Chapter Two

Jounouchi spent the rest of the day regretting his choice. Not only did he loath Kaiba to the lowest extent, how in the world would he juggle trying to win the tournament and being Kaiba's pet slave too? There was no way he could do both. What would he tell his friends? Kaiba and I suddenly became friends; he just let me in because he is such a nice guy. That would never work. Jou kicked an empty pop can across the sidewalk. He was in a worse position then when he started out this morning. He had spent the night before going over just how he was going to convince the CEO to let him in, and now THIS didn't help.

"Jou!"

Jounouchi turned around to see Yuugi and Anzu running towards him. This is exactly what he didn't need to deal with today.

"Jou," said Anzu, catching her breath, "Did you see Kaiba yet?"

Jou took a minute to scratch his head, "Um…yea…we argued a bit but…he that that um…" Jou trailed off mumbling.

"Couldn't hear you Jou, what did he say?"

Jou shrugged, "He said I could enter."

Yuugi smiled, "Jou that's awesome! I am so glad you can join the tournament now too! How did you ever get him to agree with you?"

Jou had to think of a good excuse and he had to think of it now. The blonde stood for a few seconds, his friends gawking at him. "Well, he was kinda busy at the moment, he told me to come back tomorrow and we can talk about it…so…erm…I am not guaranteed a spot."

"Is that what he said Jou?" Yuugi asked.

Jou, who finally decided this whole plan of Kaiba's was stupid, and he would rather not join the tournament at all then be his slave, simply nodded.

"Don't worry Jou, he will let you join somehow." Said Yuugi reassuringly.

"Why don't you just annoy him until he lets you enter? That usually works for everything else you want." Laughed Anzu.

Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "I need to do homework anyway guys, so I really should be going now."

"We were just going to get ice cream. Why don't you come with us?" asked Yuugi.

"No, I have homework Yug, that will have to wait. Bye!" and Jou sprinted of before either one of them had the chance to argue.

He was standing on the winner's platform. So many people were cheering, cheering for him. He held up his cards. Two Blue Eyes White Dragons. They were his. He turned and looked at Kaiba. He was sulking over the loss of his precious cards. But an alarm sounded. From somewhere in the distance. He could not see it, but it kept ringing…and ringing…and ringing…

Jou fell off his bed in a heap of covers. Something was still ringing in his room. Damn it, it had all been a dream. He still needed to meet Kaiba for this whole tournament, and the chances of him actually getting in were less than one. He turned off his alarm clock and stretched a bit. Sundays were supposed to be his day to sleep in, he should not have left his alarm on. He turned to look at his clock.

"Oh my God! IT'S 8:45! I NEED TO MEET KAIBA IN 15 MINUTES!"

Jou raced around his room for his clothes. He needed to still get to Kaiba Corp headquarters and that left no time for breakfast. He ran a brush through his hair, brushed his teeth in a hurry, and was out the door. He looked at his watch, 10 minutes until Kaiba was expecting him. KC was at least ten blocks. He quickly tied his shoes and ran as fast as humanly possible. Kaiba would not get the glory in him being late for their only meeting.

Jou practically crawled through the elevator at 8:59. He was exhausted and terribly hot.

Melanie looked over her office desk. "Well, so you are on time Jou. I thought you weren't going to make it for a second. Kaiba is in his office, he will come out to get you in just a sec."

Jou nodded meekly and crawled into a chair. He had made it just in time.

Kaiba's office door burst open. "So, you actually had the guts to come crawling back here Pup. I must say, I am impressed."

Jou was in no mood to deal with Kaiba's snooty attitude. He would just go in, tell him to go to hell and be on his way.

Kaiba opened the door and watched Jou go into his office, following him in after. He pointed to a vacant chair across the room, and Jou sat down. The CEO sat at his desk and grinned at the blonde. Jou yawned and looked up at him.

"So you want to enter my tournament that bad eh?" He continued to stare at the blonde. "Well here it is," Kaiba plopped a booklet of papers the size of a dictionary on his desk, "Sign it."

Jou gawked at the booklet. There was no way he was going to read all of that, and he was almost positive that Kaiba's had stuck in some hefty details that were lodged somewhere in the very middle of it.

"Look, Kaiba, I was thinking about it, and this it totally unfair. I am not going to be your slave just because you are too stupid to let me into your tournament. I am not signing that and I am not being your slave. End of story."

Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment and a smile creeped across his face. "Of course you're not. I knew this would happen. Isn't it obvious? Even if you DID win past the final round, which is highly unlikely, you would have to face me at the end. And that, of course, is what you are afraid of. Face it, you have never beaten me in a game, and you never will. You don't want to look like a moron infront of all those people. It is expected."

Jou's face grew very red. There was no way he was afraid of Kaiba. "That is like saying you were too afraid to let me enter Kaiba!"

The brunette gave a cold laugh, "No, it is just seemingly hilarious seeing you get so worked up about this. It is very entertaining to say the least."

Jou's face grew even redder, if that was possible. Kaiba has crossed the line. "Fine, if you think I am so scared of you, I will show you just what Katsuya Jounouchi is made of! I will enter your stupid tournament, and what's more, I will beat you at your own stinkin' game! So there!"

Jou grabbed the pile of papers on Kaiba's desk. He leafed through the first few. It was fine print on exactly what he would be doing. Jou guessed it was somewhere along the lines of picking up after Kaiba, and doing usual maid duties. He took a pen from the CEO's desk and signed his name, throwing the stack back at Kaiba.

Kaiba picked it up, and looked down at the signature. He was quite pleased with himself. He reached into his pocket and threw a clear card at Jou. Jou now had a locator card.

"Your new duel disk is outside my office. When you leave here today, you may take it with you."

Jou looked down at his entry card. He was finally in the tournament! He did it!

"Well mutt," said Kaiba, eyeing him susceptibly, "You start today."

"No fucking way Kaiba, there is no way in hell you will get me to even come close to that thing."

Kaiba was dangling a red dog collar from his finger. "If you looked at the contract you just signed, you will see that it is in there that you must wear this at all time. Either that or you can walk around this building naked for the entire time you are here.

Jou was furious. Kaiba WAS going to treat him like a dog. He took the collar from Kaiba and looked at the tag. Wonderful, it had printed on it, in nice neat letters, 'Property of Seto Kaiba.' Jou rolled his eyes. This was going to be a lot worse then he suspected it would be.

"Put it on now."

Jou hated being told what to do, especially from someone like Kaiba, who he hated just as much as possible. He put the collar around his neck and did it up. "There."

Kaiba gave Jou a big grin. "It matches your eyes Pup," he laughed, and pointed across the room, to where a basket was on the floor. "That is where you will stay whenever you are in my office." He pointed beside the basket, to where two red dishes were, one with water and an empty one, "And that is where lunch will be served to you."

Jou could not take it anymore. "Fuck this," He tore off the collar and threw it down, "I am not going to be your office pet. I don't care about your tournament, nothing is worth this humiliation."

Kaiba waved a finger at him. "Too bad you did not read your contract, in which I worked so hard to create. If you did, you would have seen that is in unbreakable. Unless you feel like breaking the law Pup, I suggest you do as you are told."

"You have gone too far this time Kaiba! This is just not hum-"

"Another thing Pup. Do not call me Kaiba anymore. From now on you shall refer to me as Master."

Jou had had enough. He was sick of this already. "Who says a dog can't bite eh?" he said, and jumped ontop of Kaiba. He was going to give the Rich CEO just was coming. A smooth beating.

Kaiba gave a quick yelp, but soon he had Jounouchi on the floor, with his hands behind his back…again.

"BAD dog. Bad," said Kaiba, pinning Jou so close to the floor that he could actually feel the heat coming off it. "You shall be severely reprimanded because of your foolishness."

All Jou could do was lay where he was, with his hands behind his back, and sulk. There was no real way out of this. He would just have to stay like this until the tournament ended.

"Fine Kaiba."

Seto cleared his throat.

"Fine master," Jou said sarcastically, "I will play along with your stupid game. But just treat me decently and it will work out for the both of us."

"I will treat you decently mutt, and that is like the dog you are." Said Kaiba, and he released his hold on Jou.

Jou got up stiffly and looked back at Kaiba. "What now?"

Kaiba just stared back at him blankly.

Jou growled, "What now master?"

Kaiba smiled, "good boy." He pointed to where Jou's basket was. "Lay down for a minute and I will get things sorted out."

Jou reluctantly crept over to his basket, and curled into a ball. He lay down on the unusually soft pillow, and closed his eyes. At least this wasn't as bad at the feeling he had about what was going to come.

