White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~A Cursed Puppy's Love~

A Yu-Gi-Oh! Story


Title: A Cursed Puppy's Love

Words: 14,863

Warnings: Yaoi (Boy Love), fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, and child abuse.

Pairings: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: I own only the plot that my darling plot bunnies have given me. Joey, Seto, and the others do not belong to me.

Summary: Joey Wheeler is cursed: by day a human and by night a dog. This isn't even the worst of his problems though, especially not when he gets abused by his dad and picked on by his ultimate teenage, high school crush, Seto Kaiba. So what happens when he and Joey get locked in the school for a whole weekend? Well, let's find out, shall we?


-0-


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

My name is Joey Wheeler and I'm really just your average blonde haired, honey eyed teen from Japan. I go to Domino High with my best friends Yugi, Tristan, Duke, Ryou, and Tea; Yami, Bakura, Marik, and Malik go here too, but truth is, I don't ever really see much of them.

Now, allow me to let you in on a little secret: something that tells me apart from every other teen that goes here. See, the thing is, everyone thinks I'm normal; different from Yugi, or his boyfriend Yami, or hell, even Bakura, Marik, and Malik. This secret of mine, one that's been through my family on my mother's side for generations, is that I'm cursed.

Because while people may know who I am, they don't know what I am, not even my best friends. By day I'm human, but by night, I'm a dog; though if you ask me, I'm more of a puppy than a dog and ain't that just the cherry on top?

See though, it's not just my friends that don't know about the curse, because not even my dad knows. Though I can tell you right now, that's probably because he's always shit-faced with alcohol that he can never really think straight. It's a no wonder my mom never told him though; a guy like him would flip out if he knew, so that's why I never told him either. But truth be told, I'm not sure if it's better if he does know, or if he doesn't.

That's another thing: since my dad is always drunk, he's always beating on me for any reason he can think up. One: when I come home in the morning after disappearing for the night since he doesn't, and will never know I'm a dog. Two: because I didn't prepare dinner quick enough or I didn't clean well enough. Three: because I usually always got detentions and came home late. Or four, and this is the worst one: because he felt like it.

Now here's the thing, it wouldn't be so bad if it was just my dad doing any of this, but on top of that, I'm a victim of mental abuse from one Seto Kaiba, my worst enemy and probably the single most gorgeous guy in my school. All the girls fall for his rich boy looks and bad boy, 'I'll charm the pants of you', act, but I think thew worst of it is: I've fallen for it too. He hates me though, and I have to admit there are times that I hate him back, but really, he'd get suspicious if I didn't fight back all the time, and there was really no way in hell I'd ever let him know that I liked him.

But, you see, all of that changed one fateful day when both he and I somehow managed to get locked in the school, alone, on the weekend. And let me tell you, that weekend was probably the worst in my entire life.

-0-

"Boy, where the hell have you been!?" Cringing at the sound of a slightly sober voice that came from the living room, when I walked into the house after spending the night outside in the cold as a dog, I stopped right in my tracks when I saw my dad appear at the archway that led from the hallway to the living room. At that moment, I would've done, or said anything to get out of what I knew was going to happen, but I wasn't going to be lucky this time, I also knew that for sure.

"Dad-" The pain that blossomed in my stomach cut me off, after Dad had walked up to me, a scowl on his face, and just punched me like it had been the only thing on his mind right then and there. I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming out in pain, but it didn't help any when he kicked me in my left leg, causing me to fall to the ground and literally lose my breath.

"You don't leave without my permission you fucking worthless mutt!" he screamed at me as he kicked me around some more, and the cry that left me seemed to only fuel his anger. It seemed like hours before he finally left me alone, leaving the house to probably go drink and gamble again. I laid there for a small amount of time, catching my breath before I realized what time it was, as my alarm clock could be heard from my room, and I slowly made my way towards it to get ready for school.

The only thing I was glad for, was the fact that it was Friday. Which meant that I could do anything I wanted this weekend without worry about my curse, my dad, or anything else for that matter.

Taking a shower to calm down the aching pain and to get myself cleaned after a rough night sleeping in a box, I went to my closet to grab my school uniform and get changed. Only then did I grab my backpack, my jacket, and my card deck, finally heading outside, skipping breakfast, and I made my way to the school, which sat on the other side of town.

I knew I was going to be late, but because of this stupid curse, I haven't cared since I was ten. I'm always late to class, but really, it wasn't my fault. It was because of the curse that I get the shit kicked out of me every morning before school by my dad.

When I finally got to the school, relief washed over me when I realized I had just enough time before the second bell rang. I was usually never this lucky, so I took full advantage of it as I ran to my locker, trying desperately not to cringe in pain. Grabbing my books needed, I stuffed them in my bag, uncaring about anything else before closing my locker and rushing to class.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, having memorized these halls and little details that I could spot in the corner of my eyes and know immediately where I was, so of course that as soon as I get around the final corner to my homeroom, I manage to get knocked back, flat on my ass.

"D-damn it…" Gritting my teeth as I hissed in pain when my injuries were jarred, I rubbed at the small of my back and my bottom before looking up, curious as to who I ran into. But as soon as I did, I decided it wouldn't hurt to correct the former statement in saying, 'who ran into me', since I was looking up at none other than the infamous Seto Kaiba. Chocolate haired, electric blue eyed, gorgeous rich boy that was currently glaring at me, though a tiny smirk was noted playing at his lips.

"Watch where you're going mutt," he snapped, tilting his chin up a little as he stared down at me those pretty eyes of his. And damn if I didn't have such a big crush on this guy, I'd have smashed his face in by now. Too bad my heart wasn't into it, even if my head was pounding and begging me to shut his face up.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a damn dog!" Even if my dad could get away with calling me mutt, I hated it when Se- er, Kaiba that is, called me one. To know that I was nothing more than a stupid pup in his eyes, well, that does things to a guys heart that no word can ever describe. To put it simply, it hurt every time I heard him say as such.

He smirked at this, tilting his head a little to the side and I'm pretty sure the only person that ever notices the little habits like those is me, not that I'm complaining. It actually kind of makes him just a tiny bit adorable in situations like these, at least until he says something that ruins that effect, like, "You could've fooled me." He snickers and I growled back at him before stifling it when it only seemed to cause his smirk to grow.

Standing up, I hissed slightly before glaring at him as best as I could, readjusting the strap of my bag when I did. "Whatever," I huffed, "I don't have time to deal with you, bastard." I turned to move past him, head held up high despite the fact that I knew Kaiba was still smirking at me, the damn bastard. I ignored him, though, especially since it would do me no good to get into another fight with him when we both had yet to even reach class.

Entering the classroom, with Kaiba right behind me, I took my seat before the bell rang and sighed in slight relief. It was only then that I registered how tired I was, and after determining that I wasn't going to get another detention for sleeping in class, I laid my head to rest on my arms before giving in to the exhaustion. You probably already know this, but sleeping in a cold box can be very hard to get used to and half the time, I never even manage to get to sleep in one. So it's no surprise how tired I was, and even more so when I found myself asleep before the teacher managed to start the lecture.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

After coming into the classroom and taking my seat, which sat across the room and far away from Wheeler's, I got out my laptop and opened it up before starting on the work that I actually cared about. The teachers all knew about my corporation, everyone did, so they never bothered me when I set about to spend time in class doing this. Besides, I always got the homework done, so they never have any reason to complain about me never paying too much attention.

After a few minutes of going through files I really didn't care for, I saw from the corner of my eye that Joey had fallen asleep on his desk again, something I was surprised to find the teacher hadn't said anything about yet. Truth is, I worry about him sometimes. He was always sleeping in the classes we shared and whenever I managed to catch a glimpse of him with those friends of his, he never seemed to be as energetic as he used to be. But what worried me the most was how every time I'd get a chance to observe him up close, he was always wincing or cringing in pain and he always had this look that told me that he was constantly trying not to give away anything and it pissed me off.

