Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or TBAA. You really ought to know that by now.
Author's Notes:. Hello everyone! Hope this chapter isn't too confusing the way I've written it. Thank you to all who reviewed so far. Also, what happened to Joey's father is explained more in detail in LWTH. But Joey didn't kill his father, just so you know. What's happening to him is a combination of Monique's influence and his own guilt.
HCG: Very smart! You picked up on that! Yes, it was because of Monique. That probably will be mentioned later on. Youkai Youko: They will be in this story, but much later on. Let's just say that unfortunately for our heroes, Monique is going to have a field day before they finally appear. Besides, I love angst!
A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!
Warnings: Mild violence and language, so far. Slight mentions of blood and gore in this chapter.
To Steal, Kill, and Destroy Chapter Seven: MeltdownJoey burst into the men's washroom with tears streaming down his face. He grasped one of the sinks with both his hands. "Why is it that I always mess everything up? Why can't I eva do anythin' right!?" Monique's words had cut deeper than any knife could. He leaned over the sink and quietly sobbed.
A few moments later, the door to the bathroom opened, and the tall CEO walked in. "Joey, are you all right?"
The blonde wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I told ya ta leave me alone!"
Kaiba sighed and approached Joey. However, he was in no mood to deal with Kaiba and his insults. He turned and quickly ran from the washroom.
Joey ran down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator. He couldn't wait for it to come so he banged open the door that led to the stairway. He ran all the way down to the first floor, and out of the massive office building. He kept running, and ran right into the street. A car loudly skid to a stop to avoid hitting him. The driver angrily honked the horn and began to holler at the distressed boy. "Hey whatsa matter with ya!? Ain'tcha got better sense than to run out inta the middle of a busy street!?"
Joey looked at the man who was currently yelling his head off at him. Suddenly, he turned into his father. Half of his skull was missing, just as when he had died. "Ya stupid punk! This is all yer fault! It's yer fault that I'm dead!" His brown eyes widened and he began to back away from the car. "No…," he whispered.
The man behind the wheel continued to honk and yell. "Hey! Ya stupid kid! Get outta the street!"
"Ya worthless, good-for-nothing kid! No wonder yer mom left me! She couldn't stand ya!"
Finally, the driver was able to cut someone off, and pull his car into the next lane. The car behind him pulled up slightly and began to honk at Joey. However, the blonde was horrified to find that his father was also behind the wheel of this car. "Ya little brat! Ya never amounted ta anythin', and ya never will!"
"Hey, kid! Get off the damn street!"
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Kaiba returned to his office. At least maybe now he could get some peace and quiet. He could hear the sounds of honking coming from the street below. Hmm..it's rather early for the rush hour to be starting, he vaguely thought to himself. He glanced out the window, and quickly did a double take. There was someone who looked amazingly like the puppy dog walking backwards in the street, in the lane closest to the sidewalk. "What the..? What the hell is does that stupid mutt think he's doing!?" He quickly left his office.
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When he reached the ground floor, Joey was still in the street blocking off traffic. "Hey, mutt! Don't you have enough sense to get off the street!?" The blonde ignored him and kept staring at the cars as if they would bite him. "I'm talking to you, dog-boy! Get on the sidewalk, you stupid mongrel!" Kaiba swiftly walked up to Joey, grabbed him by the arm, and literally yanked him back onto the sidewalk. "What's the matter with you? Did your fleas get into that tiny brain of yours?"
Joey slowly turned his head and stared at the billionaire with wild, unfocused eyes. Kaiba could see that something was indeed wrong. His tone immediately softened. "Joey? Are you all right?"
But Joey couldn't see or hear Kaiba. Instead, he saw his father…complete with a huge, bloody, gaping hole in his head. "Ya stupid kid! Look at ya did ta me! Do ya see whatcha did ta me!?"
"I…I….I'm s-sorry…," Joey whispered.
"It's all right, Joey…why don't we go back inside now?" Kaiba still had a firm grip on Joey's arm.
"Yer sorry!? Yer sorry!? Ya think that c'n make up fer this, ya brat? I don't care if yer sorry! I outta smack ya from here ta kingdom come!"
"P-please…d-d-don't…."
Kaiba frowned. "Don't what?"
"Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't, ya rotten kid! Ya killed me!"
"P-please….D-dad…I'm s-sorry…."
"Dad? Joey, it's me, Kaiba!"
"I toldja, I don't care if yer sorry! You ain't nothin' but a no-good punk! And you'll always be one!"
Kaiba shook the blonde slightly. "Joey! Can you hear me? Snap out of it!"
The world began to spin around him. His vision blurred and darkened, and he could feel himself falling. He felt someone catch him and he could vaguely hear someone in the distance calling his name; telling him to wake up. But he didn't want to. He could no longer stand to be tortured by the images he saw before him.
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Told ya I love angst!! Please read and review! Arigato!