Warnings: drug use and heavy implications of non-consensual sex between a minor and an adult, as well as adult themes, so please heed the warnings…

Leave Out All The Rest

Chapter Nine

"You want…what…?"

Seto cleared his throat once softly and straightened in his seat a little, dropping off a glance at Mr. Anderson, who was sitting beside him, then Téa, who was seated on the couch to the right side of the desk, in front of Mr. James Paul, Domino High's Principal.

It was a delicate situation. A very delicate one, really. He had gone to the Physical Education teacher for help and support, because three voices –since he had gone to Téa to tell her that he was going to carry out that little plan of his and that he needed her to get Yami an excuse to get out of his house for a while— were better than one, when dealing with the Principal regarding such a situation.

Briefly and with urgent tones, he asked Mr. Anderson to give him at least half an hour of his time to discuss something important. Obviously, by the serious look on Seto's face, and the way Téa was glancing around her to check and see if anyone was listening in on them or not with her arms crossed in front of her, the older man realized that whatever he was about to hear from Domino High's golden students, would be very crucial.

Seto's first attempt at convincing the PE teacher to join him and Téa in persuading Mr. Paul to grant them the request he was asking for, was to tell Mr. Anderson, "Yami needs our help…we need to get him a school-approved alibi of some sort, for no less than two or three weeks."

Seto and Téa found Mr. Anderson staring at them for a long while, studying their features in a skeptical way that made the great, rarely-unnerved Seto Kaiba, fidget in discomfort under its scrutiny and Téa start biting on her nails in anxiety. Finally, the tenseness ended when Mr. Anderson got up from where he was half-seated on the edge of his desk and turned around, so he could sit behind it, saying, "I won't be moving a finger to help the boy unless I know what the hell is going on."

At that, Seto and Téa both realized that anything but the truth just wouldn't be enough. And so, they started telling Mr. Anderson a version of what they knew, which was as short and as private as they could make it. They briefly described Yami's condition and what he went through at home and what exactly the doctor had told them a few days ago that there was hope the kid might be helped out of this ugly situation with the drugs.

Needless to say, Téa was, at first, appalled at the idea of Seto telling two people other than herself and Seto and Yami, what was going on. But Seto assured her that he would never have told the older man all those things about Yami and went to him for help, except if he didn't think the man was more than capable of keeping a secret and helping Yami out. And eventually, seeing Mr. Anderson's reaction to what they told him, she had to admit that Seto's faith in the older man was in its correct place.

Good old Mr. Anderson with his kind, old-fashioned heart… he had needed about…ten to fifteen minutes to correctly grasp the basic concept of what exactly Yami was going through. The idea that a father would do that to his own son, it just did not make sense in his mind. He couldn't understand it, kept asking 'what', 'how', 'what do you mean by that' and other questions, until he finally understood. And when he did, they were both sure the man wanted to kill someone.

Of course, it took another ten to fifteen minutes to convince Mr. Anderson that killing someone who, to the public eye, was innocent, wouldn't help Yami at all. Once Seto got that task achieved, Mr. Anderson staring down at the basketball court through the windows in his office, hands crossed behind his back. Seto sat in his chair, watching him in silence and glancing at Téa who had mixed emotions flickering in her eyes, ranging from hope to doubt to thoughtfulness. When he turned around once again, about forty-five minutes after Seto and Téa came to him at the start of the lunch break, he said, "Let's go speak to Mr. Paul then…"

And now, about half an hour since they walked into the Principal's office, Seto was adjusting the way he sat and leaned a bit closer to the desk, repeating his earlier request, "I think it would be most helpful, if you sign a letter addressed to Mr. Samuel Motou telling him that Yami was chosen to go to another country, as a part of our school's foreign exchange program…"

"And we can't just call the police and inform them of all of this…because…?" Mr. Paul looked at both of them incredulously, sitting back in his leather chair and crossing his fingers together.

At first, the old man just couldn't picture the truth behind what Seto was telling him about Yami. It was perhaps shock that something like this could be happening right under everyone's noses without anyone noticing it earlier…or perhaps it was denial, because admitting that something like that could possibly be happening, meant a huge mountain of guilt would be dumped on the man's shoulders that perhaps…just perhaps his experience with children that gave him his current position, wasn't so great.

