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I Know You're Out There Somewhere	By : Firewing Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3536 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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
- 8
- 9
- 10
Chapter 9 Conversations and Phone Calls

LOL�.He�s back. The bunny slipper, Toon-addicted, one-eyed duel monsters reinventor lives!!! Okay, I�m over it. Well, not really, but�

Disclaimer: We are all well aware that I am not one of the gods of Yugioh�so�on with the show.

��.
A few hours, a couple phone calls, and a webcam meeting later, Pegasus� workday was over. Industrial Illusions was self-sufficient enough that Max didn�t have to babysit his brainchild. He designed the company that way. He, after all, had better things to do, like plan duelist tournaments and watch Funny Bunny cartoons. It had proved to be a good thing too, considering that if Industrial Illusions needed its president to continue running, Pegasus would have returned from the Shadow Realm to face bankruptcy court.
He sat at his dining room table sipping wine and nibbling on the fruit and cheese that formed his rather light lunch. Pegasus certainly never envisioned running a business as his life�s work. He wasn�t the control freak Kaiba-boy was, demanding to know where every penny went and about every paper clip that dropped to the floor. Yes, he�d tried to get the young CEO to relax and enjoy a little pleasure in life. After all, Pegasus taught the boy wonder the game of Duel Monsters in the first place and awarded him his first Blue Eyes White Dragon for the first tournament he won. Pegasus� affection for the boy had been akin to what he might have felt for his own son, tenderness and pride.
Their paths had originally crossed in business before Seto received his inheritance from Gozaburo. Now there was a villain if Pegasus had ever seen one. The boy had been perhaps thirteen the first time Pegasus met him. Seto had accompanied his father to the meeting Pegasus arranged to discuss the possibility of building dueling arenas and incorporating holographic technology to bring the card game to life.
Gozaburo sneered at the idea, thinking technology was wasted on the entertainment industry. But Pegasus watched Seto closely with both eyes and realized the boy was severely emotionally abused. Seto would never openly defy his father, but the dull blue eyes that greeted Pegasus with disdain at the beginning of the meeting blazed blue fire by the end of it. One could almost see the calculations and lines of programming code racing through the boy�s mind. Even with no knowledge of Duel Monsters the possibilities intrigued Seto in a way nothing else ever had.
So Pegasus sat back and waited, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the boy became a man who no longer bowed and scraped to his father. There was simply too much fire and passion in Seto for anyone to dominate him for long.
As Pegasus had predicted Seto came into his own and much sooner than he had anticipated. The Duel Monsters creator extended his hand in friendship to the boy, who obviously needed a bit of compassion and kindness in his life. Unfortunately it backfired. Seto was far too guarded to accept friendship at face value without searching for ulterior motives and truthfully, Pegasus did have another motive. He had hoped to win the boy�s confidence and eventually see if the brilliant mind could develop holographic technology that could create a solid copy of his wife�s body, magic would do the rest. There was no harm intended to Kaiba Corp or the young brothers who owned the company. Pegasus� plan would be beneficial to both companies. Yet Seto erroneously believed Pegasus intended to take control of Kaiba Corp and ironically ended up putting the idea in Pegasus� head. In the meantime, the companies did manage to form a mutually profitable business arrangement and Seto transformed the stagnant Kaiba Corporation into the lively, growing entity it was today seemingly overnight.
Pegasus toyed with the annoying black eye patch absently and thought over his conversation with Shadi. When the guardian of the Millennium items used the Key to enter Max�s mind for a moment the events that took place during his incarceration in the Shadow Realm had become crystal clear and then they were gone, leaving only a faint painless echo behind.
Pegasus was certain that somehow the Eye had forced him to dwell on the hurtful past, driving him closer to insanity�s edge day by painful day, instead of allowing him to release his grief for Cecelia in a more natural way. He felt so much better now. The pain and emptiness were still there and would probably always be a part of him, yet the desperation that weighed so heavily on him was receding.
While embracing his newfound passion for life he had forgotten just who had forced the Millennium Eye on him in the first place�
��.
The limo driver dropped Kaiba and Tristan off at Kaiba�s mansion and headed off to return the security guards to Kaiba Corp. Seto led Tristan into the mansion�s library. The room smelled of old leather and had an atmosphere inductive to quiet contemplation�or sleep.
Seto gestured for Tristan to sit down on the overstuffed leather couch, he himself laid claim to a matching armchair. Seto allowed Tristan to gawk at the room for a moment. �You had some questions, Taylor.�
�Um�oh, yeah.� His earlier anger was totally forgotten. He couldn�t believe he was in Kaiba�s mansion. �Why were you at Joey�s apartment building last night?�
Kaiba restrained the urge to outright lie or tell the boy with the shark fin hairdo that it was none of his business. �We had a disagreement at the White Tiger earlier in the evening. He chose to terminate his employment. I went to his home to convince him to reconsider.� Kaiba stated formally.
Tristan�s eyes narrowed. There was something wrong with this picture��And that�s why you were at the hospital?�
�Yes.�
�Since when do you care so much about anyone quitting their job? Haven�t you got anything better to do than stalk restaurant valets?� Tristan snapped. �I don�t blame Joey for quitting. I wouldn�t want to work for you either!�
Tristan stormed out of the library, looked around, spun on his heel and went back in. �How the heck do you get out of here?�
Seto sighed and showed Tristan to the door. But before he left, Tristan faced Kaiba one more time. �I don�t know what your game is, Kaiba, or what you said to Jou today, but you�ve done enough. Just back off.�
Seto closed the front door of his oversized house and leaned against it. Suddenly, he was very tired.
��.
Yugi�s grandpa had taken Tea home and planned to open the game shop for a couple hours. Yugi tried to gently shake Joey awake. �Joey, Joey� wake up. We need to talk. A social worker�s going to be here just any time��
�Grrr�Go away, Dad�I�ll get up�give me a minute.� Jou grumbled groggily. Yugi�s eyes stung with tears when Joey mentioned his dad.
Jou sat up partway and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes. Bandages. Annoying tubes. Kaiba�
�Joey, I need to tell you about your dad.� Yugi said softly.
Jou took a deep breath that bordered on a sob. �It�s okay, Yug. I know. He didn�t make it.�
�Oh��
�Look, I knew he was gone last night. I just�do we have to talk about this right now?�
�Well�yeah. Joey, someone was here from Toyota earlier. They wanted to know if it was okay if they made the funeral arrangements. They want you to call them.� Yugi started to hand Jou a business card and then looked helplessly at Joey�s burned and bandaged hands. He withdrew the card and tried to choke back tears. �They also said a couple of families have offered to let you stay with them. You wouldn�t have to move to your mother�s if you didn�t want to.�
Joey had a free flowing stream of tears running down his face and Yugi had given up trying to restrain his own.

