Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh. No profit will be made from this. Further more disclaimers will not be posted at the head of every chapter.
To Serve 3
To Joey's relief most of the day was spent in sitting around waiting for Seto to do office work, in fact he spent most of the morning making arrangements for Carls funeral much to Joey's surprise. Then he spent the rest of the morning going over contracts.
"Lunch, Wheeler. We'll go to some place we can have some privacy. I want to talk to you."
Joey groaned, he didn't want to be talked to. He wanted to be left alone, consequently when they finally got seated, the first remark out of his mouth was smart. "Ok Kaiba. I been a bad boy? Gonna smack my bottom?"
"No, Wheeler. I'm going to fricassee your brain, if I can find it. Are you suicidal or just stupidly determined to wind up back in prison?"
"I'm" Joey ducked his head. All this apologizing was getting on his nerves, but he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. Always the same thing with Kaiba
"Sorry . . . I know. Strive to keep your mouth shut so you don't have to waste my time. I've reviewed your file and I can't see that you've done anything all that bad. Breaking that man's knee was about the worst charge that they have. I don't see that you deserved the time you got for that. Some of these charges are obviously trumped up. Anyone who really knows you knows that you couldn't possibly have done all this."
Joey nearly choked on the cup of tea he was drinking. His raised eyebrow made Seto defensive
"Wheeler. Please. I don't understand why Mokuba likes you so much, but he does. He's asked me to see to it that you have a chance. So I'll give you one, and only one, chance to make a better life for yourself. I need a body guard. You read the files last night. The threat is very real. That man wants me dead and he doesn't care what it takes to accomplish his task.
"If you don't want to be my personal body guard say so now. I'll understand and I'll find you another, safer, place in security, or somewhere else. The risk is high, much higher than I think you realize. Think about it while we eat."
Joey watched Seto from under his bangs for a while. He couldn't believe that Kaiba Seto was giving him a job, and a chance to turn it down because it was dangerous. He was having more and more trouble disliking the man.
"Kaiba, I'm not fit for much except knee breaking. I'm a gun, you point me and pull the trigger, I'll do the rest." At Seto's slightly horrified look he raised a hand palm out. "Oh, don't worry. I'm actually quite discrete. I can hide the body too."
Seto shivered, the feral look in Joey's copper eyes was cold and bland as buttermilk. It looked like he really didn't have the faintest idea that what he'd just said was tantamount to an admission that he'd had to hide bodies at one time or another. Seto took a sip of tea in order to gain time to think.
He needed Joey to guard him, Joey needed the job badly. If things went south, Seto had the feeling that Joey was the one he wanted by his side, but gods that look was frightening.
"Seto, I know what I'm doing. I guarded Watanabe-sama, I know what to look for and how to handle it. I'm discrete, like the monkeys. And I don't care what you do in your spare time. If you're into some kind of kink, just leave me out of it."
Joey really didn't care what Seto might get up to in his spare time. It wasn't his business, even if it was slightly against the law, he wasn't here to police his private life. Seto wasn't the kind to be into kiddie porn or snuff sex. And drugs were so out of the picture they fell off the chart completely.
Seto lost his temper.
"Jesus H. Fucking . . . damnit, Wheeler what kind of ecchi have you been dealing with. I don't . . . I never . . . "
"No Ecchii," At Seto's disbelieving glare he continued, "total hentai. One of my bosses liked little girls. He didn't last long. Another wanted to fuck me. And threatened to have me held down, drugged, use me, then hand me around to some of his friends. I peached on him to his boss who didn't put up with that kind of shit. The last one wanted me to . . ."
"Hell and damnation Wheeler, just shut up. That's all disgusting. The shit you . . . " Seto snapped his mouth shut. He couldn't understand the mentality needed to put up with that kind of thing, much less talk about it so coolly. Joey was so hard that he hadn't even flinched. The very idea of tolerating someone who would threaten to rape his own body guard . . . Seto just put his cup down very carefully so as not to slam it down.
"What happened to the one who liked little girls?"
"You don't want to know. It involved a horse and a barrel. He died. That's all you need to know." The very flatness of Joey's voice made Seto imagine the worst.
"Damnit Wheeler, what happened to you?"
Joey tipped his head back. The backs of his eyes were stinging oddly. He sipped tea and finally looked Seto in the eye
"You don't want to know. I wouldn't tell you even if you were stupid enough to ask. Just remember. My skills, which you seem to scorn so much, may be the only thing between you and an early grave. Don't worry about me making you a mess to clean up. I think I can manage to do the job without shooting up Tokyo, strangling an innocent, or shanking the rest of the help. Now, do you want some more tea, or rice. There's still some beef left." When Seto shook his head, Joey helped himself to the rest of the food. "This is one of the things I really missed in America. The food was terrible. Institutional food there is greasy, starchy, and just plain disgusting. I couldn't eat half of it."
"You look like it. Eat up. If you want more, order it. I'll be back in a minute." Seto started to get up and Joey, after one regretful look at his food, started to get up too. "Wheeler, I don't need an escort to the men's room. I think I can handle things myself."
"Damnit Seto. I know you don't need me to hold it for you. But you're not going without me standing right outside the stall so I can smell it when you fart. You get me. Not out of my sight, ever. For any reason. You buy a whore; I'll be there to seal the deal and make sure she don't have a razor blade in her . . . anywhere."
Seto gave Joey a frozen, blank eyed look, then sat back down. He'd wait until Joey finished eating. That was why he looked like he'd' missed a few too many meals, he had.
"If you're going, let's get to it. If you hurry, I can get back before they think it's time to clear the table."