However, seeing that one of his most reliable teachers and his most trusted students, standing together to affirm the same thing…he found no other option than to believe them. But, Seto's request didn't seem too logical to him.

Seto understood, really. He too, when Téa first told him about Yami, he adamantly believed that going to the police about this was the best option. He was sure that once it was brought to the authorities, it would all be over and Yami would be free from all this. But, he came to a certain realization after giving it some thought.

At that moment, with Mr. Paul's question, Téa was the one to speak in reply, for the first time ever since she got inside the office. She gave a little laugh and said, "With all due respect, Mr. Paul…let me ask you. Before we told you about this…if Yami had walked into your office, saying that his father did all those things to him…would you have listened? Or would you have sent him off, thinking that he was blabbering under the effects of a heroin-induced high?"

There was silence for a few moments, before Mr. Paul stammered out, "I am sure I would have looked into…"

Téa interrupted him, "Let's not fool ourselves, Mr. Paul. Domino High has a little over three and a half thousand students on its rolls. One in every ten kids is a drug addict, or on their way to becoming one. And two in every five attempted to harm themselves at some point or the other. And three in every four disobey rules and regulations… and all of us in this school has spoken to a teacher disrespectfully at one time or the other, myself and Seto included…so that is a hundred percent," she threw the numbers at him, bringing forth her knowledge of the student community and its secrets. She then got up and paced the office for a while, before adding, "You or the other staff members don't have time to deal with only one out of three thousand teenagers… the so-called councilors, as much as they deserve a lot of respect for what they do, they sometimes allow too much to slide under their danger radars."

"I am afraid I cannot see how those…numbers and accusations, would erase the fact that informing the authorities about this, is necessary."

Téa placed her hands on the desk, and shook her head in sorrow, "The police are not going to believe a juvenile drug addict…"

"Well then, Miss. Gardner…" Mr. Paul started, leaning forward with his fingers crossed under his chin, before completing his question, "What makes you think Yami is a special case…? You dropped in so many percentages of tragedies in Domino High. What makes you think Mr. Motou should be the one chosen to be helped?"

Once again, Téa laughed bitterly, "I cannot believe you are asking that… I will explain why, but isn't it amusing that you have the perfect opportunity to help out someone like Yami, but instead you're asking why you should be doing it? Amusing…really," she shook her head, as though unable to wrap her mind around the idea.

Mr. Paul's ears reddened, "That's not what I m…"

Once again, she interrupted him, "That was how I interpreted the words, Mr. Paul…regardless whether you meant it in this way or that. Yes, I owe you an answer to that question you asked and that is what you will be getting."

Seto sat in silence after exchanging a stealthy glance with Mr. Anderson. At times like these, when Téa showed what she was really made of, all Seto wanted to do was stare in admiration at her. She was a tough girl. Not too many people could stand up to their hard-headed Principal like that.

"Even if Yami is only one person out of the large numbers I gave you, you can't deny that his condition is way worse than people like him," she was saying, starting to pace once again. She raised her hand, counting off on her fingers, "He's a drug addict…but he was not the one who chose to be a drug addict. His father made him that way. Now that, you will not find it amongst any other druggie in Domino High. Each and every one of them got hooked because they wanted to sample and try…Yami did not sign up for this…"

Before she could resume, Mr. Anderson interfered with his side of the story as well, "Besides… you find anyone who's doing what Yami does to…his arms…they usually do it and walk around with half-sleeves or with a stain of blood on their clothes, as though they are asking people to notice that there is an injury there…" he then shook his head, adding, "Yami cuts and keeps it to himself. I did not know anything of it, until Seto told me about it… he is not doing this to ask for attention, even if the act of self-harm is a cry-out for help in itself…"

This was taking too long…it sounded like some sort of session with a psychiatrist. To be honest, Seto thought that it was completely ridiculous that all of this was taking too fucking long!

