This is a little one-shot series I'm working on that was born out of a sudden burst of inspiration to write and lack of direction. So I asked my friends to come up with random words and with those words, I decided to write a little something for it. Each chapter was inspired by the word it is named after and can stand alone as one little one-shot or come together as one story.

-This series is puppyshipping. As in, the pairing of Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler. If you don't like it, don't read it.

-Which means this is yaoi. Again, if you don't like it, press the "back" button now.

-I'm not sure when exactly this takes place. Let's just say it is a slight AU that does not completely follow the original storyline. Though the major points are there.

-Last but not least, Yugioh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. This is merely a fan written work that should not in any way be connected to the original work. I don't own a thing.

This first chapter is called Umbrella.

Enjoy~

Life sucked as far as Joey Wheeler was concerned. Sure, it had its moments. Where things worked out your way or it seemed worth going on. But Joey, more than anyone, knew that life was like a never-ending poker game; you win some, you lose some and sometimes you come up empty. Still, bad luck had been stalking him recently, like a cold that won't go away. He was beginning to wonder if he had somehow gotten drunk and beat up a nun and it was just the karma getting back at him. He doubted it but you never know.

Now that he thought about it, that day had been especially brutal. From the very moment he had pried his eyes open that morning, the outlook had been bleak. His shoulders had ached and he knew, instinctively that he would find fresh bruises coating his shoulder blades. It didn't help any that there was nothing in the fridge except expired milk and a moldy orange. Breakfast? Not a chance.

And then, at school, the situation worsened. Tests, bullies ganging up on him, his best friend's no show because of an illness, and forgetting homework. He even had to skip lunch. The only money he had was saved for the bus ride home.

Which was just the icing on the cake since he missed the bus. And it was raining.

"Goddamn it!" Joey exclaimed bitterly. He blindly kicked the metal bus stop with as much rage as he could, earning him a stab of pain in his big toe. Just what he needed, another bruise.

Feeling defeated and generally fed-up, Joey crouched on the faded concrete and leaned his back against the bus stop he'd abused. A heavy sigh escaped his freezing lips and his mind traveled back to the image of the crowded bus wheezing away. A familiar agony bubbled up his throat and he bit down a sob; it wasn't the first time he couldn't stop a moving vehicle from leaving him behind.

He shook his head, dispelling the awful memory and instead focused on the stream of rainwater being forced into the sewer. He liked the way it looked and how a small ant would look floating above it on a bright green leaf. Joey closed his eyes and imagined himself becoming smaller and smaller. In his mind, he kept shrinking until he was no bigger than one of the buttons on his school uniform. He could see himself standing on the edge of the sidewalk, frequently glancing below to the powerful river. Until, finally, he hurled himself over. No thought or second-guess. Just the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins and the impact of the frigid water, like needles against his skin. He'd just fall easily. Headfirst into the unknown, pushed and pulled until the lack of oxygen robbed him of his senses...

Joey jerked his head up abruptly, almost bonking his head against the god-forsaken bus stop. Why can't I feel any raindrops? His bewildered thoughts asked. His eyes began to adjust and he saw the rest of the world, drowning in water that he no longer felt. His gaze shifted upward, and he couldn't believe it.

"Seto Kaiba?" he growled, springing to his feet. The teenage CEO of Kaiba corp. didn't appear the least bit fazed. He was the definition of cool, calm, and collected even standing in the rain.

"Good afternoon, Wheeler" Kaiba's tone was even. Bored, almost.

"What are you doing?" the blond asked. He tried to inject as much poison into his words as possible but only came off as upset to his own ears.

The brunet scowled, "Waiting for my ride and, by the looks of it, covering your tail from the rain" he shook the big black umbrella in his hand and a handful of drops struck Joey in the face. It gave his words the very poison the other couldn't muster.

Ouch. His words stung as much as they were supposed to and Joey hated that. Still, he couldn't let the almighty Seto Kaiba know how much it got to him. "Yeah? Well, I never asked for your help" he muttered, averting his gaze.

"So you only looked pathetic?" Kaiba replied coolly.

That did it. Outrage began to boil in the blonds' chest and he whipped his head to face the brunet, a sharp comeback ready to high-dive off his tongue, when a sleek black limo pulled up beside them; smoother than should have been possible in all that H2O.

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward. He reached over and pressed his palm against the door handle as if to open it but paused. Without a word, he fastened his umbrella closed and tossed it to Joey. The blond spazzed out briefly but managed to catch the projectile before it crashed to the pavement.

He stood there, holding it like a piranha and said, "What's this for?" he raised his eyebrow as if to punctuate that question.

"Just take it, I have plenty more where that came from" Kaiba replied, patience clearly absent in his voice.

"But..."

"Just take it, Mutt". His parting words hung in the air a moment and then, he opened the limo door and slipped inside.

Joey began to protest but his feeble voice feel on deaf ears as the extravagant car made a perfect getaway. He stood there a minute, his mind trying to make sense of the unbelievable. The meaning behind this and the absurdity seemed as confusing as the owner of the black umbrella he now held in his hands. Eventually, the downpour shook his bones and he gave up. With a shrug of his own, Joey opened the umbrella and doubled back to cross the street.

By the time his worn-out sneakers reached the neighboring sidewalk, his outlook on life dwindled back to neutral. Absently, he brushed a wet strand of hair from his cheek and out of his eyes. The skin was warm.