A.N.: Hello everyone. Here is a new story for your entertainment. I have had this idea in my mind for a very long time now, and I finally decided to put it in writing. This story will focus on Seto and Joey, and their lives. Tea and Mokuba will act as secondary characters, and the others will make appearances, but the focus will be Seto and Joey. Though the story doesn't list romance as a genre, I will add some in there just for fun. Hopefully, you will like it.
I am not sure if another Yugioh story with a similar premise exists. I tried to find it and after failing, decided to write this. But if you know or come across one, please let me know so I can make sure that mine is different. Other than that, please read and review to give me your comments. Thanks
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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.
"Talk"
'Thoughts'
Flashback/Dream
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"Kaiba, you asshole. You did that on purpose." Joey yelled loudly, an accusing finger pointed at Seto Kaiba, who for his part, looked unnaturally calm.
"I wouldn't touch you on purpose if my life depended on it." Seto replied with a sneer. Tea sighed and rubbed her temples, mentally preparing herself to intervene.
It was an hour past school's final bell and most of the students had already left. The only ones who remained were either serving detention, as was the case with Joey, or a part of some after school club, as was the case with Tea. Joey's detention had ended before Tea's dance club meeting but he had stayed, opting to walk with her instead of alone. No one knew what Seto Kaiba was doing in school that late. Usually the teen billionaire was one of the first ones out because he had to go to Kaiba Corp. Somehow he had ended up right alongside them as they exited the school.
Tea and Joey had been unaware of his presence behind them, and goofed off like teenagers, playfully pushing and shoving each other. Seto, who was walking behind them, grew irritated at their slow pace, and roughly shoved Joey out of his way, causing the blonde to fall on the floor. And so the current situation was born where the two boys glared daggers at each other. Tea hoped it would remain a verbal fight and not escalate to physical. Even though both boys usually controlled themselves in public because the school had a strict policy about violence, right now that constraint did not hold as there was no one to witness their fight and report it. She doubted that if a student saw it, they would bother to report it anyway. Most student enjoyed Joey and Seto's fights.
"You purposely threw me on the floor, admit it." Joey demanded and Seto smirked.
"I barely touched you Wheeler. It's not my fault you are pathetically weak and possess the grace of a braying donkey."
"You bastard." Joey growled, nostrils flaring in anger. "How about I introduce you to the same floor?"
"As if." Seto replied with an arrogant look. "It's a place for losers like you, those who would never amount to anything and forever be at the feet of successful individuals, like you were at my feet not too long ago."
"Shut up Kaiba." Tea finally butted in, having lost her patience.
"So the cheerleader finally decides to speak. I thought you were going to stand on the sidelines, like you always do." Seto mocked. Tea's hand balled into fists and she was tempted to punch him in the face. But she didn't resort to violence... no matter how attractive the option seemed.
"I don't want to debase myself and act like an uncivilized animal with no manners or regard for others." She replied hotly.
"Calling your friend an uncivilized animal to his face? Tch tch. Have some pity Gardner." Seto said and Joey took a step forward in anger. Luckily, Tea was closer to Seto than him and quickly inserted herself between the two, facing Seto.
"I was talking about you." She replied in anger. "You are the loathsome person with less manners and social skills than a caveman. In fact, you are even worse than animals because even they know social decorum and can live with others of their kind." Seto's face scrunched in barely concealed anger and he took a menacing step forward.
"Watch your mouth Gardner." He threatened. "I can ruin you and bring you to same state as stray dogs, begging for scraps of food on the street from strangers."
"Screw you Kaiba. I'm not afraid of you." Tea replied with an equally menacing glare. "You are just a despicable and lonely person with no redeeming qualities. You are pathetic in your attempts to demean others in order to feel better about yourself. And you know what, I think you are jealous of Joey and us because even though we aren't as rich or powerful as you, we are happy whereas you are miserable."
"You have nothing I would be jealous of Gardner, not you, not your mutt friend, and not the other weirdoes you hang out with. You are worth less than the dirt on my shoes." Seto replied through clenched teeth.
"Keep telling yourself that Kaiba." Tea said in a venomous tone. "Everyone knows it isn't true, including you. Or you wouldn't constantly try to interact with us and speak with us, even if they are negative interactions. You are jealous of Joey. That's why you antagonize him the most."
"He is the biggest loser of your entire group." Seto said with a smirk. "Just look at him, with his too-worn clothes and shoes. He looks like a beggar in training."
"Shut up Kaiba." Joey said in anger but Seto continued with a wide smile, knowing he had hit a nerve.
"My guard dogs have better hygiene than him. But then again, I'm positive my guard dogs have better lifestyle than him too. They earn more than him."
"I'm going to pummel you to the ground you bastard." Joey lunged at him but Tea held on to him, trying desperately to keep him from attacking Seto. The teen in question laughed at the scene before him.
"Ignore him Joey. He isn't worth it." Tea repeated to her friend over and over again. Seto laughed openly at her words.
"Wheeler is the one who isn't worth anything. He is a pathetic loser who will forever crawl the path of life. He is a bottom feeder and he will remain so for the rest of his pathetic existence. He will never amount to anything because he is nothing." Seto said with a poisonous smile.
"You have no idea what you are talking about Kaiba." Tea yelled over Joey's swearing. "You have no idea how hard the rest of us work, how much we struggle, how much Joey struggles. He is a courageous, strong, and hardworking person who will succeed in life because he will work for the success. He won't have it handed to him like you."
"Handed to me?" Seto growled angrily. "You think my success was handed to me on a silver platter?" Tea's response was a defiant glare, which angered him even further. "You have no idea how hard I work, how much I struggle to be where I am." He said, similar to what she had said. "I have more responsibility on my shoulders that all of your friends combined. I am on top because I worked for it and made it happen. Wheeler and you are on the bottom because you are failures and you will remain as such." Seto said.
