Chapter Eleven: Arrival

The ride over to Joey's house was unusually quiet. Normally, one of the teens would bring up a relevant issue or topic to discuss, yet today was different. It seemed that neither one of them wished to talk to one another until they arrived at their destination.

However, Joey eventually couldn't handle the silence anymore and decided to speak up for the first time since they had left the mansion…

"So…"

"What?" Seto replied, or more so demanded of the blonde without even shifting his gaze from that of the window beside him.

"I…um…well…"

As if reading his lover's mind, the brunette answered the question that the blonde was preparing to ask. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. As soon as we get to your house, we're going in, rescuing Mokuba, Brianna and Yugi and leaving. Got it?" Afraid to speak even one more word, Joey nodded his head in agreement and returned his attention to his hands sitting idly in his lap. Seto continued to stare out at the passing building, only to realize that they had soon disappeared and were replaced by many ramshackle apartments and run-down, dilapidated homes. The CEO mentally shook his head; he couldn't believe that he was actually going to set foot in a place like this…

Someone better remind me to shower when I get home…

"Stop here." The sound of the blonde's voice echoed through the brunette's ears and continuously rang loudly in his mind.

"What?"

"I said, stop here." Even though the brunette seemed to still be entranced in his own thoughts, the driver apparently heard every word because the two teens soon felt the limo come to an abrupt halt. It was then that Seto finally returned to reality and opened his door, stepping out into the bright, sunlit day, yet to him it seemed odd for there to be any light at all in such a dreary place. Joey exited the vehicle after him and walked up the few steps to his apartment without any hesitation. Seto followed him and stood at his side, his one arm wrapped tightly around him so as to show the men inside that he was willing to protect his lover from any harm that might come to him.

The door then slowly creaked open…

"Who's there?" a gruff-sounding voice demanded.

"It's Joey and a…" He could say boyfriend; these were no doubt his father's friends and if they found out that their boss' son was dating someone of the same sex, they would never let the blonde live it down. "Friend…" he finished.

"Friend, huh?" This time, the door swung open to its full extent and standing before the couple was four of the toughest-looking men either of them had ever seen, all of whom looked extremely well built. "And just who is this friend of yours, little Joey?" The blonde clenched his fists, trying to hold in the anger that was now building up inside of him. However, he managed to remain calm and answered the question quite calmly.

"This is Seto Kaiba," he stated.

All eyes became wide at this point until one of the men spoke up, breaking the sudden silence that had now swept over the group of males.

"So, this is Seto Kaiba, huh?" The man did not seem at all intimidated by the appearance of the CEO, unlike many people that came into contact with the tall, blue-eyed brunette. The only people that weren't afraid of him were those that were desperately in love with him. However, he took no notice of any of the lovesick girls that swooned over him, seeing as how he was already in love with Joey and nothing would ever change the way they both felt about one another. Nothing.

"Yes. You got a problem with that?" Seto replied, using his usual ice-cold tone of voice as a harmless way of threatening the man.

"As a matter of fact I do…" All the men then stepped aside and gestured for the two to come inside; both hesitated for a moment before obliging to their offer. Once in the house, the duo looked around and examined their new surroundings, which did not appeal to their liking at all. Joey, of course, was used to current mess that his father called a home, since he had lived there for a good portion of his life. Ever since his parents divorced and his mother took Serenity into her own care, he was left to live with the drunken idiot he was supposed to be able to call dad. But those times were over now. He had a new life, one that he was glad to be in…

"Hey, what are ya staring at punk?" Another man shouted deeply, looking over to where Joey was standing, mindlessly staring off into space. When the blonde didn't reply, the man stomped over to him, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Seto. The brunette had his arm held out in front of his lover protectively, prepared to keep the promise he had made to himself about not letting any harm come to the one he loved. The man took a few steps backwards, looking as though he was unprepared for what would have come if he had laid even one single finger on the blonde.

"You made the right choice…" At that moment, the obvious soon dawned on him. Where were Mokuba, Brianna and Yugi? Soon enough, blue eyes began to scan the room warily, hoping to find some hint to where the men were keeping his brother and friends. His gaze than fell upon three figures sitting in the corner, all clumped together and looking like they had either been abused or under-fed, if fed at all.

"Mokuba!" Seto exclaimed, his facial expression not changing from that of the one that he was wore: serious and most importantly, very formal.

"Brianna! Yugi!" Joey's enthusiasm followed only a few seconds afterward.

The three teens couldn't speak, seeing as how their mouths were gagged with cloth. Only quiet muffles could be heard, of which no words could be understood.

"Let them go!" Joey demanded angrily, his fists now trembling with rage beyond belief.

All the men then began chuckling upon hearing the words that had come from the blonde's mouth.

"Heh. Do you honestly think that we're going to let them go just because you said so?"

"Well…yah that was kind of what I was going for…" Everyone than began laughing even harder than before, everyone that is, except for Seto Kaiba. He would never laugh at the one he truly loved, unless of course he did something incredibly stupid, which was what the blonde tended to do from time to time.