Seto shrugged, he could wait. All he'd wanted to do was wash his hands. He told Joey to finish his meal and take his time. Joey did just that and enjoyed his meal for the first time in a long time. He didn't feel like he was going to have to jump up with a mouthful of food to chase a boss all over creation.
Seto watched him eat and wondered how a bright, intelligent, cheerful (sometimes aggressively so) boy had turned into this savage, guarded brute. It was almost as if he'd done it intentionally and now didn't know how to get back to himself. He looked and acted half starved, but he semi covered it with a smooth control that only fooled the common people. Anyone who knew what to look for could see that he was not only dangerous but on a hair trigger.
When Joey was finished eating, they went to the men's room and Seto washed his hands. Watching Joey in the mirror he saw that he was standing with his heels against the door, smoking. That effectively blocked the door, no one could open it until he moved and he had no intention of moving until Seto wanted out.
Seto finished drying his hands and started for the door. Joey put out his cigarette and stepped away, but blocked it just long enough to check the hall outside. The man waiting impatiently for the door to open reached out and grabbed Joey by the sleeve of his left arm. His annoyed gesture cost him heavily. Joey caught his hand and twisted his wrist so quickly that Seto nearly missed it. The sharp snap of an arm breaking sounded unnaturally loud. When the man whimpered, Seto realized what had happened. Joey shoved the man away and pulled Seto down the hall, pulling his cell out of his pocket. He called a member of the security backup team and told him to take care of the man.
"Wheeler, what the hell did you just do. Are you crazy. We have to go. . . no, damnit. What . . ."
"Shut up, Kaiba. The guy scared me. I didn't see him in time, he was coming up behind me. I think I broke his arm. Roland will take care of it" At Seto's undignified gape, he snarled. "He'll pay the man off. What the hell did you think I meant/"
"I don't know. I don't even recognize you. What the hell happened . . . "
Joey gave Seto a bleak look and snarled. "Life . . . drop it."
Back at the office Seto went back to his paper work and Joey sat in a chair near the door. Seto looked up at him from time to time and finally slammed his hand down on the desk. The crack of his palm hitting the desk didn't even make Joey flinch. He'd actually been sitting watching Seto work which was what had gotten on Seto's nerves.
"Wheeler, you're gettin on my last nerve. Do something."
"What?" Joey wasn't sure what was wrong with Seto but he was willing to bet he'd find out soon, he was right.
"I don't care. Just don't sit there staring at me. It's creepy. You don't even seem to blink."
A shrug and a grunt were all the answer Seto got. Joey was so used to the yakuza way that he hadn't even thought about it. He'd been sitting there daydreaming about riding his motorcycle and wishing for a smoke, which didn't compromise his effectiveness in the least as his body was on autopilot.
"If I had a book, I could read. It's ok. At least you're not screwing some bishi-uke."
"Damnit Wheeler, way too much information. No wonder you're such a . . . look, I'll get you a laptop. You can get on the net and find all the porn you can fry your eyes with."
"Don't like porn." Joey shrugged indifferently. "Can't stand the stuff. I don't see how a woman can degrade herself like that. Or a man. It's . . . I saw way too much of the real thing with one of the bosses." Joey answered the puzzled look on Seto's face before he could even begin to frame a question. "I belonged to a high boss. A Capo de Tuti Capie. I know it's Italian, but we don't have words for that sort of thing. Anyway, he had a stable of body guards and knee breakers. I was pretty high in the pecking order, but I still got loaned out to visiting bosses from outlying areas and foreigners. They did all kinds of things. And it was my job to keep them out of trouble. I did what I had to do and did my job."
There that wasn't a lie. In fact it was the truth. He'd taken care of bodies, luckily he'd never had to decide whether to break cover or not. For him it had been easy, he just called a disposal squad that came, took the body, preserved evidence and picked the murder up when it didn't endanger him. Whoring, vandalism, drugs, all didn't come under his authority. He'd always managed to stay away from the rapists. But all that had left scars, marks of brutality that might never heal.
"Wheeler. I'll. Get. You. A. Computer. I don't care what you do with it. Just stop staring at me like I'm rice and you're a starving man. Damnit, man, work with me a little."
Joey sat stock still for about three seconds, he didn't even seem to breathe.
"Got internet? Na, dumb question, of course you do. And I'm not staring, I'm just watching. Sorry if I got on your nerves . . . look, I really need to move this chair. I don't like having my back to the door and watching the door in that mirror."
Seto's eyes flicked from Joey to the mirror behind him and back. He sighed. Joey was trying so hard to make this work and still stay discrete that he was bending over backward.
"Move anything you want. I don't care. Just not the desk. The hub is here and moving it is impossible. Other than that, move away."
Joey moved his chair from where it was, between the door and Seto's desk, to a place at the side of the room. He was still between Seto and the door but off to the side where he was less obtrusive and had a better view of the whole room. He felt better, less vulnerable, more in control of the situation. He could see everyone in the door before they got anywhere near Seto and, with his reflexes, he was capable of stopping any threat.
Seto handed him a lap top and went back to his desk. Joey chewed his lip for a moment, then accessed the main menu and searched 'threats to Kaiba Seto.' Seto's phone began to ring immediately.
"Wheeler, you doing research on threats to me?"
"Yeah. Do I need a password or something?"
Seto gave it to him, talked soothingly for a second and hung up. He told Joey to go ahead with his research and again went back to his papers. Joey wondered why Seto didn't have all that stuff loaded into his computer, then decided it probably had something to do with hard copy. It was easier to change digital copy than paper. Not desirable in a contract.
Joey worked for a while then sighed, rubbed his eyes and wished for a proper search engine. One that could search the whole document for key words. This picking it out on his own was driving him blind.
