Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Summary: Joey had never asked for help when he ran away from home, but this time, things were different and the only person he called, was Seto Kiaba. Seto Kaiba x Joey Wheeler

I Don't Need You

Golden brown eyes stayed fixated to the ground as red tinted water dripped down from his long blond hair and mingled into the large puddle that was accumulating under him. The winds were cold and baiting as it bit and scrapped at his skin, roughly forcing chills down his spine every second it got, but compared to the rain; the little droplets of water that pelted down like stones against his back, the cold was nothing, either way Joey didn't care, because honestly, he hadn't even noticed it. When the lightning flashed around him and it was as though time had stopped for a moment of a second before darkness lived again and the clock started to flow once more as the water gushed down from the sky even harder, its sound; deafening. Each breath that escaped his cold lips were risen into the air as mist as the blond teenager lifted his head up to stare at the darken clouds that obscured the moons glow with a labored sigh.

They've always fought; his father and himself. It was usually verbally done and maybe once or twice it may have gotten a little physically violent; a sudden back of the hand or a rough push at the shoulders (mostly ever done only on his father's part), but that was all! It never escalated to anything major to have ever needed hospital attendance. And he has run away before. Plenty of times actually; more than he could count.

However, tonight, things turned out differently...

Verbal abuse started out as their typical fights, just as he expected. His father usually under the influence of alcohol, made it harder for his son to make his elder calm down and discuss their quarrel in a more civilized manner. A sudden stinging smack to the right cheek as normal for some smart remark Joey might have defended himself with, then, following the routine; the teen would storm into his room, grab a bag to fill with some of his belongings and a quick call to Tristan, just like usual. Unfortunately, what dear Joey wasn't expecting, was the abrupt smash of the liquor bottle upon the kitchen counter and within seconds, that lingering stinging sensation on his cheek intensified in hot white stripes as blood splattered onto the floor.

After that, Joey didn't particularly remembered what else had happened. Whilst scrambling out of that tiny apartment, he left with no bag of supplies and deep gash into his right arm. His chest hurt a great deal, in fact, Joey was starting to realise that breathing was starting to become more and more difficult as the time passed on. The only thing he had managed to take with him was his mobile.

Instead of calling Tristan or Yugi for help or to stay at their place for a couple of nights, young Joey Wheeler was found sitting by the pavement at the corner of a street leading to a darkened alley. God only knew how long he had stayed sitting there, and the faiths didn't bother to give Joey any sympathy as she had opened up the skies.

Waiting for the reassuring glow of the moon to penetrate through the clouds, Joey closed his eyes one more time, feeling them getting heavier as fatigue loomed over, when suddenly, something told him that the rain had stopped, even though it still stormed all around him noisily. Taking in a deep shuddering breath and he opened his eyes, and slowly focused his gaze onto icy blue orbs.

Dressed warmly and covered in a long, dark trench coat, Seto Kaiba stared in disbelieve as he tried to catch his breath for a moment as he stood there under the rain with his arm extended to partially cover himself and Joey with his umbrella. Words were not needed as Seto reached for the blond with his other hand and Joey reached out, shakily, to grasped it tightly.

Joey Wheeler had never made it a point to contact Seto in his life. Not on his birthday, not for a school group meeting, not to even banter him for his wealth. So tonight, when Seto's mobile had rung with an unknown identification, the CEO was sceptic to pick it up. It was customary for him to decline anonymous callers. But something that night, instinct probably, told him to answer that call. It was highly unorthodox for him to do so. Perhaps it was his mind telling him that he needed a break from his work and a good yelling for this poor unfortunately chap was in order.

When Seto pressed the ear piece to his right lobe, he hadn't even taken the time to open his mouth to interrogate as the caller cried over the line; practically pleading in sobs for help and assistance before it was abruptly cut off. In a bit of a daze, the male ended the call and placed it back on the table, leaning heavily in his chair as he contemplated the short message. He had known exactly who it was on the other side of the line, though; he wasn't sure of what to make of it.

Sitting there with silence, Seto stared out of his office window into the night as a flash of lightning lit up the city before it was caved once again into darkness. It had been more than an hour since he had answered that call. He couldn't make up his mind if it had been nothing but a prank, and had it been real, surely Wheeler would have called again?

Picking up his cell, he redialed the last answered number again and waited for the connection, however, it came back as a negative; apparently Joey's phone had been turned off.

A joke, nothing more. Just a silly game that Wheeler and his friends must be playing on him... imagine that, wasting an hour of work time over nothing.

Turning back to his laptop, he clicked a random key to bring it out from its screen saver and stared at the document that he was previously working on, his mind still trapped by that phone call.

It had sounded so real... desperate... and afraid.

Clenching his eyes tight, he gave a sigh as he snapped his laptop shut.

Through the heavy rain, Seto could hardly make anything out from behind the cars window as he turned another corner, keeping an eye out for just about anyone. Forty minutes he had been cruising around Joey Wheeler's residential location in search for the blond and if he found nothing in ten minutes, he was going to go home. Probably send Wheeler the head of a dead horse or something to get back at him.

Twenty five minutes on, and Seto was still at it; Joey's traumatized voice echoing at the back of his head as he doubled over the same road again, going even slower as he scanned his eyes over the street till they caught sight of the thin alleyways. Pulling his car to a stop, he turned off its engine and without hesitation, got out of the car with an umbrella and ran down the road into the rain as panic started to rise the more he replayed that short ten second message over and over in his mind, each time, hoping to God that it was just a prank.

It's been more than half an hour and even then, Seto still had no sights of the blond. It was getting extremely late, maybe it was best to give up and go home, and there was no way he was going to find Joey. Turning to around to leave, lightning struck overhead and it cast its bright light down upon a lonely figure, sitting by the curb as Seto felt his heart lurch at the sight before him. The pounding in his chest slowed down as sheer relieve practically flooded through his frame at the mere sight of Joey.

Only then did he realise just how deep the rain had soaked into his clothes and skin, and how cold it was, and Seto could not imagine what Joey must have felt like as he neared the younger male slowly, taking in the condition that Joey was before him as he watched blood dripped down the blond 's jaw line from a cut where the rain had washed the blood down to the point where he could see the small pieces of glass that was clearly still penetrated into Joey's cheek and the slash at his arm where it had been tied down by the boy's own shirt to keep pressure over the wound. Astonished at how Joey was still conscious from blood loss, he raised his umbrella over the males smaller frame and reached out his hand.

Joey Wheeler had not once ever called Seto Kaiba for assistance, nor did they ever speak unless needed; but now Seto had wished he was there for every time the blond had ever whispered or thought of for help.

End Chapter One