Chapter ten: Like me!

"So what you're saying is…" Isis said slowly, "that you have to earn Seto's trust, and then he'll just let you go?"

"Yup," Joey answered and relaxed further into the bed of cushions he was slacking on.

It was the day after the feast, and he was sitting with the rest of the gang in one of the cave's many libraries, among cushions and books, just enjoying their company and the warmth from the large fireplace. Isis had healed all of Joey's wounds once he and Seto came back yesterday, by touching them gently and murmuring something in a strange language, and the next thing Joey knew, they had glowed for a moment before starting to close on their own accord, not even leaving a scar in their wake.

Isis was the only one who knew exactly what had happened the night before; neither Seto nor Joey wanted to worry the others. As far as Yami, Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, Marik and Mokuba knew, Joey had simply run off into the forest and Seto had caught him and brought him back. This however hadn't stopped Yugi from scolding him and Ryou from doting over him in concern until Bakura was snarling with jealousy.

But then Joey had told them about his and Seto's deal (of course leaving out the part with the negative unicorn) and that's why they were all just gaping at him in shock at the moment. Isis was scowling particularly deeply.

"Joey," she said slowly and looked him deep in the eye. They were sitting opposite one another, Isis in a chair with a book in her lap. "Do you have any idea how paranoid Seto is? It's practically impossible to make him trust someone!"

"He trusts you guys!" Joey protested and looked at them all. "And if he trusts you, then why can't he trust me?"

"That's different," Isis protested and her frown deepened even more. "I've been living with him for years, and I've dedicated my life to him and Mokuba! I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon!"

"And we're born in this village," Ryou continued softly. He was sitting on a pillow to Joey's left, and Bakura was sitting close behind him dutifully. "Seto knew our parent before us, and our grandparents before that!"

"And I'm his brother!" Mokuba concluded and looked up from his place beside Joey on the pillow-bed.

They all faltered for a moment and turned to look funnily at the drakling.

"Mokuba," Yugi said with a small smile from his chair beside Isis. "We know he trusts you!"

Mokuba shrank back into Joey's side a little, looking sullen.

"Well, sorry," he muttered in embarrassment.

The others kept looking at him for a moment, all of them trying not to smile, then Joey steered the conversation back on track.

"Listen guys, it's no big deal," he assured them. "Seto wants to get rid of me just as much as I wanna leave! I'll be out of here in no time."

"I don't think you realize just how nit-picking Seto is," Yami tried to tell him. "Think of all that he has been through, Joey. Trust doesn't come to him easily. It's been four hundred years, and he's still protecting his family as if the witches were about to charge in at any moment. You can be stuck here for years before he decides you're a friend!"

Joey bit his lip, contemplating Yami's words for a moment. They rang true, of course, but despite that, Joey was certain that he could do this if he put his mind to it. There was a reason why this had to work.

"Guys, think about it for a moment; if I wanna get home, what other choice do I have? I like it here, I really do, and you've all become like a family for me, but my real family is waiting for me, and they are probably dying from worry. If you've got any other ideas, any at all, that'll make all of this easier, then I'd love to hear them. Otherwise, this is my only chance. I have to make Seto trust me, and I'll probably need your help!"

Silence filled the library for a moment, the only sound coming from the sparkling fire as the others thought it over. Joey fiddled with his fingers tensely, hoping to god that they would understand. He really did need their help; his knowledge of Seto and what he liked and didn't like was very limited. He'd need advice to win the white dragon over; therefore, if his friends didn't help him, he'd be in deep shit.

The one to break the pause at last was Yugi, who sat up a little straighter and smiled almost sadly at him.

"You really do want to go home, don't you?" he asked softly. Joey smiled back.

"More than anything," he answered, trying to convey with his voice only just how important this wish was and how certain he was.

The two boys just sat like that and looked at each other for a moment, brown eyes meeting amethyst, and then Yugi nodded and smiled a little brighter.

"Okay, Joey, if that is what you truly want, then I'll do anything I can to help you. We're friends after all."

