Right then this is the second revised chapter Only reason I stopped where I did on the first chapter was because it was 2am and I felt that if I continued I would have kept writing for much longer. I'm trying to make the chapters longer and less chapters, usually I'm not so good at writing long chapters but I guess we'll wait and see. Since I'm posting all of the chapters at once I want to thank everyone who reviews in advance! Only character I own Is Kat, I'm going to give me partial credit for Dr. Kasakabi whom you will meet soon, someone gave me the name of one of their teachers so they get the rest of the credit.
The Way We used To Be
A whole month had passed by and Joey's leg was almost fully healed. During those past few weeks Seto and Joey had gotten closer. Now mind you they weren't pushing each other's tongues down one another's throats, but they did share quick pecks on the cheek and lips. Joey seemed to like hugging and cuddling the most, never having gotten that attention when he was younger. Seto made him feel safe, and he loved being near him and vice versa. For Seto, known for being cold hearted and serious, it was a welcome change. Seto hadn't tried to sue Joey's father, and the man didn't seem to care that his son was gone. The thought of Joey having to go to court and see that man again, it broke Seto's heart just thinking about it. The blonde still had nightmares and Seto officially made his bedroom theirs. Whenever Seto wasn't around Joey always had a nightmare. Even when Seto calmed him down and he fell back asleep, Kaiba would leave and the nightmare would return. So they shared a bed, and some nights Joey wouldn't even have a nightmare and would be graced by a peaceful sleep. That had not been the case the previous night. Even with Seto comforting him throughout the night, Joey had gotten no more than three hours of sleep. So this was the position Kat found them in when she arrived to remove Joeys cast.
Seto was sitting up on the lounger couch with Joey in his lap. His arms were around the blonde's waist while Joey's head was tucked under Seto's. As Kat moved closer she could see that Joey had been crying, stray tears stained his face. She sighed and looked at her watch.
'I should leave them be, I'll come back after lunch.' She smiled as she walked out and went in the direction of downtown. Twenty minutes later Seto slowly opened his eyes and tightened his arms around the sleeping blonde. The nightmares had been getting more intense, leaving Joey screaming and sobbing after he woke. Seto brought one hand to rest on one of Joey's and stroked his hand with his thumb and sighed. It was then he felt something on his forehead. He frowned and pulled at it to find it was a sticky note from Kat, she had let them sleep and go to lunch. Seto smiled and silently thanked her. He almost didn't wake Joey up, wanting to sit there with him and enjoy the closeness. Neither of them had gotten much sleep and it was too tempting, but he needed Joey awake so Kat could take his cast off, and to look at a mysterious scar Seto had found on Joey's neck.
"Time to get up pup, come on Kat is taking your cast off." He gently whispered in the sleeping boy's ear and shifted so he was sitting up straight. He smirked as Joey wiped the drool off the side of his face and opened his mouth for a jaw-popping yawn, giving Seto a perfect view of his puppy's fangs.
"Ten more minutes Seto." Seto chuckled as Joey began to drift off again and snuggled into the brunette's chest.
"Afraid not pup, you need to be awake for this. Remember what happened last time?" Joey cringed and nodded. The first time Kat came back to look at Joey's leg she gave him an injection for the pain, he woke up disoriented and had tried to bite her again. Seto found that Joey remembered nothing after these episodes, but they weren't random and they soon learned what and what not to do while Joey was asleep. Joey hesitantly sat up and moved off of Seto's lap to stretch while Seto looked to see what time it was.
'1:05, Kat should be here any minute.' The doctor didn't take much longer and Seto led her to a sleepy but grinning Joey.
"You ready to get this thing off Joey?" He nodded enthusiastically and got on the couch, pillows supporting his head.
"Alright it might be a little tender so I'm going to give you a small injection alright?" Everything had gone smoothly and Joey's leg was finally free! Kat turned to Seto.
"Alright so this scar you wanted me to look at, it's on his neck right?"