"Hum, Seto? Is there a text search engine floating around in this mess somewhere. I need a search on key words like, death, kill, burn, etc. this hand searching badly scanned hard copy is killing me."
"Would you rather see the originals. I get them back from the police department after they do what ever it is they do. There are never any fingerprints, so I get them back, have them scanned and filed. If you want them just ask."
"I'm asking. Damnit . . ."
"What is it now. What ever you need. I'll get it for you."
"Can I take them home with me? I can't have a desk here. It'll be between me and anyone coming in the door. I don't feel like jumping over a desk if someone gets by that sieve you call security."
"Take anything you want. If you need a lab. . . . um . . . if . . . "
"I don't do anything chemical. I flunked chem., if you remember. Math ain't my forte either. I'm just muscle. Good reflexes, fast trigger finger. Throw my body between. That sort of thing."
Seto was truly horrified, the dismay on his face made Joey stop short.
"I don't want you throwing your life away. You don't take unnecessary risks. You understand me?"
"Ok, Boss, no unnecessary risks. I promise." What he didn't say was the active qualifier was unnecessary. Sometime the necessary risks were quite high.
When the secretary delivered the file of threatening letters she politely asked Joey if he wanted the current file only or did he want previous files. He asked the woman what she was talking about and she took a hesitant step back, like she was retreating from some suddenly savage animal. Seto looked up startled, then remarked softly, "He's on our side. Just don't scare the help, Wheeler. She's in charge of all the letters. Tell her how far back you want to go."
Joey shifted restlessly in the chair for a second. "I need to go back to the first communication from the man you call the Letter Man. But . . . shit. I need everything for the last . . . say, six months."
The woman skittered back from Joey's glare, then taking her courage in both hands, whispered. "That's four boxes of files, Sir. I . . I'm not sure."
Joey groaned silently to himself and wished, not for the first time, for a cigarette. He hadn't thought there would be that much.
"Just have it delivered to the apartment, I'll start on it this evening. If I need farther back than that I assume I can get it later?"
The poor woman nodded vigorously as she backed out the door. Joey pushed his hand through his messy bangs and mumbled to himself. "Kaiba trust you to get more threats than the Emperor himself. Damn."
Seto watched as Joey started reading the file in his hand. He wondered how much attention Joey was paying to him but found out when he started to go to the connected half bath. Joey snapped to attention like a dog offered a bone, suddenly all his attention was on Seto, the file clutched in his hand was forgotten.
"Where you goin'?"
"Rest room. Right back there. One door in, through this office only, no window."
"I don't see it."
"The door is hidden in the paneling. It's safe. Damn it, Wheeler, it was checked this morning before I came in."
"I didn't check it. I'll check it now and every time we come back in this office. I don't trust your security. Those . . . Roland has let them get careless. Kaiba, I don't want to fight you over this. I'm grateful for you getting me out of jail. I'll prove it by making sure you don't get yourself killed through ignorance or cockiness."
Joey thought that should hold him for a while, let him think that over. He wanted Seto to understand that he was dealing with someone who didn't care what he had to do to get the job done, that should get around through security. He wanted to smoke out the mole as soon as possible and get back to relaxing.
The mole was what was really bothering Joey. It could be anyone in Security, either security division, the Corporate Division was just as dangerous to Seto as the Personal Division. If the stalker could get through corporate security, that would get him into the building. All he had to do was figure out how to get to either Seto's office floor or to the apartment. Then getting through to Seto was just a matter of getting through him. That wouldn't be easy, but he didn't like the chance of Seto being injured in the resultant shoot out. He really didn't want to contemplate the effects of a bomb.
If the mole was in Seto's personal security division that was so bad. All that would be needed was for the mole to turn his head at the right time and it was all over for both of them. Joey let his eyes narrow as he reviewed arrangements in his mind. Roland was good at what he did so. . . .
"Seto, I need to talk to Roland. Can you get him in here?"
"I'll set it up for you to go to him . . ."
"Damnit to fucking hell Kaiba! How many times do I have to tell you that you don't get out of my sight? I'll tell you one more time, then I'm gonna start smacking you. You don't get out of my sight until we're back in the apartment and I've checked the place out. Never, ever. Not for a second. Do. You. Understand. Me."
The look of fury on Joeys face finally got through to Seto. He tried to give back as good as he got but he felt he'd fallen short. Especially when Joey went so still he looked like a statue, Seto let his eyes drop first.
"Ok don't go ballistic. I'll send for him."
Joey just sat down and stuck his nose back in the file. He was almost done with it and knew he didn't need more than the next file. The threats were very explicit and were escelating at a pace that made him worry about the Letter Mans sanity.
Roland came in the office, glanced around and then went to Seto's desk.
"Can I do something for you sir?"
"Yes. Wheeler is my new personal body guard. He want's some . . . "
"Damnit Mr. Kaiba, you can't want that yakuza . . . you haven't seen his record. It's bad, really bad. He's a knee. . ."
Seto shut Roland up with a look, then told him that he did want Joey as his body guard. And that he expected him to give Joey every courtesy
"Very well Mr. Kaiba.. As you wish."
Joey hadn't gotten into it with Seto and Roland, he just waited for Seto to handle it. He had no intention of getting on the bad side of someone he was going to have to work with.
"Ok Roland, I need a full run down on security in the building. There have to be weak spots. That guy has been in the building at least once and probably more than that."
"If we don't plug the leak, we're in trouble. You don't want just anybody wandering around in the upper floors, especially around this office."
"I don't know where you get the idea that you are qualified to question me. I'm an expert. I've been in this type of work since before you were born."
Joey just waited until Roland ran down and then said coldly, "Your life never depended on a drugged up Yakuza Okashira not being interrupted while he fucked an equally drugged up whore. I'm a lot better at this than I like. So get over it and cooperate, or wake up with me on your bed . . . with your dick in my hand." So much for cooperation.