"Mr. Paul…look," he interrupted Mr. Anderson and Téa, who had wanted to say something as well. All talk paused and the three looked at him. He stared directly into the Principal's eyes, letting his determination to get this done, seep into his own blue ones. "Yami values his pride above everything else…" he stated with finality. "Going to the police and reporting this, only to have them rejecting his claims to have been abused because he is a drug addict, would mean that he has no pride left on him at all, according to him." He kept staring into the older man's eyes, pausing a little, trying to gather his angry thoughts so he could end this meeting that seemed to be getting longer for no obvious reasons. "Please…just write the letter and call his father to confirm it…just two or three weeks. That's all he needs. After that, he will go to the police by himself and report it."

Mr. Paul stared at him for a long while. Seto determinedly kept the eye contact. This had to be done. A few moments later, the older man's gaze left his, so he could look at Mr. Anderson and Téa one after the other.

He then sighed, "Alright…I'll see what I can do."

It wasn't a familiar feeling to wake up to and it unnerved him. Usually, when he woke up, he would be in his bed, alone, lying curled up into a very tight, little mass in the top, left corner, so that whoever searched for him, didn't find him immediately in the center of the bed. There would be the familiar feeling of soreness and the disgust that was triggered by feeling sticky and sweaty and covered in…grimy stuff.

Today was…different.

He wasn't curled up in the corner. He guessed that that was because he wasn't alone in his bed…

Startled, he opened his eyes, wanting to find out if the nightmare he was thinking of, was real or not.

Sure enough, he felt bile rising to his throat when he found a frighteningly familiar body sprawled on top of his, like a second skin. He swallowed and tried moving, but found out there was no way to get that done, with how those strong, long legs were pinning down his own lower limbs and with the heavy, muscular torso flush with his own. He panicked when he felt a repulsive hardness pressing into his hipbone, in an obscene way that made him want to hurl.

He wanted to move away. He wanted to curl up in the furthest corner of the bed. But he couldn't move. He couldn't move and when he tried, he was horrified to feel the heavier, stronger body above his move as well, its owner waking up from his sleep.

Long eyelashes parted and soon, he found a pair of crimson eyes so much alike his own, staring at him.

There was a period of prolonged silence for a while, "Good morning, Yami…"

"What are you doing here?" Yami tensely asked, trying to wiggle free. It didn't work. His father stayed slumped on top of him, preventing the slightest of movements. He was unnerved to see those crimson eyes staring at him in amusement that sent shivers rushing heavily down his spine. He swallowed, shifted uncomfortably as much as he could, trying to get away from the unmistakable hardness that prodded his body. "Get off me…I need to use the bathroom," he tried that, hoping it works.

It didn't.

He froze once more when he found a pair of strong hands grasping his wrists, sliding his own hands up above his head. He swallowed nervously, trying not to show how truly anxious he was at being restrained. It took every bit of his willpower not to start whimpering in distress when he felt that disgusting, hard flesh gliding along the skin on his bare thighs, along his disinterested privates and up to his waist. He stared into the amused, lust-hazy crimson eyes staring down at him, praying that a repeat of what happened before he went to sleep –passed out—wouldn't happen again…

"I got a call from your school's Principal yesterday…and a letter…" Samuel conversationally said. One of his hands grabbed both Yami's wrists and kept them mobile above his head, while the other slid downwards slowly, tracing a path from Yami's hair, to his cheek, then to his lips, before moving further down to his neck. The touch was frightening and he felt relieved for the distraction when Samuel resumed, "He said he wanted you to be a part of some…foreign exchange program…"

Yami shifted with unease. Seto told him yesterday, before the weekend started that Mr. James Paul agreed to sign a letter to his father, requesting he joined the exchange program. He was painfully aware that the Principal was now informed of his…situation, because Seto added that the man was going to even call his father to confirm the request. The only way to convince Mr. Paul to do that, was to tell him why…

"Umm…yes, I was…I was told by the secretary…that they chose me…" he stuttered, hoping that the plan worked and that he was allowed escape for that long while…he so needed it.

"Do you want to go…?" Samuel asked, gently, speaking against Yami's neck, making him feel the uncomfortable, unnerving way with which the hot, moist breath hit the soft, cold skin.

