Author's Notes/Disclaimer: Again, here's another chapter from me. XD As it's turning out, this bunny won't let me continue my fanfic! So here's another chapter. And no, I don't own Yuugi-Oh.

A Boy and His Dog

By LilyChan

Chapter Four

Why He Helps Family

The day had been confusing for Seto indeed. Why in the world did that idiot and waste of space helped him? Surely not out friendship. The boy had been indignant towards him ever since he pulled his innocent prank that morning. Perhaps that freakish shrimp had the brunette preach to him the importance of having annoying comrades. Feh, again, like he needed another member of the Nerd Squad trying to recruit him.

However, Seto did not have time to think on such silly and trivial thoughts. He had to try to get his brother out of his slump. He sighed as he rested his head against the black tinted windows. It was times like these where Seto could easily fall into a daydream or drift off to sleep. Even though, in his mind, he knew he would be close by the time he fell completely at peace, but the movement of the vehicle tempted the young man to fall asleep. He decided to give in to the lulling rocking; Seto closed his eyes just to rest his eyelids from staring at the monotonous boards the teachers use. However, because at the invitation to rest, his body decided to catch up on some lost sleep.

He woke up when he heard his name being called by his employee. He grunted as he opened his eyes. The setting sun surprised the brunet thus having to block it using his hand. He almost growled as he realized where he was. He was back at the mansion. When he stepped out of the sleek limo, he glanced over the yard expecting Mokuba to run out and hug him around his waist. The younger Kaiba would be asking questions about his day, if he saw Yuugi and his gang of misfits and if Seto said his hellos. But Seto got more worried when he didn't see the ball of black hair spring out of the house. He marched inside the mansion, took off his shoes, and wondered if he stayed at that spot during the whole time he was at that wretched place.

He walked towards the room where he had left the boy. The maid that was assigned to watch him tried to frantically assure Seto that she did her best to help Mokuba. The maid was pretty even though she was hired help. Her hair was dark and artificially curled at the edges. Her eyes were brown as well; her body type was petite but she had that motherly aura about her. She tempted him with the usual round of pranks around the rich neighborhood; even going as far as tempting the boy to take him to Seto when he had came out of school. However, she obviously didn't succeed in any of those ideas. She cursed herself in French and expected Seto to fire her on the spot for not doing what her employer had assigned her to do.

She was surprised when he just dismissed her back to her normal chores. She thanked him (in English and French) and headed back to where she was supposed to be during the day as it were. Seto opened the door to the room where he last found Mokuba, and there he was. Still spaced out, watching, and waiting until he saw the golden fur that belonged to his most treasured pet.

Never had Seto seen Mokuba like this. Whenever of his previous pets had disappeared, Mokuba would be upset, yes, but he'd get over quick as soon as Seto mentioned a chance of purchasing a new pet. Seto huffed. What made this dog so special? Was it because it remained longer then the others? Then again, he'd have to give the animal credit though he'd never admit it. Thankfully the teachers were kind enough to give the students minimal homework (just to sign papers – of course Seto would have to do it on his own anyway), and he was still taking a break from Kaiba Corps.

The room was quite elegant, albeit used frequently by growing teenagers. It was the room Mokuba would use whenever he'd bring friends over to the estate. There were quite a few futons laid out on the ground where the boys would do whatever young boys did nowadays. At the corner, there was a huge plasma television, a DVD player, a few game consoles, and a dresser filled with all the latest and best games from Kaiba Corps and the small companies they had taken over (and let them keep their names) before. The dresser had a few drawers empty as well in case his friends were going to stay for a while (during breaks in spring, summer, and winter). The dresser was made out of plywood and it had simplistic designs on it so it wouldn't take the simplicity of the room away (minus the television of course). There was a desk that was similar to Seto's in case he had to watch the boys while he did his work. Behind the desk was a window with a nice balcony the boys could hang out (and drop things on top of the poor gardener) and gaze at the stars if they wanted to. Mokuba sat straight up in the clothes he wore since the dog's disappearance. Seto tried every trick in the book to get him to take a bath, but it failed save for two instances. Seto walked by the boy (he almost seemed dead) and noticed the untouched dinner the maid had placed for him to eat.