"It's gonna be sad when you leave," Mokuba agreed. "But I get how you feel. No one should have to stay somewhere against their free will!"

Joey smiled at the dragon, and patted his muzzle affectionately. He knew that if anyone understood how this captivity affected him, it was Mokuba.

"It's not going to be easy," Ryou said softly. "But we are friends, and I still owe you for saving my life. I'm in too!"

"I suppose you have a point," Yami said with a small sigh and a smile. "And when you think about it, this might be an interesting challenge."

Bakura simply growled a little and lay down, swinging his silver tail back and forth in irritation. Nothing more needed to be said; they all knew that whatever Ryou did, Bakura was in on.

"This ought to be fun," Marik spoke up for the first time from his place beside the fireplace.

All eyes now fixed on Isis, twinkling hopefully, and she looked like she was thinking about it for a moment, before she sighed in defeat.

"If we're going to create miracles and make this work, then we'll need some kind of plan," she said, and Joey's whole face lit up in a huge smile of appreciation.

"Thanks, guys," he said warmly and smiled at all of them in turn.

"Let 'Operation: Woo Seto' begin!" Mokuba chimed happily, and the others laughed as Joey made a face.

"Please Mokie, never call it that again," he begged in mock-misery. "It makes it sound as if I wanna get into his pants!"

"Which would be pretty damn difficult, seeing as Seto doesn't even wear pants," Yugi said and they all laughed again at Joey's groan. Isis simply shook her head and decided that if they wanted this "mission" to go anywhere, she'd have to steer this discussion in the right direction.

"Enough joking around. Have you even thought about how you're going to do this, Joey? Do you have any plan or guide-lines or anything?"

Joey leaned back into the many pillows and thought for a moment.

"No, not really, I haven't gotten that far yet," he admitted and grinned sheepishly at Isis. "But I bet you've got suggestions. What did you do when you met him the first time, Isis?"

Isis contemplated the question for a moment, and then answered slowly:

"I guess… I guess I didn't really do anything but being myself. I mean, when my brother and I showed up in the village claiming we were destined to serve him, Seto believed it to be complete bullshit, of course. But as time went by, he started to warm up to us, little by little. We lived in the village for at least three years before Seto decided that we were serious. And even after he invited us to live with him, it took a year before he let me touch Mokuba. I didn't really mind, since I knew I'd serve him for a long time to come, but I guess you don't have that time, do you, Joey?"

Joey nodded at her, completely stunned by this revelation. It had taken Isis more than four years to make Seto trust her?! And Isis was one of the nicest people Joey had ever met! If it took that long for her, then how long would it take for him; a person Seto actually seemed to dislike?

"What we need," Yugi cut in with a pensive frown, "is some kind of strategy to make Seto see what a great guy Joey is! It won't help if you just follow him around like a pet or something-"

"As if I'd ever do that," Joey muttered.

"-but maybe there's something else you can do to make him like you. After all; it's a lot easier to trust someone you like."

"And how the hell am I supposed to make him like me?" Joey asked.

"Well," Ryou cut in with an amused smile. "This is only a suggestion, but have you ever considered actually being nice to him? I don't know how it is where you come from Joey, but here it's not very friendly to yell and insult someone every time you see them."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Joey glared at him. Ryou simply blew him a kiss, making Bakura growl in the process.

"Ryou actually has a point there," Isis cut in. "You could always try to be a bit friendlier, Joey. Try talking to him; Seto's an intelligent creature; it's always a pleasure conversing with him."

Joey thought back on the short talk he and Seto had had in the dark cave as they were looking for Yugi and Ryou. It had almost been… nice to wander around in the dark, joking a little and listening to Seto's explanations about dark magic. And he was sure that if they hadn't been interrupted, they could have kept talking for a long time. There had just been something with it all that had made Joey feel comfortable and entertained at the same time.

"Okay, I can do that," he nodded with a confident smile. "Anything else?"

"Well, you could try acting interested in things that Seto cares about. Ask questions about stuff he likes, like magic and history and so on. He's fond of games, you could try to play with him."