Was Joey always so clumsy out of school or was something or someone responsible for it all? These thoughts only seemed to cause my anger to surge, so I tried to focus on something, anything, else.

I finally grabbed out my school book, trying to concentrate on what the teacher was telling the class, but every so often I would find myself glancing back at the sleeping 'pup'. And seeing his peaceful sleeping face only made me smile as I thought about exactly how much he resembled a dog. That was the reason I called him one, other than the fact that I loved to see the fire in his eyes when I called him mutt; he was fierce, he was caring, he was loyal, he had the innocence of a puppy and I have to admit, he's as cute as a puppy as well.

Alright, so yes, I have a bit of a crush on Joey, so what? Even I have to admit that there is no chance in hell that he likes me back; I insult him every chance I get, I tease him about things that may border on cruel, and I'm always constantly getting him into trouble. But I loved to rile him up, to see the fire in his eyes and truth be told, I was afraid that if I quit picking on him, he'd get bored of me and ignore me. And that I would not stand for.

When the bell rang, signifying the end of class, I noticed the other students getting up and leaving as the teacher was telling them about a solo project they all had to work on through the weekend. Sighing to myself, I realized that Joey hadn't woken up when the bell rang so I decided to go wake him up myself. Putting up my laptop and my books, I made ready to leave before walking over to him, "Come on mutt, you'll be late to Science if you don't get up." I barely held back a smirk when he woke up, only just barely, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawned.

"Hn…?" As he took a moment to wake up, I couldn't help but think that as cute and as innocent as he looked when he was asleep, I might just favor the single moment when he first wakes up even more. Mentally shaking my head, I ridded the not-so-innocent thoughts that festered within my mind and instead turned my attention back to Joey, "Shit!" at the moment when he seemed to just realize that yes, he might in fact be late to class.

Chuckling to myself, I watched as he darted out the door with his stuff, and tried not to notice how he winced with each step he took. I sighed then, after realizing that there isn't a possible way for me not to notice, and walked out, going to the next class, Science. After Science class though, I would have to make my way back to my work, since I had a meeting I would have to attend; I hated being the CEO of the company, but at least Mokuba, my little brother, loved it.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

Late to Science, again, no big surprise, but what made it all okay was the fact that Kaiba was late too. So at least I wasn't the only one who wasn't going to get a lecture about attendence and tardiness and how one should always be on time. What made it worse though was that the teacher was Mrs. Taylor and she was one of the few teachers who didn't know about mine and Kaiba's arguments. She was very, very strict, so we wanted to keep it that way, or we'd get into serious trouble with her.

But Kaiba can never leave well enough alone, can he? "Told you you were gonna be late again, pup," that snarky comment from him told me the answer to that question and I growled at him, unable to help it.

"You're late too, so don't even try it." Glaring at him, I only got more agitated when he smirked back.

"Try what exactly mutt?" he poked back and I tried to ignore it, but like with everything involving him, I couldn't.

"Don't push it arrogant bastard!" I hissed, so mad that I didn't even notice that we'd caught the attention of Mrs. Taylor. So, for the first time ever in this class, we argued with each other and after five straight minutes, Mrs. Taylor seemed to have had enough of us bickering.

"That is enough!" she snapped, slamming her hands on her desk, causing both of us to stop and look at her, my eyes as wide as saucers. "You two are in for a detention after school!" As soon as those words left her mouth, I felt all of my breath leave me, and I didn't think my eyes would go any wider.

"B-but I can't!" Because who knows what would happen if I was late getting home again. I'm guessing my dad would start to use props instead of his own fists and feet. I couldn't help but shudder at the thought, I tried to shake off the thoughts and the phantom pain so that the others don't see my reaction. No one can know how my treats me; they either won't care, will distance themselves from me, treat me with pity or sympathy, or will try and interfere and that can never happen or he'll do something worse just to show the world he can do it and no one can stop him.

"Honestly, Mr. Wheeler, you should've thought about the consequences before you came into my classroom arguing!" Mrs. Taylor scolded in that tone that I've seen her use on other teachers, and man let me tell you, it's scarier than hell. So Kaiba and I immediately sat down and we kept silent for the rest of the class; though to be honest, I'm not sure if I would've been able to talk at all, given that my mind was racing as it was filled with terrifying thoughts. I didn't know how I would handle things after school and that scared me more than getting yelled at by the teacher.

Glaring at Kaiba, I tried to keep it together, but as the thoughts turned more horrifying, my anger for Kaiba lessened by how frightened I was of my father.

It wasn't fair though, why should I have to pay for the things he started? I will already have to answer to my dad about it, but I can't stand it when the teachers yell at me, and I get plenty of that when I fall asleep in certain classes.


-After School-

-0-

Sitting in a vacant seat, I buried my face in my hands, "My dad's gonna kill me." I whispered, mostly to myself, before hearing footsteps walk into the room and I looked up, my eyes narrowing at the very reason I was in this mess: Seto Kaiba. The detention 'guard' snorted and shook his head before getting up when he saw that we were both accounted for.

"Well since you two are the only ones in the detention room, I'm going to head out somewhere else," he said before walking out and locking the door behind him.

When I realized we were completely alone, I jumped up, gritting my teeth and clenching my hands as I glared at the older teen, "Well I hope your happy!" I growled at him, "I wouldn't be in here if it weren't for your lame ass insults!" Kaiba only huffed and sat down on a desk, grabbing out a book from his bag to read.

Groaning quietly to myself, I sat back down in my own desk, head back in my hands. It was times like these that I didn't even know why I had a crush on the pompous jerk.

Having had nothing else to do, I just sat there for the entire hour of detention, before finally getting bored and I got up. "Oh come on, what does the guy expect me to do the entire-" cutting myself off, I frowned in confusion, looking up at the clock and finally noting the time. "Wait… isn't detention supposed to be over?" I whispered in question before cautiously heading over to the door, finding it surprisingly unlocked.

Opening the door and peeking outside and into the halls, I saw that they were all dark and vacant. No one was around to be seen and all the lights were off.

That was when the panic started to settle in.

"Oh no…" I muttered in horror, eyes as wide as they can be. Running out of the room, I spent the entirety of ten minutes checking every exit and door and found them all locked. "No!" Pacing up and down the strip in front of the main school entrance, I didn't even hear Kaiba coming up behind me. In fact, I hadn't even known that he'd followed me out of the room.

"What are you doing, mutt?"Jumping slightly in surprise, I whipped around to stare at him in slight disbelief before I finally snapped.

"Damn it Kaiba, don't you understand?! We're locked in here! Trapped until the weekend is over!" I felt my eyes water as it finally settled in about what was really happening, but when I noticed, I quickly turned my head down and away, clenching my fists as if in anger, so he wouldn't see me cry.

"What the hell do you mean we're locked in?!" he snapped back, obviously not believing me, but before I could spit back at him for his ignorant ass, the realization of what was going to happen finally settled in deep in my mind. And thinking of just what this meant, I paled, feeling sicker than I've ever felt before.

Because if we're both locked in here for the weekend... the entire weekend… then he's going to find out the truth about me. The truth about my curse… that I really am a dog!

Backing away a small step, I finally turned tail and ran, as fast and as far away from him as I could.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

"What the hell do you mean we're locked in!?" I couldn't help but snap at the blonde, confusion and slight anger filling me to the brim. I had work to do, and Mokuba can't be alone for an entire weekend; what if something happens and I'm not there? But when he didn't answer, and instead looked back at me with wide eyes filled with fear, I became that little bit more worried for him.

