Darkness greeted unfocused tints of crimson. A low moan emitted the figure and echoed through the void until it faded into forgetfulness. Shaky limbs clumsily flattened against the level sable surface in attempts to reacquaint itself with the gravity. Unsteady legs pushed against the floor; hauling up the rest of the figure, and stumbled. Blonde streaks swayed in time with the silhouette as it steadied itself to a drunken rhythm.

Soft pads of flesh compressed against the male's forehead, inviting dark lashes to flutter upwards.

His heart was beating steadily, but the force of it's pulsation was much too strong to be considered normal. It moved his person; nearly knocking him over as it continued to beat. It was even...but so noticeable; as if there was twice the amount of blood flowing through his veins.

He drew in a long breath that he savored in hopes that it would help stimulate some kind of statistical reasoning to his mind. All it brought with it though was the gentle need to exhale. His chest moved in accordance to his lung's requests and the function continued without the blonde's consent. He tilted his head back and gazed up with large, wondering, eyes.

Nothing welcomed his view though.

It was utterly silent, not even the sound of his own breathing seemed to affect the staleness of the air. He angled his chin back down as his blank mind searched for the reason of his survey. Memory grew foggy and reason became lost to the shadows that clouded his thoughts. He stared at the ground, withdrawn, but the look in his eyes remained far too still to denote that he was lost in thought.

There was no thought to hide within.

For a moment the recollection of his voice became apparent to him, and for a second he opened his mouth. His lips parted only slightly though and as soon as they did the remembrance was lost to him. His voice died before he had half a mind to call upon it. His mouth closed and once more he was left alone to consider the silence.

Out of the atmospheric stillness a ripple coursed through the air; shuddering the darkness as it followed an invisible course. It awakened the blonde boy barely, but enough to make him turn his body in the direction of the motion.

He stared. Waiting...

Something very faint began to appear from the darkness. Joey's brow creased and he squinted to make out the image. The air rippled uneasily around him, giving him a strange heavy feeling that began in his chest until it sank down to the pit of his stomach.

A mirror pair of slanted shapes greeted him. They were framed with a chilly cobalt and drenched in unsettling sapphire, white specks glinted ominously within the oceans as they glowed through the blackness. Instantaneously, the eyes were joined with a splitting sound that forced Joey to shudder and slap his hands over his ears. He shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as the shattering reverberation made the hairs on his neck stand up.

He cringed, but opened an eye and peered through his golden bangs to see that two large rows of razor sharp teeth had become known; glinting in the non existent light. At that exact moment Joey noticed that the calm beating rhythm of his heart grew unsteady and rapid; causing the previously rough jolts to turn violent.

The increasingly terrifying sight was swiftly coupled with a fierce wind that nearly knocked Joey onto his back. He cringed once again and ducked his head; bracing himself against the furious hurricane like breezes. His arduous grunt was drowned out by the cutting air that rushed past his ears. He desperately opened his eyes , squinting terribly, trying to at least catch sight of the beast.

A pair of icy blue wings emerged; flapping through the clouds of blackness. Joey was forced to take a step back to balance his weight evenly enough so that he would not be sent flying. Despite the winds, Joey's eyes managed to grow wide when he realized that the beast was growing larger.

Even in his empty mind Joey knew that if something was increasing in size it meant it was advancing.

Acting solely on instinct, Joey's legs stumbled, missing several beats of an uncharted rhythm as they pivoted and began pushing off the ground simultaneously. His foot work was clumsy and his form was inadequate as he ran through the blackened labyrinth; searching for possible turns and twists, and worst of all dead ends.

He panted fiercely, wondering why it felt like there was an invisible force holding back his legs; preventing him from gaining stride. He willed his limbs to work harder to fight against the pull that was seemingly linking his body to what sounded like his demise.

The soles of his shoes pounded against the ground as he gained more speed; however, it felt more like he was running in place. The backdrop around him gave way to nothing but the same continuous image; insinuating that he was getting nowhere. Heat washed over the blonde's cheeks and suddenly his lungs were ablaze making the important task of breathing more painful than before.

It baffled him. It terrified him. The fact that no matter how fast he ran he could still feel the hot gusts of air breathing down his neck.

He shut his eyes tightly trying to will away the dreadful images that were haunting him. His blood ran cold as he felt the familiar tug on his legs; diminishing their speed and dragging him back. His ruby spheres shot open and a dismayed cry ripped from his throat as, through the endless void, he tripped..and fell forward. His chest smacked against the floor with a sickening sound that Joey barely had any time to seethe over. His eyes, that had naturally shut upon impact, reopened quickly when the boiling breath collided with the back of his neck; ruffling his hair.

A low snarl rumbled through his ears.

He rapidly turned onto his back and whipped back to catch the blue glare of the creature hovering over him.

And then, as the glare flickered past the edge of his pupil, it disappeared. And Joey was left staring up into darkness. Sweat covered his face as his wide orbs merely stared with nothing but a stunned emotion. His chest heaved hurriedly; his lungs moving frantically to settle the pace of the heart. Joey closed his mouth to swallow, and scrambled to reach up and pinch his arm.

To his relief a sharp jolt of pain rushed through his skin when the motion was enacted. His lashes fluttered closed and a groan passed his lips while he permitted himself to finally relax at knowing he was awake; knowing that it had all just been another bad dream. He stretched his arms out to cover the distance of the mattress he was laying against. As his breathing became more steadied his round crimson irises reappeared.

