Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Insider Trading ❯ Country Club, Pt 1 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Insider Trading 2: Country Club, Part 1

Joey wiped his face with a small towel. Seto stretched. They'd just finished a workout that had
some of the toughest men in the place wincing.

"I'm still telegraphing that punch, aren't I?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think anyone but me can read it. Don't worry too much."

"Ok. What's next on the agenda?"

"Lawyer. We can shower and change first, if we hurry. Come on." Joey led the way into the
group of bodyguards. Seto sighed, but followed, he hadn't gone anywhere, not even the can,
without at least three men with him. Joey had told him, "One to hold your dick, one to wipe your
ass and one to smell it when you fart." Seto had flushed beet red in embarrassment, Joey had just
snorted. "Crude so you'll remember it."

Seto never forgot, and neither did his guards. They had stuck to him like glue, so now there was a
small procession wherever they went. This time it was Joey and four guards, Seto and four
guards, and two prison guards, it made the showers a bit crowded. Seto ignored them all and
cleaned off the sweat.

Joey joined him in the shower. "I get a funny feeling. I'm not sure what's going on. Almost the
same feeling I got before you got snatched. Keep an eye out. I'll put my ear to the ground and see
what I can find out. I hope your lawyer can get you out of here soon."

Seto scrubbed his face. "I'm going to put some real pressure on that guy. I need to get out of
here. I can't ... never mind."

Joey gripped Seto's shoulder for a second. "Hang in there. You're doing really well. Your lawyer
will get you out soon."

Seto washed the soap off his face and replied, "I know. It just takes more time than I like. As
soon as I get to Fushika, I can have more contact with Mokuba, take care of business. I hope that
lawyer gets on with it. I'll try to light a fire under him."

Joey finished his shower and picked up a towel. He was more worried than he wanted to admit.
The Admin was acting a bit strange, according to his source. And there was something else in the
air. He wished he could figure it out. It bothered him on a low level, like a crick in his neck that
he couldn't get rid of.

.

Seto frowned at the lawyer, he was still mumbling over his legal pad. The request for transfer
was under consideration'. Since Seto had refused to go without Joey, the judge had to consider
both requests as one. He was digging in his heels a bit. Seto told the lawyer to find some kind of
leverage, anything. He wanted to get himself and Joey transferred as quickly as possible.

"Well, Kaiba-san, I know you're anxious but there's only so much I can do. I don't want to
alienate the judge, which continued supplications would do. I'll see if I can't get a senior litigator
to go over my petition. Right now most of them are either working on keeping Mokuba-kun out
of fosterage, or fighting off a take over by some of the board members."

Seto sighed, rubbed his face and wondered how much longer this was going to take. "Ok. Here's
what you do." He went on to tell the man several rather unpleasant things about his most
persistent opponents. Things he had learned from Gozaburo's files. He ended by stating. "Tell
them that I'm not afraid of them and that I will release that information if they don't back off,
now. Right now. Got me?"

The lawyer nodded, stunned at some of the things he'd heard. "I see. I'll take care of it right
away. Do you have any dirt on a judge?"

Seto shook his head. "No, unfortunately. I wish I did."

Joey looked thoughtful and a bit fierce, Seto didn't notice or chose to ignore it.

The lawyer did notice and had a twinge of worry and a spark of hope.

He made a few more notes then packed his briefcase and left.

.

Seto settled on his bed with a sigh. "Something's up. There's a ... tension in the air that I don't
like. It feels like ... like... a thunderstorm, just getting ready to break." He rolled his head to look
at Joey. "Or am I dreaming things?"

Joey rolled his head from side to side, too comfortable to sit up and actually shake it. "No, I feel
it too. I don't like it but I'm not sure what to do about it. I think we need to lay very low for a
while. I'll spread the word to all our guys. Don't go anywhere without at least six men with you.
I'd rather you didn't leave the block, unless you just can't get out of it."

"Fine, I'll stay close ... if you will. I don't want you involved in whatever's going on. I can send
several men out to do what I need done. No group smaller than four?"

"Good. I just wish I knew what is going on. It really gripes on my nerves."

"Me too, but, ... oh, by the way. I got the last payment from Toad. He's free and clear."

"Hmmmm...that cuts into our information base. Maybe that's why I'm not finding out what's
going on. He's a really reliable source."

Joey sighed and rubbed his face. He wanted desperately to know what was going on. Seto
considered who to go to for information. Several of their informants had gotten released lately so
the data base' had dried up a bit.

"How about the Arranger? He usually knows what's going on. Or one of the other Okashira?"

Joey nibbled at his lip. "Who owes us the most? Who can we bribe, buy or scare into telling us
something?"

Seto shook his head. "I can call in some small favors and see what I can find. I don't think it'll do
much good though. This doesn't feel like ... like a planned thing. But everyone's ... restless?
There's a lot of random wandering, and some of the newer prisoners seem ... antagonistic?
Something."

Joey nodded, sitting up to do so. "I don't like it. I don't like not knowing what's going on. It's
makin' the back of my neck crawl. Creeps me out."

Seto made a small noise in the back of his throat. He didn't like it either.

The lights went out so both men tried to sleep. This cell block was much quieter than their first
one, but it was still noisy. Men yelled randomly, cried, cursed each other and snored; doors
banged, toilets flushed. Seto folded his pillow around his head, attempting to block out some of
the racket. Joey just went to sleep.

.

There was a small noise about 1:00am. Joey woke up and reached over to shake Seto.

"I'm awake. What was that?" Seto put his feet on the cold floor and patted around for his
slippers.

"Don't bother. Get dressed." Joey pulled on his jumpsuit and reached for his boots. Seto did the
same. "I don't like the sound of that. If the doors open, stay inside."

"And you?"

Joey snorted. "I'm hidin' under the bed." Joey went over to stand near the door, listening
intently. Then he whistled sharply. At Seto's suggestion, they'd worked up a very short list of
whistles to communicate with their men. This particular whistle meant, "Stay where you are."
Joey just hoped he was wrong.

More sounds, mostly cell doors opening and things smashing, indicated that he wasn't. They
were right in the middle of a riot.

Joey wearily sat back down on his bed, muttering, "Well, fuck."

Seto just shifted his bed to block the door. They couldn't, of course, lock it from the inside.

"How long do you think it will be?" Seto worried at their situation.

"Don't know. I hope it isn't much more than two or three days. We've got plenty of water, but
there's not much in the way of real food. I've got some snacks, what do you have?"

Seto thought for a moment. "I've got some snacks, and some candy. There's a bit of cheese and
crackers too, but that's all. We've got enough to last a couple of days if we go light. We won't
starve before the mess dies down."

Joey grumbled, "I hate being hungry. Really, really hate it."

Seto just shrugged. "I can go without. I don't mind."

"Well, I do." Joey flopped down on the bed and slammed his head into his pillow a few times.

"What do you suggest then? Complain to the Admin?"

Seto knew that Joey was worried. This could be very bad. He'd heard stories of entire prisons
rioting, the prisoners killing each other, the guards and the administrators. This was going to be
very bad, no matter what they did. The best thing was to keep their heads down, stay in their cell,
and hope. Joey even managed to get a message to most of their men, telling them to stay out of
the riot, keep their heads down, and wait it out. They didn't get many replies, just a few whistles
from the closest men.

The violence continued for thirty-six hours, the noise a constant irritant. Joey alternately paced
and exercised, Seto finally told him to prop one of the beds in a corner and do pull-ups so that he,
Seto, could have the floor for a while. Joey did as Seto asked, apologizing for being a pain in the
ass. Seto just shrugged, saying that he was nervous too.

When the lights went out Joey just flopped onto his bed and announced that he was going to
sleep. Seto just pulled his blanket over his head and tried to sleep too. The noise continued.

.

Seto and Joey woke to the sound of the PA system announcing that all prisoners not in their cells
would be punished severely. Seto sighed, the guards were finally going to try to get the riot under
control. He hoped that all their people had stayed in their cells as ordered. Most of the cons
ignored the fact that there were cameras all over the prison. There were dead spots but you
couldn't hide in them forever. If any of their men had been involved in the riot, Seto wasn't sure
what Joey would do to them. He was sure what the administration would do. There was going to
be a lot of solitary time and beatings handed out.