"Yes, on the back." Kat moved behind Joey, who had sat up and put his chin down to give her a better look.
"Why did this particular scar make you uneasy Seto?" He frowned and went to feel the scar.
"It feels like there's something under the skin, something solid." Kat proceeded to examine it and nodded as she pushed against something hard.
"There is something in there, we could take it out if it's ok with Joey?"
"Joey, do you have any idea what could be in your neck?" He shook his head and curiously poked the scar.
"It doesn't hurt or anything does it?" Once again he shook his head and brought his hand away from his neck.
"You can take it out I don't want anything in my neck." Kat nodded and went to her car to get the necessary equipment. When she came back and opened a case Joey paled at the scalpel.
"Ok Joey, whatever this is it's just under the skin so you don't have to be given anesthesia. I am going to numb the area though with an injection and then clean the area and the area around it. I'm going to need you to lie on your stomach and be still all right? You won't be able to feel anything and then I'll stitch the incision up, you probably wont need more than three or four stitches." Joey nodded and nervously lay on his stomach, Seto grabbed one of Joey's hands for support while Kat gave the injection. He watched the procedure curiously and couldn't help but wince as the skin was cut open. Kat reached onto a tray and grabbed something that looked kind of like a tong. She brought it to the scar and it grabbed onto something. It was small, probably no bigger than a grain of rice. Kat held it in her gloved hand for a moment to inspect it before putting it on the medical tray. She quickly stitched the incision and put a couple of gauze sponges over it and put some medical tape over the gauze.
"Alright Joey all done. Now, let's look and see what this thing is." She dipped the device in a bowl of water and brought a light to where it was on the tray. Joey and Seto curiously huddled together to get a good look. Kat once again picked it up with new gloves on and stood it up between her pointer finger and her thumb. She frowned as she twisted it around in different angles and made some hmmm noises.
"This looks just like a microchip you would put in an animal." Both boys raised their eyebrows and scooted in to get a better look.
"A microchip?" Joey questioned and Kat nodded.
"Yea, the material the chip is in is a glass that's biocompatible which means that it's not toxic and can't hurt you. The cap is also the same as a lot of microchips I've seen. It's made out of polypropylene polymer, which keeps the chip from moving around inside your body. I've never seen a microchip with this blinking light though." Seto's eyebrows furrowed, thinking of what it could possibly be. He had a bad feeling about it. Joey whined and turned to Kat.
"Why would that be in my neck? I don't remember anyone ever putting it in."
"It's possible you were sedated when someone put it in, I wonder if this has anything to do with your teeth Joey?" Joey just poked his fangs with a finger and shrugged, looking very nervous at the moment.
"I could take this to the lab if you want Seto, see if we can't figure out what it is."
"No, my employees will inspect it if you don't mind." Kat shrugged and gathered everything up.
"Not a bit, just be sure to tell me if you find out. His stitches can come out in a week." Everyone said their goodbyes and Kat had left for home, Seto had put the chip in a plastic bag and then into a small capsule. He planned to take it to Kaiba Corp tomorrow.
"I'm going to take the chip to my scientists at Kaiba Corp tomorrow Joey, and catch up on some paperwork." Joey frowned and nodded, he got very anxious whenever Seto wasn't around and often ended up hiding in the bedroom. He couldn't quite place a finger on it, but he felt like someone was out to get him. He knew he was being paranoid, but he just had this bad feeling. Seto sighed and drew the boy close, being mindful of his new stitches.
"I know you don't like it when I leave, but you know you have Lucky to help keep you company. You should take a hot bath and relax, light some candles." At the mention of Lucky's name Joey smiled. Seto had been reluctant to have a dog in house, but he couldn't have refused Joey's request. He also felt like he owed the dog, if it hadn't been for Lucky he never would have found Joey. He unconsciously held Joey tighter.
'What would have happened to him if he still lived with his father?' It wasn't a thought he liked to dwell on for long. He let Joey go and smiled at him.