"Why?" he whispered.

He didn't know why.

Why these stupid dreams kept tormenting him so consistently. Why the reason for them seemed so close that he could almost touch it...and yet never grasp it.

He rolled his head to the side, "What does this mean," he murmured to himself.

What purpose did these dreams serve? What on earth did Kaiba have to do with all of this?

Joey's gaze grew troubled and he released another constricted breath, "Why?"

Why were these images so familiar to him? Why did it feel like these pictures were supposed to be things that he remembered. Why was it that it felt to him like these dreams were serving as answers for his lapses in memory.

Joey pursed his lips together and slowly closed his eyes tightly, "Why..." he asked again in a strained frustrated tone. His fingers dully clenched into a fist, "Why why why," he gritted out. The blue and red wires interlacing in his brain met, and sparked angrily. Flares and flashes burst, kindling with them furious and irritated emotions.

He didn't know why the anger bubbling inside of his chest felt so powerful. He was absolutely beginning to despise having so many questions and having absolutely no answers to them.

His hand shook faintly and his face tensed; a low growl emitted his clenched teeth trying to express a frustration that Joey was striving to repress. All he wanted was to be able to open his eyes and see something different than what he saw when they were closed.

He needed something to contrast!

He needed something with color! Anything that resembled anything that he remembered and was slowly starting to forget. He needed shapes, he needed words, he needed actually real pictures that weren't just memories! He needed something that wasn't fucking black!

His jaw began to ache as the pressure he applied to his teeth grew unhealthy. He didn't want to open his eyes, he was so tired of not seeing any difference. The rage that he felt was so familiar and it brought with it familiar urges. Urges that he, rationally, knew were destructive and only caused pain and trouble, but to his red clouded mind they sounded so tempting.

A gentle click that was followed by a yawning creak brought part of Joey out of his thoughts. Sadly it didn't bring back the right part.

Slender jean clad legs stepped through the threshold of the doorframe and chocolate strands swayed gracefully when the pale chin was angled up. Lax, almost half lidded, sapphire irises lifted; following a pathway up. However, the sleep invoked sentiment in the teenager's eyes dispersed immediately and his silhouette froze in the doorframe, causing the hand that the boy had placed on the side of the frame to still as well.

Unconsciously slim digits tightened around the dark wood while the CEO observed the golden haired youth with a slight surprise that held a suppressed emotion. "Oh...I didn't think you'd be awake yet," he murmured loud enough so that the younger duelist could hear him. Seto leaned a greater amount of his arm's weight against the surface his hand was braced on; feeling the odd need to prop himself against something that was solid and stable.

Joey scowled, but uncurled his fisted fingers so that he could force himself to sit up. As his back straightened he made sure to keep his head turned; conveniently away from the direction that the brunette's voice was coming from. Seto raised a brow when he noticed the cross face as well as the cold silence that had greeted him, "..Okay," he sighed out in a silent shrug of words.

He slowly let go of the doorframe and walked over to the side of the blonde's bed, but this time he made no move to sit himself down. Instead he just stood there, arms at his sides, and stared down at the figure perched on the bed. "I guess your fever must have cleared up over night..." Seto mused softly keeping his tone casual. It was obvious that his purpose was only to make some kind of conversation; most likely to lighten the dark theme of the area that he had walked into.

Joey pulled his knees up and crossed his arms over them, "Yeah," he answered curtly.

Seto frowned once more at this, "Alright. What wrong with you?" he inquired finally. Joey felt his lip curl downwards; exposing some of his teeth in the process, "Nothing!" he replied sharply. Seto felt taken back a bit from the roughness of the voice that answered him.

"Hey Mutt, why are you biting my head off?" he asked his brows furrowing together. Joey felt the need to increase the distance between himself and his enemy, so he pulled his legs even closer to his chest; almost to the point where it became uncomfortable to do so. "I'm not," he gritted out stubbornly. Seto frowned and glared at the boy while he crossed his arms, accusingly, over his chest, "Oh really?"

Blonde streaks shifted as glaring tints of red attempted to burn holes in the mattress; they annoyingly cloaked sections of the boy's seemingly overemotional eyes, which bothered Seto to a whole new level. He was tempted to repeat his actions from the previous afternoon, but the remembrance of the aftershocks kept his temptations at bay. He wasn't willing to spend another night tossing and turning in his bed; thinking only of the merciless way his heart pounded and how his breathing grew labored when he remembered the way those...those eyes looked at him.

"Well so far all I've said is good morning and you've snapped at me is if I just said something that was highly insulting," he remarked reproachfully.

Joey's head jerked up upon that and his blinded line of sight lashed over to face Seto; however, his gaze never quite reached the brunette's person. Instead it settled with being fixated to the wall. Maybe it was a stupid thing to think, but for some reason the fact that Joey wasn't looking directly at him made Kaiba feel worse. He didn't have to be looking at him, because Seto knew that the sentiment reflected in those eyes was meant for him. "Well excuse me if I'm not feeling fucking chipper!" he barked at him viscously.

Seto's glare intensified subtly, "I don't blame you for not being ecstatic, okay?" he retorted brusquely. "But that doesn't mean you have to be a jackass," he informed him sternly. An irritated growl tore through the younger blonde's throat and Seto swore that one of the boy's eyes was twitching.