Seto gazed at Joey for a moment then just flopped back on his bed. "Wake me when the guards
start their rounds again. We'll have to be extra spiffed and neat."

Joey shook his head. "They won't do regular rounds. They're going to open every cell, one at a
time. We're under lock down in ... five ... four ... three ..." The locking mechanism on their cell
banged sharply. "Well, missed that one. Never mind. They're going to open each and every cell
one at a time and check us over. Probably strip search us. Just be really cooperative and we'll
come out on the top of this one."

"You sure?"

Joey turned his head to smirk at Seto. "Yeah, I'm sure. I've already done this once. I stayed in my
cell and out of trouble. I cruised through it all. Even got special privileges for a while. If they
don't pick you up on the cameras and you don't have any marks on your hands, they'll take care
of you. We'll probably get transferred to a different cell block. They might even take us out of
here on the spot."

Seto considered this for a moment. "Maybe I can use this to our advantage. If ... how soon do you
think I can talk to our lawyer?"

Joey just shrugged. "As soon as you ask, I think. Just take it one step at a time for now. We need
to get through the next few hours first."

Just then the door unlocked. Two guards stood at the door while another came in. Since both
Joey and Seto were still in their beds he frowned. Seto stood up in nothing but his shorts, bowed
and apologized for not being ready. He explained that they'd assumed that the guards would take
care of the obvious miscreants first.

"We are honored that you would see to us before them. Please excuse the mess."

While Seto had been speaking, Joey had made his bed. The guard turned to speak to Joey and
Seto hurried to do the same thing. Obviously the guard heard them but didn't say anything. He
checked his clipboard and nodded. "Everything in here is fine." He looked up at the two men and
announced, "Pack your things, you'll be moving to an undamaged block in..." he glanced at his
watch. "... thirty minutes. Be ready."

Seto and Joey packed their stuff, which took about ten seconds. Neither one of them left their
stuff out, they'd just have to scramble to get it put away neatly if there was a surprise search. Joey
nodded at Seto, picked up his box and stood at the door. They didn't have long to wait. The
guard had said thirty minutes but it was more like ten.

As they were led through the cell block, Seto looked around. The block was trashed. There was
garbage all over the place. The walls were smeared with feces and food. Some of the tables had
actually been torn out of the floor and the railing was ripped from a section of the upper level.
There were papers and unidentified things all over. Puddles of water showed that toilets were
stopped up. Joey shook his head.

"What a mess. I'm glad we don't have to stay here. I don't fancy helping clean up this mess."

One of the guards, overhearing, just butted into the conversation with, "You're not supposed to
be talking. I will say that almost all your wakachu stayed in their cells. The few that didn't are in
more trouble than you can get them out of. The ones who obeyed you are also being transferred
out of this cell block. We're rearranging things so that most of the real trouble makers are in this
cell block and the other one that rioted. The ones who stayed where they belonged are all being
moved to better quarters."

Seto just nodded his head in acknowledgment that he'd heard. Joey gave a little grunt of
satisfaction. He'd managed to keep control of most of his men without a word to them. He felt a
tingle of satisfaction.

The guard pointed them down a hall. "Go on down to the end. You'll wait there until someone
tells you what to do."

Joey and Seto said, "Yes, sir," in unison. The guard hid a smile and walked off.

Joey put his box on the floor and took Seto's to put on top of it. "We'll just stay right here like
good little boys. Man, I'm so proud. Almost all the men did what I told them to. We've got to
figure out some way to reward them. I'll talk to one of the fuku-honbucho, see what he advises.
What do you think?"

Seto nodded. "Great idea. Dedication like that deserves a reward. Maybe we should use some of
our cigarets and gum?"

Joey eyed the wall absently, as if looking for inspiration. "Yeah, a pack of each for all of the
obedient ones. Sounds good."

Seto figured in his head, using the total number of men under them as a base. "If we have 90%
cooperation, that will still leave us with plenty of reserves."

"What if we have more?" Joey picked at his lip.

"Stop that! If we have more ... if we have 100% cooperation, we'll still be set. A little low //,//
but not bad."

"Ok, let's do it."

With that decided, they just stood waiting for a guard or someone.

They didn't wait long, an administrator showed up quite quickly and led them into a new cell
block.

Seto glanced around, noting that it was almost identical to their old cell block, except it wasn't
trashed. He wondered if they'd have to go through the same process of occupation all over again.
He hoped not. Joey's reputation should be good enough to get them past a settling in period.
He'd have to see to making connections with a new set of men. Each cell block had its own base
gumi and bucking the system was a guaranteed smack down. They had some territory to recover.

Joey didn't bother to try to look cool or tough, it was enough that he was both, everyone knew his
reputation, he didn't need to indulge in posturing. He just put his box down and pointed to
someone. The man and his friend hurried over to take Seto and Joey's boxes, if they had been too
high up to do it they'd have pointed out the proper person. Joey breathed a sigh of relief, not that
anyone but Seto knew.

The guard was oblivious to this, either purposely or ignorantly. He motioned to Joey to enter the
cell, telling him to take the bed on the left. Then he told Seto to take the bed on the right. Joey
just shrugged and did as he was told. Seto made a note to ask Joey later what difference it made.
The guard left them to their own devices.

.

After unpacking their stuff, Joey announced that he was going on the prowl' Seto just sighed
and nodded, he would stay behind until Joey had a feeling for the cell block. They also had to
find new bodyguards, as their old ones were in the old cell block. They couldn't wait around for
them to make it from their cell block to this one before going to breakfast. Seto sat down on his
bed and started making plans.

Joey started his circuit of the block by turning left the second he got out the door. He walked like
he knew who he was, it wouldn't do to either saunter or slink. Sauntering would offend people he
didn't want to offend and slinking implied that he didn't belong. As he walked, he took note of
the men that looked away and the ones who looked too long.

It didn't take him long to run into one of the Okashira of this cell block. He was one of the men
that Joey and Seto regularly did business with.

"Bad for business that."

"Yeah, it's really bad. Do you know anything useful?"

"Not much. A bunch that watch too much American movies. They decided that a riot was just the
way to make their point."

Joey grimaced. "And what point was that? That they don't have a brain between the bunch of
them?"

The Okashira grimaced back. "Something like that. Now we have two cell blocks that are nearly
destroyed. It's going to be crowded in the others. We're going to have to double up and that's
not going to be good. Too much crowding causes tension."

Joey nodded. "I know that. Is there anything that we can do to help calm the situation down?"

"I don't know. Let me think about it."

Joey just nodded, bowed and went on his way.

He hadn't made it more than a quarter of the way around the block before he was stopped again.

"I'm sorry to bother you." The muscular man bowed humbly. "But, if you're looking for new
men, could I have a moment?"

Joey nodded. "Sure. What makes you think you're worthy?"

"I'm not. But I worked with Yorihimi, if you need a recommendation, talk to him. I have three
men under me who are good too. Just consider me." He bowed again and stepped away.

"I'll ask around and consider you."

Joey was stopped three more times as he made his way around the room. Each time it was
someone either wanting something or offering something. He realized that his position as one of
the more powerful men in the place was untouched. He relaxed a bit.

Seto greeted him at the door with a soft, "Hey!" he flopped onto his new bed and sighed.

"Well, a better mattress, that's nice. And our position seems to be unchanged. In fact, we might
be in a little better position. I think a couple of the higher ups have lost a lot of men."

Seto rubbed his face. "Lost them? How?"

"To solitary, or separation. Some of them might even get transferred to a worse prison than this
one."

Seto leaned back on his bed. "Separation? I don't get that one."

"They'll be transferred to different cell blocks. For some, that won't make any difference, but for
others it will. They'll transfer their allegiance to some kumicho that's in the same block. They're
just built that way."

Seto nodded, he'd seen that before. Men who needed a presence' directly before them before
they could follow it. These men would turn from a kumicho in a different block to one in the
same one. "Ok, I see. But we've got men all over."

"Yeah, but they're all under someone else, who's under one of the big Kumicho, who report
directly to me. See?"