"Let's watch a movie ok?" Joey grinned, making one of his incisors stick out of the bottom of his lip. Seto found it adorable and they headed for the sofa. Oddly enough, as scared as he got during them Seto found that Joey liked horror movies. Maybe because whenever he got scared he got to cuddle up or hide behind the brunette. He couldn't help but chuckle as the blonde nearly jumped out of his seat as the killer popped out and stabbed the unsuspecting victim. He pulled Joey closer to him and he was more than happy to hide his face in Seto's shirt as screams filled the room.
When the movie was over Joey was clinging to Seto's arm as they walked up the staircase to the room. Getting him to sleep had been a little harder but once Seto put his arms around him he instantly felt safe and relaxed. Seto felt bad he had to leave Joey at home, but he had to learn that he couldn't become too dependent. He smiled and sighed contently and gave Joey a peck on the lips, but Joey was feeling playful. He nipped at Seto's neck, careful not to bite too hard with his sharp fangs. Seto shivered and tipped the blonde's head up with a finger and they shared a lengthy kiss. Seto tugged on Joey's bottom lip, but Joey was stubborn and smirked as Seto growled in frustration. He yelped as a hand squeezed his buttock, and Seto took the opportunity. Seto was always dominate In their little games and Joey did not mind one bit, it was a bit of a turn on to see his boyfriend being commanding at times like these. Seto was always gentle though, making sure he didn't rush Joey. He was always reminded later on that Joey was no longer that timid after the blonde always did something that surprised him. Joey sighed and gave him one more quick kiss before snuggling into his chest.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEPP BEEP * smash *
Seto groaned and slowly sat up, waking up the tired blonde in the process. Joey looked around confused for a second before laying himself back down and sighing.
"Do you really have to go Seto?"
"I won't be gone the whole day, I just want to make sure all of the idiot employees haven't done anything damaging while I was away. I'll make some calls and I'll bring home whatever paperwork I have to do ok?" Joey nodded and closed his eyes again and snuggled into the sheet, Seto kissed his forehead and went to go get Lucky to keep Joey company. The clicking of nails on the wood floor made Joey smile and he opened his eyes to find Lucky sitting next to him on the bed. He could swear the dog was smiling at him. When it came time for Seto to leave Joey wasn't as clingy as he thought he would be, he was still upset but he didn't try to follow Seto out like last time. That time Seto couldn't bring himself to leave.
*Flashback *
Just as Seto was about to open the Limo's door he heard the front door open. When he turned around he was saddened to see how scared Joey looked. The blonde had still been in his cast and must've had a hard time getting down the stairs, he looked like he was ready to collapse. He leaned against the doorframe and had tears trailing down his face, a panicked look on his face. Seto dropped his briefcase and ran forward as the blonde began to fall forward. He had brought Joey back inside and onto the living room sofa.
"What are you doing Joey you're supposed to stay in bed. You can't move around with that leg of yours." He tenderly stroked the boy's cheek and frowned.
"Please…" Seto leaned in closer to Joey.
"Don't go." He whined at the throbbing pain in his leg.
*End Flashback *
Seto hadn't had it in his heart to go to work that day, it had taken so long to calm him down too. Seto found it kind of funny that Joey had a lot of habits that reminded him of a dog. Joey didn't seem to mind the nicknames so Seto had continued giving them. So when Joey didn't even have to follow him to the door it put his mind at ease. He couldn't help but worry though, he felt like a mother leaving her child with a babysitter for the first time. He sighed at his own personal reference. He reached into his pocket after entering the limo and pulled out the chip that was in Joey's neck and frowned at it. He pocketed it and rubbed his temples as a headache formed just at the thought of going to work. Everyone stopped to greet him as he entered, not even glancing at them he made his way to the elevator and went downstairs to the lab.
"Gentleman, I need you to have a look at this." He held the chip between his pointer finger and thumb in front of the scientists.