"Oh! I'm being a jackass am I?" Joey repeated furiously, his knuckles turning white as his fingers dug into his forearms. "Well lets look at your behavior mister perfect!" he hissed at the brunette spitefully. Joey wasn't even positive that he was angry at Kaiba...no..no he wasn't angry at Kaiba. The male was just, unfortunately, the closest thing to him at the moment so therefore Joey chose to take all his anger out on him.

The CEO was just the unlucky receiver of his mixed feelings.

"I highly doubt you have the right to criticize me when you're the one who's always been an asshole to me!"

"Well it's not exactly like I've been an asshole to you as of late," Seto argued immediately, feeling a little too eager to defend himself when he had been trying as hard as he had to improve his attitude. "Why can't you just tell me why you're so upset all of a sudden?" he asked wondering why it was so hard to give him a simple answer. Did it honestly not occur to the golden haired youth that if he just...told him they might be able to solve the problem and just move on without having to go through all of this pointless bickering?

"Why the hell should I tell you!" Joey outright shouted at him growing more frustrated and fearful the longer he stared into unmoving, unresponsive, unchanging black. He hated the fear...the fear made him angrier; he hated the black and the black made him furious.

The fact that it never moved and never ever changed scared him. The way that it never gave way to any depth when he moved. How it clung to his pupils no matter how many times he tried to blink it away. The fact that...he couldn't feel it...was what really bothered him, because he had no idea how to get rid of it. When he couldn't feel it...unlike a bruise or a scrape...it made it apart of him.

And that terrified him.

His eyes tensed as the dread was repressed and beaten back into the recesses of his mind, "You're the last person who deserves to know!" he accused the boy, but in truth he was irritated by the fact that he didn't know why he was so upset. Yes, it was his eyes, but that wasn't it solely. It was something deeper, something that Joey couldn't understand or control. Something that he couldn't properly explain to another human being...especially to Kaiba.

Seto hid the hurt look that flashed over his face when he heard this. He knew that...most likely Joey didn't mean most of this. He knew that he was probably just ranting...but still the weaker part of his mind was hurt by the accusation. It hammered down into a nail that symbolized Seto's low self esteem, something that he had worked hard to get rid of, but could never fully pull out. It was painful that Joey still considered him to be 'the last who deserved to know' it meant that despite his efforts so far, he had made no progress in Joey's eyes.

"Well I beg to differ," Seto argued sharply curving his tone to make his voice form a distinctive arrow that demanded the other's attention. "Since I'm the one taking care of you I think I'm the first person who has the right to know," he contradicted the blonde duelist.

Joey promptly turned his head away at that and it became apparent that the hot sensations in his blood were becoming harder to control. Seto's brow creased and his baby blue spheres became troubled when he saw the now, almost bleeding, crescent shaped marks that the teenager was making in his arms. His fingers were trembling and it was uncertain wether or not Joey was able to feel the damage he was doing to himself.

Joey clenched his teeth together and he was nearly positive that if he continued to he was going to chip a tooth. He was already becoming vaguely aware of the blood, that he was stirring, pushing against the pads of his fingertips; seeping to stain the undersides of his nails.

"Wheeler I really think you need to calm down," Seto instructed the other warningly.

Joey shut his eyes and reached his hand up to fist it into the side of his hair; tugging at the strands so that it sent fresh waves of pain crashing against his skull, "Don't tell me to calm down!" he retaliated loudly. His eyelids twitched as he tightened them beyond the level of comfort; he knew from experience that only pain was influential enough to curb his rage.

Consternation bloomed to join with worry in the brunette's sapphire eyes when he saw the blonde's obvious strain. He battled with himself, trying to decide wether or not he should try and step into the situation and alleviate the tension. He certainly didn't wish to let the other continue, seeing as he was hurting himself, but he truthfully didn't know why he was so enraged in the first place and therefore he had no idea how he could possibly calm him down.

Suddenly, Joey violently released his hand from his hair in possibly the most painful way he could manage, "God!" He cursed. Seto watched the other perplexedly while he blindly groped for something behind him. Even with the distance between them Seto could clearly see how badly the boy's sun-kissed hands were shaking. The golden haired duelist promptly grasped the pillow behind him tightly in his fingers and yanked it onto his lap. The distraught teenager's next action was somewhat predicted and yet the offhanded anticipation didn't help to cushion the actual deed.

Joey shoved his head down and plainly just outright screamed.

Sapphire eyes widened and blinked rapidly as if trying to beat back some invisible force that had just appeared. It was apparent at that point that just because the sound had been muffled by the fabric that didn't lessen it's destructiveness. Sure now it was much quieter to their ears, but the fact that it was a scream was still present no matter how quiet it was.

Ever so slowly the shocked look that resided in the CEO's expression dispersed and settled to something that looked cautiously understanding. The exact reason for all of this still completely baffled him, but..he knew that there had to be a logical explanation for it.

Yes. Logic...that Seto could deal with. He was good at logic. Numbers and scientific fact were a form of comfort that soothed his anxieties of the unknown territories that he often had to tread in.

Joey's outbursts surprised him, but the elder also knew that Joey's behavior as a whole had been startling him. It wasn't like anyone expected Joey to be the same person he was before all of this mess had been thrust into his life, but yet somehow his shifts in mood, personality, and action never ceased to take Seto by surprise. As if he hadn't known they would happen when he knew that he did. Seto had been observing Joey's odd bipolar reactions to him and pretty much everything around him lately and he knew most of them could be chalked up to the sudden and drastic change in his living.

