Disclaimer in first chapter.
Chapter 2:
While Joey tried his hardest to push the men off, Kaiba Corp. almost immediately received the emergency text from Mokuba. The company sent enforcements as soon as possible and Seto ordered his personal helicopter to be launched. He dumped all the papers in his hand and was filled with rage as well as concern as he scurried out of his office.
The helicopter's loud howls and powerful wind waves raided the entire construction site. "Shit!" The men curse out, recognizing the back up. Kaiba hardly waited for the helicopter to land and jumped out as the aircraft neared the ground. The guards infiltrated the area and ran towards the unfinished building with their weapons.
"Dammit! This is all your fault runt!" One of the men hoisted a wooden rod and raised it up high. Mokuba watched in horror as he gripped his phone.
"Mokuba!" Joey called out, running towards him.
"Mokuba!" Seto cried around the same time as he followed behind the guards who pushed the entrance doors open in time to catch a glimpse of someone getting hit in the head. The body collapsed to the ground embracing a smaller body against itself, blood oozing right after it.
"Freeze!" The Kaiba Corp. bodyguards aimed their weapons with a stern warning and instantly marched in to arrest them all.
"Joey!" Mokuba screamed. Seto quickly ran towards the voice and apparently found his younger brother squished under the unconscious blond. The younger struggled up all the while holding on to his savior. "Joey?!" Tears began streaming down his cheeks, further terrified by the blood staining his shirt.
"Mokuba!" Seto's voice forced him to look up.
"S-seto! Quick! You have to help Joey! He's bleeding really badly—he's not waking up big bro…" The elder exhaled hard, Mokuba's tear stained and flustered state automatically putting him in a frenzy too.
"Who…?" 'Joey' wasn't exactly a name that was registered in his mind as his eyes surveyed the unruly blond in the other's small arms. He tried to peek a glance at his face and realized one thing. 'The one who idiotically challenged him the other day…' "First of all, take a deep breath. I'll call emergency right away." And he did.
In no time the ambulance came and lifted him up on a stretcher. Mokuba only stood there and hugged his elder brother as he watched them take him away. "I'll make those guys pay so dearly..." The frowns on Seto's face were getting deeper and deeper as he patted the other's back.
"We have to go too." The ravenette insisted.
"We need to get you changed first then we'll head over." Mokuba was hesitant but nodded in agreement. Seto forced a smile, glad that he obliged but then looked back in the direction of the ambulance car. 'Really, what was wrong with him? Who would normally risk their own safety for a stranger?' But even so, as much as he hated to admit it, he owed the other everything for saving his irreplaceable brother's life.
After the brothers cleaned up, they visited the hospital Joey was admitted with a fruit basket and flowers.
Joey opened his eyes to an unfamiliar white ceiling floor. "Did I die? Ow, ow, no this feels too real." He instinctively sat up on the bed. He felt his throbbing head as all the events from earlier flashed by. "Those bastards! What happened to them?!"
The door opened and the blond saw the two walk in. "Joey are you awake? How do you feel? We brought you stuff." Mokuba immediately paced over to Joey's side.
"Eh? Mokie? Head kinda hurts but I've been through worse." The blond took the flowers from the other. "Oh, pretty flowers."
"Look...um, I'm really sorry for what you got dragged into..."
"It can't be helped. If it was you, you'd be dead by now. Aren't you glad I took the hit for ya." He grinned, surprising the other.
"Normal people wouldn't be glad about that." Seto stated in a matter-of-fact way and made his presence known.
Joey growled at him as he stood by the door. "You…don't start looking down on me—we still need to have a rematch. What are you doing here anyway?"
"Yeah I'd like to see you beat me in that state."
"Bro." The ravenette gave him a look.
"I know Mokuba."
"Bro? Wait you're his brother? The CEO of Kaiba Corp. is your brother?" Mokuba nodded to that. "Geez is that the thanks I get—well just you know I really wasn't doing it for you."
Seto was silent as he stared at the blond and formulated the right words in his head. It was clear from the look of his face there were gears working in his head. "It doesn't matter who it was for."
"Huh?"
"What matters more than anything is that Mokuba is safe and that wouldn't have been possible without your interference…and while it's difficult for me to say—I have to thank you for that." Joey stared back at him dazed.
'Whoa. This didn't feel right. No, it felt too right. If you just take this guy's arrogance away, he has to be the most eloquent and civilized person out there.' He snapped out of his introversions when he noticed cobalt blue eyes gazing straight at him, to the point where he had to shift his eyes away. It was odd, but his heart was beating consciously, feeling like he was truly confronting the CEO of the biggest company in the world. "Uh…yeah, that…" He swallowed hard, in search for his voice. "Geez, don't start acting all cool now, I can't call ya an asshole then."
"Hmph. Don't forget your place."
Joey's vein popped out again. 'Way to go, for rubbing that in. Seriously, was that necessary? Would it kill him to keep that image a little longer?' "If ya feel so indebted—which I wouldn't blame ya—then ya could do one favor…"
"What's that?" Mokuba answered instead.
"Well…ya see, I was meaning 't buy that recent duel disk you guys just released…" The blonde explained as he scratched his cheek.
"Seriously?" The word may have sounded harsher than intended as it left the brunette's lips.
