, it's your story, tell me what you want...Love Sherabo ...P/S these procedures are not real...What do you think about Kisara.? She's interesting and I think I want to explore her character a little more...Mmmmm

Oh, remember I said you write the story, well listen up, now if Joey recovers dose Mokuba take the friendship to another level ahhh... does Seto continue to fight or give in to his brothers desires ahhhh...Does Joey turn to Mokuba...ahhhh...Will Kaiba tell all... maybe Joey just leaves them both...ahhhhh...decisions... decisions...have fun...Good Night and don't forget to review me...smiles...Or should we just make Seto the hero all the way...Yaaa