Damn useless hands! Jou tried to rub the evidence away. He wished Yugi would shut up. His emotions were more raw than his hands and he needed time to adjust to one thing at a time. He wished Yugi would quit watching him with those huge, compassionate lavender eyes. The tenderness expressed in them was fast unraveling the last threads of Jou�s composure. And although he would never admit it to anyone, he felt that he would shatter into a billion tiny pieces that all of his willpower and all of his friends would never be able to put back together again.
Instead, Yugi continued talking and started dabbing Joey�s face with a tissue. �I�I talked to Grandpa and he said you could stay with us. I�d�I�d really like it if you did.�
�Yug, I can�t do that. I can�t put that kind of burden on our friendship�and I don�t know, maybe I should go live with my mom.�
�I really don�t want you to leave. I might never see you again.� Yugi sobbed.
�Yugi, has anyone talked to my mom or sis yet?�
�I�I don�t know.�
�Yes, Joseph. Child Protection has spoken to your mother.� A soft, but firm voice spoke from the doorway. �I�m Shyla Tanner. I�m your case worker.�
��.
�Mrs. Wheeler, please let me talk to her.�
�I�m sorry, Tristan. Serenity is much too upset at the moment to accept phone calls. We�ve already been informed of her father�s death. Now would you please leave us alone?� Maria Wheeler�s voice held barely restrained anger.