"Wheeler, there's something about you that I don't like. You're hiding something important. I don't like that. There's a threat to Mr. Kaiba, and if whatever you're hiding endangers him, I'll take it out of your hide."
"You're welcome to try. But I swear that my little secrets don't endanger Mr. Kaiba in any way. Now will you stop with the pissing contest. You're the only one pissing. You want to be top dog? Ok. You want me to kiss your ass? Bare it. I got a job to do and I don't care what it takes to do it."
Roland eyed Joey for a second and the look in Joey's eyes made him shut up and ask for the lap top. When Joey handed it over without protest, Roland tapped the keys for a moment then gave it back, explaining that he'd entered a pass word for Joey that gave him access to all security files up to and including the highest security in the building.
"Don't let me down, Wheeler. You may be big, hairy, and scary; but I'm hooked into the police. If you screw this up I'll see that you go back to prison if I have to frame you myself. Understand?"
Joey didn't bother to even look at Roland. He just snarled softly. "After American prison, I can do Japanese on my head. Don't threaten me. It don't work. You got connections in the force? Go for it. See where it gets you.
"I'm going to see that Seto is safe. You want to mess around with who's more macho? I'll tell you. You are. I'm a pussy. I'm whatever you want me to be. Just don't get in my way when the shit hits the fan, you'll splatter too."
Roland felt something clench in his chest. He'd seen this kind of commitment before. It didn't set well on what he considered a boy gone wrong. He was even more convinced that something was off with Joey and even more determined to find out what. The back of his neck was creeping.
Roland left Joey to his investigations and went to call his contact in the Police department to see what he could find out. He was disappointed to find out that his contact didn't know anything about Joey except that his record had suddenly appeared about four years ago. He'd noticed because his speciality was yakuza so he knew most of the prominent Okashira and all the high level muscle. Joey hadn't been on the charts until then and he'd just suddenly become a big fish. He'd looked like a trade from the provinces but he didn't show up there either. His friend was all over curious about the whole thing. Especially about the extradition that had appeared eight months ago.
While Seto finished up his final piece of paper work, Joey shut down his lap top and prepared to follow Seto.
"Do you want to take that lap top with you? You have one in your room. I don't care but it might be easier to send your files to the main server then access them again from there."
"Seto I just got a real cold chill. Everything is on the main server, isn't it? If someone accessed the main server through a back door . . . damn, they'd have access to all the security arrangements, floor plans, lock codes, you name; it they have it. Security badges aren't that hard to forge, it's the magnetic code that's hard to duplicate. Swipe readers are still really bulky. But ."
Joey found himself talking to air as Seto booted up his computer and began a sweep of the entire system. After three hours of searching he finally exclaimed "Gotcha!" and started typing. Joey stopped him with a quick hand on his flickering fingers.
"Don't do anything just yet. Can you trace where the probe originated? If you can see if you can't get a physical address. I'll go have a talk with whoever it is. And . . "
"Wheeler, let go of me. I've forgotten more about tracing probes than you know. I'll get a physical address and turn it over to the computer fraud division. If I'm getting physical paper threats that we can't trace what makes you so sure that this will lead to something more than a curious juvenile hacker."
"Because whoever is leaving them is mailing some and sneaking others into the building. But the writing is the same, or very similar. So whoever hacked the system used that info to get into the building. Turning the address over to fraud is good. That way I don't have to leave you alone to take care of whoever is at the other end of that probe."
Joey relaxed slightly, Seto was settling into the idea that he was good at his job and hadn't spent half an hour telling him that he didn't know what he was doing. Thank God.
"I'm going to plant a trojan. If that asshole hacks us again, I'll have him for sure. I'm not going to booby trap him, just put a permeant trace on his computer. I'll also send all the information to the police. That ought to do the trick."
Seto finished his preparations, glanced at his watch and shut down his computer. He was tired and hungry. He knew that there wasn't much in the apartment to eat, but he didn't want to go out.
It was late and he was supposed to go to a demonstration at a kendo club he sponsored. When he sighed and told Joey they'd have to hurry or they'd be late to the demonstration Joey rather haughtily informed him that, unless he wanted something really complicated, he'd cook.
"Yeah. You can cook. Sure you can."
"Kaiba, who the hell do you think cooked for me and Pop. And after I moved out I sure couldn't afford to eat out all the time. It won't be fancy but I won't burn the rice. Ok?"
Seto shut up, entered the elevator, punched one of three buttons on the wall and waited. After Wheeler nearly poisoned them, he'd get take out and they'd eat in the car on the way to the dojo. But the plate Joey put in front of him contained a perfectly respectable pan-fried steak and nuked potato. A simple side salad with bottled dressing finished the meal.
The drive to the dojo was taken up with a silence that would have driven Joey to distraction Before. He hadn't realized that he tended to capitalize the word. But his life had such an obvious division that he tended to think of events as either Before or After. Most of the Before memories were pleasant or at least inoffensive, most of the After gave him nightmares.
Joey pulled out a package of cigarettes and lit one. Dragging smoke into his lungs, he savored the first smoke he'd had since lunch.
"Wheeler, put that thing out, now. I don't want my car stinking of smoke, and besides that you're ruining your health."
"What the hell do you care. I'll either die of lung cancer or lead poisoning." Joey flicked the cigarette out the window and glared sullenly at Seto. "It's a nasty habit but when you spend enough time behind bars" Joey suddenly found himself digging savagely at his wrist. "you pick up plenty of bad habits."
Seto flinched at the sight of Joeys bruised and calloused wrist. He wondered how much time it took to make callouses like that and those bruises had to hurt.
