Pedigree Pup

Disclaimer:I don't own the Yugioh Characters.

Warnings:Kaiba/Joey

May be some OOC, I'm not very well versed in Yugioh. Review if you want me to continue...I don't get around to it if I have no reviews.


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Joey was in hell, everything spun around him; he was surrounded by blurred colors, sound enveloped him in a mind-numbing web of cacophonous noise. The mocking jeers of his fellow students became harsh screams, accusing him of falsehoods. The silent stare of Ms. Yoroi flayed him with shame, searing his soul with guilt.

“Joey? How did you know the answer to that question?” Ms. Yoroi was shocked, how had he known the answer to that question? Kaiba, that was a given, but Joey? Was it a guess? He’d have to have been damn lucky…she shook her head, clearing away the confusing thoughts. Just move forward.

The teacher’s voice snapped Joey out of his panic. He knew he had overreacted, but this was his world, his very being. How would he make it through each week if he had to deal with the unwanted attention that fame brought on? With the skill of a seasoned con artist, Joey plastered a manufactured smile on his face, scratching the back of his head in a self-deprecating manner. “You mean I got it right! I always knew seven was badass!”

A stunned silence filled the room, and confusion etched it way across his classmates’ faces. A voice came from the back of the classroom. “What the hell? How is seven badass?”

Assuming a mask of bewilderment, Joey turned around. “Come on man! Everyone knows seven is badass! It’s like, the gangsta’ of the whole number line! Got a rap sheet and everythin’!” If he didn’t need to keep up his ‘idiot’ act, he would have laughed out loud at the faces staring at him. It must have been unnerving for them, having Joey Wheeler get a question right, then blame it on a mafia-esque number. Sparing himself a silent chuckle, he got ready to deliver the punch line.

His eyes widened dramatically, his face such a picture of innocence you couldn’t help but think he was up to something. Hopefully, his classmates wouldn’t notice in whatever stupor they were stuck in. “You mean you didn’t know? Seriously, you never heard about it? Well, seven got charged with murder. I overheard someone talking about it when I was little.” A perfectly executed tilt to his eyes, a slight opening of his mouth, drop his shoulders a bit, and touch his wrists together and…BAM!! Joey managed to look more than a little naïve, slightly afraid, and marginally vulnerable. “Seven ate nine! It’s sick! They were probably related! That’s, that’s worse than incest and cannibalism! It’s…incenniblest!”

Laughter burst through the room, a much more wholesome sound than before. There was no taunting lilt to this, simply humor. It was kind of refreshing. Joey felt a weight on his shoulder, and he turned to see Yugi next to his desk. “I think you just misunderstood Joey.” Commiseration practically spilled from those large purple eyes. “It’s actually a joke…you know. Seven-eight-nine. Not seven ate nine, but the number.”

Joey’s truly was shocked that Yugi came over to explain it to him. He almost laughed at that himself, but it was probably just the atmosphere. They say that laughter is contagious. Insert trademark grin here. “Don’t worry ‘bout it Yug’! I was just a little kid! Really, what do you expect?”

“Class! Back to your seat Yugi! Everyone pay attention!” Ms. Yoroi’s sad attempts at regaining control soon yielded some results. The students found there way back to their chairs, and eventually settled down enough for the lesson to continue. “Now that we have applied the quadratic equation to your future tomato purchases, we can move on to matrices. Now, this is particularly useful if you like to shave bears…”

The teacher’s voice once again became an annoying buzz in the back of Joey’s mind. Another crisis averted, another day saved. Or something like that. He turned his back to the window, nearly gasping in relief when he saw water start to hit the windowpane. He’d have to tell Yugi and the others that he would be eating by himself today; he could blame it on his big upset in Math. Who had math that early anyway?

Joey felt the hair on his neck try to stand on end…hell, even the hair on his arms were wiggin’ out! A shiver ran through his body, as if some phantom finger had just run up his spine. He had the eerie feeling that someone was a little too intense when it came to watching the board. Turning his head a bit, he tried to identify his tormentor. Before he could even completely turn around, Joey found himself trapped in Kaiba’s ice blue gaze.

Noise seemed irreverent, and time moved as if trapped in viscous molasses. Sound did not register in his mind, the unnatural silence roaring in his ears. Every breath felt slow and deliberate, Joey felt his ribs expand to accommodate more air, and relax as he exhaled. Cold seemed to imbed itself in his marrow, his heart racing to supply heat. Time was slow, but Joey was aware that his breathing was faster than normal. Joey was aware of his body and Kaiba’s eyes…those eyes. They resembled polished sapphire, a rich blue accented by light refracted within their depths. Dark storms swirled within the oceans trapped in those eyes, hinting at emotions flittering through the CEO’s mind. Joey was reminded of the saying, ‘the eyes are the windows to one’s soul’. Those frozen blue stones glittered with teasing glimpses, taunting him with indefinite wisps of the enigmatic core of Seto. The cold in his bones deepened, turning into liquid heat, searing its way across his body. He felt a shuddering breath escape him, Joey half expected to see fog mist about his face.

