As Seto and Mokuba continued down Oak Avenue, they finally came to an old, ramshackle apartment that looked as if it had been abandoned for years. At first glance, they would have never suspected that anyone lived there. However, upon closer inspection, they noticed the number on the house was in fact 400 and the unit number, which looked like it was ready to fall off the door, was 2.
"So this is where Joey lives?" Mokuba asked, examining the building.
"I guess so," Seto replied in a low voice.
"Should… Should we go in?"
"Might as well," the brunette replied simply. Both brothers then started up the stairs, each step creaking under their weight. When they got up to the door, Seto rang the doorbell, wondering if anyone would answer.
"Do you think Joey's okay?" Mokuba inquired, looking up at his older sibling with curious eyes.
"I don't know Mokuba but I guess we'll just have to wait and find out," the elder Kaiba responded, keeping a straight face. It was then that they saw the door handle turn and when the door swung open, they, or should I say Mokuba, was relieved to see who was standing in front of them.
"JOEY!" he exclaimed, running up to the blonde and embracing him in a warm hug.
"Hey kiddo." Joey winced when Mokuba grabbed a hold of him. His body was still sore from the beating that he took from his father.
Mokuba then looked up at Joey's face and gasped. "What happened to your face?" He was referring to the large, bluish-purple bruise that had formed on the blonde's once clear complexion. "Your father did that to you, didn't he?"
"Would it hurt if I said yes?"
"No. We're just glad that we found you in time. We should really get you back to the mansion so you can rest - " It was then that Mokuba was cut off in mid-sentence by a gruff-sounding voice that came from the doorway where Seto had been standing the whole time. Everyone turned to look at who had just entered the house but only Joey knew who it was.
"What are you doing here?" the blonde sneered.
"I should ask your little friends here the same question."
"What do you want with Joey?" Mokuba demanded. At that moment, the young pre-teen hadn't realized that he was beginning to sound like his brother more and more as he spoke to the man.
"Aren't I entitled to be able to spend time with my own son?" Mr. Wheeler put on a fake smile and Mokuba glared at him.
"So you're Joey's father?"
"That is correct. Who might you be?" he asked, turning to look at Seto and then back to Mokuba.
Seto was the first one to reply to the man's question. "I'm Seto Kaiba and this here is my brother Mokuba. We're here to take Joey away from you and I highly suggest not getting in our way." Even though he was being respectful of the blonde's well being, which was highly unlike him, the CEO still managed to keep a firm tone in tact.
"So now you're threatening me?" Mr. Wheeler scoffed. "I'm so scared," he added with undeniable sarcasm.
"You should be." With that said, Seto ambled over to Joey's father, picked him up by the throat and pinned him to the wall. "Now are you scared? I said we're taking your son away from you and that's exactly what I plan to do. Nothing is going to stop me, not you, not anything. So unless you want to feel more pain, I suggest you let us go. What do you say?" The look in Seto's eyes as he spoke would make even the toughest of men quiver. Joey grinned at the sight of his father, the one who constantly beat him senseless, having the tables turned on him at long last.
"Now you know how I feel," Joey muttered under his breath, but loud enough for his father to hear.
Mr. Wheeler grumbled something that no one could hear as Seto released his grip and dropped him to the floor. The two Kaiba brothers took that opportunity to get Joey out of the house. Seto lifted him over his shoulder and hurried out the door with Mokuba following closely behind. Once they rounded the corner, both began to slow down their pace. When they saw Seto's car just ahead, they walked over to it, placed Joey into the back seat and got into the front. As soon as their seatbelts were fastened, Seto started the engine and in two seconds flat they were off and on their way back to the mansion.
When they arrived at the Kaiba Estate, they saw a familiar female figure standing at the front door. She wore the typical black and white maid's outfit and had her long, black hair, streaked with red, tied back into a ponytail. Her shoes coincided with her hair and outfit, being black with a slight heel. When the limo came closer, Seto, Mokuba and Joey all knew who it was.
"Brianna!" Mokuba exclaimed as the limo came to a halt. He then swung open the door and climbed out, running up the stairs to greet his friend. "What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously.