Seto sighed, walked in front of him, crouched down, and stared at him. Mokuba, as well as any human being, would've jumped at the sudden scenery change. However, Mokuba sat still and remained motionless. Seto gazed deeper into his brother gray-blue eyes and saw nothing. He reached out and felt his temperature from his forehead. It seemed normal. He placed on a smile (even though it was extremely non-real) and asked the boy.

"Have you seen your dog yet?"

Mokuba shook his head. His eyes started to fill up with tears as some strayed down his cheeks. He spoke, but his voice was horse since he hadn't used it in a while. "N-no…What if Katsuya never comes back, brother?"

Seto rubbed his head. "He'll come back. All dogs are loyal to their masters." Mokuba narrowed his eyes and pretty much glared at his brother. "Then what about my other dogs, brother? How come they didn't come back when I found them?"

"It was because they were already attached to their new owners, Mokuba. They probably felt more at home then here. Besides, they didn't want to be cooped up here while we toured the world." He explained at his best. He tried not to be sarcastic. This was a delicate subject with his brother and he had to treat it as such. The last thing he wanted was his brother hating him.

"But Katsuya was different. He liked being with us! Why did he have to run away?" Mokuba said as his voice rose in volume.

Seto was at a halt. How could he answer that question? He himself didn't know the answer. The animal did seem to enjoy his stay there. However that didn't answer the question. In fact, it only raised more questions, but for now he had to concentrate on helping his brother's focus shifted from the dog to his own health.

Then a metaphoric light bulb turned itself on. Mokuba hadn't been in the arcade for quite a while – perhaps a trip to the arcade would help him out of his slump. Of course there's a chance that he might run into the Nerd Squad. He grimaced inwardly at the thought. If they saw Mokuba, they would automatically assume that he was around to chat. But that was a chance Seto was willing to take. Plus, noting how lethargic the blond had been in the ending classes of the day, the chance of meeting the blond idiot was small to none. And even if he were tired, the leader of the Nerd Squad would want to show him around town – almost secretly inviting him to become his lover. Seto smirked. It was almost too perfect.

"I don't know, Mokuba. But why don't we go to the arcade? I'm sure they've installed that new game from the company." Seto stated as he stood to take his hand.

Mokuba gave him a confusing glance. "Brother, are you okay? You hate the arcade!"

Seto snorted. "And? I can't change my mind about it?"

Mokuba cracked a grin, but it was short-lived. He forced himself up and he fell on the ground. Naturally, Seto caught him and helped him stand up. After Seto changed out of his school uniform (and into his infamous trench coat set) and Mokuba took another bath plus wearing fresh clothes, they headed out towards the limo. However, Mokuba didn't want to leave. He felt that if he left, Katsuya would appear. And if Katsuya would appear, the canine would be trying to find its owner. And if the owners aren't there, Mokuba thought the dog would think that they no longer wanted him. Seto told him he was being foolish.

"Where to, sir?" asked the chauffeur as he opened the door and bowed in respect for his boss and his younger brother.

"The arcade." Seto stated as the duo hopped in the limo. The chauffeur nodded and proceeded to the driver seat to start the vehicle.

oooo

The trip was quiet, although Seto could understand. He had finally got the boy out of the house after many attempts. Mokuba stared into the passing world; he sneered at those who had pets – particularly dog owners. Now Seto was even more worried if not already. Mokuba was the kind-hearted one in the family and had a pretty good judgment of character. So he attempted conversation. Since it was his brother, of course he had no trouble starting conversation – Seto knew Mokuba's likes and dislikes. However, Mokuba shot him down. Seto wondered if bringing him out to the world was a bad idea in the first place.

They had made it to arcade and it was almost a battle to get the boy out of the car. Seto grabbed the back of Mokuba's shirt and almost literally dragged him out. The boy protested but Seto threatened to ground him if he didn't obey his older honorable brother.

Seto was not comfortable with the reversal role. He was used to the battles he had with Mokuba when Seto himself didn't want to attend to a facility where he was pretty sure he would meet up with the Nerd Squad.

"Brother, you need to make friends!" the boy would say. "It's not healthy to be lonesome all the time! I really do appreciate all the things you do for me, but please! Do something for yourself!"