A piercing sound brought Joey out of his stupor, time sped up to normal; a wave of awareness crashing into him. But he could still feel it. Whatever it was. An echo of an echo remained, resonating through him. He felt…empty, but full at the same time. Like he had tasted something amazing, and wanted more; like he was starving and that something was the only thing that could satisfy. Gathering up his things, he tore his gaze away from Kaiba. Joey stood on unsteady legs and all but fled for the door. He tripped over the doorframe with a curse, his earlier sentiments about this day earning a resounding encore. Damn, and damn again!


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Kaiba sat still at his desk, silently brooding into the air. He had adequate time to get to his next class, and he needed to use it for personal use. When the mutt had caught him staring, he had refused to turn away. He was Seto Kaiba! He was not about to yank his face away, like some child caught doing something he shouldn’t have. But their gazes had locked. He refused to call it a moment.

He suddenly felt as though he had fallen into a pool of burnished resin, flecked with tarnished bronze. Fighting his way free of the emotion had been difficult, but he managed. If just barely. Like any arrogant man, he refused to analyze what it meant.

Wheeler’s face, his entire disposition had changed, though. Just slightly, but it was more than enough to make a difference. His mouth had thinned a bit, making him seem thoughtful, almost contemplative. His eyes had narrowed considerably, not to the point of glaring, but it took away the naiveté that the mutt seemed to sport around so often. His face even had an edge to it, a slightly dangerous vibe that filled Kaiba with adrenaline, a desire to overpower him. The mutt’s eyes, their expression, had changed dramatically. That happy light had faded to contentment, not losing intensity, just more relaxed. And that smoldering, that faint glint that only seemed to appear when the pu-MUTT was looking at him, had burst into what he would identify as flame. It was a magnetic transformation.

Kaiba ran a hand through his hair, before fiercely slamming it into the table. He was not losing control of himself! There was nothing about that, that THING that…attracted him. No. Gay or straight was not the problem here, ‘cause frankly, who gave a damn? No, it was Wheeler, the mutt! He couldn’t want him-it was beyond his reasoning. Slamming his fist into the table again, Kaiba stood to leave. He needed to exercise more, for some odd reason he was out of breath.

“Mr. Kaiba.”

An oddly shrill, oddly familiar, high-pitched voice grated against his ears. Kaiba stopped, finally identifying the sound as his ‘teacher’. He didn’t spare her a word-a glance would be enough. He noticed her stiffen in indignation, smirked as he saw her fight to master the urge to yell. Her nerves were frayed from that episode with the mutt, but he was used to people older than him resisting his station above them. How it must hurt their pride to cringe for a man much younger than themselves. Kaiba had forged intimidation into a weapon he wielded freely, and it seemed to work. Why fix it if it isn’t broken?

“I would like to speak to you about your future in my class.”

He quirked an eyebrow, was that a threat? Or was it a proposition? He decided to pursue the venture. “And what exactly are you getting at? We both no that you have no talent for subtleties, and I have no time to humor you.”

She quivered as if struck, but she had expected as much. There was hardly a time she spoke to the CEO and came out of it with her dignity and pride intact…if there had ever been a time. “I am sure that you will be pleased with this…settlement. I may not be as…clever…as you would like, but I still hold sway over a near two-hour slot of your life. Let’s say we negotiate with that, hm?”

Seto sat down in the seat in front of her desk. He was intrigued, to say the least. “And what, may I ask, are you willing to concede. I am not really able to provide anything to you, and yet, you are willing to ignore my absences to your class. At least, I believe that is what you meant. Unless you have the conversational abilities of a hippopotamus in heat.”

Staunchly ignoring the jab, she set her proposition on the table. “Mr. Wheeler has seemed to show surprising promise in mathematics. I almost thought that he had been hiding intelligence underneath that hair of his…until his explanation of why he chose seven. His grade is a D, but he consistently passes the tests with no less than a C. His homework, when he troubles himself to bring it in, is the same. He clearly shows the talent, just lacks the motivation.”

An exasperated sigh forced its way out of Kaiba’s mouth. First that…thing…before the bell, then his confusion about his constant interaction with the pup-THE MIXED BREED MUTT!!!! Now this. The mongrel would not leave him alone, now would he! “What does this have to do with me?”

