"Are you sure about this, Joey? You really didn't need to come." Yugi asks from the other side of the limo in a tailored suit, his normally out of control hair tamed just for the night. There is slight begging tone to it.

"Rumours can be wrong you know, you never said that you were going." Yami reminds me, also in a tailored suit with his equally out of controlled hair tamed. I smile at their very misplaced concern. It's been five years I broke up with Seto, but this will be the first time we've been in the same room together since then. Since...I can see where their concern stems from, I was complete wreck. Seto invited the finalist of the first battle city tournament for the kick off gala of the 10th annual battle city tournament final. Obviously it would biggest gossip story this month if he didn't invite me. There would be many allocations that he still isn't over me and, of course, he can't have anyone thinking that he isn't a cold heart asshole CEO.

"I'm fine, really. It would cause worst speculation if I didn't come. It's been five years, and I hope that both of us would have grown in those years." I say trying to calm their nerves. They glance at the other and seem to silently agree to let the issue drop. I really do understand where they're coming from; they don't want me to get hurt again. But they don't really understand what went wrong with our relationship.

Lights flash and car slows down. I glance at the mirror once last time, straighten my tie and just take a deep breath. In a minute I'll have to look at Seto in eye, engage in pleasant conversation with him...without bring up anything. Fun times.

"When was the last time you didn't love people paying attention to you? You're a television chef." Yami reminds me before opening the door of the car. I just shake my head at my friend's constant worry. I'm fine with everything. He and Yugi climb out into the fray. Everything is fine, isn't it?

I step out of the car. The flashing lights blind me like they always do at red carpet events. My collar sticks to the back of my neck from the heat lamps. "Journalists" flock around the duellists as they get out of the many sleek black cars when the duellist try to get to the open double doors of the sprawling castle Seto calls home. Just like always, not even a blade of grass is out of place. This has changed from the secret blimp ride of our battle city; instead this party was announced on ever news source that cared to run it.

Some woman in a tiny tight dress and curled hair crams a microphone in my face starts to ask the only question that I'll be asked today.

"So what do you think about seeing your ex boyfriend again? Neither of you have dated anyone since, are you sure you're over him?" She asks in an annoyingly breathy way that I can only assume is meant to be sexy. But instead of shoving past her like I want, I'm the good little television persona and smile like that question wasn't intrusive as all hell.

"Over him, yes. I was the one that broke up; most people don't break up unless they're over the other person. Why I haven't dated in 5 years has nothing to do with him, I'm not going to date any of my co-workers and I don't have much time to find anyone to date. Excuse me, I'm going to judge his food harshly." I say to the cartoonishly made up women in front of me with a smile, as I side step her towards the door. Unfortunately my heart pounds more rapidly every step. But why? I'm over Seto, I gave him why we broke up. I tried to give him closure and I didn't break up with him abruptly; we'd been having issues for a while before then.

He'd broken our dinner date that night, without so much as a text saying he'd be late or to not even bother he's too busy. Instead he'd sent nothing. Since we almost never saw each other at this point, I wanted to make the dinner a little special. I made his favourite, a nice steak with some vegetables in some complicated sauce or other. Then, for dessert, a very impressive dark chocolate raspberry mousse. All homemade, fresh, from scratch using the best ingredients money could buy, everything was tasty and labour intensive. It was a labour of love damn it! Instead of sharing amazing food with a person that I still loved, I was left with a cold plate and the pitying looks of the house staff. I just sat there at the kitchen breakfast counter until our private chef moved Seto's plate so that it was food safe when Seto did actually eat the stupid thing. I just looked at him carefully pack up Seto's food as if it was in slow motion. I didn't want to repair anything, I didn't want to forgive once again, and I didn't want to lie to Seto that it was OK again because dealing with his guilt was worse. It didn't feel worth it anymore.

I waited in the living room off the foyer for him to get home, drinking some loose-leaf herbal tea he got me in China two weeks prior as an apology for having business trips back to back. I'd had packed anything I really cared about, my knives mostly. It was well after 12 at night before I felt his guilt just pour into the door. Even to this day I have a thought he didn't come home earlier because he knew somehow what this time meant. I place my cup on a duel monsters theme coaster then meet him at the door.

His collared shirt was not tucked and pants were wrinkled. His hair was in disarray reviling mine on a normal day, but what my eyes drew to was the unspoken begging in his eyes. They were gorgeous blue pools of guilt, and shame.

"Joey, I'm…"He starts in the tone he always uses when he wants me to forgive him. It's a little whining, submissive, insecure. I reach into my pocket and pull out the smooth plastic keycard. Seto swallowed his words the second he saw that. My heart was shockingly calm at this moment.