Seto nodded again. "Yeah, I see. Not that much different from my position in Kaiba Corp. I've
been figuring. If we give each loyal man one pack of cigarets and one pack of gum, it won't hurt
us a bit and it'll make a big impression. I'd like to see the lawyer as soon as I can. See what you
can do, will you?"

Joey kicked off his shoes and put his feet on the bed. "Sure. I hope we can get out of here soon.
I'm really, really sick of this place."

Seto rubbed his face then flopped back on his bed again. "Me too. But, when we leave, the power
vacuum is going to be killer." //You made a reference to them needing bodyguards before
they head to breakfast which I was assuming was coming up soon from the way you
worded it. Here though it sounds like they are settling in for a long wait.//

"And we care ... why? Remind me."

Seto considered that for a moment. "Well, we really don't. If we just leave, how will that affect
our men."

"Won't. They all answer to bigger fish. The ones we're really worried about do. So they're taken
care of. I think ... oh, man." Joey burst out laughing. "If we leave all our commissary to our men
when we leave..." Seto nearly hurt himself he laughed so hard.

"Yeah, but we have to have written instructions or no one will carry them out. I'll write
something up right now." Seto got out a new pad of paper and a pen. He and Joey both kept
several pads and pens in their personal stuff so they both had something to trade at a moment's
notice.

When he was finished writing, Seto showed the result to Joey. Joey nodded and just said,
"Thorough, straight forward and complete. Wish I had a hanko, I'd stamp it for sure."

Seto looked confused. "You don't have a hanko? Why not?"

"Had one once, Pop took off with it. Never got another. Never had the money to bother with it."

"When we get out, I'll get you one. You want Joey Wheeler, or Katsuya Jounouchi?"

Joey considered. "Which one do you advise?"

"Which name do you like best?"

Joey shrugged. "I really don't care. Either one is good. But maybe I should get Katsuya, the kanji
are nicer."

"Good. I'll get you a really nice one. You deserve it."

"Thanks." Joey sighed and punched his pillow. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me for lunch. We
missed breakfast."

"Ok."

.

Seto woke Joey fifteen minutes before lunch. He got up, changed clothing and washed his face
and hands. He looked tired and worried. Seto felt bad, but he knew there wasn't much he could
do for Joey except stand by him. He was planning and worrying too much, but there was no help
for it.

"You ok?"

Joey put on a smile for Seto. "Yeah, I'm ok. Tired, but I'll make it up in a couple of days. Right
now, I'm hungry."

Seto snorted in amusement. "You're always hungry."

"Yeah, done without enough that I don't seem to be able to get full."

Seto made a face but didn't say anything in return, he just led the way out the door.

They were informed at the lunch room door that there was to be absolutely no talking in the
lunch room, anyone saying so much as one word would be punished severely. Seto realized that
all the rules were going to be enforced very strictly for a while, even in this dinning room. They
settled to eat, going through the serving line quickly and quietly. It was very strange to hear
nothing but the sounds of eating; slurping, clicking chopsticks and small grunts. They finished
and left the room, it was depressing.

"What next?" Seto picked his teeth, back turned to the room. "And could that beef have been
tougher?"

Joey shook his head. "Not without the help of a tanner. I really would like some decent food.
This stuffs ok, but it's so common."

"Oh, and you'd know common, I'm sure."

"Hey! I worked in some of the fanciest places around. I know good when I see it." Joey stuck his
nose in the air. "Might I serve you, sir? ... see, I know what's what. I just really don't give a
damn. As long as it's good, clean and there's plenty, what else is really important?"

Seto considered this for a moment as they walked back to the cell block. "Nothing, I guess. Most
of that put on is more boredom than anything else. That kind of person has more money than
sense. They spend it on impressing themselves and each other. I'm actually more fond of simple
dishes."

Joey nodded. "All I can think of sometimes is a good cut of beefsteak ... and really fresh shrimp.
Someday I'm gonna have both."

Seto nodded. "Sure are. I would almost literally kill for some fugu. And fresh rice, properly
rinsed."

They continued on toward their block, talking about the things they wanted when they got out.

.

Seto sat down on the floor so that he could use his bed as a desk. He was writing thank you notes
to all the saiko komon and wakagashira under them who had kept their men under control. Joey
had agreed to sign them too. They both felt that this was a good way to boost their moral and fix
the ties between them more firmly. The tighter the ties, the better the control.

Joey watched with interest as Seto wrote. "Why don't you give me one of those and let me copy
it out? We'll get done quicker."

"Because I'm not copying a note over and over. I'm writing to each one of them individually. I
managed to find out a bit about what each one did. That guy that wanted a favor was a real gossip
machine. And, no, I did not meet with him alone. I had that new guy and two of his friends with
me. And some of our guys came over from their cell block."

Joey nodded. "Ok. And I'm glad to see that the whole prison isn't on lock down. Just the two cell
blocks that rioted. They're being sorted out really quickly too. I'd really hate to be one of the
rioters. Not good. Not good at all."

"I'm sure. But what, exactly, might happen to them?"

Joey leaned back on his bed and thought before answering, "Well, flogging for sure. The
ringleaders will get solitary on top of that. And, last but not least, they're stuck in the cell blocks
under lock-down until the warden decides to lift it. And after lock-down is over, they still have to
clean up the mess." Seto blinked at Joey for a moment. "Well, you surely don't think that the
admins are going to make trustees clean up that mess, do you?"

Seto thought about that one for a moment. "Well, if it was me, I wouldn't, in fact, I'd make them
live in their own mess until they could figure out a way to clean it up and repair all the breakage.
But that's just me."

"I don't know about the broken stuff. They'll probably repair it, too much chance of making a
weapon out of the broken bits. But other wise that's probably exactly what they'll do."

Seto finished off the last letter as Joey was talking and handed him the pile, saying, "Here, no
more brooding, sign." Joey just took the pile without comment and started signing.

.

A day after the notes were delivered and two days after the riot, Seto and Joey were summoned to
the Warden's office. Seto gave Joey a concerned glance, wondering what the man wanted, a trip
to the wardens office was rarely a good thing.

"Well, well, quite an accomplishment for two such young men." The warden looked up from a
file folder to eye the two standing before him.

Seto looked at Joey who just shrugged, puzzled they both looked back at the warden. Seto
managed to work up the nerve to address the warden without permission.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand."

"You two are the reason I still have a prison to be warden to. All the interviews we've conducted,
with some men we were sure would join the riot, indicate that the men in question didn't riot
because you wouldn't like it. Amazing. I'm almost sorry to lose you. Almost."

Seto nearly fell to his knees, leaning against Joey a bit heavily until he got his bearings again.
Joey just kept a straight face. The warden just smiled a bit and motioned to the guards to bring
chairs.

"Now that you've recovered a bit I'll explain. Your lawyer has been besieging a judge with
transfer requests. I've been telling them to let you transfer. As far as I can tell, neither one of you
should be here. So, transfer request granted. You've got two hours before the bus leaves. Get
your stuff together, say your good-byes and, again, thank you."

Joey just stared at the warden for a moment, his heart trying to slam right out of his chest. He was
going with Seto? It had really worked. He stood up, managed to thank the warden without
making a fool of himself and tugged Seto out the door.

"Let's go. We need to hurry. I have to make some arrangements. I'm glad we managed to make
our awards quickly. It impressed the men and gave me an idea."

Seto hurried along beside Joey, the guards struggling to keep up with the long-legged strides of
the two.

"What's the idea? And we have to decide who to turn what over to. In a hurry, not a good thing."

"No, that's why I'm in a hurry. I want to distribute all our remaining goods to the other bosses,
despite our written instructions. The power vacuum is going to be a real bitch now. I'll be
laughing for months."

Seto gave up on trying to understand Joey, when he got like this, it was impossible.

"Ok, I give. Let's get going. Tell you what, I'll pack what little we have while you take care of
whatever evilness you're up to."

Joey turned so suddenly that both their guards cringed. "Don't DO that! I'm not gonna jeopardize
my transfer by doing something stupid. All I want to know is if you know where we're going."

One of the guards stepped behind the other, making Seto sneer. The other just took a piece of
paper from his shirt pocket. "That new country-club place. It's called ... Shining Palace. You're
both very lucky."