Jounouchi opened his eyes. Light was pouring into the room and he vaguely remembered the morning. He looked around him. Right he thought I am in this stupid basket in Kaiba's office. I signed that dumb contract. He looked over to his water dish and his now full food bowl. Kaiba was just cruel. Jou did not even want to guess what he had put into his dish. He looked around Kaiba's office a bit more. Kaiba's desk, Kaiba's closet but no Kaiba.

Jou stretched and got out of his basket. He rubbed his neck. That damn collar was still on him. How he would love to take it off, if he wasn't under that stupid contract.

The door opened, and Seto walked into his office. He passed an eye at Jou, standing dumbly with his collar on and surpressed a grin.

"Rich boy, how am I supposed to enter the tournament if I never have time to duel? Do you expect me to go out at night when there IS no duels?"

Kaiba continued to look at his newspaper and took a sip of coffee.

Jou growled, "Master."

Kaiba looked up, "Relax Pup, the tournament does not start for another two months, you can brush up on your pathetic dueling skills long before then."

Jou rolled his eyes. Was he going to be here the rest of the day?

"I expect you to wear that collar all the time by the way. Not just in my office, but in public and at school too."

The hairs on the back of Jou's neck stood up. "There…is…no…way…I am…wearing this…to school."

Kaiba glanced at him, "Yes, you are."

"No I am not."

"You are going to do what I say mutt, you signed the contract, it is not my fault you were too dumb to read through the whole thing. Now shut it."

"You never go to school anyway Kai-…Master, so how would you even know what I am up to?"

Kaiba shook his head, "I go to school, you just never see me. I have better things to do then sit in musty classes learning about the world. I will see you and if you are not wearing it, hell will be paid."

Jou slumped down into his basket again. He was going to be humiliated. He had to go to school wearing this stupid thing.

"Wear a turtle neck or something Mutt." Kaiba gave a little laugh.

Jou buried his face in his pillow. He was NOT walking around school in a turtleneck.

"Since you are just laying there, being useless like always, I would like you to do something for me."

Jou glanced up.

Kaiba took a pile of papers out from his desk. "Run these down to the third floor and give them to the secretary. Her name is Deidra and she will know what to do with it."

"You want me to go now?"

"No pup, wait a few minutes and relax. Then go. Of course I want you to go now, you dumbass. You are not here to relax."

Jou got up and snatched the papers away from Kaiba. He pushed open his office door and moved out.

"Jou, are you guys done in there or what? You have been there all morning."

Jou turned to see Melanie looking at him. He quickly covered his neck and stammered "I um…needed a drink of water. That's it, just water." As he moved ever closer to the elevator.

Melanie raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Kaiba has water in his office. Why do you need to leave to go and get some?"
"He doesn't want me drinking his, is all. I need to go now! Bye!" Jou rushed into the open elevator and closed the door. That was way to close for comfort. The last thing he needed is Melanie knowing what is going on in Kaiba's office.

Jou arrived at the third floor without meeting anyone else. It wouldn't hurt to take his collar off now. Kaiba was not around, and who else is going to know he is supposed to have it on? Jou slipped his red collar into his pocket and stepped into an office.

A woman, who was shorter than him, with long blonde hair looked up from her pile of papers. "May I help you?" she asked.

Jou thrust the papers he was carrying at her, "I was told to give these to you by Kaiba. He said you knew what to do with them."

Deidra took the papers and looked over them. "Good, I have been waiting for these. Is there anything else that you need sir?" she asked politely.

Jou shook his head and made his way back into the elevator. She was hot, he thought grinning, maybe being here isn't going to be THAT bad. Jou carried that happy thought all the way into Kaiba's office, and he looked up at the CEO, to see him scowling back at him.

"Where is your collar?"

The colour drained out of Jou's face. He had totally forgotten about his collar.

"I…erm…It fell off, I put it in my pocket, see?" He said holding it up.

"It just up and fell off eh?" said Kaiba in a cold voice. Jou simply stood and nodded. "You took it off," Kaiba continued, "And now you will have to be punished for it. I told you not to take it off."

Kaiba got up from his chair. He was at least a foot taller then Jou was.

Jou swallowed and closed his eyes. This is going to be bad, he thought, real bad.