"The good doctor has already identified it as a microchip, as in the kind you would put in an animal. She could not identify the blinking light inside the chip however. I want you to figure out what it is, and inform me as soon as you find out." They all reacted with a "yes sir" and began examining the chip.
Back at the mansion Joey had decided to take Seto's advice and take a nice long bath. When he first arrived, Seto had made sure Joey experienced the wonders of Jacuzzi baths. He felt so spoiled, back home the water had barely even stayed hot. There was constant hot water here though. He took a short shower first then started filling the Jacuzzi. Next he got out some scented candles and lit them, he slowly inhaled and could feel himself starting to relax already. He turned the water off and slowly slipped into the hot bath, being mindful of his stitches. It had especially felt good to be able to wash his leg after it being in a cast for so long, he stretched and smiled.
Back at Kaiba Corp Seto sighed, he seemed to do that a lot. Only two hours away from home and it felt like a whole day already.
'Maybe I should call home and check in on him.' Just as he was reaching for the phone a voice came the intercom.
"Mr. Kaiba the scientists have requested your presence."
"Tell them I will be down shortly." He felt a little anxious yet curious, anxious if it was something harmful but curious about what it was. He walked quickly to the elevator and arrived at the lab in a minute.
"What have you found?" One of the scientists beckoned him over to where the chip was behind glass.
"Because the chip has no internal power source we used a scanner to see if anything would come up, like you normally would to help identify a lost animal. This is what came up." The scientist clicked on a file and a page of information showed up on the desktop.
Joseph Wheeler
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Brown
Age: 17
Ex. # 155
Injection type: Canis Lupus
"We could not locate any kind of address the chip might have, but that blinking light inside of the chip sir. It's a tracking device." His eyes widened and his heart felt like it had stopped.
"When we were examining the chip, we must have accidentally turned it off or something and the light has stopped blinking." Seto glared at the chip and turned to the scientist.
"Good job, keep the chip here. I am going to return home."
"Yes sir." He almost ran out of the building as the limo came into view, he jumped in and yelled at the driver to get back to the mansion and to step on it.
Joey shuddered and turned around as he to the kitchen.
'I feel like I'm being watched.' He quickened his pace and started to head for the stairs. He paused and his eyes widened as he paused at a window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone standing outside the window. He slowly turned his head towards the window and held his breath. A young man in his thirties stood outside, Joey didn't pay attention to any details of the man. He could only stare into his eyes. They were hypnotic and menacing, a frightening blank gray color. They put him on edge. A hand suddenly came down on his shoulder and he turned around and bit the hand.
"Joey?" His eyes widened and he instantly let go of the hand and took a step back. Seto cradled his bleeding hand and look at Joey with confused eyes. Joey's eyes watered, he looked absolutely horrified at what he had just done.
"Seto..I…I'm sorry…" Seto stared at his tear stricken face and faintly smiled. He slowly walked up to Joey and drew him into a light hug.
"Don't worry, that was my fault I shouldn't have surprised you like that." Joey lightly shoved back on Seto's chest, still looking on edge.
"Seto…there was someone…outside." Seto froze and frowned, looking out the window. Remembering the information the scientist had given him, he led Joey to the couch and sat him down.
"The scientists found out what that chip was." The grave look on his face made Joey more nervous and the poor boy began to shake.
"They scanned the chip and data came up on the computer, data about you." Joey's eyes widened.
"What…what kind of data?" Joey was so nervous, he cursed whoever had done this to him. He almost didn't have the heart to tell the blonde, but he needed to know.
"General information about your appearance, there was some information that suggested you were given a injection with the Lupus DNA." Joey touched his fangs and seemed to be in deep thought. He nervously laughed and looked Seto in the eyes.
"Almost seems unreal doesn't it? I mean this is the kind of stuff out of movies ya know?" Seto nodded and took Joey's hand and stroked it with his thumb, a frown on his face.