Joey nodded, thinking quickly of how he could transfer some of his influence with him. This was
going to be hard. But he was sure that some of the older Oyabun had influence everywhere, all he
had to do was figure out who owed him favors that knew someone at Shining Palace.

He went to talk to the most senior Okashira he had access to.

.

Joey found him seated on the bleachers in the exercise yard. He bowed and was motioned to a
seat beside the man.

"Ichimura-sama."

"Katsuya-kun, what may I do for you? It is obvious that you need something."

"I do. Seto and I are being transferred. I have two hours to settle my affairs."

Ichimura turned to gaze directly at Joey. "I see. The power vacuum will be a sore trial."

"To the administration if nothing else. But ... I don't want to upset the power structure too
much."

Joey took his written instructions from a pocket. "Would you see that these instructions are
carried out? It'll put people who are worthwhile in positions where they can do good things. I'm
hoping to leave as little trouble for people like you as possible. And a great deal of trouble for
men who deserve it. Will you do this for me?"

The man accepted the papers and read quickly, he glanced at Joey, back at the papers and
snickered softly. "Yes, I think I will. It will be interesting. Thank you. There is so little to amuse
me here. I owe you."

"Thank you. Will you take care of my men for me?"

"Yes, I think I will do that as well. Amusing, very amusing. Power struggles are so amusing."

"I'm glad you find them so. We're being transferred to Shainingu Kyuuden." Joey gave the
prison its Japanese name, although the warden had used its English one. "Do you know anything
about it?"

Ichimura shook his head. "Not much. It is very ... posh is the word, I think. Not many kyodai
there. You might not have as many favors to call as you expect. But good luck."

"Thank you. And thank you for your time."

Joey stood, bowed and walked off, calling to several men as he went. They peeled themselves off
the bleachers, wall and fence to follow Joey back to the cell.

At the cell, Seto looked up a bit surprised at the crowd.

"Seto, I want you to divide all of our commissary evenly between these men. I've managed to get
Ichimura to agree to take care of our men. These men are the new shateigashira, whether the
wakagashira like it or not. Ichimura needs amusement but he'll make sure that all our desires are
carried out."

Seto just nodded, wrote on slips of paper. "We're lucky that all of our commissary was in Cell
Block D." he turned to the men and handed out the papers. "The man whose cell all this is in is a
good man so be nice to him. Leave him something, ok?" all the men nodded. They would leave
the banker' a bit for himself, or even just hand him the papers and let him hold the stuff for
them. If they didn't, it might be hard for them to get a banker of their own. And being a tight wad
was really a good way to get a bad rep.

Joey nodded to the men in dismissal and watched them leave with a satisfied expression on his
face.

"Come on. We need to take a walk. And we'd better hurry. We only have about an hour left."

They started to leave the cell, leaving their stuff behind. A man approached.

"Excuse me. Why don't I take your things on down to the bus? You'll have a few extra minutes
with people. I'll do it for a pack of cigarets and a pad of paper."

Seto thought that was a bit high but decide he felt too good to argue about it. "Ok, let me check
to see if I've got it." He checked and he did. Joey handed the man a pen as well.

.

They entered the yard, Joey for the second time, and walked around. Seto spoke to several of the
men, telling them to come to Kaiba Corp. when they got out and he'd see about getting them
jobs. Others he just offered money too. Joey gossiped and backslapped his way around the yard.
They both bowed to Ichimura when they passed him.

After about forty-five minutes Seto glanced at his watch and announced that they had to go.
There was some quick hand shaking and a few good-byes that left Seto and Joey both feeling
unpleasantly saddened. But they had to hurry so they left the yard at a trot.

"Think we might be able to jog at this new place?"

Seto laughed. "Probably have a track or something."

They made it to the bus with several minutes to spare, minutes which were spent being chained
for the trip and checking their possessions for contraband.

.

Seto looked out the window of the bus, that limo had been pacing the bus for several minutes.

"Joey, that limo is following us or I miss my guess. Wonder what that's about."

Joey eyed the limo for a split second. "Dammit, Seto, don't you even recognize your own car?"

"No. Why should I?"

Joey gently bumped his head against the back of the seat. "Because it's a good idea? If the car
catches up with the bus, make sure to look into the back seat. Mokuba might be in there."

Seto started slightly, he'd never thought of such a thing. All he had to do was wait for the driver
to come for him. Recognizing a car seemed a waste of his time. "You think he's following on
purpose?"

Joey shook his head. "No, but he might make a practice of having the driver pace any prison bus
they see, just on the off chance of seeing you."

Seto squirmed around to look more fully out the window, just in time to see the tinted window of
the limo go down. Joey recognized Mokuba's hopeful face at the same time Seto did. Mokuba
smiled, a smile so wide it seemed to split his face. Seto smiled back and managed a small wave
of one hand. His shackles made it impossible to do more. Mokuba waved back, smiled one more
time and settled back in his seat. Seto returned to his place, more relieved than he wanted anyone
to know. Mokuba looked well, relaxed and happy.

Mokuba, on the other hand, was already on the phone to the legal team. Seto looked like shit.

.

When they arrived at Shainingu Kyuuden they were met by the warden. Seto managed to look
haughty even in chains, Joey just managed grouchy.

"Welcome, welcome. Come right this way. We'll get you out of those and show you to your new
quarters. Would you like to be quartered together or separately?"

Seto gritted his teeth at the man's false heartiness. It was unbecoming his office. "Together."

"Good, good. When will your luggage arrive?"

Seto gestured with his bound hands, he was holding his small box of possessions with one. "This
is it."

Joey just lifted his box too. The warden gave him one cold blank look then announced. "Well,
what do you expect? Kaiba-san has a reputation to up hold. You do not."

Seto just glared. "Room? I'm strangely fatigued."

The warden motioned to a guard to remove their shackles. When he was done doing that, the
warden pointed. "Your rooms are that way. The guard will take you there."

They turned to follow the guard to their quarters, Joey leading the way. Seto kept up but looked
around with interest. Joey kept his eyes on the guard.

"Here it is. You'll each have a room. We'll arrange for you to have some clothing brought from
home, or you could have someone come with some samples. There's also the option of catalogue
orders. Tell your councilor what you want." He turned and left, leaving Joey open mouthed and
Seto relieved.

"Um ... Seto? He really said that you can have your own clothes?" Seto nodded absently. "That's
good. Real good." Seto jerked his head up. The expression on Joey's face said it all.

"You don't have any clothes do you?" It wasn't really a question.

"Probably not. I'll bet Pop has sold them all for drink by now." Joey forced himself not to hang
his head. "I'll manage. I always do."

"Yes, you'll manage. I'll get you whatever I think you need. And if you say one word, I'll ... I'll
smack you. We, I repeat, we have to save face here too. And ... did you see the dining room?"

Joey nearly cringed, he had seen the dinning room, there had been more forks at one place than
he had in his apartment. He was hopeful that he could get away with eating with chopsticks,
hashi were so much easier to deal with. He had no idea what most of the flatware was for.

"I'll teach you what all the silver is for. Or you could just use hashi but that's giving in. And
clothing, you have to have clothing. I'll deal with it." Seto took Joey's face in his hands. "Listen,
you protected me in an environment I wasn't familiar with, now it's my turn. You protected me
from beatings and rape. I owe you a lot more that some clothing. So shut up about it."

Joey sighed and rested his forehead against Seto's. "Alright, I will. Um ... can I have a coat like
yours? I really like that white coat. And didn't you have a purple one?"

Seto laughed. "Yes, I out grew the one and had the other made instead. And you can have one.
Only ... dark green, I think. Now ... we need to get what we have unpacked and settle in."

So they unpacked what little they had and Seto plopped down on a couch in the living area to
think. Joey explored.

They had a living room, two bed rooms, two bathrooms one in each bedroom. There were two
desks in the living room as well as a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, two side tables and an
entertainment center. The center was very nice a tv, stereo/surround sound system, DVD player
and a nice collection of DVD's and CD's made Joey stare.

Seto sighed. "I wonder how we get in touch with someone. I need to get hold of Mo' and have
him send some stuff. And I need someone to come and take your measurements. And who do we
bribe around here. I'll have to find out all that sort of thing. So ... how to start?"