It was to be expected, after all his life had been completely changed in a matter of days and something vital to his survival had been taken away from him. Anyone would be a little ruffled up by that and wouldn't be what Seto would describe as emotionally stable.

The pale prodigy's daze of thought was sharply derailed when he noticed that the intensity of Joey's shouting was beginning to soften. The grating screams slowly began to silence, never completely muting their volume. Instead of the softened sounds stopping they began to morph into something that made Seto's brain grow rigid with a fearful anticipation. As the shrieking died down it melded it's mood; expertly transitioning into a noise that sounded somewhat like low mewling. The ambience was indistinct and unrecognizable for a moment though and for that period it had Seto puzzled.

That was until the gentle sound also began to increase in volume.

The blonde's back began to tremble and the manner that his fingers held the white pillow in his lap changed desperately. The keening transformed into sobbing, fairly violent sobbing if he might add. It was low and agonizing, and the worst part was it was definitely being caused by some sort of emotional pain.

Seto's brows furrowed closer to his forehead as he watched his charge shudder with each breath that he choked down. He had already stated this many times before, but he hated it when people cried. Hated it, hated it, hated it. No...better word; he despised it.

He guessed that that was the 'big brother' part of him talking in a way.

He couldn't bring himself, for some reason, though to move. It was anomalous, there was a part of him that wanted to leave the room so that he wouldn't have to be involved, and then there was another part that wanted to reach out and console the heartbroken teen. It felt like both sides of him were at a stalemate with each other. It nearly felt as if there was a undetectable force holding his body back from moving forward and a secondary push that prevented him from going backwards.

He just stood there and stared; almost like the stoic person he made himself out to be and partially was.

Golden strands tangled with their partners and splayed out across the bleached fabric pressed against the child's flushed face. His shoulders shook violently and it wasn't hard to tell that their drastic motions were trying to be hidden from other's prying eyes.

His prying eyes.

He was hunched over; like he was trying to put as much possible distance between himself and everyone else.

Him.

From his motionless hands. From his suspicious words. From his uncertain intentions.

It was the truth and he knew it. Joey was blocking himself off from him and nobody else. Joey wasn't hiding from everyone.

No. Just him.

The position of his mouth tugged lower and the look in his eyes hardened when the sound of the boy's cries crashed against his ear drums. His hands, which had been uncertain wether or not to become active, twitched; clenching into fists at his sides. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes; turning his head away from the scene briefly as he forced out his next words.

"Will you please stop that?" he nearly begged the boy, unable to make any eye contact whatsoever.

The sobbing stopped abruptly and lowered in volume, but still Seto could hear his uneven breathing. His shaking voice filtering in and out of earshot as he appeared to try and subdue it. Trembling in time with the staccato rhythm in which is chest rose and fell; signifying that it was all far from over. Tentatively, Joey lifted his head up from his hiding place and opened his tear filled eyes that had grown red around the edges, "W-What?"

Sapphire spheres opened hesitantly and the brunette risked tacking a quick glance at the boy, this only made him cringe and close his lids once again as he repeated his utterance. "I said, could you please stop it," he reiterated. Joey blinked a few times and sniffled; peering up slightly past his curtains of golden silk in a distressed confused manner, "Why?" he asked.

The CEO winced and growled quietly as he turned around and wiped his hand over his face, "Because...I.." he inaudibly choked on his next words and was compelled to pause and return his fists to his sides while he searched for his composure. His shoulders tensed, "I can't stand it when people cry..." he admitted with quite obviously no ease.

Joey's frame shuddered as a soft sob escaped him while he undid his fingers so that he could reach up to rub his face, "I-I don't get it," he whispered hoarsely.

Seto's face twisted, "I can't stand to see people cry," he repeated in a rougher timbre. He opened his eyes glaring over his shoulder even though he never turned his head so that he could see a glimpse of the blonde, "What don't you get?" he interrogated a tad bit harshly.

Joey swallowed past the lump in his throat, "I just...d-don't understand why it b-bothers you," he clarified rubbing his eye continuously; needing something to do with his hands. He tried to ignore the frothing sensation in the pit of his stomach and endeavored instead to focus on the mild tug of pain in his knuckles. The hot trails traveled from the corners of his eyes down the sides of his face and along the edges of his nose; all the rivers meeting at his chin where the large droplets took turns unevenly falling down onto the pillow below him.

He could hear the brown haired boy huff sardonically when he said this. The older duelist rolled his head, "Yeah, you and me both," he grumbled bitterly.

The golden haired youth choked quietly, which prompted the elder to pivot toward him, "Well it's not like I'm trying to make this hard for you," he whimpered, his ruby gems burning with fresh tears that threatened to spill and join the others already following a pre mapped path made by their ancestors. Innerly Joey was ready to beat this shit out of himself for saying all these things! Why was he talking like this? Why couldn't he just shut his mouth for once! Why did he insist on saying so many stupid things? Actually a better question was why did he feel like this?

Seto frowned and groaned; rolling his head back, "No," he moaned out frustratedly. "Look I can't do this. I'm not good at it!" he stated trying to emphasize his point so that the blonde could understand his intentions.