When he seemed to come back to realization after a while, he shook his head and backed up; I tried to follow after him, reaching for him, but before I could, he turned around and ran from me. I frowned, sighing as I watched him run down the halls, and even though it killed me, I decided it was best not to follow him this time. It was obvious something was bothering him, so I determined that what he needed now was time and space.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

Running as fast as I could to the bathrooms, I tried my best to clear away my tears, though it seemed to me that they were never-ending. "Damn it, why does God hate me?" I looked at myself in the mirror and then sighed, scrubbing again at my eyes and deflating only just a little, "Or, well I guess the better question is… why does Seto hate me?"


-8:00 PM, Friday-

-0-

An hour.

That's how long I had left before I changed forms again. I dreaded it so much that I've been avoiding Kaiba everywhere I go, my mind terrorizing me about how he would react if he knew. So I determined I was going to make sure he won't see me change, but I still can't help but think I'm not going to succeed in avoiding him forever. If he won't see me as a human, he'll find me as a dog, I just know it. "Damn curse," I growled out as I sat on one of the tables in the cafeteria.

Watching the clock and hoping for once that I didn't have to change, I whimpered a little when the minute hand grew ever closer to the twelve. I wished that I didn't have this curse, because my life would be so much easier without. I wouldn't get into so much trouble with my dad, I could live a terror free world at night and instead just sleep peacefully in my own bed for once, and I wouldn't have to worry about what others would think if they ever found out about it.

Kids would make fun of me, adults would try and poke at me for answers, people might even want to run tests on me, and the thing I feared the worst: no one would treat me like a normal human.

Sighing in defeat, I watched as the minutes hand finally matched the twelve and I closed my eyes as smoke surrounded me. It took no longer than five seconds before I was back to being a dog.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

When I finished reading the book I'd gotten out at the start of detention, I closed it with a sigh and shook my head before putting it away. I was getting bored, extremely so, and I had work to do, but it was a bit of a shame that I couldn't work on what really needed done, despite having my laptop with me. But then again, on the bright side of things, I get to spend the weekend with my pup.

Walking out of the classroom I'd gone too after Joey ran away, I decided to check the cafeteria in hopes of finding him. I knew how big of an appetite he had, so it wouldn't surprise me if I actually did find him there stuffing his face with food left by the lunch ladies.

However, when I did finally arrive, I didn't find Joey, but instead I found a small golden retriever pup. As I got closer, I noticed that it had soft golden fur that matched Joey's hair color and when I caught a glimpse of its eyes, I noted that they were the same perfect honey brown that I loved.

"Why is there a little pup here…?" I wondered out loud, but as soon as I spoke, the puppy turned towards me and it got a scared look on its face. The moment I took a step towards it, the puppy ran away from me, nearly skidding on the tiles of the floor as it did so. "Hey!" I shouted in surprise, "Wait, I won't… hurt you. Damn I scared him off." I groaned, running a hand over my face as I shook my head in exasperation. "Great to know I scare animals along with people." I sighed and decided I was going to follow the pup, walking in the same direction it went.

I couldn't help but wonder how the pup got in, though; if he was just a stray or if he was a teacher's pet that accidentally got locked in like us. When I got to the hall, I saw a glimpse of the puppy's tail and let a small microscopic smile play at my lips.

Making my way to the classroom the pup disappearing into, I closed the door behind me, so that the puppy wouldn't be able to get out. I didn't bother with locking the door, though, since I knew the pup wasn't big enough to jump up to the handle even if he could open the door himself.

"Come on out, little pup," I cooed gently into the room and got a small whimper for my trouble. Walking around the room, I finally noticed the pup curled up behind the teacher's desk, and I frowned a little at him. From my point of view, it looked like he was injured, but I couldn't really tell for sure. Kneeling down, I noticed the puppy curl up tighter as if he was afraid of me, and for all I knew, he was. As much as I enjoyed having that effect on other people, I didn't like it when animals shied away from me, especially for seemingly no reason at all.

Adjusting my weight on my feet, I picked up the pup gently and finally stood up, carrying him out of the classroom and down towards the nurses office. It was easy to get there, from where we were, and since I knew Mrs. Ray never locked her room, it was the best place to go at the moment. As soon as I got to the nurse's office, I went inside and set the pup on one of the beds, placing him on a soft blanket that was left out. I felt my chest tighten a little when he let out a soft whimper in return and I sighed softly, reaching out to pet him gently on the back of his neck.

"Don't worry little one; I'm not going to hurt you." I whispered and finally went to the cabinets to get the first aid kit.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

I was a bit shocked as I watched Kaiba in a curious yet frightened manner as he got the first aid kit out. I never knew Kaiba had a soft side to him, but I guess I always hoped that it would be there. It'd suck if he was one hundred percent bastard on both the inside and the outside, but I knew that it wouldn't matter because that would all change the second he knew who this 'little pup' was.

He walked back over to me and I backed away just a little, still afraid despite his actions. That was when I saw that he had a very small smile pasted on his face and I couldn't help but calm down just a little at seeing it. It was nice, to see him smile like that, and it certainly made him look all that more appealing.

I flinched when he reached his hand out with some ointment, gently putting some on the bruises underneath my fur and I winced when it burned my skin. I will never in my lifetime get used to this; Kaiba's niceness towards me or the pain I get from the treatment to my injuries.

"Awe, I wonder who could ever hurt such a cute little thing like you." Kaiba murmured to me, cooing the words like one would when speaking to a baby or… a puppy. Turning my head up, my ears lowered as I looked at him like he had two, no three heads. This was insane, nice but insane, because this was never a side of Kaiba I never thought I'd ever see in my entire life.

Calming down a bit more as he continued to pet me, I realized just how exhausted I was; one because of my pain, two because of all the quietness around, and three because I really hadn't gotten a good amount of sleep in forever. Yawning, I heard Kaiba chuckle from above me as I curled into the blankets, nosing them and trying to get comfortable.

He picked me up and laid carefully down on the bed with me in his lap. I didn't question why he chose to stay in here with me, since this was the only room in the school with actual beds, but I also didn't question it because well, I couldn't speak for one, and two, I figured with how tired I was, it was a simple waste of energy to do so. "If only Joey could see what I found," Kaiba whispered, more-so to himself and I twitched my ears in slight confusion before finally drifting off to sleep.


-5:00 AM, Saturday-

-0-

The sound of keys clacking on a keyboard was what woke me up, early in the morning. And for a brief moment, I couldn't help but panic, before realizing with immense relief that I was still a dog. It was then though that I remembered what happened and if I could blush in this form, I would.

I'd fallen asleep to being in Kaiba's lap after he lied down on the bed with me curled up on him. To be perfectly honest though, I loved sleeping next to Kaiba, he was warm and comfy, something I hadn't experienced in a while considering that I was, well, not so used to sleeping in a box outside, but that was all I had for a while. I heard the familiar calm voice of my enemy, or so I thought anyway. It was weird though, and confusing, because I was so sure that I kept hearing him mumble my name in his sleep, so either he was making fun of me in his sleep or he was… well, never mind. I'd rather it be the first one, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe in secret I hoped it was the second one. Again, if I could blush, surely the fur on my cheeks would be lit on fire at this point.

"Hey pup," Kaiba's voice brought me from my thoughts and I finally sat up, yawning wide as I stretched out, hearing his little chuckle. "Sleep well?" he asked with a slightly amused smirk. Looking up at him, I scrunched my nose up when I saw the smirk and when I noted that he was on his computer. Barking in reply to his 'hello,' I watched as he closed his laptop and set it aside before getting on his knees on the floor. And as curious as I was, I couldn't help but jump down from the bed before padding over to him, tilting my head as my ears twitched. He let out another little chuckle and reached his hand out to pet me, "I guess I haven't introduced myself to you, have I?" he questioned but before I could even move, he added, "My name is Seto."