Yami's fingers clenched. "If I say yes…you are going to tell me that you are not going to allow me to go…" he quietly remarked, closing his eyes to try and shut out the different sensations assaulting his mind. "It doesn't matter if I want to go or not…you're going to do what you want…"

There was a moment of silence for a while, before he whimpered and shifted uncomfortably when he felt a pair of hot, slightly-moist lips caressing the delicate line of his jaw, and dropping a trail of small kisses all along its length. Out of reflex, his eyes clenched together tighter and his fingers gripped hard at the pillowcase, while he leaned his head away, trying to escape the gentle, confusing touch.

"No, Yami…I won't do that…" he heard his father mumble. He opened his eyes slowly and fixed them on the mane of soft, dark tresses of his father's hair that spread out all over his chest and shoulders, tickling his skin slightly. He stared in silent shock, wondering if he could be foolish enough to believe him this time. At that moment, the lusty crimson eyes that his own mimicked so perfectly, stared up at him. There was the gentlest of smiles on that face he came to associate with every nightmare he had and will have. "I mean it…do you want to go? If you do, I'll let you."

Yami stared at him suspiciously. "I…want…" he said, uncertainly.

"Want what?" Samuel asked, mouth still lavishing so much attention and unfamiliar, bewildering gentleness.

Yami squirmed under the tender touch. "I want to go…" he said, praying that just this once…just this once whoever it was he was praying to, would listen and make his father let him go… he knew it was in vain. It wasn't something that happened often, for his prayers to be answered. Just…it didn't work this way. The opposite of what he was hoping, always, always happened. He expected that to be the case this time as well…

To his surprise, Samuel 'mhmm-ed' against his skin, suckling slightly on it until he left a prominent mark on it, before drawing back, licking the skin tenderly and saying, "Alright…"

He stiffened. "Really?" he asked suspiciously.

He could feel that hated mouth forming a smile, the thick hair on Samuel's face from his goatee tickling his face. His heart raced with disappointment; was this where he was told that no, not 'really', as he asked. He was about to be told now that he can forget about it. He was about to be told that Seto's great plan wasn't so great after all…

Yet…this time too, it seemed that luck was on his side.

Samuel nodded, "Yes, Yami…really." Yami couldn't believe what he was hearing. Oh God, let this be true, he pleaded desperately. His heart stopped for a moment, though, when his father added, "But… on one condition…"

"Umm…what…what is it?" he asked nervously.

His father straightened, pulling away from him and letting his wrists go. Yami nervously pulled the covers closer, trying to pull back, away from him now that he was free. However, he stopped trying to when Samuel laughed and tugged on the covers, leaving him naked and unprotected from the intense crimson gaze. He lay still, not wanting to push his luck and ruin this perfect chance.

"I just want you to remember…I have a lot of friends who can set up a little…accident…for that girl. Téa…"

Yami's heart felt as though it rose up to his throat and forgot to return to its place. His eyes widened in shock and horror, and he stared at his father in confusion.

"So I am just telling you…any word out of those pretty lips of yours, which might put me in trouble, Yami…I'll simply contact one of my friends and your friend's body will never be found again," he was told, while a slender hand caressed the side of his face caringly.

Numbly, he nodded. He could do that, simple instruction, because he wasn't going to tell any authority figure about the hell his life was, while he spent those few weeks away. It wasn't difficult to follow that instruction, but he was shaken by the threat…Téa wasn't safe…if something goes wrong, then she would suffer and it would be his fault.

He prayed once more that he wouldn't screw up… and he hoped that those prayers would be answered this time as well…

"And something else," he heard Samuel saying and once again, his heart rose to his throat. He hummed, unsure if his voice wanted to work or not. "Stop taking part in school activities…I will miss you when you're away…"

The words were accompanied by a gentle squeeze to his neck, while his father crawled on top of him once again, a predatory look on his handsome face. Yami wished it wasn't the weekend.

It was almost too good to be true…

Things went so smoothly, Yami couldn't believe it. He had to be dreaming. His father allowed him to leave for the made-up trip to Hungary, as Mr. Paul told him over the phone and on the letter. Of course, there was a terrible part of it, that the week remaining until the day he left was like a nightmare since his father thought it was only fair to give him a month's worth of torment before he left. 'Remember me for the next month,' were the words he said.