Seto stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath before he looked down at the ruby eyed teenager, "I don't like it when people cry, because I don't know what to do when they do," he explained evenly.

At that moment he began to come to the realization that he had just accomplished the task of completing one of the most uncharacteristic things he could possibly do in front of Joey. He willed his lashes to drift down and groaned softly; sitting back down in his seat ungracefully. He ran his fingers through his hair, "If you haven't noticed, which you obviously have, emotional interaction is not a talent which I possess," he muttered.

/Wonderful Seto. Just fantastic. No really way to go! Not only did you just reveal one of your deepest secrets, but you also managed to act completely out of character. Which is, if I may just remind you, the thing you're trying NOT TO DO!/

He promptly lifted his rather bashful gaze though when he heard another string of hesitant whimpers from his charge. Joey squinted through the tears he could only feel as his lip quivered beyond his control, "You think I'm good at this?" he asked incredulously. His chest trembled as he was torn between the urges to hold back his voice and break down completely, "I don't e-even know why I'm doing this," he whispered difficultly.

His fingers tensed against the pillow in his lap as a short shock of fear washed over him; his lack of control over his life.

The color of the brunette's irises darkened beyond the youth's control as a bitter feeling swelled within his throat; reawakening memories that had never slept and that haunted him every time he closed his eyes, even if it was just for a second.

He wanted to say so many things. He wanted more than anything at that very moment, despite himself, to just tell him that it would be alright. That he understood even though he really didn't. He wanted to reach out and break the stupid barrier they had created so that he could tell him...tell him..

..Something other than what he was telling him now. Maybe something without lies sprinkled around the truth or pure intentions masqueraded with masks of snide remarks and hurtful names.

Yeah...maybe so he could tell him something like that.

Golden glitters shifted until they fell; draping downward slowly until they hung over the tanned complexion that had tensed. Eyes squinted through silver droplets that fell unsteadily down his face; thoughts swarmed within his mind before they become painfully recognizable in his gaze. The paleness of his finger's had started to wane as they flinched; tightening and loosening simultaneously trying to steady themselves from jumping back and forth between emotions.

But of course, just like every other time it was Joey's eyes that affected him the most.

The pain was so drenched with other things that it looked like the softer emotion of the crowd, but Seto knew better than to assume such a thing.

There were so many other things that the pain was simply being drowned beneath them; making it look less intense to Seto's blue view. Indecision created the swirling vortex centered at the youth's pupil though, it was the spinning that set everything else in motion. It was what took every single one of the thoughts in Joey's head and blurred it together so violently that it was nearly impossible to distinguish one from another. It consumed every rational sliver in the boy's fragile psyche and sent it whirling around until it was swallowed down never to be found again.

It splattered fear and darkened sorrow. It blurred confusion and smudged the pain.

It was destroying the very thin thread that was keeping Joey together.

At that very moment it struck Seto that watching someone's being fall apart piece by piece in front of him had never been quite so sad. Unlike everyone else he had ever seen being torn apart by the seams, Joey stuck out like a red dot among pale lines. With Joey he could see the translucent string unwinding from clumsy knots and unraveling from the pin-prick sized holes that it had been threaded through. He could see the small pieces cracking and being changed into smaller segments that were somehow still being held together by that pathetic little thread that was already coming undone.

...Sometimes it even felt like Seto could physically feel it happening; as if he could touch the splintering exterior of the youth and pick up the fragile pieces that he left behind as he tried to move on.

Even as Seto attempted to rid his mind of the morbid images he find himself drawing more and more unpleasant comparisons that he regretted having the ability to make.

Seto had found that the most chilling realization he had managed to come up with in his hours of solitude was that the fragments of the duelist were like shards of glass that broke off a mirror.

They reflected.

And just like a mirror they reflected what looked into them.

In his head the brunette tried to distance himself from the self made feelings of a shard pressed against his hand. He endeavored to forget the reason it hurt so much to see himself. He did..so very hard..try to forget the causes and effects and disasters he had brought upon himself.

But of course, like a punishment enforced upon him, his attempts were in vain.

Like a cruelty he embraced Seto noticed that although the parts that made up his blonde rival were reflective, there was only one part that remained unchanging and solidified.

His eyes.

Those were the only things that would never reflect his face when he looked at them. They were the last piece of Joey that the string was attached to, the end of the thin line. As it seemed it was the only part of Joey that Seto couldn't take away.

The one...thing he could never try to pick up and put back together.

Frail gusts of air that wheezed softly broke to give way to watery words, "I-I wouldn't expect s-someone like you to u-understand that though," Joey replied to the impregnated silence, his words appearing oddly defensive in their vocalization.

The mental picture Seto had created in his head grew tainted upon hearing the remark. The fake shard resting against Seto's imagined palm began to grow a hairline fracture that ran up the entire length of it right down the center. It caused the brunette's reflection to distort slowly although he was positive that in his mind it was all happening abruptly.

Immediately Kaiba banished the abstract thoughts as a whole and forced his crystal pools to behold the reality of the situation he was being faced with. What was wrong with him? He wasn't supposed to be the one who sought solitude in his imagination like all the other weak minded people he had come in contact with. He had stopped hiding from his problems years ago..so why was he slipping back into the routine so easily now? As interchanging shades of cerulean pulsed and splashed against the small black pearl shape they drifted upwards, but regretted the action as soon as it was too late to reverse any of the damage that had been done.

No wonder he had detached himself.