And I knew that, but there was no way I could tell him that. And besides, again, if he knew… I sighed mentally and ridded the thoughts before sitting down in front of him and I barked again, knowing I couldn't talk to him at all. Chancing a look at the clock then, I discovered that I had less than two hours left before I changed back into a human again, so if I wanted to play this safe and keep my identity a secret, I'd have to come up with some way to get away from Kaiba fast before he found out.

"Do you have an owner?" Taken from my thoughts once more when Kaiba spoke, I stared at him, confused before I slowly and hesitantly shook my head at him. He seemed to brighten up at this, for whatever reason I couldn't guess, before speaking again, "Well then I guess I can take you in. Mokuba'll love you, I just know it." Picking me up and holding me in his arms, he continued to pet me, though absently I could tell, as he hummed in thought. "Hm, you'll need a name, won't you boy? So, how about Ross?" Narrowing my eyes at him, I huffed and shook my head, because there was no way I was gonna take a pathetic name like that. "What about Clover?"

Seriously, do I look like a rabbit to him?

Kaiba frowned and tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in a way that I've noticed him do whenever he was determined to get something right as perfect. "Ash, then?" His frown deepened when I shook my head again, letting out a little growl-like yip in answer before I looked down, guilty for making him upset. I didn't like to see him frown or see him mad, but the truth was, I was kind of used to it. Getting into fights with him all the time does that, you know? "Fine, then what about Joey?" he asked and my head couldn't have snapped up any quicker as I stared up at him, beyond shocked, when he mentioned my name.

As in, the name of his ultimate enemy and the 'pathetic mutt' that he just loves to tease the hell out of and get into trouble for no aparent reason and fight with and- well, you get the point, yeah? So the real question is, why would he ever mention my name?

He hates me!


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

If I'm honest, this dog was starting to irritate me a bit as I ticked off a few of the names I knew at the top of my head. They were all names of previous pets that Mokuba used to have, but I didn't think they were too bad myself. At least not until the pup kept shooting down every suggestion I had.

"Ash, then?" I named off another one, one that belonged to a cat Mokuba used to own, and he once again shook his head no to the name, giving a cute little yip that had a bit of a growl to it. As my frown deepened in response to this, I couldn't help but notice how his head lowered and I couldn't figure out why. "Fine, then what about Joey?" I finally spoke again, suggesting the one name I really wanted to say and to be perfectly honest, I loved his name. I loved how it just rolled off the tip of my tongue whenever I said it and it just fit, perfectly. For both him, and the pup, since the puppy looked almost exactly like him. You know, aside from the fact that he's well, a puppy, and Joey is a human.

That seemed to catch his attention as he looked up at me as if he was shocked, which confused me for a moment, but I though nothing of it when he nodded his head, barking loudly and wagging his tail.

"How cute," I chuckled and ruffled the fur on his head before nodding myself, "Joey it is, then." I smiled at this and he barked again, sounding pretty happy to me. I picked him up and petted him some more as he rubbed his head against my chest. Once more I noticed how, oddly enough, this dog reminded me so much of Joey, the one boy in the entire school that I had a crush on that ultimately despises me back.

Just my luck huh? Well, at least now I had a new pup to keep myself company; Mokuba would certainly be ecstatic about him as well, which was most definitely a bonus in my eyes.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

When Seto put me down, I watched as he walked back to his laptop and I decided to follow behind him, a bit curious as to what he did. Maybe I could find out some embarrassing secret, and wouldn't that be something?

He sat down at the nurse's desk and I jumped up onto his lap; it was a bit fun since I surprised him, causing him to let out a startled noise. Letting out a noise of happiness, I turned my head up and over and finally looked at what was on his laptop; I was disappointed, but it didn't surprise me much, when all I saw were a bunch of files and documents and other boring stuff.

"You know..." I turned my head back and looked up when Seto spoke up, a gentle smile on his face when he continued to pet me, "you remind me so much of someone I like." he chuckled at what he was saying and I looked at him, slightly confused. Wait, Seto Kaiba, resident heartless bastard, actually likes someone? "You probably don't know him, but he's really sweet and kind and is very fierce and loyal-" I stopped listening then, frowning in even more confusion. Seto… likes another boy…?

Normally I'd be ecstatic, but considering that I already knew the facts, that he hates my guts, I was a bit disheartened, and even more so to learn that he liked someone else.

I looked away as he continued to talk, ears lowered, though I doubt he was paying much attention as he had this look on his face that I'd never seen before. Something I couldn't quite name, but hated at the same time because I knew it wasn't directed at me. So I decided to just sit there while he talked, at least, that was my decision until I saw the clock from the corner of my eyes and my ears shot up as a startled bark left me. It was very nearly seven o'clock and I had only just a few minutes before I changed back into a human.

"H-hey!" he let out a startled hiss when I started to struggle in his lap and he let go of his grip on me. Paying no attention to him, I dashed out of the room before he could even comprehend what just happened. When I was finally able to get to a place where Kaiba had no chance of following me, I changed back into my human form. Going into a vacant room, I sighed in relief, running a hand through my hair and slumping my shoulders.

"Damn it…" I cursed, shaking my head and finally looking out one of the windows, walking over to them and leaning against the wall beside me. I had just spent the whole night with the one that I love, and I should be ecstatic, but he didn't even know it was me and that put a damper on my spirits more than one could ever guess.

"The one he was talking about… who was he?" I whispered to myself before shaking the thought from my head, determining not to depress myself further, and I sighed softly, walking out of the room and heading to the cafeteria. As hungry as I was, I felt like I could eat a whole cow, and that was saying something, since I don't really eat as much as I used to, lately.

Lady luck seems to really hate me though, because as soon as I get even close to the cafeteria, Kaiba is right on my tail. "What are doing wandering around the halls, huh mutt?" I huffed out in annoyance and frustration when he spoke and ignored the jibe in favor of walking right into the cafeteria. It figures, that as soon as I'm human again, he's back to being his usual self... a total asshole. Walking towards the kitchens, I hoped to find something to snack on, and was fortunate to discover a stash of crackers and cheese.

I felt a bit bad for it, because it was stealing, but honestly, who forgets that they still have kids in detention when the school goes on lock down for the weekend?

Turning away from the entrance when I heard Kaiba's footsteps, I made my way over to one of the tables and sat down at them, crunching on the crackers and being as loud and as obnoxious as I could be so he would leave. That… didn't seem to work, though.

"Hey Joey, have you seen a little dog run through here?" Freezing up and nearly choking on my cheese, I snapped my head up to stare at him with wide eyes. I was surprised, because one: he just used my name, instead of some crackpot insult, and two: he just asked me about a little dog. A dog that just so happened to be me. Fuck, what am I supposed to do?

"N-no... I haven't. Do you really think the teachers are stupid enough to lock a dog in here?" I bit out, tense as a log, frustrated and confused and frightened as I was.

"They locked us in here, didn't they?" he sighed and sat down on the table, next to me, crossing his arms as he continued to speak, looking at the entrance to the cafeteria. "Oh well, I'm sure I'll find him later."

Frowning in thought, I couldn't help but hope that it was well around night time when he found the dog again. Folding my arms behind my head after I finished eating, I leaned back and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before groaning. "Well, if I'm locked in here, I might as well do some of the homework that was assigned to us." I huffed out before standing up and I stretched out, hissing when it messed with some of my bruises and sore muscles, before heading off to the library.


-8:00 AM, Saturday-

-0-

I gripped my hair in frustration as I tried to do my math homework, but none of the story problems were making sense to me. "Urgh, stupid math!" I exclaimed and slammed my head on the table, immediately regretting it as I felt a sharp pain go through my forehead. "Fuck!" I whined and clutched at my head, rubbing at the sore spot as I cursed again, "Damn it…"

"Quit whining, stupid mutt, I'm trying to read." Growling sharply when I heard Kaiba insult me yet again, I clenched my fists, dangerously close to snapping the pencil in half.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

Chuckling lightly to myself as I pretended to read, I watched Joey from behind my book, amused. "Fuck!" he whined and almost immediately I had to resist the urge to snap my head up, shooting from my desk. I tried not rush over there immediately to see if he was alright, and I had to admit I did a pretty damn good job of hiding how I felt. "Damn it..." I sight then, as if I was annoyed, playing up an act that had become my second nature after spending so much time around Joey.