That'd be easy too! Joey found stuff like that really interesting himself, and even if he wasn't a game-maniac, he liked playing for the fun in it. When it was presented like this, it actually sounded easy to hang out with Seto! At least they liked the same things.

"Ok, sounds good! Anything else?"

Isis opened her mouth, hesitated and closed it again. She looked around the room and exchanged a look with Ryou, whom seemed to have been struck by the same thought as her. Joey looked from one to the other in confusion.

"What? What is it?"

"Well," Ryou began carefully. "There's one more thing I think you'll have to think about, Joey. And I think this might be the most important thing of all."

"And that is?"

Ryou exchanged another look with Isis, who had mercy on him and took over:

"We think, Joey, that you'll have to control your emotions a little better. Which means; no temper tantrums, no screaming at him when he insults you, no picking fights just because of one little thing he says. I think you get the point."

Joey sat completely still for a moment, and the others waited silently, not knowing how he would take this statement.

"So what you're meaning is," Joey said, "that I'll just have to sit back and take it when he treats me like shit, insults me and calls me names? That I'll just turn the other cheek and let him say whatever the hell he wants?"

Ryou and Isis looked at each other, then back at Joey, smiled sheepishly, and nodded.

"If you want to gain his trust and get out of here… then yes."

The blond promptly flopped back on the bed with Mokuba beside him, and groaned in misery.

"Why does god hate me?!"

"Oh, I am so going to enjoy this," Marik cackled from his place by the fire.


Joey's chance to show that he could do this came only a few days later, as Seto, while looking for Mokuba, stuck his head into the library the whole gang was gathered in. Joey, Yugi and Ryou were in the middle of a game of poker (which Marik had taught them to play the very same morning) and concentrating deeply.

"Now what is this?" The dragon asked with a smirk. "A card game and you didn't invite me? I'm insulted."

"It's no fun when you're in, Seto," Mokuba whined jokingly. "The only one who can beat you is Yami, and he doesn't play because he can't hold the cards with his claws!"

"But that's the thing that makes it so fun, Mokie," Seto said and slipped into the room to join them. "My ego purrs every time we play, knowing I am the best."

Then he spotted Joey, whom was keeping his cards close to his chest and frowning in concentration. A lazy smirk spread over his reptile-like features.

"And how is the human holding up?" He purred sardonically. "Loosing?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you very much, jerk," Joey snapped out of habit, then bit his tongue and cursed silently. Yugi and Ryou gave him looks that clearly said 'Remember the plan!' and 'Take it easy!'. Luckily Seto didn't seem to care about the insult, because his smirk only widened as he lay down beside his younger brother and Isis to watch the game unfold.

"This I have to see," he chuckled, and fixed his blue eyes on Joey, whom pointedly ignored him. No one noticed how Yami, who was sitting behind Yugi on his chair, studied Seto closely for a moment and frowned thoughtfully.

For the next few hours, as the gang kept playing and entertaining themselves, Seto kept slipping in small, scornful comments about Joey here and there. He didn't do it often, and it wasn't anything overly nasty, but it was enough to make the young blond go red and press his lips together to keep from snapping and yelling. It was only his friends' warnings and supporting glances that kept him from exploding. That, and the thought: I wanna go home, I wanna go home, which he kept chanting in his head every time Seto decided that it was time for a new comment. The final straw came after a particularly humiliating defeat in chess.

"You're being awfully quiet today, human," Seto drawled as Mokuba and Joey shook hands (or rather, hand and claw) and joked good-naturedly about Mokuba's victory. "What's the matter? You using all your brain-capacity to play? And yet you're loosing? That's rather pathetic."

Joey froze, and Mokuba glared at Seto for a moment before squeezing Joey's hand in his paw gently and smiling apologetically at him. The blond took a deep breath and ignored Seto, instead sitting down to watch as Ryou and Yugi sat down for a round. He missed Seto's half bewildered, half irritated frown.

"Ah, I get it. You've finally realized that you shouldn't speak up to your superiors?" He tried again, a little louder. "Well, took you long enough. But considering your IQ and all, I guess it's understandable."