"You're not the only one with responsibilities on your shoulders Kaiba." Joey said. "We all do but we don't act like assholes because of them."
"You can't even begin to imagine what I deal with Wheeler. You wouldn't last a day in my shoes." Seto said.
"You wouldn't last a day in my shoes either Kaiba." Joey snapped back. Seto laughed mockingly at Joey's words and turned away.
"I have wasted too much of my time on unintelligent buffoons such as yourself. I refuse to spend even one more second in your company. Have fun entertaining your delusions." With that, the billionaire teen began marching away from the duo, his stiff walk indicating that he was still very much angry.
"I hate him." Joey said, still glaring at Seto's back. Tea sighed and nodded her head. At that moment, she hated Seto Kaiba too.
"Forget him. I don't want to think about him anymore. He's ruined enough of our day. Let's talk about something else." Tea said. Joey smiled indulgently at his friend.
"Sure. How was the meeting today? What did you guys talk about?" The two friends began chatting carelessly, the interaction with Seto Kaiba momentarily out of their minds.
Mokuba winced as he heard Seto stomp upstairs. His older brother was very angry. The question was why and how? Who had dared to anger him so? Immediately, the faces of a few of Seto's classmates appeared in Mokuba's mind. Of course, they were the only ones who bothered with Seto. And they were the only ones who could get under his brother's skin. The question remained though, what had happened and who had done it?
Cautiously, Mokuba walked upstairs to his brother's room. He knew Seto would go there first to change out of his uniform before going to his home office to work some more. As he neared, he heard colourful swearing and the words 'mutt' and 'cheerleader'. No mention of 'midget' or 'point dexter'. This meant that the culprits were Joey and Tea, the two people who frequently annoyed Seto, and who Mokuba believed, were quite skilled at angering his brother.
Before Mokuba could speculate any further, the door to Seto's bedroom was thrown open, startling Mokuba. He jumped in fright as he stared into his brother's menacing eyes.
"Mokuba, what are you doing here? Do you need something?" Seto asked with mild irritation.
"No. I was just wondering if you were okay. You sounded upset." Mokuba replied.
"I am not upset." Seto growled and began marching towards his home office.
"It sounds like you are. What happened?" Mokuba asked curiously.
"The mutt and his cheerleader wasted my time with their stupidity and ignorance." Seto replied through clenched teeth.
"What happened?" Mokuba became even more curious.
"It's nothing you should be concerned with." Seto replied in a cold manner, letting Mokuba know that the topic was done. Mokuba sighed in defeat and followed his brother to the office where Seto settled into his leather chair and turned on his laptop.
"Did you finish your homework?" He asked and Mokuba nodded.
"Good. Call me when dinner is ready." Without so much as a smile or glance, Seto began typing on his laptop, signaling the end of their conversation. Mokuba knew that was his cue to leave his older brother alone. So he left the office, walking slowly to the living room. Dinner was in two hours, which meant Mokuba had all that time to do whatever he wanted. That might have been exciting for any other child but not for Mokuba. How could it be when that was his daily routine?
Every day, after he came back from school, he diligently finished his homework alone. He was a smart child and didn't need any tutors. Plus, if he ever needed help, he asked Seto who explained the problem to him. After homework, Mokuba spent the remainder of the day by himself, doing various random things. Seto usually came home either at or after dinner time. The two brothers ate dinner together and after that, Seto disappeared into his office and Mokuba bided his time doing idle things until it was his bedtime. He would then see Seto one last time as the older Kaiba came to bid him goodnight, and if he was lucky, he would catch him in the morning too if Seto hadn't already left.
The routine had been bothersome for Mokuba some time ago, but the young boy had learnt to accept it as the norm. He understood that his older brother had many responsibilities and couldn't be distracted with trivial things like playing games or watching movies. Besides, this was the last year of high school for Seto, and there was a lot of pressure on him to graduate at the top of his class. After all, he was Seto Kaiba. He was the best and couldn't allow a less intelligent teenager to beat him. So what if it meant that Mokuba barely got to spend any time with Seto? So what if he felt lonely? It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for his older brother. Seto had sacrificed so much for him that this was the least Mokuba could do.
Still, he couldn't deny the loneliness and bouts of depression that assailed him. It would have been okay if he could invite some friends over and enjoy their company. Kaiba mansion had so many amenities and games that any child would be ecstatic to visit. And many had been at the beginning. The first time Mokuba had invited friends over, his friends had been excited. They had spent hours playing video games and running around the huge mansion. Unfortunately, the noise had bothered Seto whose menacing glare had intimidated the children to move to the opposite end of the mansion from Seto's office. And then there had been the vase which had been broken by accident. Though Seto hadn't said anything at discovering the expensive rubble, his aura had been enough to scare the children away from the Kaiba mansion forever. Since that day, none of Mokuba's friends dared to visit, no matter how many times Mokuba assured them that his infamously temperamental brother was okay with it.
Thus he was stuck alone in the mansion. He couldn't go out because Seto was concerned for his safety. And taking two large bodyguards with him everywhere got too much unwanted attention, not to mention it invited bullying at school. So Mokuba remained in the mansion, alone, playing video games or flipping through channels, waiting for bedtime. Then he would repeat the same cycle all over again the next day. No wonder he was depressed. But he would never tell Seto that. No, his brother had too many important things to worry about. This wasn't worth it.
Mokuba let out a sigh and then turned on his own laptop, preparing to browse for new video games he could buy and then play alone.