"Quit whining, stupid mutt, I'm trying to read." I snarked at him and he just glared at me and growled, something that I find him always doing lately. It was cute, kind of, because as I said before, he really is so much like a dog... And, speaking of dog, where is the little pup? I frowned, sitting up straighter as I looked around, sighing again, though to myself this time. I hadn't seen him all day and it actually worried me, though he could very well just be napping beneath a desk or something.

Being directed from my thoughts and back towards Joey, I was a bit startled to realize that he was currently stalking towards me, a scowl on his face. Looking at him with slight confusion, I frowned when he slammed down a pencil and a math worksheet. "If my complaining bothers you so much, then why don't you do it instead?" he huffed out and I finally let a smirk grace my lips as I shrugged, not bothering to close the book, as I looked back at the words on the page in front of me, knowing how much it infuriated the other when he thought I wasn't paying attention to him. Little did he know that I hear every word that comes from his pretty little mouth and I remember it all, as crazy as that sounds.

"Because it's not my homework," I said, simple as can be, "I finished mine in class."

I heard as he groaned and tried to keep perverse thoughts from my mind and watched from the corner of my eyes as he hung his head in defeat. "Then, can you at least... erm… help… me with it?" he muttered and I paused as I raised an eyebrow in question, mildly confused and very curious

"What was that?" I teased, though I very well knew what he just asked me. The little pup was admitting his defeat and was asking me for help, of all people. And to be honest, I was very satisfied at the thought of it.

He frowned even more and looked away from me completely, sighing in frustration and utter defeat before turning back to me, eyes narrowed in what looked like determination. "I asked if you could help me with it." He repeated with confidence this time and my smirk only grew as I sat my book down, bookmarking the page I had been on before doing so.

"Is the pup actually admitting defeat to me?" I snickered as he glared defiantly at me, crossing his arms as if to deny the very thought. Sighing as I was reluctant to return my satisfied smirk to my normal poker face, I pulled out a chair for him to sit down in and nodded my head. "Very well, then," I finally said and after a few moments of him just staring at me in shock, he decided to take the offer and he took his pencil in hand once more, ready to get some help on what he needed done.


-9:00 PM, Sunday-

-0-

Joey and I had spent all of Saturday walking around the halls, just talking, before we ended spending the last hour of the day reading in the library. That is, I read while he played card games on the Librarian's computer. When Joey strangely disappeared again, I had spent a half an hour looking for him before I found the puppy in one of the rooms, curled up underneath a desk, seemingly asleep.

It was weird how when Joey disappeared, the pup showed up, and when the pup ran off, Joey took his place. But I didn't really think anything more of it as I spent most of the night playing with Joey the puppy before we both eventually had to turn in for the night.

Sunday morning, I'd woken up late and, when I realized the time, I'd already noticed that the pup was gone and Joey was just sitting on the nurse's desk, shuffling through his card deck.

We spent a few hours then just playing Duel Masters and challenging each other. He never won a match against me, but that never stopped him from trying again and again until eventually he was too bored to play against me one more time. After that, we just sat and talked some more, having had nothing else to do.

So when nine o'clock came rolling around, I wasn't that surprised to find that Joey had disappeared again, but this time I was determined to find him.

What I found instead, was the puppy playing tag with the shadows in one of the hallways. I only spared it a few moments of thought before the pup spotted me and suddenly we were playing games again, and Joey's disappearance was hidden in the back of my mind once more.


-6:30 AM, Monday-

-0-

I smiled, content at the moment as I watched Joey play around with a pencil while we were sitting out in the hallways, waiting for someone to come to school and let us out. It was Monday and after spending the entire weekend locked in the school, I was, and I admit to this, eager to get out and get some fresh air. Hell, I was even looking forward to going back to work to deal with those boring, infuriating people and the idiot board members and their lame ass attempts at whatever they were doing in the meetings.

"Hey little pup, have you at all seen another boy walking around here?" I question the golden puppy in front of me and he twitched his ears before stopping what he was doing to look at me. For a moment, I thought I saw a brief flash of fear flicker though his honey colored eyes but it quickly turned to confusion and he shook his head. I wasn't sure if that meant no, or if that meant he didn't know what I was talking about; either way, I felt a bit disappointed at this. I knew that I was a bit mean to Joey, but after having spent some time with him and actually enjoying his company, I don't understand why he hides from me at night.

Maybe I'm just over thinking things though, and he's just asleep or something. But then, if that was the case, I would've been able to find him when I tried searching for him. But I never was, so that meant either that I was extremely unlucky, or he was avoiding me on purpose. And either was a very probable case with this particular situation.

Frowning a little, I ridded my thoughts and continued to watch Joey for a few moments. He seemed done with the pencil though and he walked over to me before nudging my hand, instantly turning my frown a small smile as I reached out to pet him. We stayed like that for a little bit until I decided to check my watch and stood up, sighing as I stretched out, earning a confused look from the little pup as he sat up too, ears twitching and tag thumping lightly on the ground. "I have to go find my friend," I explained to him with a smile, not even bothering to mentally correct myself when I said 'friend'. Joey wasn't my friend, was he? "It's almost time for the teachers to arrive so they can get started on class preparations early." I chuckled when I figured the puppy had no idea what I was talking about. It wasn't like he went to school, anyway, he was a stray after all.

He barked loudly, earning my attention and I reached down to pet him again, but was stopped when he moved his head away, ducking down before prodding my watch with his nose. I stared at him in confusion for a moment before finally getting the hint and I tilted my head, unsure, but I did what I assumed the pup wanted.

"It's 6:58…" I said, slow, my voice filled with confusion, but I trailed my words as I saw a painfully familiar frightened look wash over his face and he whimpered before backing away from me. "Joey?" I asked, suddenly worried, and I took a quick step forward when he turned tail and ran. "Joey!"


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

Running as fast as I could to the closest room I could find that was farthest from where Seto was as I heard him call my name over and over. But I couldn't stop, not now, not when I had less than a minute now before I changed back into a human and if he saw me… I didn't want to know what he'd do if he did, if he actually found out. Because that's what going to happen: I'm going to fuck it up and he'll find out everything.

"Joey! Wait!" he called back frantically to me and I whimpered loudly as I rushed into a room without another thought, hiding, fearful of what would happen if he saw me change. I knew I shouldn't have stopped running, I knew I shouldn't have went into a room that was closed off. "A-ha…" Because the second I did so, Kaiba found me and I knew he wasn't going to let me escape again, not this time. Kaiba panted as he quickly closed the door, locking it firmly behind him, causing my eyes to widen as I turned around abruptly to stare at him, horrified.

I wanted this to be a dream, just a really bad dream, because this couldn't have been happening. Kaiba wasn't so close to the truth, he couldn't be. Everything I fought to keep a secret would be ruined if he found out! I knew I was screwed when I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and I tried to blink them away, because I don't cry. But hell, even I knew, at this point, that was a seriously terrible lie.

"Why do you keep running from me?" Kaiba asked me and I whined weakly in reply, shaking my head fiercely as I backed up, my tail between my legs and my ears lowered to my head. "Why do you run to hide when morning always comes? I don't get it."