Joey clenched his fists in his lap.

"Stop it, Seto," Yugi cut in with a frown. "Joey hasn't done anything to you. Leave him alone."

Seto's earlier comments could have been written of as harmless teasing, but this was taking it too far. Now he was just being mean.

"What? I'm just wondering why he's so quiet," Seto said casually. "I'd like to know who made him shut that oversized gap at last. That person ought to get a medal."

Joey pressed his lips together tightly.

"Seto!" Mokuba scolded angrily, but his older brother ignored him.

"I'm just curious, that's all! What'd they do, human? Glued your tongue to the roof of your mouth? Or perhaps," his smirk deepened even more, "they just put you on a leash. Yeah, that's probably it. I always pegged you as something that'd need to be tamed. Like a wild animal…"

Joey shook from head to toe, and closed his eyes, chanting:

I'm doing this to get home. I'm doing this to get home! I'm doing this to get home!!!

"No wait, that's not it…. You're more like a dog, aren't you?"

I'm doing this to get home!!!

"Or a mutt."

THAT'S IT!!!

"Master Seto," Isis suddenly cut in, and they could all detect a hint of sharpness in her voice which made Seto pause. "I have a new theory I'd like to discuss with you. It concerns the curse."

Yugi, Ryou and Mokuba breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Isis had just feigned off an explosion bound to happen. Seto blinked at her once, and for a second, he almost looked disappointed, but then he stood up and seemed to straighten.

"Really?" He asked. "Well then… let's head over to my office." And then he almost reluctantly turned around and left, only one person seeing the look he shot Joey. Isis smiled at them, and then followed him out the door.

Left in the room was Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Marik… and Joey… who was turning blue.

"Joey?" Yugi asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

The blonde's whole body was shaking violently, and all he could get out was a choked growl.

"Joey?" Yugi asked again. Bakura rolled his eyes at him.

"Give him a pillow," he ordered Yugi.

"A pillow?" Yugi asked.

"Just do it!" Bakura told him, irritated.

Yugi still looked a little puzzled, but took a pillow none the less, and held it out to Joey. Quick as lightning, Joey snatched it out of his hand, and pressed it to his face, to hide his screaming.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! ASSHOLE! ASSHOLE! FUCKING ASSHOLE! GODDAMNED JERK! I'M GONNA KILL HIM! CALLING ME MUTT!? I'LL SHOW HIM! THAT PIECE OF SHIT! FUCKFUCKFUCK FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMM!"

Stunned, his friends watched as he kept screaming and cursing for a whole minute. And once his voice broke and he finally stopped, Joey threw the pillow to the floor and fell flat on his back, staring at the dark stone-roof and panting heavily. Yugi's, Ryou's and Mokuba's eyes were saucers. Bakura and Marik were grinning like mad. And Yami was watching the door thoughtfully.

"Uh…" Ryou managed after a long pause. "You… you did good… Joey…."


During the next few days, Joey stayed as far away from Seto as he could. Which wasn't very far, seeing as Seto hung out with them pretty much all the time. Sometimes he ran off to his office with Isis to discuss something concerning the curse or the wish, and sometimes the older dragon seemed to crave some lone-time and locked himself up in his office for a few hours, but otherwise he was always with them. He almost never participated in whatever they did, unless they were just talking, or playing games (and he always won, unless Yami was playing too) but seemed quite content to just watch them and make small comments here and there.

In Joey's case, those comments consisted of insults and/or snide remarks. Somehow, he had managed to avoid an outright fight with Seto thus far, all thanks to his friends' talent for distracting him. But as time went, the anger and pride bunkered up inside Joey, and for every comment Seto threw at him, it became harder and harder to just ignore it. Joey had never had to do that before; he'd always met every problem head on, even if it wasn't very smart to do so. For someone as outspoken as him, this was pure torture.

His salvation came about one and a half week after the deal, in the form of a black hawk. Joey, Yugi, Ryou and Mokuba had spent the day playing in the air hole, and as the two young mages were about to leave, tired but satisfied with their day, Yami pulled Joey aside for a moment.