Joey sighed in frustration as he adjusted his pillow for the umpteenth time, hoping to find a comfortable spot and finally fall asleep. But he knew that no amount of tossing and turning and pillow adjusting could quiet the storm in his head.
Wheeler is the one who isn't worth anything. He is a pathetic loser who will forever crawl the path of life. He is a bottom feeder and he will remain so for the rest of his pathetic existence. He will never amount to anything because he is nothing.
Seto's words from earlier caused his hands to ball into fists. Damn that bastard. He had no idea what he was talking about. He was being a bastard, as usual. None of what he said was true. But try as he might, Joey couldn't ignore the words, nor stop them from repeating in his mind over and over again. They were his biggest fear. He may have fought gangsters or dueled with psychos and risked his life, but nothing scared him more than a failed future. He didn't want to be a failure, a burden on society and his friends. He wanted to be someone who could not only support himself but others as well. He wanted to be successful in some way so he could look others in the eye without feeling shame. And he was trying his best to work towards that future. Even though he didn't have much to show for it right now, he hoped his efforts would pay off one day. They had to.
Sighing, Joey glanced around his room, his eyes lingering on everything. His room was quite small, with a double bed, a secondhand nightstand, and a lamp he had bought at a garage sale. Also in the room was a small desk he had found lying on the sidewalk. Someone had thrown it away because it had some rust on one of the legs. But Joey had cleaned the rust off and polished the entire thing, making it look almost new. Next to the desk was a chair, the only thing in the room that was not used or second hand. It had been a present from his friends. They had pooled their money together to buy him a very comfortable and ergonomic leather chair. Right now it was covered with Joey's school uniform that he had thrown on it.
Just look at him, with his too-worn clothes and shoes. He looks like a beggar in training.
Joey frowned as he recalled what Seto had said. So what if he couldn't afford the designer outfits that Seto wore? Clothes were clothes. They served the purpose of covering one's modesty and protecting the person from the cold in the winter. His clothes did a fine job of that. They did appear a bit used because they were old, but that also made them very comfortable. So what if they weren't up to date with the latest fashion trend? Joey could care less about that. He had better things to spend his money on than superficial things. He would love to see what Seto Kaiba could come up with on his budget.
'As if.' Joey snorted. 'Kaiba would commit suicide before he had to touch anything that was less than a thousand dollars. Privileged bastard. He wouldn't survive in my world, not one day.' He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, trying once again to fall asleep. He had already wasted hours of his sleep time on someone who wasn't even worth a second. If he didn't fall asleep soon, he wouldn't be able to pay attention in class the next day. and that was something Joey Wheeler refused to let happen.
'Damn it.' Seto growled low in his throat as he punched his pillow, trying to fix whatever knot had taken shape in his feather pillow. But he knew that problem wasn't the pillow but what was resting on it, or more specifically, what was going through the head that was resting on it.
The conversation from earlier in the day repeated in his mind, angering him more and more. How dare Tea suggest that he was jealous of Joey or their geeky group? They were all idiots without a care in the world. They were irresponsible and immature teenagers with no hope for the future. He was better than them in every way, and at every level. He was more intelligent than them. He was more mature than them. He was more responsible than them. He was richer than they could ever hope to be. If anything, they were jealous of him, and of everything he had. What did they have that he would be jealous of?
If Tea was there, she would have said 'friendship'. Seto snorted loudly as the thought came in his head. Of course. That was the most precious thing in the world according to the nerd herd. Having other like-minded idiots surround you was the best. It made sense in a way, if he saw it from their point of view. They were all losers, unambitious and pathetic. Being in each other's company protected them from the reality where they were failures.
But Seto wasn't one to hide from the facts. He lived by them. And the fact was that he was better than them. He was better than most of the world's population in every aspect. That's why he was on top. That was why he ruled the world. He was the best. But the geeks didn't accept that. They had their own standards of measuring success, and it didn't matter that the rest of worlds didn't follow them. In their pathetic world, they were perfect.
You are just a despicable and lonely person with no redeeming qualities. You are pathetic in your attempts to demean others in order to feel better about yourself.
Tea was a stupid bitch. She dared to insult him. She didn't understand the consequences of angering him. He could ruin her. He could have her killed if he wanted to, have her body removed from the face of the earth so that no one would be able to find the friendship freak. But just because she was an idiot who deserved to be thrown off the face of the earth didn't mean Seto would do it. No, he wouldn't dirty his hands with her. Life would do that job for him. She would be in the same cesspool of failure and shame as Joey. She might be a little higher because no one could match Joey's level of low.
A spoiled brat who had success handed to him.
Seto repeated the words in his head. They had no idea what they were talking about. They didn't know what he had done to reach where he was, and what he continued to do to remain there. They were fools who could only talk, all bark without bite. Seto smirked at that. The saying fit Joey perfectly since he was a mutt. A dog like him wouldn't last an hour in his life.
'Enough'. Seto mentally said. He needed to sleep. He had a busy day planned at Kaiba Corp tomorrow and couldn't afford to compromise his mental faculties by wasting precious sleep time. He needed to sleep and put the geeks out of his mind. With renewed determination, he closed his eyes, trying to catch a few hours of sleep.
It seemed that he woke up after just a wink of sleep because his head felt heavy. His body also felt more tired than it had going to sleep. Squinting his eyes open, he turned to his left only to come face to face with a wall.
'What the hell?' He thought in confusion and shifted to have a better look. It was a wall, plain and cream coloured. Turning to his right, he was alarmed to find an ugly looking lamp. Why did his bed feel so uncomfortable, and his pillow so hard? Alarm caused his eyes to snap open fully and his brain woke up just as quickly. One look around the room told him this small den wasn't his room. Where the hell was he? How did he get here? Had he been kidnapped and brought here? That couldn't be. How could someone had moved him from his house without him waking up? He was a light sleeper and woke up at the slightest of sounds. Besides, no one could have gotten past his security and entered the mansion, let alone his locked room.
