AtomBunny: That was fast ^^ Thanks for your review, I'll do my best to make it interesting :D

Animeangel088: Thanks ^^ I'll do my best not to disappoint you (even if I'm warning you, this is going to be different from TTYN!)

SetoJouFan: Thanks! Endings and beginnings are the hardest things to write XD for the email did you put two _ between shan and mah? Because otherwise it's not gonna work (or it won't be me XD)

Daydreamer-of-the-Unknown: Superlong reviews are backkkkk!!! ^^ Writing Seto's thoughts was fun to do and I think it was very important. I also think that it will happen more often in this fic than it did in TTYN (especially at the beginning).

Solo's Orca: I'll try to be fast enough for you!!!!

Chapter 2: The one on the street

Damn you rich boy. No, wait, I've got something even better for you. Fuck you.

Do you think I've got time for your stupid teases? Do you think I can lose time in detention? No I can't. I fucking can't.

I'm not a multi-billionair CEO who cares only about his own ass. Besides, don't you have a company to run? Shouldn't you be taking care of it instead of pissing me off in the middle of a class and getting both of us into detention?

------------------

"Next time Wheeler, try to stay out of trouble at school. Finding someone to take a part of your shift knowing it only an hour in advance is almost impossible", his pretty upset boss said.
"I told you, it's not my fault", Joey said as he shrugged.
"I don't care, just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Joey was working part-time in the kitchen of a restaurant near his apartment. His boss was a nervous forty-year-old woman, but she was still a nice person - even if she could be very annoying when anxious. Moreover, the salary was not bad for a job like this but still... still, it wasn't enough.

"Anyway, it could've been worse and I'm glad you're here now. There is a birthday party and the group should be here soon. Be ready to sweat!"
"Well, as always", the blonde simply replied before pushing the kitchen's door.

Usually, Joey was working four of five hours a day. His boss couldn't - or simply didn't want, he wasn't sure - give him more hours even if he almost begged for it. Tonight, he was supposed to work for five hours, but because of his detention, it would be only three hours.

Damn you, money bag. Seriously.

----------------------

It was about three in the morning. Joey stepped inside his apartment. The blonde was glad that his father wasn't there. He headed straight for the bathroom, quickly took off his clothes, dropped them on the floor and started the shower. He closed his eyes under the hot water.

It was always a relief to feel the water on his skin, and no matter how much his neighbours complained, no matter how much his father yelled at him for using the shower in the middle of the night, he would still do it. He needed it.

Joey's shaking hand took the white soap and frantically rubbed it on his skin, all over his body. He burst into tears under the shower. He knew it was no use. Every night, it was the same thing, the same ritual, and no matter how much soap he used... he knew he would still feel as dirty as he did when he stepped in the shower.

This sensation could not be washed away with soap and water like simple mud.

-----------------------

Forty-five minutes later, the water became too cold and he stopped the shower. Joey grabbed a green towel and dried his skin and hair - he rubbed the towel so firmly on his body that it felt like his skin was burning. He put on boxers and an old grey shirt and dropped his clothes in the basket - but not before his hand had taken the cash in his pocket.

'Cause I'm not exactly doing this for fun, you know.

The blonde walked towards his small bedroom. He hid the money under his mattress and then dropped on his bed. Joey simply closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

-----------------------

When his alarm clock rang at 7 o'clock, Joey's eyes refused to open, and his body wouldn't move.

"Stop that fucking thing!" his father yelled from his own bed.

Joey simply dropped his hand on the annoying clock and sighed heavily.

Oh, man, you've got to be kiddin' me.

He gathered all his forces and managed to stand up. His eyes still closed, he searched for his school uniform. Joey yawned and his hazel eyes finally opened. He stared at his alarm clock.

Fuck it.

His head dropped back on his black pillow and he just fell asleep again. He knew that his friends would worry about him, but he didn't care. The thing that he didn't know what that someone else would worry - and even more than his friends.

-----------------------

The blonde leaned his back on a building and looked around him. There was pratically nobody in the street, and it was almost midnight. C'mon, it's Friday night!

When someone finally stopped next to him, he walked towards the dark blue car.

"Wanna get in?" the driver asked as his eyes were already undressing Joey.

Wheeler forced his lips to smile.

"Show me the money, hun."

When the man showed him his wallet - full of cash -, the blonde made his smile bigger, even if deep inside he felt like running back home and hide in his bed forever.

"Sounds good to me."

-----------------------

The car stopped in an empty parking.

"So", Joey started, "What exactly do you want me to-"

The man cut his sentence by immediately turning towards Joey, grabbing his shirt and kissing him violently. His tongue, that had a strong cigarette taste, forced his way into the blonde's mouth as his hands moved on his tense body, already taking off the duelist's clothes.

"Just do nothing", the business man replied. "I love to be in charge."

Joey did his best not to grimace when his costumer's teeth bit his ear - in a way that was a bit too hard to be pleasant. But whatever the man would do, it'd never be pleasant. The man pushed him on the backseat, and, without any more warning, penetrated inside the blonde's body.

It was terribly painful and Joey had to bite his tongue so hard that he felt blood in his mouth. But, of course, the man didn't care. They never cared. He closed his eyes full of tears when the man started to move in a way that was everything but tender or gentle. The blonde's only preoccupation now was to not burst into tears or yell with pain.

He took a deep, silent breath and just kept his eyes closed, and tried to pretend that it wasn't happening.

-----------------------

Again, when he got back home in the middle of the night, his father wasn't there. For once, Joey was glad that his father was so addicted to drinking and gambling. He wouldn't ask questions, since he had no idea that his son wasn't coming back home before three in the morning or so.

Like every night, Joey headed straight for the bathroom, but this time, he didn't start the shower, for he stopped before as his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror. He stared at himself in silence. His skin was paler than it should be, and the dark circles under his hazel eyes showed everyone how much he needed to sleep. He knew his lips wouldn't smile anymore if he didn't force them.

It was a miracle that his friends were not asking him tons of questions. Or was it that they just didn't care enough to ask? He wasn't sure - and he wasn't sure he wanted to know either. Joey looked down at the white sink.

Look at you. Look where you are now. He's right to call you a mutt. No, you're not a mutt. You're worse than that. You're disgusting. You're just junk. You're just a worthless piece of shit. Why else would you do that?

He felt tears in his eyes as he stared back at his face in the mirror.

I'm not that. I'm just trying to help. I wanna save someone.

His hands started to shake on the sink's edges. It was as if Kaiba's voice was murmuring in his head with his usual mocking, cruel tone:

Yeah right. And since you're such a trash, there is nothing better that you can do for her? That's all you deserve, after all. I hate you. You should hate yourself too. Actually, everyone should. 'Cause you're nothing but a mutt selling his ass on the street.

Unable to stand his own reflection any longer, Joey smashed the mirror on the floor and burst into tears, wrapping his arms around his legs as he sat on the cold carrelage.

Can't look at yourself now, can you? What if she saw you? Can you imagine how disgusted she'd be? Do you think she'd still hug you and tell you how much she loves you and admires you?

His hazel eyes moved towards the shower.

C'mon, get inside the shower. Let the water run down your dirty skin, it won't change anything. You're disgusting. Nothing will change it. You could just drown yourself in this fucking shower, and you'd still be the foul piece of junk that you are now. Actually, why don't you do it? You can't feel any worse than you do now.

The blonde slowly shook his head.

"No", he muttered for himself. "Someone's counting on me..."

That was right. Someone needed his help, someone needed this money. And he couldn't let her down.

Joey sighed, stood up and started the shower.

End of the chapter: I told you this would be very different from TTYN, but I hope you'll still like it and review ^^