"This whole thing with Seto is killing you, isn't it?" He asked softly.

"He's a complete asshole who's got nothing better to do than insult people just to make him feel superior!" Joey hissed, instantly seizing the chance to vent. "What the hell is his problem?! I haven't done him anything! I haven't given him any reason to attack me. I've been staying out of his hair- figuratively speaking, of course- and minding my own business. What the hell's he got against me?!"

"Hm," Yami said and frowned for a moment. "Maybe it'd be better if you just acted like normal. You know, talked back and acted like Joey again."

"What?" Joey asked and stared at him. "What are you on, man? We're trying to make him like me here, not hate me even more."

"This might sound strange, Joey… but I think he might already like you."

"Bullshit! He insults me all the time!"

"Exactly."

Now Joey just stared at him in complete confusion. Yami sighed and hopped down from the boulder he had been sitting on.

"Think about it," he suggested as he hovered in the air in front of Joey. "Just be yourself, and try not to get mad at him all the time. Try to turn it all into a joke… just be yourself. Like when you're with us."

That said, he flew over and transformed into his larger self, letting Yugi climb onto his back. Bakura slung one furry arm around Ryou's waist, and with a curt nod at Joey and Mokuba, he walked over to the entrance and jumped out, not caring that Ryou was still waving goodbye. Yugi and Yami stayed a moment longer to say goodbye properly, but then they too were off.

"Come on!" Mokuba said happily and tugged at Joey's sleeve. "Let's go find big brother and Isis."

Joey followed him through the corridors down to the library where they knew that the other two occupants of the cave were hiding. Mokuba blabbered on happily, but Joey turned the sounds out, thinking deeply about what Yami had said. What the hell did he mean? Seto didn't like him! If he did, then he wouldn't go out of his way to make Joey boil every time they saw each other!

On the other hand, he had saved Joey more than once. And he actually seemed at least a little concerned when he was hurt. And that talk they had had before encountering the werewolves… but if he liked him, then why was he such a jerk!?

Joey snapped out of his thoughts when he and Mokuba stepped into the library. Isis was lying on a bed of cushions in front of the fireplace, deeply engorged in some book, and Seto was lying by the circular window, (this was one of the few libraries in the cave which actually had a window. That's why the gang spent so much time in it) he, also, with a book spread in front of him.

The books in the cave were magical; they changed size depending on who was reading them. When Joey picked up a book, it was the same size as a normal one, but if Seto took the very same copy, it changed size to fit him. Thus, the book laying in front of Seto right now was very big.

Mokuba trotted over and flopped down beside Isis, nudging her lightly with his muzzle and looking as adorable as he could. And that was pretty damn adorable!

"Isis," he whined cutely. "Read me a story? Please?"

As expected, the dark haired woman smiled at him and put the book aside, trading it for a children's fairytale. Mokuba eagerly moved in closer to her and put his head down right beside her leg, his tail waving back and forth lazily. Joe couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.

"Had a good day?" Seto asked suddenly, and as Joey looked over at him, he could see the familiar smirk in place. He gritted his teeth to keep from snapping at him. Thus far, Seto had only asked him a question. Nothing to get mad about.

"Yeah, it's been nice," Joey answered somewhat wearily.

"You're fitting in perfectly in Yugi's little geek squad, aren't you?" Seto smirked. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me at all."

And there was the insult he had been waiting for!

Joey was just about to open his mouth to start yelling (out of the corner of his eye, he saw Isis and Mokuba get ready to interfere) but then Yami's words flashed through his head.

Just be yourself…. Like when you're with us.

What the hell! He might as well try it! His attempts to make the dragon like him this far had been pretty much a complete waste of time. Maybe this'd work better!

"Rather have friends than be an antisocial jerk who only sits aside and watch cause he thinks he's too good to hang out with normal people." He snapped and put his hands on his hips, glaring up at Seto stubbornly.