Very cautiously, he got off the bed, his feet coming to rest on grey carpet. That's when he noticed that he was only wearing his boxers. He never slept only in his boxers. Who had dared to undress him? Alarm was now joined by rage. He would find the sick person who did this to him and make him or her pay.
He walked around the room, trying to find some clue as to where this was and who it belonged to. The room was disgustingly small and pathetically bare. Everything looked like it belonged in a junkyard than in a room. Whoever had the misfortune to live here certainly had made an effort to restore some of the furniture but Seto could still see the imperfections. The only thing that looked remotely decent was the leather chair. He walked towards it and noticed a school uniform thrown on it, a very familiar uniform. The person who brought him here also went to Domino High, and by the looks of the uniform, was a boy. A schoolbag was lying on top of the desk. Seto reached inside and pulled out a few notebooks, noticing that they were worn too, probably from overuse than anything else. He opened one and glanced at the first page, hoping to find the name of the miserable idiot who was messing with him. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in rage.
"Wheeler." He spat, throwing the notebook back on the desk. The mutt had done this to him. He had somehow kidnapped and brought Seto Kaiba to his hole of a room. He had always been an idiot who relied on luck. But even Seto never thought he would do something as stupid as this. He would pay for this. He would pay dearly. Seto would ruin him for this prank. Although judging by the room, it was obvious that his life was a mess anyway but Seto would make it worse. And no one in the world would be able to save him.
Joey groaned as an annoying sound assaulted his eardrums, waking him from a deep slumber. Eyes still closed, he stuck his arm out and slammed it on the alarm, hoping to shut it off. Instead of hitting its target, his palm hit a soft mattress.
'Wha...?' He thought groggily. The alarm continued to blare, forcing him to get up. When the gesture caused him to sink deeper into the mattress, Joey became alarmed. His bed wasn't that soft. With wide eyes, he looked around to find himself in a very large room filled with classy and no doubt expensive furniture. The crying alarm rested on the nightstand to his left. It was out of reach since he was lying in the middle of a king sized bed... someone else's king sized bed.
"What the hell?" Joey yelled in panic, jumping out of the bed and onto the floor. Where the hell was he? This wasn't his room. This room was bigger than his living room and bedroom combined.
How did he get here? This wasn't the kind of place you could just walk into and sleep for a few hours. No, this had to belong to some rich and important person. But who? And how did he get here? He knew for sure that he had slept in his room last night. He still remembered staring at his chair as he tried to forget thoughts of Seto Kaiba.
Joey frowned as he thought of the arrogant and rich teen. This room seemed like it could be his, with the blue and white theme. He glanced at his own body and noticed himself wearing blue silk pajamas. Someone had put clothes on him. With renewed panic, Joey began to look around the room, trying to find a clue as to what happened last night.
He walked around the large room, studying everything. Besides the king sized bed, the room had two night stands, one on each side of the bed. There was a large dresser next to a semi-closed door. To its right sat an ottoman and two large armchairs by big French-style windows. The curtains, royal blue in colour, were pulled back to allow light to come in, letting Joey know that it was quite early in the morning. He walked over to the windows and peeked outside, eyes widening at discovering a huge lawn filled with beautiful flowers and bushes. The drive way was quite long as well and circled around an artistic stone fountain, ending on a large wrought iron gate. This wasn't a house. It was a mansion.
Joey quickly withdrew from the window and walked to the opposite side of the room. He was met with two doors. He opened the one which was on the same side as the bed's headboard, only to find himself in another room. But this room was filled with clothes and shoes. This was a walk-in closet, almost the same size as the room itself. Joey stared at everything with wide eyes. Everything looked brand new and expensive. He felt like he was in a designer store and any second now, a stuck-up and judgmental employee would ask him to state his intentions. His eyes drifted to a corner where he could see large coats, in various colours. For some reason, his heartbeat increased dramatically as he neared the clothing items.
His fears were confirmed when he discovered that they were, indeed, trench coats. It was still okay, he assured himself. Many people liked and wore trench coats. The item wasn't exclusive to one person. With trembling fingers, he reached for one and looked at its collar, his face paling when the letters 'KC' stared back at him.
No, this wasn't possible. He couldn't be in Seto Kaiba's mansion. That wasn't possible. How could he have gotten there? Had Seto Kaiba drugged him and kidnapped him? But they why put him in a nice room and dress him in silk pajamas? Despite Seto's weird mentality, Joey couldn't see the teen doing this. This had to be the work of someone else. But who could convince Seto Kaiba to bring his worst enemy into his house? What the hell was going on?
With careful steps, Joey walked back into the bedroom. The last remaining door had to be the way out. If he went out, he could ask someone what the hell was going on? But it was so early in the morning. Would anyone be awake? Did Seto have overnight staff? Well, he had to take a chance and try. The situation was too bizarre for him to understand. He needed someone to explain what had happened last night.
Before walking to the door, he walked towards the dresser, trying to make sure that he didn't look too unkempt. His hair had a habit of sticking out in unusual places when he slept. His eyes widened as he stared at his reflection. Instead of staring at blonde hair and hazel eyes, he was staring at a blue eyed brunette, a very familiar brunette who hated Joey Wheeler. But this time, his arctic eyes weren't filled with contempt. No, they stared at him with shock and slight fear. Joey moved his hand to his face and began shaking when he noticed the reflected Seto Kaiba do the same.