“I would like you to be present when I call Joey’s grandmother today. Apparently she’s checking in on him while his father is out of town. I want to get her permission to enroll Joey into an offsite tutoring program…and I’d like you to be the tutor. Tomorrow, you would bring his things to your home, and he would live with you during the week until I deem him ready. The school would pay you for his costs of living, so he would be outside of your responsibility. You would only be required to tutor him when it is convenient for you, but mostly just make sure he gets to school…on time, and turns in his homework.”

Kaiba snorted. “So this is the catch you wanted to desperately keep concealed. I don’t think you could have pulled it off. And what ‘gem’ do you intend to bait me with? I am quite interested in finding out how you plan to end your fairytale.” He rolled his eyes deliberately incase she was too dense to sense the sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

“I will consider your time at Kaiba Corp as work experience, and credit you for it. You will not have to attend my classes, except to take test and exams, for which I will give you the dates. I can also arrange something similar from most, if not all, of your teachers. Joey seems to find a way to push all their buttons without significantly crossing the line.” Ms. Yoroi let her statement sink in. She knew time was one of the only things that were out of Kaiba’s control, and he was a veritable control freak. He should leap at the chance to regain a semblance of control over his own schedule. “How would you like only having to show up once a week, and not have it count against you? I’m sure all those court hearings regarding your…circumstances…are becoming quite cumbersome. I wonder how many you can avoid if you aren’t constantly harassing the administration?”

Kaiba was effectively torn with indecision. He vaguely heard the bell ring somewhere in the background. The mutt, in his house, would be catastrophic. With his…questionable…disposition in regards to the younger boy, it would be a disaster! However, he’d get so much more work done, spend more time with Mokuba, and less time with the pond scum he was forced to associate with. “If you can get all my teachers to accept this, I will agree. But only for all of them.”

Ms. Yoroi all but cackled with glee. “I am sure you will enjoy yourself Mr. Kaiba.”

It took a lot of effort to ignore the implications of that statement.


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Time slowly crept toward lunch, each second an excruciating eternity, every moment a lifetime spent burning in hell. Second period passed, eventually followed by third. The lunch bell rang, finally signally a blessed reprieve. Joey dashed out of his English class, not waiting to hear the homework. Teá would be sure to get him the assignment. She was very predictable. Kinda boring too…

He raced to their usual table, anxious to get outside before it cleared up. Tristan immediately started laughing at Joey.

“Dude! I heard about you and your entrance today! Echidna...hahaha…West Indies…Hahahaha…cassarole!”

Joey spared a glare for his friend; seriously it wasn’t all that funny. Really, though, Tristan should know better. How was he supposed to feel insulted if his tormentor was rolling about like a fetus attached to a spasming electricity outlet while baying like a cow giving birth while riding a possessed tractor? Tristan needed to work on his ‘game’. “Guys, I’m gonna eat lunch by myself today.”

That shut Tristan up. “What, man? Dude, I was only kidding. Come on! It was just a little joke!”

“I know that!” He gave an angry shake of his head, what did they take him for, an idiot…God…wait. They were supposed to…uhh…yeah? I guess…Anyway. “It’s just that, I haven’t had the best of days…and its finally raining. It’s so much easier to work things out in the rain, everything is just…right.” He hoped he didn’t sound crazy, Lord knows he did enough of that this morning.

Yugi was the first to say anything. “That’s all right Joey, we understand. You did seem to have a bit of a rough start, and it is you birthday. I hope everything is all right…”

Joey smiled, from anyone else, and that would have been an insult, but Yugi was sincerity incarnate. “Thanks everybody. Everything’ll be fine though. I’m just a little confused, is all.” Damn Kaiba. “No reason really, I just feel weird.” Damn Kaiba. “Must be nerves or something.” Damn Kaiba. “It looks like I may have to spend the rest of my senior year in detention.” Damn Kaiba!

Without another word, he spun on his heel and walked out of the cafeteria. He quickly got a light jacket out of his locker and headed outside.

The rain had died down into a light drizzle, little more than a misting. Joey walked toward a tree that seemed to have a dry spot up in the branches. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the feather-light touches of the tufted water droplets. His breathes were sharper here, crisper. Everything felt right. The cool damp and the slight breeze chilled him, just enough to calm him. It was a nice misty walk. As he reached the tree, Joey looked up into the branches, absently wiping of the water streaming down his face.

