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True To Life	By : Rroselavy Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3656 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Epilogue
- 4
- 5
Title: True To Life (Epilogue)
Author: Rroselavy
Rating: NC-17
Pairing (s): J/S
Beta: Akuchan
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from Yu-gi-oh!
Summary: If you wished for true love and it came knocking at your door, would you have the courage to answer?
* * *
At first Kaiba had been more than a little put off by Joey's arrogant assertion. But by the time he'd landed in Hawaii for a fuel stopover, he'd decided to call the blond, he reasoned only to see that Joey had made it safely back to his studio, though the reality, he knew, was that he feared that somehow the memory of previous night had just become another mental fabrication, and hearing the blond's voice would reassure him that he'd not imagined their tryst. It had been disconcerting for him when his lover had rushed him off the phone, at the same time promising to call him as soon as he could.
Joey had called him back just as his private jet was readying for take-off, to apologize profusely for cutting him short, although this time it was Seto's turn to end the conversation quickly, as they were ready to taxi for takeoff. At the time he'd wondered if that was any indication that any attempt at a long-distance romance was doomed, but somehow they'd managed to work it out. When Kaiba gotten back into his office from the trip, a flower arrangement that Joey had sent had been waiting for him, with promises that he would keep in touch, and that they did; via telephone, email and IM. He felt blood pooling to his groin when he thought about the provocative nude digital photos that Joey had emailed along from time to time. It seemed that his creativity knew no bounds.
It had been when Wheeler had returned to Japan a guest curator for an exhibit that Kaiba had become convinced that they were meant to be together. The time they'd spent with each other those couple of weeks erased any doubts; it had been as if they'd never been apart, they'd as easily fallen back into a companionship as they had their carnal bed. The Kaiba Corp publicist, as well as the media outlets, had had a field day when their romance had become public-the story had evolved to become one in which Joey had wooed Kaiba with his paintings-and in retrospect, while the brunet had been terribly embarrassed by that take; the romantic overtones had done wonders for the Kaiba Corp bottom line.
He was still haunted by the other memories, but he'd refused to cave and take the meds that the psychiatrist had prescribed him; whatever had happened, the episode seemed to be some kind of glitch that hadn't been reproduced. When he'd arrived home from New York, he'd submitted himself to a battery of tests performed under the direction of his personal physician, and all had produced the same negative results. Nothing could explain the phenomenon that he was experiencing. It disturbed him that he'd never found any evidence of this happening to anyone outside of fairytales, but he was pragmatic enough to realize that some things could not be explained because the human knowledgebase wasn't infinite. Besides, looking back, everything seemed to have worked out for the better. But still, he faced each morning with a certain amount of trepidation until he rolled over to see the familiar mop of blond hair on the pillow beside him, and when they were apart, it had become a ritual that Joey could expect to hear from Kaiba the moment the brunet had woken up. Kaiba had become more acutely aware of how ephemeral life was, and far more appreciative of the things he had. And though he was loath to succumb to superstition, he had silently vowed never again to utter the words 'I wish.'
The cool ocean breeze wafted in through the gauze curtains of his bedroom. He and Mokuba had purchased that summerhouse, and he'd arrived at it only a few days before for a much-needed extended vacation. He would, of course stay in touch with his officers and be privy to any corporate discussions that warranted his input; but since that first night he'd slept with Joey, he'd begun to view his stewardship of Kaiba Corp as an occupation rather than a lifestyle. The company had not seemed to suffer from his shift of positions.
Joey had taken over an old barn on the property and had been painting there most of the summer. To date, he'd refused to let anyone see what he was working on, and Kaiba had been uneasy to press his lover; the last thing he wanted to see was another set of canvasses with his likeness upon them, but he'd steeled himself for that possibility. Joey had promised that when he was finished with the grouping, he would let the brunet see them even before his agent.
He flipped impatiently through some sketches that Joey had left lying around their bedroom. They were of him, Mokuba and the many friends who'd visited over the summer in various candid poses-Joey was lightning fast at capturing gestures-half of the time his subjects were unaware that they were even being watched. The drawings were quite good. He put them down hurriedly as he heard approaching footsteps, and when he turned around, Joey was leaning on the doorjamb, his coveralls dotted with paint, a satisfied smile on his face. "So?" He asked.
"So, what?" Kaiba replied.
"Come with me? I have something I want to show you."
"Paintings?" He asked apprehensively. The blond nodded and Kaiba followed him through the house and out the back door to the old ramshackle clapboard structure that Joey had turned into his studio. The hot summer sun seemed to magnify the smell of oil paint and turpentine that mingled with the sweet aromas from the cottage garden that surrounded the building, and Kaiba couldn't help but feel better as he recognized the now-familiar scent. Joey swung the double-door open and allowed the brunet to enter before him.
Joey had leaned the canvasses against the wall; but instead of the familiar imagery Kaiba was expecting, these new pictures were breathtaking compositions of land and seascapes. Kaiba felt a cold chill creep over him as the memory of that day in the gallery came back to him, not the one of standing among the multiple portraits, but the other memory, the one of the brilliant, epic canvasses.
"This one's for you," Joey said, leading him by the hand to a painting he'd set aside. As Kaiba regarded it, his breath caught in his throat and he felt momentarily dizzy. He'd become quite familiar with the tableau depicted on the canvass since he'd first seen it on the cover of the brochure Mokuba had given him; it was the view from his bedroom window. But what was remarkable was its uncanny similarity to the painting he'd coveted that very same day-in his other memory. He'd never discussed the two distinct sets of memories he had in detail with anyone, not even the specialists he'd gone to for treatment, so it floored him to see the body of work that Joey had just created resembled so closely the works that he'd imagined.
"Seto, are you alright? You look kind of pale." Joey's voice was soft and full of concern. Kaiba ignored him and continued to pore over the painting. There were some differences, he noted with much relief. On the beach in this painting he saw two smudges, humanoid figures, one's head was topped with yellow, the other's, brown, Joey and him. He felt much calmer at that revelation, and as he studied each painting in depth, he began to notice subtle differences from the ones in that other memory, which further soothed his nerves. He glanced over at his anxious lover and pushed the conflicting memories firmly out of his mind.
"They are stunning, Joey," he said, and then he allowed the memory of all those paintings he'd seen that day having been bought by the MoMA to seep through, "I think you will be surprised at how well they are received." He reached out to the blond and as he pulled Joey into an embrace, he added with a smirk, "And I see you still haven't given up painting me."
~finis~
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True To Life