Nobody's Home: A story inspired by the Avril Lavigne song. The crumbling divorce of the Wheeler family leaves Joey on his hospital deathbed and the confused life of Serenity reaching its climax in tragedy.

A/N disclaimer: Ok you know the routine, I don't own YuGiOh, I don't own the song, and this is my first YuGiOh fic, and don't worry about the R rating, I don't have anything sexual planned (change pending) for this but be prepared for plenty other R rated materials in later chapters.

It was late as Serenity made her way into the dark world outside the Domino City hospital. She shifted her shoulders underneath the backpack as she took one last glance up at the community memorial center. Her eyes fixated on a certain fifth floor window and narrowed. A slight breeze kicked up, blowing a few strands of hair across her face. She puffed out her cheeks as she brushed the rebellious strands behind her hear. Then she grabbed a tie and wrapped her long hair back up into a ponytail, the long yet not long enough bangs came down the side of her face. Her unchanged expression read the recalling of what had just transpired up in that hospital room, just moments ago…

Serenity knocked on the door to room 13, getting no answer she decided to make her way in. Closing the door behind her, she looked to the side of the room. There sat Mai in a chair, fast asleep with her head resting on the stand under the sole lamp in the room. Serenity sighed, Mai had been there all weekend and hadn't eaten or slept for over a day, so that was to be expected upon her arrival at this point and time. Upon turning towards the window side of the hospital room, there lay her older brother, looking pale and frail under the blue gray hospital sheets. Her eyes quivered slightly as she made her way over to him. She looked down at him sleep, his face looked so peaceful yet she knew inside he was screaming and fighting a pointless battle. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room and yet it seemed like a silent eternity for her. Joey had been in the hospital for about a week now and yet his condition hadn't changed any better. She closed her eyes as she sat down on the chair at his bedside, the memories of the day he was admitted came flooding back to her.

It was a Friday as she recalled, Joey had gotten out early, not because he had ditched, but because as a senior he had a shorter day. Yugi and Tea were still in classes and Tristan was in 'study hall', better known as detention. Joey eyed his watch, he was going to wait for Tristan to finish his 'session' and then he was going to drive her to Serenity's house for a visit, he promised to spend the weekend with her, and he would never break a promise to his little sister. Joey sat on the bench in the sun, he closed his eyes as he basked his face in its warmth. It was a heat wave that day and Joey had forgotten to bring an extra bottle of water, or rather, his dad had kicked him out before he could grab it.

"Heads up!"

"Hu?" Joey snapped out of his daze and watched as a baseball bounced a few feet away from him.

A boy, obviously on the school team from the looks of his attire, ran over, "Hey, little help?"

"Sure thing." Joey stood, picked up the ball and threw it.

The boy caught it, "Boy, you sure got a good arm. Hey, how about a game?"

Joey looked at his watch and then smiled, "Sure, I gotta lotta time. I'm in!"

"Alright." The boy ran and led Joey out to the field. There he spent an hour in the most fun game of baseball he'd ever played. Sometime later, after practice had ended, Tea, Yugi and Tristan made their way out of the schoolhouse and found Joey exousted on the bench where he'd begun.

Tristan ran over, "Hey Joey, looks like you had fun while we were in there bored out of our minds." He laughed but his smile disappeared once he found Joey breathing heavily, his face flushed and dotted with sweat.

Yugi bent down, "Joey, are you ok?"

Joey caught his breath, "Yea, fine, just, a little winded, is all." He said all this without even opening his eyes.

Tea frowned and put a hand on his forehead, "No way, you're burning up."

"Come on, let's get him to the nurse." Tristan pulled Joey's arm over his shoulder.

Joey jerked back, staggering to stand on his own, finally opening his eyes, "No, I'm fine, ok?"

Tea's eyes shook, "Joey…."

"Look, alls I did was play a game of ball, you gotta expect me to be a little winded after an hour plus, not to mention the heat out now."

Tea sighed, "Alright Joey, whatever you say." She pulled her backpack onto her shoulder and walked off.

Yugi watched and ran after her, "Tea wait! You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Oh, of course not Yugi. But we shouldn't worry, Tristan will be with him, if something does happen, Joey will be in good hands, I promise."

"Ok." Yugi nodded and turned back to see Joey and Tristan taunting each other with jokes and playful taps, and that made Yugi smile.

"So come on, you gonna drive me to my sisters or what?" Joey snickered.

Tristan smirked, "Sorry bro, but the bike got a flat on the way to school this morning, we'll have to walk to the bus station."

"Hey." Joey sneered at him. "What's all this 'we' business? All I needed you for was to give me a ride, and if you can't compensate on that…."