"Well being all talk won't help you rescue your friends…"

"Then what do I have to do?" One of the men, who appeared to be the leader, seeing as how Mr. Wheeler was nowhere in sight, spoke up with a wide smirk plastered across the whole of his face.

"Do you really want to know?" he questioned, hoping that the blonde would retract his question. On the contrary, Joey showed no hint of fear in his eyes; he did not even show any glint of hesitation. He was determined to do whatever it took to save his friends, even if it meant demeaning himself…or worse…

Seto, on the other hand, wondered just what Joey was thinking. He knew that his lover would go to the depths of the earth just to save the ones that he truly cared about, but would he really go so far as to risk all that he had…including his life? He didn't have to think anymore. If Joey were going to try and save his friends, being the loyal boyfriend that he is, Seto would protect him at all costs. He couldn't afford to lose his only love…not now and not ever…

"Are you listening?" The man who had spoken the question just a mere two minutes ago was now growing impatient, as were the rest of his cronies.

Joey stared deep into the man's hazel orbs, which looked to have the effect of death; it was almost as if he could scare someone half to death just by looking at them. However, Joey was different. He had stared death in the face many times, most of which were with his father so nothing came as a surprise to him. Death glares meant nothing to him; in fact, he could almost laugh at them, if it didn't mean receiving a fair beating…from his father anyway… Yet now he was free; he was free from all the suffering and torture his father had put him through and from the meaningless threats he had thrown at him, which often turned into threats of cruelty. He no longer had to deal with that shit anymore; he could now wander through life with an open mind and an open heart, no longer afraid of what he once feared.

"Wheeler!" the older man snapped, inching his way ever so closer to the blonde. However, he made sure to keep some distance between them, seeing as how Seto was staring him down like a hawk, refusing to lift his gaze and turn it elsewhere.

"What?" Joey snapped back.

"I asked you a question!"

"I know!"

"Then answer!"

Joey mumbled a few inaudible words under his breath, most likely those not appropiate to be said in front of younger children. Yet this was not a kindergarten class; this was a confrontation between teenagers and older men, all of whom could give a damn about what they say.

"Speechless are we?" the man assumed, not knowing that the blonde had a plan of his own up his sleeve.

"Not on your life. You know as well as anybody else that I would do anything to save those I care about."

"So, you'd do anything?" The man cocked an eyebrow while emphasizing the word anything. He wondered if what the blonde said was indeed true; would he really do anything for his friends?

"I told you, yes. Are you deaf or just dumb?" This statement seemed to irritate a couple of the men but they just seemed to shrug it off and pretend as if nothing was said.

"Neither, but I worry about you…" the leader retorted. Seeing as how Mr. Wheeler was nowhere to be found, I guess you could call him the co-leader, seeing as how Joey's father was always considered the head of the group.

"Oh wow, such an insult…" Joey mocked, imitating a look of fear. It obviously looked fake, yet he couldn't help poking fun at their lame attempts to insult him.

"Heh, you say that now…" the man chuckled predictably and looked over to rest of his gang as his smirk widened even more so.

"Just what are you talking about?" Now Joey was growing confused. What exactly was he talking about? Were they planning on making, or more so, forcing him to do something before he could free Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi from their clutches? He only hoped that it would be something that he could handle…

There was a brief moment of silence before it was broken by one the men standing the farthest away from the couple. He stepped forward, cleared his throat and turned the neutral look on his face into one that showed a small, yet noticeable evil grin.

"We want you to…" He took a deep breath and let it out, prepared to finish the sentence that would soon determine the fate of the three captive teens.

"What?" By now, curiousity was rising quickly in both Joey and Seto. They had no idea what the men were planning, but whatever it was, they would get through it together. Unfortunately, what they didn't know was that only one of them would be able to deal with the oncoming problem…and it wasn't going to be easy…

"We want you…" Before he could finish what he was about to say, another figure appeared in the doorway. This person, apparently male, looked to be in his late thirties to early forties and was holding a beer bottle in his right hand. Joey scowled upon seeing him and Seto knew why. This was Joey's father; this was the man that he had fought, or more so roughed up on the day that Joey decided to return to his home for the last time. He hated the man almost as much as Joey did; he hated the fact that he could have been so cruel towards his son. He reminded him of Gozaburo; he didn't care about the one he was supposed to love and only paid attention to the things that interested him…and Joey was most definitely not one of them.

"To kill him…" Mr. Wheeler added as he pointed in the direction to where Seto was currently standing. Joey turned to his boyfriend with his mouth ajar. How could he kill the one he loved? It was impossible, he couldn't do it. But if he didn't do it, what would happen to his friends? Would they be killed instead? He couldn't risk that, he just couldn't. But he couldn't kill Seto either; the two may not have been going out for the longest time, but they had grown extremely close. They did everything together; they lived for each other. So what was he to do? This was the hardest decision the blonde ever had to make and no matter which way he turned, someone would end up dead…

Ramen Goddess: -gasps- What's going to happen? What will Joey do? Will he make the right decision? Will someone be a victim to death? To find out the answers to these questions, stay tuned for the next chapter of Caught In The Act! Oh yah, and don't forget to review! I love reviews! They make me smile! Anyway, until next time, luv ya all! Ja ne!