His lashes dropped down to cover his frozen orbs as he drew in a deep breath that he savored for as long as he could manage it. As he exhaled he found himself breathing out four words, "Don't be so sure." Circles of ice pulsated as they reopened, the edges darkened drastically to navy while the inner filling around the blackened moon grew staggeringly light. Creating a nightless day and a day less night in the same atmosphere of the spherical surrounding.

"You're not the only one who's ever had a hard time you know," he informed the the golden haired youth calmly. The faint sound of droplets plopping against the white linens of the bedspread was the only reply that Kaiba was offered. He let out another sigh, "I may not be an expert on emotional happenings, but that doesn't mean that I don't have them myself," he stated falling back to a mindset that would offer him if nothing but a temporary refuge from his thoughts.

Seto crossed his arms smoothly against his abdomen as the calmness began to take residence, "This may come as a shock to you Wheeler, but I am human."

Joey blinked carefully to avoid the stinging in the corners of his eyes that seemed to only persist as he continued the motion. He mumbled aggravatingly at this and lifted his hand up to rub at the strange irritation plaguing his ruby orbs. The area was damp and slick underneath the side of his hand and for some reason that made him pause for the briefest moment.

He took that chance to voice the thought floating around his brain, "..I don't..actually think you're a robot, idiot," Joey whispered hoarsely. Seto blinked curiously at the other, "Not even I'm that stupid..." he continued on.

As the younger duelist removed his hand he sniffed, "I don't think you have a heart."

The correction was voiced steadily, but it hung in the air for a matter of minutes before Seto was unable to control the urge to laugh. He couldn't help it for some reason..maybe he really was losing it. It was a strange kind of laugh too, one that Seto knew was most likely coaxed purely from a form of hysteria that he had suppressed.

However, it sounded genuine. Soft, but genuine nonetheless.

The brunette gently lowered his head and allowed the quiet resonation to sound from within his chest. Letting it vibrate from his throat so that it resembled a subdued humming. Joey blinked slowly; finding the sound foreign and pleasant at the same time. A small smile curled onto his lips subconsciously as he listened to a sound that he hadn't realized he had caused.

"Right," Seto smiled out finding the rectification humorous only because it was perfect. After all, neither of them enjoyed how emotional their conversations seemed to get as of late, and this offered them a reprieve from the drama. A small timeout that would permit them to sit together without any unnecessary tension haunting the air.

And hell...it was true.

If there was one thing that Seto was forced to pick about Joey Wheeler that he actually admired...he knew it would have to be his uncanny ability to change the mood of a room at the drop of a hat.

Seto closed his shimmering blue oceans in order to rub the side of his face for no reason, "Right," he murmured once more; tutting gently beneath his breath as he continued to repeat the phrase over in his mind. Blonde locks fell more softly around the crimson orbs that were now somewhat more mirthful than they had previously been. It was so strange...

The way they could be arguing and yelling like they used to and then be sitting and laughing like they had been friends for years.

Joey pondered fleetingly why it couldn't have been like this between them when things had been going well in both their lives. Thinking on the fact Joey came to the conclusion that he really would have liked it if they could have been like this before his accident.

He really would have.

Sadly it seemed like no pleasant moment they had together could be stretched out for as long as either of them would hope. Like every other one it came to an end and they sat there in silence wishing they could turn back time and replay it.

A rewind button...Yes..That's really what both of them wanted. A convenient little button to turn back the hand of time so that they could undo all the mistakes they had made.

As if by chance that thought created a longing that Seto had before been repressing and now needed to act upon. Without any verbalized reason he stood from his seat and urged the blonde teenager up from the bed, much to the shorter Junior's confusion. "Kaiba what are you doing?" he inquired perplexedly as the brunette somewhat eagerly helped him up to his feet.

"I.." The brunette paused thoughtfully as he stared down at the other's unknowing face and felt a smirk tug at the edges of his lips when he thought of the words to fill in his blanks. "I need to go work on something.." he told him.

Joey raised a brow and found his hand wandering to rest against his hip, "Okay..." he drawled out. "And why did I need to get out of bed for that?" he questioned.

"You didn't honestly think I was going to let you keep sitting in bed all day again. Did you?" Seto asked smirking at the pout that settled on the blonde boy's face. "Well now that you mention it.." the younger grumbled underneath his breath.

The blue eyed CEO rolled his eyes and shook his head at this while he tugged his charge along out of the room, "Come on, Mutt..." he murmured.

...

"Why are you so eager to work?" Joey interrogated baffled at the idea of being excited to do something so tedious. "I know you're not normal Rich boy, but don't you have I don't know...a life?" he prodded.

Joey widened his eyes when his jab received him a light, but firm smack to the back of his skull, "Hey!" he chirped crossly, while his hand flew up to cover the abused section of his skull. "What was that for?" Joey quipped glaring at a random spot while he felt Kaiba guide him to sit down.

"For being a brat," the prodigy replied simply.

Joey gasped, "I am not a brat!" he argued quickly.

Seto shrugged walking around the couch so that he was standing behind the Wheeler when he placed his hand on the teen's golden head, "I beg to differ, Dog." The duelist remarked airily. An amused gleam sparkled from the CEO's eye when he caught the aggravated growl that emitted the Mutt when his hand unconsciously ruffled the child's hair when he removed it.