Tristan held up his hands and blushed, "Hey whoa, it's not like that man!"

Joey beamed with an evil smirk as he chanted, "Tristan loves Serenity, Tristan loves Serenity!"

"Hey man shut up!" Tristan scrambled to cover his mouth.

Joey stopped and thought about what he was saying, "Wait, you love my sister? Hey you bastard, wait a sec there….!"

Tristan backed up, "Ok man, I gotta go, ya know, the bike, in the shop… yea." He ran.

"Oh no you don't ya sob!" Joey gave chase. "You get back here you cotton pickin…!"

"Whoa man, come on, please, take it easy, gimme a break!" Tristan laughed as he took the lead, he turned around and stopped laughing. "Joey? Hey, Joey!" He ran over to the slump on the ground, he fell to his knees and shook Joey's shoulders. "Hey come on man, this isn't funny anymore, come on, wake up!" No response. Tristan looked around frantically, but nobody was there. "I gotta get help, I gotta call an ambulance!" He was able to spot a payphone where he called 911, five minutes later an ambulance arrived.

The EMT asked Tristan questions, "Has your friend had any serious illness in the last week?"

"No."

"Has he suffered from a high fever in the past 24 hours?"

"I dunno, he was pretty hot today after playing baseball, but it's hot out anyway."

"And you say he just passed out?"

"Yea, we were just running around."

The man nodded and wrote on his clipboard, "It's most likely heat exoustion, nothing to be worried about. Your friend should be good as new by tomorrow, you can come by the hospital in the morning to check up on him yourself."

Tristan nodded, the man's smile was reassuring, "Thank you sir, I will." Tristan watched the ambulance wheel Joey in the direction of the hospital downtown. "Whoa, I'd better call the others!" Tristan called Tea on her cell phone, and luckily Yugi was still with her, he informed them of Joey's condition and they said they would go with him to the hospital tomorrow morning, but that he should call Serenity and let her know that Joey wasn't coming, and that was something that was hard for Tristan to do.

Serenity picked up the ringing phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Serenity, it's Tristan, you know, Joey's friend?"

She giggled, "Of course I know who you are. So what's up, where is Joey?"

"Well, I was gonna take him over there but my bike got a flat."

"Are you ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine."

"I'm glad."

"Really?" Tristan beamed, trying hard not to blush. Wait a sec, he was on the phone, how could she possibly….

"Tristan, are you blushing?"

"What, no!" Whoa, how did she do that!?

Serenity laughed to herself and then asked, "So where is Joey anyway?"

"Oh, yea." Tristan gulped. "See, it's like this. Ah…"

"Well?"

"He passed out from the heat and had to be taken to a hospital."

"What!"

"Aw come on, it was hard enough to say it the first time, don't make me repeat it…"

"No, no, it's ok, I heard you." She sighed. "I hope he'll be ok."

"Yea he is, he just got winded after running around and playing ball in this heat."

"Oh, I see."

"We're all gonna go see him tomorrow morning at the hospital, you can come with if you like."

"Sure, of course I will! Thank you for telling me Tristan."

"No prob." Tristan hung up and sighed. Serenity hung up and sighed as well.

"Who was on the phone honey?"

"Oh it was Tristan, mom."

"Ah, what did he want?"

"He said that Joey is in the hospital." Serenity looked up as her mom made her way to the kitchen doorway.

"The hospital….?" Serenity nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Her mom went to hug her. "I'm sure he'll be alright. Would you like me to take you there tomorrow morning?"

Serenity looked up, "Yes mom, please."

She smiled warmly, "Of course I will."

Serenity sniffed and wiped her eyes, smiling back, "Thanks."

Serenity opened her eyes, surprising herself within her own thoughts. She sighed as she looked around the room. The clock confirmed that only two or three minutes had past. She let out her breath as she looked back down at Joey.

"Mom…" She murmured quietly to herself. "She wasn't always like that."

Her mind opened again as the memories once more flooded back to her. The Wheeler's seemed to have the perfect life, be a perfect family, until her parents got a divorce and separated her from her brother. After that, her mom was a completely different person, and her life was horribly because of it, sure she was back to normal now, but... She wished she could go back to the day the fighting began, the day the quarreling first popped up and showed signs of divorce for her parents. She could've prevented it.

"I wish I could go back." Her lip quivered. "And change it, change it all!" She buried her face in her hands. "It was my fault. It's all my fault!"

Joey groaned, his eye squeezed and then opened, revealing its crystal golden orb. He looked up and saw his sister weeping. Confused and concerned, he opened his mouth to speak, all his dry chapped lips could utter was a hoarse raspy whisper, "Serenity…?"

1. The Beginning Of The End