However, it was Seto's turn to give him the lectures. But how can one lecture another when one hasn't experienced it themselves? Seto couldn't understand what sort of healing powers the arcade could possibly possess, but he was willing to try just about anything to help Mokuba. He can't stand it to see his brother miserable. As far as Seto knew, Kaibas were not ones to let petty things get them down. Naturally Kaiba saw the dog as a petty thing to be upset about. But obviously it meant a lot to Mokuba. Thankfully those who had watched the spectacle between the brothers made sure that they wouldn't speak a word of it to any of the press or tabloids. It was bad enough when word got out that Seto was a homosexual. How his company's stock bonds reached higher then before was beyond his comprehension – however, he had learned to never question a good thing.

He walked in the infernal arcade with a migraine and a growling Mokuba (!) to be surprised to see a dog…walking…on its hind legs? Perhaps it was a bad idea to have slept in the limo earlier that afternoon. He was having hallucinations. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes to see instead of the mangy dog, it was the blond loser playing at a game machine. But…there was a dog in his place? Perhaps he was only fooled by the gold hair. Well, not like he found the hair attractive. He seemed the kind to not even care if his hair was as tousled as it were. However he feared that he wasn't the only one who had that hallucination. The blond wasn't wearing his school uniform; he was wearing a white shirt with blue sleeves. He wore jeans and a pair of worn out sneakers.

"Katsuya!" the boy cried as he dashed towards to hug the supposed dog. Instead he hugged the blonde's leg, Mokuba didn't seem to notice. He tried to pull the blond down, and of course the blond protested.

"Hey kid! Let go of mah leg!" he said as he tried to pry the boy off but the boy clung tighter. So he had to divert even more of his attention from his game to the boy who cuddled his leg. After many attempts, the blond finally managed to get the boy off of his leg by kicking him.

And then Seto saw red.

He balled up his fists and marched to the blond who had cursed the fact Mokuba distracted him from the game he had his attention on. Seto wasted no time – he walked towards the blond, grabbed him by the back of his shirt (with him protesting of course), dragged him to the alleyway. Mokuba followed because he wanted to know where his brother was taking his dog…

oooo

Seto threw the blond against the cold brick wall and glared at him as he lowered his hands slightly (because of the height difference between the two) to choke him. However the blond smacked them away.

"What the hell is your problem? I didn't even do anything to yah! And where in tha hell did ya even come from? What are yah, some kind of phantom?" the blond yelled.

However, Seto didn't need to hear petty excuses like "I didn't know he was your brother". He brought up his balled fist, with the rings basically promoting his company, and went straight for his nose.

The blond dodged it and tried to dodge his punches – so the blond, had no choice but to push the taller teen away. He was going to make a dash for it when he heard the crying voice of the same kid who had tried to cut off the circulation to his leg.

"Brother, be nice to Katsuya! He didn't do anything to you! Please don't hit him anymore!"

Seto's migraine throbbed in pain.

"Mokuba, that's not your stupid dog. It's just a stupid fool who crossed the wrong path."

"Who the hell is Katsuya? Mah name's Joey, kid!" the blond pointed to himself with a very confused expression on his face. The boy glanced at the blond with teary eyes and gave him a just as confused glance.

"B-but I saw him! I saw my dog, Katsuya!" he yelled. Joey stammered.

"Mokuba, you're hallucinating. That's a dog alright – but a mutt." Seto quipped. Joey furrowed his brows and glared at the older Kaiba.

"Who asked you, asshole?"

"You did, obviously."

Joey was going to lung at the brunet if it weren't for the fact that the small boy was there in front of him. However he growled instead.

"Look, ya prick; don't get mad at me for whatever he imagined." Joey stated as he pointed to Mokuba. Mokuba blinked and then rubbed his eyes. His eyes had felt funny ever since they had arrived at the arcade but now it felt funnier then before. He walked to the side as Seto glared even harder at the blond and the boy stepped back.

"It's your fault for taking his dog."

Joey blinked. "What tha hell? I think ya need to see a shrink or somethin'! I don't have a dog! I'm allergic to them!"

Seto chuckled, "So you're allergic to your own kind?"

