31. Flower

A single flower caught the eye of the blonde. It lingered on a small patch of grass in the center of the river. A large river with icy cold water and rapids that would drown a horse if caught and Joey stood not even a foot away from the edge.

The flower was beautiful and unique. It was a sky blue and looked like a rose, but inside petals were a pure white. The brown eye boy stood there frowning. He wanted the flower but he was small and looked no more than ten.

The water suddenly began to calm and became a gentle pond with crystal clear water. Joey smiled and knew he was a good swimmer. So without a second thought; the young boy jumped into the cold water and began to swim to the grass patch.

Then the pond began to transform into the dangerous river around the boy. Joey began to kick his feet to stay above the water while his arms whipped around trying to grab something solid. "No! "he cried out. "I don't want to die!"

Joey's arm shot out and grabbed onto the small patch. His nails impaled the dirt as he reached for the flower. "I need that flower! "he cried. "I need to give it to Seto. It will make him smile!" he cried out as his slightly bloody fingers wrapped around the stem. Joey then pulled the flower under the dirt as he pulled under the water. The blonde began to drift downwards holding the flower close to his chest as air began to escape him.

32. Night

The part of the night; just before day break; Seto enjoyed the most. He would type on his tiny laptop for hours during the night, but that moment just before daybreak, he would stop and stare out the window. There was always a small content feeling at that moment of solitude.

33. Wrath

"You never listen! You never think! "Screamed a very angry CEO. "What if you were killed or worse my brother!" Kaiba grabbed Joey by the throat and slammed him against the nearby wall.

"S-Seto!" Joey cried. "I can't breathe!"

The brunette's grasp tighten slightly. "You said you were finished with all this gang shit! Now thanks to you my brother is in the hospital because he was shot!"

Joey winced. "I...didn't…know they would follow me."

"You should have been more careful! You should have come to me for help before this issue got out of hand! Now because of your selfishness, there is a chance that Mokuba will never walk again! It's entirely your fault!" Kaiba yelled. He was beyond angry at that point.

The blonde struggled to breathe. He then was suddenly thrown the ground. He glanced up at pair of angry blue eyes filled with hate.

Seto kicked Joey hard against his side and then stomp his foot against his chest. "Listen. "he growled. "I never want to see you again. Get the fuck out. Not just of my home but the city! I don't want to see you again! If I do, then I will kill you." He threatened as he removed his foot. He pulled the blonde up by the hair and tossed him towards the exit.

Joey grabbed the door knob and stopped for a moment. "I'm…sorry" he said leaving the mansion. He vanished into the cold rainy night.

34. Moon

(A continuation from 33.)

Seto regretted the words he said to the blonde on the night the week before. The brunette sat alone in his room with the lights off. Mokuba was recovering nicely and he would indeed walk again. There would only be a scar from the bullet.

The CEO was staring blankly out the window; he sat in the windowsill staring at the night sky. The moon seems dull and lifeless. Seto over reacted. His worrying had turned into anger and hate and he lashed out at the blonde. His lover… the one he hurt badly. A hurt that was both physical and emotional.

I never want to see you again. Get the fuck out. Not just of my home but the city! I don't want to see you again! If I do, then I will kill you

Those words must have felt like bullets to Joey. Each one piercing his heart over and over slicing it to pieces and Seto was the one that pulled the trigger.

The thought made Seto's chest tighten and his own heart ache. "Puppy where are you?" he asked softly in a whisper. "Are you staring at the same sky as I? Can you see the moon as well?"

35. Walk

"Doesn't the sand feel good against your bare feet?" Joey asked smiling up at Seto.

They had taken a small vacation to the beach. Mokuba really wanted to go and Seto couldn't say no to him.

Seto looked at Joey feeling awkward. He stood there with his pants rolled up to his knees standing bare footed against the wet stand. It was squishy between his toes and the feeling made Seto squirm a bit.

"I don't know… feels strange" the brunette said to the blonde.

Joey smiled and walked over to Seto and took his hand. He began to lead him towards the water. "Come on, Mr. Big CEO. You need to learn to have fun!"

Seto stared at Joey and blinked as the water crashed against their ankles before returning back into the ocean. He smiled weakly "It's not so bad" he said.

Joey smiled and moved closer to Seto to kiss him but was interrupted by a huge wave crashing against them knocking the two down.

Now fully soaked, Seto sat up gasping. The wind was knocked out of him causing him to cough a bit. Some seaweed dangled from his head. He looked over at Joey who was also soaked to the bone.

The blonde was laughing up a storm. "Oh! Seto! That was fun!" he said sitting up.

"How was that fun! That was embarrassing! "Seto barked at him.

Joey continues to giggle as he grabbed the seaweed from Seto's head. He got up and smiled. "Let's go for a walk."

Seto frowned and nodded. He got up and took Joey's hand. They both began to walk down the beach, letting the sand squish between their toes.

36. Precious

(A continuation from 33. And 34.)

Seto had found Joey, months later. The once energetic boy was now tired and tamed. Seto couldn't blame Joey. He was the one who put the blonde through hell.

Joey was found on the other side of the country, living in a rundown little apartment with money he had stolen to survive. When Seto found him, Joey stood a good distance away from Seto.

After much convincing; Seto brought Joey home. Now a month later, his puppy still wasn't happy. He didn't smile or joked.

Joey would sleep, eat, and go to work and then sleep again. The blonde seem lively at his place of employment but when he was at the mansion, he was docile and quiet.

Seto sat at his desk in the office of the Kaiba building. The brunette kept thinking about his blonde puppy.

