Chapter Two: Transformation
AN: I own nothing. Except for the world… bow before me!
Pain.
Pain all over.
Seto slowly opened his eyes, amazed to be alive. He tried to get to his feet, but something didn't feel right… he fell over with a yelp.
/Wait. That wasn't my voice…!/ Kaiba looked down at himself and would have cried if he could.
Big floppy paws. A long tail. Short, smooth chocolate colored fur covering his body. Large black nose in front of his eyes, and an almost painfully acute sense of smell.
/Dear Ra…! I'm a dog!/
Meanwhile, Mokuba was calling the Turtle Game Shop. He waited anxiously until someone picked up, and immediately started talking very quickly when he realized it was Yami on the other end.
"Seto should be home by now but he's not and it's my birthday and he promised and something's gotta be wrong!"
Despite his amazement at the speed at which Mokuba could talk, Yami took a moment and translated the boy's words. "…Mokuba, I'm sure Kaiba's fine. But if you want, I can send Joey out to look for him; he's not doing his job here anyway, and Yugi and I are a bit… busy.
Sighing in relief, certain that Yugi and his friends would fix this for him, Mokuba thanked Yami and hung up.
/Why do I hafta be stuck lookin' fer Kaiba? Why me? Yami knows I hate the guy!/
Joey Wheeler turned up the collar of his coat against the cold wind as he walked the streets between the school and Kaiba's estates, searching for the mysteriously absent and late billionaire. The rain was at least starting to let up, but it was still damn cold from the howling wind.
Seeking shelter from the freezing elements, the blond ducked into a back alley. He started thinking about the dog he wanted to adopt that day; he had a collar and leash all ready in his pocket and he had the perfect pup picked out in the shelter. He wasn't too thrilled with this little 'search for Kaiba' episode, because it kept him from his adorable little puppy.
Suddenly, he was jarred from his thoughts as he tripped over a sleeping dog that was huddled under a familiar white trench coat….
The dog leaped up with a yelp and growled dangerously, baring its teeth. Joey blinked as he sat up and turned his head only to come face-to-face with very large and very peeved-looking Great Dane. The dog suddenly stopped snarling and just stared at Joey… almost like it was at a loss for words.
The blond looked closer at the dog and realized that the dog had shocking, bright blue eyes. He grinned and moved closer to the dog, petting it as it shied away from his touch with a look almost like disgust. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Joey reached forward and kept petting the dog's head. He had wanted a dog, after all, and if he took this one home he wouldn't have to pay the adoption fee… and he needed as much money as he could get.
"It's okay, pup," Joey said soothingly before grabbing the scruff of the dog's neck as a joke came into his mind. He slipped the collar and attached leash out of his jacket pocket and swiftly slipped over the dog's head and about its neck before it could react. Joey noted that the dog looked like it wasn't totally an adult yet, but almost there.
The teen picked up Kaiba's trench coat and searched the alley. He found Kaiba's briefcase and the rest of his clothing. "Weird," Joey muttered. "Why the heck're Kaib's clothes abandoned in an alley?" Unable to produce an answer for himself, he glanced over at the glaring dog and grinned. "Ya know, you look kinda like the guy with them blue eyes a' yers, and with that fur. I think I'll call ya Seto… heh, I bet the real one'd get a kick outta this…"
Seto would have very much liked to disagree, and he tried. But, alas, it came out only as a growl. That seemed to make Joey even more amused. "Ya even sound like the real Kaiba. Growly and aggressive."
Giving the blond a glare, Seto yanked his head back as the teen scratched his ears amicably. "Hey now, puppy dog, be nice."
/'Be nice'? I'll show you nice… lean down here and I'll bite your face off, mutt…/
Blissfully unaware of Seto's murderous thoughts, Joey began walking out of the alley with Kaiba's clothing and briefcase in his hands. Unused to collars and the like, Seto was unhappily surprised when he was dragged along after the annoying blond. He could tell that this was going to be one long-ass day…
In Yugi's house, things were unusually quiet. It was disconcerting to hear that Seto Kaiba was missing. Even though Yami didn't like the blue-eyed duelist at all, he still respected him and was afraid for the cold man. He and Yugi sat at a table near the front door, just waiting for Joey to come back and tell them what had happened.