"Dammit! I'm not a dog!" and with that, the blond ran off again. Seto figured it was due to cowardice. The boy had better be afraid of him – how dare he take Mokuba's sanity in front of him! If Seto weren't as the influential brother that he is, he would've probably used the foulest language that would make even sailors grimaced in disgust and shake their heads in shame.

oooo

The brothers decided to return home for Mokuba got bored at the arcade. The situation itself was strange, yet again. Usually, the boy would be pouting with a sentence of no friends over for using disgraceful language that would've tainted the Kaiba name if the media had arrived. However, this was not the case obviously. Both Kaiba brothers were sitting on the opposite ends of the limo seats. They both were pouting, but Mokuba was more evident then Seto. They were also had their attention focused on the outside world – with the tension you can cut with a butter knife. The black haired boy was mad because his brother might've chased away his probable dog, and for ruining his chances yet again for attaining a friend. While the brunet was angry for the possible accusation for his younger brother insane, and at the fact the boy didn't believe him when he said that he wasn't the damn dog.

When they had arrived back at the manor, however, Seto banished Mokuba to his room instead of the room he had found him in hours before. But Mokuba ignored him. He went back to the room in an almost robotic state. Seto wanted to drive him out of the room, however, he couldn't. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that Mokuba found that to be a sort of haven and lookout for the boy. He was still waiting for the canine to return home. He sighed as he headed towards his office.

He opened the door and sat himself down on the chair. He knew that he shouldn't have been up there in the first place, but if the guest bedroom was Mokuba's safe-haven, then why couldn't Seto have the same privilege? This was where he made the most important decisions anyway about Mokuba, Kaiba Corps., and his own needs should the occasion ever arise. He leaned back and sighed. The migraine he had earlier that day had made itself known again. He placed his hand over his temple and contemplated on checking his e-mail. Even though he wasn't working, who said he couldn't answer any e-mails?

He turned on his laptop that sat on top of the desk before him. He raised himself up as he logged onto his Kaiba Corp account. When he had checked his e-mail, he cursed under his breath. His employees were having all kinds of problems with the video games – such as even more parents complaining about the content of it, the constant glitches and server crashes of the online play, and the players' incompetence by taking advantage of the glitches and server crashes. Seto grinded his teeth together in frustration. He answered the e-mails by stating he would be back in the office – fixing another mess yet again that his idiot employees couldn't work out for themselves. He then decided to return to work after a few days. He didn't accomplish things with Mokuba but instead he possibly made it worse. Also, he would never want to go back to that dirty arcade – he had better games in his own mansion then what they had at that place.

The games were made by mindless and stupid companies who'd recycle the same idea until fans decided they want something new to numb their minds with. Seto made sure that the games were original and fresh. Or as original and fresh as they could be. Even though some game reviews would slam the Kaiba Company about continuing a certain game even though it had legions of fan boys and fan girls aching for more. However, Seto didn't care on what they thought, nor did he have time to care about what they thought of the games. As soon as one game out, it's time to make a new one. Seto would like to wait a couple of months before another game could be released due to checking and re-checking for glitches and possible server crashes – which is why he was angry in the first place. Due to the demands for the newly released game, they rushed to finish it – thus not giving Seto or other people a chance to check it over for glitches and server crashes.

But Seto felt that he needed to get back to work. Bills will not pay themselves, and he had an image to maintain. If word got out that Seto Kaiba took a break from Kaiba Corp any longer then a week, he mused, then they would've portrayed him as a slacker – which is something he's not. For now, he would let the maid tend to Mokuba. If she had anything important to report about the boy, she would call him on his private line – until the dog returns. Even though he didn't want to give the number to the insufferable woman, he realized he had to – he wanted to know anything new about the pre-teen.

After he had answered the e-mails, he turned off his laptop and checked the time. It turned out to be quite late in the evening and he had to return to the mindless, brainless, and witless fools he'd never call his "equals" or "classmates" for that matter.

oooooo

Ending Notes: I know that this chapter isn't as great as the others – I'm sure I got lots of mistakes… But meh, this is what happened when you're grounded for almost a month and you have barely any inspiration any more due to lack of internet. In any case, I hope that clears up some confusion about the dog and Joey connection. Heh. In any case, please leave a review if you would be so kind. Reviews encourage me, constructive criticism is welcomed, but I do not accept flames. And now, off to work on chapter five since this bunny won't leave me alone.