But otherwise, he was allowed to pack his clothes and personal belongings in peace. It was so confusing, the sudden act of gentleness and understanding from his father's side… he didn't know the reason behind it. He found the man even going as far as asking Mr. Paul for a leave for two days before the so-called time of the flight.

Aside from having to be his father's personal whore for extra time…it all went too well.

But knowing that all of this suffering was for…the greater good, as they said, did not stop him from driving himself into that state only a few steps before a mental breakdown. Passively accepting the 'fatherly' pat on the head as stood in front of the airport terminal which, according to the plan, he wouldn't even enter for more than three minutes, he quietly nodded to Samuel's reminder of staying good and not getting into trouble.

He turned around and walked into the airport. He stood beside one of the windows, waiting for Seto to come take him away from all of this.

His mind drifted elsewhere and he started thinking; what would it be like? To walk over to where they booked the tickets and booked himself a flight to Egypt…or France… and just…flee this place and this life. Or no…a better thought would be, waiting for Seto to arrive, taking his hand and walking over to book two one-way tickets to any place in the world…and spend their whole life away from this place. What would happen if he did that? Will it be as bright and lovely as it sounded in his mind? Would Seto ever agree?

He clenched his eyes shut and leaned heavily on the glass. No…what was he thinking? It would never work. And…so many people might get hurt in the process, Téa and his classmates on top of that list. And besides…why would Seto Kaiba want to run away with a drug addict like him? Damaged goods… stupid way of thinking, really.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a calm, deep voice that sounded too cheerful for his morbid mind, "Are you ready to go?"

He opened his eyes and glanced sideways where the sound came. He would have liked to offer a smile, but he couldn't and settled onto giving a curt nod to Seto, who stood beside him, wearing a pair of jeans and a light-blue, button-up shirt. "Though we have to wait for a little bit, in case he…is still around…" he mumbled, though, ready to lean against the glass again.

"That won't be necessary, my security team told me they watched him leave," Seto said with a reassuring grin.

Yami stared at him in silence for a few moments. Was this person…real? He asked himself. He had been asking himself that ever since he thought he was going to hit rock bottom with how fast he was falling, only to crash into this perfect, perfect human. He thought…that after what Seto heard over the phone, he thought that he was going to turn away from it all and refuse to meddle. He thought no one cared. He thought that Seto Kaiba…wouldn't care. But that day when he held him in his arms, asking him for his trust…that day when Yami thought that this was where finally, he would die and not bother anyone anymore… that day, Yami realized that perhaps the world wasn't such a bad place after all. Perhaps someone cared. Perhaps Seto Kaiba cared…

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The concern in the question made him want to cry. Everything was wrong, and no he was not okay. But if he could just…if he got just one chance…just one chance to change everything… then it would all be alright and yes, he would be okay.

He didn't say that, of course. He just nodded numbly and mumbled, "I'm fine…"

He could tell Seto didn't buy his answer. But even if he didn't, he said nothing about it, turning elsewhere to point elegantly with a finger for a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, who came closer, taking his suitcase and starting to pull it away. Yami watched him go in silence, until Seto told him it was time to go.

He didn't move.

Seto shook his head and his hand went for Yami's grabbing his wrist and starting to pull him along as he walked away.

As though walking in a dream, Yami followed a step or two behind the taller teenager. Was this real? Was this really happening? Was he free for an entire month from the horror his life was with his father? Was he going to spend that much time with the person he wished would notice him just once? Was Seto really holding his hand right now? Wouldn't it be amazing, if they could continue to hold each other's hands like that?

The thought made him smile…really smile in happiness.

"What's making you smile?" Seto asked as he sat back against the leather seat of the limo.

Yami blinked and stared up at him, only now realizing that he was still grinning. He was struck speechless for a moment or two by how blue Seto's eyes were from this close position, as they sat beside one another in the car, before he shook his head, let out a tiny laugh, remarking as he stared out of the dark-tinted window, "Seto Kaiba was holding my hand…I wonder how many girls would have wished to be in my place…"

Of course, he missed the very brief moment when Seto's face reddened, and only heard the brunet say, "Trust me… not a lot."