The great Kaiba… clueless, now that's something that you don't see everyday… but it was something I wanted to see right now. It was better he didn't know… it was better that he didn't find out…

It was better that he wouldn't find out that I'm-

I closed my eyes tightly and barked harshly as smoke surrounded me once more, and I heard Kaiba back away, either in shock, confusion, or fear… I didn't know. And then, just like that… I was me again, something I would never have been so horrified of until now…

-a dog…

Lowering my head and clenching my fists tightly, I couldn't help the choked out sob that left my tight throat as the tears fell freely down my cheeks.

There was no way out of this one, because he knew now. He knows the truth about what I am and that, if I was completely honest, terrified the shit out of me more than anything in my life ever had.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

I couldn't believe it; one minute I was standing in front of the golden retriever puppy that I had become so fond of in the last few days, and then… I was staring wide-eyed at… at Joey. I mean the real Joey, the one who I insulted every day and pushed until he snapped. The one that had the most gorgeous blonde hair that I knew now was exactly as soft as it felt and the most beautiful honey brown eyes that I'd ever seen in my life. The one that I had met all those years ago and thought he was the most beautiful person I ever laid eyes on. The one that I… that I loved.

"Joey…?" I choked out, shock evident in my voice, but that soon cleared away as I noticed tears falling to the floor. Another thing I could never believe, was Joey Wheeler, stronger than anyone I've ever seen, is crying and I felt terrible because he was crying because of me. I took a few careful steps towards him, sighing in relief when he didn't back away, but that was when I noticed that he was mumbling things to himself.

"Why…?" he asked, seemingly to no one, but I knew the question was directed towards me.

"Why what?" I pressed on, feeling as if I was in unfamiliar territory, and technically, I was. I was in very unfamiliar territory, because Joey was a dog and I wasn't quite sure how to take it all. It took a few moments to convince myself that it wasn't all just a very weird dream, because this was all way too real to even remotely consider this to be a dream

"Why was it you that had to find out?!" He suddenly barked out, snapping his head up and he glared at me, honey eyes filled with so much hurt and fear and pain and anger and loss.

"Wha-!? Joey, I-" I was frustratingly cut off, not by Joey, but by the door behind us being opened and I saw from the corner of my eyes that a teacher had unlocked the door and helped herself into the room. I growled lightly in annoyance and frustration but was stopped from doing anything that was considered stupid, shocked and surprised, when Joey ran past me and out of the room, pushing past the teacher and running to only God knows where. "Joey! Joey, wait!" I shouted after him, not surprisingly getting nothing in return aside from a few odd glances from the teacher, who was beyond stunned to have seen us in the room.

But I wasn't paying anymore attention to her as I pushed passed her and as much as I wanted to go find Joey, I knew that I had other things to do right now. One of which was reprimand the principal for locking us two in the school for the entire weekend. And of course the other was work; something I dreaded to get started on, despite my earlier thoughts of it.

But the truth was, I wasn't sure I would be able to concentrate with what just happened still running fresh through my mind because all I wanted to do was find Joey.


-After School-

-0-

I growled in frustration as I left the school and headed to Kaiba Corp. I wasn't focused on anything right now except for what happened with Joey; these thoughts had been running through my head all morning and through the entirety of work and school. Obviously he was scared of how he thought I would react to seeing that… but why in the world did he have to run off without saying anything to me?

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I let out another sigh and continued to walk around, wallowing in my thoughts for a bit.

I hadn't seen Joey at school at all; I had even tried asking his friends if they had seen him but no one had. A few teachers had sen him that morning, running out of the school and running off into a direction that was quite unknown to them. Which frustrated me beyond all reasoning. I hated not knowing things, sure, but I hated not knowing things of importance about Joey even more.

I shook my head of all thoughts as soon as I entered my work, planning on confronting the mutt the next time I saw him. Because I was going to get some answers damn it, even if I had to force them from him.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

As soon as I had gotten home, I was met with the worst. Not only was my dad home, but he was mad, only… mad was an understatement. He was furious that I hadn't come home at all during the weekend. And while I tried to explain that I was locked in school all weekend, nothing worked as I was met with the worst punishment. Said punishment had been the reason why I stayed home all day, locked inside my room, instead of going to school to my friends or going back to see how Kaiba reacted to me being human. If he would act any different than he already did, that is.

I sighed softly, wincing a little at the pain it caused in my chest, before looking at my alarm clock noting that the time was 8:46. Frowning, I glanced at the door of my room before looking out the window, deflating when I saw that it was storming.

What a perfect way to end such a perfect day…

I shook my head and grabbed a jacket that I found at school and put it on me. It was a little big for me and for some reason had a pleasing and familiar smell to it, something that reminded me strangely of Kaiba, but before I could think more of it, I cleared my thoughts and opened my window. Jumping outside and walking towards the park, I hoped to God that no one sees me change.


-9:18 PM, Monday-

-0-

Panting frantically as I raced through the puddles, my golden fur soaking wet and covered with mud, cuts, and bruises of all sorts, I ran from a couple of punk kids that had managed to catch me in mid shift. I barked out a silent curse and whined in pain as I slipped in a puddle and coughed harshly as I inhaled some of the muddy water and shook my fur. Turning my back, I felt my ears lower and my tail tuck between my legs when I realized that the kids were so close to my tail, literally and figuratively.

I yelped sharply, struggling as hard I could, as one of the kids picked me up by the scruff of my neck. I growled and whipped this way and that as I tried to wrench myself free; I even tried using my claws and teeth, but none of it worked as the kid only laughed at my predicament, his hold tightening and I barely managed to bite back a whimper.

"Heh, well if it isn't the stupid mutt! Joey Wheeler! I had no idea you were really a pathetic little thing!" The kids laughed at the jab and I couldn't bite back the whimper this time as I shook my head furiously.

I barked loudly again, trying to make them let me go, but at this point, it was fruitless. My eyes widened, though, when I was suddenly thrown to the sidewalk and I yelped and whimpered as some of my cuts were deepened as my fur became more torn from scraping against the rough, water soaked sidewalk. Slowly getting up, I turned towards the gang, growling and trying my best not to appear scared anymore.

The kids laughed and walked towards me in a simple manner, and with each step they took forward, I took two backwards, trying to get as far away from them as possible. It was only then that I recognized where we were, as I noticed the tall building just behind us.

I didn't know what time it was, but I knew for certain that I had to get out of there before I got into even more trouble. And whether or not that involved Kaiba, as well as these kids, well, I wasn't about to stick around to find out.

My eyes widened, though, once more when I was picked up again by another kid and I whined pathetically, eyes closed tight as I wished that it would all just be over soon.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

Sighing in relief as I looked to the clock, noticing it was nearly ten already, I looked back at my computer and shut it down, closing it up afterwards and putting it in my bag. All I wanted to do now was go home and sleep after such an exhausting day.

"Mr. Kaiba sir," I paused and looked towards a girl who happened to work here and narrowed my eyes at her, watching with slight satisfaction as she squirmed under my sharp gaze.

"What is it?" I demanded, sharp and harsh, not in the mood. I was tired and I had way too much on my mind to deal with petty problems that my employees have created, after all. It wouldn't surprise me if she had just wanted to ask some stupid question about some petty problem with the tech, or if she wanted to tell him how bad another one of his employee's fucked up. Oh how he'd love to fire someone right now.

"U-um there are a b-bunch of kids in the front of the uh building sir…" she stutter out and I raised an eyebrow for her to continue, slightly curious, though I was annoyed too. Petty kids playing out at night in front of the building wasn't my problem. "It would appear that they are causing a racket out there." She quickly added and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose before I decided that I may as well deal with it, since I was heading out anyway.

But, this will be the last problem I deal with today.

"Very well, I will see what I can do. Go back to work." I waved her off, dismissing her before finally getting ready to leave.

By the time I was done, it was ten till ten, and I was already out of the elevator on the last floor. I growled lightly before heading outside to deal with the little problem, scowling and glaring at my employee's as I made my way to the front entrances. Exiting out the main doors, I took a moment's pause when I saw a bunch of stupid teens messing with a dog.