What the hell was going on? Was this some sort of trick by Seto to unnerve him? Maybe he had put Joey in the room and rigged the mirror with a reflector to display his own face. Maybe the mirror wasn't a mirror but a TV screen or a holographic screen. That had to be the explanation for it because there was no way in hell that Joey Wheeler was in Seto Kaiba's body.
He turned away from the mirror and took deep breaths to calm himself. There had to be a way to make sure that he was still who he was. He had a scar on the side of his hip. He had gotten that as a child when he fell off a bike. With trembling hands, Joey lowered his pajama pants. He nearly fell back on the bed in shock when saw no such scar. Overcome with panic, he began taking his clothes off, trying to identify any familiar body marks but nothing was familiar. It was the body of someone else. And if the mirror was right, it was the body of Seto Kaiba.
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Joey sat back heavily on the bed. What had happened? How had he ended up in Seto's body? Was this a result of some magic trick gone wrong? And if he was in Seto's body, where was Seto's mind? And what was going on with his body? Was Seto inhabiting Joey Wheeler's body?
His wide eyes fell on a cell phone resting innocently on the night stand. He quickly reached for it and turned it on, hoping to make a call. Unfortunately, the phone required a password to operate. Of course Seto Kaiba would have a password on his phone. The man was notoriously private and paranoid. Joey threw the phone away and held his head, unable to comprehend what was going on.
Seto sniffed as he walked back into Joey's bedroom. He had taken a tour of the apartment and found nothing that could help him understand how he had gotten there. There was no trace of his clothes or shoes. Where had Joey hidden them? He couldn't go out because he was still in his boxers. He had to find something to cover himself so he could leave Joey's pathetic abode and go to his house.
He walked to a door which he presumed was a closet. His guess was right. He stared with distaste at the collection of jeans and T-shirts. Joey's taste in clothing was as pedestrian as the rest of him. Holding back disgust, he picked a plain white T-shirt and faded blue jeans. Bile rose in his throat as he put on clothes that Joey Wheeler had worn and probably never properly washed, but he had no other option. He would be damned before he walked out in public in only his boxers. The scandal would ruin his reputation and impact Kaiba Corp. negatively as well. And his company and reputation came before everything else.
After dressing, he walked into the bathroom to wash his face. Just because he was dressed like a homeless person didn't mean his face had to match it as well. But one look in the mirror had him frozen in shock. Joey Wheeler's face stared at him with equal shock and confusion. Horrified, Seto took a step back only to bump into the wall. The bathroom was quite small. But what freaked out Seto more was that the Joey in the mirror had done the exact same. How was that possible?
He moved closer to the mirror and touched his face, watching the reflection do the same. Was that his reflection? But that would mean that he was Joey Wheeler. That was ridiculous. He was Seto Kaiba. He was very much aware of that. But awareness came from mind. His mind was his but the body wasn't. He lifted his shirt and stared at his body, noticing marks he had never seen before. This confirmed his fears. He was in someone else's body, and that someone else was Joey Wheeler.
How did that happen? Was this a nightmare? He closed his eyes and willed himself to wake up, but opening his eyes had him staring at the same reflection. What devilry was this? Why was he in Joey's body? What about his body? Was this a switch? Was Joey in his body?
Seto marched back to the bedroom and searched for a cell phone. He knew Joey had one. He had seen him use one. His eyes finally rested on an inexpensive flip-phone. Apparently, Joey hadn't caught up with the technology yet because all new phones were touch screen. But Seto knew Joey could never afford something like that, not according to his living quarters.
At least one good thing came from Joey having an ancient and outdated phone. It didn't require a password. Seto quickly dialed his personal cell number and waited.
Joey literally jumped when he heard the buzzing sound of the cell phone vibrating on the bed. He picked it and noticed that taking a call didn't require the input of a password. Hesitantly, he answered.
"Hello."
"Who is this?" A voice demanded from the other side. Joey stared at the phone in confusion.
"Umm... who are you?" He asked instead, not sure how to answer the stranger's question.
"You answered my phone so you tell me who the hell you are."
"Kaiba... Is that you?" Joey asked hopefully.
"Wheeler?" Kaiba responded and Joey groaned loudly.
"Oh man, what the hell is going on? Why am I in your body? And are you in mine?"
"That's what I would like to know Wheeler." Seto muttered in irritation. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Joey said defensively. "You think I purposely orchestrated this freaky situation?"
"Yes." Seto replied without hesitation.
"Why the hell would I do that?" Joey asked and Seto snorted on the other side.
"Because you would find this kind of situation funny."
"Listen man, though I would love to see you suffer, I don't want it to happen at my expense." Joey assured him.
"Then how do you explain what happened? How did I end up as you and you as me?" Seto demanded.
"I don't know. I really don't know." Joey repeated with a groan. Seto didn't reply and silence followed.
"There has to be an explanation for this." Seto finally said. "It's almost like some sort of a magic trick."
"Magic?" Joey's eyes widened at that word. "Maybe it is magic. Maybe it has to do with the millennium items."
"What do you mean?" Seto asked, agitated and curious at the mention of the items.
"The millennium rod can take over minds. Maybe it can also switch minds." Joey said. Seto didn't respond immediately, thinking the hypothesis over. It seemed like a decent hypothesis, especially considering it was their only hypothesis.
"Then we need to talk to Ishizu." Seto said in a decisive tone. "Where exactly are you right now?"
"Uhh... I'm still in your bedroom." Joey answered, clearly uncomfortable at being there.
"Go out of the room and turn left. Go down the hall to the last room. Tell the security guard there to come to your place and pick me up. We will speak further when I get there." Seto commanded.
"Wouldn't he ask why I'm sending him so early in the morning to pick you up?" Joey asked.