Did I fuck him up that bad? Of course I did. He has put a wall up when I'm or Mokuba is around. Does he not want to be here anymore? To be with me? I apologized…but maybe it wasn't good enough. Joey acts like he is hiding something. He never stares at me in the eyes, his head is always turned away every time we talk. Even when we kiss, his eyes are always closed. I broke him with my cruel words…my most precious is broken into a million pieces. Can I fix the pieces? Or are they too far gone?

The brunette sighed softly and closed his eyes. He laid his head against desk. I have, no, I will fix him. Even if I'm blunt about it.

37. See

(Continuation of 33,34, and 36,)

"Why won't you look at me when I talk to you? Why do you turn your head away?" Seto asked Joey. They sat on the living couch alone.

"What are you talking about, Seto?" Joey asked.

"Don't play dumb. You think I wouldn't notice your strange behavior?" Seto said. Open up to me…" Tell me what is wrong."

Joey was staring passed Seto's head. He open his mouth if he was about to speak but hesitated. The blonde closed his mouth and looked away. "I…don't know what you are talking about."

Seto instantly grabbed his hand and pulled him close. "Look at me! Not away! Look right at me and tell me what you are feeling! Tell me how you felt about what happen! Be angry! Yell at me! Tell me you hate me! Punch me! Do something! I want to see the real you! Not some wall you put up! Where is the fire that you had!"

Joey's eyes widen as his face rested against Seto's shoulder. He listened to what the brunette was saying. His brown eyes began to water. "Seto" he said softly. He wrapped his arms around the other and held him tightly. "You want me to hate you, don't you?" Joey asked after a moment of silence.

Blue eyes widen in shock. "What?"

"You are so ridden with guilt…that you want me to say "I hate you" "Joey said softly. "You want to be punished and want to feel the same pain as I did."

Seto held onto Joey tightly and closed his eyes. "I do." He said. "Yes. "

"I don't hate you, Seto" Joey said. "I can't"

Seto's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I can't hate you. I was hurt...felt like hell. I wanted to hate you but couldn't. I love you and Seto…" he said softly. He looked up into Seto's blue eyes. "I forgive you" he said hugging him tightly.

"Joey…" Seto said softly. "You are such a forgiving puppy." He said leaned over kissing him tenderly. Joey returns the kiss and then broke it.

"I have something to tell you…" the blonde said looking down.

Seto looked at him "What is it?" he asked.

Joey looked up at him and reached up to his own eyes. He slipped off the brown contacts he had been wearing reveling pure white eyes.

Seto sat there in awe. "You're blind..?"

"Not fully, it's very blurry, but around my eyes I see black but in the middle of my sight it's very blurry. It's like opening your eyes underwater." Joey explained.

"How..?"

"It's the same disease my sister had. It's genetic. My grandma had it too." Joey said. "It started a month before I left town. I tried to tell you but you were very busy that month with your company." Joey said.

Seto just sat there. The memories replayed in his mind. Joey asking just for a small moment of his time and Seto rejected him.

"So…during the gun fight, when Mokuba was with you. You couldn't see? Seto asked.

"It was very blurry beginning to become black…" Joey said.

"You couldn't see him that's why you couldn't protect him properly." Seto said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't give you a chance to explain…I just shut you out…I was so angry that Mokuba got hurt I didn't even think about you."

Joey smiled "its okay Seto. I forgive you…Mokuba is your flesh and blood and your only living family. It's okay Seto…"

Kaiba rested his head against Joey's chest. He then got up suddenly pulling the blonde into his embrace. He headed outside to the car after getting his shoes on.

"S-Seto?" Joey asked curiously. "Where are you taking me?"

"Shush" Seto said putting him in the backseat of the car. He got in after Joey and told the driver to go to the hospital.

"I'm taking you to get your eyes checked out and what can be done about them" The CEO said.

"But Seto!" Joey protested.

"Shut up! You are the most stupid, kind hearted, unselfish puppy I ever met! I'm not giving you a choice! I'm going to fix your eyes!" Seto yelled at him.

Joey sat there blinking "Seto.." he looked down and smiled. "You are very stubborn and a jackass sometimes"

Seto let out a small snort holding back a laugh. "I was born that way"

A few weeks passed. Joey had gotten surgery that would help make him see.

Joey sat on the couch holding a pair of thin black framed glasses. He held them up and looks through the lens.

"Try those. They will help" Seto said.

Joey blinked and put them on. He began to look around. "Wow! Everything is crystal clear!"

Seto smiled "Well, it's not such a bad thing if you just need glasses to see. A lot of people wear them"

"I don't look stupid do I?" Joey asked.

"No. You don't, pup. "he brought Joey over for a kiss. "You look pretty sexy with them on."

Joey blushed and smiled. He hugged Seto. "I'm glad"

38. Abandoned

Seto never thought he would fall in love with the blonde duelist. He didn't want these feeling and didn't need them. He would push them deep down inside himself and hope that would abandon those feelings…

39. Dream

(A continuation from 31)

Joey sat up in a shock. His body covered in seat and his heart pounded hard against his chest. "What….the fuck..?" he muttered softly. He turned and looked at the sleeping brunette beside him.

The blonde smiled and began to calm down. He then felt something in his hands; it smelled sweet and felt soft. Joey's brown eyes looked down and then widen. Holding in his hands was the flower from his dream.

40. 4:29 PM

4:29 was the moment before school let out. It was the moment that Joey watched the brunette CEO. He watched him stand and gather his laptop and other things he needed for school and after his things were gathered, he headed to the door.

Joey wasn't sure why he started to do this. It was just something he picked up and he found the view intoxicating and addicting like methamphetamines.