It was that observation that made me stop completely in my tracks though, because not only was it just a dog. But it was a puppy; a golden retriever puppy. It was Joey! I blinked, startled and shocked, and stared at the dog that was being kicked around, before I finally came to my senses. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" I snapped at the kids who immediately stopped what they were doing to the poor pup and they turned towards me.

"Mr. Kaiba?! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," I growled out and stepped towards them, seeing Joey all banged up on the ground, just staring at me, fear clearly evident in his sweet honey brown colored eyes. But I tried not to concentrate on that and instead focused all my anger and frustration and hurt on the kids before me.

"Go home, this is our problem and we're just getting rid of it." One of the kids snickered and they all shared wicked grins before the larger kid kicked Joey again. Finally losing it, I snapped and glared darkly at them, dropping my suitcase and stalking towards them. Because I was pissed and there was no way I was letting them get away with abusing Joey, damn it.

"Leave Joey the fuck alone!"


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

I watched, scared out of my mind, the scene before my eyes. I couldn't believe it at all. Kaiba was beating up a bunch of punks just to protect me. In the state of mind I was in, I could only come up with two ideal theories: either he must really not hate me, or he's doing this just because he thinks he's the only one who can torture me.

I shuddered at that thought and at the scene of the fleeing kids; all of them bruised and wet and dirty from the mud they trampled in as Kaiba had done to them what they did to me, minus the severe cuts and cruises that my dad had inflicted on me himself.

Flinching back when I noticed Kaiba kneeling down next to me, brushing through my fur lightly to smooth it out, I whimpered at his touch and he frowned, pulling his hand back only an inch before he started petting me again, determined it seemed. But in my hazy mind, I couldn't tell determined from angry and didn't that just fuck with things a bit?

"Are you okay Joey…?" he asked me and though I couldn't tell emotions by looking, I could clearly hear them and he was definitely not angry. In fact, he sounded scared and tired and sad, and I really felt guilty because he was probably those things because of me. I looked away, backing away from him once more, admitting that I was now completely terrified, because just because I knew that he was sad and scared because of me, it didn't lesson the fear I felt lodged in my chest that had me shaking from head to toe. Or maybe that was just the cold from the wind and the water… I wasn't sure at this point. "Can't you see that I won't hurt you?" he sighed and I finally looked up at him, frowning when I saw the evident hurt flash across his eyes.

It was then I made up my mind, determined to get over the fear I felt and I whined, crawling forward and I brushed my muzzle against his hand. I winced from the slight pain the movement caused, but it was worth it to see the ghost of a smile that graced his lips.

"I'm so sorry, Joey…" he whispered, petting me and I looked up at him once more, just a bit confused. He only just shook his head though, and wrapped his arms gingerly around my body, picking me up as carefully as he could, though at this point, I barely felt a thing. "Come on, we need to get you treated and cleaned."


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-1:59 AM, Tuesday-

-0-

I had walked to the nearby vet since it would've taken a bit longer to walk to my home and after receiving quite a scolding and after pissing off the attendant after yelling at him, I had reluctantly handed my little pup off to the lady vet who was currently on duty. Now, I was now sitting in the main room, bored and almost wide awake because of what had happened. A few hours ago, Joey had been tortured by a stupid gang that runs around outside at nights.

It made me wonder if they knew he was really Joey or not, though it was probably highly likely, since those kids never once treated an animal bad unless it was for a very… 'good'… reason. And from my knowledge, Joey'd been in a few gangs a year or so ago. From what his friends had told me, a while back, he had quit those gangs and had eventually wanted nothing to do with them.

I waited for what seemed like hours until I heard a soft, but weak bark and looked over at the door to see the lady and Joey coming out. Joey limped over to me and barked again, just a bit louder this time, and I couldn't help but smile at him, despite the initial pain I felt when I saw the bandages wrapped tight around his head, his paws, and his waist.

Poor thing…

"I'm guessing by his condition he's a stray?" The lady finally spoke up, asking the question, and I hesitated for a moment, looking bak at Joey before slowly nodding when he looked back up at her.

"Is he okay?" I asked, obviously figuring out the answer myself when Joey tried bouncing in circles around my legs, careful of his front right paw and his back left one. But he looked fine over all, so I wasn't too worried, really.

She chuckled lightly and waved her hand in front of her face, smiling at the teen, "A few cuts and bruises here and there and he had a few fractured bones, but nothing that a few days of good rest won't fix. He looks like he needs the rest more than the ointment." She said and her smile widened a little as Joey sat down in front of me, holding up his injured paw so he was leaning on it, and he barked again, before licking my hands whenI picked him up, petting him lightly. "He has a strong spirit. I'm surprised though that a puppy as young as him would survive something like that."

Smiling in my own amazement at just how true that statement was, I looked down at Joey and chuckled myself when he yawned and snuggled against my chest, nuzzling against my neck with his cold, wet nose. Nodding, I thanked her as I walked out, now finally ready to head home. "You owe me mutt," I whispered to the now sleeping pup in my arms, smiling to myself as I walked down the street in the cold, wet rain.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-6:45 AM, Wednesday-

-0-

Waking up to the smell of bacon, I perked my ears up, before yawning and I lifted my head, looking around. It was then that I noted that I was in a very unfamiliar, but very nice looking room and I couldn't help the small moment of panic that filled me before I heard a very familiar voice pipe up from the doorway.

"Joey! It's good to see you're awake now!" Turning my head when I heard the familiar childish voice, I couldn't help the bark of excitement when I saw Mokuba, and grinned when he grinned back at me. If Mokuba was here, that meant that I was at Seto's house and if I was at Seto's house, then that meant that of course Mokuba knew that I was a dog. But in truth, I actually wasn't that bothered, knowing that.

"Seto told me what happened," He said, only confirming what I had already figured out myself and smiled wide at me once more. "I think it's really cool that you're a dog!"

Stretching out, I let out a little bark in acknowledgment before finally taking a few moments to think about how I ended up here. It was only then that I remembered what happened, with the kids and then seeing Kaiba and how he rescued me and took me to the vet.

Smiling at this thought, I couldn't help but swoon a little at how I'd actually found my own Prince Charming, as childish and cheesy as that sounded. But it was no less right, or perfect, because it really was true. I was the damsel in distress, as much as I hated to admit to it, and he was the knight in shining armor, my Prince Charming, there to rescue me from whatever evil was there at the time.

Jumping down onto the floor, I finally managed to shake my thoughts and padded over to Mokuba, smiling up at him as he kneeled down to pet me, scratching behind my ears. Barking loudly, he giggled in response before standing up again.

"Mokuba, is the mutt awake yet?" Hearing Kaiba's voice, I perked up and barked as loud as I could, bouncing around in a circle and Mokuba laughed again, grinning wide at me when he did.

"Yeah, Joey's awake!"

Walking out into the hall, I followed after Mokuba before watching him run off when Kaiba called back to him again, "Well then, you can go on to Yugi's now." Kaiba said, chuckling in what sounded like fond exasperation when Mokuba shouted with glee, coming into view as I walked into what looked like the main room of the house.


~Seto Kaiba's Point of View~

-0-

I smiled as Mokuba and the little pup came into the living room, and I couldn't help the chuckle when Mokuba shouted in excitement before finally leaving to go to Yugi's house. School was canceled today, so that meant everyone had a free day, including Joey and I, and I was extremely glad for that. It was only 6:50, though, so I wasn't surprised that Joey was still a dog; from my understanding, he always changed back around this time since it was always around this time that he had disappeared before Joey, as a human again, showed up to take his place.

Not to mention that he'd changed yesterday at seven sharp and then when it neared nine at night, he changed back into a dog. Never have I seen anyone sleep so much in my life, however, so the curse, or whatever it was, was a bit of a tie with that, as strange as that sounded.