"There's something else isn't there?" Seto nodded.
"The scientists found that the blinking light Kat was suspicious about is a tracking device. However, when they were tinkering with it the light stopped flashing." Joey froze and Seto could feel him slightly shaking.
"So what, someone's watching me? Oh god, that man…he was outside Seto! What if he's watching me?" His voice cracked and Seto could tell he was close to panicking. He lifted Joey's chin so they looked at each other eye-to-eye, and smiled softly at him.
"I won't let anyone hurt you Joey, you're safe here. You mean too much to me to let anything happen to you." Joey let out a choked sob but smiled and closed the distance between their faces. It was a small kiss but it was perfect, Seto's lips lingered on Joey's and they sat there nose to nose just staring into each other's eyes. Seto had to chuckle as a small blush spread across Joey's face and he gave the blonde another quick kiss before pulling away.
"How about for lunch we have a picnic outside?" Just like that Joey's fears were forgotten and Seto smirked as he remembered how ravenously the boy had eaten when he first arrived. They packed two sandwiches, some fruit, water, and a bag of chips and headed to the grassy area near the pool. Seto had been surprised at his own suggestion to eat outside, then again his whole attitude had changed since Joey arrived. They both had changed into attire more suited for summer. Joey had discarded his shoes and socks, grabbed a pair of faded jeans, and a tight white wife beater. Seto was a little more formal, he also had taken off his shoes and socks. He put on some comfortable black jeans and a white button up dress shirt.
Joey grinned and let out a content sigh as he fell backwards onto the grass, his skin instantly warming up in the sun. He let out a startled yelp as Seto covered Joey's body with his and began nibbling on his neck. Joey giggled and tried shoving the brunette off.
"Setoooo that tickles!" Seto just lightly bit down on Joey's neck and moved to his lips, ravishing his mouth. Seto pulled away and lay against Joey's chest, bouncing up and down and the boy lightly laughed. They lay in the sun for a while before sitting up to enjoy their lunch, which Joey inhaled. Seto had to smack his back to stop his coughing after he choked on a chip.
"The food's not going anywhere you know." Joey gulped down his water and breathed heavily, he grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's kinda a habit."
"Silly pup. I have something for you." Joey's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas as Seto took out a small box with wrapping paper and a ribbon. Seto handed it to him and he carefully unwrapped the box and opened it. He curiously tilted his head to the side as he picked up a chain with two dog tags attached. One tag read "Joey" while the other said, "I love you."
"I know it's clichéd but I thought it suited ooof!" Seto didn't time to finish as Joey tackled him in a hug.
"I love it Seto, thank you." Joey gave Seto a kiss and his grin spread from ear to ear.
"I love you pup."
"I love you too Seto." In Seto's mind it had been a perfect day, they finished lunch and joked around afterwards. They watched a movie inside and even had some pie after dinner, which they fed to each other. Seto had never quite imagined himself to be such a romantic but he had to say he was enjoying it. They got ready for bed and cuddled into each other, looking forward to a relaxing sleep. Sleep never came that easily for Joey though. Not even an hour into his sleep did he have a strange dream.
He was in Seto's backyard, by the pool where they had their little picnic. The pool was not filled with water but with a thick black substance that had no scent to it, the sky was filled with dark clouds but it was strangely bright out, but there was no sun. All the flowers and plants that filled the yard had wilted, he swallowed the lump in his throat. Since he could remember Joey had believed dreams to be very symbolic, so with everything looking as bleak as it did he couldn't help but feel on edge. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he quickly turned around, to find someone there. He froze, his breath caught in his throat. It was the man he saw outside earlier that day. Joey was now able to get a good look at the man. He was young in his thirties, and had shoulder length jet-black hair. Those eyes, so gray and dark. He shivered and the man grinned.
"Greetings Joseph." He couldn't move, oh god why couldn't he move! He was frozen on the spot, terrified of this guy and he didn't even know why! The man blinked and tilted his head.