"That…I doubt," Yami countered, burrowing into the corner of the seat and leaning his head against the cool glass. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax.

The moment they reached the Kaiba Mansion…Yami found himself with an armful of a short, scrawny figure with raven hair and excited gray eyes. The moment Seto started admonishing his brother for being so abrupt, Yami found no problem at all glaring at him and telling him that he shouldn't meddle with what concerned himself and Mokuba.

Wanting to laugh at the surprised, slightly offended look in Seto's blue eyes, Yami followed Mokuba to the living room where they sat talking and playing games. Seto grudgingly sat with them, watching them in silence, and even though he kept the same affronted expression, his mind drifted over to several things that needed his thoughts.

His personal physician, inevitably the professional that will supervise their DIY detox plan for Yami, was going to arrive at a little after four in the evening, which was an hour or two from now. Seto knew the next couple of days will be…peaceful. The peace before the storm as they said. He had a basic idea of what exactly was going to happen, but…it didn't make it any less unpleasant.

They had a quick snack, Seto fretting ceaselessly about how small Yami's meal was, Yami impatiently telling him to back off or else and Mokuba laughing at both of them as they sat bickering back and forth.

Four o'clock arrived too soon, in Seto's opinion and, from the way he started in panic and glanced at the clock, Yami thought so too.

"Mokuba, could you please go to your room and stay there until I call you down here?" Seto said calmly, getting up, his tone not allowing his brother to do anything but nod in obedience and get up, going upstairs.

He opened the door, greeted the old man who seemed too cheerful compared to what he was coming to say, and led the way to the living room, where Yami sat on the couch, hands fiddling with one another on his lap in anxiety Seto could have seen a mile away. Luckily, the doctor did not give Yami a hard time, proceeding to ask him first about his healing ribs and the small stab wound on his shoulder.

Yami answered him in quiet tones, not looking up to meet his eyes. Seto watched him intently, interested beyond reason by what was going on, by how much Yami had been so good at hiding what he really was behind that mask of bravado and toughness he wore in school. It both amused and horrified him how much of a complete opposite this Yami was, from the Yami he knew in school. Like mirror images…so similar, yet so different at the same time.

His thoughts came to a halt when he heard the doctor speaking to him, "Mr. Kaiba, I'd like you to listen carefully to the conversation, because I believe you will be in charge of Yami for the next few weeks."

Seto nodded, while Yami remarked snappily, "I am not a child to be taken care of."

"I am aware of that, Yami…proof of that would be the fact you managed to stay alive to this point," the doctor affirmed with a nod. At his words, Yami looked up finally to meet the wrinkled, age-wizened eyes, seeing nothing but honesty in them. Seto noticed the pale cheeks coloring slightly and the small form curling up tighter on itself at the praise and admiration that he understood from the remark. The older man did not press things further, adding, "But the next while is not going to be easy. You will need help and your first step towards making the recovery you wanted, would be admitting that you need help and accepting this help…"

Seto kept silent, watching Yami who nodded slowly.

"Once you've got that done…you need to understand that this will not be easy…heroin is the worst thing anyone can create a dependence on. Withdrawal is…unpleasant…"

At that, Yami interrupted, "I know. Been there before."

The doctor looked at Seto for an explanation, but Seto just gestured for him to carry on, so he nodded curtly, resuming, "You need to be patient and you'll need to stay positive, Yami. You will find it difficult, I am hundred percent sure about that, but you have to do it. It's all about the mental challenge, not the physical challenge. But I am sure you are strong enough to do it."

Yami, in a clipped, abrupt way, nodded.

"You'll need to take the medicines I have listed down here," the old man took a small piece of paper, and gave it to Seto, motioning for him to pass it over to Yami. "They will help with a lot of the physical pains and symptoms of withdrawal."

Anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea medicines, temperature reducers, painkillers, sleep aids… Seto wanted to shift nervously as he gave Yami the piece of paper. This really, really sounded like it was going to be one of the most difficult challenges he ever faced; he did not want to think of what Yami must be feeling…will be feeling.