Mokuba had come over, not wanting to be in the large estate by himself, and was asleep on the couch in Tristan's arms. Tristan had been comforting the boy over the absence of his brother, and had been thankful when the tearful child had finally fallen asleep… but he still felt bad for the kid, even if he was Kaiba's brother.
Suddenly, the door was opened with a bang.
Yugi and Yami both bolted to their feet and stared at the door, and Mokuba's eyes slowly blinked open. Tristan raised an eyebrow at the scene in the doorway.
"C'mon, mutt!"
A few yelps and frenzied barking ensued, and a briefcase was hurled into the house to be followed by what appeared to be Seto's clothing. Yami stared at the clothes, then back out the door.
Seconds later, a large great dane bounded into the house with Joey hanging onto its leash a few feet behind as he was dragged inside after the dog. The dog looked around, his gaze settling on Mokuba.
The child blinked, confused. Why did Joey bring in a dog instead of his brother?
His questioning thoughts were cut short as the dog leaped onto the couch next to him and tried to be affectionate, barking loudly. Mokuba's eyes widened, and he tugged Tristan's jacket sleeve. "Uh, Tristan? There's a dog here."
"Way to state the obvious, little guy," replied the brown-haired teen with a smile, but not before casting Joey an inquisitive look. The blond grinned. "His name's Seto."
Yugi blinked in surprise. "Seto?"
"Yeah, Seto."
The dog glared at Joey for a moment before grasping Mokuba's shirt in his teeth and tugging gently. The kid grinned and pet Seto's head. "Well, at least you found one Seto…" Yami muttered to Joey, glad that the young Kaiba was at least distracted from thoughts of his brother for a bit by the presence of the dog.
The spirit then walked over to the clumsily thrown briefcase and clothing. "Joey… where did you find these? They're definitely Kaiba's."
The brown-eyed teen wandered over to Yami and nudged the briefcase with his foot. "I found them in an alley 'bout halfway between school and Kaiba's house."
"No sign of Kaiba himself?"
Joey shook his head in the negative. "None, Yami. S'like he disappeared or somethin'." At those words, Yami frowned and looked closer at the dog. There were certainly similarities… but it was impossible.
"Tristan, can you take Mokuba home?" the spirit asked, frowning. The teen in question nodded and got up, beckoning to Mokuba, who had sobered again at the mention of his brother's disappearance.
When the two had left, Yugi looked at Yami with a worried expression. "What do you think happened to Kaiba?"
Seto growled and pawed at Yugi's feet. "I'm right here, you dunce," the billionaire said, but it came out as a low growl and a bark. The boy stepped back and moved next to Yami, unaccustomed to large dogs. Seto bristled a little and snapped at Yami.
"You sure the dog's not going to hurt anyone?" Yami asked Joey, eyeing the brown dog carefully. "Yeah, he's harmless. He's a big teddy bear, just like his namesake," said the blond with a mischievous grin. The spirit rolled his eyes at that and poked Joey's chest.
"It doesn't matter what you say, Joey… Yugi and I are well aware of your feelings for Seto Kaiba."
/Feelings? Why would Wheeler have 'feelings' for me? He's a stupid mutt!/ Seto thought, totally disregarding that he was in fact the dog at the moment.
The CEO-turned-dog was even more surprised when the blond blushed brightly at Yami's words. "Ah, man, Yami… d'you hafta say it out loud where anyone could hear yas?"
Now Seto was even more interested. Anything that Joey didn't want anyone to hear was good blackmail material indeed, considering the fact that Joey had almost no sense of propriety or modesty.
Yugi grinned and came up next to Joey, poking his stomach a few times. "We both know your secret, Joey… but don't worry, we won't tell anyone."
Damn. Typical of the stupid brat to taunt Seto and then not deliver promised goods. Stupid second-rate duelist.
As Seto started to growl, Joey decided very quickly that it was time to go. He waved at Yami and Yugi before dashing out the door, his face beet red, dragging poor Seto behind him.
AN: How'd you like that chapter, folks? R&R! Up next, Seto is brought to Joey's home and gets a little taste of the unfortunate kid's life at the hands of you-know-who… and realizes that he has much more in common with the 'mutt' than he thought.