Taking a firm grip on the tree, he placed a sure foot against the trunk and hoisted himself up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt the mist clinging to his skin, felt it seep through his noise, slowly dispersing its pleasant cool throughout his body. He saw the soft light from behind his eyelids, so different from the harsh red of sunlight. Joey felt his hair weight down with water, his clothes forming to his body, and he didn’t care at all. Everything was right. No business dinner, and best of all, no Kaiba. Maybe today will turn out all right after all

Joey stretched his legs out in front of him, his body splayed about the length of a thick branch. He arched his back into the stretch and curled his toes, feeling the tension leave his legs and lower back. A sigh escaped his lips, and he rested his head against the tree trunk. The rain had heightened the sensitivity of his skin, magnifying the earthy feel of the bark underneath his body. He could feel the grooves of the tree trunk as his back rested on it; he could feel the knotted branch beneath his legs.

Wet hair flopped into his eyes, heavy with water droplets. Lifting a hand, Joey thumbed the strands of hair out of his face. His fingers pushed the water from his hair; streams of water traveling down his face. Licking the water from his lips, Joey shook his head hard, a crown of water glittering about his head.

Joey was about to start lunch when he noticed the mist turn to fog; it was getting pretty thick. He gathered up his stuff and jumped from the tree, his feet slipping as he lost traction in the slick grass. There was probably an isolated window somewhere, but it wouldn’t be as good. You can see it, not feel it. It was always better to feel.

Joey pushed the somber double doors open as he headed toward the library. No one was there this time of day. At least, if only for a moment, Joey had been able to forget his worries.


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Kaiba sat next to the window in a deserted classroom. He didn’t know which, and he could always say that it was unlocked. It wasn’t like he needed to steal anything from here anyway. Everything of actual value and use belonged to him already.

Again, the steady ‘click’ from his laptop reverberated throughout the room, pausing only when he took a bite of his sandwich. As in the morning, he was a picture of calm, collected, and cold. His face was schooled into an emotionless mask, his hands steady and controlled. The damage done to his hair in a fit of emotion had been brought back in line. He had regained tyrannical control over his being…on the outside, anyway.

Inside, he seethed. His thoughts would drift to his puppy…NO! There, he had done it again! His chin raised slightly, the urge to shake his head nearly overwhelming him. A deep breath renewed his reserves, and he returned to his work. All day, every since that incident-never moment, never that-he had found his names to the MUTT become less and less insulting, and more and more endearing or, heaven forbid, like pet names. Like puppy and pup. And his. That was the other thing, possession. It was rarely the puppy; it was almost always his puppy.

His fingers had stilled on the keyboard, and he cursed them for the traitorous bastards that they were! He threw in a few other body parts for good measure. Kaiba saved what little progress he had made, his gaze drifting to the window. He absently took a bit of his food, what he saw nearly making him choke.

His puppy was in a tree, arching his back like a cat, his waterlogged clothes clinging to his body. His shirt clung to every curve of his body, hinted at everything, yet revealing nothing. His pants showed the muscles in his long legs while remaining completely conservative. Sensuality nearly dripped from the young boy.

Kaiba hungrily took in the sight before him, not caring about his inner turmoil concerning Wheeler. He stared as if the intensity of his gaze could make the clothing see-through. His eyes focused on Joey’s face as his puppy brought his hands to his hair, running his fingers through the water-darkened mane. Water ran down his face, as if fleeing Joey’s touch. Kaiba watched, entranced, as he followed the trail of condensation, some ran underneath his shirt, some his neck, some his lips…he nearly gasped at what he saw next. He could have sworn a pink tongue had just flicked out of the puppy’s mouth, curving and twisting as it sought to devour rogue water droplets. But what a way to go…

Light seemed to shine on those lips, on that body. It was as if every sunbeam that broke through the clouds had chosen to fix itself around his puppy, refracting about him in a spider web of glittering radiance. He shook his head, a scintillating ring enveloped his golden hair. How many sides did puppy have? And why were they all so…tempting? The mist swirled into a fog, obscuring the deliciously erotic sight of Joey Wheeler. Kaiba was out of breath again, his lungs fighting to supply him with air. To hell with reasoning, to hell with logic! Joey was his, and that was the end of it. Kaiba always got what he wanted, and he wanted a puppy.


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Joey’s day ended well. His last class was wonderfully boring. Yugi and all the others had left, already. Lucky, the all got out a period earlier than him! It wasn’t fair…now he couldn’t even talk to his friends.

He walked to the exit, trying hard not to break into a run. Maybe he could get a duel going with Yugi at the Kame Game Shop! BAM! A door had opened up right in front of Joey, causing him to fall backwards.

“Joey? Good. I would like you to come into my office while I call your grandmother about the…echidna.” Ms. Yoroi stood in front of him, a strange look of anticipation on her face.