Isis and Mokuba looked at him in shock and defeat, thinking this was the end, and Seto raised his eyebrow in surprise for a moment before smirking again.

"Well, well," he drawled. "Look who's finally found his spine. Where'd the leash go, human? Or should I say mutt."

"Asshole! I'm not a mutt, and just so you know, I've been keeping my mouth shut because I was trying to be friendly. You know; friendly. That thing you don't know what it is."

"You've been trying to be friendly? Ignoring someone who's talking to you isn't exactly friendly."

"Neither is insulting someone on sight. You really are a first class bastard, aren't you? And it's not just an act either. You were born like this, weren't you? I guess we can thank Isis for Mokuba's non-jerkiness. He sure as hell didn't pick it up from you."

"Well, you'd know all about picking things up, wouldn't you? Tell me; do you have a pet dog at home? Or should I take it you've just been spending way too much time with the street mutts?"

"You bastard! I'm not a fucking dog, lizard boy!"

"What did you call me?"

"Lizard-boy! L-I-Z-A-R-D BOY! Got a problem with that?!"

Damn, it felt good to finally unwind! For the first time in weeks, Joey felt completely relaxed. It was good to be himself again! Not even Seto's insults could make him mad, because finally he could respond in the same fashion!

Isis and Mokuba watched this trade of insults with round eyes for a second, then their looks changed into mixes of wonder, amusement and relief. They too could see the relaxed mood between the human boy and the teenage dragon. This wasn't a big fight, like the ones from the passed weeks. This was just… light bickering.

Isis and Mokuba exchanged a look. During the last week, the whole gang had begun doubting more and more that Seto and Joey would ever learn to get along; the atmosphere had been so tense between them. But now it looked like they had figured it out on their own.

Happy with the situation, Isis and Mokuba went back to their book, ignoring the two teasing males for the moment. They didn't have to interrupt this time.


It burned.

Everything burned. His hands burned, his feet burned, his back and torso burned, his face burned, his intestines burned, his goddamned eyeballs burned so bad he was surprised they hadn't melted out of his skull yet. Or he would have been surprised, if he hadn't been too occupied with this burning pain ripping through him like razorblades. Was he in hell? Oh god, he should be in hell! He should be dead! This pain should have killed him long ago!

But no. Something stronger than pain was urging him on; keeping him alive. Something dark, something absolutely terrible that ripped him apart, but he knew that he couldn't be without it, because then he would die! He'd die, and he couldn't do that yet! Not until he had satisfied The Dark within himself. And he knew what he had to do to satisfy it. Oh, he knew exactly what he had to do.

The smell of burnt flesh led him to the corpse. The corpse which had cooled of and which had grown hard and disgusting and which was full of insects… and he envied it. He envied it, because it had burned like him, hurt like him, but it had been freed. He had to endure the burning. It didn't.

He ate it greedily. The Dark told him to eat it greedily, because if he didn't, he'd die, and he could. Not. Yet. And so he ate. He ate, and almost puked, and ate some more. And then he wandered on, because there was a place where he had to be, and in order to get there, he had to ignore the burning. Even if it should have killed him.

He looked up at the moon, grateful for its faint light. And that made him think of his curse, and he thanked it, because it was the only thing which made his body truly work. The curse kept his body alive, and The Dark kept his mind alive. The Curse and The Dark. They went hand in hand, and were his mother and father these days.

He found the proof that he was on the right track, and it made The Dark inside him, which wasn't really The Dark at all but really his own blackened soul, sing in triumph. He took the evidence and hid it close to what was left of his heart. He knew that it'd be poetic justice to use it to satisfy his Dark. His soul.

And still, it burned.

Another filler chapter without much action, but hopefully the updates will come more frequently now, so it won't matter. Besides; at last things are starting to happen between Seto and Joey! That's gotta count for something, right? Right?!

I'VE LOST TWO OF MY MOST LOYAL REVIEWERS!!! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! WHERE HAVE NIKKI AND THE BLONDE MIDGET GONE?! I FEEL SO LOST WITHOUT YOU!!! -wails-

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