I do not any way, shape, or form own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters.

This story is rated Mature as it contains adult language, situations some sex scenes in earlier chapters.

Nor do I in any way make profit from this story.

Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 9

"Joey," someone called to him. "Come back to us Joey."

Wait a minute, that was Yugi's voice. What was he doing in Kaiba's bedroom while they were making love?

Slowly, Joey forced his eyes to open only to see all of his friends standing over him, looking worried. Before asking them what was going on, he sat up to look around for Kaiba; but the CEO was nowhere in sight. In fact, Joey noticed he was no longer in the Kaiba mansion at all; but rather he was in a hospital room. He looked over at the various machines hooked up to him and asked in a raspy voice, "What happened?"

"You tried to kill yourself remember?" Yugi said softly, holding up Joey's wrist to show him the bandage.

"Yeah... but then Seto came and took me to live with him. We fell in love and had just gotten engaged. You were there Yugi. All of you were, remember?" He frowned as he watched them exchange somewhat anxious looks.

"What's wrong? Where's Seto?"

"Joey," Yugi began as Yami placed a hand on his hikari's shoulder to offer him support, "none of that happened. You've spent the past week in a coma. Kaiba hasn't been by here once. And I don't think he ever will. I saw him using your letter the other day to light a cigarette."

"S-so... Seto and I never.." Joey sobbed, putting his head in his hands, tears leaking from between his fingers. "He never loved me?! It was all a dream! Oh god..." his voice trailed off, his friends unable to think of any way to console him.

Seto Kaiba entered the classroom and made for his seat in the back. He was surprised to find Joey Wheeler already back from the hospital. 'Guess I'll treat myself to a little fun this morning,' he thought as he stopped before Joey's desk.

"Shouldn't they have put you down at the kennel?" Kaiba asked with a sneer as he waited for Joey's usual retort when he was called a dog.

But this morning, Seto Kaiba was in for another little surprise. When the blond lifted his head to meet Kaiba's gaze, his eyes were dull and lifeless. The fire of life that usually burned in those honey orbs had been extinguished. What really threw Kaiba off though, was how Joey replied to his insult. "You're right Kaiba. Guess I'll have to try harder next time."

Suppressing a shudder, Kaiba took his seat just as the teacher came in. Seemingly oblivious to Joey's broken persona, she began writing out the day's lesson...

Later that day, Kaiba sat under a large tree on campus as he ate lunch and worked on his laptop. His sandwich was halfway to his mouth when he felt someone standing nearby. He glanced up to see Joey leaning over to try to see the computer screen. "Whatcha working on?" he asked in that same lifeless tone from earlier.

"Employee contracts," Kaiba replied, still a touch too shaken by the other boy's new lack of attitude to try to insult him.

"Can they wait?"

"Not really, why?"

"Because we need to talk. But why don't you just come to my place around eight? My dad'll be gone to the bars by then." Then Joey merely walked away, leaving Kaiba to his work and to consider his offer.

That evening Kaiba sat in his study, glaring at his clock. With each passing minute, his frown grew more and more pronounced. Finally he snatched his car keys from the polished oak desk and stormed out to his car muttering, "Damnit."

It was a little after eight when Joey heard a car pull into the driveway. He glanced out the window to see Kaiba climbing out of a blue Camaro. He quickly opened the front door to let a scowling Seto Kaiba into his home.

"Make this quick Wheeler," Kaiba snapped. "I've got better things to do than spend my time in this dump."

"I know Kaiba," Joey said in that unnerving monotone. "You probably have paperwork or Mokuba to attend to at home.

"First I want to say thanks for actually coming out here to listen to me. To be honest, I'm surprised you showed up at all. Did you read my letter at all?"

"Yes and frankly I've never read anything more pathetic."

This seemed to bring Joey out of his daze a little, the fire starting to burn in his eyes. His tears returned as well, streaming down his cheeks.

"... you have good taste though," Kaiba was saying." BUt even if I was gay, I'd never go out with some flea-bitten mutt like you."

Joey's tears ran faster now. "But Kaiba... I love you."

"So what? You think just because you confess your feelings for me that I'm supposed to return them? Dream on Wheeler. But if it'll get you off my ass, you can have one little kiss."

Joey stopped sobbing instantly, the shock of Kaiba's statement temporarily sweeping away his sorrow.

"Make it quick so I can get out of here and we never speak of this again," Kaiba grumbled.

Nervously Joey stepped up to Kaiba, his eyes closing as he leaned to kiss the CEO. But just as their lips were about to connect, Kaiba stepped back, causing Joey to stumble and fall to his knees.

Looking up at Kaiba from the floor with fresh tears in his eyes, Joey asked, "Why? Why did you trick me like that?"

"I didn't trick you. I merely changed my mind at the last second. God forbid if your weak ass notions of love were to rub off on me if we'd actually kissed. Good-bye mutt." Kaiba slammed the front door as he left without another word.

So that was it. It really was all just a dream. Joey moved to sit down in a heavily patched armchair and put his head in his hands, trying to make sense of things as they stood. Everything he had experienced while he was in a coma had felt so real. Kaiba's lips, catching a fever, even making love... It hadn't felt like a dream at the time. But that was thing about dreams wasn't it? They rarely actually felt like what they truly were; nothing but an illusion.

Joey ran a hand over the scar tissue on his wrist from where he'd failed to end all his pain over a week ago. Tears running down his cheeks and forming wet blotches on his jeans, Joey reached into the drawer of the small table by the chair. He knew exactly what his father kept in there. A small, .38 revolver. It was heavier than it looked, like guns tended to be. The poor lighting of the single overhead bulb reflected off the polished barrel as Joey came to a decision. This world was just hurting him too much now that he'd had such a wonderfully cruel taste of the way things could have been if Kaiba were a different person.

Rising to his feet, Joey cocked the pistol with his thumb and slowly began to lift the small but very effective weapon towards his temple...

As Kaiba opened the door of his Camaro to leave, a gun's bang rang out into the night from Joey's house...

To Be Continued

Author's note: I know a lot of you are no doubt pissed at me right now, but don't worry, things will pick up for Joey in Part II. So please don't flame this story.

Part II is now up and running! Feel free to give it a read as well.