Man, she�s a bitch! Tristan thought.
�Mom, is that Joey?� Tristan heard Serenity ask her mother before she could hang up.
�No, Serenity. Go back to bed.� Her mother gently told her.
�But the phone call is for me, isn�t it? I heard you say I couldn�t take it. Is it Tristan?�
Maria huffed in defeat and relinquished the phone to her daughter.
�Hello?�
�Hi, Sweetness. How�s it going?�
�Oh�well, I�ve had better days. How�s my brother?�
�I haven�t actually gotten to talk to him, Serenity. You know how much that big brother of yours likes to sleep.� Tristan tried to sound cheerful, but he was very concerned about his girlfriend. �He�s going to be fine, Sweetness. He has some smoke inhalation and he burned his hands, but he�ll be good as new in a few days.�
He could hear her trying to muffle the sound of her crying on the other end of the line. �Sweetness, talk to me.�
�Oh, Tristan, it�s horrible.� She paused and he heard the decisive click of a door latch. �Mother won�t let me come back for Dad�s funeral. I wanted to stay in Domino with Daddy and Joey, but she made me come back to the States�and now I�m stuck here.� She sobbed.
Tristan was angry enough to explode. It wasn�t right! Joey would go ballistic when he found out.
�Tristan?�
�I�m still here, Serenity. I just had a sudden urge to go pick a fight with a brick wall.� He mumbled.
Surprisingly, she laughed. �Oh, Tristan, I�m so glad you called.� For a moment there was a thoughtful silence between the two.
�Tristan?� Serenity�s voice was quiet and serious. �Can I tell you something?�
�Sure, anything.�
�A social worker called from Domino today. I�overheard Mom�s end of the conversation.� She hesitated, uncertain of how to put her thoughts into words. �I think the social worker wanted to know if Mom was willing to take custody of Joey now that Dad is gone��
�It�s okay, Serenity. Just tell me.�
�Oh, Tristan, I despise her! I really do!� The auburn haired girl broke into a fresh sob. �She was so cold about it. She said she didn�t want anything to do with Joey�that�that he wasn�t her son��
�Huh�? What do you mean, Serenity?�
�Joey was adopted! And he doesn�t know, Tristan! I just found out today. What�s going to happen to my brother?�
�Hush, Serenity. Calm down.� Tristan tried mentally to rock the distraught girl in his arms.
�She just abandoned him. I�m not sure she cares about him at all�just because she didn�t give birth to him. What kind of woman does that make my mother�that she can be so unfeeling toward a child she helped raise?� The dam of emotions she tried to hold back broke. In spite of the fact she and Tristan were on two different continents with an ocean between them, she felt very close to him. Tristan was the only person who could comfort her right now.
�Hey, Sweetness, we�ll figure something out. Okay? I promise, nothing on earth will keep you from your big brother.�
�Thank you, Tristan. Thank you so much. I better go. I think Mom�s having a fit. I�ll talk to you soon.�
�Yeah. Take care, Serenity.� She hung up. I love you, Sweetness, Tristan thought to the dead line. Then he began to ponder just how he was going to keep his promise to her.
��
As far as Shyla Tanner was concerned Maria Wheeler was an unfit mother and this boy was better off without her. But Shyla knew what she had to tell him would break his heart even worse than it already was. �I�m truly sorry for your loss, Joseph. This has to be a very difficult time for you and everything probably seems to be happening all at once. I�m here to do whatever I can to help make things easier for you. But I have to be honest with you as well. Okay?�
�What�s wrong?� Jou asked her tensing. He understood too well that the social worker was trying to soften yet another blow to his vulnerable psyche.
Shyla sighed. �I talked to your mother before coming to the hospital. It�s out of the question for her to take custody of you.�
�Huh? Why? Oh�� Realization dawned. �She won�t take me.� He was crushed. He didn�t really care that much about his mother, but he desperately wanted to be reunited with his sister.
Shyla�s face saddened. �Joseph, on the bright side, several families have offered to open their homes to you. They will have to be approved before you can be placed, but you can state your preferences. I�ll be in touch.� She laid some papers down on Joey�s bedside table and left.
Joey let his anger and tears blind him for a moment. What had he been thinking? That his mother would take him in now when she clearly hadn�t wanted him at the age of ten?
�Joey, you should look at this.� Yugi drew his attention back to the papers.
Joey tried to concentrate on the list Yugi held for him. The Cranston�s-the father worked with Jonathan and they had raised several foster kids. The Taylor�s-Tristan�s family. His father also worked with Jou�s dad, but had homophobic tendencies. The Motou�s-no surprise there. Yugi was practically begging him to move in with he and his grandfather.