"My employees are smart enough to know never to question me." Seto replied arrogantly. "Now stop wasting time and do what I said. The sooner I get there, the sooner we can get out of this mess." He didn't wait for Joey to speak and hung up. Joey glared at the phone for a few seconds. Even in Joey's body, Seto Kaiba was still an asshole.
With a sigh, Joey got up and proceeded to the room Seto had directed him to. As told, a man sat in the room, staring at security cameras. Joey realized that this was the security room as the cameras displayed views of the entire mansion.
"Is there something you need sir?" The security guard asked and Joey realized that he hadn't said a word in a while, but had been staring at the TV screens.
"Yes. I want you to pick someone up and bring him here right away." Joey said in what he hoped was a commanding voice.
"Of course sir." The man replied without a blink and got up. Joey was amazed at his obedience, but hid it and told him the address. After that, he went back to the bedroom and sat on the bed, waiting for Seto to arrive. Though it was a thirty minute wait, it felt a lot longer. Joey leapt from the bed when the bedroom door opened and his own face stared back at him.
"Whoa." He said. "This is so freaky."
"Freaky doesn't even begin to describe it." Seto replied. Joey was still having a hard time seeing himself look so angry. A scowl did not suit his features.
"So what are we going to do?" Joey asked. Seto went straight for his phone and dialed a number.
"I'm going to call Ishizu and ask her to fix this." He replied in a strict tone. Joey nodded and waited. The thought that she might not even know what was going on and might not be able to help lingered in his mind but he determinedly pushed it away. He had to be optimistic.
"Ishizu? This is Seto Kaiba." Seto said in a strong voice as soon as he heard 'hello' on the other side.
"Kaiba?" Ishizu's was clearly confused, either at receiving the call itself, or at the voice.
"I need to speak with you. It's urgent." Seto said.
"Of course." She replied.
"Turn on your video phone. The conversation will go a lot smoothly and quickly if we can see each other." Seto said. If Ishizu was confused or startled at the request, she made no mention of it and agreed. Seto hung up and began walking out of the bedroom. Joey mutely followed him to a room not too far from the bedroom. The new room turned out to be Seto's home office.
Seto immediately went to sit behind his desk and made the video call. After a few rings, there was an answer. The voice was soon followed by Ishizu's face appearing on a screen.
"Joey Wheeler?" Ishizu said in a confused voice as she stared at Joey's scowling face.
"I'm here." Joey (in Seto's body) said, popping up behind Seto. Ishizu's eyes widened.
"As you can see, Wheeler's minuscule brain is in my body whereas I am in his body." Seto (in Joey's body) said.
(A/N: To avoid confusion, I will be referring to them with their real names. But Joey is in Seto's body and vice versa).
"I see." Was all Ishizu could say.
"We woke up like this." Joey said. "I slept as Joey and woke up as Kaiba. And the same happened to Kaiba."
"Why did you call me?" Ishizu asked, her gaze directed at Seto in Joey's body.
"Explain this nonsense." Seto demanded.
"We think this might have to do with the millennium items." Joey explained.
"There is no item with the power to switch minds." Ishizu said. "At least none that I am aware of."
"But the rod can take over minds. Maybe instead of taking over the mind, it switched it." Joey said.
"The rod can certainly take over minds, but the person who takes over the mind must be using the item. The person also remains in full control of his or her own body." Ishizu explained.
"Maybe Marik found a way to do it. He used the rod more than you. He probably knows more about it." Joey said desperately.
"I do not believe Marik knows more than I do. But in any case, he couldn't have used the rod. He is out of the country at the moment, and the rod is locked up in a secure vault." Ishizu said.
"Maybe he stole it before he left. Maybe he left so you or we wouldn't be able to catch him." Seto said through clenched teeth.
"I do not appreciate you accusing my brother without any evidence." Ishizu said with a frown.
"And I do not appreciate being a part of this ridiculous trick." Seto snapped back.
"Please Ishizu, call Marik. Ask him if he knows anything about this. Even if he didn't do it, he might know if the rod has the ability to do it." Joey begged. Ishizu stared at the two boys with hard eyes. It was so bizarre to see a pleading expression on the face of the commanding and demanding Seto Kaiba, and to see a scowl on the face of the ever friendly and cheerful Joey Wheeler.
"Very well." Ishizu conceded to the request. "I will contact Marik and discuss the situation with him."
"How long will this take?" Seto demanded.
"Perhaps half an hour." Ishizu replied.
"I will wait for your call." Seto said with a tone of finality and hung up. Joey stared at the blank screen for a few seconds longer before moving away to sit on a large leather couch resting on the side. Seto turned on his laptop and began working.
"Forgot to do the homework?" Joey said with a smirk and Seto scoffed.
"The homework is child's play to me. I don't need to spend any time finishing it."
"Then what are you doing so early in the morning? Why do you even wake up this early? School doesn't start for another two hours." Joey groaned.
"I'm working." Seto said through gritted teeth. "In case you forgot, I run a multi-billion dollar company. I need to work to keep it functional. I don't have time to waste like you and your geeky friends."
"We don't waste our time either Kaiba." Joey replied hotly. "We have our own stuff to deal with."
"I'm sure it is very important." Seto replied sarcastically.
"I wish Ishizu would call back fast. I don't want your shitty personality to leave a mark on my brain." Joey said.
"And I don't want your stupidity to seep into my brain cells." Seto replied. Joey responded with an obscene hand gesture and Seto glared but turned back to his work. Minutes passed agonizingly slow. Finally, after more than forty minutes had passed, Joey got up.
"Maybe we should call her and see what's the delay."