"Oh, come on big bro, we can afford to give out one for free right? Right?"
"Yes, I suppose we can. Anyhow I don't have so much time to kill, so if you'll excuse me." On his way out, he happens to hear Mokuba's voice again, thanking him again.
"But really Joey, thanks a lot, what you did was irrational, but you were a true hero out there." The blond was touched until he felt a pang of something else in his chest that made him grin sadly as he ruffled the kid's hair. Was this what it was like having a younger sibling?
"Ya know your brother may be the coldest and biggest jerk of a character I've ever met—" Seto was ready to charge back in there upon hearing that but stopped at the next words. "—but you're lucky to have an older brother who's willing to do anything to protect ya." He inevitably hugged the preteen. 'What would Serenity and his relation be like right now if she was here?'
"Joey?" Mokuba questioned as the other wasn't releasing him.
"Ah, sorry about that—you just reminded me of my little sis for a moment there, haha."
"You have a sister?"
"Er yeah, but I haven't met since our parents divorced, back when we were kids."
"Oh, sorry." The ravenette didn't know how else to respond but understood his pain.
"Nah it's 'kay. That's why I said you were lucky." The blond's gaze dropped to his knees and Seto saw sadness behind it even if he was apathetic. He quietly left after that.
"Hey, can I get your phone number or email? So, we can send you the new duel disk?"
"Yeah sounds great! Ah, my phones in my bag." He pointed and the younger gave it to him. The two exchanged phone numbers at once.
"Then we'll let you know as soon as it's ready."
"Can't wait~ thanks kiddo."
A few days later, Joey was standing by the school gates and received a text from his new friend. Mokuba was asking whether they should ship the duel disk or if he wanted to stop by Kaiba Corp. to pick it up. The blond pondered about it '…pick it up, huh? A once in a lifetime opportunity to go inside KC. I bet once I'm in, I could even convince them to give me a tour. Heh, he can bet all his friends would be jealous as hell.'
"Hey wanna catch a bite somewhere—!" Tristen called out, approaching the teen.
"Sorry Tristen, later!"
"Huh, where is he rushing to?"
The teen initially had an issue getting past security but once they called Mokuba, everything was settled and he was allowed entrance. He was directed to the elevator first and foremost to the floor where duel disks were pretested and stacked before shipment. The blond had his face planted on the glass elevators the entire time before he reached the floor.
"Whoa... I must be dreamin'!"
"No, you're not." Mokuba met up with him.
"I don't know which one to pick."
"They're all the same." The younger chuckled. "Can you pack one for him?" Mokuba instructed one of the employees.
"This must be my lucky day. Thanks." The elder said, taking the box.
"Is that all?"
"Well, I was wonderin', ya mind if I give myself a tour?"
"Um, okay, I guess that should be fine, as long as you don't touch anything.
"Got it." Joey saluted and showed himself out.
'I hope that's okay...' Mokuba was second guessing his decision.
Joey looked around and took selfies of himself on various floors. He was ready to embark on the next floor and pressed the elevator button to go up. Caught up in his own excitement, as soon as the doorbell beeped, he entered hastily, not waiting for the other person exiting and nearly bumping into the tall figure. It was Seto Kaiba!
"What are you doing here?" Kaiba was just as surprised to see him.
'That was close.' The teen suddenly felt cautious and small in front of him. "Picking up the duel disk—of course." He didn't know why he averted his eyes.
"Is that right?" Seto wanted to say but instead remarked: "If you're done then leave already. This isn't a playground."
2 minutes later.
"Why are you still following me?" The elder halted in his steps irritated by the blond who still followed him.
"Eh? I don't know...I mean aren't ya gonna give me a tour?" Joey innocently explained.
"Not applicable even in your dreams."
"Looks like a tour guide isn't your best suite."
"Neither is babysitting so get lost."
Joey got angry for a split second but shocked the other when he started laughing instead. "Really, where did that person from that day go? Man, the personalities are way off."
"I fail to see how that's funny." The younger continued to chuckle. It was weird, all they did was bicker but why did they feel closer? He wasn't the only who thought that their distance was truncating. Kaiba, who was ignorantly walking ahead, couldn't help but stare weirdly at the teen who was actually 'laughing' in his presence. Well he had already registered the teen as abnormal the moment he met him but there was a deeper nostalgic feeling awakening in him at that blond's frank behavior.
"But wow look at all those Blue Eyes White Dragons, damn ya really have it hard for that monster." Joey changed the subject as he recognized silver dragon shaped jets outside in the KC facility. Seto didn't need to respond to that. "Ya think ya have a spare card?"
"Don't even think about it." As if Seto was going to give one of his Blue Eyes White Dragon card away just like that to a third rate dueler.
"Hey, hey, I don't want it for myself! I promised someone I'd get it for them…"
"Then you shouldn't keep promises you can't keep."
Joey sighed out loud. 'This guy is just impossible to get along with.' He gave up trying.
"Are you finished touring yet? Or should I call someone to show you the way out?" Seto asked with a smirk, holding opening one of his office doors.
"Tch. No thanks, I'll leave you and your wicked mansion." The blond turned on his heels.
To Be Continued...
If you'd like to check out the cover image: type 'Zerocooldemon deviantart' on google.