“Okay, ‘teach!” Really, there was nothing he had to worry about. He was sure his grandmother would go along with it…but it was the how that put him off. She was always…unpredictable.

The reached the office in silence. There wasn’t much to talk about. A quick look into his file got her the number she needed, and he listened to the obligatory rings. Joey turned as he heard the door open, his eyes widening in alarm as Kaiba stepped in. He still wasn’t sure what had happened this morning, but you can be sure it wasn’t going to happen again! He refused to meet the other’s gaze. He just couldn’t do it.

“Hello!” An older woman’s voice barked over the speakerphone, providing an effective escape from Kaiba and his eyes. “Who is this?” Joey gave a sigh, just like his grandmother. Blunt as a murder weapon, that one.

“Um, hi. Is this Joey Wheeler’s grandmother? I’d like to speak to you about his tardiness today.” Ms. Yoroi was sure that she would get to throw Joey into detention. And then she would ‘persuade’ him to accept the offer of joining a tutoring program. In the end, though, it was up to the old lady on the phone.

“Joey, hmm? What trouble has he got into this time?”

“Apparently, he was attacked by an echidna, and he couldn’t get to school on time. I’m just verifying the facts.” Ms. Yoroi prepared herself for the onslaught of screeches, the old lady sounded as if she had a temper.

“The echidna, Reagan, Nixon, or Texaco, what was the devil’s name again?”

“It’s Roark grandma!” Joey broke into the tirade, false indignation coating his words. If she didn’t know the name, she would blow his cover!

“Yes, yes. I’m hunting the little demon now.” It sounded as though she had tucked the phone into her shoulder, and a muffled “Marvin! I need my elephant gun, the M-16’s out of ammo!” “Sorry ‘bout that, the darned thing is just so hard to kill! I swear it’s got some cheetah in it or something. You know what, I’m gonna send Mauve after it.”

Ms. Yoroi was in shock. Joey had an echidna. Named Roark. Whom he had rescued from the West Indies were it was held captive by a carnivorous monkey. “So you really have the echidna?”

“Of course, deary. Don’t you have an echidna? Mauve! I sad Roark not Chiken Noodle!”

“Umm. May I ask what Mauve is?”

“Why of course! Don’t be silly! Mauve is our yoga guru water buffalo. Trained by Hindu monks she was. Sweet as can be, that Mauve! Your hoof! Kick it with your hoof, then gut it! No, knock it on its back!! Yes! Yes! We got it! Oh, Joey, you should start your eulogy soon…Now, was there anything else you needed?”

Joey felt relieved; she hadn’t blown his cover. Everything would go back to normal, and if her story was a little weird, well that was Jounouchi Hyoumei for you. He stood to leave.

“Actually, Mrs…”

“Jou-Wheeler, dear.”

“Mrs. Wheeler. I wanted to ask your permission to enroll Joey into an offsite-tutoring program. I have already located him a host family that he will stay with during the week. He is free to live with you during the weekend. I feel that Joey isn’t focusing at home, and that a new environment would be helpful. I know you must be busy, and can't give Joey the attention that he needs.”

“You know, I'm not so sure. Who is the host family going to be?”

“Seto Kaiba”

“Yes! You have my blessing, Joey, see you Saturday, and be good!” There was a click, and the dial tone. He must have misunderstood. Live with Kaiba? Who the hell came up with that idea?

“Hey ‘teach! What do you mean live with Kaiba? What offsite-tutoring program?” Joey was more than a little put off. Kaiba was confusing, and he had Corporation things at random times after school.

“Tomorrow is when it starts. Mr. Kaiba will pick you up after school and you will live with him until I see some improvement. I know you're bright, and you will have to prove it sooner or later. The same goes for all your classes. This is your substitute to detention. So, you really have no choice. Unless you want to spend 3 hours after school everyday for a year…”

Damn! He was trapped into this. Damn Grandma! She was probably cackling somewhere, knowing that he didn’t like Kaiba, and had things to do. She probably thought that his problems were funny! He made some non-distinct mumbling and glared at Kaiba. Big mistake.

There he was locked in his gaze, a replay of this morning going through his mind. He furiously tore himself free of the feelings and focused on Kaiba. “What do you have to say for yourself”?

Kaiba gave him a smirk. “I get out of four days of classes, and if you have to live with me, so be it. I don’t need much else.”

Joey’s face went slack at the statement. Everything that he had learned about communication between people told him that there was considerable subtext to that statement…and frankly…it frightened him.


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I know you all want to know what happens at the party, well that's next chapter. I thought that this one was getting a little long.