"It's probably her psychotic brother. She must have learnt that he was behind our situation and is now doing damage control. He was too messed up in the head to be rehabilitated out of his ways as she wanted." Seto said. Just then, the phone rang. Seto immediately answered and watched Ishizu's face appear on the screen.
"I just spoke with Marik." She said. "He said he has no idea what is going on and had nothing to do with it."
"He is lying." Seto spat angrily.
"I also checked the vault and found the millennium rod exactly where I left it. My brother or the millennium rod had nothing to do with your situation." She said.
"That can't be." Joey said in a panicked tone. "How else can you explain this? It has to be some sort of magic."
"You may be right in that some magic is involved." Ishizu conceded. "I will research your situation to see if it has happened before and then get back to you."
"How long will that take?" Seto asked.
"I am not sure." She admitted honestly. "I will have to go through ancient archives. The ones that were digitized made no mention of body switching but I will re-analyze them along with all the old documents we have. Hopefully I can find some helpful information."
"That can take days." Seto said with wide eyes and Ishizu solemnly nodded.
"It will probably take weeks if not a few months."
"No. I can't wait that long." Seto growled. "My company will be ruined if I am not there to lead it."
"I'm sorry but I can't offer anything else at this moment. I can, however, assure you that I will make this my top priority and get my staff working on it right away. I am hoping that with many bodies working on finding the solution, it might not take too long." Seto didn't reply. Silence occupied the room. Finally, Joey spoke.
"Thanks for your help Ishizu. Let us know if you find anything." Ishizu nodded before hanging up. Joey sighed and watched Seto from the corner of his eyes. The teen billionaire hadn't moved or blinked since he had received the bad news.
"Hey Kaiba, you okay?" Joey asked in a concerned tone.
"No I'm not okay." Seto snapped. "I am stuck in the body of a buffoon while his pea sized mind is in my body. I can't do anything that I am required to do. I can't work. I can't lead my company. And without me, my company will collapse. I will lose everything because of some idiot's magic trick."
"It can't be that bad." Joey tried to reason but Seto glared at him.
"It can be and it will be. I know because I have dealt with this kind of situation before. You don't know the kind of people I work with, the kind of people I deal with. They are always waiting for me to show a moment of weakness so they can attack and take everything away from me. When Mokuba was kidnapped by Pegasus and I left to get him, they took advantage of my absence and tried to take over my company. They will do the same now. And this time, there is nothing I can do to stop them because I am not Seto Kaiba. I am Joey frickin Wheeler." Seto said.
"But I am Seto Kaiba." Joey said. "I can do something to prevent that." Seto laughed mockingly at Joey's words.
"What will you do Wheeler?" He sneered. "Do you even know how to run a company? Do you know anything about business, about technology, about leadership, about responsibility?"
"I know more than you give me credit for Kaiba." Joey glared back.
"I don't give you any credit." Seto replied with a nasty smile.
"You might want to be careful about what you say to me."Joey replied with an equally nasty smile. "I might just decide to ruin your company. After all, I am Seto Kaiba. I can do a lot of damage to your company and reputation."
"You wouldn't dare." Seto glared. "You are too much of a goody goody to do anything bad."
"You are mistaking me with Yugi or Tea." Joey said. "I can be really bad if I want to. And without Yugi or Tea acting as my conscious, I might just decide to pay you back for all the times you insulted me."
"I would respond with a threat to destroy your life, but as I got a firsthand look and experience, I am sad to say that I can't do it. I don't think it is possible to ruin you any more than you already are." Seto said in a poisonous tone.
"Take a good look around Kaiba because you won't have this for long." Joey growled. "First thing today, I'm selling your company for pocket change." Seto glared with equal intensity before sighing and sinking back into his chair.
"This is getting us nowhere. We have to find a way to deal with this." He said. Joey let out a deep breath and nodded.
"We can't tell anyone about this." Seto said, meeting Joey's eyes. "No one can know about this. Besides, no one will believe us even if we explained to them because it is so inconceivable. It will only make us look crazy and it will destroy my reputation." Joey nodded in agreement.
"So you think we should just pretend to be each other?"
"Yes." Seto nodded.
"For how long can we do that? We don't know each other well enough to act like the other. Sooner or later, someone is going to find out." Joey said.
"It won't be for very long." Seto assured him, and added a silent 'hopefully' in his mind.
"If you say so." Joey said, not at all convinced. "In any case, we need to exchange some information about each other so we can pretend to be each other." Seto's body stiffened at the suggestion. He hated sharing personal information with anyone. And to have to share it with Joey Wheeler, the person he despised, was the worst scenario. Still, if they were to pull off the act, it was necessary. And it would benefit him and his company if this was kept a secret.
"Very well." He conceded. He would tell Joey the very basic information needed to act like him in public. There wouldn't be anything the world already didn't know about him. And his reputation ensured that no one bothered him with conversation. As long as Joey kept a scowl on his face and regarded everyone as beneath him, he would be fine and no one would approach him.
What about at Kaiba Corp.? Seto panicked when that thought crossed his mind. Joey could never pull him off at Kaiba Corp. There, he was needed to give his opinion, make decision, and check everything. Joey didn't have the brain power to do any of that. But if he didn't do all that, people would get suspicious. If he tried and failed as Seto expected him to, then the results would be disastrous.
"You go first." Seto said to Joey, hoping to come up with a solution while Joey rambled on about his routine and life.
"Wait... you have a job?" Seto suddenly asked as the information entered his brain. After school jobs were forbidden for Domino High students. The school maintained that they distracted students and resulted in lower student grades on country wide standardized tests. Since Domino High wanted to retain its place as one of the top schools in the country, it had adopted the policy to keep students focused on their education.