Joey picked at his lower lip. "Well, go on the strut. We'll just wander around the exercise yard
and see what's what."

Seto followed Joey out the door and down the hall. They wound up at a desk much like a
concierge desk in a hotel.

"May I help you?"

Seto just rubbed his forehead. "Is there an exercise yard?"

"Oh, no, sir. There is a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a jogging circuit and a spa with sauna. But
no yard as such. There is also a common room, if you choose to socialize. Also, a billiard room
and a pachinko parlor. Card rooms are in the club. You can also play chess, checkers, go, and
backgammon there. May I make a reservation? Or serve you in some other way?"

Joey was, by now, white as a sheet and wondering if he could just crawl under his bed and stay
there. Seto bucked him up with a quick punch in the ribs. "He needs clothing. I need to get hold
of my brother to have him send me some of mine. We will have lunch and supper in our rooms,
if possible. Thank you."

The concierge just nodded as if nothing was odd and started typing at his computer. "I'll also
connect your phone, shall I? And who's to pay for this?"

Seto just snapped. "Kaiba Mokuba. Do you need the number?"

The man just shook his head. "No, not at all. I just have to ask, rules you know."

Seto grunted and stalked back to their rooms. Joey followed, mumbling.

When they got back inside the room, Joey avoided slamming the door only by reminding himself
that, in prison, that wasn't the best strategy.

"What the hell was that? Where are we? Is this some fucking country-club for real? Or have I
finally lost it?"

Seto just put his arms around Joey. "Stop! It'll be fine. I won't allow it to be anything else. This
is my world, just relax and enjoy the ride. We'll take care of each other just like always. Now ...
sit down and I'll see if I can't get us some tea. Would you like that?"

Seto's cajoling voice made Joey sigh. "Sorry, I know I'm acting like a child, but this is ... fucking
weird. Really, really ... not what I was expecting at all. We might as well be in one of those
snooty clubs that wouldn't even hire me. I'm going to make such a fool of myself. And
embarrass you to death."

"No, you won't. We'll just stay in here until my stuff comes. It'll probably be here late
tomorrow. Most of my stuff will fit you. The pants will be a little long. I'm about an inch taller
than you when you wear those boots you like. Oh, set them outside the door. Someone will polish
them for you. Too bad all you've got are those boots and a pair of rubber geta." Seto got a distant
look in his eyes. "I wonder ... we could ... let me see if we can't get yukata. We can wear them
until something comes. That way we'll show a united front."

Joey brightened. He knew that he and Seto both looked great in yukata. And the geta made them
around 6'7" which was a little strange. Joey still couldn't get used to being nearly as tall as Seto.
It felt a bit sacrilegious or something.

"Sounds good to me. You can have one of your people bring us something tonight? Maybe?"

Seto just gave a jerky nod. "I'll call." He picked up the phone and dialed then put the receiver to
his ear. He listened for a moment, hung up and dialed again, adding another number. Seto spoke
for a moment then hung up. "I couldn't call Mokuba, I can only call my lawyer for now. But I
gave him my instructions. We'll have yukata in an hour. Some of mine. They'll all fit you too
since the sizing is old style. And geta. We'll go down to supper. Ok?"

Joey nodded. "Sure. I'd like that. Say, can we get steak? Do we have to pay for the food? Do you
know anything?"

Seto shook his head. "Not yet. But I'm sure we can see the lawyers soon, maybe tomorrow. As to
the food, I haven't a clue. Just from looking at the place settings, I'd say we can get anything you
can think of. We might even get a menu. Or it might be ... what Americans call family style.
They just put it on the table and you help yourself. We'll just have to see. Keep your eyes on me
and do what I do. If you have any doubts just look around and do the same thing the majority are
doing. Ok?"

"Ok. I'll be careful. I won't embarrass you."

"Joey, love, you couldn't embarrass me if you stripped naked and danced on a table. Although I
hope you won't, you won't look good in a straight jacket." Seto snickered at Joey's disgusted
face. Joey had to laugh back.

"Not an experience I'd really like. Not into bondage."

Seto laughed. "Me neither. I'm more into leather and dancing."

Joey gave Seto a mock fierce look. "Only with me, I hope."

"No one else. I swear."

Joey grimaced, a mixture of sadness and anger. "I would love to go clubbing. I've never been.
Never had the money, time or opportunity. It really sounds like a lot of fun. You ... never mind.
That's a stupid question. I know you've been."

Seto nodded once. "I've gone to plenty of clubs, raves, nearly every kind of party you can
imagine, but I didn't have as much fun as you'd expect. It's lonely when you don't have a real
partner. Having a bunch of people, who only want you for your money, hanging all over you,
isn't as much fun as you'd think."

Joey shook his head at that. "I can't imagine. Sounds really bad."

Seto shivered once, as if shaking off the bad thoughts. "Never mind. Eyes on the prize and all
that."

"Ok. What next?"

"We see who's here. I wonder if there's a guest list' on the computer. I'll check. You explore
the accommodations. See if there's any ... um... just look around. Ok?"

Joey eyed Seto for a second, wondering what he was wanting, then he realized that Seto wanted
him to look for bugs. So he did exactly that, prowling around the rooms, poking into all kinds of
things. After finding that they had shampoo and other toiletries in their bathrooms, as well as
towels and sheets, Joey poked around in their closets. Nothing in either one of them was
remarkable, just their clothing, what there was of it. There was also nothing in the living area
except a small surprisingly efficient cooking area. All it contained was a kettle, a rice
cooker/steamer and a few cups, a tea pot and some bowls, there was no food but there was a
small canister of fair tea.

"You want some tea? There's some decent stuff here." Joey turned to see Seto nod absently.

"Fine, be nice." Seto turned back to his computer. Joey made a pot of tea without further
comment.

He set it on Seto's desk to steep and announced in a conversational tone of voice. "No bugs that I
could find. Granted, I'm no expert but there's precious few spots to hide one and they're all
clean. We can talk without worrying."

Seto took the cup of tea Joey poured and sipped. "Good tea. Glad we can talk as we like, being
bugged would be a real pain. I'm seeing if I can't get onto a chat room. If I can hack the central
server here, I can talk to Mo'."

Joey snorted his amusement. "Like you have to work really hard to hack this cracker box."

"Not the hacking that's the problem. I don't want to leave any tracks." Seto typed for a few more
minutes. "Ha! Got it. And Mo' is in his favorite room. I just hope he realizes who I am. I used a
new user name because I don't want to leave any tracks."

"What name did you use?"

"Time Bandit. No one uses that one, but Mo' knows that it's your favorite card, outside your Red
Eyes. Hope he figures it out."

"He will, smart little guy, Mo' is."

Seto's soft cry of joy told Joey that Mokuba had figured it out immediately. He left to let Seto
enjoy his chat in peace.

.

It was almost three hours later when their yukata came. Joey's was deep brown with bronze lights
while Seto's was a dark sapphire blue with the Kaiba crest over both breasts and on the back.
Through some quirk of fate their geta were of different heights, heights which made Seto and
Joey the same height.

Seto looked in the mirror and nodded. "I'm good. Let me see you." Joey stood back and let Seto
look him over. "Great. You look really good in that color."

"Thanks. Damn, I'm so nervous that I don't think I'm really hungry." Joey pulled at his yukata.
"Let's go before I get wrinkled."

Seto patted Joey's hand. "Don't worry about being wrinkled. You're good now. You look great.
Stop fussing."

Joey did and they click-clacked their way to the dining room. A guard pointed them to their table
without comment.

As soon as they sat down the whispering started. Joey managed to ignore most of it but Seto was
looking more and more displeased by the second. Joey leaned over to whisper, "Seto, you know
you can't lose your temper. That's exactly what they want. Put on your board room face and eat."

Seto nodded once, put on his sneering, indifferent glower and ate. Joey ate too. The food was
very good and served on top quality china. Joey managed to eat without making a mistake, all he
had to do was keep an eye on Seto who telegraphed which utensil to use by touching it with his
finger before he picked it up.

As they ate Joey looked around. He could see that some of the men were yakuza, they all made
signs at him that told him so. The rest all looked like fat, out of shape business men, sly and self-
satisfied. He was sure he was going to make enough mistakes that Seto would be ashamed of
him, at least he wouldn't get them killed.