"I can't do this anymore, Seto. I love you…some part of me always will. But I just can't keep giving you one more chance to not break your promises. I've stop wanting to forgive you. I know you're going to do this again, you always do, and I've stopped caring about it. I want a boyfriend, not whatever we are." I said and then couldn't seem to think of anything else that needed to be said. He jaw tightened at every word; his eyes got a distinct shine in them, he swallowed one too many times. As always his eyes are the most expressive part, his world just shattered in front of him. The reason he does so much just stopped existing. I watched the storm silently rage. I wanted to tell him I'm kidding; it was just a terrible joke. Isn't love enough? But no, it's not. A relationship is a fuck more than love, there shouldn't have been so many It's Ok's. It never was OK, not once was it OK to break a promise. He always called me too forgiving, to ready to just forget his transgressions, too good for him. But I hold my ground.

"Puppy...I'm sorry." His voice cracks. His hands start to shake and bottom lip quivers. His world was broken into tiny little piece, tiny microscopic pieces that no matter how much he tries he won't be able to repair. The only person he's completely let his guard down in front of wasn't going to be in his life anymore. But as the seconds went by, the paper-thin mask eroded and finally the dam broke. His legs gave out and, a terrible sound that I've only hear once before, his sobs echoed though the foyer. Most people would have left, but our relationship wasn't most people's.

I wrap my arms around his slightly too thin frame. Then I pulled him close, stroking his hair. He grabs onto my sweater. I couldn't leave him like that. He was too fragile to leave him alone.

"Please Puppy, please reconsider…please. I get you're point…I get that you're not happy. But is breaking up really necessary? Can't we make this work?" He begged. I couldn't call it pathetic that would throw everything we've gone through in his face. But I could call it desperate.

"No, Seto. I love you, but…I just can't stand around and get hurt every three weeks like clockwork. I can't just keeping forgiving you for breaking promises that were never ok to break to begin with…how can I have a relationship with you when I don't see you for a week at a time even when you're in town. You've never had time for me, but I stuck around because the time you set aside was amazing. When we did spend time together...I wouldn't ask for anyone else. But I've told you countless number of times, there is a lot more to a relationship than love." My voice cracked at the end and then I felt wetness roll down my face. I did care about him, I knew him well enough to know how much this would destroy him.

"But…" He started; the rest got gargled in sobs. 6 amazing years, why was it that time he forgot, or just didn't show up, that I decided that I had enough. Why that night? I still can't answer that; just something clicked that night that I didn't want to that anymore. I didn't want to give excuses why my boyfriend couldn't be here, explain that I had give him a month to clear his schedule for a night out. Tears streamed out my eyes. My chest hurt like a 400-degree oil burn when I listened to Seto weep in my arms that night. Six years, we'd been to hell and back for the other.

After a while his sobs retreated, and his hands relaxed from clutching my sweater. All the while, I run my fingers through his silky hair.

"Seto, it's time for bed." I said barely above a whisper. He, luckily, realized that arguing with me wasn't worth the little amount of energy he had left. We walked through the house peppered with vacation pictures of Mokuba, Serenity, Seto and I. Disney, NASA, Eifel Tower, KaibaLand openings and so many duelling tournaments that it is just silly we kept the pictures. A few trophies behind glass cases, my first magazine cover for my food, he bragged about me better than he bragged about himself.

We got to the master bedroom, and it felt too clean for me. All the clothing that I'd thrown on the floor that morning, I had packed.

"Go brush your teeth." I ordered then I took a clean pair of almost 100 silk pyjamas out of his walk-in closet. The many suits, slacks, ties and cuff links that he bought for me for dinner parties he hosted hung in pristine rows on the left side of the closet.

I handed him his pyjama and watched him get changed. His ribs were obvious behind the build muscle. He climbed into one side of the massive king bed, his side. I just took a seat on edge with my feet on buried in the heated Turkish rug.

"Joey...don't try to pay me back for any money I've given you for your restaurants. Just for once don't argue. And I won't keep too close of tabs on you." He said. I smiled at his order.

"Ok, I won't argue for once. I assumed you would anyway; you're way too overprotective to just let go. But Seto you know very well my businesses are doing great, and you really don't need to worry that I'll end up homeless." I said as I pulled his hair out of his eyes.

"Answer me this as honestly as you'll allow yourself…"he started. I sighed knowing exactly what question he was going to ask.

"No, the answer is just no. Six years and you don't believe me. You're an amazing boyfriend that doesn't have 28-hour days, you always were. I got annoyed at your criticisms…but once I realized that they almost always had nothing to do with me, I couldn't get too mad…I can't take Jou until I've bought a place." I said to Seto whose eyelids were half closed already.

"Better lawyer up then." He slightly slurred his words.

"You're really going to take me court over a cat that you didn't even want in the first place? Unfortunately for me, you're serious but I know you'll him treat well. Remember he doesn't eat cat food. Take care of yourself; I don't want to read that you're in the hospital from over work." I got off the bed and turned off the lights. Right before closing the door of his bedroom, I heard a very small "Thank you."

"Now go to sleep." Then I just closed the door, went to pet Jou for the last time, hugged his chubby fluffy body way too close, and finally went over to Yugi's house for the night.