"Yeah." Joey replied in an uncomfortable tone. "The school knows about it. I have special permission from the principal and from the school board." Seto nodded and motioned for him to continue. Based on Joey's living conditions, the teen clearly needed the money, and must have garnered enough pity to convince the board to make an exception. He had convinced them to make an exception for himself, although he had used intimidation.
When Joey finished, Seto began speaking, talking about his daily routine. His was quite simple and included school and work only. There was no issue of his behaviour in the house. His staff valued their jobs too much to ever question him, no matter how erratic his behaviour became. And Mokuba too didn't bother him much. The boy was growing and kept to himself mostly which was fine by Seto. It gave him more time to work.
"When you go to Kaiba Corp., that's when you need to be careful." Seto said and began explaining his every move, from entering the building to finally reaching his office. As long as Joey appeared in a foul mood, he would be fine and no one would approach him. Besides, by the time he went in the evening, most of the employees left and there were less people to deal with.
"What do I do if someone asks me a question about something?" Joey asked in a worried tone.
"I usually answer it because I can." Seto replied with a sneer. "But since that can't be expected from you, you will use plan B which is to turn the tables on the employee. Question his competence and demand that he answer the question or solve the problem."
"You do that?" Joey asked, though he already knew the answer. Seto probably enjoyed doing that.
"Yes. Sometimes it is necessary to teach fools a lesson." Seto replied before continuing to provide Joey with the necessary information. At the end, he asked Joey if he understood everything. Joey hesitantly nodded his head.
"I feel like there is a lot of room for me to slip and mess up." He admitted and Seto nodded.
"Can't I not go there?" Joey said. "Maybe I can work from home. You do that too, don't you?" Seto nodded and considered that. The employees expected him to show up but there was no rule saying he had to stay there the entire time and work. He went in the evening and worked for a few hours before bringing the files back with him so he could work till late night at home. He could continue to do the same but instead of spending the regular four hours at Kaiba Corp., he could just go in every day, grab the necessary files and work from home. It would be unusual but no one would question him.
That was a good solution. He was planning on taking the files from Joey every morning and working on them anyway. After all, he had to work to keep Kaiba Corp. at the top. It would be more difficult than he had anticipated because of Joey's job, but he was used to working long hours. It wouldn't make a big difference. And it would keep Joey away from Kaiba Corp. and reduce the chances of him messing anything. Yes, it was a good plan.
"You have to go there every day." Seto said, frowning as Joey's face fell. He didn't like that expression on his face at all. Seto Kaiba didn't do pathetic or sad.
"But you can leave early." Seto said and again, the gleeful expression he was rewarded annoyed him. Seto Kaiba didn't do happy either. "Go in so everyone sees you and knows you came. Then grab all the necessary files and come back to the mansion. I will take those files from you every morning, work on them, and return them when I'm done. We will remain in communication for as long as this situation persists."
"You are going to work at Kaiba Corp. stuff and do my job too?" Joey asked skeptically.
"Of course." Seto replied. "If anything, I will quit your job and focus on Kaiba Corp."
"Like hell you will." Joey growled. "I need that job Kaiba so you better not quit or do anything to get me fired. If you do that, I will run through the Kaiba Corp. building butt naked." Seto glared at him.
"Classy Wheeler."
"Classy Kaiba." Joey replied cheekily.
"Fine." Seto said and got up. "I will leave now. Call me if you need any help."
"Wait." Joey said. "I can't use your phone. It has a password."
"I will remove it for the duration. But don't try to snoop around." Seto said and began walking towards his bedroom.
"Why?" Joey asked with a smile. "Got a girlfriend you don't want people to know. Or maybe a boyfriend?"
"Get all the idiocy out of your system now Wheeler, because once you are in public, you can't be anything else but a mature and civilized human being." Seto said.
"I thought I had to pretend to be you, not be mature and certainly not civilized." Joey said cheekily and Seto frowned. Joey Wheeler in his body was going to cause a lot of trouble for him. He would have to do a lot of damage control once he got his body back.
"I can't wait to tell Yugi and Tea about this."Joey muttered from behind him. "I'm going to have so much fun freaking Tristan out." Seto stopped and turned around to face him.
"I thought I said we will not tell this to anyone."
"I thought you meant others besides my friends." Joey said and Seto gritted his teeth in frustration.
"I meant everyone, including your friends. You can't tell them anything."
"They won't say anything to others." Joey assured him. "They are pretty good at keeping secrets. Maybe Yugi can help us out too."
"No." Seto repeated. "They might not say a word but their attitude and behaviour will clue others that something is wrong. If they know that I am not their beloved friend, they will treat me like they treat Seto Kaiba. Worse, they will be friendly towards you. How do you think others will react to that?" The geeks were too chummy to ignore a friend. They would secretly want to meet with Joey and spend time with him, and someone would eventually see them and cause a scandal. He couldn't risk that. Besides, the idea of Yugi helping him was unacceptable.
"I guess you are right." Joey admitted.
"And while we are on the topic of your friends, remember that you are Seto Kaiba. You are not their friend so don't be friendly or nice. Act like I do." Seto said.
"I am not going to be a jerk and insult them like you do. I will ignore them."Joey said. "And you have to be nice to them and be friendly. You are Joey Wheeler. You must be completely convincing because my friends know me very well. If they sense even a small difference in my personality, they will question it."
"I will try my best to be an idiot." Seto said and Joey rolled his eyes.
"Then I will try my best to be an insufferable jerk who is hated by everyone."
"Glad we have an understanding." Seto replied. Once he had removed the password from his phone, he asked Joey to call the security guard again to drive him back to Joey's place and left, leaving Joey alone in the bedroom.
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Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think.
For those of you waiting for a new chapter for "The Bachelor", I am working on it. I should have it uploaded within a week.