"I don't expect you to remember me, but no worries. I shall make you." His voice was smooth and deceivingly friendly. He slowly walked towards Joey until he was only standing a couple of feet away.
"I thought no one would find the chip, looks like I was wrong. It was very expensive to make you see. I'm glad I found you, I need to keep tabs on you. After the injection given to you I'm required to keep tabs on your…condition." Joey seemed to snap out of his trance like state and brought a hand to his fangs.
"Condition?" He barely whispered as the man stepped closer to him, he abruptly tried to grab Joey's chin but ended up getting bitten instead. As Joey let go of the man's hand he was confused and a little disturbed to find the man smirking.
"I see it has begun, oh how rude of me I have not introduced myself yet have I? I am Dr. Kasakabi." Something in Joey's mind clicked, a doctor? He knew about the chip….he knows about my teeth.
"How…do you know about that chip?" Kasakabi smiled.
"Dear Joseph, how confusing this must all be for you. I know about the chip because I am the one that put it in. I also gave you that injection causing you to get those fangs of yours." Suddenly Joey felt angry, this man had done something to him. Treated him like an experiment, like something he could just play with and there wouldn't be any consequences. That unfamiliar rage was back, he could feel himself tremble with it. He heard himself growling and felt himself baring his fangs but he could not stop himself. He lunged at Kasakabi and pushed the man against the wall of the building.
"What the fuck did you do to me?" He shouted at the top of his lungs, he was so confused and scared. Kasakabi didn't seem the least bit frightened, in fact he continued to smile.
"Something revolutionary. Something I have hoped to accomplish for many years. I need you to come back with me, to the lab. I need to document and experiment further. That injection was a small dose, just the start!" Joey released him and walked backwards.
"No, I..I can't go….I won't leave!" He defiantly stood his ground and glared at Kasakabi with all his might.
"I knew you would say that. It's because of that boy right? Seto Kaiba?" He froze and stared in terror, this man knew Seto?
"Yes I know about him, I have been watching you Joseph. You two are quite close, but I am afraid I cannot let you stay. If you try to defy me, your little boyfriend will get hurt. You're going to wake up now, and when you do you're going to go to the docks. Wait for me there, if Seto comes I will make you watch me kill him. Or better yet, I will make you kill him instead."
"I would never-"
"Oh yes you would. I know you've been feeling that anger, when you bite and don't remember what you've done. It takes over, I created that anger and I can control it. I WILL make you kill him. Keep that in mind. I will see you soon Joseph." When Joey awoke he couldn't move, he knew Seto would try to follow him no matter what. He looked outside, it was still dark out. He turned and looked at Seto, tears welled up in his eyes. How was he supposed to leave the one good thing that had ever happened to him? He finally got a good life, someone that cared about him and loved him. Only to have it being snatched away just like that for a reason he couldn't even understand. Still, that man could make him hurt the one he loved.
"I have to go." He kissed Seto's lips softly, barely whispering his words.
"I don't want you to get hurt. If I stay here, I'm just gonna hurt you." He nearly sobbed as he spoke, not able to stand having to abandon his love. He slowly got out of bed, changing into his jeans and a jacket he saw Lucky sitting outside the bedroom by the door. He frowned and walked to the animal, kneeling in front of it. He slowly brought his arms around the dog's neck as tears slowly fell down his face.
"Take care of Seto ok? I owe you so much, you saved my life." He didn't feel silly for talking to the dog, not one bit. He knew the dog could feel his generosity and his pain. He quietly walked to the front door, hoping none of the security guards would see him. He stuck to the shadows and climbed over the main fence, and he ran. He ran blindly and as fast as he could and didn't look back.
The sound of Lucky's nails clicking on the wooden floor awaked Seto. He groaned and rolled over, eyes shooting open as he realized there was no one next to him. He sat up and looked around, trying not to panic.