Joey ignored Seto and wished for a cigarette. He hadn't smoked Before, or rather, he'd stopped.
Before he'd gotten in with Yugi, he'd been on exactly the road he'd wound up back on, but he'd stopped smoking and straightened himself up. Lot of good it had done him in the long run.
Instead of getting pissed and starting a sulking fest, Joey should have taken the time to think things through a little. Now Seto was embarrassed and an embarrassed Seto was not something you wanted to fool around with, as Mokuba could have told Joey.
Seto sat and brooded about how stupid Joey was to smoke. He hated the smell of cigarettes, it got into fabrics and hair. Joey smelled like smoke, his hair, breath and clothes all stank. It was practically torture to sit in the car with him.
"You know, you smell. It's everywhere on you. How you could sneak up on someone I can't comprehend."
"I never needed to sneak up on someone. I just barge in and slap them around, or I stand around and wait for someone to start something, then I finish it."
Seto appealed to the vice that he thought would work with Joey. "How much will it cost me to get you to quit smoking? I'll pay any reasonable amount."
Joey slowly took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and eyed it for a second. Then he crushed it in his hand. Seto watched as his knuckles moved as he turned it around and around in his fist, making an amazing ly small, compact ball, which he tossed out the window
"Happy? You owe me." Joey leaned close to Seto and whispered softly, "my price? Your unquestioning cooperation for forty-eight hours upon demand. Yes or no."
Seto shivered, this could turn out to be very nasty, but he'd already committed himself. "Very well, you've turned the tables on me quite smartly. Forty-eight hours unquestioning cooperation. Unless it involves something illegal."
Joey leaned back, crossed his arms across his chest and dozed off. Not much could happen in a car, and if something did, there would be plenty of warning.
When they got to the dojo, Joey opened the door and stepped out, waiting for Seto to follow. His quick flickering glance around assured him that there was no threat to them. The street was empty and the car was pulled under a portico, which blocked attack from above.
They were escorted into the dojo and shown to seats right on the front row (of course). When Seto settled himself on the gomden, Joey eyed him for a moment. He'd knelt as if it was nothing, even though, in this day and age, not that many people knelt with such elegance. Joey's own kneel was graceful, if not elegant, it showed that he had the leg muscles to keep from flopping down like a bag of rice.
Seto spread his coat tails around himself, establishing a personal space which no one would encroach upon for fear of sullying the pristine whiteness of the material. Joey didn't worry about establishing a personal space, if it was necessary, a glare would suffice. But it didn't prove necessary. The younger students, who were pressed into service as servers, made sure that they were carefully blocked off by several small tables covered with snacks and tea. They made an effective 'fence' between them and the rest of the observers.
Joey looked around and saw a simple dojo, clean, neat, well maintained. It was larger than many; but not huge, like the one at the Police Academy. The seating was in tiers with the higher seats being provided only with thin pads, while the farther down and closer to the floor you went, the softer the seating became. It was all traditional; no stools of any kind, only pads or gomden, with small side tables for plates of snacks and pots of tea.
When the demonstration began, Joey watched without much interest. Seto had schooled his face into a facade of polite interest and was allowing his eyes to glaze over as he thought about business, programing or anything except what he was watching. Joey wasn't as good at that sort of thing so he wound up watching with half an eye and let the rest of his attention rove over the surrounding room.
He watched students getting ready for their demonstrations, with proud parents giving them encouragement and hugs. He saw teachers setting up equipment and reminding students of precautions. In his opinion the school was first rate.
"Seto? How much longer before we can leave? I'm hungry again."
Seto consulted his watch, "About another two hours. We're up to the senior students and then the demonstration by some expert or other. They usually bring in some outside demonstrator to show a jitsu that isn't taught here. Some are very interesting."
"Do you know what it's about? I hate most of this stuff. It isn't practical. I could beat most of their experts in a few moves. Some in one."
"Sure you could. These men have been practicing the arts all their lives."
Joey sneered slightly and floored Seto with his next remark.
"Yeah and that's just it, they've been practicing. My life depends on my skills and I'm still around."
Seto clenched his fists, the look in Joey's eyes was cold and distant, as if he'd been discussing the weather or traffic conditions instead of . . . what the hell had they been discussing? He wasn't sure exactly what was going on in Joey's mind and that worried him. He could usualy read people, he'd been able to read Joey before he'd gone 'away', now he didn't have the slightest idea.
"Here, Wheeler. Eat some of these snacks. They're not bad. They ought to hold you for a couple of hours." Seto not only gave Joey a plate of snacks, he also poured him tea. "Relax. We'll be out of here by 10:00 easy."
"Yeah? Don't promise something you can't deliver. I'd like to be out of here now. I don't like having all these people behind me. Makes my skin crawl."
"Wheeler you're down right paranoid. No one is going to do. . . ."
The sudden bang made Seto jump and Joey half draw his pistol, before they both realized that someone had dropped a tray or some sort of metal plate. Joey smirked rather meanly at Seto
"No one is going to do what? Didn't hear that last. Seto, I'm serious. You listen to me. My paranoia has saved me several times. The situations I've been involved in . . . you don't want to know about. But I mean to survive this and get you through it too. I feel like I'm repeating myself ad nausium, but I'm good at what I do, which is guard people. I'm guarding you and I intend for both of us to stay alive. I'm gonna find that freak and . . ."
"What, Wheeler? Cut him into fish bait? Be quiet, people are starting to stare at us. You're attracting attention that we don't want. Sit up and look like you're paying attention. We'll sort your shit later."