"Joey, pay attention, please." Seto poked Joey in the leg under the table.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Joey turned his attention to Seto

"Please listen. This is important. That man in the corner? The one who looks like a ferret? Don't
trust him as far as you can throw him, he never keeps his promises. Over there, the man with the
slicked back thinning hair, looks like budda? He's a smuggler. If you want something that's
contraband, go to him but be very careful, he doesn't stay bought." Seto went on to tell Joey
everything he knew about every man in the room including the yakuza. Joey could tell Seto some
more about them but not much. They spent the rest of the meal planning who to approach for
what and how to collect on some of the favors owed them.

The meal ended with coffee, dessert and visiting. Seto held court like it was nothing. Joey had to
hide more than one smile behind his coffee cup.

As they walked back to their room, Joey kept an eye out for a few things. One, wherever the
real' boss set up his spot. And two, anything he could supply that people wanted and couldn't
get. He also tried to understand the attitude of the guards, they seemed more like paid
companions than keepers. He decided that he was going to have to ask Seto a lot of questions.

They entered their rooms checked around a bit to see if anything had been disturbed, nothing had.

"Going to want more tea?" Joey moved for the kettle.

"Yeah, be really nice. I like the way you make tea. You don't let it stew. I hate stewed tea. What
was your take?"

"On the whole place or someone specific?" Joey made tea with efficient motions.

"The place. And any ... specific person that hit you funny."

"Hummm. The kyodai seem to be fairly high level, some of them I've only seen pictures of. And
they don't seem to be sticking together. The rest are no threats at all. And the guards have me ...
I'm completely out of ideas about them."

Seto sipped his tea and thought. "Let me see. Most of the boryokudan aren't going to hang
together. They're high enough up that they're not going to be friendly with each other. Too much
bad blood. Some of the men you see as no threat are more than a threat, they're a promise. If you
get on the wrong side of them, they'll ruin you. I don't have to worry as much as some, I could
buy most of them twice over, but I don't feel like listening to the laughter and comments after we
get out. I'll lose a lot of face and I don't want to fool with it. The guards are here to keep us in,
and the easiest way to do that is to make it more unpleasant to leave than to stay. See?"

Joey thought about that for a few seconds. "I think so. Most of the guys I don't see as a threat,
you do. In your circle, they're the sharks. And I'm a little fish again. Damn."

Seto looked amused, shook his head and patted Joey's hand. "Oh, no, you're still a very big fish.
You just have to know how to swim in these waters. I'll teach you. Just like you taught me.
You're not fair game here either. And your physical skills will make an impression here that they
didn't there."

Joey relaxed and finished his tea. "More tea?" Seto nodded so Joey poured them both another
cup. "What do we do first?"

"Sleep. I'm exhausted. I think we should make an early night of it. And I ... you laugh and I'll
tickle you until you scream ... I want us to sleep together." Joey lit up like a Christmas tree. "Just
sleep. I'm really tired. But ... well..."

Joey just nodded. "I'll be glad to sleep with you. You think the guards will put up with it?"

"They won't care. As long as we don't rub their faces in it, we'll be ok. Come on, I'm about to
fall on my face. The stress is killing me."

Joey followed Seto into one of the bedrooms. "Maybe I should leave my stuff in the other
room?"

"I think so. Moving it would come under the heading of rubbing their faces in it. In the morning,
after breakfast, we'll have to arrange for you to get clothing. Mo' will see that the list is filled.
I'll decide what you need. And I don't want you arguing with me." Joey started to bull up but
Seto just glared. "No! You'll wear what I tell you to. I obeyed you to the letter when you knew
what to do, should I expect anything less of you? Please."

Joey gave up with a good-natured grin. "Ok, but I want a cashmere sweater to match my eyes."

"Got it."

.

The next morning saw them up early and at breakfast before anyone else. Seto just settled in a
chair with Joey across from him. He'd taken a very coveted spot beside a low wall and at the side
of the room. That meant that they could only be approached from two sides. Joey took the
position with his back to the wall, Seto took the place next to what was actually a glorified
planter. This protected his back a bit more than open floor would, but he still felt exposed.

"I don't like this. Is this the best seat we can find?"

Joey looked around a bit more. "Yeah, I don't like it either. But maybe we can do a little
something about it. I'll see. Just relax for now. I'll watch while you eat. Then you can watch for
me."

Seto shook his head. "You can watch and eat at the same time. I'll be ok. It'll just take me a few
days to get used to having my back exposed like this. Warn me if someone reaches over the wall,
ok? I'm jumpy as hell. I don't think anyone here would actually do anything, but you know, a
touch could cause problems if I react the wrong way. Or you do. We have to be careful not to
finish something that no one realized they were starting."

Joey just nodded his head. He was still a bit stunned at his change in fortune. This was going to
be one of the hardest changes he'd ever been through. He'd gone from a much loved son and
older brother to a sad, lonely brutalized boy, to a rough gang member, to a friend and comrade, to
a con. His father had become a drunken brute, abusive and controlling. He'd managed to stay out
of his way most of the last two years of high school by dueling constantly. His prize money had
all been spent on Shizuka's eye operation. His father had made him make up for that by working
him into the ground. There was no money to go on in school. When he'd resisted at last, he'd
wound up in prison. Now he was here. He was still not sure exactly what to make of it all.

"Joey?" Joey blinked himself back to the present. "You went away."

"Just thinking. This is a really big change. A lot bigger than I expected. Am I even capable of
making it? What if ..."

"Shut up, idiot. You'll do fine. I'll see to it. Eat your breakfast, which I took the liberty of
ordering, by the way."

Joey glanced down at the bacon, eggs, toast, and tea. He shuddered, how the hell had someone
managed to get that close to him and he not notice? "Sorry. I'll get my head out of my ass now."

Joey ate quickly but Seto told him not to bolt it, reminding him that he didn't want to be sick in
the gym. Joey decided to have a second cup of tea to settle his stomach while he waited for Seto
to finish eating.

.

The trip to the gym was interesting. They were issued sweats emblazoned with the prison logo
and pointed in the direction of state of the art exercise equipment. Seto had no idea how to work
most of it. He relied on his own trainer to have his machines set up so that all he had to do was
hit the start button. Joey set his first machine up for him.

Joey set his own machine up and they started the treadmills at the same time. Joey trotted along,
silent and grim. Seto sighed silently. Joey was unhappy, which made him unhappy. He wondered
what he could do to fix things for Joey.

"Hello. I'm Paul, your personal trainer. How are you doing this morning?" Joey nearly stumbled,
he was so surprised. "Easy there, wouldn't want you to have an accident."

Seto took one look at Joey and started laughing. He had to stop the treadmill he laughed so hard.
Joey gave him a look of total disgust and bopped him on the head. "Laugh it up, asshole. How ...
personal trainers? What the hell is going on?"

"Country-club. Remember? The only thing we can't do is leave without permission. Now, get
back on that machine and run."

Joey gave Paul a significant look and got back on the mill. "Alright, alright. I get it, I think.
When can I get some clothing worth having?"

"As soon as we're done here, I'll check to see if we can get an appointment with a fitter. Then I'll
get in touch with my personal tailor and ... Gucci representative. I also want you to have some
jeans and other things. And the sweater you wanted. Now, wind sprint."

Joey laughed like a maniac and they punched the data into the treadmills to increase the speed.
They ran hard for several minutes while Paul kept an eye on them so they wouldn't hurt
themselves, he was satisfied when, after only a few minutes, the speed slacked back to the much
slower pace that they'd been running at before.

Seto and Joey both managed a good run on the mills with two more wind sprints then they shut
down the machines. Joey took a towel and dried the sweat off his face.

"Ok. Good going. Now ... weight training?"

Seto nodded. "For me. But there's only two weight machines and one's in use already. So ... you
need to do some heavy bag work. You were complaining about that just a couple of days ago.
Get Paul to hold the bag for you."

Joey could see that Seto was up to something but he was willing to be guided by Seto, he was
much more in tune with this environment than he had been in Fushika. Joey went to find Paul.