'Just because he's not in the bed doesn't mean he's not in the house.' He tried telling himself that over and over as he checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the game room. He was near panicking and was pacing in front of the front door. Lucky started whining and pawing the front door. The dog was usually well behaved and had never done that before, he could feel his chest tighten as he grabbed Lucky's leash and burst through the front door. He didn't complain as the dog nearly pulled his arm out of its socket, he just hoped Joey was ok.
"What would make him leave without telling me?" He nearly yelled, angry with himself for not noticing the blonde leave. He nearly stopped in his tracks.
'That man Joey saw, it has to do something with him.' His mind screamed at him to hurry, he had a very bad feeling about all of this.
His legs felt heavy, so damn heavy. He kept running though, he didn't know where he was supposed to go. He just knew he had to get as far away from Seto as possible. He stopped and leaned against the side of an abandoned building to catch his breath, the long run taking it's toll as he sank to his knees. He looked around and took in his surroundings. He was sitting right in front of an old dock, wood rotted from centuries of being soaked in water. He whined and brought his knees to his chest, trying to stay warm. A shiver ran down his spine and he deeply sighed, knowing who was standing in front of him. He looked up, his eyes showing defeat.
"I'm glad you decided to come Joseph, and alone as well. You obey orders sufficiently, it will make this more bearable if you continue to do so. Come now, it is time to leave."
"Can I at least get an explanation as to why you're taking me away?" Kasakabi smiled, trying to give Joey a false sense of security.
"I suppose you have a right to know."
"Joey!" His breath caught in his throat and dread filled his mind.
"Seto?" Kasakabi's face immediately took on an enraged and annoyed look.
"Look who decided to follow you, I thought I told you to come alone!"
"Joey, who is this man?" Kasakabi's chest seemed to swell with pride as he stepped towards Seto, a huge grin on his face.
"I am Dr. Kasakabi and I am responsible for the changes happening to Joseph over there." Seto's eyes widened before they narrowed as he glared at the man.
"So then you must be the one who put the chip in his neck." Kasakabi smirked.
"I am. I needed to keep track of Joseph to monitor his changes." Seto approached Joey slowly as Lucky began to growl at Kasakabi.
"Joey, why did you leave?" Joey let out a choked sob.
"Seto, he said he'd hurt you if you followed me. He….he said…he said I'd hurt you if I stayed! I don't want you to get hurt please leave Seto please!" Tears streamed down his face and sobs wracked his body. He collapsed onto the ground, feeling so helpless. He nearly jumped as arms circled his shoulders and he was pulled against Seto's body. He tried pushing away but Seto would have none of it, he just tightened his grip and kissed Joey's forehead.
"I'm not letting you leave, and I am most certainly not staying away from you." Both seemed to be forgetting the man standing before them, a wide smile on his face.
"This truly is touching, but I must remind you, Joseph, of what I said would happen if he came." Joey whipped his head around to look at the doctor, a pleading look on his face.
"Please don't! He didn't do anything please don't hurt him please!" Kasakabi just smirked and waved his finger back and forth in a scolding manner.
"Ah ah ah, didn't I say that if you cooperated it would make things bearable? You have disobeyed, and like the dog you are you need to be punished." Kasakabi moved towards Lucky and threw him against a nearby wall, effectively knocking the animal out. He dug a hand into his coat pocket and something similar to a collar was now in his hands. Seto crouched in front of Joey protectively.
"I won't let you take him from me!" He growled venomously at the man. Kasakabi just grinned and before Seto could even blink, he had been thrown away from Joey. Kasakabi snapped the collar around Joey's neck and pressed a button. Joey's eyes widened, and began to take on that feral look he got when he was startled. A shrill buzzing noise entered his mind and he clutched his head and screamed as he tried to stay in control.
"That's it Joseph, let the rage overcome you. You know you will not resist, give it up!" Seto scrambled to his feet and ran to Joey's side. Only to be thrown away, but this time it wasn't Kasakabi that did it. He looked at Joey with disbelieving eyes.