Joey shut and turned. He wasn't about to quit telling Seto what he didn't want to hear. He wanted to find the crazy who was after Seto and lock him up, then go back to vacationing. He wanted to have a normal life and do normal things. He wondered if he'd ever be normal again.
Seto eyed Joey from the corner of his eye for a second, then turned to watch the demonstration of Hojo jutsu. The art of tying. Seemed strange to him, but he didn't pay attention to some of these demonstrations. Only the one's that he was interested in and this looked way too much like shibari for him. So he let his mind wander to Joey's attitude.
He didn't seem bitter, although some of his remarks, taken out of context, sounded extremely so. Seto saw hints behind the hardness, hints of sorrow and bone chilling – anger. Fury at something Seto couldn't put his finger on. One of the things Seto hated more that anything was not understanding something. Mokuba could have warned Joey that hinting at something mysterious and dark was not the way to get Seto to leave something alone. All that would do was pique his curiosity, and that opened a whole bag of tricks.
The demonstrator was tying his aid up and lecturing on bushido and the way of the samurai. something about the fact that you couldn't tie up a certain class, but since it wasn't knotted, it was all right to use this method.
He'd wrapped the rope around the young man's neck and down his back, tying his wrists to the opposite elbow. Then he'd tied his ankles in a crossed position. After explaining that the wraps had to be carefully made so as not to press to strongly on the pulse points, he passed a loop of rope around the ties on the man's neck and pulled him into what was surely an uncomfortable bow, tying his neck to his ankles.
Suddenly Joey was swearing furiously. He stood up and started for the floor. Seto made a grab for him and wound up with his coat, Joey had eeled out of it in a second. he stepped over the couple sitting in front of them and walked out onto the floor. He was a strange sight in a dojo. His harness stood out like a shout in church. He pulled a knife from a sheath on his left forearm, but before he could do more that step onto the floor he was in a fight.
Several of the senior students only seeing someone with a knife in their hand on the floor, moved to intercept Joey before he could do what ever it was he intended. Joey moved like a striking snake, two men were down before anyone could do more that cry out. Joey used knees and elbows to put another three on the floor, holding various parts of their anatomy. Two were holding knees, one had a bloody nose. The original two were both gasping for air. Seto couldn't understand what madness had suddenly seized Joey.
When he reached the demonstrator and his aid Joey used his knife to cut the ropes from the man and layed him down on his back. His face was blue and his lips were slate colored. He'd been strangling silently, unable to get enough breath to even cry out.
"Stupid ass. You never pass the short cord under a neck rope. You cut his air off and damn lucky you didn't press on his carotid artery. He'd have been dead before I noticed. You need to . . . shit. Why do I bother? I can tell by the look on your face you aren't listening to me."
The instructor looked at Joey then shivered. "I know you. Where from me can't remember. You've got quite an impressive arsenal on you. Do you have permits for all that?"
That was when Joey remembered where he'd seen the man before he'd been the Hojo Jutsiu instructor in the Academy. Joey hoped he didn't remember exactly where he'd seen him before all he needed was his cover blown before he found the mole.
"I got permits for every thing I need a permit for. I'm more worried about your student. Poor fucker is sitting there half strangled and you're worrying about papers. " Joey turned to the other man and helped him sit up, patting him on the back and gently rubbing his neck. "Easy there, don't fight it. You'll be ok once you get a little air into your lungs. Breathe easy. Take slow deep breaths or you'll hyperventilate and get dizzy again."
Again the instructor made a mistake. He got nasty with Joey. His honor had been insulted and he resented it.
"I think I recognize you now. You're Yakuza! I must have tied you during that riot last year. No about six months ago."
His self-satisfied look made Joey grit his teeth and retaliate.
"I was in prison in America six months ago. My morals, or lack there of, aren't the problem here. You nearly killed this guy and all you can think of is my record? You got a screw loose, buddy." He reached out to the aid and pulled him to his feet. Handing him over to one of the senior instructors, he told him to take the man to the hospital emergency room, told him exactly what to tell the Doctors, and started to walk off.
The instructor grabbed him and started to harangue him but Joey had had more than enough and retaliated. Not in the way anyone would have thought however. he tripped the man and somehow flipped him in the air before he hit the floor. Then he dropped on the man's back with one knee and held him in place while he tied his thumbs together, looped the cord around his neck, pushed him doubled over, tied his neck to his suddenly crossed ankles and stood up, leaving the man in the same position as his hapless aid had been just a few minutes ago
"That's the way you're supposed to do it. You taught the class not too long ago. What happened to you? You cautioned us time and time again to be careful. Then you screw up a simple tie like that one. You drunk or what. Cocky, drunk or drugged. Taking chances with a life like that is inexcusable."
Joey stomped back to Seto, snatched his jacket from him and shrugged into it, glaring around like a junk yard dog guarding a bone. He shot his cuffs and straightened his tie. Eyeing the approaching school officials until they backed off, he headed for the door nearly dragging Seto with him. Mean while the instructor did some quick thinking and made a call. When he was connected he listened for a moment then hung up, gathered up his ropes and left. He never did another demonstration and quit drinking all together.
Joey grumbled all the way to the car, stuffed Seto into it bodily and told the driver to go to the nearest drive through. He didn't care what it was.
"I'm hungry. I don't care if it's pickled eel. Just stop somewhere."
Seto sat in the back seat and watched Joey like he was explosive. He'd never seen Joey so mad. He wasn't sure exactly what the problem was so he asked Joey, who snarled an explanation that included enough swear words to make a Marine blush. Ending, "I don't care if I embarrassed you or not. I couldn't let that poor sucker strangle and not do something about it."
Seto sorted through all the things that he might say and settled on, "You are seriously setting there and telling me that Hoshi-san was going to die."