Instead he found a very supercilious man who looked him up and down like he wasn't sure
whether to snub him or what. Joey looked back with all the haughtiness he could muster. They
stared at each other for several seconds then the other man backed down. Joey sneered at him
slightly and moved on. The man pressed himself back against the wall to let Joey by.

Joey saw Paul in a small office so he knocked softly and waited until the man looked up. "Hey, I
need someone to hold the heavy bag for me. Will you do it?"

Paul dropped his pen with every evidence of relief. "Sure. I was doing my paper work, hate it
with a passion. Any excuse to get out of it is welcome."

They returned to the gym and Joey reached for a pair of half gloves. "You ought to tape up first.
I'll do it just give me a sec to find the tape." Paul rummaged in a small cabinet on the wall. "Ha!
Here we are. Give me your hand." Joey held out first his left then right hands to be taped so that
he wouldn't damage the small bones in them. Hitting a heavy bag was the equivalent of punching
a human in the torso, very bad for unprotected hands. Paul also handed Joey a pair of light
boxing gloves. "Put these on. I don't want to be responsible for you hurting your hands. The
admin would have my head."

Joey blinked in disbelief, at Fushiki they hadn't cared if he got hurt or not, as long as the show
was good and he didn't kill his opponent. He felt a funny shiver course through his body. Things
were so very different here.

Paul positioned himself behind the heavy bag and grunted to signal that he was set. Joey started
on a solid routine of steady punches. He worked on body shots and knee work, two punches,
right then left then a knee to the thigh area. Groin shots were disallowed in most of the rules but
not impossible if he used enough thigh work. Sooner or later his opponent would turn into one
and take a nut shot'. The rules were a bit shaky on that so most times it didn't result in a foul.

"Um ... Wheeler? Better watch out on those thigh shots. If you catch your opponent in the groin,
I'll have to fault you. Although I'm not sure who you'll get a match with. There's no one who
boxes or ... anything."

Joey swiped sweat out of his eyes and gave Paul a look of complete surprise. "No one? That's ...
unusual. Why even have a gym if no one boxes?"

"Most of the prisoners here are very wealthy. They're used to having access to personal trainers
and exercise machines. The bags and other boxing gear are just here because that makes it a
complete gym. If you really want a match or two, maybe I can get some of the guards to agree to
match with you. But if I do you have to fight by the rules and that means watching out for fouls. I
doubt you'll be able to get a match if you foul your first opponent too much. See?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'll really watch it. But I bet Seto will match with me. We fought all
the time at Fushiki. He's a lot better than he has any reason to be. And he's in perfect physical
shape."

Paul grinned, looking half his age. "You're kidding me. No? Great. I'm so tired of coaching a
bunch of ... if you repeat this, I'll deny it with my last breath .." Joey crossed his heart' "fat old
men with delusions of health. Most of them are panting after five minutes. And they don't really
want help. They want ego stroking."

Joey could only give Paul a sympathetic look. "Not me. I like to be challenged. And so does
Seto."

Just then Seto walked up. "I like a what?"

Joey turned to him. "Challenge. Paul's not happy with the quality of his clients. Old, fat and lazy
entered the conversation at one time or another. You going to work the bag?"

Seto nodded. "Need my hands taped. You doing rhythm?"

Joey shrugged. "Just for a while. I need to get on the strength machine. What do we have?"

"Bowflex Pro. Very nice." Seto held a hand out to Paul to be taped. "Do you want to match later
this week?"

Joey held the rhythm bag for a moment. "Sure. But you have to watch groin shots or Daddy will
spank."

Seto snorted and gave a chuckling Paul the other hand. "Ok. Marquise of Queensberry rules."

"Who?"

Seto just groaned and cradled his head in his hands.

.

Lunch was nearly ready when Seto and Joey entered the room. They had redressed in their
yukata, as Joey still had no clothing other than the orange jumpsuit or scrubs favored at Sakura.
Seto nodded his head to several men who nodded back, except for one, who gave Seto a cold
shoulder. Seto's eyes narrowed and he glanced at another man, who turned his back rather
obviously. Joey gave someone who snickered a very ugly glare, the man blinked and turned to his
table mate.

"Seto, what's going on?"

"Pissing contest. Only, I piss more and farther than they do. They just don't realize it yet. Come
on. I've picked our new table."

Joey just followed Seto, completely out of he depth. Seto had picked his table carefully. It was in
the middle of the room which put both their backs to open floor. But Seto knew that they had to
get out of the corner. He'd made a basic mistake. He had to command the room not let it
command him. If someone walked up behind him and startled him, they'd have to take their
lumps. It would teach people not to do that. In this prison, he'd get a lecture on manners which
he could turn against the lecturer easily.

Seto settled in his chosen seat and pointed to the seat across from him, Joey sat down, arranging
his yukata carefully.

"You sure? I don't like sitting in the middle of the room like this."

"I'm sure. We made a mistake yesterday, but I'll repair it today. Don't act like you're nervous.
Relax. Remember that no one in here would ever think of attacking you physically. It's going to
be totally cerebral."

Joey wrinkled his brow. "Cer... what? Remember I'm little more than a street thug. What's that?"

Seto glared at Joey in fury. "You're a great deal more than a street thug. Don't ever say
something like that again. Cerebral means, intellectual. Mental. They'll try to drag you down by
belittling you, or me. Don't let them get to you. Do not lose your temper. Understand?"

Joey nodded, understanding perfectly. "Ok. Don't lose my temper. Can I glare at them? Snub
them?"

"Anything you want except hit one of them. Um... unless they hit first. Then crush them. Now.
Steak or chicken?"

Joey shrugged. "Shrimp. I'd really like shrimp. That buttery, garlicky shrimp in the little dish.
With a side of French bread. I'll think of the name of it in a second. Italian."

Seto thought, wrinkling his brow. "Scampi?" Joey brightened and nodded. "I'm sure they can
manage something along that line. No chicken?"

"I don't like thighs that much. I like breast meat and you know damn good and well that we'll
never get white meat here."

Seto snorted. "Bet? I'll bet you ... a gold chain against your Time Bandit kept out of the game for
... three matches. Not games."

Joey thought for a moment. "Ok. If they have white meat I'll keep my Bandit out of the next
three matches. Three game matches or five?"

"Three. I don't want to have to try to beat you in a five game match. You'll romp all over me like
a kid on a trampoline. Not something I'm interested in. So."

Joey reached his hand over the table and they solemnly shook. The server gave them an odd look,
Joey returned it two fold. He still couldn't get used to the idea that lunch was by order, within
reason.

"Scampi, linguini on the side. Garlic bread." The man just wrote it down. Joey gave him a very
sharp look. He looked familiar.

"Sir?"

Seto nodded. "Chicken Alfredo, linguini. Salad of spring greens, raspberry vinaigrette. Coffee."

"Very good. Sir?" Seto looked up. "I would dump him as soon as I could. He's common."

Joey remembered where he'd seen the man. "Talk about common. A cop reduced to a waiter.
What'd you do? Get caught with your hand in the cookie jar?" Seto just sneered at the waiter.
Joey glowered in a manner that was anything but sullen. It was a great deal more like looking
into the eyes of hell than into the eyes of a twenty-year-old. The waiter shuddered and went on
his way.

"Well, that went well. Who the hell was that insolent asshole."

Joey shrugged irritably. "One of the beat cops from my old neighborhood. He knew what was
going on but he ignored it. Guess he didn't care to get between my old man and me. Meant he'd
actually have to do something. Bastard."

Seto picked at his lip. "I see. So he knew ... hummm ... we can make use of that. What I'd like to
know ... I'll ..." Seto mumbled off, as he often did when he was thinking deeply. Joey just sipped
his coffee and waited for Seto to come back to himself. He didn't mind being abandoned, so to
speak, he did it himself.

Seto was brought back to himself by a plate being set in front of him. He eyed the food with a
critical air. It looked ok, but the taste was the clincher. He cut a bit of chicken and tasted it. It was
very good. Not as good as his favorite restaurant, but it was a prison after all.

"Joey?"

Joey just sighed. "Three, three game matches no Bandit. Asshole." Seto snickered softly.

.