"Joey?" But it was not Joey staring back at him, not his Joey anyway. His eyes had darkened and his fangs were barred, a deep growl emitted from his throat. Kasakabi snapped his fingers.
"Eliminate him." Joey lunged at Seto, missing his throat by barely an inch. As Seto landed on his backside he immediately got to his feet only to be punched in the stomach and the wind knocked out of him. He knew he had to keep moving, but Joey was too fast. Again he was too slow to get to his feet and this time Joey lunged for his throat. Seto kicked his left leg into Joey's shoulder, making him miss his throat as his teeth latched onto his shoulder instead. He bit his lip to keep from screaming as Joey's fangs sank deep into his shoulder.
"Joey…..Joey please snap out of it!" He thought he had seen the blonde's face go back to normal, but it was replaced in a second. Seto gritted his teeth and punched Joey in the nose, forcing him to release Seto's shoulder. He struck Joey again this time right on his throat, making him go down on his knees coughing for air. Seto took this time to stand up and get into a defensive position. Kasakabi stood by, a thoughtful expression on his face.
'He's quite the fighter, perhaps I should take him back with me after all.' Kasakabi approached Joey and pushed the button on his collar and just like that the darkness in Joey's eyes faded, and they returned to their normal color as the growling stopped. He looked around and tried to move to Seto, but was held back by Kasakabi. Seto growled as he saw that man put his hands on Joey.
"Don't you fucking touch him!"
"My my such a mouth on you. Joseph, if you want your boyfriend safe I suggest you come with me to the van across the street, you as well Kaiba. Both of you are coming with me."
"Like hell we are! I will not be someone's experiment and neither will Joey!"
"Unfortunately neither of you have a say in the discussion. You will be coming with me back to the lab, as for Joey. Well, if he is not properly monitored during the time of injection and afterwards he may parish."
"Seto." He turned his head to look at Joey, a defeated look in his eyes. Seto knew they had to go, what other choice did they have. For the first time in years, Seto felt powerless.
"Come now, it is time to depart." He watched as Joey slowly got to his feet, keeping his head down to hide the shame. Seto sighed.
'I have no choice.' He moved towards Joey, afraid that his movement might somehow upset the man. Joey leaned against Seto's shoulder, he could feel the blonde shaking. He put an arm around Joey's shoulders and pulled him close. They walked across the street, and came to a vehicle that looked more like a hummer, except it was longer and had a van like back to it for space. Someone was already in the driver's seat, keeping the engine running. Kasakabi opened the back on the vehicle, revealing nothing but empty space with a thick metal gate separating the front from the back. Seto frowned and slowly stepped into the van, tugging Joey up with him.
" Very good, I expect this kind of compliance from you at all times. This will be a long ride so please make yourselves comfortable." Seto snorted and sat down, bringing Joey with him, the back of the van closed and Joey finally let the tears fall. He brought a hand up to Seto's wound on his shoulder as blood still dripped from it, he gently rested his hand against the wound.
"I told you that you wouldn't be safe around me." He sounded so weak and pathetic, his voice trembled as he spoke.
"I don't care if I get hurt Joey, all I care about is you being safe. I failed to keep you safe pup, I'm so sorry." His brown eyes widened and he looked at the brunette. He burrowed into Seto's chest and hugged his waist.
"Seto, do you think…we'll be ok?"
"I think, we'll survive. We have each other." Joey smiled.
"Love you Seto." Seto tightened his hold on Joey.
"I love you too pup."
Oh my god this is taking so much longer than I thought it would and for that I apologize. I feel like I use Seto's and Joey's names too much in sentences so I will often refer to them as the blonde or brunette or boy, so sorry if I switch like that. As I said I only get half credit for Kasakabi's creation. Even though I'm posting all the chapters at the same time please give me feedback, it will keep the creative juices flowing. NO FLAMES!