"Yup, he had about another minute before he was in serious trouble. It was all my fault. I should have been paying more attention to what was goin on there. Instead, I was sitting there wishing that they would hurry up so I could get out. I want a smoke in the worst way. Can I . . ."
"No you may not. It's a disgusting habit. You said you quit."
"Yeah I did, but. . Never mind. I just don't think my nerves can take much more. I'm tired of haulin' everyone elses chestnuts out of the fire and burnin' my hands without a thank you in sight." Joey made a face. That sounded suspiciously like whining. And Joey K. Wheeler was a lot of things, but a whiner wasn't one of them.
Seto saw something pass across Joey's face, but the expression was gone before he could analyze it. He was going to have a serious talk with a lawyer on his staff. Joey's record was suspicious and he wanted it picked to pieces as soon as possible.
Joey staring out the window trying to settle his nerves didn't notice the calculating look Seto gave him. He was turning things over in his mind completely oblivious to the fact that Seto had the bit between his teeth so to say and was rapidly gettin ready to blow his cover to bits.
"How did you know that the subject was in trouble. I couldn't see his face and I was looking right at him."
Joey snapped his attention back to Seto. "I saw his shoulders. He was way too tense for the tie. It shouldn't hurt but he was obviously in trouble. then I saw his face and knew."
"How do you know anything about shibari."
"That wasn't shibari. It was Hojo Jutsu. The art of binding. Police still use it when handcuffs aren't available. Some even say it's more humane because the ropes don't press into flesh like metal cuffs do. I don't think anyone at a reputable school would allow a demonstration of shibari." Seto raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, like you'd sponsor a school with a bad reputation. You're a prick in a lot of ways, but you're no . . . " he shut up at Seto's raised hand
"Wheeler, we're getting along well, don't spoil it. Where did you learn the difference between shibari and hojo jutsu?"
Joey grimaced, this was one of the things he hated. He didn't want to lie to Seto. He'd gone out of his way to get him out of a supposed bad situation, but if he didn't want to blow his cover, he couldn't say 'at the police Academy', so he told a partial truth.
"Here and there, around. I learned all kinds of things."
"You ever have it used on you?"
Joey gave a jerky nod. They had all been tied during training. One way to learn was to experience. He hadn't liked it at all. That feeling of helplessness had left him shaky and panting.
Seto took one look at Joey's face and drew some conclusions that he didn't like, most of them false. He shut up and looked out the window on his side, wondering at what Joey had been doing for the last four years.
The driver interrupted their musings, "Drive through or go in, Sir."
"Huh? Oh, . . . Wheeler? Drive through or sit down?"
"Seto I don't care. Whatever you want. I'm just hungry."
Seto decided to go in. So they headed into the restaurant, found a seat and Seto watched as Joey ordered a full dinner, scarfed it down like a starving orphan and ordered a dessert
"Seto, you sure you don't want something. I'll pay. I've got some credit left on this card. It'll last until I get my first check." Joey offered the waitress the card and Seto nipped it out of his hand.
I'll see to it that you get an advance. Here." Seto pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and stripped off several, handed them to the waitress and motioned to Joey to go ahead of him.
"Seto, you can't pay for everything. I'm a big boy. I'll take care of myself"
"Wheeler, don't even get me started. You may be a big boy, but you obviously aren't able to take care of yourself or you wouldn't be in the kind of trouble you are. After that advance, I'll set you up a budget so you can have some back money. Some day you may not be able to work and I don't want you to have to live in an alley."
Joey just gawked at Seto. He couldn't tell Seto that he had enough leave time accumulated that he could take six months off with pay. And that he had a retirement plan, medical, dental and a 401K. So he just gawked like a fool.
"Look, I'm tired of trying to justify myself. I just find I care, for some stupid reason. You used to drive me nuts, I could see you're a lot smarter than you let on. I couldn't understand why you wasted your life messing around with a bunch of losers. Then you just disappeared right after graduation. In fact I don't remember seeing you there."
"Didn't attend. Had other things to do." Really important things, like making sure the Rintama Mako's got busted. "Can we change the subject? I don't feel like lying and you won't like most of the answers I can give you."
Seto settled himself in the seat and motioned for Joey to join him instead of sitting on the jump seat. Joey settled in for a long lecture and was not best pleased to find out that he was right. Seto gave him a lecture on hard work, using his intelligence for something other than planning crimes, and combined the 'you're a fuckup' lecture with the 'I'm disappointed in you' lecture. He endured it all with ill grace When they finally got back to Kaiba Towers he held the door open and followed Seto into the private elevator. When the doors slid shut, he turned on Seto
"I heard it all before. I'm sick and tired of it. I done wrong, I'm a fuckup like no other. Ok, I get the picture. If you don't drive me crazy with the lectures, I'll change. I swear I will. You gave me a chance and I'm not wasting it. Just give me a break on the nagging."
Seto watched Joey for a second as he slumped in a corner with one heel caught on the kick rail, hands in his pockets. He looked tired and defeated, the set of his shoulders defensive.
"Ok, I'll shut up. I don't think I really need to repeat myself."
"No, you don't. It's not as if I haven't heard the whole thing before."
Even though Joey wasn't really a convict, or even a criminal, the fact that Seto thought he was and had given him a chance anyway gave him a warm feeling. He hated lying to Seto but he had to. So he shrugged and grumbled and acted tough and uncaring. It hurt.
The doors opened onto the main room and Joey headed for his room, all he wanted was some peace and quiet. A chance to sit and shake, maybe even git sick. He turned on the shower and adjusted it until it was so hot it nearly scalded him. He stepped in and leaned against the back wall, braced himself and let the spa do it's work. He'd taken several minutes to figure out the shower, it had more controls than he'd seen in some planes. When he turned his back to the shower heads, he felt his tense muscles finally starting to relax.