Joey grumbled irritatedly, his hands going up to try and fix his hair, which he could feel was out of place now. "Hey!" he whined once more. Seto chuckled as he stuck his hands leisurely into his pockets; pivoting so that he could begin the walk to his office, "Why don't you just focus on the TV, Okay?" he told him simply.

Joey turned quickly, getting onto his knees and bracing one arm against the back of the couch while he reached out with the other in an attempt to latch onto part of the elder. "Wait up Moneybags," he called after him, managing to snag the back of the pale teenager's shirt in his hand. Seto glanced back and raised a brow, "Need something?" he questioned casually.

Joey tilted his head upwards, "Come down here," he beckoned the other shortly. Seto hummed at the odd request but found himself complying non the less as he leaned his upper half down to face the blonde, "Yes?" he queried again.

His lashes fluttered rapidly, when he recognized Joey's hand moving up his arm to his shoulder, "Umm..Wheeler?" he prompted curiously. Joey seemed to ignore him as his fingers traced the side of his neck and up to his cheek; gliding up the bridge of his nose to come to a complete stop. He opened his mouth once more, prepared to question the blonde about his motives, but was abruptly prevented from doing so.

Seto widened his eyes in surprise when he felt Joey's fingers jab the spot between his eyebrows. Instinctively, Kaiba flinched and drew back; glaring at the boy and rubbing the poked area, "What was that for?" he snapped heatedly. Joey grinned from ear to ear while he drew his hand back, "Nothing." he chimed in a way that literally gave Seto the urge to throttle the young duelist.

"I just wanted to see if you looked as relaxed as you sounded," Joey replied happily. Seto lowered his hand to his side never lifting his vexed glare from his younger rival, "And how exactly was jabbing my forehead supposed to prove that?" he interrogated.

Joey snickered turning around to plop back down on the cushions of the couch, "Easy. Your eyebrows always pinch together when you're uneasy," he told the brunette factually. Seto stared at the back of Joey's head with a silent note of incredulity. How? Just how did he..

The blue eyed teen found himself abandoning the train of thought abruptly though, as if he was not even going to try and confound himself with his fruitless efforts. Brown locks swayed as Seto shook his head, sighing aloud to himself; simply settling with the fact that he may very well never know 'how'.

"Whatever. I need to work. If you need something-" Seto instructed the other already turning in the opposite direction toward his office. Joey cut him off promptly; however, "Call you. I know I know," he drawled out rolling his eyes as he listened to the voices coming from the television. "I'm not two, Moneybags," he told him pointedly. "Trust me, if I brake my leg you'll be the first to know," he assured him sardonically.

Seto huffed softly at this as he began the walk towards the left hand hallway. "Could have easily just said 'okay'. But being a bitch about it is another way to do it, I suppose." he retorted over his shoulder.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just call me a bitch," Joey remarked loud enough so that the retreating teenager could hear him.

Pale hands eased into the CEO's pocket while a subtle smile worked its way across his face.

...

Seto heaved a sigh as his back collided with the back of his chair. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the leather, allowing himself a few moments of peace before he forced himself to sit upright. He gazed down at the mahogany desk before him and glanced at the scattered papers that littered the surface. He reached out and habitually began to stack the sheets of paper into organized piles; shifting and sorting with remarkable swiftness and ease.

He was glad to have something small to dabble with; something that he could do with absolute ease. He found himself thoroughly enjoying tasks that he had previously thought to be tedious and mind-numbing. Mainly because he absolutely loved when he could give his mind a break nowadays and simply do something that required no thought.

As the duelist tapped the stack of papers against the top of his desk his cobalt spheres wandered to the side; coming to a dead halt at the top drawer. The young prodigy's hands stalled and the pile residing within them came to rest against the solid surface while sapphire's stared.

A stillness grasped him. An uncommon feeling stirred in his chest; rising and falling to his throat and the pit of his stomach. Doubt crept into his thoughts as he regarded the drawer whose contents held something that Seto knew could be the death of him.

He had been telling himself 'no' and that it wasn't time yet. He kept saying soon. But when exactly was he implying that soon would be? When could he be sure that enough time had passed? It was impossible to know.

Slender brows drew together briefly while thoughts conflicted with his earlier confidence.

Even if he did go through with his plan, how exactly was he supposed to give it to the blonde without it appearing awkward. Was he just going to give it to him like the last time and hope that he wouldn't make a big deal out of it?

Seto frowned and his expression became troubled as a revolutionary question dawned upon him.

What the hell was he doing?

His lashes lowered, squinting nearly as the aquamarine pools shivered and pulsed against the light coming through the windows that gazed at his back. Pale digits tensed against the thin white papers and then loosened hesitantly as if they were unsure which emotion they were being compelled to move by.

Breaths were silent and somewhat short. His chest barely moved as he wordlessly inhaled and exhaled through his nose; attempting to remain stationary and make as little noise as possible. If he permitted anything above the range or volume he was currently using he would surely brake the staleness in the air that was enabling him to think so clearly.

He had a choice to make. One that seemed stupid and meaningless when said out loud. He could continue and act. He could reach forward and wrap his fingers around the cold cool brass of the handle and pull the drawer towards his figure. He could press the pads of his fingers against the sleek backing of the gold and brown design.

It would be so simple. All he needed to do was will the movement to his hand and the rest would follow.