The Kaiba�s-what the hell?

�What is he trying to pull!?� Jou demanded instantly torqued.
�No idea, Joey. But he has always seemed to take an interest in you.� Yugi thought it was strange that although he very much wanted Joey to move into the Turtle Game Shop that he rather liked the idea of Joey staying with Seto. Those two could learn a lot from each other. He remembered how possessive Kaiba had been of Joey on the roof of the apartment building and how determined he was about Joey�s resuscitation. It really didn�t take a genius to figure that equation out.
�What do you mean, Yug?�
�Well, before he quit going to high school, it seemed to me that Kaiba always went out of his way to tease you��
�It was more like torment. That�s what you call taking an interest?�
�Considering that he ignores 99.9% of the population?�
Joey frowned. He wasn�t convinced.
Yugi reached over and squeezed Joey�s arm. �You know, not everyone makes friends easily. You�re the first real friend I ever had. Maybe in his own way, Kaiba is just trying to be your friend.�
�By putting me down and comparing me to monkeys and dogs? Yugi, you need to go back to bed. I think the smoke got to your brain.�
Yugi grinned, but got back in bed anyway. He really felt Kaiba had the capacity to �play nice with others�-he just didn�t know how.
��..
Joey was tired-tired of his bandage wrapped hands, tired of being tied down to tubes and machines, and most of all tired of the pain in his heart. He wanted it to all go away. He wanted to start yesterday over again and change the past.
He thought about what Yugi said about Kaiba. Was it possible? Ever since Joey first laid eyes on Seto Kaiba he felt something was off with the sultry blue-eyed teenager. Not that being the CEO of a corporation worth billions at the age of fifteen wasn�t a rarity, but no one was just naturally born a cold-hearted bakayaru. Joey felt something really bad must have happened to Kaiba to make him so unfeeling. Their eyes had locked across a classroom for an instant. Joey was openly curious about the CEO and made the fatal mistake of not trying to hide it. Kaiba�s ice chip eyes had flared with instant hatred. And so began a duel of an entirely different sort.
Jou slept and he dreamed of being cradled in the arms of his blue-eyed tormentor under a smoke-filled sky.
��
Seto drove home from his Kaiba Corp office. If he had been tired before, he was exhausted now. He had spoken to Shyla Tanner first thing in the morning. She had a reputation as a social worker for handling her cases effectively. Seto wanted her to take care of Joey�s case and made certain she moved on it as quickly as possible. He made his offer to be Jou�s guardian at that time.
After his encounter with Jou at the hospital, he killed the tiny flicker of hope he held onto of ever being anything other than an enemy to the blond. Jou would never consider allowing Seto to be his guardian and he knew he was going to have to withdraw into his cold, hard shell again. It might prove to be the hardest thing he�d ever had to do.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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I Know You're Out There Somewhere