He took a towel from the rack and realized that it was warm. He felt the rack and found it almost too hot to touch. Tracing the wire he found that it was connected to the shower. When he turned the shower on the rack started warming the towels. He wrapped one towel around his waist and dried his torso with another. Then he started working on his hair. It was thicker and longer than ever and it took a while to get it dry enough not to drip.
There's a blow dryer in the top left drawer . . . I knocked but you didn't answer.
Joey froze for a second. How had Seto gotten in under his radar? This was not good, or maybe it was. If he felt safe enough in this place that he had let someone get close to him without knowing it maybe it was a good thing. He hoped.
"Look Wheeler, I'm no pervert. I ve seen naked men before, in fact I've seen you before. In gym class. Remember?" Seto couldn't believe the deer in the headlights look Joey was giving him. He looked like he'd been bushwhacked.
"Yeah, but don't walk up behind me like that. I'm liable to do something nasty before I realize it's you. I'd hate to hurt you by mistake."
"By mistake? How about on purpose." Seto couldn't believe he'd asked that. He wondered when he'd forgotten how to control his mouth.
"If I have to do it on purpose, I'm just leaving. I don't want to get into a confrontation with you. You'll get hurt. " Joey held up a hand and shook his head, slinging drops of water like a dog shaking. "Don't even go that direction. I'm really good at what I do. You saw me fight off eight guys trying to keep me from helping that guy. None of them got away without some kind of injury. But a man is still alive because I made hard choices. I'm always the one making the sacrifices and hard choices. Damnit now I sound like a big whiner."
"Not a whiner. You look so tired. Joey, what the hell happened. If you would just give me a good reason. You're not a fuck up. . . . or a dog. Damnit." Seto slammed his hand into the door frame and whirled around and started to leave.
"Seto! . . . Seto, I'd tell you . . . I want . . . shit. Never mind. Just there's a lot of stuff you can't know . . . I'd tell you if I could. I . . . well, you . . . aw hell I don't know what I want to say just . . . thanks. For trustin' me. For givin' me this job. Just thanks. I'll prove my gratitude. You'll see"
Seto watched as Joey obviously wrestled with the desire-no need-to tell him something. He decided not to push it. Joey would tell him whatever he wanted to when he could manage to force it out. And not until.
"Here, Torrance put all your clothes away for you. If you don't like where he's put something just leave him a note." Seto handed Joey a set of sweats that he'd never seen before. "I told him that I was sure we'd forgotten something. He went through and then filled in the blanks, so to speak. If you need anything else leave . . . "
Joey finished with him. "a note. Ok. I get it. How often do you actually see this man?"
Seto watched as Joey dragged the sweat pants over his legs and started pulling them up. When he hissed in pain, Seto reached for him, wondering what was wrong. Joey eeled away from his hand like it was hot.
"Wheeler, what the hell is wrong with you? I'm not . . . damnit! What the hell happened to you?"
Joey had pulled the still healing cut on his side. And the pained hiss had drawn Seto's attention to something he'd rather he hadn't seen.
"Got shanked in the showers. I'm not bendin' over for some . . . pervert. I'll do a lot . . ." Joey again had to clamp his mouth shut over something. "Look, it's ok. It's just a little tender still, and if I stretch it too much, it gives me a twinge. Just . . . don't touch me. Ok? I don't . . . I'm just . . . "
Seto grabbed his patience with both hands and snarled. "What . . . afraid that I'll do . . . what? I'm no pervert. I'm not going to touch you." Seto rubbed his neck. "I mean, I'm not . . . well you know."
Joey sighed, if he tried to explain, Seto would think he was nuts. But if he didn't at least try, there was a chance that Seto would send him away. so he stood, head bowed, in front of Seto, trying to figure out what to tell him.
Suddenly Seto clamped his hand over his mouth. "No! Ooh, Joey." Things clicked in his head; bend over plus pervert equals . . . he didn't want to think about it.
Joey watched the expressions that flitted over Seto's face and saw when he reached a very wrong conclusion.
"No! Seto. Never happened. I got shanked resisting. No one ever . . . I just got so I hate bein' touched. It usualy hurts somehow. I'm just really jumpy right now. Don't sneak up on me and don't touch me without warning'"
Seto grimaced, he wasn't sure what to think. Being touched hurt? He didn't want to think about what had happened to Joey to convince him that touching hurt. He decided the best thing he could do was leave it alone.
"I'm going to do some work, then I'm going to bed. I won't be up much past twelve. If you want to watch TV, there's one in the armoire in your sitting room, or you can watch the one in the main room."
"Ok. I'm gonna stay here. I got some work to do too. I need to run another search and I'm gonna try to make a dent in those letters. That secretary really had four boxes of letters sent up for me to go through. You really know how to make friends and influence people."
Joey read until he heard Seto go to bed, then he checked the elevator and the patio doors. He didn't see how anyone could get to the patio since it was forty floors up, but you never knew.
The elevator had three buttons in it, one for the garage, one for the floor where Seto's office was, and one for the penthouse apartment. It locked at the top and bottom floors. But he wasn't sure how secure the lock was, so he checked to see if he could turn it off. After checking locks and turning the elevator off, Joey made his way to his own bed and crawled between the sheets.
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Notes Shibari is a form of bondage practiced primarily in Japan. It developed from Hojo Jutisu which was a part of bushido. It encompassed rules for binding different classes of people and proper forms of tying them. No matter what crime they committed certain classes couldn't be tied with knots. If you're interested try Google, but be warned! If you are sensitive about nudity or unnerved by sexually explicit pictures, don't go there. Google Hojo Jutisu only!