"Hm, so the mutt really is awake," I said, earning a small growl of annoyance and a glare from Joey as he barked in reply to what I said and then confusion spread across his face.

"I'll explain everything in a bit." I said with a small sigh as I shook my head, when he tilted his own in question, and he whined, causing a little smirk to appear on my face.

I let him explore for a few minutes before ultimately, he followed me into the kitchen, once again as his human self. It was a few minutes more before Joey and I were at the table, sitting and eating the food that I made and enjoying a few moments of silence before Joey broke it. "How long exactly have I been asleep?" he questioned and I shrugged for show.

"About a day or so. You fell asleep around two in the morning yesterday and then, well, you slept like the dead the entire time." I answered as simply as anyone could when answering this type of question and he looked at me like I was crazy. "You must've really been tired." I added this to ease him a little, but he only frowned and looked down at his plate.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess so…" he mumbled and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hm? Don't you get enough sleep at home?" I questioned and the moment he flinched when I asked the question, I was immediately alert, eyes narrowed as I watched him stumble over his answer.

"Erm well… I… uhm… I-I guess… yeah…"

"You best tell me the truth." I sighed, sitting up straighter, "I'm going to figure it out sooner or later anyway." I finished and he closed his eyes tightly before lowering his head.

"My dad doesn't know I'm a dog…" he started in a whisper, "he can't know…" shaking his head, he clenched his fists before continuing on. "So to hide it from him, I had to sleep outside and not in my own bed."

I narrowed my eyes more until I was sure I was glaring, at what he said, still very much confused on the matter, but no less alert and determined to find out the truth of it all. "Why can't your dad know? More importantly, why doesn't he know?" He looked away at that question and kept silent, causing my anger and frustration to grow. "Joey." He snapped his head up at the warning tone in my voice, confused and hurt, before it was all suddenly replaced by an angered expression that would surely rival my best of my worst days.

"Why are you asking anyway? You don't care…!" He snapped and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, not bothering to cover up and of my emotions right now as I normally would.

"Wrong," I simply stated and he paused, blinking slowly in what looked like shock, and I could tell he was about to say something, but when I shot him a stern look, he quickly decided it was best to stay silent, which gave me the chance to continue. "I do care. I care what happens in my puppy's life. Especially what's hurting him." I spat out the last sentence, though I honestly didn't mean for the venom that was heard to show, and he looked away at that, whimpering a little.

"I… he… my dad…" he sighed and finally looked up again, shaking his head and he looked over all defeated and it hurt me to see him like this. "Why?"

"What?" A sudden wash of déjà vu came over me and I narrowed my eyes, not wanting to deal with this again.

"Why… do you care…? All you've ever done is make fun of me and get me into trouble." he mumbled and I sighed again, sitting back in my chair. "You've pushed me around and insulted me and made me feel like-"

"Dirt, I know…" I whispered before sighing for the umpteenth time that morning. I don't care if he hates me after this, but I really did need to tell him and I needed to stop hiding my feelings. Standing up from my seat, I walked over to his side, aware that he was watching my every move. "I care…" I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart and trying to sort out my jumbled thoughts, before looking at him straight into his beautiful honey eyes, smiling softly at him. "I care because I love you, Joey and nothing will ever change that, not even you changing from a human to a dog." I answered and watched as his eyes widened at what I said.

And even though I looked as calm as one could be, I was nervous inside. Because I didn't want this to ruin everything and I wanted so bad for him to return my feelings. But, that was impossible, right? Because with how bad I treated Joey, it would take a miracle for him to even consider being my friend, let alone returning my feelings of love.


~Joey Wheeler's Point of View~

-0-

My eyes widened when I heard him say that and I swear I'd faint if I wasn't so damn happy. I couldn't believe that he returned what I felt for him, that he actually loved me. I mean, I never even thought I had a chance at him even just liking me, but love… fuck, that's enough to make me giggle like a school girl

"I… you…. Kaiba-?" I cut myself off when he smiled gently, shaking his head softly at me and I gulped, trying to calm my racing and stuttering heart.

"It's Seto, Joey." He said, as simply as one can and I gulped, as nervous as one can be.

"S-seto…?" I tested it out and was incredibly happy when he nodded and for a moment I looked down before finally looking back up at him with a soft smile of my own. "Do you really mean it?"

For a moment, all he did was stare stupidly at me before he laughed a little, shaking his head, "Of course I do. Do you really think I would lie about this?" he asked and I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head in answer. "Now, before this goes any further, will you please answer my question?" he questioned, stopping me from saying anything and I flinched a little again, looking down and squirming under his now too piercing gaze.

I didn't really want to tell him about my dad, but I knew he wasn't going to let it go until I told him or he found out on his own, because he was as stubborn and as smart as a dragon. So I took a deep breath and let it out before lifting my gaze up to his, trying to stay strong as I decided to finally just get it over with and tell him. "I-I guess… you could say… me and my dad aren't exactly… uhm well what I mean is our relationship as father and son isn't what others would call okay…" I groaned softly to myself and shook my head, confusing myself. And if I was confusing myself, surely that meant I was confusing even Seto too.

"What do you mean?"

"H-he…" I closed my eyes tightly and turned my head away, continuing my sentence the best I could, "a-abuses me…"

But the second I finished what I said, was the second that Seto snapped. "What!?" I snapped my head up at the sudden loudness with Seto's voice and I flinched back when I saw the anger in his eyes and I instantly regretted what I said.

"K-kaiba… p-please don't do anything that you'll regret." I pleaded as he backed away from me and turned to the door, dead set on… something. I frowned and stood up quickly, grabbing onto his arm, very nearly close to begging. "Seto, wait!"

He turned back towards me and I flinched again, but still held my grip, not wanting to let him go. "Joey…"

I shook my head fiercely and hugged him tightly, pleading with him. "Please?"

"Why? Why do you want to protect that bastard!? As far as I know, he caused your life hell." He growled out and I shook my head again.

"H-he… he's my dad…" I whispered, my eyes filling with tears and he sighed and gave up, hugging me back.

"Fine, Joey, I'll leave him alone. For now anyway." he murmured and only then did I let out a breath of relief that I hadn't known I'd been holding.

"Seto… I… you know, I like you too." I finally breathed out, wanting to get the words out and I was surprised only a bit when he chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"I know that," he smiled in answer and I couldn't help but smile back at him. "And I also know you probably don't want to go back to your dads, so…" he paused for a second, as if thinking about how he wanted to word what he wanted to say, "Joey, would you like to live here with Mokuba and I?" he finished and I froze, for only a moment, eyes wide.

"R-really? I-is that okay?"

"Would I really have offered if I didn't think it was okay? Mokuba would certainly love the company, I know," he chuckled and I bit at my lower lip, glancing down before looking back up through my eyelashes.

"And… what about you?" I couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled after my response as he smiled, because fuck it, I was giddy as hell and if I was actually acting like a damn school girl, then who was going to judge? Certainly not me, and I hope not Seto.

"I won't mind if you stay either. Besides, I'm tired of waiting and being worried about you." He answered in a 'matter of fact' tone and I couldn't help but smile wider at him, not wasting another second to close the distance between us and I finally did what I had wanted to do since the moment I met him; aside from punch him, that is.

He was a bit surprised, of course, but as soon as he recovered from the shock, he was kissing me back with just as much passion and desire. Pulling back from the kiss, I hummed in thought, pillowing my head against his chest before yawning softly, "Seto…?"

"Yes, puppy?" he questioned with a bit of a chuckle and I didn't even care about the little nickname he had for me. For all I cared, I was his puppy as long as he was my dragon.

"Thank you." I whispered, finally, for the first time, content with my life and there was nothing that was going to ruin that, I would make damn well sure of that.