The young girl smiled at the raven-haired child as she spoke. "Well, when I heard that you and your brother were out looking for Joey, I decided to wait here until your return. I couldn't help but worry about my best friend." It was then that the said blonde got out of the limo and saw Brianna coming down the stairs with Mokuba in tow.
"Hey Brie." Joey winced as he spoke; the pain his father had caused him still remained, much to his displeasure. Brianna ran to his side as soon as she saw that he was in pain.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, linking her arm under his to help keep him steady.
"Yah, I'm fine. I'm just a little sore, that's all," Joey replied.
"I could of guessed. I take it your father…"
"Won't be bothering him anyone," Seto finished. Brianna looked at him, her eyes sparked with curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Joey's father won't be bothering him anymore. He learned his lesson the hard way…"
"What did you do?" Brianna knew that the CEO had a short temper with people like Mr. Wheeler and wondered what he could of possibly done to the man. Not that she cared about him; in fact, she was rather happy that he wasn't going to be a nuisance to Joey any longer.
"That's my little secret," Seto replied with a small smirk. It was small, but at least it was something coming from the normally serious businessman.
"I see," Brianna said and then turned to Joey who was still in her grips. "Well I guess we should get you inside and tend to your wounds. Looks like your father did a number on your face." The bruise that had once been the size of a small ball now took up one whole side of Joey's face.
"Thanks Brie." The girl nodded and headed up the stairs to the large doors of the mansion. Mokuba ran up ahead of them and opened the door for the two friends and Seto. When everyone was inside, Brianna took Joey up to his room while Seto and Mokuba remained in the main corridor.
"How long do you plan on letting Joey stay here this time Seto?" Mokuba asked. Seto looked down at his younger brother to see the curious expression on his face.
"For as long as he needs to be here. He's not going back to that asshole he once lived with, I'll make sure of that. That man obviously isn't capable of taking proper care of his seventeen-year-old son so I don't blame Wheeler for hating him. I would too. That man reminds me a lot of Gozaburo, when we lived with him that is. It's not a pretty sight either." Seto shuddered as he thought of his stepfather. He never thought it possible to meet someone who acted exactly like Gozaburo Kaiba. Then again, since Seto had taken Joey into his home, anything was possible.
"Well I'm going to go check to see how Brianna's making out with Joey. I'll see you later Seto!" and with that, the young child was off in a flash. Seto remained in the corridor, reflecting on his own personal thoughts. If he had taken Joey in a second time, did that mean that he had feelings for the blonde? No. That was impossible. True, he may have saved Joey, but that didn't mean that he liked him. They were enemies and that's all there was to it. Enemies couldn't love one another; it just didn't seem right when you thought about it. Enemies are enemies not lovers. Whoever thought up the idea of 'opposites attract' obviously wasn't in a situation of that caliber, Seto thought to himself as he headed up the stairs to his room. He needed some rest; after all, it had been a long day, not to mention an interesting one at that. He decided that he would check up on Joey in the morning; he really wasn't in the mood to socialize with anyone at the moment, let alone his own worst enemy. Whenever he was in one of those moods, you were wise to stay away from him.
When he got to his room, he walked over to his king size bed and pulled down the blue silk sheets. After he had changed into more comfortable clothes, he climbed into his bed and pulled the covers over himself. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, all that was on his mind was if Joey would be okay. He knew that he didn't get hurt that badly but one could never be too weary. Why am I thinking this way? Am I really worried about Wheeler? No, can't be. I don't like that mutt and I never will. He's only staying here to be away from his father, that's all. I don't like him and that's all there is to it. As those few last thoughts flowed through Seto's mind, his heart felt differently. As much as he tried to ignore it, he couldn't. You can never ignore the feelings in your heart no matter how much you try. Not even the great Seto Kaiba can ignore his heart. Maybe he really did love Joey and just wasn't admitting to his feelings. Who knows? Only time could tell now…and the truth would soon be revealed.
Luna, Princess of the Shadows: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Don't worry; Seto will eventually start lightening up towards Joey. It will just take some time. This is Seto Kaiba after all and he isn't exactly known for showing his feelings right away. Anyway, as always, please review and tell me if you think this story is getting better or if it needs work. I'd love to know your opinions because it helps an authoress such as myself develop better writing skills. Well, I'll stop rambling on and let you review now. Luv ya all! Ja ne!