However, on the other hand he could also just as easily put the notion aside. He could sit in his chair and turn his head away. Place the documents on the corner of his desk and focus his mind as well as his hands on real work.

It would be so simple.

But in reality it wasn't simple at all. If he went along with it he would most likely be thrust into another tormenting analysis of his own actions. He would sit there with a finished product staring back at him and not have a clue with what to do with it. He would set himself up for countless possibilities, not all of them being good. And most of all he would walk one step closer into the mindset he was starting to create.

If he didn't then he would, in a way, be holding himself back. He would be repressing his urges and staying directly where he was right now. And the place where he was now was dark. It was pitch black and cold with nothing but the same background past him. Where he was was dark, but there was also a light that was just close enough that it's radiance was able to barely skim the surface of him.

Seto renounced his claim to the silence, "The worst part is that I may be doing this all for nothing," he whispered

difficulty. The syllables scratched against the walls of his throat; feeling unfamiliar with the now diminutive space they were given to travel to the others tongue. The pale brunette was unsure if he had ever heard himself speak so quietly. Even the dull and vague creaks of the house seemed to swallow up his words with little effort.

His back slackened against the black leather chair and for one reason or another his lungs felt like they had been robbed of their air. His facial features gave no disclosure to the windless exhaustion his body felt though. The perturbed sentiment plaguing the boy's expression remained amazingly steadfast. It's position didn't even allow the slightest twitch to alter the teenager's expression.

Suddenly it felt like his head was swimming; like his thoughts were pounding numbly against the inside of his skull. It was a dull sensation that carried with it no sense of sickness, merely a light pressure.

Pink lips moved almost on their own; forming silent words that were being recited from somewhere inside the brunette's head that was still relatively sentient. "No matter what I do..Or how much I change it won't matter." he droned hopelessly. "If he sees again...We'll go our separate ways and it will be like nothing ever happened." A mild sense of misery and despair darkened the colors of the duelist's irises; intensifying a helplessness that Seto realized he would have no choice but to accept.

"And if..." The words died on the tip of his tongue and the darkened pain in his countenance cringed within his eyes. "If he never sees again. If he's blind for the rest of his life then nothing I'll have done will have made any difference."

It occurred to the brunette, vaguely, that he was leaving out a crucial note in his foretelling. It wasn't just all of that that assured his efforts would be meaningless.

Nothing he did would ever make a difference because in the end, once Seto finally told him the truth, Joey would never forgive him.

He was doing half of these things, to his ashamed knowledge, because he hoped that somehow someway it would help Joey to forgive him when he told him. Because Seto knew, at the rate his thoughts were transforming, that he would eventually have to tell him. He would have to confess even if he hated the reality of it.

Now, the only thing he didn't really know was why it mattered so much; Joey's forgiveness.

Why he tried so hard for something that he knew he wouldn't get and that wouldn't necessarily be important once it had or had not been given. If Joey left him and they went their separate ways; returning to their original mindsets then what would it matter if Joey forgave him or not.

They would be back to hating each other. Although they wouldn't be 'back' to doing anything...after all nothing had changed. Right?

Joey's feelings about him wouldn't mean anything to Seto. If they left each other behind and erased the moments that had occurred here then Joey wouldn't matter anymore.

...Not that he did now.

Seto forced his eyelids to close and made his mind go blank before he could think of anything else. He angled his head away from the drawer and leaned it back, "This is stupid," he told himself beneath his breath. This wasn't needed and he knew it. He had walked in here with a purpose in mind and all he was doing now was coming up with excuses of why he wasn't doing it. With this newfound confidence Seto opened his eyes and leaned forward; reaching his pale hand down to pull the wooden drawer out of the desk. His sapphire irises regarded the deck of cards firmly as his pale fingers swiftly swept the first card off the top of the stack.

In one motion, he brought the laminated object to his face and regarded it with a softening expression. He needed to forget everything he had just thought; he needed to ignore the doubts in his mind. He needed a rewind button. His lashes fell; shielding the spheres to create semicircles while the edges of his lips curled upwards.

The Time Wizard.

How simply...perfect.

Immediately, Seto commenced working on remodeling the card's surface. Finding the various indentations he would need and figuring out where to put them. His hands worked swiftly and his brain focused itself on the task of processing the data being perceived through his sight. Beyond the boy's own world the light outside began to dim and the sky was beginning to darken ever so slightly to suggest the waning of the afternoon sun.

All the while Seto smirked.

It was absolutely perfect. He was creating his own remote. One that he only needed to press a button on and then everything would just-

Rewind.

TBC

Okay! Done. That took fucking forever the last part I was surprised because when I wrote it I thought I'd have to make a lot of changes...and I don't. Lol WELL summer is just about over and I've been working like hell on these reports I have to write...and I have to read two book over to take notes that I didn't know I had to take. Yeah honors english is not looking so fun anymore Lol! But anyways I'm fairly happy with this chapter it took a really long time I know guys I was on a cruise and just got a little side-tracked. Lol but I'm Glad that I finally have gotten to incorporate my Time Wizard thingy! Yay well sorry if it sucks a little i hope I didn't forget to correct too much! Sigh. Oh and i know you guys don't give a frack, but I hate how much I use the word 'eyes' in this...however when you really think about it...there's not much i can use in their place. Then again...I also thought i was using the word 'against' to much once...and i can tell you it is HARD to find a synonym for that. UGH okay sorry for this stupid note. Well please please please review guys!