The afternoon was spent in making preparations for a morning of shopping the next day. Seto
made calls and appointments. Joey just read a book that Seto had recommended to him. It was a
very interesting book on business written by some guy called Di Medici Seto had also
recommended The Prince by Machiavelli. Joey had glanced through that and was impressed by it.
He realized that Seto was trying to teach him a few things. Joey was always willing to learn, as
long as he didn't have to sit through a boring lecture.

"Joey? You in there?" Seto grinned at Joey. He had realized long ago that Joey learned best by
reading or observation. You could talk at him until you were dizzy and it wouldn't do a bit of
good. But if you handed him a book or just showed him, he had it in a second.

Joey looked up from his book. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I was asking you if you had a briefcase. Not an old book bag. But ... I don't remember seeing
one in your junk box. Do you want ... never mind. You'll need one sooner or later, but we'll
worry about it when you need one."

"I had one when I was in school, but I think Pop sold it the second I graduated. I'd really like a
good one. One of those expandable ones the lawyers use. And I'd really like a nice pair of boots
with silver toe caps. Can I have them?"

Seto just shrugged. "Sure. I think I know exactly what you're talking about. A pair like Bandit
Keith had. Right?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah. And I'd really like a decent leather jacket. It's going to get cold soon and
I'm without any kind of jacket at all."

Seto realized suddenly that Joey probably didn't have any clothing anywhere. His father had sold
everything or Seto missed his guess, he increased the wardrobe he was going to buy for Joey by
double.

"Seto? I'm not going to object to you buying me clothing. But I'll pay you back somehow, sooner
or later."

"You bought it all in advance. I'm whole, unabused and healthy, due to you. I'll return the favor
now. And later. Just shut up about it."

Joey shrugged and stuck his nose back in his book. Fascinating stuff.

.

Seto let Joey read while he finished his arrangements. He shut the computer down and returned
to the chair opposite Joey's.

"You about done with a chapter? I'd like a game of Go."

Joey closed the book over a small strip of antique kimono fabric he was using as a book mark.
"Sure. Whatever you like. How many points are you going to spot me?"

Seto made a rude noise. "Spot you? You should spot me. Draw for black or white."

Seto put one black stone and one white one in the top of one of the bowls containing the stones
and let Joey draw. He drew black. Seto grimaced, that meant that Joey got to place the first stone.
In addition to starting with extra points, that gave him a huge advantage. Seto settled in for a real
fight.

They played for over an hour, Seto placing his stones carefully, while Joey seemed to place them
almost at random.

"Atari. On four." Joey removed the four surrounded stones and, according to the rules they
played by, replaced them with four black stones. "You're running low on stones. You want to
mark them?" Seto shook his head, making a loan of stones back to his side wasn't going to do
him any good. "I surrender. You're a bastard. You do know that?"

Joey smirked as he counted stones and territory. "I'll have you know that my mom and dad are
still married. But I do understand. You're just a really sore loser."

"Sure am. I hate to lose. At anything. So, we're going to start a new appeal soon. One to get your
sentence overturned. I'll be stuck here until my sentence is over but I want you out as soon as
possible."

Joey gave Seto a furious look. "I'm not going anywhere until you can come too. You need me at
your back."

"I need you at my back, by my side, under me, over me. Any way I can have you. But right now, I
need you out of here as soon as possible. I need you to take care of Mo'. I'm not sure who's
planning what but someone is planning something or I miss my guess. Who better to take care of
Mo' than you? Yugi is too nice. Honda doesn't have the juice. And I don't trust anyone else. I'd
trust Roland but he's not in the game. Mo' would never put up with him, he's so used to thinking
of Mo' as the little boy that he'd try to run roughshod over him and ... well, use your imagination,
then double it. So, you've got to get out of here. See?"

Joey did. "Yeah, I see. I don't have to like it though."

"I know. I'll miss you, but ... I'll manage."

"Shopping tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'd like an early night again tonight. I might even crash right after supper."

Joey grumbled a bit. Supper was late for him, at nearly 7:00pm. He didn't like waiting until that
fashionable hour. He was used to having it at about five. And service took forever. He knew that
supper was supposed to be time to conduct business or just talk, but he was hungry and wanted to
eat in peace.

"Why didn't we shop this afternoon? Not that I really care, but I was sure you said."

"I did. But I couldn't make arrangements as fast as I thought. My stuff is already here and put
away. Someone did it during lunch."

"Good. You make my excuses. Say I hurt myself exercising too much. You dress and go, I'll eat
in. Give you a chance to make contact with some of the men who might not approach you if I'm
around."

Seto thought about it. There was small chance that he'd be physically attacked and, if he was, he
was more than capable of fighting off anyone around here.

"Ok. I don't really like it but it's a good idea. I'll see if I can't make contact with a couple of the
yakuza Kumicho too."

"Good idea, but be really careful with them."

Seto nodded. "I will. I don't like leaving you here alone, not that anything will happen, but it's
necessary to consolidate our position as quickly as possible."

"I understand. I'll be right here, reading, until you get back."

Seto sighed and went to take his shower and get dressed. He came out in an Armani suit of navy
blue with a sky blue shirt and a simple black tie. Joey smiled for him.

"You look like sex on two legs. Enjoy your supper."

Seto kissed Joey and left.

.

Seto sat at his chosen table and missed Joey more than he'd thought he would. He sipped his tea
and glanced around. Several VIP's were eyeing him speculatively. He unfolded his napkin and
dropped it into his lap. When the waiter came, he ordered steak, salad and a small serving of rice.

Before his food came a man settled in the chair opposite to him. "If I may?" Seto nodded regally.
"Name's Tanaka. You don't know me, but I'm sort of the unofficial greeting committee. Nice
suit."

Seto kept quiet as the waiter was delivering tea and water. When he left, Seto had his reply ready.

"Kaiba Seto, as I'm sure you know. Please get to the point, I'm not a patient man and I hate cold
food."

Tanaka blinked for a second. "Well, well. Straight to the point then. You need to get rid of that
trash you dragged in with you. He's not welcome here. Send him back."

Seto leaned back in his chair. "I see. Joey is my lover, companion, body guard and friend. He
protected me, now I'm going to protect him. He'll be out of here before I will. But insult to him
is insult to me. Be warned. Now ... if you'll excuse me. I believe that another gentleman wishes
to speak to me."

Tanaka got up, bowed slightly, gave Seto a warning look and walked off. The man waiting was
elderly, yakuza and very polite.

"So sorry to intrude. Arakaki, pleased to meet you. I need a word if you don't mind."

Seto considered this for a moment. "Would you care to join me?"

"Please, don't trouble yourself."

"I find that you're no trouble at all, Arakaki-san. As long as you don't insult my intelligence.
Which I doubt you'll do. What would you care to talk about?"

Arakaki nodded. "Anything that pleases you. There are many favors that are owed. They will be
repaid. Would you care for more tea?"

Seto pushed his cup over nearer to the tea pot. "Please. Favors can be so awkward, don't you
know? I'm sure that Joey and I will find it unnecessary to call in markers here. But if there's
anything that I can do for you, please let me know. As I will let you know the same." Seto
glanced up, the waiter was hovering. "Ah! Our food has arrived. Please, enjoy."

They started to eat, enjoying the food and, Seto the quiet. After several bites Arakaki said, "The
rich ones won't tolerate your friend. What are you going to do?"

Seto shrugged. "I'm very rich." At the man's skeptical look, he continued, "I am The Kaiba. I
have more money than is reasonable. They will find that I'm also quite ruthless when I have to
be. If someone doesn't like Joey, they have two choices, put up with him in silence or be
silenced. I can and will take everything from them. I have two people I treasure above anything.
Mokuba, my brother and Joey, my love. I know that I'm taking a chance telling you this but you
seem a reasonable man. I'd hate to see someone hurt through ignorance. You understand, I'm
sure."

Arakaki nodded. "You believe in the old ways of the samurai. We will remember this. Most of
my kind don't take to ... that sort of thing. But I'll warn them that you're unbending in your
insistence that they respect your choices. There will be no trouble from our quarter. There's too
much owed."

They ate in silence until they had both finished. Seto stood and bowed slightly to Arakaki, who
returned a bow of equal depth. They went their separate ways in silence. Seto relieved, Arakaki
worried