"It is very important to stay hydrated, Yami," the doctor resumed speaking, staring intently at Yami. "You have to drink even more than the required two liters of water a day. Energy drinks, carbonated drinks…sugary juices of all kinds…you have to drink as much as you can. If possible, I'd like you to have something to drink most of the time you're awake, if not all the time. You may not even touch food, although there will be times when you will have to eat, but you have to stay hydrated. Your body will be losing so much water while trying to deal with something as traumatic as getting rid of an addiction to heroin."

"'Kay," Yami approved silently, as though promising to do that.

Seto determinedly pushed away the random thought that remarked about how cute Yami looked…

"Mr. Kaiba, I trust you are more than capable of handling this. Yami is…human…" he paused, as though unsure if that comment was true or not because it wasn't within a human's ability to endure so much and survive, from his experience. He then pursed his lips a bit before resuming, "There will be moments of weakness and there will be temper tantrums and there will be a lot times when you yourself will feel like reaching for the syringe and giving him what he needs."

Seto did not have a doubt in his mind about that. Yami's evident pain… made him cringe and do anything in his power to make it go away.

"Right now, Yami, your daily intake of the heroin is…let's say two shots?"

"Three, maybe four, on a bad day," Yami whispered.

"Alright…I trust your time here won't be bad at all," a pointed look at Seto. Seto nodded, so the doctor resumed, "For the first three days, you have to reduce your daily dose to one shot per day. You have to do it. I believe you have only six, full syringes with you, right?"

Yami nodded.

"After those three days, start making it only one syringe every two days, until you run out…" the doctor carefully and slowly instructed, addressing both of them. Seto listened carefully, trying to take it all in. "Later on, when the real pains of withdrawal attack you, it won't be as bad as stopping all of a sudden."

Silence hung over them for a minute or two. Yami's face was void of any emotions, but Seto knew he was still determined to go through with this.

Finally, the doctor broke the silence, "I will be coming over here everyday at eight in the evening to see how things are progressing. I would also like to have a long talk with you Yami about some of your physical injuries and I would like to give you a few words of advice regarding your situation with your…guardian." The word came out with so much spite, it made Seto agree fervently in his head that the monster who was responsible for all of this couldn't be called anything that remotely described a father-figure.

Once again, unable to speak, apparently, Yami nodded his agreement…surrender to the situation…Seto didn't know what it was.

He didn't try to find out, as the man got up, addressing him when he got up as well to see the man to the front door, "Seto, make sure the kid isn't alone and make sure to remind him how much he would be better off without the drugs…"

"I'll try my best," Seto promised.

The man stopped and lowered his voice, "After he is clean…I will want him to see a psychiatrist. He will need help…more help than to just get rid of an addiction."

"After he is clean, I will be stepping in and pulling a lot of strings for him…" Seto vowed. After the couple of weeks Yami spent with him, he was determined that things were going to change.

The old man stared at him for a moment, before nodding and stepping out of the door while saying, "Remember to keep him hydrated and try to make him eat whenever possible. And…" the doctor paused for a second, before turning around to say, "Keep Mokuba involved… the child knows how to make others feel better…"

Seto's face broke into a smile. "Alright. Mokuba would be glad to help out."

The man smiled and nodded. Seto made sure to see that he was out of the Manor grounds safely, before turning around to walk into the house again, mind going all over the things he needed Roland to supply them with. He needed to make a list…

Yami was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that he stood in front of the first time he came to the Mansion, to give Seto his biology notebook. He had one hand leaned against the glass, the delicate fingers barely brushing the smooth surface. His eyes were blank and expressionless as he stared at the dark garden outside.

Seto stepped beside him silently, and stood staring outside as well.

They stayed like that for a while, until Yami finally spoke.

His voice was soft, barely audible and it broke with the undecipherable emotions that made it sound terse, abrupt. "Th…Thank you…so much."

Seto glanced at him with the barest hint of a smile. "It's the least I could do, Yami…" and after a few moments, he hesitantly reached sideways, taking hold of Yami's hand by the fingers, giving them a tiny squeeze of reassurance. "For now…"

A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone ^_^ Sorry for the delay, school is REALLY giving me hell.

Hathor…